10th: Robertson or Robinson?

On reflection, I've decided to plump for ROBINSON for Agnes' name.
Reviewing which version (and excluding the slightly less commonly found ROBISON) was more frequently used when she herself could influence what was written down, ROBINSON wins.
So I've updated Agnes FAIRBAIRN nee ROBINSON's page slightly, and had another (brief) look to see if there's any obvious marriage floating around for her parents, cooper John ROBINSON and wife Ann. There's one in Berwick on Tweed, NBL that might fit the bill - and An(n) is a ROBSON !!!
Some day it will get investigated to see if there's something handy like John's occupation stated.

It's all Ed's fault, this bout of activity.
He asked what Agnes' name should be.
And reported that not only had he found John's Civil War Town Clerk's record, which showed his parents, but the same set of records had an entry for John's son Walter - recorded as Watkins FAIRBURNS no less, with New York paying a bounty of $600 for his service. Which seemed a lot, but a quick web search found an article discussing the draft, and indicates that it wasn't my misinterpreting a $6.00 sum at all.
Walter aka Watkins' record adds yet another birth date to his collection, 29 Mar 1843, as opposed to 31 Mar 1842 or about 1841.

Further to yesterday's post re Archibald MILLER & Margaret BAIN's family, I've now confirmed that both sons Archibald and William did indeed go to Canada, as did father Archibald, although he must have returned, given he died in Wick.

The ANDREWS descendant chart has been converted to the new interactive format now too.

8th: Never give up

Proof that you should never give up hope.
Email from Ed awaited me this morning. Short and to the point:
"Hallelujah, Proof positive at last"
Attached was an image of a "Record of Soldiers and Officers in the Military Service enlisted since Jul 1863 and credited to other places".
Second entry from the bottom was one FAIRBAIRN, John, of Hardenburg, born June 9, 1812, Scotland being discharged from service for being over age.
The miracle was that it stated his parents as Walter (FAIRBAIRN) and Agnes ROBINSON.
So, after 12+ years we have finally eliminated the other Walter, of an age and place, from being the Walter of Roxburghshire known to be John's father.

(this has been edited to show John's entry next to the headings)
Welcome, formally, to the family Ed, we always knew we were cousns, didn't we!

John and Walter have been updated on my web pages, and John updated on the DNA project.

14th: More Canadians

Betsy has made contact with a branch of our FAIRBAIRNs (descendants of David F. and Jane HERD) in British Columbia. This prompted me to review what records I hadn't yet checked for this line.
Missing was the now available 1916 census for Saskatchewan, so I've finally found the names of the 3 in the family I knew I was missing.
The FAIRBAIRN chart from Archibald and Alison (CROSSER) FAIRBAIRN has therefore now been updated.

FamilyTree DNA have advertised an upgrade promotion. Those eligible should receive an email with more details and a link to order at a discounted price (I've yet to see such an email, but the flier I received as an admin says that is what will happen). The promotion runs for a week and should be a good chance to upgrade where we would very much like to see what happens in some specific markers.

Check out the FAIRBAIRN DNA Blog for more results for the New York connection, which is looking good!

12th: Catskills calling

In the last couple of days Ed has brought to my attention that one of his New York FAIRBAIRNs had not died young and without a family, as previously thought.
He'd found a reference in the 1933 Catskill Mountain News archives referring to Delacey FAIRBAIRN having visited "home", aka Margaretville, from Floral Park, L.I. New York.
Research added a wife (Ernestine SHERBER) and two children, Marie and James, and showed that by now his surname had morphed into FAIRBEN.
Earlier references in the same newspapaer archives showed this spelling as early as 1884.

It was therefore finally time to get all the last couple of months updates to the database published, so the Rootsweb WorldConnect databases LornaHenderson and LornaPotential have been fully reloaded with whatever research has added in that time.
The main tree change was probably bringing the New York FAIRBAIRNs in from LornaPotential into LornaHenderson as they are definitely related, as per findings from the FAIRBAIRN DNA project, but there have been a heap of others.

PS It does rather look like that although we've found a branch of the FAIRBAIRN tribe, we have also tragically lost one of the younger ones. It has not yet been proven that Keith G. FAIRBEN of Floral Park, one of the ambulance people who lost their lives on 9-11, is definitely a descendant of Walter Delacey's, but place and dates make it likely.

Johnnie comes marching home

Well "Johnnie" actually left Scotland prior to the American Civil War, and in fact had been in NY State for nigh on 20 years before becoming embroiled in it even.
The Fairbairn Surname DNA Project Diary has the details on the latest findings that explain this comment more fully, but basically, I think we're well on the way to welcoming the John son of a Walter FAIRBAIRN of Roxburghshire, who was in Delaware Co, NY by at least 1841, probably earlier, into the family of Walter and Agnes (ROBERTSON/ROBISON) FAIRBAIRN.

Nearly three weeks since a post must be a record for me. Been busy doing lots of things, but the main one was testing for a new release of Second Site 3, the program I use to generate my web pages, particularly for the newly introduced component of it to cope with dna results and charts. The preliminary result of the changes can now be seen in  DNA Surnames Lineages section where most of the surnames recorded there now have a dna section on that site instead of referring you off to other sites.

Whatever else I've been up to will eventually surface in the web and online database updates that will follow in due course.

15th: New York Fairbairns

Poor Great Grannie. Her web page has been further delayed as I continued tidying up the NY FAIRBAIRN branch that Ed and I think (hope) will turn out to belong to my Walter and Agnes (ROBISON/ROBERTSON) FAIRBAIRN.
Still haven't updated any of my online databases (everytime I get close, another set of relations or new information pops out of the woodwork and sidetracks me).
However, I have updated the NY FAIRBAIRN descendant chart to show where I've got too (they'd better end up related after all the work it took trying to find them in rather inventively indexed census records!). Not everyone has been "found", so this chart is by no means complete.

Real mixture today

Seem to have covered a fair breadth of the forest today: McADIEs from Caithness *2, one lot the potential London descendants, the other the Australian connection, including a link (I think) to a separate FAIRBAIRN family, that of George FAIRBAIRN and Virignia ARMYTAGE, yet to be explored; a newfound twig of my FAIRBAIRNs in Pennsylvania; more of the NY FAIRBAIRNs;

I can feel some updates coming on, but there's a few loose ends to tie up before it is worth republishing both WorldConnect databases: LornaPotential and LornaHenderson

In addition a pedigree was received, and posted, for the ROWE dna project, yet another family originating in Devon, and although only some of his results are in, there does appear to be a (very) distant match to my Devon ROWE family.

Great grannie's web page didn't get a look in.

11th: This is so much more fun than work

Back to the New York FAIRBAIRNs of Delaware and Ulster Counties. While trying, still unsuccessfully, to find Lucia FAIRBBAIRN, dtr of John Francis, aka Frank, FAIRBAIRN and Delilah in 1910 and 1920 I stumbled across an instance of a chap recorded twice in the 1920.
Hillis FAIRBAIRN shows up once with Frank and Lucia (AVERY) FAIRBAIRN as their unmarried son working on a railway section (census taken 22-24 Jan). With the next entry being the widowed father of his wife Olive.
And also, on 25 Jan 1920 at home with his wife Olive and son David J FAIRBAIRN, enumerated as FAIRBEN with occupation as laborer Nth D? Section.
Lucia was subsequently found when it was pointed out to me that I'd misread her birth date in the census. Once I'd corrected that, things fell into place rather better, even if she was enumerated as Lutia A and indexed as Luter in one of them!
Updates to the published info will follow in due course.