Hello Ray, thank you very much for your reply to my Auchnaven / Auchnavend / Auchnavaird dilemma, and since I posted the query I have been re-examining the entry in the OPR for the baptism of Margaret Youngson - and am now pretty certain that the script says " Auchnavaird ". It is definitely in the parish of Old Deer, but the script is pretty florid with lots of swirls and curliques, pretty difficult to make out, but I am going to plump for Auchnavaird. Rather odd about the absence of the place in the 1881 census, the baptismal entry was for 1790, and Auchnavaird is definitely on the modern map. I am a member of the anesfhs and would love to be able to pop in and read the transcriptions - only I live on the other end of the British Isles! Thank you again, Mary

Hi Mary We were about to ask you what the original source was. Script in 1790 is notoriously difficult to transcribe in some cases so it's good t hear you have re-examined the text. Re the lack of entries in the Census records which is, as you say, odd: There are two families living at "Auchnaverd" in Old Deer 1841. The heads in each case are Alexander SLESSER & Elizabeth SLESSER, presumably related. They aren't in Aberdeenshire on FreeCEN for 1851. I can't find a place similar to Auchnavaird in 1851 on FreeCEN. However, Gavin says the ANESFHS transcription of 1851 has folk at Auchnavaird but hasn't sent the names [he'll be off-line for the next few days]. As a member, you might like to contact the office and see if one of the volunteers can identify them for you. [Not that they are relevant in themselves except as a way of checking the representation of the placename.] I wonder if FreeCEN has missed a chunk of Old Deer??? Best wishes Ray 2009/11/17 Mary Simpson <mary@msimpson.demon.co.uk> > Hello Ray, > > thank you very much for your reply to my Auchnaven / Auchnavend / > Auchnavaird dilemma, and since I posted the query I have been > re-examining the entry in the OPR for the baptism of Margaret Youngson > - and am now pretty certain that the script says " Auchnavaird ". It > is definitely in the parish of Old Deer, but the script is pretty > florid with lots of swirls and curliques, pretty difficult to make out, > but I am going to plump for Auchnavaird. > > Rather odd about the absence of the place in the 1881 census, the > baptismal entry was for 1790, and Auchnavaird is definitely on the > modern map. I am a member of the anesfhs and would love to be able to > pop in and read the transcriptions - only I live on the other end of > the British Isles! > > Thank you again, > Mary >

Hi Mary A final fling on this topic: There are two photos of Auchnavaird farm and the approach to South Auchnavaird on the Geograph website which also has a map of the surroundings. See http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NJ9440 For completeness, I offer one apology from me and one for FreeCEN. Gavin has produced more detailed information. Firstly, I missed the Auchnavaird entries on my1881 CDs. There are five families named STOTT, OGSTON, STUART, THOM and WALKER. William STOTT is 57. Secondly FreeCEN seems to have missed the 6 families at Auchnavaird in 1851. These are named STOTT, ALLAN, CONNAN, McKAY, WHYTE and WATSON. William STOTT is 27 so almost certainly the same guy who was still there in 1881. I have had a look at Thomson's 1832 map. Auchnavaird is present but not named, south of Elrick and east of Burngrains. So unfortunately we can't see how it might have been spelled then. This is all probably irrelevant now as you have revised the interpretation of the 1790 OPR entry in line with Auchnavaird! -- Best wishes Ray ********************************************************** >From Ray Hennessy Forenames website: www.whatsinaname.net Preferred Email address: ray@whatsinaname.net Hints for Scotland's People at http://bit.ly/WIAN-SCP **********************************************************