I am searching for the family of Alexander Nisbet, born May 17, 1808 in Hutton, Berwick. They may have had a farm known as Blink Bonny. Alex was a cutter and stone mason. Alex married Isabella Learmonth in St. Cuthberth's parish in Edinburgh, December 4, 1830. They emigrated to Ontario, Canada about 1832. Alexander's father I believe was William Nisbet born March 1, 1772 in Hutton, mother Elizabeth Moffat. Thank you. Charlotte cgranewall@home.com

Greetings and thank you for reading this and for those of you able to assist me a VERY BIG THANK YOU. I am seeking ancestors and I have no-one who is able to assist me. I have tried LDS and many web sites to no avail. My great grandmother was a RACHEL WOODWARD (fATHER POSSIBLY JOHN). She was born in 1859/60 in or around Northumberland I think. She married a Beadling and had a son named Thomas and a daughter named Nancy. I have been led to believe Thomas died in the first world war but I have not been able to locate any proof. I have found no details on Nancy. Rachel married Jonathan Dawson in the early 1890's and has a son named Benjamin. I understand she had sisters or other family. It appears all were coal miners. Rachel, Jonathan and Benjamin emigrated to NZ in the early 1900's. RHYMER - (jonathan) All I know is he is a relative, and would have been born probably in the early to mid 1800's. My great grandfather wrote to England requesting the bithcertificate (we have a copy of this request) but no details as to who this person was or the date of birth. My great grandfather would have been born in mid 1800. If you can assist - A BIG HUG FOR YOU AND THANKS...............

Hi All, I have been looking through some of the OPR's and admiring (or trying to decipher) some of the handwriting over the years. I have noticed that for the parishes that I am currently searching through that the handwriting styles appear to change at about the same time periods. This has drawn me to ask if the same parish priest be responsible for a number of neighboring parishes - or would there have been 1 priest per parish. Does anyone have of know of a list of Parish Priests for the different Border Parishes? I am particularly interested in Bowden, Maxton and Selkirk around 1750 - 1780. The other reason that this is particularly interesting for me is that I have just found 3 distinct records from around this period where my CLARK family has been spelt CLERK. If it was the same priest then this is fairly understandable - however if different priests all spelt it this way then maybe the family at the time used to spell it this way? I know names change spelling all the time - but it is interesting to pinpoint a period that a particular spelling may have been used in. Kind regards, Cameron Clark. Melbourne, Australia.

Hi everyone, The new version of this list is now available online at http://www.vivdunstan.clara.net/genuki/BEW/Surnames/ The list is also linked in from the relevant sections in the usual web resources, e.g. GENUKI (http://www.genuki.org.uk), BritishIslesGenWeb (http://www.britishislesgenweb.org), Cyndi's List (http://www.cyndislist.com) etc. In GENUKI the surname lists can be found from the appropriate county sections, or from a master listing at http://www.genuki.org.uk/indexes/SurnamesLists.html New submissions to the Berwickshire list would be very welcome but can I ask people to please read the list guidelines carefully before sending in their surnames to me? Different surname lists have their own ways of coding information and my lists (for the Scottish counties of BEW,ROX,SEL and ELN) are surname lists only and do not carry any first name details. They are intended to summarise very concisely people's family research interests. Please read the guidelines and send in any entries in the correct format. That way your surnames will be added in much more quickly. Since my message of a week ago I have been contacting people who already had entries in the Berwickshire Surnames List, checking that their contact details worked and that their entries were up-to-date. With some of the people I have been unable to contact them (email messages to the addresses in the long-frozen list pages bounced) and for those people I have had to remove their surname entries from the online list pages. If anyone reading this has submitted entries in the past but their entries are not in the new version of the list pages, please email me with your new contact details so that I can add your surnames back in again to the list. One final point: it will take me quite some time to add in new surname entries to the list. Please be patient if you email me with your entries. I will get back to you as soon as I can, but it will not be immediate, indeed it may be some days before I can respond to you. If your entries are in (or near to) the correct format then when I will reply I will be able say they are added in; if not I may need to write back with a query, so again do please read the instructions about entry formats carefully. Many thanks! Viv Dunstan Fife, Scotland http://www.vivdunstan.clara.net/

Vivienne, your e-mail address with one name org keeps bouncing. Which address should I use for Berwickshire Surname List? Cheers, Ron Stallard, Canada

Hello list, I'm a new researcher and need to know if there is someone with access to the Whitsome OPR who could look up information on my g-grandfather, James Millar (er), of Duns? He was born about 1819 and died May,1855, although I have been unable to document this. His occupation was a teacher in Duns, and he married Mary Galbraith 9/11/1846 in Duns. The marriage record of James & Mary in the IGI is the only record I feel comfortable with. I do not know the names of James' parents so this presents a a bit of a problem. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated. Elizabeth Millar Molavi Wilmington, NC USA emolavi@ec.rr.com I was recently informed that it appears he was born in Whitsome and I would need to access the Whitsome OPR. My grandfather was John Millar, c 22/1/1853 in Duns

I believe during that time period and even to more recent times Clark or Clarke was often spelled Clerk. I think it may well have to do with the way Scots pronounce the name? Anyone out there from Scotland with an opinion? Joe Boyd Williams Katy, Texas -----Original Message----- From: Cameron Clark <cclark@connect.com.au> To: BORDER-L@rootsweb.com <BORDER-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Sunday, July 30, 2000 5:40 PM Subject: Parish Priests in the 1700's - lists of names? >Hi All, > >I have been looking through some of the OPR's and admiring (or trying to >decipher) some of the handwriting over the years. I have noticed that for the >parishes that I am currently searching through that the handwriting styles >appear to change at about the same time periods. This has drawn me to ask if >the same parish priest be responsible for a number of neighboring parishes - or >would there have been 1 priest per parish. > >Does anyone have of know of a list of Parish Priests for the different Border >Parishes? I am particularly interested in Bowden, Maxton and Selkirk around >1750 - 1780. > >The other reason that this is particularly interesting for me is that I have >just found 3 distinct records from around this period where my CLARK family has >been spelt CLERK. If it was the same priest then this is fairly understandable >- however if different priests all spelt it this way then maybe the family at >the time used to spell it this way? I know names change spelling all the time - >but it is interesting to pinpoint a period that a particular spelling may have >been used in. > >Kind regards, >Cameron Clark. >Melbourne, >Australia. > >

Hi Listers As I have a new server, now is the time to list my interests in the Border area. LEARMONTH. SWANSTON. both in the Roxburghshire & Berwickshire areas Doreen Layfield Queensland Australia dormax@dnet.aunz.com

Apart from the individual words - sword a blade used in battle and pike a rather long sharp stick (pole) used by foot soldiers to stick (stab) those on horses. Also used by horsemen similar to lances , but mostly used by those on foot. Together Sword and Pike it could easily be an Inn or Tavern or Pub - perhaps that is the answer you seek. By the way I have Cranston on my line: Walter AMOS born 16 March 1819 Selkirk (my g/g/ uncle) son of William AMOS and Isabella JEFFREY (Jaffray/Jeffray) was married to Isabella CRANSTON born 16 March 1824 at Yetholm Roxburgh. Are we connected? DCran41266@aol.com wrote: > Could any one explain to me what the Sword and Pike was? > I seek all CRANSTOUN-CRANSTON info. > Rose Cranston > Dcran41266@aol.com

Hi Mona, I checked your Mary LARWOOD on the Earsdon census, she was born in 1813, so could hardly have been married in 1799? Maybe she was the daughter of Michael Larwood/Mary ELCOAT? For your info, the Earsdon census entry were the only Larwoods in Northumberland in the 1881 census. There were no Larwoods in any of the Scottish border counties (Berwick, Selkirk, Peebles or Roxburgh). Dwelling: 9a Northumberland St Census Place: Earsdon, Northumberland, England Source: FHL Film 1342230 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 5091 Folio 33 Page 8 Marr Age Sex Birthplace Mary LARWOOD W 68 F Spittal, Northumberland, England Rel: Head Michael LARWOOD U 28 M Blyth, Northumberland, England Rel: Son Occ: Labourer Elizabeth COOPER U 53 F Blyth, Northumberland, England Rel: Serv Occ: Domestic Servant Best regards - Mike Simpson, Penrith, NSW, Australia Email: agene@bigfoot.com HomePage: http://www.bigfoot.com/~agene

Still trying to find the parents and siblings of my William BRUCE. Not sure of where in Scotland he was born...... William Robert Bruce was born August 26, 1819 in Galashiels, Scotland, and emigrated to America in 1849/1850, landing in New York. William BRUCE was born 19 August 1821 in Scotland. William BRUCE married Helen SCOTT on 10th June 1845 in Melrose, Roxburgh, Scotland ------ This I have proof of!!!!! Can any one out there HELP me PLEASE????????? BarB barbbuck@pacbell.net

The Community Council of Foulden, Mordington and Lamberton in Berwickshire, just north of Berwick on Tweed are staging an exhibition called Smallholding Memories,this week on the small holdings and their life in that area. The smallholdings were created after the Great War as part of the Land fit forHeroes , for returning servicemen. It is well worth looking at. It isbeing held in the Parish Hall , Foulden, on the Chirnside road from Berwick. It features many of the families from that area of Scotland such as Wightman, Douglas, Deans, Forsyth,Lockhart, Fairley,Hambley, Scobie, Anderson, Wilson, Richardson, Jeffrey, Ellis, Spence, Reid, Goodfellow, Kerr, Middlemiss, Blackie, Young, Rae, Martin, Renton and Armstrong, Bell, Dunn, Sheil,Waite, Cambell, Gillie, Hogarth, Purves, Millar, Milne , Robertson and Williams. I think I've got most of them...It opened yesterday, Friday 28th July and runs till next Saturday. Plenty of parking in a beautiful little village! If you can get along and enjoy it. Chris

The Community Council of Foulden, Mordington and Lamberton in Berwickshire, just north of Berwick on Tweed are staging an exhibition this week on the small holdings and their life in that area. The small holdings were created after the Great War as part of the Land fit for Heroes , for returning servicemen. It is well worth looking at. It is being held in the Parish Hall , Foulden, on the Chirnside road from Berwick. It features many of the families from that area of Scotland such as Wightman, Douglas, Deans, Forsyth,Lockhart, Fairley,Hambley, Scobie, Anderson, Wilson, Richardson, Jeffrey, Ellis, Spence, Reid, Goodfellow, Kerr, Middlemiss, Blackie, Young, Rae, Martin, Renton and Armstrong, Bell, Dunn, Sheil,Waite, Cambell, Gillie, Hogarth, Purves, Millar, Milne , Robertson and Williams. I think I've got most of them...It opened yesterday, Friday 28th July and runs till next Saturday. Plenty of parking in a beautiful little village! If you can get along and enjoy it. Chris

listers, ...i have an 1881 census listing from earsdon, northumberland for a widow mary LARWOOD (born spittal), and son michael (born blyth). ...would anyone have access to a prior census that might show mary's husband? ...i believe him to also be michael LARWOOD, married to mary elcoat in newcastle-upon-tyne in 1799 at st andrews. ...i would be interested in any information that could be shared concerning the larwoods of north england and scotland. ...please, and thanks. -xXx- mona

Could any one explain to me what the Sword and Pike was? I seek all CRANSTOUN-CRANSTON info. Rose Cranston Dcran41266@aol.com

Hello everyone, Thanks to the kindness of a fellow researcher I have obtained an obituary for an ancestor called Archibald BARTLEMAN who died in 1885 which matches (with a few discrepancies) his death details. His address was "Blyth". Does anyone know if the farm of Blyth still exists? ".....The farm of Blyth although in the parish of West Linton is situated on the extreme south west boundary and contiguous to the parish of Kirkurd in which Mr. Bartleman was an elder......." Archibald and his wife Marion HOGG who died in 1898 lived at a farm called "Felton" before moving to Blyth. Have looked at an old map site but cannot find these places. Can anyone assist and does anyone know of these Bartlemans? I have their 1881 census details. Thank you for any help. Regards, Eileen in Hampshire.

> > Intrests are: > > RUNCIMAN- various spellings > TAIT Hi Alethea: I do not know if there is any connection, but a family of Runciman lived in Annapolis Royal, in Nova Scotia, Canada many years ago. The Father became a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and moved to Ottawa where I believe his daughters passed away in the past 20-30 years. The house in which they lived is a Georgian Colonial style house and at the last of my knowledge was owned by Heritage Canada. It has been well kept although the gardens have fallen to disorder. If this has any connection with your family, there is probably more information available from the Annapolis Royal Historical Society, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada B0S 1A0 or Heritage Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Stuart L. Brown

Intrests are: RUNCIMAN- various spellings TAIT Connections to: HEWITSON FAIRLEY MOFFAT CHAPMAN WATSON- My name CAISLEY FORSTER SCOTT ALLISON PALMER- Scotland, Borders SMITH- Berwickshire/Borders And a few others.... Contacts with Runcimans in America, Canada, South Africa, Spain, Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, Scotland, England etc. Does anyone have ANY connections? Please get in contact. Alethea

Hi all, I have been lurking on the list for a week or so and thought it was about time I introduced myself and let you know my interests in this area. My name is Kate Cunningham and I live in Wellington, New Zealand. I have been tracing my family tree for the last 18-19 years although only on the internet for the last year. I think whoever thought of these mail lists should be given an award as I have joined many other lists over the last year and I have met some wonderful people as well as making contact with distant (both relative and mile wise) relations. Many gaps have been filled in on what was a fairly bare tree. Thanks to a contact on the Durham list I now have the following information on my paternal 3x great grandmother. Jane GIBSON christened 14th May 1775 Ladykirk, Berwickshire. Father: John GIBSON Mother: Unknown Jane married Thomas KEMP 2nd August 1801 Netherwitton NBL If anyone on the list is looking for Jane's branch I have extensive information from her marriage onwards but don't have any information on John GIBSON. Although having said this, on the IGI (which I know you can only use as a pointer) I have the following 2 entries:- John GIBSON Marriage: 13 June 1770 Ayton, Berwick No spouse given (checked through the film notes and this is from Parish Registers for Ayton). John GIBSON Marriage: 6th Jan 1780 Hutton, Berwick Spouse: Elizabeth MIDLEMIS I would love to hear from anyone with an interest in this family. Cheers, Kate from "Windy" Wellington living up to it's name tonight. I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. Thomas Edison

Hi Micki, Tullylagan Manor is now a Country House Hotel about 10 minutes drive from Cookstown in Northern Ireland. There is a picture at http://www.tullylagan.freeserve.co.uk/ Where you have a birthplace in the IGI listed as OF, it usually means that the entry has been submitted by an LDS member as part of their Ancestral File submission, and the details must be taken as highly suspect until you can confirm them somewhere else. In this case it probably means they made a wild guess that Tullylagan was in Scotland. Best regards - Mike Simpson, Penrith, NSW, Australia Email: agene@bigfoot.com HomePage: http://www.bigfoot.com/~agene