Thanks Ella, The death certificate will be definitely correct. I'm familiar with a number of these MI surveys done under the Youth Opportinties Programmes of the 1970s and have carried out photo surveys in many graveyards in D&G. Such mistakes are not uncommon, I have seen 'gardeners' transcribed as 'grenadiers' and 'shoe makers' transcribed as 'school masters' or vic versa.  I uunderstant that some of those involved in the surveys were 'pressed men', reluctant participants in schemes they weren't interested in or didn't understand.   Despite saying that, the YOP work and that of the volunteers who supervised these schemes in D&G has preserved a lot of very useful genealogical data which has since been been lost in the subsequent forty years of graveyard decay due to weather and other factors. Cheers, Sandy ----- Original Message ---- From: Ella Ross <ebbtide@ihug.com.au> To: Sandy PITTENDREIGH <sypittdg@btinternet.com> Sent: Friday, 5 March, 2010 0:16:38 Subject: Re: [DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY] Mckerrow Hi Sandy I think you will find that somewhere there has been a transposition of numbers in recording the death year of Isabella McKerrow. According to her death certificate she died in 1879 not 1897. Ella Ross ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sandy PITTENDREIGH" <sypittdg@btinternet.com> To: <DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 6:40 AM Subject: Re: [DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY] Mckerrow This single McKERROW MI is the only one listed in a survey of Durisdeer graveyard made in the 1970s a part of a MSC funded 'job creation' scheme for unemployed youths under the YOP scheme. In Memory of Isabella McKERROW, wife of William HAMILTON, who died at Durrisdeer 9th Feb 1897 aged 77 years Also the above William HAMILTON, who died at Thornhill 25th October 1879 aged 88 years Also of their son Sergeant Major John HAMILTON, late of the Royal Artillary, aged 55 years Also their granddaughter Isabella Jane HAMILTON, who died on the 24th September 1882 aged 30 years Also Marion HAMILTON, wife of John HIDDLESTON, who died at Durrisdeer 20th December 1909 aged 71 years Also the above John HIDDLESTON, who died at Durisdeer 18th April 1914 aged 77 years Have a look at http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dfsgal You will see there a brief photo tour of some 60 D&G graveyards which includes Durisdeer. Sandy