Hi all Firstly, a very big thank you to all who replied to me on and off the list, including Marg McFarlane, Jody Allen, Irene Macleod, Audrey Render and Kay McMeekin. Sorry for the delay but I have been discussing your findings, and exploring other avenues, with other family members off list. Secondly, in replying, I am also aware that I am recording these findings for future researchers on the internet who may be investigating the same family. It would appear that Jane Lidderdale was baptised 11 September 1822 at Graitney, Dumfriesshire, and was the daughter of James Lidderdale and Janet Gordon. Various agencies transcribe the entry as "Janet," and some of you agree that this is the name, but I have personally examined a photocopy of the parish record, which is ambiguous at best, but I am thinking the name is actually Jane. The name is obscured by a frustrating smudge or blot which has been interpreted by transcribers as a "t" but several of us off list with a personal family interest are not convinced since the slant of the mark under the smudge does not look like that of the other "t"s on the parish record page. Jane's family has been found at Gretna in the censuses of 1841 through 1871, but sometimes the family surname is recorded and/or transcribed as Lauderdale or Liddesdale. The family now appears on the Lidderdale family tree website here http://www.lidderdale.com/wig_003.html Which brings me to other evidence to support the name being Jane and not Janet. In the 1851 census there is a daughter Janet Lidderdale aged 13 years (born c1838) which lines up exactly with the 3 years old Janet Lauderdale in the 1841 census. It would appear that this is the Janet Lidderdale baptised 20 February 1842 at Graitney, Dumfriesshire. But in the 1841 census there is also a Jane Lauderdale aged 15 years but we must remember that the ages of those aged 15 and over were rounded down to the nearest 5 years in this census, therefore this is probably the Jane Lidderdale baptised 11 September 1822 at Graitney, Dumfriesshire. The point being made is that it is surely highly unlikely that there would have been two daughters named Janet alive at the same time in 1841? I would appreciate some critical analysis or rebuttal of the points I have made above, particularly from those who think the name is Janet, before I move on to discuss the married identity of this Jane Lidderdale. At this point I need to declare my interest which could well cause me to be biased and not impartial. For several years I have been searching for an elusive Jane Lidderdale in my family tree who is living in north Cumberland, bordering Scotland, just 14 miles from Gretna, in the 1861 through 1891 censuses which frustratingly gives her birthplace as "Scotland". The only other two Jane Lidderdales born in Scotland around this time are both fully accounted for, but are not mine. So, I could be desperate for a result and would appreciate some critical input to keep me balanced. Finally, where do I need to go to physically inspect the original baptismal parish record with a magnifying glass? Kind regards Stan Walker ------------------------------- From: Stanley R Walker [mailto: minnigaff@googlemail.com] Sent: 11 March 2010 11:00 AM To: DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY] Jane Lidderdale c1824 Gretna I am a new kid on the block. My Galloway credentials are I was born at Cresswell Maternity Hospital, Dumfries, whilst my parents were resident at Gatehouse of Fleet. We also lived at Creebridge, Minnigaff. My mother and sister are buried in Newton Stewart Cemetery, Saint Couan's Road, which I visit regularly if anyone wants a gravestone checked. I need assistance in finding the birth/baptism record of Jane Lidderdale/Lauderdale born circa 1823/1826 at Gretna/Graitney, daughter of James Lidderdale/Lauderdale and Janet Gordon. Where should I start? Any assistance would be much appreciated. Kind regards Stan Walker ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to <mailto:DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-request@rootsweb.com> DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message