This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/EgC.2ACE/6128.2.1 Message Board Post: No, bummer! To the best of my knowledge no one has done my Fraser lineage. Although, I have had quite a bit of the Swans forwarded to me by a cousin, who seems to have disappeared...his loss. I am in the process of getting started on it. I am paying the registrar in Inverness to check out some death certs, but she is very slow and the costs are abysmal for the little I am getting. Then she ups and goes on holidays. If you have access to local "stuff" at a more reasonable cost, that would be a godsend for sure. My Katie Fraser of Nairn, married a Lauchlan John Dempster of Newton St. Boswells, in the south, and moved to Canada. Katie had an aunt in Protobello and he the newly weds were in service there before coming to Canada. Here is the letter sent to the researcher in Inverness: "Dear Mme: Some time ago, I contacted your good office to request help in finding some information on John Fraser and his wife Janet or Jessie Fraser married on, or having their marriage registered on, June 29, 1849, in Petty, Invernesshire, Scotland. I shall recall the basic contents: Their names were had from my g-grandmother's marriage certificate...Mary Ann Swan [b. June 16, 1863/ Branderburgh ... registered, b. June 20, 1863, in Drainie; Reg'n signed by Al Wiseman//d. September 19, 1946; Toronto, Ontario, Canada] and William Fraser [b.c. 1851, d.c. 1911, both of Nairn, Nairnshire/Invernesshire, Scotland] m. August 03, 1888, "The Church at Inverness," Invernesshire, Moray, Scotland. Mary Ann moved to Canada shortly after William's death. My notes on the Frasers of Nairn are as follows...you may be able to glean more clues from this content: this is the group that I am interested in at this time: FRASERS OF NAIRN: John Fraser, Jessie Fraser, their son William Fraser: John's and Jessie's parents, any siblings of John and Jessie, any siblings of William... John and Jessie the parents were first cousins. To whom it may concern: I would be grateful for any assistance in regards to: 1] the three persons noted in the first line of the letter I received, herein, 2] any information on any connected familial lines [vertically or horizontally in the tree] that you are able to uncover, from the documents that you have on hand, 3] suggestions, as to further sources of research material, and 4] any missing information from the two entries. I am the g-g-grandson of John Fraser and Jessie Fraser. Any information, from any source would be helpful. re: their parents, their respective family backgrounds, families, siblings, etc.. If there is useful information via your services, please contact me via e-mail as to what, and exact related costs. and/or fax [Faxes of copies of documents may be attached to my e-mail address at b1caez01@cogeco.ca as an attachment. eFax Number: [1] 253-541-1113. Numbers outside Canada or the U.S. must add a 1 at the first.] To assist you in your efforts, I am including some notes as to my Family Tree entries, related to the persons in question. This letter was forwarded to me by a person who was only able to assist to this point. I am not interested in copies of original documents that would cost me repeating amounts of money everytime the records were accessed. That is to say, I am not interested in paying for more than one trip to the vault, when one trip may all that is needed. I am willing to pay for copied of such documents as would be found on a single visit if it is economical for me to do so... . I am only interested in accessing the information, not the documents. "William is the son of John Fraser and Jessie Fraser. My friend got back with the marriage extract: Ref No.. 1888 98 79 3rd August 1888 Queen Street, Inverness. Banns according to the Church of Scotland. William Fraser, House painter, journeyman, Bachelor 37 years, living High Street, Nairn. TO: Mary Ann Swan, Domestic Servant, Spinster age 24 years, High Street, Nairn. William: Father: John Fraser, Carter (deceased)/Mother: Jessie Fraser ms Fraser Mary Ann: Father: Daniel Swan, Seaman merchant Service/Mother: Mary Swan ms Allan (deceased) Married by Gavin Lang. Witnesses: Barbara Corbett and Peter McGillivray From the above information you should be able to obtain the death certificates of both of Williams parents. Now we know William was born c 1851. Compulsory registration began in 1855, so you should get John's death. Jessie was still alive in 1888, so it is a question of finding the two deaths. I did the following: If you write to: Chief Registrar, Faraline Park, Inverness, IV1 1NH and explain that Jessie Fraser, wife of John Fraser, Carter, was alive in 1888 they will do a search for you. You will have to pay a fee for the certificates, but I am not certain what the charge is, at the moment. I really don't think that George Fraser and Margaret have any relationship to William, but it is worth hanging onto. You never know someone out there might "own" that family!!! When I checked the 1881 Census I tried for a William Fraser over a period of 15 years born in Inverness to see where they turned up as a single man, and the William in Nairn, was the only one that fit the scenario. There is no getting away from the fact that William was the son of John Fraser and Jessie Fraser and is the William in the 1891 Census for Nairn. When I am able, I will check the census again and ask the genealogist in Inverness what he makes of the age of William. Sometimes helps to get another opinion!!! Regards, Elizabeth" Nothing is known of Donald at this point. There is mention of a Norman Fraser, who signed a letter of sympathy, sent to Mary Ann, on the death of William. William was a house/ship painter as per the title of the craft Guild he belonged to: "Scottish Amalgamated Society of House and Ship Painters." Much research has been done on this group. The "Source" for filed archived materials, though, denies having them on file. That source was contacted following an "on line" search for the materials. William was apparently a resident of Nairn, Scotland. He, along with the Swans and Frasers, lived in the immediate vicinity of each other. The Frasers lived on Acre St., William lived at 18 Acre. The Swans lived on High St., right around the corner. Acre St. [a close] is a short adjunct and parallel street to High St.. Either Donald or Norman, lived on Acre St. as well, just a few doors away. My grandmother, Katie Fraser-Dempster died in 1969, so I am well acquainted with some of the foregoing details, personally. But, I began my inquiries with her, too late in her life and in mine, to have been able to glean much from her memories. Her father was said to have been a house painter. A letter sent to Mary Ann, "grannie's mother," shortly after the death of her father, William, is quoted below. The genealogist will find may references to important data therein. Spelling, grammar and punctuation has been corrected for the purposes of this entry [there was not much to do, Norman, the author, appears to be a well educated man]. But his relationship to the family is another mystery that needs solving. There does not appear to be any record of him in the Mormon archives, commonly called the IGI, held at their Family Search Centres. "Nairn Branch Scottish Amalgamated Society of House and Ship Painters 8 Acre St., Nairn, 13th Mar 1907 Dear Mrs. Fraser, At the ordinary meeting of above society, held on Monday night, I was instructed by the members to convey to you and your family, an expression of their heartfelt sympathy in your great affliction. We received your note of 25th [?], intimating your husband's illness, but at that time had not prepared ourselves to believe that we should so soon lose one so valued amongst us. We can pay a very high tribute to the memory of your late husband, as a member of our society, he being always so regular in attendance, ambitious, honest, and gentlemanly while conducting business, indeed a credit to our branch. We trust that your health has not been materially affected in this great trial and hope that you and your family, at this time, may receive every kindness at the hands of all sympathizers. With kind sympathy, wishing you every comfort in your affliction, I am on behalf of the above branch yours very sincerely Norman Fraser. Secretary" No other references are available for Norman Fraser, at this time, but they would be helpful to have, if it could be shown that he was a family member. William Fraser, son of Donald Fraser, married Mary-Ann Swan on August, 03, 1888. They were married in the Church of Inverness a few miles to the west of Nairn. William's family lived in the Acre St.-High St. area. An address of 18 Acre St. is referred to in the records, but it is unclear as to whether William's parents lived there, as their home, or that this was William's and Mary Ann's home. At present an Ian Fraser lives there. Yours, most sincerely, and hopefully, Al ================================================ I would be more than happy to share any info I have in exchange for some positive feedback. It is scant but substantive in its own right. Let me know off list at the following private address, which I do not want on any lists on the internet to curb spam and virui. b1caez02@cogeco.ca St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada