If Michael married after 1855 his age will be on the certificate which would give you his year of birth. Have you seen the OPR entry for William's birth in 1775? If not, I will look it up for you on my next visit to New Register House. There is a remote possibility that it will give more info - but this is not always the case. It very much depends on who wrote the entry and how meticulous they were. On one of my lots marriage entry in 1820, the occupations and addresses were given - if only they were all like that! It is interesting that there are Johnstons and Thomsons in your line a well. I have found in a number of families that sisters and brothers married into the same families, so there may well be a link - all we need to do is break down a few brick walls!! Hi Doreen My Michael Johnson married in 1837 and was at that time described as being in the Parish of Roxburgh ( his address was 4 Hill Square) His bride was living in a Close off Nicholson Street and this was St.Cuthbert's. They were married by the "Minister of the Relief Congregation in South College Street" All these streets are within a stone's-throw of each other, and apparently as St.Cuthbert's grew, various congregations hived off from it, but are still described as being of St.Cuthbert's, and really were "relief" congregations. Although they lived in the same area after marriage the birth of their children appear to have taken place in "Old Greyfriars", "Edinburgh Parish" and "South Leith" variously. Michael married again in 1860 and died in 1889 at the age of 72. He was therefore born around 1817 - no trace of his birth. His father William died in 1841 - no trace of this event except that he was a Land Surveyor and stopped producing maps and plans in late 1840 and does not appear in 1841 census. He was professionally active from 1806 - hence my looking around late 1770s onward for his birth. I have explored "Scotland's People"exhaustively without success, but I should be grateful if you would check for William as you suggest, as I live north of Inverness. Just to complicate matters further the mother of Michael's second wife was a Catherine Thomson. Liz

I think an error has crept in somewhere here. The Parish of Roxburgh is in Roxburghshire. But there is at least one 'Roxburgh' street name in the area you describe. So could this be such and such a church in Roxburgh Street/Place? Judy On 18 Apr 2007, at 17:21, Liz Darby wrote: > My Michael Johnson married in 1837 and was at that time described > as being in the Parish of Roxburgh ( his address was 4 Hill Square) > His bride was living in a Close off Nicholson Street and this was > St.Cuthbert's. They were married by the "Minister of the Relief > Congregation in South College Street"