Hello and welcome Ashley, Can I ask where the were reported on Census records 1891 and 1901 as having been born? and have you found Annie in 1881? Johan ----- Original Message ---- From: ashley@rosslynhealth.co.uk To: sct-islay@rootsweb.com Sent: Saturday, 23 September, 2006 2:19:58 PM Subject: [SCT-ISLAY] McEwan St Clair Name Change Hi Everyone Having lurked on the list for some time I would like to ask for your opinion on a weak link in my family research. I suspect that my forebears come from Islay, partly from vague family tradition and partly from a tentative conclusion drawn from the following initial research. My grandfather was John McEwan St. Clair. His death certificate and marriage certificate both suggest he was born around 1883-1884 and had parents Alexander St. Clair and Elizabeth St. Clair nee McEwan. Although he was a proud Scot I can find no record of his birth in Scotland, even allowing for a few years leeway and the very many spellings of St. Clair and Sinclair. Nor can I find him in England & Wales (GRO), or anywhere easily searchable on the Internet. But I have found, in the 1901 census, Alexander Sinclair and his wife Elizabeth McEwan living in Cathcart, Glasgow, along with their nephew John McEwan (17) and niece Annie McEwan (23). This would make John McEwan the same age as my grandfather, and living with, if not adopted by, a couple with remarkably similar names to the people my grandfather claimed were his parents. The 1891 census shows the same (presumably) John McEwan (7) and Anne McEwan (13) living in Cruach, a rented croft near Bowmore, with their grandfather John McEwan as head of the family, his son Malcolm McEwan, Malcolm’s wife Marion and three other grandchildren. It looks as if John and Annie were Malcolm’s illegitimate children, whereas the other three were born to Malcolm’s wife Marion. The two men of the family died in 1893 (Malcolm) and 1896 (Grandfather John) and there are no McEwans in Cruach after this date – presumably the tenancy lapsed with no male older than 13 in the family. The other three grandchildren went with their mother Marion who remarried in 1896 but John and Annie turn up, as a mentioned earlier, with their aunt Elizabeth who was Malcolm’s older sister.

Hello Johan Thanks for the welcome. Yes, all from the Bowmore area in all three census years. The 1881 census shows Ann McEwan age 4 from Bowmore, Argyll, Scotland, as granddaughter of John McEwan, the head of the family. The 1891 census gives the whole McEwan family as born in Kilarrow except Malcolm's wife Marion, who comes from Kildalton. The 1901 census shows John and Annie as born in Argyllshire Islay, along with their host uncle and aunt Alexander Sinclair and Elizabeth Sinclair ms McEwan. In fact Annie had just married in 1901 and appears as Annie Stracey, but I have her marriage certificate which shows she was previously Annie McEwan. Interestingly, on her marriage certificate she shows her father as Malcolm McEwan (deceased) and her mother as Mary McEwan M.S. McLugish (deceased): this is a bit of a fib because her birth certificate shows she was the illegitimate daughter of Mary McLugash and I can find no record of a later marriage. I have more information on this McEwan family from Bowmore, mostly from GROS, which I will gladly share if anyone is interested. What I am not so sure about is whether this reasonably well documented family is linked to me by the person I knew as John McEwan St. Clair. My feeling is that it is the most likely possibility but, having no other genealogical experience, I don’t know how much to rely on this feeling. Out of interest, his three children, all sons, were each given McEwan as a middle name - it was obviously of some importance to him. 1891 census for Cruach, Kilarrow: John McEwen - Head - Mar - 80 - Farmer - Argyleshire Kilarrow Ann McEwen - Wife - Mar - 78 - do's wife - Do Do Malcolm McEwen - Son - Mar - 40 - Farmer's son - Do Do Marion Do - Daur in Law - Mar - 23 - do's daur in law - Do Kildalton Ann Do - Grand Daur - 13 - Scholar - Do Kilarrow John Do - Grand Son - 7 - Scholar - Do Do Maggie Do - Grand Daur - 6 - Scholar - Do Do Betsy Do - Grand Daur - 3 - Do Do Catherine Do - Grand Daur - 1 - Do Do Ashley Ashley St. Clair "It ain't so much the things we don't know that gets us in trouble. It's the things that we know that ain't so." - Artemis Ward -----Original Message----- From: sct-islay-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:sct-islay-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of J LOCHRIDGE Sent: 23 September 2006 18:01 To: sct-islay@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [SCT-ISLAY] McEwan St Clair Name Change Hello and welcome Ashley, Can I ask where the were reported on Census records 1891 and 1901 as having been born? and have you found Annie in 1881? Johan <snip> -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.8/455 - Release Date: 22/09/2006

Ashley, hello again, I have watched the list for a few days, hoping that someone would come up with an opinion, or even better a link to the McEwan/Sinclairs, and since it hasn't happened, thought I should at least offer my opinion. I suppose it is perfectly feasible that those you have found belong to your family, but I would keep searching. Lateral thinking will be required, I think. Good luck Johan ----- Original Message ---- From: ashley@rosslynhealth.co.uk To: sct-islay@rootsweb.com Sent: Saturday, 23 September, 2006 10:09:10 PM Subject: Re: [SCT-ISLAY] McEwan St Clair Name Change Hello Johan Thanks for the welcome. Yes, all from the Bowmore area in all three census years. The 1881 census shows Ann McEwan age 4 from Bowmore, Argyll, Scotland, as granddaughter of John McEwan, the head of the family. The 1891 census gives the whole McEwan family as born in Kilarrow except Malcolm's wife Marion, who comes from Kildalton. The 1901 census shows John and Annie as born in Argyllshire Islay, along with their host uncle and aunt Alexander Sinclair and Elizabeth Sinclair ms McEwan. In fact Annie had just married in 1901 and appears as Annie Stracey, but I have her marriage certificate which shows she was previously Annie McEwan. Interestingly, on her marriage certificate she shows her father as Malcolm McEwan (deceased) and her mother as Mary McEwan M.S. McLugish (deceased): this is a bit of a fib because her birth certificate shows she was the illegitimate daughter of Mary McLugash and I can find no record of a later marriage. I have more information on this McEwan family from Bowmore, mostly from GROS, which I will gladly share if anyone is interested. What I am not so sure about is whether this reasonably well documented family is linked to me by the person I knew as John McEwan St. Clair. My feeling is that it is the most likely possibility but, having no other genealogical experience, I don’t know how much to rely on this feeling. Out of interest, his three children, all sons, were each given McEwan as a middle name - it was obviously of some importance to him. 1891 census for Cruach, Kilarrow: John McEwen - Head - Mar - 80 - Farmer - Argyleshire Kilarrow Ann McEwen - Wife - Mar - 78 - do's wife - Do Do Malcolm McEwen - Son - Mar - 40 - Farmer's son - Do Do Marion Do - Daur in Law - Mar - 23 - do's daur in law - Do Kildalton Ann Do - Grand Daur - 13 - Scholar - Do Kilarrow John Do - Grand Son - 7 - Scholar - Do Do Maggie Do - Grand Daur - 6 - Scholar - Do Do Betsy Do - Grand Daur - 3 - Do Do Catherine Do - Grand Daur - 1 - Do Do Ashley Ashley St. Clair "It ain't so much the things we don't know that gets us in trouble. It's the things that we know that ain't so." - Artemis Ward

I know, thanks to this list that I have a far off relative who went to Grey county Ontario in the early 1800s - Archibald Ead - he's on the 1871 census. Chasing his children is a bit harder. One grandson?/nephew may be John Ead b Scotland 1852. (son discounted because Archie's graves cites a son John d1868 aged 21) Still chasing up a few things to prove the link, but in the meantime can one of the list's Canadians help me with a simple question about the 1901 census data. House is listed as B. Others on the page are listed as W,S or C. I presume B is brick, W is for Wood and S Stone, but what is C? just niggling me As for the address...Lot 21, Con1 S.C.R. how on earth can I relate that to a modern day map? __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

Hello Johan Yes, I feel I would bet my bottom dollar but not my wife, as they say. If I could find the death of John McEwan that would disprove the theory, since I already have the death of John McEwan St. Clair and one rarely dies twice. But there are very many people of that name, and I would need certificates rather than index entries. Moreover there is every possibility that someone born in 1883 could have lived well past the cut-off date for Scotland's People. I will keep searching and enjoy the journey. Ashley Ashley St. Clair -----Original Message----- From: sct-islay-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:sct-islay-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of J LOCHRIDGE Sent: 27 September 2006 09:39 To: sct-islay@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [SCT-ISLAY] McEwan St Clair Name Change Ashley, hello again, I have watched the list for a few days, hoping that someone would come up with an opinion, or even better a link to the McEwan/Sinclairs, and since it hasn't happened, thought I should at least offer my opinion. I suppose it is perfectly feasible that those you have found belong to your family, but I would keep searching. Lateral thinking will be required, I think. Good luck Johan <snip> -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.8/455 - Release Date: 22/09/2006