Elizabeth Pearse Wrote: Looking for info on Jane Harvey (Parker) who gave birth to James McCreadie approx. 1867 in Kirkcowan Trying to find her place of birth & year of death Have been told Jane died around 1934 & lived at one time in or around Leswalt Elizabeth Ont Canada - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hi Elizabeth, I have found some records of your Jane PARKER and her family. >From Scotlandspeople, Jane HARVEY, (other name PARKER), died in the parish of Inch, age 91, in 1934. Jane’s maiden name is given here as PARKER, but I found her family mostly recorded as PACKER. A John HARVEY died Leswalt 1921, age 72 Another died Stoneykirk 1923, age 77 Another died Stranraer 1923, age 80 The one in Leswalt in 1921 looks the most likely. Here are the details from Jane’s marriage registration: Kirkcowan Marriages 1871, No5. First June at Kirkcowan. John HARVEY, Ploughman, Bachelor, age 22, Usual residence Old Luce, parents John HARVEY, Labourer & Catherine McCARTNEY (deseased). Jane PACKER, Spinster, age 23, Usual residence Old Luce, parents John PACKER, Pensioner (deceased) & Margaret GRANT The following, from FreeCEN, appears to be her family in the 1851 census: 1851 Census Piece: SCT1851/888 Place: Kirkcowan -Wigtownshire Enumeration District: 5 Civil Parish: Kirkcowan Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: - Folio: 870 Page: 14 Schedule: 47 Address: Cottage Surname / First name(s) / Rel / Status / Sex / Age / Occupation / Where Born PACKER / Margaret / Head / W / F / 40 / Labourer / Ireland - - PACKER / Mary / Dau / U / F / 12 / Scholar / Ireland - - PACKER / Jane / Dau / - / F / 7 / Scholar / Wigtownshire - Kirkcowan PACKER / Margaret / Dau / - / F / 5 / Scholar / Wigtownshire - Kirkcowan Assuming this is the same Jane PACKER, she was actually 27 at marriage, not 23 as she claimed. That is not remarkable, as it was common practice for adults to fib about their age during their working years. She would have been 18 when James PACKER / McCREADIE was born. He was born in 1862 rather than 1867. My guess is that the estimate of 1867 resulted from fibbing about his age when an adult. The birth registration for James has a bonus, for directly above on the same page is a son Patrick, born to Jane’s sister, Mary PACKER. James PACKER was born 30 May 1862 at Kirkcowan Village and registered by his mother, Jane PACKER, domestic Servant. Patrick PACKER was born 19 May 1862 at Kirkcowan Village to Mary PACKER, and registered by his grandmother, Margaret Ann PACKER. Both James and Patrick were illegitimate. Both Jane and Mary had further illegitimate children. Jane had a daughter Margaret born Kirkcowan 13 Sep 1865, who died 17 Jul 1866. Mary had a son John born Kirkcowan 05 May 1865. Mary also had at least 3 children by Cornelius McVENION or McAVERY , in 1869, 1871 and 1873. They claimed to have married in Ayrshire in July 1860, but I failed to find this marriage registration on Scotlandspeople. Jane’ other sister, Margaret, married William MARSHALL at Kirkcowan on 21 Oct 1862. Further details from Registration: William MARSHALL Labourer, 19 Barwhiil & Margaret PACKER, 17, Barwhill Parents Francis MARSHALL, Tinsmith & Margaret GILLESPIE and John PACKER, Labourer & Margaret GRANT This transcript from FreeCEN shows them in 1871: 1871 Census Piece: SCT1871/888 Place: Kirkcowan -Wigtownshire Enumeration District: 2 Civil Parish: Kirkcowan Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: Kirkcowan Village Folio: 0 Page: 11 Schedule: 54 Address: 27 High St Surname / First name(s) / Rel / Status / Sex / Age / Occupation / Where Born MARSHALL / William / Head / M / M / 26 / Hostler / Wigtownshire - Mochrum MARSHALL / Margt / Wife / M / F / 23 / Hostler's Wife / Wigtownshire - Kirkcowan MARSHALL / William / Son / U / M / 7 / Scholar / Wigtownshire - Kirkcowan MARSHALL / Francis / Son / U / M/ 5 / Scholar / Wigtownshire - Kirkcowan MARSHALL / John / Son / U / M / 3 / / Wigtownshire - Kirkcowan MARSHALL / Robert / Son / U / M / 2 / / Wigtownshire - Kirkcowan PACKER / Margt / Ma-Law / W / F / 69 / Ag Labourer / Ireland - - MCCREDIE / James / Nephew / U / M / 8 / Scholar / Wigtownshire - Kirkcowan Note that James was now using the surname of McCREDIE. The Registrar would have required his father to acknowledge paternity or for Jane to have a very strong case, in order to register him other than PACKER. The census Enumerator required no such proof. On census night, 06 April 1871, he would have been about 8 weeks short of his 9th birthday, so this is consistent with all other evidence of his identity. Jane PACKER & John HARVEY were not yet married, but at census time were both servants on the farm of Peter McDOWALL in the parish of Old Luce: Old Luce, 1871, district 2, page 12, West Challoch. Peter McDowall / Head / Mar / 60 / / Farmer of 209 acres arable emp. 5 labourers / Wigtownshire Penninghame Marget(sic) Do / Wife / Mar / / 53 / / Do Kirkcowan William Do / Son / Unm / 35 / / / Do Inch Marget(sic) Do / Grand Daur / Unm / / 16 / / Do Old Luce James Ketchie / Servant / Widr / 51 / / Ploughman / Do Stoneykirk John Harvie / Do / Unm / 22 / / Do / Do Leswalt Jean Packer / Do / Unm / / 24 / Dairymaid / Do Kirkcowan Helen McDowall / Do / Unm / / 24 / General Servant / Do Stoneykirk James Agnew / Servant / Mar / 51 / / Shepherd / Ayrshire Ballantrae 7 rooms with at least one window. This is a transcript I have on file from several years ago, when I noted all the McDOWALL households in the county in the 1871 census. Here is the FreeCEN transcript for Mary PACKER in 1871: 1871 Census Piece: SCT1871/888 Place: Kirkcowan -Wigtownshire Enumeration District: 4 Civil Parish: Kirkcowan Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: - Folio: 0 Page: 3 Schedule: 10 Address: Kiltersan Hamlet Surname / First name(s) / Rel / Status / Sex / Age / Occupation / Where Born MCAVENY / Cornelius / Head / M / M / 35 / Labourer / Ireland - - MCAVENY / Mary / Wife / M / F / 29 / Labourer / WIG - Kirkcowan MCAVENY / John / Son / - / M / 5 / / WIG - Kirkcowan MCAVENY / Margret J / Dau / - / F / 1 / / WIG - Kirkcowan >From Scotlandspeople: A Mary PACKER died 1909 Kilmarnock, AYR, age 70, but it is doubtful this is the one. I haven’t found a death for Cornelius. Maybe they left Scotland. Margaret MARSHALL, other name PACKER, died Kirkcowan 1878, age 31. William MARSHALL died Penninghame 1926, age 84. Jane PACKER’s mother died in 1891 Registration details: Margaret PACKER, (other name GRANT), widow of John PACKER, soldier, died age 90, Kirkcowan, 26 March 1891, Father James GRANT, miller, mother Jane GRAHAM. Witness R. MARSHALL, grandson, present. I looked at the LDS film of the Kirkcowan baptism register, but could not find a record of your Jane PACKER or her sister Margaret. Their births were at the time of a major disruption of the Church of Scotland, with many turning to the Free Church which was formed in 1843. There were always a number of dissenting families, which is one of many reasons why so many children were not recorded in the OPRs. Perhaps this was a factor here, perhaps not. Regards, Bruce McDowall