RESEARCH ON THE FAMILY OF GEORGE HOME
TENANT IN EAST GORDON C.1750.
Compiled with comments by Graeme Glass, Havelock North, New Zealand - Updated May 1999,
From the Old Parochial Records of Scotland and from searches through various films of Parish Records I have reached some conclusions. Some of these conclusions have been confirmed but some are "best guesses" and are likely explanations having regard to ages and the conditions of the times. Unfortunately the Parish Records of Gordon, Berwickshire only give the father's name when recording a baptism in the period of our search. However, they did also record the father's occupation, which provides some help.
The omission of the mother's name was the custom in many Parishes, English and Scottish, in the 1700s. Some Parishes even omitted the name of the bride when recording a marriage. Others simply recorded a burial as "an elderly person" etc. Therefore many of our ancestors must necessarily remain anonymous.
Another problem with the records of Gordon Parish is the erratic recording of burials. What few that are shown are interspersed with baptisms and marriages and I found little of value to my research. On the other hand, the Parish Records of Norham in Northumberland are studded with unusual details such as a list of Dissenter birth dates and also a list of those couples who had banns read in the Parish but were married elsewhere.
I have noted some transcripts of the actual records in Appendix I.
GEORGE HOME - TENANT IN EAST GORDON
From the Parish Records of Gordon we see that a number of children were baptised where the father's name was George described as "Tenant in East Gordon" .
They were:
Robert 06Feb1744
Alexander 15May1748
James 11Mar1750
John 12Mar1753
William 12May1757
George 29Oct1758
Janet 23Dec1759
Isabel 12Apr1765
The next step is to try to find the mother's name
and there are three possibilities. The most likely is Alison Brodie who is recorded as marrying a George Home at Gordon on 25Apr1743. This marriage took place 10 months or so before the birth of the first child - a fact that would not have missed the atte
ntion of the Minister. Alison was the daughter of Alexander Brodie and his wife Jennet (Sic) Brodie who were married at Gordon on 05 May l7ll. Alison was baptized at Gordon on l2Mar1721 - which made her age 22 at the time of marriage.
The naming pattern of the children tends to confirm that Alison was the mother.
The second son is named after her father, Alexander and the eldest daughter is named Janet, after her mother. Further confirmation comes from the naming of grandchildren. By the same token this should indicate that George's parents were Robert and Isabel but I can find no trace of them.
ROBERT (1744-?) Son of George Home and Alison Brodie
Of the above children I think that I can trace Robert, John, William and George. Gordon records show the baptism of several children whose father was a Robert named as "tenant in East Gordon". From that I interpret that when George, the father, retired, or died, Robert took over the tenancy. It would be interesting to know the name of the actual owner of the land but the only information that I have on that subject is that the lands of East Gordon were transferred by Lord Gordon to Lord Home on 16Jul1498. The price was 300 merks. The Gordons had, by that time, moved to Huntly in the north where they became firmly established as "The Cock of the North". Source: Manuscripts of the Earl of Home.
NOTE. There are a couple of references that probably relate to this Robert Home.
In the letter written by Alexander Hopkirk (1823-1907) to a niece in USA he mentions "an uncle of grandfather's, Robert Home went to America and settled in one of the States .. etc.
Robert Alexander Hopkirk (1866-1948) in his writings mentions that his father, Robert Home Hopkirk (1816-1900) was named after an uncle on his mother's side.
Robert Homes children were:
George Baptised 25Jan1771
Isabel 19Apr1773
John 28Aug1775
Alison 18Sep1777
Janet 02May1784
Robert 07Jan1789
James 24May1789
George 08Jun1792
I cannot identify a wife for Robert.
ALEXANDER AND JAMES HOME .
I cannot, with any reasonable certainty identify marriages or baptisms relating to families of Alexander or James. It is interesting to note that the Sasine which records the purchase of Gateside Farm by their brother William, mentions a James Home who was described as "tenant in Westhouses" - a neighbouring property. It may be the this is that James Home..
JOHN HOME. 1752-1832 - Son of George Home and Alison Brodie
I have found John a difficult person to research. We know from the death certificates of Robert and Isabella that John's wife was named Elisabeth Millar but have not been able to trace the marriage. However, there is an entry in a section of the Parish Records of Norham which may pertain. It is "Names of people whose Banns were called at Norham but were not married there." The record shows: Page57. John Home and Elizabeth Home 30Apr1769.
The family obviously moved from time to time and baptismal records for his children are hard to pin down. The only one that I can positively identify is Isobel (my great great grandmother). Her baptism appears in the "Register of the congregation of Protestant Dissenters that meets in Golden Square, Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland". She was actually baptised at her father's house at Hornecliff on 30AprI783. We can assume that she was only a few weeks old at the time. John's occupation is noted as "carpenter".
There are no other baptisms clearly belonging to this family but from family and other records we know that there were other children.
Old letters give the names of four girls and two boys (quote from a letter written by Alexander Hopkirk in 1903). He gives the order as:
Nellie (Helen)
Alice (Alison)
Isabella
Mary
Robert
Alexander
We know, from church records that Isabella was born in 1783 and from his death certificate and his obituary in "The Berwick Advertiser" of 06Sep1867 that Robert was born in Hornecliff on 22Jan1792. (I have copies of these items).
Alexander Hopkirk states that Nellie married a James Hardie and a record of this marriage appears in Melrose on 23Jul1808 and also at Yarrow, Selkirkshire (probably the husband's parish). From the l851 Census of Lauder we see that Helen,a widow then aged 72, was born in 1779. Alexander also states that Alice (sic) married a Mr. Scott at Gattonside. This marriage, to Thomas Scott, (Alexander Hopkirk refers to him as James Scott) is also recorded at Melrose, on 18Jan1794 but her name is entered as Alison Home, which is probably her correct name, Alice being a diminutive. By the same token Nellie was probably Helen or Eleanor and Isabella was really Isobel. This marriage entry is a good clue to the order of the family and possibly a rough guide to the marriage of John and Elisabeth. Alison must have been aged about 20 years in 1794 which puts her birth year at 1774. If the marriage took place in the early 1770s then John must have been aged about 19 and Elisabeth about 26. This age differential is not necessarily unusual.
If this marriage estimate is correct then it is strange that there were so few children whose births are spaced over a period from early 1770s to 1792. My conclusion is that there were probably more whose existence was not known to Alexander Hopkirk.
I note that there is a baptism entry for an Alison Home at Whitsome and Hilton Parish, Berwickshire on 02Dec1771 where the father's name is given as John. This Parish is situated a few miles west of Duns and not far from Hornecliff where we know that the family spent some time.
Similarly there are two baptisms in the Parish registers of Norham, Northumberland, where the father's name is shown as John. These are
George 12Aug1781
John 05Dec1776
Norham is a village with a large medieval castle which guarded a ford over the Tweed and the parish includes the nearby village of Hornecliff. The burial records of Norham show that George was buried on 09May1786 and John on 18Dec1786, which could explain why family records never mentioned the existence of these children.
If we include these children in the family the pattern is thus:
Alison Born 1771
John 1776
George 1781
Isobel 1783
Nelly (Helen) Est 1786
Mary Est 1790
Robert l792
There was also an Alexander who died in infancy who fits in somewhere.
If we now look at the naming pattern this list seems to conform nearly to the traditional system. We know that John's father was George and that his mother was most likely Alison (Brodie). From the research that I have done it seems likely that Elisabeth Millar's parents were John Millar and Helen Hood - of Cockburnspath, Berwickshire and that she was baptised on l4Aug1748. I think that John Millar was from Gordon originally which adds a little more circumstantial evidence.
The question of what happened to these children now arises and probably infant mortality is the answer. It may be difficult to prove this because in many parishes burials were poorly recorded and it must be noted that while the family lived in Northumberland - an Anglican country they, as Presbyterians, were regarded as outsiders. We only have to look at the entry of Isobel's baptism to see that they were classed as Dissenters.
From the evidence of Robert's obituary we see that the family moved to Gattonside, Melrose soon after hais birth in 1792. This coincides with the purchase by John's brother William of Gateside Farm, just outside Gattonside and this must be more than coincidence. There is some evidence to suggest that John became a farmer. Possibly he worked for William or possibly he leased some land. The Sasines of the time do not record a purchase by John although William's purchase is well recorded (I have a copy of the original deed of Sasine).
There is no suggestion that John's family was in any way affluent and Alexander Hopkirk (her son) relates that Isobel taught herself to read by studying a bible while tending grazing stock. There was probably no money to pay for education for the girls but judging from her later writings Isobel somehow managed to educate herself even if her letters do have a biblical style. Her intelligence impressed Sir David Brewster, a genius in the field of optics who was a neighbour in Gattonside.
While it may have been considered uneconomical to educate girls, we see that the youngest child Robert qualified as a lawyer so his education was not left to chance.
The Home parents seem to have lived out their lives in Gattonside long after brother William disposed of Gateside farm and Elisabeth was the first to die. Her burial on 06Jul1823 is recorded in Melrose Parish. She was almost certainly buried in the Abbey grounds. Her age was given as 77 years but one cannot be sure of the correctness of this figure. John's death is noted on 17Nov1832 at the age of 80 years, and it is interesting to see that he died at Lauder. We know that his younger brother George was a shoemaker in Lauder and presumably John was visiting him. or alternatively his daughter Nellie Hardie is known to have lived in Lauder and he may have been living with her family. I think that Alison Scott (nee Home) also lived in or near Lauder.
FAMILY:
ALISON (ALICE) Daughter of John Home and Elisabeth Millar
As we have seen Alison married Thomas (or James) Scott at Melrose on 18Jan1794. We are told that they had a number of children but I have only managed to get sketchy details of their births or baptisms. They appear to have been:
Bess
Margaret
George
John
James
Robert
I have no idea where they lived but I am fairly sure that it was in Lauder.
ISABELLA Daughter of John Home and Elisabeth Millar. Isabella's later life is well known through the Hopkirk files.
NELLY (HELEN} Daughter of John Home and Elisabeth Millar. Born 1779.
Nelly (Helen) married a James Hardie at Melrose on 23/7/1808 (The marriage was also recorded in the Parish of Yarrow in Selkirkshire, which was probably James Hardie's parish.) and they appear to have had only one son, also James. There is a reference to him in one of Alexander Hopkirk's letter of pre 1863, when he writes: "James Hardy (sic) went to Australia but returned without ever doing anything there. He has 'gone to the dogs' as the saying is. He is a slave to strong drink, .... " The Hardie's seem to have had three daughters - Elizabeth, and Jessie (B. 1818) who had no family and Margaret.
In the 1851 Census Nelly was recorded as living in Lauder with her son James Hardie(then aged 41) a baker employing 1 man and her daughter Jessie (then aged 33) Nellie, a widow, was aged 72 and her birthplace was given as England-probably Hornecliff, Northumberland.
In the 1861 Census, Jessie, aged 43 was recorded as living with her Uncle Alexander (Sandy) at Lyne Mill, Peebles, Margaret may have married a James Marche \endash there is a reference to her in Isabella's letter of 30Jun1841.
MARY Daughter of John Home and Elisabeth Millar
Mary Home married her cousin, Alexander Home - son of William of Gateside. They lived at Lyne Mill, a farm a few miles north of Peebles, I cannot find a record of their marriage which may have taken place at Galashiels where the records are erratic. I estimate this marriage as having taken place about 1815. They had a number of children, few of whom survived infancy.
Peebles Parish Records record the burials of several of their children.
William Born 1817 Died 06Dec1836 aged 19 years
Elizabeth 1826 Died 1842 aged 16 years.
Mary 1832 Died 1834 aged 2 years
John ? Died 1826 No age given.
According to the letter of Alexander Hopkirk dated 20Aug1901 there was a large family, a number of whom died in infancy. He states that four reached a greater age. "William, the eldest, died in Edinburgh some six years ago, Elizabeth the eldest daughter died at 18 years of decline shortly after her mother's death". This information conflicts with the records insofar as William is concerned but it does provide a rough clue to the time that Mary died. - Before 1842.
There must have been other children because Isabella's letter of 30Jun1841 refers to them "If I go anywhere it would be to Lynes Mill to see my sister's motherless children. Their father may get another wife but they will never get another Mother. Sandy is not behaving too well". This is the only reference that I can find to Mary's death. 1840 is too early for civil registration in Scotland and the only possible source of information is in Parish Records. I have not found anything in the records of Peebles or the neighbouring Parish of Lyne & Megget.
NOTE. While visiting the Borders in 1994 we visited the area of Lyne, a few miles north of Peebles but could not positively identify a mill site.
We do know of one other child of this marriage. She was Isabella Home who married a cousin, Thomas Henderson at Edinburgh on 10Jul1862. In the 1881 Census she is shown as living in Torryburn, a small village on the norther shores of the Firth of Forth in Fifeshire, near the present bridges. We know that Robert Home Hopkirk, when living in Perth took his family to the Hendersons at Torryburn for holidays, The Torryburn family consisted (in the 1881 Census) of the father, a mason by trade, his wife Isabella and two children, Thomas - aged 17- a scholar and Isabella Home Henderson aged 11, also a scholar. [According to Alexander Hopkirk, Isabella Home Henderson(b.1831)died in l9OO.] Also living with them was another Isabella Home, the mother of Thomas Henderson and a daughter of William of Gateside. She married Thomas' father (another Thomas Henderson) at Lyne & Megget parish church on 4Mar1825.
NOTE, There is a mention of Isabella's marriage to Thomas Henderson in Alexander Hopkirk's letter to William in Iowa U.S.A. dated 21Jun1865, "Sandy Home is still at Lyne Mill. His daughter is married to a man, a cousin of her own, returned from Australia with a fortune".
ROBERT Son of John Home and Elisabeth Millar.
Robert is perhaps the best documented of the family. He was educated at the Parish School at Gattonside and at the age of thirteen or fourteen moved to Berwick upon Tweed where he worked as a clerk in the law office of a Mr. Willoby (sic). He became a partner in that firm after completing his law studies in London where he met his future wife, Mary Waugh, daughter of a celebrated Minister and one of the founders of the London Missionary Society. They were married in 1826, Robert adhered strongly to the Presbyterian faith and played a prominent part in the affairs of that church in Berwick. He held the office of Town Clerk of Berwick from 1849 until his death and was honoured by having his portrait hung in the Council Chambers. He also held the office of Clerk of the Peace, Superintendent Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages and Clerk of the Harbour Commissioners. He died at Melrose on 3Sep1867 while on a visit to the place of his childhood and was buried in Berwick. His home was named "Ravensdown". He and his wife had two daughters, Mary (1837-1916) who married a well known cleric - John Eadie and Elizabeth who married "an Irish Gentleman - Percy Roper". Mary had no children but Elizabeth had a son (Percy) and a daughter (Lucy).
Percy(Junior) died in mysterious circumstances. He was a Captain in the British Army, stationed at Woolwich and was found dead, shot with his own pistol. A verdict of suicide was recorded but many years later, in India, a fellow officer confessed on his death bed to having murdered Percy.
There was a sequel to Mary Eadie's death in 1916 when an Edinburgh solicitor wrote to Mrs. Robert Home Hopkirk in Wellington enquiring after Robert and Alexander Hopkirk and the children of Mary Home. He was handling the disposal of Mrs. Eadie's estate. Robert and Alexander were long since dead by that time and, as far as I can gather, nothing more was heard.
WILLIAM HOME 1757-? Son of George Home and Alison Brodie
William was probably born at East Gordon and was baptised at Gordon on 12May1757. He married Isobel Gibson at Gordon on 14Apr1781 and was described in the records as "of the Parish of Belford". There is no such parish in Scotland and the reference is probably to the Northumberland parish, about 15 miles south of Berwick upon Tweed. William was probably working in that area at the time. Isobel Gibson was probably the child baptised in Gordon on 16Aug1765, the daughter of Robert Gibson and his wife, Margaret Wilson who were married at Gordon on 25Jun1760.
She appears to have been an only child. Her father was drowned in the Tweed and there is reference to this tragedy in the Gordon Parish Records, probably covering the fact that Isobel was born after his death.
William was a farmer and prior to his purchase of Gateside Farm was described as "Tenant in Gordon Mid Mill" which is a mile or two East of Gordon village.
NOTE. In the 1851 Census Gordon Mid Mill had a population of 341 people, in 57 houses, but when we visited the area in 1997 it had only a few houses, maybe 6, and it had obviously declined since 1851. East Gordon and Gordon itself had also declined substantially. The Free Church of Gordon seemed to have been converted to a club of sorts because peering through the windows the most prominent sight was a pool table.
It is difficult to be certain as to the family of William and Isobel but it is logical to assume that the first confirmed birth of Alexander on 27Dec1793 was not the first. It is unlikely that a marriage of 1781 failed to produce children before 1793.
The entry in Melrose Parish Records show the baptism of four children on 7Sep1799 and we are fortunate in that the record also gives birth dates. The children were:
Alexander Born 27Dec1793
Beatrix 18Jul1794
John 03May1796
William 01Mar1798}
I believe that other children were born in Gordon Parish and the following entries probably belong to this family
Margaret Baptised 22Jan1783
Alison 28Oct1784
George 04Jan1787
Robert 07Jan1789
James 26Jan1791.
The naming pattern seems to identify these children with this family. The eldest daughter was named after the mother's mother, the second after the father's father and the first two sons' names also conform to the tradition.
In addition to these children there were two others.
Isabella Born at Galashiels
in 1802 (evidence comes from the 1881 Census. She married Thomas
Henderson at Lyne & Megget Parish on 4/-3/1825.
James Born in 1804.
(Evidence comes from his death certificate- He died at Lyne Mill on
27/9/1868
and the certificates gives William and Isobel as his parents.
His occupation was "Dyker"
There are confusing entries in the International Genealogical Index which show the baptisms of Alexander and Beatrix at Canongate Church Edinburgh on 08Sep1799. These entries puzzled me for some time but a search of the filmed records of Canongate Parish showed no such entries on that or any other date.
I believe this misleading information was lodged and recorded in the IGI by a person who did not check the actual records. A study of further information submitted by that person showed that they believed Gateside to be near Linlithgow, further evidence of superficial research.
There are a number of villages, hamlets etc. named Gateside in different parts of Scotland and I had difficulty in finding the right one but the Sasine settles all doubt. William purchased Gateside Farm in 1793 and the actual Sasine shows very clearly that the property was on the outskirts of Gattonside. It doesn't exist today as a farm but there is a small ridge in the area named Gateside Bank and an Ordnance Survey map of 1862 shows the property just North of the present Pavilion Cottage on the North side of the Gattonside-Galashiels road.
William has been referred to as the Laird of Gateside and technically, as a landowner, he was a Laird but the property was a farm rather than an estate. However, there was a real distinction in being named as "of" Gateside rather than "in" Gateside which would be an appropriate description for a tenant.
Other Sasines show that William disposed of the farm over the period 1797 to 1803. In a Sasine of 1803 he is referred to as "a tenant of Holybush and formerly of Gateside". Holybush seems to be a property about two or three miles South West of Galashiels and appears on modem Ordnance Survey maps. This would explain why some of William and Isobel's later children are shown as having been born in Galashiels.
The Sasines show the new owner of Gateside was a Benjamin Bell, a surgeon of Edinburgh who also seems to have acquired the lands of Westhouses, an adjoining property.
Peter Wood of Newstead, a member of the Melrose Historical Society informed me that Benjamin Bell later sold Easter Langlee and Gateside to John 4th Lord Somerville, who built The Pavilion on the site of Westhouses.
I have not been able to trace the deaths of William or his wife but as I have explained elsewhere burial records are not generally well preserved. It is possible that William later moved to Lyne Mill, North of Peebles and the fact that his daughter was married in the nearby parish of Lyne & Megget may indicate this.
We know little about William and Isobel's family apart from Alexander and Isabella. Alexander married his cousin Mary and had a number of children who are listed above. The 1861 Census shows Alexander, then aged 66 as a farmer of 50 acres employing one man, Besides this man, a ploughman, the household had one female servant, also Sandy's daughter Isabella and his niece Jessie Hardie.
I have not been able to trace Sandy's death but it should be possible to find a certificate because he died after Civil Registration was introduced to Scotland.
GEORGE HOME. (1758- 1838). Son of George Home and Alison Brodie.
George was a shoemaker by trade and was possibly married twice. Two children were baptised at Gordon where the father was named as George Home, shoemaker of Gordon Mid Mill and this may have been him and these children may have been from an earlier marriage. They were
George 25May1785
Susannah 01Feb1787
Other children were baptised in Lauder where the father was named George Home and the mother Elizabeth More. They were.
Alexander 01Oct1801
Robert 04Oct1802
John (1) 15Dec1803
George 27May1807
John (2) 21Jun1812
Alison Jul1815.
David HOME Son of George Home and Elizabeth More
There was also a son David (who later inherited George's Lauder property) who was born on 9Mar1794, More of him later but it seems logical that, because he inherited his father's property, he was the eldest surviving son.
My theory of two wives comes from the unlikely scenario of a wife bearing children over a thirty year period and that George waited until he was 36 before he married which would be the case if the David of 1794 was his first born issue.It seems likely that his first wife, whose name we do not know, died in the 1790s and that Elizabeth More was a second wife.** Unfortunately the burial records of Lauder Parish are among the worst that I have searched.
In September 1999 James R. Hume of California corresponded with Barbara McRae who had previously downloaded old Scottish records and arranged them in logical order. Upon receiving this research of Graeme Glass she noted that she had a record of a marriage of G
**In September 1999 James R. Hume of California corresponded with Barbara McRae who had previously downloaded old Scottish records and arranged them in logical order. Upon receiving this research of Graeme Glass she noted that she had a record of a marriage of George Home to Janet Lorramer on 18 Oct 1783 at Gordon. Further she noted that David Home named one of his daughters Jeanette Laurimer which supports the notion that David's mother Janet and the Goerge and Susannah above were his full brother and sister.
I have no knowledge of the fate of any of these children apart from David but from the above list it is likely that the family had its share of infant deaths. There were certainly two Johns and probably two Georges.
As I have said David inherited George's estate when he died and the relative Sasine mentions "a tenement of houses lying in the meadow of Lauder". David is noted as "residing in Tennessee in the United States of America" and an enquiry to The Home Society of U.S.A. produced the information that David had married an Eliza Sanderson at Richmond, Virginia on 22Apr1820 and had the following children:
Susan Wilson Home B. 01Jun1821 in Virginia
George S Home 02Aug1822 in Virginia
Elizabeth Home 26Apr1824 in Virginia
Amanda Home 26Apr1824 in Virginia
Jeanette Laurimer Home 08/11/1825 Abingdon Va.
Isabella J. Home 06/5/1828 Tennessee
David S. Home 10Mar1830 Blount Tennessee
Scotia Caledonia Home 25Apr1832 Blount Tennessee
David died in 1839 and was buried firstly at Blount Tennessee but later re-interred at the Old Gray Cemetery, Knoxville. Eliza died in 1872 and was also buried at Knoxville.
APPENDIX 1.
Entry in Parish Records of Whitsome & Hilton Parish, Berwickshire, Scotland. \endash Film No, 1067904. Items 6-7.
Alison, lawful daughter of John (Home) Ditcher there. Witnesses : John Bell and Jamea Laidley, inweilers there.
Entries in Parish Records of Norham, Northumberland. England. Film No. 90787 -Item 4.
Names of people whose Banns were called at Morham but were not married there.
John Home and Elizabeth Home Date of last publication-30Apr1769.
Births of Dissenters.
George, son of John Home - Hornecliff. Said to be horn 12Aug1781.
Baptism
05Dec1776.
John, son of John Home. Morham.
Burials
09May1786. George, son of John Home - Hornecliff
18Dec1786 John, son of John Home - Hornecliff.
Entry in the Parish Records of Gordon, Berwickshire.
1753, March 12 At a diet of Examination ye George Home, Tenant in E. Gord (sic) his son John was baptised.
APPENDIX 2.
HOME CHILDREN BAPTISED AT GORDON, BERWICKSHIRE. Taken from Film No. 103232 of Parish Records.
This record is intended to show the use of the Scottish naming pattern
Children of George Home and his wife
Baptism.
Occupation of father.
(probably Alison Brodie) Daughter of
Alexander Brodie and Jennet Brodie.
Married at Gordon 25Apr1743.
Robert 06Feb1744 Tenant in East Gordon
Alexander 15May1746 Entry not found
James 11Mar1750 Tenant in East Gordon
John 12Mar1753 Tenant in East Gordon
William 12May1757 Tenant in East Gordon
George 29Oct1758 Tenant in East Gordon
Janet 23Dec1759 Tenant in East Gordon
Isabel 12Apr1765 Tenant in East Gordon
Children of Robert Home (Probably the
eldest child above. Wife has not been
identified but was possibly an Alison
Wilson, Married at Chirnside 30Jan1770.
probably the daughter of John Wilson
and Isabel Henderson
-married at Gordon 12Jun1735.
George 25Jan1771 Actual entry not seen
Isabel 19Apr1773 Actual entry not seen
John 28Aug1775 Tenant in East Gordon
Alison 18Sep1777 Tenant in East Gordon
Margaret 18Jan1779 Tenant in East Gordon
Beatrix 01Apr1782 Tenant in East Gordon
Janet 02May1784 Tenant in East Gordon
Robert 01Jan1787 Tenant in East Gordon
James 24May1789 Tenant in East Gordon
George 08Jun1792 Tenant in East Gordon
Children of John Home
and Elisabeth Millar. M, 1769?
Baptised at various places or
Probably daughter of John Millar
known to belong to this
family
and Helen Hood.
Alison at Whitsom & Hilton 02Dec1771 Ditcher.
George at Norham 12Aug1781 No occupation given
John at Norham 05Dec1776 No occupation given
Isabella at Hornecliff Berwick 30Apr1783 Carpenter
Helen Est. 1786 Not found
Mary Est 1790 Not found
Robert Born at Hornecliff 22Jan1792 Joiner
There is known to have been another son, Alexander, who is said to have died as a young child. I have not been able to identify his death or his birth.
Children of William Home and Isobel Gibson. Married 14Apr1781. Daughter of Robert Gibson & Margaret Wilson.
Margaret at Gordon 22Jan1783 Meal maker in EastGordon
Alison at Gordon 28Oct1784 Meal maker In East Gordon
George at Gordon 04Jan1787 Meal maker East Gordon
Robert at Gordon 07Jan1789 Tenant in Mid Mill
James at Gordon 26Jan1791 Tenant in Mid Mill
Alexander at Melrose b.27Dec1793 Farmer of Gateside
Beatrix at Melrose 18Jul1794 Farmer of Gateside
John at Melrose 03May1796 Farmer of Gateside
William 01Mar1798 Farmer of Gateside
Isabella at Galashiels 1802 Not seen
James 1804 Not seen
There may have been others-
Children of George Home - possibly married twice. If this is the case his second wife was Elizabeth More. Marriage not found.
George at Gordon 25May1785 Shoemaker at Gordon Mid Mill
Susannah at Gordon 01Feb1787 Shoemaker at Gordon Mid Mill
David Not known b .09Mar1794
Alexander at Lauder 01Oct1801 Shoemaker
Robert at Lauder 04Oct1802
John (1) at Lauder 15Dec1803
George (2) at Lauder 27May1807
John (2) at Lauder 21Jun1812
Alison at Lauder b.July 1815
CONCLUSION.
Each of these families show some adherence to the naming pattern. In the case of George Home and Alison Brodie we see that the first daughter and the second son named correctly according to the pattern. Because we are not able to identify the parents of George we are unable to check whether their Christian names were included in the family but, if they were, then they were probably a Robert Home and an Isobel ?.
The first family of the next generation, that of Robert, follows the pattern with total accuracy. The name Beatrix is interesting as it is unusual and could be a clue to another generation.
John's family does not have the right sequence but apart from not using the mother's name have included parent's and grandparents' names.
William follows the pattern correctly except that he kept his own name for the sixth son instead of giving it to the third son. The name Beatrix recurs in this family. George's family includes most of the names but is somewhat out of sequence in its pattern and difficult to follow. The problem here is that we don\rquote t know if he was indeed married twice, as I suppose, or what the names of wife's (or wives') parents were. Another problem is that the records of Lauder pre 1800 are not complete and there may have been other children.
In general the children of George and Alison kept fairly closely to the traditional naming pattern and it is logical to assume that their parents also did.
APPENDIX 3.
I have followed the theory that George (of East Gordon) was the son of a Robert Home and an Isobel X. Unfortunately there is no record of such a marriage in the period 1700-1722 and although there are children baptised in that time where the father's name was Robert, the records are in parishes where the wife's name was not included in the registers. I think that this theory can be discarded and that George was the son of a James Home, probably the elder of Gordon Parish.
If we persist with the theory of Robert and Isobel we have to accept that the marriage does not appear in any parish register in Scotland. This does not mean that there was no such marriage because the registers are by no means infallible.
However, I note that there was a marriage at Gordon on 18Dec1694 between James Home and Beatrix Tuntor and the christian name of the bride seems to be an indication of a link. The following children baptised at Gordon were probably of this familv, but, once again only the father's name is recorded:
Child. Date Father.
John 29Mar1696 James Home in East Gordon
Marion 26Aug1697 James Hoome
George 1. 20Jun1699 James Hoome
James 11May1701 James Hoome in East Gordon
Patrick 30Dec1702 James Hoome in East Gordon
Agness (sic) 27Feb1704 James Hoome in East Gordon
George2. 24Feb1706 James Home in East Gordon.
The name Beatrix seems to have had some significance to the Homes and I note that on 17th. January 1669 another Beatrix was baptised at Gordon, the daughter of another George Home.
To follow back from the James who married Beatrix Tuntor at Gordon on 18Dec1694, he seems to have been the child baptised at Gordon on 12Dec1669, the son of another James who was probably married to Margaret Archer at Gordon on 23Nov1656.
That James was possibly the child baptised at Duns on 18Nov1633, the son of yet another James Home and his wife, Margaret Waitt.
IF THIS THEORY IS CORRECT - AND IT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO PROVE - THEN THE LINE WOULD BE AS FOLLOWS:
James Home m Margaret
Archer at Gordon 1656.
Born c. 1630 [
[
James Home m Beatrix
Tuntor at Gordon 1694
Born 1669 [
[
George Home m Alison Brodie
at Gordon 1743
Born c. 1704 [
B. 1721
Died 1786 [
D. 1788
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ [
[ [
[
[
[
[
Robert Alexander James John
William George
Janet Isabel.
1744-? 1748 -? 1750-? 1753-1832 1757-?
1758-1838 1759-? 1765-?
Issue
[ Issue
Issue
[
married Elisabeth Millar
_________________________{_________________________________
[ [
[
[ [
[ [
[
Alison John George
Isabella Helen Mary Alexander
Robert
Issue NI NI
|
Issue Issue NI
Issue
married William Hopkirk
JOHN HOME - connected to Hopkirk. Research and comments by Graeme Glass, New Zealand
An attempt to set out the various pieces of information that we have on our great great great grandfather and to apply some reasoning to these scraps of knowledge and theory. At 30Nov1998.
PROVEN FACTS
1. We know from the death certificates of Isabella (Hopkirk) and Robert Home -known children of John Home - that their mother's maiden name was Elisabeth Millar.
2. We know that Isabella was baptised at her parents' home in Hornecliff, Northumberland on 30Apr1783 (Source: Parish Records) and that Robert was born at Hornecliff on 22Jan1792. (Source: Obituary in Berwick Advertiser of 06Sep1867).
3. We know that the family lived at Hornecliff until about 1792 when they moved to Gattonside. (Source: Obituary - Berwick Advertiser 06Sep1867).
4. We know from the Baptism entry of Isabella that John was a carpenter. In Robert's and Isabella's death certificates he is described as a Joiner which is not unreasonable, but suggests a higher skill.
5. We have the evidence of the letters of Alexander Hopkirk (dated variously) that John and Elisabeth had the following children:
Alice (Probably Alison) Birth date not known but married 1794
Nellie (Correctly Helen) Birth year 1779 - married 1808
Isabella Born 1783
Mary Birth and marriage dates not known
Alexander Birth & death dates not known but said to have died young.
Robert Born 1792.
PROBABILITIES
1. That our(Hopkirk) John Home is the one recorded in the Parish Records of Melrose as having died at Lauder on 17Nov1832 where his age was given as 80 years. He is noted as "Formerly in Gattonside". From this we calculate his birth year as 1752.
2. That our John Home was the child baptised at Gordon, Berwickshire on 12Mar1753 - the son of George Home, Tenant in East Gordon whose wife was probably Alison Brodie. (Source: Parish Records of Gordon - Film 103232 and Alexander's letter of 1903 where he states that his grandfather came from the Gordon branch of the Homes),
3. That our Elisabeth (nee Millar) is probably the Elisabeth Home recorded ashaving been buried at Melrose on 6/7/1823. Her age was given as 77 years -therefore her birth year was 1746. (Source: Parish Records of Melrose - Film102298).
4. That our John and Elisabeth Home are the couple referred to in the list of persons whose banns were read in Norham, (Northumberland) Parish on 30Apr1769 but not married there. (Source: Parish Records of Norham. Film 90787 Item 4). Reason: Norham Parish contains the village of Hornecliff where they are known to have lived.
5. That there were other children besides the ones mentioned by Alexander. Reason: For Alison to marry in 1794 we have to assume that she was about 20 years old which means that she was born in about 1774 or earlier. We know that the youngest child, Robert was born in 1792. It seems highly unlikely that in an age where birth control was unknown that only 4 children would be born in a period of 20 years.
6. The baptisms of a John Home on 5Dec1776 and a George Home on 12Aug1781 at Norham are children of John and Elisabeth. Note: the Norham Parish records only note the father's name - John Home.
That their existence is not mentioned by Alexander Hopkirk is explained by the fact that they are recorded as being buried at Norham on 18Dec1786 and 09May1786. They are described as being sons of John Home - Hornecliff.
7. We assume from the fact that we have not been able to find the will or testament of John Home that he was of very modest means and that he did not own land from the fact that a search of the Sasines records reveals no trace of him.
POSSIBILITIES
1. A marriage is recorded in the registers of St. Cuthberts Parish, Edinburgh between a John Hume and an Elizabeth Miller on 07Nov1769. The entry reads "John Hume, mason, Indweiler (resident) in Water of Leith and Elizabeth Miller, daughter of James Miller in Broughton"
NOTE: Broughton is a village south of Edinburgh, near Biggar.
NOTE: St. Cuthberts Parish Church is situated in the Edinburgh area now called Gorgie which is south west of the city centre and I assume that the area named Water of Leith is contained in that parish. The boundaries seem to be the Water of Leith (a river) and the Union Canal. (Source: Bartholomews Edinburgh Street Guide).
This could be "our" John and Elisabeth, whose Banns were last read in Norham on 30Apr1769. We believe that there is evidence from two sources to suggest that John was very young at the time of his marriage.
a. His baptism at Gordon in early 1753 probably establishes birth year as 1752/3
b. At his burial in 1732 he was said to be aged 80 years.
c. His daughter, Alison was probably aged about 20 years when she married in 1794, so her parents were probably married before 1774.
I am sceptical about this being our John and Elisabeth but at the same time wonder at the coincidence.
NOTE: There is no significance in the two different spellings of John's surname. The two variations were used almost indiscriminately.
2. The Parish Records of St. Cuthberts, Edinburgh records the baptism of the following children to John Hume and Elizabeth Miller:
James Hume Born 14Aug1770
May Wilson Hume Born 31May1772
Martha Hume Born 31Dec1774
The actual record for James' baptism reads John Hume, Mason, Indweiler (resident) in Water of Leith. Spouse, Elizabeth Miller - a son named James born 14Aug1770.
3. We know from Alexander Hopkirk's letter that John and Elisabeth had a daughter named Alison (referred to as Alice) but I have not been able to find a trace of her baptism or birth apart from an entry in the Parish records of Whitsome and Hilton Parish in Berwickshire. The actual entry reads: - 2Dec 1771- Alison, lawful daughter of John Home, Ditcher, there. Witnesses John Bell and James Laidley, -indweilers there. (Source Parish Records Film 1067904 items 6-7) This may be "our" Alison who was probably born in the early 1770s.
EVALUATION. FAMILY
If we collect all of these different births and baptisms together we have the following:
Date Place Occupation of father
James 14Aug1770 Edinburgh Mason
Alison 02Dec1771 Whitsome & Hilton Ditcher
May Wilson 31Mar1772 Edinburgh Mason
Martha 31Dec1774 Edinburgh Mason
John 03Dec1776 Norham ---
George 12Aug1781 Norham ---
Isabella 30Apr1783 Hornecliff Carpenter
Helen 1779 ? ?
Mary ? ? ?
Alexander ? ? ?
Robert 22Jan1792 Hornecliff Joiner
*It is doubtful that these children belong to "our" family.
To test the viability of this theory we should look at the dates of the events, the stated occupations of the father and the places where the events are recorded.
In the first place the inclusion of Alison in the above list looks suspect. Although her father is listed as a John Home the fact that the mother is not shown means that we cannot be sure. The date of baptism tends to agree with the age that we deduce from the date of her marriage but while the other three of the first four children are definitely those of a John Home and Elisabeth Millar through the baptism records of St Cuthberts, it does not seem likely that the family would have baptised one child in December 1771 and and other in May 1772 - that is seven months apart. Secondly, we have to assume that James, May Wilson and Martha Home died young for we have no further knowledge of them. This is possibly not surprising because child mortality was high in that era.
It is more likely that there were two John Home and Elisabeth Millar marriages and that we are looking at the progeny of two families.
NOTE: It was customary for children to be baptised within a short time of birth, particularly if they were regarded as sickly. However, this was not always the case and there are plenty of examples where children were baptised in groups several years after birth. Distance from the church and weather conditions could be a factor in delaying baptisms and over the years religious arguments led to the formation of splinter groups which, without doubt, attracted our ancestors away from the main stream church from time to time. The Scots took their religion very seriously. In many cases the records of these splinter groups have not been preserved which means that there is often literally no record of many people who we know did exist.
MOBILITY
Also, while we have to accept that John and Elisabeth moved their home from time to time we have to question whether they would have moved from Norham (where the Banns were read) to Edinburgh for the marriage, then to Whitsome, for the baptism of the second child, then back to Edinburgh for the birth of the next two and then to Norham or Hornecliff. John may have had to move to obtain work but it is difficult to imagine such mobility in the 18th century.
We believe that John was born at East Gordon and it seems strange that he did not return to that area later in his life. He obviously left home at an early age.
Does this mean that he had fallen out with his family? Doubtful! Perhaps it was normal to go away from home for employment. It seems likely that George's eldest son took over the tenancy in East Gordon and there would not have been room for all the brothers. We know that his brother William was living in the Northumherland Parish of Belford at the time of his marriage in 1781, when he was aged 24 but then moved back to Gordon Mid Mill. The fact that William married a girl in Gordon, about 45-50 miles away suggests that he had originated in that area and supports my Gordon theory.
To better understand mobility we need to know the distances between the various places mentioned above:
Gordon to Norham. About 20 miles
Norham to Hornecliff 3 miles
Norham to Whitsome 4 miles
Gordon to Edinburgh 40 miles
Hornecliff to Gattonside 30 miles
Gordon to Lauder 10 miles
Gordon to Belford 45 miles
OCCUPATIONS .
The occupations ascribed to John are confusing Is it likely that a 17 or 18 year old man would be described as a mason, which suggests that he was a recognised tradesman. ? (as is the case in the St Cuthberts John Hume.) One could understand the description of apprentice at that age
. Then there is the occupation of Ditcher quoted at Whitsome and Hilton. This was probably a form of labouring and does not fit well with the trade of a mason or that of a carpenter or joiner. There is also a question as to whether a Mason could become a carpenter. The trade of a mason was a skilled one and in a country where many of the buildings were constructed of stone it should have been a job with good employment prospects.
NAMING PATTERN
In the absence of positive records the naming pattern can be a useful tool in calculating lineages. However, while many families observed the traditional system some did not and the trick is to know which is which. If we look at John's family we see that his father was George and his mother was Alison. Both of these names appear in the above list of children but not in the traditional order. At this stage I am not certain as to the name of Elisabeth's mother although her father appears to have been James. That name is used, but also out of the traditional order. The names, May Wilson and Martha do not fit with anything that we know but it is possible that they come from the Miller side of the family.
The names in the list on page 3 possibly come from:
Name Actual relation If naming pattern was followed
James Mother's father Father's father
Alison Father's mother Mother's mother
May Wilson not known Father's mother
Martha not known Mother
John Father Mother's father
George Father's father Father
Isabella not known no pattern
Helen not known no pattern
Mary not known no pattern
Alexander Grandfather no pattern
Robert Eldest brother no pattern
In its traditional use the naming pattern covered the first six children. After that names of grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc. were normally used.
FURTHER WORK .
I have looked again at the baptism records of St. Cuthberts, Edinburgh (which are well presented and with above average information) but have learned nothing more of that Home family. I have also looked at the burial records for the same Parish but found nothing of any use to us. My feeling is that they are a coincidence.
FAMILY TREE. -- POSSIBLE.
James HOME - M - Margaret ARCHER at Gordon 1656
[
James HOME - M - Beatrix TUNTOR at Gordon 1694
[
George HOME- M - Alison BRODIE at Gordon 1743
Born C.1706 [ Born 1721
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[
[
[ [
[
[
[
[
Robert Alexander James
John
William George
Janet Isabel
1744-? 1748-?
1750-? 1753-1832 1757-? 1758-1838
1759-? 1765-?
m. Alison
m.Elisabeth m.Isobel
m.Elizabeth
WILSON?
MILLAR GIBSON MORE
Issue
1746-1823 Issue
Issue
Possibly to America
[
_________________________________[___________________________________________________
[ [
[
[ [
[ [
[
[
[
[
James Alison May Wilson Martha
John George Isabella
Helen Mary Alexander
Robert
1770-? 1771-? 1772-? 1774-?
1776-86 1781-6 1783-1857 1779 ? ? 1792-1867
m.Thos
NI
NI m.Wm
m.Jas m.Alex N.I.
m.Mary
SCOTT
HOPKIRK HARDIE
HOME
WAUGH
Issue
[
Issue Issue
Issue
_________________________________________________[_____________________
[
[ [
[
[
[
[
[
Elisabeth James
John William
David Robert
Walter Alexander
1804-184? 1807-41 1809-75 1811-92
1814-50 1816-1900 1821-?
1823-1907
NI NI
m.Jane
m.Jane NI
m.Catherine m.Mary m.Agnes
NICHOLSON REDPATH
GREIG
MOFFETT SPOTTISWOODE
Issue
Issue
Issue
Issue
Issue
HOME: Additional Research Notes: by Graeme Glass
CHILDREN BAPTISED AT GORDON WHERE THE FATHER'S NAME WAS RECORDED AS JAMES HOME,
The purpose of this search is to try to identify the lineage of the George Home who married Alison Brodie at Gordon in 1743. 1 am exploring the possibility that George was the son of the James Home who, from the work that I have done seems to have been quite prominent in Gordon in the early part of the 18th Century. His children are the most numerous of the name in the records and they seem to have lived in East Gordon for many years.
The naming pattern suggests that his father was a Robert Home and his mother had the Christian name of Isobel. However, there is no such couple recorded in Gordon or, indeed, Berwickshire at the right time. Therefore, I have concentrated my investigations on James Home in East Gordon who seems to be likeliest progenitor.
There is no certainty about his wife's name but she was probably BEATRIX TUNTOR. A marriage is recorded at Gordon on 18/12/1694 between JAMES HOME and BEATRIX TUNTOR, Their children seem to be:
Registered to:
John 29Mar1696 James Home in East Gordon
Marian 26Aug1697 James Hoome
George (1) 20Jun1699 James Hoome
James 11May1701 James Hoome in East Gordon
Patrick 30Dec1702 James Hoom in East Gordon
Agness (sic) 27Feb1704 James Hoome in East Gordon
George (2) 24Feb1706 James Home in East Gordon
John (2) 04Jun1710 James Hume in East Gordon
Unnamed 26Aug1711 James Hume Possibly an infant death
Jean 04Oct1713 James Home in East Gordon
Janet 20Jan1715 James Hume in East Gordon
John (3) 18Feb1717 Seen but not noted
Robert b 08May1720 Seen but not noted
The question is whether the George of 1706 could have been the George who married Alison Brodie at Gordon in 1743. We now know from the tombstone records of Gordon Parish that the George Home who married Alison Brodie died on 11Dec1786 when his age was given as 82 years. This gives his birth year as 1704 which, if he is indeed the above George then his baptism was a little delayed. However, allowing for his age being taken to the nearest year it still makes him a strong candidate.
He would have been 37 at the time of the marriage and that seems a late age for a man to marry in those days. The answer could be that he had served in the army or the navy until then or that Alison was his second wife. Assuming that he would have married in his mid 20s I looked for a marriage in the 1720s. There is a possible one on 30/11/1723 when a George Home married a Jean Sinkler (probably a phonetic version of Sinclair) at Gordon. Following that marriage there were two children baptised where the father's name was recorded as "George" (unfortunately Gordon Parish did not record the mother's name in baptisms).
These children were:
Elizabeth 08Feb1730
Jean 10Sep1732
This may be a first marriage of our George Home but I am doubtful of that. The parish records describe George as a herd in Byrmilly in the second baptism and "in Bellita" in the first.
The record of the marriage reads:
"This day George Home in Bellita in this Parish and Jean Sinkler (sic) in the parish of Stichell were booked for proclamation in order to marriage. George Rodger, tennant in East Gordon became caur (cautioner) for ye bridegroom and William Foord, tennant in East Gordon became caur for ye bride".
We will probably never know if this is our George. JAMES HOME. Husband of Beatrix Tuntor,
Assuming that James was in his early or mid 20s when he married he would have been born or baptised around 1670. Working on the assumption that he was firmly rooted in Gordon there are three possibilities; I have not explored the possibility that James came from another Parish).
1 . James Home baptised at Gordon, on 12Dec1669 - son of James Home.
2. James Home baptised at Gordon on 20Oct1672 - son of Abraham Home.
3. James Home baptised at Gordon 03Aug1673 - son of George Home.
There is no way of being sure of the mother's name but the following look to be possibilities.
1. James Home married Margaret Archer at Gordon on 23/11/1656. The following
children are possibly theirs:
Marian 29Apr1666
James 12Dec1669
Margaret 13Oct1672.
There may have been others.
2. Abraham Home married Isobell (sic) Trotter at Gordon on 01Feb1670. The following children appear to belong to them.
James 20Oct1672.
Alexander 25Jan1674.
3. In the case of George Home there are two possible marriages. They are:
i. George Home married Margaret Donaldson at Gordon on 16Nov1662.
ii. George Home married Katherine Pringle at Gordon on 18Jul1667.
Some of the following children could have belonged to either marriage:
John 12Aug1666
Beatrix 17Jan1669
Isobble (sic) 25Jun1671
James 03Aug1673
Alexander 03Mar1678
Marion 14Dec1679
Each of the above mentioned James could be the man who married Beatrix Tuntor, The actual entries for these baptisms don't throw much more light on the problem, they are:
1. The children of James and presumably Margaret Archer:
29Apr1666, James Hoome(sic) dau Marian baptised in East Gordon
12Dec1669, James Hoome in East Gordon ..... son baptised named James.
13Oct1672, James Home in East Gordon
daughter Margaret.
Witnesses: Patrick Boonston,
Thomas .............?
2. The Children of Abraham Home and presumably Isobel Trotter.
20Oct1672. Abraham Home in Byrewellyton
(?) a son named James
Witnesses: Mr. A. Home in Rumbletonlaw,
Patrick Boonston in East Gordon
25Jan1674. Abraham in Rumbletonlaw
son Alexander.
Witnesses: Mr. Alexander Home in
Rumbletonlaw and John Earle in East Gordon
The marriage entry on Abraham and Isobel Trotter reads:
01Feb1670, "A testimonial granted
to Abraham Hume to so proclaim in marriage with Isobel
Trotter in the Parish of Kelso".
NOTE: It is interesting to see the title
"Mr" applied here. I did not notice it anywhere else in the
records and it seems to imply some form of respect.
3. The children of George Home and presumably Margaret Donaldson or possibly Katherine Pringle.
12Aug1666 George Hoome in East Gordon son John baptised.
17Jan1669 George Home in East Gordon daughter Beatrix.
25Jun1671 George Home in East Gordon daughter Issoble (sic)
03Aug1673 George Home in East Gordon had a son baptised named James.
Witnesses: John Tait and Thomas Allison.
03Mar1678 George Home in East Gordon son Alexander.
14Dec1679 George Home in East Gordon daughter Marion. The marriage entry for George and Margaret Donaldson reads: "............. of marriage between George Home and Margaret Donaldson, both in this parish. Patrick Boonston cautioner for both parties". I could not find the entry for George Home and Katherine Pringle.
SUNDRY NOTES.
In the Parish Records of Gordon there is regular mention of a James Home who was an Elder of the Church and was probably the James Home of East Gordon who is also mentioned.
Gordon Parish Records rarely mention the names of persons who were buried and will show such entries as \ldblquote 2 young children buried\rdblquote etc. However, there is an entry on 03May1751 which reads:
"Mortcloth for James Home" .
I assume that this is the Elder of the Parish or somebody of some local importance for the name to be recorded. However, just to confuse the issue there is another entry on 26Feb1749 which reads:
"Received forty pence for ye mortcloth to James Hume dead in Millcleugh and buried here".
HOME: Details taken from film of Parish Records of Gordon, Berwickshire, No. 103232.
MARRIAGE. 14Apr1781.
Compeared to Proclamation in order for marriage, William Home in the Parish
of Belford and Isobel Gibson in this Parish. Received one shilling for the
poor.
NOTE: This seems to have been a fee charged for the marriage.
BAPTISMS: (Original texts).
06Feb1744 Robert son of George Home tenant in East Gordon was baptised.
15May1748 Baptised Alexander son of George Hume tenant in East Gordon.
11Mar1750 George Home, tenant in East Gordon had a son baptised called James.
12Mar1753 George Home tenant in East Gordon, his son John was baptised.
12May1757 Baptised William son of George Hume tenant in East Gordon.
29Oct1758 Baptised George son of George Hume tenant in East Gordon.
23Dec1759 Baptised Janet daughter of George Home tenant in East Gordon.
12Apr1765 This morning after ........... ship Baptised Isabel daughter of George Home Tenant in East Gordon.
These all seem to be from the same family. The next question is, what was the mother's name?
There are three marriages of "a" George Home or Hume recorded in East Gordon Parish in the period 1740 to 1747. The entries read:
1. 31Dec1740. George Hume and Isabel Murray were married.
2. 25Apr1743 Also Geo Hume and Alison Brody were married.
3. 16May1747 Booked to Proclaim Geo Hume and Isobel Nutton both in this Parish. Her father Jas Nutton became caur (cautioner) for ye bride and his brother Jas Hume cau for bridegroom.
These entries could refer to three different George or the same one marrying three times. I tried to check the death records to see if any of the brides had died but in Gordon Parish the records are all mixed up with births marriages, a few burials and copious minutes from sessions meetings. There was nothing to suggest that any of the brides had died.
ASSUMPTION. I believe that because the first baptism occurred in February 1744 the mother is most likely to have been Alison Brody who was married in April 1743. Whichever mother it was she seems to have been quite productive, judging by the subsequent births, and the arrival of the first child 10 months after the marriage would seem to point to Alison Brody as being the mother. I think that we can rule out Isobel Murray but it might be possible that Isobel Nutton was a second wife for George.
Note: East Gordon is shown on modern ordnance survey maps. It is a small cluster of buildings, possibly a farm, about 2 miles east of Gordon Village on the Greenlaw Road on top of a small hill.
Other baptisms of possible interest are:
25May1756. James Hume in Rumbletonlaw had a child baptised named James.
I note that a James Hume died on 05May1851.
28Aug1775. Baptised a son of Robert Home, tenant in East Gordon.
01Feb1787. Baptised Robt. son of Robt. Home tenant East Gordon.
31Jan1787. Baptised Susanna, daughter to George Home, shoemaker in Midmill.*
26Jan1790. At Midmill baptised James son to William Home tenant thereof * *
08Jun1792 Robert Homes son George baptised. Tenant.
Note: * Could this be a daughter of "our" George, the shoemaker
of Lauder.
** Could this be the James
Home - a child from Gateside who was buried at Melrose on
7May1792. That
would have been about the time that William moved to Gateside.
The parish records of Gordon are difficult to follow there is no proper record of burials until 1785 and it is not until 1843 that ages of the dead are given.
Note: A tombstone inscription in Gordon cemetery (Entry No. 52) reads:
"George Home, tenant in East Gordon 11Dec1786
82yrs.
Spouse Alison Brodie 12Jun1788
58yrs."
No. 53 reads: George Home, son of Robert Home, tenant in East Gordon 09Aug1786 15yrs.
ISOBEL GIBSON
Wife of William Home - married at Gordon on 14Apr1781.
The marriage entry reads: "Compeared to Proclamation in order for marriage William Home in the Parish of Belford and Isobel Gibson in this Parish. Received one shilling for the poor".
We believe that William was born at East Gordon in 1757 so he would have been 24 at the time. We have no idea what age Isobel would have been but assume that she would have been about 20.
The only baptism entry for an Isobel Gibson in Gordon Parish in the right time frame is on 16Aug1765 - the daughter of Robert Gordon and Margaret Wilson. Provided that she had been baptised in the year of her birth, which is not necessarily the case, she would have been aged 16 at the time of marriage. Possible.
Robert Gibson married Margaret Wilson at Gordon on 25Jun1760.
Isobel is the only child of Robert Gibson baptised in Gordon so I assume that she was an only child. This might explain how William was able to purchase the Gateside property in the 1790s. His wife inherited from her parents.
Robert Gibson seems to be the child baptised at Gordon on 03Jul1732 the son of James Gibson. He is probably the James Gibson who married Marjory Fair at Gordon on 08Dec1722 and the child baptised at Gordon on 19Dec1697 - the son of William Gibsone (sic)
William Gibson married Christian Allan at Gordon on 30Jan1697 and was baptised at Gordon in 1661, the son of Thomas Gibson.
Thomas Gibson married Isobell Moffat at Stichel on 24Jun1656.
ALISON BRODY or BRODIE,
Wife of George Hume - Tenant in East Gordon
Alison Brodie married George Hume at Gordon, Berwickshire on 25Apr1743. We assume that Alison was about 20 at the time. In the Old Scottish Parochial Records (on Compact Disc) there are two Alison Brodies baptised in Gordon in the 1720s.
1. 12Mar1721 - Daughter of Alexander Brodie.
2. 18Nov1722 - Daughter of Walter Brodie.
To decide which is the one that we want we have only the naming pattern to help us, so we must look for the names of the above fathers' wives.
1. Alexander Brodie married Jennet (sic) Brodie at Gordon on 05May1711.
2. Walter Brodie married Margaret Bunyie at Melrose on 17Nov1716
Alison and George Hume had 6 sons and two daughters. One son (the second) was named Alexander and one daughter (the first was named Janet. None of Alison and George's children were given the names of Walter or Margaret. Therefore, the naming pattern tends to suggest that the No. 1 Alison is the one we are looking for. This is reasonably strong evidence.
ASSUMPTION.
That the Alison Brody or Brodie who married George Hume was the daughter of Alexander Brodie and Jennet Brodie.
CHILDREN.
Because the Parish Records of Gordon didn't include the name of the mother when a child was baptised it is difficult to be certain to which family the children belong. However, the following baptisms are recorded with the father being named as Alexander Brodie:
Margaret \tab 23Mar1712
Alexander 24Feb1713
Robert 22Feb1719
Alison 12Mar1721
William 23Jun1723.
There are others starting from 1734 but I believe that they are a different family.
Home Family Trees Index of Hopkirk Names Home/Hume Genealogy Start Page
This page last updated May 21, 2000