Can't find a death

ninatoo · Post by **ninatoo** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 2:54 am

Hi all,

I am searching for the death of Agnes Easdon (various spellings) who was born about 1808 in Renfrewshire and died after 1871. Up until 1871 she had never married, and had one son Stewart, who she lived with in Inchinnan Renfrewshire. She doesn't seem to be on the census for 1881, and her son had moved to Stirling by then.

I have searched using wildcards E*s*n and even A* and A*g*, birthdate within ten years, or no birthdate, and there are a lot of results but most are married. The ones that aren't don't seem to be in the right area. Short of spending a fortune, I am not sure what to do!

I would be grateful for some help with this one; it is probably going to prove or disprove a whole family line back from her father that I have researched, if her parents are who I think they are, Robert Easdon and Agnes McCourt (again a lot of variation in the spellings). This was one of my earliest lines and I think I may not have delved deep enough at the time, being new to genealogy.

Thanks for reading,

Nina

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 9:42 am

Hi Nina

On Ancestry there is an Agness Easton aged 70 living in Denny, Stirling, working as a domestic servant with an Anderson family. The place of birth is given as Erskine, Renfrewshire, so seems like this could be your Agnes.

This might help eliminate some choices you have from SP deaths.

Susan.

ninatoo · Post by **ninatoo** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 10:09 am

Ah! Thanks Susan...that extra 'S' threw me. Still she eludes me....sigh!

WilmaM · Post by **WilmaM** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 10:23 am

Is this them?

Denny 1881 census - by family group
Family: 198 Address: East Borland GRO Ref: 476
Census Place: Denny, Stirling, Scotland Enumeration: Dist 2 Page 8

SURNAME FORENAME /Maiden RELATION STATUS AGE
SEX OCCUPATION /Research Note WHERE BORN

EASTON Stewart Head M 35 M Pit Engineman Inchinan, Renfrew,
EASTON Janet Wife M 34 F Cumbernauld, Dunbarton,
EASTON John Son U 14 M Ironmoulder Inchinan, Renfrew, Scotland
EASTON Janet Daur 12 F Scholar Inchinan, Renfrew, Scotland
EASTON Agnes Daur 10 F Scholar Inchinan, Renfrew, Scotland
EASTON Isabella Daur 7 F Scholar Inchinan, Renfrew, Scotland
EASTON Margaret Daur 5 F Denny, Stirling, Scotland
EASTON Robert Son 2 F Denny, Stirling, Scotland

Denny 1881 census - by family group Family: 42
Address: Stirling Street GRO Ref: 476
Census Place: Denny, Stirling, Scotland Enumeration: Dist 1 Page 7

SURNAME FORENAME /Maiden RELATION STATUS AGE
SEX OCCUPATION /Research Note WHERE BORN RECORD ID

ANDERSON David Head W 33 M Grain & Provision Merchant Denny, Stirling, Scotland
ANDERSON James Son 9
ANDERSON Kate Daur 7
ANDERSON David Son 5
ANDERSON John Son 3
ANDERSON Charles Son 11 m
ANDERSON Janet Servt U 21 F Domestic Servt General Denny, Stirling,
EASTON Agnss Servt U 70 F Domestic Servt General Erskine, Renfrew,
from: http://www.tompaterson.co.uk/census/Den ... age40.html

East Borland and Stirling Street are very close in Denny, just a few streets away.

SP is showing an Agnes Easton Death born 1808 + 5 in Falkirk 1894. That could well be her.

ninatoo · Post by **ninatoo** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 11:05 am

Hi Wilma,

Yes that's them, I am sure. Thank you for looking!

I was all excited for a bit regarding the death in Falkirk, but it isn't her, I am sure because this Agnes Marshall ms Easton is cosied up with hubby David in the 1891 census.

I was digging around this afternoon and I looked at Stewart's marriage registration to see what maiden name he had put for his mother...he said she was married to a Stewart Easton and her maiden name was Young. Hmmmm, well, way back in 1841 before he was born mother Agnes was living with Robert Easton who called her daughter, so I doubt that!

I could find no reference to Stewart's birth either.

Then to add to it, on Stewart's death registration, Agnes is listed as ms Eadie by Stewart's son Robert. Not that I believed these certificates, buy looking for those names turned up nothing either on SP or IGI, or censuses. I think Stewart was a bit ashamed of his parentage, or else she never told him.

Oh I REALLY want to find this one because I suspect she IS who I think she is....it will be a blow if my current tree is wrong, but who wants a wrong tree, really?

grannysrock · Post by **grannysrock** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 2:57 pm

Hi Nina
If the Agnes that Susan and Wilma is the right one , there is a death on SP of an Agnes Easton in Denny in 1887 . Age per the index is only 66 - but the index may be wrong or the informant may have been beguiled by her youthful appearance

..... or it's no her !

Sally

ninatoo · Post by **ninatoo** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 11:55 pm

Sally is a star! Well done...I think that while I had done a search for Agnes, no age, I received three pages worth and so tried to narrow it down, thus losing the one you found! Great detective work all!

Her son finally acknowledged his mother was single, thank goodness or we may never have found her. So it's her and I think she is my relative.

I now need your opinions to tell me if you too think that the surname McCowan is a close emough approximation to McCouat/McCourt/ etc, given that Agnes' mother seems to have died before 1861. I have in the past accepted people with completely different surnames of their mothers on death registrations if everything else fits, on the assumption that the informant got it wrong because it was never heard all that often.....

Occupation of father Robert is ag lab or farmer, in agreement with the censuses, although the one occupation I myself have for the father (before digging into this) is where one son said he was a road surfaceman.

As this will significantly alter my tree, I don't want to just jump in....if you know what I mean. Talk about mixed feelings! What would YOU do?

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 12:01 am

What would YOU do?

I'd confirm that we know Sally is a star!

Sallly is usually "spot-on".
I think as a spoken surname that McCowan is so close to McCouat that they could be interchanged.

Best wishes
Lesley

ninatoo · Post by **ninatoo** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 12:11 am

That surname is a total pain, Lesley! Here are some variations that I have found at the IGI and other places:

McCouil, Macouit, McCouit, McCout, McOuil, McOuit, McQat, McQuait, McWet, and now McCowan....

ninatoo · Post by **ninatoo** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 8:09 am

Just hoping for some more input before I go final with this...it's about 150 records I would be culling from my tree so I would like to think I was doing the right thing.

I have already saved the names I now think aren't mine into their own gedcom file while also leaving them in my tree for now.

You know, in the Australian accent McCowan sounds nothing like McCourt or McCouat....but allowing for the Scottish accent I can see how it would. Also the passing of years probably had something to do with it.