Pam, have you corrected your tree to show Hugh Murdoch's parents as Adam Murdoch and Annie Howat [Hewit]? They were married abt1823 in Lochhill, Mauchline, Ayrshire according to IGI. Hugh's birth announcement showing both parents is posted in Old Parish Records of Births etc, Ayr County, Mauchline Parish

I am trying to find the parents and siblings of William Murdoch born 4 Jan. 1761 in Ocheltree, Ayrshire, Scotland and married Anne Bryden in 1801. Any info. would be appreciated.

Hi Susan,

I have some info on the Bowie/Barnes/Richmond family if you wanted to contact me.

David

Dear Howard,
Agnes Thomson Barnes was the sister of Mary Barnes,my paternal Grandmother!

Please contact me for details re their mother & siblings.

Also, I have a photo of my grandmother,plus a few documents.

Looking forward to hearing from you - David from Scotland,whom I found through researching this family, tells me that he's sent you my eMail address.
Hope to hear soon.

Jennifer, Montreal, Canada.

Dear Jennifer:

I am very pleased to have found you. Your grandmother's (Mary Barnes) grandmother Agnes Gemmell is a relative of mine! Her brother James Gemmill is my g-g grandfather. He lived out his life in Kilmarnock but was born in Riccarton, and his occupation was as a weaver and weaving agent. The names of their parents were John Gemmell and Jane Richmond.

If you have any information about either of these families, I would be delighted to hear from you, as I have never been able to get beyond John and Jane (Jean) to their origins, or to other members of their families, beyond the fact they married in the Parish of Fenwick, and then moved to Riccarton, where they had their children.

Hugh Gemmell
Toronto, Canada

Hugh. My Gemmell family was also from Riccarton. John Gemmel b ca 1766 and his wife Isabella Howie are the parents of at least 4 daughters--Margaret 1799, Elizabeth 1801, Isabella 1807 and Sarah 1808. All the girls were born in Riccarton. Do you know when James Gemmill was born? Anna in Spokane

Anna:

We are two different families I think. James Gemmill was b 8 Oct 1786 in Riccarton. His parents were John Gemmel and Jane (Jean) Richmond. They m 2 Dec 1885 in Fenwick, Ayr. James Gemmill moved to Kilmarnock where he was a weaver and sewing agent. He m 1) Margaret Hopkin of Riccarton (she died I think, maybe in childbirth) and had a daughter Jane (Jean) and m 2) Janet Farquhar 18 May 1830 in Kilmarnock, and had a second family, including my great-grandfather.

I found some of your family in the 1841 Census, I think, still living in Riccarton: John Gemmill, shoemaker, age 75, and Elizabeth, female servant, age 40 (daughter?). Am I correct here? His wife Isabella must have died by this time and his other daughters married or moved away.

No doubt we have some connection further back. Thanks for writing though. Which daughter are you descended from?

Hugh

Hello Hugh,
Is this Agnes Gemmell married to ROBERT BARNES ?
Jennifer

Jennifer:

Yes, indeed she is. I have a copy of her death record from ScotlandsPeople. She died in Riccarton 26th March, 1889, age 82. The Informant was her son John Barnes.

Hugh

Yes, it really looks like the same family!
John Barnes ( my great grandfather)went back to live with his parents in Riccarton.He & his wife,MARY RICHMOND,had 6 children in the 13 years between 1862 & 1875.Only 2 of them survived,the last baby living only 4 days,surviving his mother by 3 days, in January of 1875.
What a tragedy !
John took Agnes(about11) & Mary(about5)back to Riccarton to live with his father Robert Barnes & his mother Margaret Gemmell in Crompton Street.
(One of the children who died was named Margaret,born 1872,died 1874.)
The whole thing must have been devastating.
A few months ago, I knew none of this, not even that my grandmother Mary had had a sister!
I have had an enormous amount of very kind help from David Abercrombie whom I found whilst trying to find info on Mary Richmond.I believe he has Margaret Gemmell in his "Ancestry"tree,too & if I'm not mistaken, it was the Gemmell name he was interested in.You might try contacting him.
He sent me a lot on my great grandparents, but I don't think it's of much use to you,unless you want to check on the names & dates of the children who died.
Good to hear from you,
Jennifer.