JAMES JOHN MITCHELL & SUSAN OGILVIE McFARLAND

The decendants of James John Mitchell and Susan Ogilvie McFarland are now listed at our new web site for "Mitchells and Moores". Click on the link below in the right hand column. Enter the site by simply clicking on the word "SURNAMES". Then click on "MITCHELL", then "JAMES JOHN MITCHELL", "DESCENDANTS", wait for it to build, then click on REGISTER or TEXT. Vital information for those still living will not appear as we protect the site from identity theft. Names will appear in those cases, however. You can search for others once you get it down! Thanks for visiting this site.--Barry

OUR JAMES IS NOT THE ONE.....

We now have sufficient confirmation-- in my opinion -- to conclude that our James John Mitchell is not the brother of David Mitchell of Australia, father of Dame Nellie Melba. I reached this conclusion personally a few months ago after studying the 1841 Scotland Census. Details are elsewhere on this blog. Information now in our hands from Andrew Nicoll, national archivist for the Catholic church in Scotland, confirms our earlier conclusion. His work was done several years ago and was packed away then at his parents home when contacted by fellow Mitchell researcher Shari Cremer. In persuing more recently his email to Shari from 2002 I eventually found his current email address and he was kind enough to locate his stored records and share his conclusions. The facts are that the James in the William Mitchell-Ann Fraser family was born 26 August 1826 in North Meathie, Angus. He died 2 Dec 1991 in Shrigley, Ontario. His wife was Elizabeth Rodger. Our James was born in 22 Aug 1822 in Forfarshire (Angus) according to his obituary and grave marker. Ironically, both of these James went to Ontario from Scotland, both were from Angus, and both were born in August. We know from Genealogist Bourie that there were several James John Mitchells in Ontario at the same time. We have located the presence of our James in Carlingford, Perth, Ontario, right down to where they lived before they moved to Iowa. We know that the 1864 Will of Ann (Fraser) Mitchell listed a legacy to her son James at Port Union Station, Ontario. Bourie explained that Port Union was simply a postal center. Mail would arrive there and be delivered into the frontier. Ann was the mother of the other James and of David of Australia. The link to Canada was used in the past as evidence that it was "our James". It's worth noting that the William and Ann Mitchell family belonged to the Secession Church of Forfar-- the United Presbyterian Church. My next efforts will continue to be the Kincardineshire Mitchells as there was a James born "abt 1822" in that family (1841 Scotland Census) and in that family also was a David and a Peter which could be consistent with family stories. This is the first time I have located a James born in 1822. This search is difficult to say the least!!

BEWARE THE 1841 SCOTLAND CENSUS...

I found my notes from Genealogist Fenwick in Scotland from July, 2005 when he cautioned me about the 1841 Census: "First the method of listing ages in the 1841 Census was not rigid. A few (census takers) listed the correct ages. Most (census takers) rounded ages from 15 onward to the nearest 5 years. For instance, 17 (actual) would be listed as 15 and 18 (actual) would be listed as 20." I had forgotten this information and it may help to explain some of our issues. He also noted that the census was recorded with pencils in this period and did not always leave a clear record. It's also worth noting his comments that "until the mid to late Victorian period, the celebration of birthdays, like Christmas, was of little consequence. In fact it was not until the advent of national insurance (equivalent of Social Security in US) that the recording of precise birthdays was to become an essential factor".

KEEPING THE SUSANS STRAIGHT....

Since we are dealing with three Susans in this quest we've decided to explain them as follows: Susan Ogilvie married Andrew McFarlane; they had a daughter, Susan McFarlane , who married our James John Mitchell. They had a daughter, Susan Mitchell, who married Andrew Burt, Sr. There we have it: Susan Ogilvie, Susan McFarlane and Susan Mitchell!

ANDREW McFARLANE/ SUSAN OGILVY CONFIRMATION

It appears the Andrew McFarlane/Susan Ogilvy parentage of our Susan McFarlane is correct thanks to some extra sleuthing by fellow researcher Lois Riekens.

The 1841 Scotland Census showed Andrew McFarlane (age 40) and Susan Ogilvy (age 35) and their family in Fern, Angus, Leytack. The children listed were: Robert (age 2); John (age 6); Andrew (age 10); Ann (age 15). The problem has been that our Susan was not listed.

I did locate a Susan of about the right age (b. 1829)in the same Census, born in Lethnot & Navar, Angus. She was living with an Ann Cobb (b. 1766) and an Ann Gordon (b. 1786). Lethnot/Navar was a parish in Angus created in 1845 and abolished in 1975. One wonders if this was our Susan and whether she was loaned or hired out to help these older women? Of course we'll never know. She would have been about 12 years old.

Lois found what appears to be our Susan in the 1851 Scotland Census. The parents and family were still in Fearn, Angus, Leytack. They now had another son, Adam (age 8); Robert and our Susan were also listed. Susan was listed as age 19, which would have made her birth year 1832, not the 22 Apr 1830 we have believed to be correct. This may still be an issue to be resolved. We know these birth years can vary in the Census depending when the information was collected within a year and how accurately the information was given to the census taker.

What makes us believe this is the correct family is the addition of Adam to the family. Mrs. Glen (Gladys) Burt, grandmother to Lois Riekens, made mention of Adam in a family history some years ago. She said Adam was single and died in Scotland in 1906. The 1871 Scotland Census still shows Adam living with his parents. He was the only child at home by that time and was age 28. The Burts were descendants of the marriage of Susan Mitchell and Andrew Burt, Sr. Susan Mitchell was a daughter of our James John Mitchell and Susan McFarlane.

The 1851 Scotland Census shows place of birth for Andrew McFarlane as Lochlee, Forfarshire. The same Census shows the birthplace for Susan Ogilvy as Oathlaw, Forfar.

It would be helpful if we can now find the common father to Susan Ogilvy (wife of Andrew McFarlane) and William Ogilvy, father to "Uncle" Charles Ogilvy.

SCOTTISH NAME EQUIVALENTS

To aid everyone in their research, there are some name equivalents we have discovered: Susan= Chusan; Janet= Jess; Jane= Jeun.

VILLAGES OF KINCARDINESHIRE COUNTY, SCOTLAND

For research reference here are villages for Kincardineshire County: Arbuthnott, Auchenblae, Banchory, Banchory-Devenick, Benholm, Drumlithie, Durris Ho, Fettercain, Forduin, Glenbernie, Gourdon, Inverbervie, Johnshaven, Kinneff, Kirkton of Durris, Kirkton of Fetteresso, Lawrencekirk, Luthermuir, Marykirk, Nigg, Portlethen Village, St Cyrus, Stonehaven, Strachen and Torry.