William Robertson (abt. 1811 - abt. 1879)

Born about 24 Jun 1811 in Gorbals, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Husband of Mary Robertson — married 11 Sep 1832 in Gorbals, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Husband of Agnes (Cameron) Robertson — married 6 Jun 1841 in Gorbals, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died about 1879 at about age 67 in Old Monkland (Western District)

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Biography

William was born on 18 October 1810 in Fireworks Village, in the Gorbals, Glasgow, the son of John Robertson and his wife Elizabeth Robertson. A copy of his baptismal record of 28 October 1810^[1], which also states his date of birth, is available. See also his death record, which affirms the names of his parents and his two wives.

Research Notes

Many genealogists state William's mother's maiden name as Elizabeth McKean, but we disagree since none of the records of Wiliiam and his children support this.

Biography cntd....

The Scotland Censuses of 1841^[2]/51^[3]/61^[4]/71^[5] allow us to piece together a reasonably strong picture of William's life as an itinerant coal miner. He had two wives, Mary and Agnes. We have a record for his marriage to Mary Robertson on 11 September 1832^[6] in the Gorbals. The couple were stated to live (and presumably work) in Govan Colliery, most likely in the so-called Fireworks Village. They had three children together. Mary disappears from the record by the time of the Scotland Census of 1841. Most likely she has died - but if so, a record of her death has not yet been uncovered.

In the 1841 Scotland Census we have William and his three children, but no wife, living in Cambuslang. We also have a 60 year-old "family servant" by the name of Elizabeth Burton, who may turn out to be an in-law of William's second wife, Agnes.

On 6 June 1841 we find a record of a marriage between William Robertson and Agnes Cameron^[7], in the Gorbals (as a minor complication, 6 June 1841 is also the exact date of the 1841 Scotland census!! ). Fast forward to the Scotland Census of 1851, and the family comprises William and Agnes, together with William's three children by Mary, plus three more children by Agnes all born since 1842. The census names Agnes as the mother of the three children born to William and Mary, but this is surely an error either by the census-taker, or in William's account as related to the census-taker. However, the census also includes two other older children, Isabella Barton and James Barton, who are listed as step-children of William, and Agnes is listed as their mother. Evidently, she brought two children by a previous marriage into her marriage with William. In the various censuses William and Agnes and their family can be found living in Cambuslang, Swinton, and Parkhead, but we know nothing of how long they may have lived in each of those places.

William died, aged 68, on 20 August 1879^[8] in Swinton Village, in the parish of Old Monkland, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He may have died of Cholera (entered as 'choleric diarrhea').

Research Notes

There is a separate entry in the Scotland census of 1841 for Agnes Cameron^[9], living in the Gorbals with three children - apparently her own - all named Burton. Two of these correspond perfectly to Isabella Barton and James Barton in the Robertsons' 1851 census listing. There also an infant Archibald, who died aged 2 in 1843. This is all consistent with the interpretation that Agnes was previously married to a man named Burton, who must have died.

In support of this, we have a marriage record of 28 August 1834, in Campsie, Stirlingshire (actually only 16 miles north of the Gorbals) between a John Burton and an Agnes Cameron^[10]. We also have found a death record for a John Burton on 31 January 1841 in the Gorbals, sadly lacking in any further details.

The following is how I piece this all together into a plausible narrative: William Robertson marries Mary Robertson in 1832, while in 1834 John Burton marries Agnes Cameron. Over the next few years each family has three children. But then Mary dies, leaving William a widower, and Elizabeth Burton (possibly one of Agnes' in-laws) either moves in with the family to help out, or has been living with them all along. Soon after, John Burton dies leaving Agnes a widow. Whether forced by practicality, or perhaps already enmeshed in a relationship, William and Agnes marry within 5 months of John's death, and raise both their own children and those of each of their previous marriages.

Note also that Mary Robertson's name may actually have been Mary Barton. See Mary's biography, and the Research Notes appended thereto for further discussion.

Sources

1. ↑ Birth & Baptism: ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk (small charge to download, but free registration required to search). Search on Old Parish Registers - Births; SURNAME:Robertson; FORENAME:William; YEAR:1810; 2ND PARENT NAME:Elisabeth (sic); COUNTY:Lanark, PARISH:Gorbals.
2. ↑ 1841 Census (William): 1841 Scotland Census [database on-line], Parish: Cambuslang; ED: 1; Page: 2; Line: 1290; Year: 1841, via Ancestry.co.uk, accessed 22 September 2021 Ancestry uk Record 1004 #2685870 (account required, no Free-To-View image available). A scan can be obtained from ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk (small charge to download, but free registration required to search). Search on Census Returns; SURNAME:Robertson; FORENAME:William; YEAR:1841; AGE:30; COUNTY:Lanark, PARISH:Cambuslang.
3. ↑ 1851 Census: 1851 Scotland Census [database on-line], Parish: Cambuslang; ED: 3; Page: 12; Line: 11; Roll: CSSCT1851_150; Year: 1851, via Ancestry.co.uk, accessed 22 September 2021 Ancestry uk Record 1076 #1895807 (account required, no Free-To-View image available). A scan can be obtained from ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk (small charge to download, but free registration required to search). Search on Census Returns; SURNAME:Robertson; FORENAME:William; YEAR:1851; AGE:40; COUNTY:Lanark, PARISH:Cambuslang.
4. ↑ 1861 Census: 1861 Scotland Census [database on-line], Parish: Old Monkland; ED: 9; Page: 1; Line: 8; Roll: CSSCT1861_118, via Ancestry.co.uk, accessed 22 September 2021 Ancestry uk Record 1080 #1129788 (account required, no Free-To-View image available). A scan can be obtained from ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk (small charge to download, but free registration required to search). Search on Census Returns; SURNAME:Robertson; FORENAME:William; YEAR:1861; AGE:50; COUNTY:Lanark, PARISH:Old Monkland.
5. ↑ 1871 Census: 1871 Scotland Census [database on-line], Parish: Glasgow Parkhead; ED: 115; Page: 19; Line: 10; Roll: CSSCT1871_127, via Ancestry.co.uk, accessed 22 May 2022 Ancestry uk Record 1104 #4791173 (account required, no Free-To-View image available). A scan can be obtained from ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk (small charge to download, but free registration required to search). Search on Census Returns; SURNAME:Robertson; FORENAME:William; YEAR:1871; AGE:60; COUNTY:Lanark, PARISH:High Church.
6. ↑ 1st Marriage: "Scotland, Select Marriages, 1561-1910" [database on-line], via Ancestry.co.uk Ancestry uk Record 60144 #802479 (account required, no free-to-view record available). A scan can be obtained from ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk (small charge to download, but free registration required to search). Search on Old Parish Registers - Banns & Marriages; SURNAME:Robertson; FORENAME:William; SPOUSE'S NAME:Mary; YEAR:1832; COUNTY:Lanark, PARISH:Gorbals.
7. ↑ 2nd Marriage: "Scotland, Select Marriages, 1561-1910" [database on-line], via Ancestry.co.uk Ancestry uk Record 60144 #1422165 (account required, no free-to-view record available). A scan can be obtained from ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk (small charge to download, but free registration required to search). Search on Old Parish Registers - Banns & Marriages; SURNAME:Robertson; FORENAME:William; SPOUSE'S NAME:Agnes; YEAR:1841; COUNTY:Lanark, PARISH:Gorbals.
8. ↑ Death: A copy of the record of William's death can be downloaded from ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk (small charge to download, but free registration required to search). Search on Statutory Registers - Deaths; SURNAME:Robertson; FORENAME:William; YEAR:1879; COUNTY:Lanark, PARISH:Old Monkland.
9. ↑ 1841 Census (Agnes): 1841 Scotland Census [database on-line], Parish: Gorbals; ED: 13; Page: 16; Line: 360; Year: 1841, via Ancestry.co.uk, accessed 22 September 2021 Ancestry uk Record 1004 #391075 (account required, no Free-To-View record available). A scan can be obtained from ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk (small charge to download, but free registration required to search). Search on Census Returns; SURNAME:Cameron; FORENAME:Agnes; YEAR:1841; AGE:28; COUNTY:Lanark, PARISH:Gorbals.
10. ↑ Marriage (Agnes & John): "Scotland, Select Marriages, 1561-1910" [database on-line], via Ancestry.co.uk Ancestry uk Record 60144 #2364484 (account required, no free-to-view record available). A scan can be obtained from ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk (small charge to download, but free registration required to search). Search on Old Parish Registers - Banns & Marriages; SURNAME:Cameron; FORENAME:Agness (sic); SPOUSE'S NAME:John Burton; YEAR:1834; COUNTY:Stirling, PARISH:Campsie.