Catherine Thomson (1804)

Born 24 Jun 1804 in Blackwood, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Alan Runciman [send private message] and A Martin [send private message]

Biography

This biography was auto-generated originally by a GEDCOM import & has been edited & improved by Alan Runciman, a gt gt grand-nephew.

Name

Name: Catherine Thomson^[1][2]

Birth & Baptism^[3]

Birth :

Date: 24 JUN 1804: Name: Catherine Thomson.

Place: Blackwood, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Christening :

Date: 11 JUL 1804

Place: Lesmahagow, , Lanarkshire, Scotland

Note: Bulk baptism entries 1804:

"The following are the children of John Thomson Nursery Man at Blackwood house and Christian Goodlet his spouse Registered as follows viz

a Daughter Born 16 Sept 1786 baptized the 24th of said month named Helen

a son Born 25th Oct 1790 baptized 31st said month named William

a daughter Born 3rd Sep 1794 baptized 12th said month named Margaret

a son Born 13th Aug 1796 baptized 26th said month named James (LDS have 21st)

a son Born 8th Apr 1798 baptized 20th said month named John

a child Born 8th Apr 1800 baptized 10th said month named Lewis

a child Born 22nd Mar 1802 baptized 30th said month named Mary

a child Born 24th Jun 1804 baptized 11th July the next named Catherine^[4]

Although rare, occasionally bulk entries of this nature are seen. Some historians offer the explanation that the baptism fee could not be afforded (whether fees were charged in this period is to be researched) resulting in this sort of situation. Another, likely explanation for this family, is that the parents were not members of the Authorised Church during the period of their early marriage & chose to baptise their children in a dissenting church. Perhaps a change of minister prompted their decision to return to the Church of Scotland as their first daughter Helen had been baptised in Authorised Church following her 1786 birth at Kirkliston.

Family Connections of Interest

John Potter - A Scottish Covenanter hanged for his religious beliefs in Edinburgh 1680. This connection may explain the absence of records for Catherine & associated family in the Authorised Church. For several generations descendants of Covenanters & other persecuted religious minorities often lived & married within their like-minded peer groups sharing their Presbyterian beliefs.

Isobel Callender, wife of the above-mentioned, and member of a short-lived band of fanatical Covenanters who became known as Gibbites (known also as the Sweet Singers).

William Martin, who emigrated from Edinburgh in 1848 & became an eminent pioneering New Zealand horticulturist. He bought land & created renowned gardens of national repute which he named ‘Fairfield’. The rhododendron ‘Marquis of Lothian’ is a William Martin hybrid & is amongst his landmark horticultural achievements. Locally in Dunedin there is a Rhododendron Week held annually in October. A road in the area is named after him. WikiTree profiles have not yet been created for his son & grandson, both also William, who continued successfully in the business after him.

Sources

• Source: S3222 Title: "Scotland and Beyond" (2004) plus subsequent research by Alan RUNCIMAN, Ros RUNCIMAN, Lawrence FLETCHER, Lorna HENDERSON & many, many others, Compiler Address: UK, Australia and New Zealand Abbreviation: "Scotland and Beyond" (2004), plus subsequent research Author: Diane Middleton Jen Jelley Alan Runciman Ros Runciman Laurie Fletcher Lorna Henderson and many others Publication: Jul 2013 Note: imported on 2013/07/24 at 15:44:27.
• Source: S3233 Title: Old Parish Record Abbreviation: OPR

1. ↑ Source: #S3222
2. ↑ OPR Indexed Baptism Entry Source: #S3233 Page: Births & Baptisms children of John THOMSON, nurseryman Blackwood House, & Christian GOODLET, from bulk entry in 1804, Lesmahagow - 649/00 0020 0168, copy d/loaded Aug 2013
3. ↑ OPR Indexed Baptism Entry Source: #S3233 Page: Births & Baptisms children of John THOMSON, nurseryman Blackwood House, & Christian GOODLET, from bulk entry in 1804, Lesmahagow - 649/00 0020 0168, copy d/loaded Aug 2013
4. ↑ Source: #S3233 Page: Births & Baptisms children of John THOMSON, nurseryman Blackwood House, & Christian GOODLET, from bulk entry in 1804, Lesmahagow - 649/00 0020 0168, copy d/loaded Aug 2013

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Alan Runciman for creating WikiTree profile Thomson-2919 through the import of RUNCIMANAlansPaternal4WikiTreeAug2013.ged on Aug 29, 2013 and to Alison Martin for introducing the Martin & Thomson connected ancestry. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits.