How do I begin to trace the Scottish family of my great grandfather who arrived in the USA with 3 siblings about 1860?.

Question

Siblings were:

James Hillrey Day, John Day, Jack Day and Fanny Day

all born in Scotland and travelled together to the USA about 1860

Comments

If you know your grandparents information, add profiles for them.  More info can help others help you, especially with dates and timeframes.

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I will add the names of my great grandparents hoping it will assist in finding some clues. Thanks Linda.

Answer 1

Hi Dorothy, it looks like James Hillery Day was born in Bristol, Georgia in September 1849, and both of his parents were also born in Georgia.

Comments

Where did you get this information? It is not correct acccording to our family resources.

I have a letter shared with me by a first cousin, son of my father's only brother. He received it from the granddaughter of my great grandfather, James "Hillrey" Day. She spent a significant amount of time with him during his later days collecting family information from him. He shared lots of stories with her, but sadly, I did not even connect with this first cousin until the 1990s, and certainly not the granddaughter. I knew that the first cousin and his siblings existed but because of family separations I did not get to meet them until late in life. The letter was written by the granddaughter to this first cousin when he located her and wrote requesting any information she could and would share.The information I shared is in this letter.

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Here's what I found:

"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8LP-FRN : 13 January 2022), W..., District 6, Chatham, Georgia, United States; citing enumeration district , sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm .

"United States Census, 1900", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:66KX-HG7X : 9 March 2022), James H Day, 1900.

"United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MLKD-V51 : accessed 9 May 2022), James H Day, Militia District 1040, Crisp, Georgia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 21, sheet 3B, family 58, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 183; FHL microfilm 1,374,196. 

"Georgia Deaths, 1928-1943," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJXM-171R : 2 March 2021), J H Day in entry for Homer Day, 17 Jan 1937; citing Appling, Georgia, United States, Georgia State Archives, Morrow.

"Florida Deaths, 1877-1939", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FP83-HVD : 23 February 2021), James H. Day, 1929.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/101519972/

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Thank you Jarrett! The names in all of these sources are people in my family ancestry. It certainly does appear that my great grandfather claimed to be born in Georgia USA, not Scotland. At least the census records support that. I will share this with my cousin. He will be as surprised as I am. You have provided very good documentation of his origination.  I guess I may not need to research Scotland after all?

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Those could be a totally different family in Georgia. The death source states he was born in Florida, but other items said Georgia.

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That is true for sure.  It is hard to identify with certainty from census records because there is not enough identifying information on them. It is quite difficult to identify children at times.

Answer 2

Do you know where they settled after arriving? Most of my Irish relatives arrived in NYC then made their way to coal towns in PA. Start with census records. Then look at passenger records for Ellis Island.

Comments

I have been informed by a letter from his granddaughter during his later years that he and his siblings entered through South Carolina. They did not stay together. My great grandfather moved on into Georgia, fought in the Civil War, married my great grandmother, who came into Georgia from Florida, and they remained in Georgia until their children were grown up and had their own families. Then they went to Jacksonville, Florida to spend their remaining years. His siblings continued moving further west or north to various unknown-to-me places.

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Where did you get this information? A family history book? Stories your great-aunt with dementia told you? Or primary records? Because it sounds a lot like the tradition immigration story: three brothers came to America, one went north, one south, and one west, which is most often not true.

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I have a letter shared with me by a first cousin, son of my father's only brother. He received it from the granddaughter of my great grandfather, James "Hillrey" Day. She spent a significant amount of time with him during his later days collecting family information from him. He shared lots of stories with her, but sadly, I did not even connect with this first cousin until the 1990s, and certainly not the granddaughter except through this letter. I knew that the first cousin and his siblings existed but, because of family separations, I did not get to meet them until late in life. The letter was written by the granddaughter to this first cousin when he located her and wrote requesting any information she could and would share. The information I shared is in this letter.

Answer 3

I would look for a passenger list that includes them. Not saying you'll find one--I still haven't found passenger lists that show all of mine--but that's where I'd start. Also, it seems unlikely that they would enter the US through the Carolinas, unless I'm forgetting a significant port. New York and Baltimore seem likelier points of entry. The New York port would not yet be Ellis Island in the 1860s, but Castle Garden. (Although either one would be called New York.) In Scottish records, census and parish records are the place to start, but the Scots had a terrible habit of using the same names endlessly, so be careful that you get the right family.

Comments

Thanks, Karla. Some census records recently seen have caused me to question what I have always believed about the origen of my great grandfather being Scotland. So I may searching the wrong trail.

Answer 4

Try searching Scotlandspeople.gov.uk This has the statutory birth marriage and death certificates along with census information etc, etc and would probably be a good starting point. You can purchase credits and save or download the documents for your records. As Karla says, do be aware that us Scots have a terrible habit of using the same names throughout generations, so it can be confusing! Good luck!.

Comments

Thanks, Jane. I tried with no luck in finding a record of his birth in Scotland. I appreciate your effort to assist me.

Answer 5

According to this article on the South Carolina Encyclopedia website, many covenanters from the Scottish lowlands emigrated to South Carolina. It gives several additional sources that might help. The Port of entry was likely Charleston, S.C. 

Comments

Interesting history. I wonder if the attitudes described in this article could be a reason for my great grandfather claiming on the 1900 census to have been born in America. Our family story has always had him born in Scotland.

Answer 6

Hi and welcome to WikiTree I noticed you are a new member...

I had a quick look on ScotlandsPeople for you which is the main repository for all Scottish Records.  There are a few difficulties just as the information you provided is quite limited but I'll give you some things to think about...

Jack - is a nickname usually for John in Scotland but could also be for Jacob to find records for him you really need to know his birth name.  Although today a fairly common first name back in the time period of your Ancestors he is most likely to have been born as Jacob or a few other possibilities (not John as there is a sibling named John).

Fanny - again a nickname although back in the time period it was also a common registered birth name but also consider looking for Frances.

You said the siblings immigrated to the United States together in 1860 presumably they were all of adult age if they seemed to separate when they reached the US which would mean they were all born sometime before 1844 which takes you into the Old Parish Registers.  

Looking at the Church of Scotland Old Parish Registers I tried to see if I could find a family where a John, James and Fanny (or alternative) were born to one set of parents although I could not identify them.  If you know when your great grandfather was born that might make it easier to identify records.  Or if you have information on your great grandfathers parents possibly from his death certificate that would also assist in finding records.

You are not guaranteed to find a baptism record in the Old Parish Record as some records have been lost, and sometimes children just weren't baptised and therefore no record exists.  It is difficult to know for certain.

The ScotlandsPeople website is free to join and is free to search although you will need to purchase credits to look at records.  Hope this helps

Comments

Fanny could also be short for Euphemia.

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Oh I didn’t know that that’s good to know - I can thinking about it see how that would come about I’ve only ever thought of Mamie and the like for euphemia but thanks for adding to that

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Thank you for offering assistance. You shared some valuable information that is new to me.

Answer 7

If they were immigrants, it would probably make sense to look for naturalization records. If found, they might provide date and place of birth which would help substantially.

Comments

Thanks. I'm just trying to learn how to do this.