Help with deciphering 1901 Scottish Census

+2 votes
235 views

Hello,

I would love some help deciphering a Census record from 1901.  Its a Scottish census and I am able to make most of the script however struggling on a few words.

Any help would be lovely, thank you.

I have the following... (correct me if I am wrong)

House #74 - street unsure

David Wishart Smith - head - married - age 64 - something???maker - Mid Lothian something?? 

I am unsure how to load Census to this question, so I have uploaded to his profile for you to see

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Smith-180939

WikiTree profile: David Smith
in Genealogy Help by Anna Page G2G1 (1.4k points)

6 Answers

+4 votes
The place is "Fisherrow".

Have not yet figured out the occupation, but agree it is something-maker.
by Melanie Paul G2G6 Pilot (419k points)

You could probably bet on it being fishing or sea related.  1871 census has him as a Net Worker.

He changed occupations often - net worker, baker and janitor now maybe a gun maker

Not making it easy by staying in the same house or occupation.   Thankfully they have been staying in Midlothian and not moving around
+4 votes
The street name is 2 St. David's Terrace, (presumably Haymarket.)
by Andrew Hunter G2G4 (4.5k points)
Thank you, that does make sense now that you have written that down.

Thank you for your time today and helping me.
Have PM'ed you. If you have spare credits on Scotlands People get the death certificate for David Wishaw Smith, Year: 1913, District: Edinburgh (St. Andrew), Ref. 685/2 117, age 75y (gives a birth year of 1838)
+5 votes
I think the occupation is just "Gun Maker". Have a look at the way the person writes a "u" in the two instances of "EdinbUrgh" it's quite a long stretched out letter. Does Gun Maker match up with any thing else you've found out? The occupation recorded in his wedding extract could be "Gunsmith".
by Andrew Hunter G2G4 (4.5k points)
I have not been able to decipher much from their marriage certificate either, that script and quality of certificate is even harder for me to comprehend - that is still a work in progress, I was hoping it would lead me to his parents names.  

All his census records that I've been able to get have had his occupation change every 10 years, so I am unable to link the two but so far he was been a net worker, baker and janitor so a gun maker doesn't seem unreasonable.

Thank you for your time and help
On the marriage certificate, it looks to me like the parents' details for David are:

David Smith, Gardener, Portobello (Deceased)

Janet Stevenson or Smith

And this looks like David's 1851 census record, living in London with his aunt and uncle:

"England and Wales Census, 1851," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGXB-G2M : 12 September 2019), David W Smith in household of David Wishart, Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England; citing Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England, p. 15, from "1851 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.

Hello Nic,

Thank you for your response and time.

The gardener reference seems correct as I purchased David's death certificate and it lists his father as David Smith - gardener - deceased.

From what we can now see it looks as though David's parents both died young and the children lived with family - as per your 1851 census data attached and I believed I found earlier ones with his living with his grandmother Agnes Smith and siblings James, John and Mary - but this could be totally incorrect at this stage as it was a loose connection.
Thank you for your help!

You're welcome. It looks like Helen Wishart's maiden name was Stevenson, which pretty much confirms that she was David's aunt. Here's her marriage record:

"Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XY9T-9YT : 10 February 2018), David Wishart and Helen Stevenson, 13 Mar 1828; citing Saint Cuthberts,Edinburgh,Midlothian,Scotland, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 1,066,764.

+4 votes
This is the Ancestry.com description of the 1901 census

Name:   David Wishart Smith

Age:  64      Est birth year:  abt 1837

Relationship:  Head        Gender:  Male

Where born:  Fisherrow, Midlothian

Registration Num:  685/1

Registration Dist:   St George

Civil Parish:  Edinburgh St David

County:   Midlothian

Address:   2 St Davids Terrace

Occupation:  Gern Maker

ED:  91

Household Schedule No:   74

Line:  12

Roll:  CSSCT1901_366
by
+3 votes
Basket maker?
by Paul Barnett G2G4 (4.2k points)
+4 votes
I'd go with Gun Maker.

That profession was around in Scotland about then.  James Crockart and Son (Gun makers are still around today.  (Established in 1852)
by Tanya Lowry G2G6 Mach 1 (18.9k points)

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