Isabella (Brown) Adamson (1837 - 1904)

Born 19 Nov 1837 in Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland

Wife of James Adamson — married 25 Jul 1856 in Auchterderran, Fife, Scotland

Descendants

Died 1 Apr 1904 at age 66 in Wallsend, New South Wales, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Melanie Paul [send private message]

Biography

Isabella (Brown) Adamson was born in Scotland.

Isabella "Bella" Brown was born on the 19th November 1837, in Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, the daughter of George Brown and his wife Mary Neill, and baptised on the 17th December the same year, in the Parish of Newton.^[1]

On the 6th June 1841, Isabella, her age incorrectly rendered as two years instead of three, was living with her family on East Row. in the parish of Inveresk. Others home at the time were her father: George (his age given as 29), a coal miner; her mother: Mary (her age given as 30); her sisters: Christian (4); and Janet (1); and Midlothian-born William Archibald (40), an agricultural labourer.^[2]

On the 30th March 1851, Isabella (15), a house servant, was living in a boarding house at 10 West Preston Street, Edinburgh. Also in residence were Edinburgh-born Jane Notman (30), the Lodging House Keeper; Jane's nephew: 7-year-old Hull, Yorkshire-born William Notman; and several lodgers: Glasgow, Lanarkshire-born Andw (presumably Andrew) Brydie (21), a B A Edin Student Of S Theology; Stonehouse, Kincardineshire-born Peter Chapman (20), employed in Stayslop Mannfacture*; Balfron, Cape of Good Hope-born Richard Ross (22), a Student Of Philosoply (is this meant to be "philosophy"?); and Edinburgh-born Agatha Edington (71), an Annuitant.^[3]
* This is how it is spelt. No idea what this occupation was. It has no relationship to anything similarly named in the 2020s.

After their BANNS had been published the required number of times, she and James Adamson were married on the 25th July 1856, in Auchterderran, Fife,^[4] subsequently having 11 known children, four daughters, and seven sons–their eldest child, Henry, not living to see his 2nd birthday, and a later babe living a mere three months ten days :

1. Henry (1857–1858 (born and died in Scotland))
2. George (1859–1920 (born in Scotland))
3. James (1864–?)
4. Mary Neill (1867–1902 (Paterson)​​)
5. Andrew David (1869–1913​​)
6. Christina B (1872–1945 (Williams))
7. Archibald B (1874–1874)
8. Robert (1875–1945)
9. Janet "Jessie" (1879–1945 (Boyle))
10. William (1881–1944)
11. Isabella (1884–1978 (Nesbitt))

By the 7th April 1861, Bella (23) and her small family had moved from Fife to the Edinburgh area of East Lothian, where they were living on Church Street, Tranent. Also home at the time were her husband: James (25), a coal miner, and 1-year-old George. ^[5]

Isabella (Brown) Adamson migrated from Scotland to New South Wales, Australia.

At some point a decision was made to leave home and step out into the unknown (likely the move to Tranent was in preparation for emigration), and so Bella, James, and 2-year-old George packed up and took ship aboard the Eastern Empire for the Colonies, arriving in Australia on the 29th November 1862, and settling in the coalfields region of New South Wales. The named sponsor for their assisted passage was James's younger brother: David Adamson (who died tragically only a couple of years later when a mine cave-in buried him alive with two other men).^[6]

Isabella "Bella" Adamson née Brown passed away on the 1st April 1904, in Wallsend, New South Wales, Australia, just four months 13 days after her 66th birthday,^[7]and, after a funeral at which the Rev. Mr. Powell was the officiating clergyman, was interred in the Wallsend Cemetery, Wallsend, where her husband and other family members have also been laid to rest.^[8]

When Bella died, her obituary said "A husband and grown-up family of five sons and three daughters are left". Those surviving children were — Christina, Jessie, and Isabella; George, James, Andrew, Robert, and William. (Henry and Archibald having both died young, and Mary predeceasing her mother by a little over a year.)^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ Birth and Baptism — Scotland's People Church registers – Old Parish Registers online index search Births and Baptisms: Surname: BROWN; Forename: ISABELLA; Parents/ Other Details: GEORGE BROWN/MARY NEILL FR1367 (FR1367); Gender: F; Date: 17/12/1837; Parish Number: 696/; Ref: 50 177; Parish: Newton (payment is required to view the actual registry entry)
2. ↑ 1841 Scotland Census. Edinburgh, Scotland: General Register Office for Scotland. Reels 1-151. General Register Office for Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland. Parish: Inveresk; ED: 3; Page: 15; Line: 630; Year: 1841. Name: Isabella Brown; Age: 2; Estimated Birth Year: abt 1839; Gender: Female; Where born: Midlothian, Scotland; Civil parish: Inveresk; County: Midlothian; Address: East Row; Parish Number: 689
3. ↑ 1851 Scotland Census. Reels 1-217. General Register Office for Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland. Parish: Edinburgh St Cuthberts; ED: 48; Page: 13; Line: 9; Roll: CSSCT1851_183; Year: 1851. Name: Isabella Brown; Age: 15; Estimated Birth Year: abt 1836; Relationship: Servant; Gender: Female; Where Born: Musselburgh, Midlothian; Parish Number: 685/2; Civil Parish: Edinburgh St Cuthberts; County: Midlothian; Address: 10 West Preston Street; Occupation: House Servant; ED: 48; Page: 13; Household Schedule Number: 61; Line: 9; Roll: CSSCT1851_183
4. ↑ Marriage Registration — Scotland's People Statutory registers – online index search Marriages: Surname: BROWN; Forename: ISABELLA; Spouse Surname: ADAMSON; Spouse Forename: JAMES; Year: 1856; Ref: 405/ 14; RD Name: Auchterderran (payment is required to view the actual registry entry)
5. ↑ 1861 Scotland Census. Reels 1-150. General Register Office for Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland. Parish: Tranent; ED: 6; Page: 2; Line: 2; Roll: CSSCT1861_135. Name: Isabella Adamson; Age: 23; Estimated Birth Year: abt 1838; Relationship: Wife; Spouse's Name: James Adamson; Gender: Female; Where born: Newton, Edinburgh; Registration Number: 722; Registration district: Tranent; Civil parish: Tranent; Town: Tranent; County: East Lothian; Address: Church Street; ED: 6; Household schedule number: 8; Line: 3; Roll: CSSCT1861_135
6. ↑ Migration — Immigration Deposit Journals. Microfilm, 5264, 9 reels. State Records Authority of New South Wales. Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia. State Records Authority of New South Wales; Series: 5264; Reel: 2670. Name: Isabel Adamson; Age: 24; Birth Year: abt 1838; Place of Origin: East Lothian, Scotland; Ship: Eastern Empire; Sponsor Name: David Adamson; Deposit Date: 7 Jan 1862
7. ↑ Death Registration — New South Wales State Government Births, Deaths, Marriages Death Registration details: Name: ADAMSON ISABELLA; Registration number: 7424/1904; Father's Given Name(s): GEORGE; Mother's Given Name(s): MARY; District: WALLSEND
8. ↑ Burial — Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com/memorial/224762827/isabella-adamson : accessed 05 May 2022), memorial page for Isabella Adamson (1838–1 Apr 1904), Find a Grave Memorial ID 224762827, citing Wallsend Cemetery, Wallsend, Newcastle City, New South Wales, Australia ; Maintained by Leesa P (contributor 48242652) .
9. ↑ "WALLSEND." Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954) 7 April 1904: 5. Web. 30 Apr 2022 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article138269454>.

• BDM registrations, census data, migration records.