William Ross (1658)

Born 1658 in Lasswade, Midlothian, Scotland

Husband of Janet Murdock — married 29 Apr 1681 in Newton Village, Midlothian, Scotland

Descendants

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Biography

There is a record for the marriage of a William Ross & Janet Murdo in Newton Parish, Midlothian, on 29 Apr 1681.^[1]

There goes on to be 8 baptisms recorded in the old parish records of Midlothian for children of a William Ross & some variation of a Janet Murdoch/Murdo/Mordow.

Kelly Moores, I, assumes that this is the family of William Ross & Janet Murdoch of Midlothian. All of these parishes are just east & southeast of Edinburgh.

I cannot vouch for William's birth or death date. No sources were attached for those & I did not find records that supported the information that was already here.

This William Ross & Janet Murdoch can often be found as the parents of Alexander Ross who lived in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and then Frederick County, Virginia. That Alexander Ross appeared before the Court of Quarter Sessions in Chester County, Pennsylvania, on 3 Oct 1693 and his age was determined to be around 11.^[10][11][12] Alexander, son of William Ross & Janet Murdoch, was born 24 Apr 1689.^[3] So, on 3 Oct 1693, he would've been not quite 4 & a half years old. Clearly not a boy of 11.

I have seen this William, when he is listed as the father of Alexander of Virginia, also listed as some sort of Lord or Laird.

There was a William Ross 12th Lord Ross of Halkhead who was born circa 1656 and died 15 Mar 1737/38. This would make him about the same age as this William. But William 12th Lord Ross did not marry a Janet Murdoch and he did not have a son Alexander.^[13][14][15]

All of the existent baptismal records for the children of Wiliam 12th Lord Ross refer to William as either Lord or Baron. None of the baptismal records of the children of William Ross & Janet Murdoch refer to William with any sort of title. See Above table of children and baptismal sources.

I have not been able to identify a William Ross of either the Balnagown & related lines^[16] or the Lord Ross of Halkhead lines^[17] that married a Janet Murdoch.

Sources

1. ↑ "Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Banns and Marriages," database, National Records of Scotland, (ScotlandsPeople : accessed 23 July 2023), Janet Murdo marriage to William Ross on or after 29 Apr 1681 in Newton, Edinburghshire, Scotland; citing Parish Number 696, Ref 40/83, Frame 941.
2. ↑ "Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Births and Baptisms," database, National Records of Scotland, (ScotlandsPeople : accessed 23 July 2023), William Ross born or baptised on 7 Dec 1684, son of William Ross & Janet Mordow, in Inveresk and Musselburgh, Edinburghshire, Scotland; citing Parish Number 689, Ref 40/181, Frame 1268.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Births and Baptisms," database, National Records of Scotland, (ScotlandsPeople : accessed 23 July 2023), Alexander Ross born or baptised on 4 May 1689, son of William Ross & Jenat Murdo, in Inveresk and Musselburgh, Edinburghshire, Scotland; citing Parish Number 689, Ref 40/273, Frame 1360.
4. ↑ "Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Births and Baptisms," database, National Records of Scotland, (ScotlandsPeople : accessed 23 July 2023), Magdalen Ross born or baptised on 2 Apr 1693, daughter of William Ross & Jenet Murdoch, in Lasswade, Edinburghshire, Scotland; citing Parish Number 691, Ref 20/13, Frame 333.
5. ↑ "Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Births and Baptisms," database, National Records of Scotland, (ScotlandsPeople : accessed 23 July 2023), John Ross born or baptised on 8 Sep 1695, son of William Ross & Jenet Murdoch, in Lasswade, Edinburghshire, Scotland; citing Parish Number 691, Ref 20/24, Frame 344.
6. ↑ "Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Births and Baptisms," database, National Records of Scotland, (ScotlandsPeople : accessed 23 July 2023), Mark Ross born or baptised on 1 May 1698, son of William Ross & Janet Murdoch, in Cockpen, Edinburghshire, Scotland; citing Parish Number 676, Ref 10/11, Frame 11.
7. ↑ "Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Births and Baptisms," database, National Records of Scotland, (ScotlandsPeople : accessed 23 July 2023), Margaret Ross born or baptised on 18 Jul 1703, daughter of William Ross & Janet Murdoch, in Lasswade, Edinburghshire, Scotland; citing Parish Number 691, Ref 20/50, Frame 371.
8. ↑ "Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Births and Baptisms," database, National Records of Scotland, (ScotlandsPeople : accessed 23 July 2023), George Ross born or baptised on 29 Jul 1705, son of William Ross & Janet Murdoch, in Lasswade, Edinburghshire, Scotland; citing Parish Number 691, Ref 20/57, Frame 378.
9. ↑ "Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Births and Baptisms," database, National Records of Scotland, (ScotlandsPeople : accessed 23 July 2023), David Ross born or baptised on 16 Feb 1707, son of William Ross & Janet Murdock, in Lasswade, Edinburghshire, Scotland; citing Parish Number 691, Ref 20/62, Frame 383.
10. ↑ Wayland, John W. Hopewell Friends History, 1734-1934, Frederick County, Virginia: Records of Hopewell Monthly Meetings and Meetings Reporting to Hopewell; Two Hundred Years of History and Genealogy. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co, 1975. Google Books. <https://books.google.com/books?id=pmMI8LrxfvMC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA15#v=onepage> p. 15.
11. ↑ Nicholson, Mary Ann. "Stolen Children." The Scottish Genealogist. (Scottish Genealogy Society, Edinburgh), vol. 29:1 (Mar. 1982), p. 15. <https://shop.scotsgenealogy.com/acatalog/Scottish_Genealogist_Journals_-_Downloadable.html>
12. ↑ Austin, Angela. "Forgotten Children: Scotland's Colonial Child Servants, 1680 - 1760." Thesis. University of Glasgow, 2017. University of Glasgow. Web. <http://theses.gla.ac.uk/8562/1/2017AustinMPhilR.pdf#page=34> p. 34.
13. ↑ Smith, George. The Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 49. London: Oxford U, 1894. Wikisource. Wikimedia. Web. <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Ross,_William_(1656%3F-1738)> Ross, William (1656?-1738).
14. ↑ Paul, James Balfour, ed. The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, Containing an Historical and Genealogical Account of the Nobility of That Kingdom. Vol. VII. Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1910. Internet Archive. Web. <https://archive.org/details/cu31924092516248/page/n273/mode/2up> p. 261.
15. ↑ Lundy, Darryl, comp, "William Ross, 12th Lord Ross of Halkhead, #30639, b. circa 1656, d. 15 March 1738." The Peerage. 11 Jan 2020. Web. <http://www.thepeerage.com/p3064.htm#i30639>
16. ↑ Read, Harmon Pumpelly, and Francis Nevile Reid. Rossiana; Papers and Documents Relating to the History and Genealogy of the Ancient and Noble House of Ross, of Ross-shire, Scotland, and Its descent from the Ancient Earls of Ross, Together with the Descent of the Ancient and Historic Family of Read, from Rede of Trough-end, Reade of Barton Court, Berks, and Read of Delaware. Also Some Account of the Related Families. Albany, N.Y.: Press of the Argus, 1908. Internet Archive. Web. <https://archive.org/details/rossianapapersdo01read/page/n25/mode/2up?q=Murdoch>
17. ↑ Paul, James Balfour, ed. The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, Containing an Historical and Genealogical Account of the Nobility of That Kingdom. Vol. VII. Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1910. Internet Archive. Web. <https://archive.org/details/cu31924092516248/page/n259/mode/2up?q=murdoch> p. 247.