Janet (Shearer) Thomson (1697 - abt. 1747)

Born 24 Nov 1697 in Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Wife of James Thomson — married 22 Jun 1718 in Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Descendants

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Dee Baker [send private message]

Biography

Janet (Shearer) Thomson was born in Scotland.

Janet was born on 14 November 1697 in Stonehouse, the daughter of Andrew Shearer and Margaret Reid. ^[1]

She wed James Thomson on 27 June 1718 in Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire.^[2]

She and James had the following children:

1. John Thomson ^[3]
2. Margaret Thomson^[4]
3. Helen Thomson^[5]
4. Isobel Thomson^[6]
5. James Thomson ^[7]
6. Thomas Thomson ^[8]

Stonehouse and Lesmahagow were rural villages where arable agriculture (growing pease, oats and barley) and weaving were the principal means of earning livelihoods Both are situated in fertile land with access to the River Avon. Stonehouse is an ancient parish of Scotland and the area is rich in archaeological evidence of the area being used over many hundreds of years.^[9] There is evidence of a Roman road found near Tanhill, which Janet and James may have been aware of. The area contains several holy wells which they and their family may have made use of in times of ill health. ^[10]

It is not known when or where Janet died. (See research note)

Research note

• The parents and children attached to Janet can't be verified as certain, due to the lack of detailed information given in old parish birth records.
• Birth: The original profile indicated that Margaret Reid was Janet's mother, however the birth record found states her mother to be Margaret Sherer. Whether this was her married name, or her maiden name was also Shearer can't be confirmed . The name of Margaret Reid appears to have originated from an unsourced Ancestry tree.
• No marriage record for Andrew and Margaret ( Janet's parents) can be found on Scotlands People or Family Search.
• Children: When Janet's original profile was imported, three more sons were attached: Daniel b.1731, Andrew b. 1739, and James b. about 1740, but on searching Scotlandspeople and Familysearch, it was found that there was no mother's name recorded on Daniel's and James' birth records, and no record of an Andrew Thomson born in 1739.
• Death: The original profile indicated that Janet died at Yards Farm in 1839, however, a reliable source for this has not been found. A death record could not be found on Scotlandspeople. Very few deaths were recorded in Scotland at this time. Life expectancy in the 1700s was low so she probably died by the age of 50.
• In an extract from the Minutes of the Kirk Session, a James Thomson who may possibly be connected to Janet's family is shown living in Tanhill Farm in 1748, and a John Jackson is recorded at Yards in the same year.^[11]
• A search of the Hearth tax records for 1694 in Lesmahagow / Lessmehego Parish reveals several John Thomsons liable for the tax in the parish : p115 john and James Thomsons (3), p115 John Thomson (1), p117 John Thomson (1). There were no entries for the name Shearer in these returns ^[12] (Accessed 17 February 2021.)
  The Birth Date is a rough estimate. See the text for details.

I believe this is James Thomson' mother because. James's daughter is called Janet ( another daughter is Katherine which was his wife's mother's name.

James Thomson's baptism date is a few years before his wife, Mary Pottar's birth.

Marriage banns for Jannet where read and written in Lesmahagow and Stonehouse.

No other James appears to fit with the above.

Jannet's parents could be

Andrew Sherar and Margaret Sherar 1704 Or James Sherar and An Hamilton 1697 Both in Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Sources

1. ↑ "Old parish registers - Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk), accessed 17 February 2021, Surname SHERAR, Forename JANET Parents ANDREW SHERAR MARGARET SHERAR Gender F Date 24/11/1697, Stonehouse citing Parish Number 656/ Ref 1022
2. ↑ "Old parish registers -Banns and Marriages" database, National Records of Scotland, (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk), accessed 16 February 2021, Surname SHEARER Forename JANET, Spouse JAMES THOMSON/FR538 Date 27/06/1718, Lesmahagow, citing Parish Number 649/ Ref 30 51
3. ↑ "Old parish registers - Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk), accessed 16 February 2021, Surname THOMSON, Forename JOHN Parents JAMES THOMSON JANET SHEARER Gender M, Date 27/03/1720, Lesmahagow citing Parish Number 649/ Ref 1094
4. ↑ "Old parish registers - Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk), accessed 16 February 2021, Surname THOMSON, Forename MARGARET Parents JAMES THOMSON JANET SHEARER Gender F, Date 06/05/1722, Lesmahagow citing Parish Number 649/ Ref 10103
5. ↑ "Old parish registers - Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk), accessed 16 February 2021, Surname THOMSON, Forename HELEN Parents JAMES THOMSON JANET SHEARER Gender F, Date 27/03/1736, Lesmahagow citing Parish Number 649/ Ref 10126
6. ↑ "Old parish registers - Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk), accessed 16 February 2021, Surname THOMSON, Forename ISOBEL Parents JAMES THOMSON JANET SHEARER Gender F, Date 05/12/1727, Lesmahagow citing Parish Number 649/ Ref 10137
7. ↑ "Old parish registers - Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk), accessed 16 February 2021, Surname THOMSON, Forename JAMES Parents JAMES THOMSON JANET SHEARER Gender M, Date 31/12/1728, Lesmahagow citing Parish Number 649/ Ref 10145
8. ↑ "Old parish registers - Births and Baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk), accessed 16 February 2021, Surname THOMSON, Forename THOMAS Parents JAMES THOMSON JANET SHEARER Gender M, Date 14/04/1738, Lesmahagow citing Parish Number 649/ Ref 10207
9. ↑ The University of Edinburgh: The Statistical Accounts of Scotland 1791-1845: https://stataccscot.edina.ac.uk/data/pdfs/account1/StAS.1.2.223.P.Lanark.Stonehouse.pdf
10. ↑ http://www.pramsay13.co.uk/stonehousebooks/downloads/stonehouseinteractiveguide.pdf
11. ↑ Stonehouse: Historical and Traditional by Robert Naismith JP, FSA Scot.: https://archive.org/details/stonehousehisto00naisgoog/page/n160/mode/2up?q=1748
12. ↑ https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital-volumes/historical-tax-rolls/hearth-tax-records-1691-1695/hearth-tax-records-lanarkshire-volume-1/121

• Scotland's People birth of son James
• Scotland's People marriage 656 000010 0499
• Scotland's People marriage 649 000030 0051
• Scotland's People birth 656 000010 0021
• Scotland's People birth 656 000010 0033