My ancestor's in Galston were John Caldwell and Mary Morton

There were a number of Morton's in the Newmilns and Darvel area and especially around Darvel. Birth details in the IGI are a bit shy on the mother's names so there is a bit of guessing going on. Using the basis of "family names" I know that John & Mary used the conventions.

I know that John's parents were Alan and Janet and duly enough the first boy was named Alan and the third son was John after his father. Applying this technique the second son should be named after the wife's father consequently the second son "Mathew" is a good indication of Mary's father's name.

John kept this up after his second marriage naming the eldest children by that marriage David and Agnes after his new wife's parents.

The girls are a bit harder. The first was recorded as Mary when it should have been Janet. The second was Janet. However there is a 2 year gap between Mathew and Mary which might indicate the loss of an unrecorded child. Furthermore I don't know when John and Mary married so it is possible that there was a girl before Alan, the first son.

Following convention there would have had to have been two unrecorded early infant deaths for the first surviving female child to have been named after the mother.

Another reason could be that "Mary" was also the name of Mary's mother. This might indicate the infant death of one child only (a "Janet") and there is a "gap that fits". Every death would be a tragedy and the fact that there was a name-gap indicates that the child survived long enough to be christened. There is another later daughter Jean and they had six recorded children (the last was John 1811). John snr remarried to Agnes McClanachan in 1815 and I presume that his first wife, Mary Morton, had died between those two dates.

Two unrecorded infant girl deaths who had been christened, is possible, but missing just one might be more probable. The matter is complicated by not finding the marriage details so I might conclude that they had moved between marriage and Alan's birth.

There are several Mary Morton's who could possibly have been born to a Mathew (single "t" was the Morton spelling) at about the right time. I am guessing that "Mary" was in fact her mother's name. Although "Jean" is also possible, by tradition it should have been "Mary" but in fact it is the name of one of John's sister's - correct in chronology as "Janet" had already been "taken". "Jean" may well have been John's paternal grandmother's name.

There was a Mary Christened in Galston on 3 March 1779 who would be the correct age to be "our" Mary and her father's name is Mathew but the mother's is not recorded. Mary Richmond was born about 1755 and would have been in the right age range to have been "our" Mary's mother.

If my guessing is correct then there is an outside chance that her parent's were Mathew Morton and Mary Richmond of Gowersbraehead farm. It is less likely when I found the farm on an 1856 ordinance survey map the other side of Darvel (but still not a great distance from Galston). On a more modern map it is shown as Gorsebraehead.

Newmilns and Darvel are in Loudoun Parish but Gowersbraehead is south of the Irvine and in Galston parish although the former two villages are closer to the farm.

I will continue looking in the Loudoun Parish records.

(Possible parents of Mary Morton married to John Caldwell)

"Richmond Deaths in Loudoun Parish"

Feb 25, 1845 Mary Richmond or Morton Wedow of the Decessed Mathew Morton of Gawrsbreaheade She is intered in the northmost Graff in the Lair belonging to John Broun in dyke & Morton Writer in Glasgow on the east end of the Lair She was above 90 years old

(note "Dyke" is a farm just south of Darvel on the map)

From: "George M. McCaig" casagem@sympatico.ca
Subject: Ayrshire Deaths
Date: May 2001

Margaret Donald, 71, October 18, 1860 at Loudoun,
Widow of an Agricultural Labourer,
[parents] Mathew Morton, Landed Proprietor (dec) and May Richmond (dec),
[informant] John Donald, Son
(note "Margaret" is not a family name)

Thomas Morton, 81, January 11, 1866 at Galston,
Married to Margaret Wilson,
[parents] Matthew Morton, Farmer (dec) and Mary Richmond (dec)
[informant] Mathew Morton Son
(note "Thomas" was not used as a family name although there was a Thomas on John's side of the family)

Matthew Morton, 76, May 16, 1868 at Galston,
Road Surfaceman, Married to Janet Morton,
[parents] Matthew Morton, Farmer (dec) and Mary Richmond (dec)
[informant] Thomas Morton, Cousin.
(note "Mathew" is a family name)

Mary Richmond was born aboout 1755 (or earlier)

Thomas b about 1785 (mother then aged about 30+)
Margaret b about 1789 (mother then aged about 34+)
Mathew b about 1792 (mother then aged about 37+)

All had same parents. "Our" Mary was born 1779 - her father was Mathew her mother's name not stated. (If her mother was Mary Richmond she would have been about 24+ when Mary jnr was born). Thomas, Margaret and Mathew look like the last of a large family. It is unusual for a late son to be named after his father but perhaps he was just the third son and there was a whole "tribe" of girls in between :) Therefore Thomas would have been a sure bet for the next son if Mary (Morton) Caldwell survived. I might guess that perhaps she died in childbirth bearing a "Thomas". It was strange that John did not name one of his children by his second wife "Thomas" as he had a brother Thomas as well. Perhaps this is the reason why Thomas was not used in our family for another three generations. He did name another son Francis after one of his other brothers. All this is conjecture and I realise this but by recording it I can demonstrate a methodology of clues that might help others.

I think that there is a reasonable case for Mary to be a daughter of Mathew and Mary Richmond eve though there is no proof at this stage - I think I should keep looking.

In an amazing way how history reinvents itself I should note that my Uncle Mathew Caldwell married another Mary Richmond.

An alternative: Mathew Morton married Mary Cameron Loudoun Parish 23 March 1770 but I can find no children.

Map: Part of Ordinance Survey Landranger Series 1:50 000 Lanark & Upper Nithsdale Sheet 71 (used for academic illustrative purposes only - copyright is acknowledged)

Note: the site of an Roman Fort near Loudoun Hill also the site of an early successful "ambush" battle of Robert the Bruce nearby. The site of Drumclog is in the top right hand corner. "Henryton" is another Morton farm (also "Ladybrow")

"Francis FINDLAY b. 17 Oct 1781 Galston, Ayr, Scotland (father William FINDLAY)
m. Agnes MORTON chr 29 March 1780 Galston, Ayr, Scotland (parents Thomas MORTON of LADYBROW and Helen MILLER)"

Ladybrow is next to Gowersbraehead and the child Agnes Morton is christened in Galston and about the same vintage as our Mary Morton. Is it possible that the respective parents: Thomas Morton of Ladybrow and Mathew Morton of Gowersbraehead were brothers?