Ebenezer DAVIDSON

[CatherineH]

Can anyone assist with more information about my 4x great grandfather Ebenezer Davidson.

My father has been told that he is entitled to wear the Davidson tartan as a member of Clan Davidson, however we have not been able to confirm a link back to Scotland.

I have hit a brick wall when trying to find anything about Ebenezer's father/parents, which has prevented us going any further in this family line.

I have found his marriage to Margaret Home (or Hume) in Jan 1794, in Coldstream, Scotland, but unfortunately there does not appear to be any further detail in the marriage register in regard to his parents. So my next hope is that a baptism record may shed some light for us.

Ebenezer and Margaret settled and raised their family in Norham, Northumberland, however I have not been able to confirm if he was born there. Ebenezer died in Norham in 1845.

From what we have found, we believe Ebenezer to have been born in about 1769, possibly in the Berwick/Cornhill/Greenlaw area. Margaret was born around 1771, possibly in Coldstream.

We are searching from New Zealand, so any assistance and access to local records which may help to further our search, as well as anything more about Ebenezer and Margaret, would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Catherine

 

[DaveHam9]

I'll leave this for our UK-based experts.

Dave

 

[barbarajoh]

Thanks Dave!

There is an Ebenezer at Greenlaw, Catherine, but he is too late, born 1791. However that means it is a family name in that area and quite an unusual one. This is the area where I live so happy to help you if I can. I also volunteer in the local Borders FHS archives so if there is info I should be able to get it if he is from the Scottish side. The Northumberland is not so easy for me.

Do you have his children in order so that I can use the naming patterns to see if I can find his parents?

Barbara

 

[CatherineH]

The children we have for Ebenezer and Margaret are:

Agnes - born 1794, died 1797
George - born 1798, died 1801
John - born 1800
Mary - born 1803
George - born 1805, died 1876
Robert - born 1807
Alexander - born 1808, died 1810
Alexander - born 1811, died 1871 (my 3x great grandfather)

Thanks
Catherine

 

[barbarajoh]

Could be one missing there, unfortunately. Do you have his wife's parents already? I am at the archives this evening so will look for you.

Barbara

 

[CatherineH]

Hi Barbara

I have found two baptisms for a Margaret Home in Coldstream -

First is daughter of James, baptised 1772. But think I can rule this one out, as have seen a different marriage for her.

Second is daughter of William, baptised 1774.

Nothing confirmed though, so not much help I'm afraid.

From the marriage notice - Marriage announced at Norham: Abenezer (sic) Davidson, Schoolmaster of Norham and Margaret Hume of the parish of Coldstream in Scotland were married at Coldstream 4 Jan 1794

Also, from a baptism notice for George in Cornhill - George Davidson born 18 Feb 1798 baptised 28 Feb 1st son of Ebeneezer Davidson, School Master, native of Tillmouth by Margaret Hume native of the parish of Eccles.

I haven't had much luck searching with any of this, but maybe there's something out there not online?

Many thanks
Catherine

 

[Ellie7]

Only found 1 baps on Ancestry for a Margaret
Margaret Davidson
Gender:Female

Baptism Date:Apr 1767
Baptism Place:Cornhill, Northumberland, England
Father:Richard Davidson
Mother:Isabel
FHL Film Number:
1068896


Alexander - born 1808, died 1810
Alexander - born 1811, died 1871 (my 3x great grandfather)
Important name for them. Have you any middle names ?

Ellie

 

[Ellie7]

1827
Have you got this.

Ellie

 

[barbarajoh]

don't seem to be any Margaret Hume/Homes born in Eccles but she could have just been living there. There is one in Coldingham with father John, mother Agnes Philip 1766 and one in Duns, father Wm and mother Agnes Cairns. No Cairns as middle names? Duns closer to Eccles.

But they could have been using another church, not Church of Scotland and so her baptism not in normal records. Not all non conformists have survived.

But there are still gravestones etc to look at.

Barbara

 

[Ellie7]

"Also, from a baptism notice for George in Cornhill - George Davidson born 18 Feb 1798 baptised 28 Feb 1st son of Ebeneezer Davidson, School Master, native of Tillmouth by Margaret Hume native of the parish of Eccles"

this record you have posted tells you where they were born. Looks like a William Dade record of the time.

Ellie

 

[Ellie7]

Ebenezer Davidson
Spouse's Name Margaret Hume
Event Date 04 Jan 1794
Event Place Norham, Northumberland, England


Ebenezer Davidson
Spouse's Name Margaret Home
Event Date 04 Jan 1794
Event Place Coldstream,Berwick,Scotland

Living in 2 different towns.

Ellie

 

[Ellie7]

Margaret Hume
Gender Female
Christening Date 10 Mar 1772
Christening Place , GREENLAW, BERWICK, SCOTLAND
Father's Name Alexander Hume
Mother's Name Betty Newbigging


Edit
James Hume
Gender Male
Christening Date 02 Jul 1774
Christening Place , GREENLAW, BERWICK, SCOTLAND
Father's Name Alexander Hume
Mother's Name Elizabeth Elspath Newbigging

 

[Ellie7]

Alexander Home
Event Date 26 Mar 1769
Event Place Greenlaw,Berwick,Scotland

Ellie

 

[Ellie7]

Greenlaw is centrally situated in the County of Berwick being bounded on the north by the Parishes of Longformacus, Polwarth and Fogo, on the east by the Parish of Eccles, on the south by the Parishes of Hume and on the west by the Parish of Gordon

likely where the name Hume comes from.


Ellie

 

[Ellie7]

Alexander Hume
Spouse's Name Elizabeth Briggs
Event Date 28 May 1785
Event Place Earlston,Berwick,Scotland

Alexander Hume
Spouse's Name Elizabeth Brigs
Event Date 17 Jun 1785
Event Place Mertoun,Berwick,Scotland

Betty Hume
Gender Female
Christening Date 21 Jul 1786
Christening Place , ECCLES, BERWICK, SCOTLAND
Father's Name Alexander Hume
Mother's Name Betty Briggs

Is this a brother of Margaret ? that she was staying with.

 

[CatherineH]

Thanks for all of this Ellie - lots to take in and follow up. We have so little to work with that any likely leads are worth looking closer at. I truly appreciate your help.

I have searched online for baptisms in Tillmouth, but can find nothing for Ebenezer; and in Eccles for Margaret. I did see the entry for Margaret Hume baptised in Greenlaw, and the name of her father fits with naming two sons Alexander, so may well be a possibility. Your info about the Greenlaw area certainly fits. The interchangeable use of Hume and Home has also confused things, as has Davidson and Davison.

Its very frustrating having to rely on online sources for our search, but being in New Zealand has meant that viewing parish registers is not possible at this time. We are limited to working with the very little available information that we have, first names only and the only clues to going back another generation have proved very difficult in giving us anything positive to work with.

Catherine

 

[barbarajoh]

Sorry not to get back to you Catherine, the snow stopped me going to the archives last night. It will be Thursday before I will be there and will see if I can find any further clues as to what Ellie has found for you. Can I just say that Hume is a very common name in Berwickshire and it would be easy to take the wrong family. If they are using the naming patterns her mother would be Agnes. It is not a hard and fast rule but just likely. Did either of them leave wills?

Probably if Ebenezer was of Scottish origin, i.e. his parents were Scottish - he would be baptised in one of the presbyterian churches in Northumberland or Durham and not the Church of England. We have some on fiche at our archives, I think from the Northumberland FHS

Hume comes from the Barony of Home in Berwickshire and is spelled both ways by the same family. David Hume the philosopher from Berwickshire used Hume and his brother John always used Home.

There are 16 Hume/Home gravestones in Greenlaw and interestingly none in Eccles. There being an Ebenezer born in Greenlaw later on makes me think his family came from there originally

Barbara

 

[Ellie7]

North Durham references in the Durham Bishop’s Transcripts collection 1700-1900
The Durham Diocese registry prior to 1844 refers to several parishes and transcripts as being in “North Durham”. To understand these references it is useful to consider the position prior to the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
The Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 (7 & 8 Vict. c. 61), which came to effect in 20 October 1844, was an act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which eliminated many outliers or exclaves of counties in England and Wales for civil purposes.
The areas involved had already been reorganised for some purposes: The Reform Act 1832 had abolished the outliers for parliamentary constituencies, the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1839 allowed Justices of the Peace to act for exclaves surrounded by their county, and constabularies established under County Police Act 1839 had jurisdiction over detached parts of other counties


"NORHAM, OR NORHAMSHIRE, is a parish co-extensive with the hundred of the same name, and formerly, until the passing of the 7 and 8 Vict. c. 61, a detached part of the county of Durham. It is bounded on the north and west by the river Tweed, on the south by Glendale Ward, and on the east by Islandshire. It comprises the chapelry of Cornhill, and the townships of Duddo, Felkington, Grindon, Horncliffe, Loan-end, Longridge, Norham, Norham Mains, Shoreswood, Thornton, and Twizell, whose united area is 19,849 statute acres. The population of Norhamshire, in 1801, was 3,384; in 1811, 3,524; in 1821, 3,906; in 1831, 3,744; in 1841, 3,757; and in 1851, 4,289 souls. There are many freeholders in the parish, but in ancient times the greater part of the lands here were held by the Greys and the Nevilles. A considerable number of the inhabitants are employed in the Tweed Salmon fisheries." [From History, Topography, and Directory of Northumberland, Whellan, 1855].

Edit-

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~agene/norhammi/index4.html

This site has the grave inscriptions for son George Davidson and family
foreby others.
Ellie

 

[Ellie7]

Margaret Davidson
Died 5th Jan.1850 at Berwick
Ebeneezer died 29 Jan.1845 in the 77 th year of his life
Agnes Davidson dau of the above Ebeneezer Davidson,Tillmouth died23 Aug.1797 age 3

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/NBL/Norham/
I'll leave you to go through the rest of your Ancesters MI's

Ellie

 

[Ellie7]

Try for a poor relief record for Margaret in Berwick upon Tweed,or son George for that matter .

Ellie