Kellow/Kellar/Callard: Many names for but one Devon family

In October 2012, as the Online Parish Clerk for Plympton St. Mary parish in Devon, England, I had a query from “Paul” who was looking for any information about his 2nd great-grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Callard who he believed had been born in Plympton St. Mary parish, in1837 or 1838. He thought her father’s name may have been John Callard, who had also been born in Plympton St. Mary, around 1804. Paul had encountered a “serious brick wall” in his research. In particular, he had been unable to find them on the 1841 or 1851 censuses, or on any birth or marriage records. How he came to conclude that Callard was the proper surname for his ancestor is documented below.

Paul had begun his research looking for information about his grandfather, Charles James Stephens, who he found, aged 10, on the 1901 England census, along with his parents, Charles and Emily Stephens. Paul obtained the couple’s 1889 marriage certificate on which Emily’s father’s name was recorded as Samuel Eastman.

A further search of census records revealed Great-Grandmother Emily was living at home with her parents, Samuel and Mary Eastman in 1881. The record showed Mary had been born in Plympton around 1838. It also listed Emily’s two brothers, James, born in 1867, and Thomas Henry, in 1876, and a sister, Catherine, born in 1878 – all of the children born in Plymouth. Using this information, Paul went looking for marriage and birth certificates for all of them. He assumed that the marriage of Samuel and Mary would have taken place around 1866 and that all of the children would have the Eastman name. No marriage record could be found before 1867, though, when James was born.

A birth record for Emily Eastman was also not discovered. There was an entry in the civil records for a James Eastman of the right age; so Paul put in an order for that certificate. The register office called to tell him that they could not deliver the certificate because it had been cancelled, due to the fact that there was no proof of a marriage between Samuel and Mary. They would instead send him a copy of one that had been reissued in the name of James Kellow. He later visited the Plymouth record office and asked for a copy of the original registration. The request was refused but the office did apparently confirm that Samuel Eastman was James’ father. Now armed with information about a second surname, Paul then searched and found a record for the birth of Emily Kellow in 1868. He assumed, at this time, that perhaps Samuel and Mary had never married and James and Emily had been given their mother’s name.

A search was then undertaken for Mary Kellow, mother of James and Emily, on the pre-1881 censuses. In 1861, a Mary Kellow, aged 23, and her father, John Kellow, aged 57, were living at 6 High Street in St. Andrew, Plymouth. Both had been born in Plympton St. Mary parish. The address given for Mary Kellow, shown on the birth certificates of her children, James and Emily Kellow, was 7 High Street, Plymouth, which seemed close enough to suggest the census information was for the same person.

Paul did not find Mary Kellow listed on the 1871 census; so he looked, instead, for a womand named Mary, born about 1838 in Plympton, with two children, James and Emily, born around 1867 and 1869, respectively. He found a Mary Callard, aged 33, born in Plympton St. Mary, living in the Union Workhouse in Plympton St. Mary parish. But she had four children: William, aged 9; Louisa, aged 6; James, aged 4; and Emily, aged 2. All of the children had been born in Plymouth. It seemed clear that this was the individual he had been looking for, and suggested that there were at least two family names for which searches should be made.

I found that the four children of the presumed Mary were all recorded in the Plympton St. Mary baptism register on March 15, 1871, with the mother’s name of Mary Kellow. They were in the Union Workhouse in Plympton at the time of their baptism. No father for the children or occupation for Mary was recorded. Armed with the census and baptism data for Mary’s four children, Paul was able to find birth certificates for most of them, as well. All of the births had been registered with the surname, Kellow.

Paul knew his great-grandfather, Samuel Eastman, had died in 1890. On a whim, he decided to see if his great-grandmother had remarried. He found an 1892 marriage between a John Doble and Mary Eastman, in Plymouth. He ordered the marriage certificate and found both John and Mary had been widowed and that, to his surprise, Mary’s father was shown as John Callard.

With this information, a further investigation was made for a marriage of Samuel Eastman and Mary Callard, this time for an extended time period. It was discovered that the marriage was solemnized on November 24, 1874, in Plympton St. Mary parish – right in the middle of the birth dates of the children listed on the 1881 census. The marriage certificate showed that he was a 48 year-old miner and she was 36. Her father was named as John Callard. It also indicated Samuel had been previously married while Mary was a spinster.

I found a possible baptism entry in the Plympton St. Mary register for Mary’s father, dated November 16, 1803, under the name John Kellar, son of Matthew and Betty Kellar. If correct, we now had a third surname for the family! The couple apparently had other children baptized in the parish as well, including: Ann, daughter of Matthew and Betty Kellow, baptized in 1800; James, son of Matthew and Elizabeth Keller (a fourth spelling), baptized in 1806; Mary, daughter of Matthew and Elizabeth Callard, baptized in 1813; and William, son of Matthew and Elizabeth Kellar, baptized in 1816. In spite of the variance in spelling of their surname, we were confident that they were all of the same family.

I did find the marriage for Matthew Kellow and Betty Turpin, in Sheepstor parish, in 1800. I also found the baptism of Matthew to John and Jane Kellow, in St. Germans parish, Cornwall, in 1678. The date and birth place fit with the information for him on the 1851 census where he was shown as Matthew Callar.

A marriage entry was found for John Kellar and Emma Goad, in the Plympton St. Mary register, in 1830, that seemed to fit the family. He signed the marriage register with that name while she made her mark. There were also entries in the Plympton St. Mary baptism register for three children of John and Emma, including: Emma Jane, daughter of John and Emma Kellar, baptized in 1831; Louisa, daughter of John and Amy Kellar, baptized in 1833; and Ann Eliza, daughter of John and Amy Kellar, baptized in 1835.

But there was still nothing for Mary Elizabeth! We assumed that the family had moved out of the area prior to 1838, the year the censuses suggested she was born.

On the 1841 England census, the family was found living in Charles, Plymouth and shown as John and Amey Killar, with children, Emma, aged 10, Louisa, aged 8, Ann, aged 5, Mary, aged 3, and James, aged 6 months. No information was given as to their birthplace, other than in the County of Devon, but the ages of Emma, Louisa and Ann did fit the baptism dates in Plympton St. Mary. By 1851, the family was living in St. Andrew, Plymouth. Amey had died by then – in Plymouth, in 1844. John Kellar had three children living with him in 1851 – Emma, Mary and James. John and Emma were indicated to have been born in Plympton, Mary in Shaugh parish and James in Plymouth, the latter two giving in indication where the family had travelled and worked since leaving Plympton St. Mary parish. On all censuses John was shown as a labourer.

A reference for a birth was finally found for Mary Elizabeth Kellar on the civil registration index, in the April quarter of 1838, in the Plympton St. Mary Registration District. A search of the FamilySearch website resulted in a hit for a baptism record for Mary Elizabeth Keller, on April 20, 1838, at St. Andrew Ebenezer Wesleyan Chapel, Plymouth. Her parents were shown as John and Emma.

We seemed to have completed a circle of names at this point and could conclude that Kellow, Kellar, Callard and some other minor variations, were all surnames of individuals of the same family.

The pedigree for Paul’s grandfather, Charles James Stephens, along with the many different spellings of names for various individuals, now looked like this:

John KELLOW = Jane STEPHENS (m. 1751, St. Germans, Cornwall)

                        |           12 children baptized as KELLOW

                        |           John buried probably as KELLOW

                        |

Mathew KELLOW = Betty/Elizabeth TURPIN (m. 1800, Plympton St. Mary)

                        |           Matthew married as KELLOW

                        |           Two children baptized as KELLAR, one child baptized as KELLER,

                        |                one child baptized as KELLOW, one child baptized as CALLARD

                        |           Matthew shown as CALLARD in 1841 and CALLAR in 1851

                        |           Mathew buried in 1852 as KELLAR

                        |

John KELLAR = Amy/Emma GOAD (m. 1830, Plympton St. Mary)

                        |           John married as KELLAR

                        |           John shown as KILLAR in 1841, KELLAR in 1851,

                        |                KELLOW in 1861 and CALLARD in 1871

                        |           John’s death in 1877 registered as CALLARD

                        |

Mary Elizabeth KELLAR = Samuel EASTMAN (m. 1874, Plympton St. Mary)

                        |           Mary’s birth registered as KELLAR

                        |           Births of four children registered as KELLOW

                        |           Children all baptized as KELLOW in Plympton St. Mary

                        |           Family shown as CALLARD in 1871

                        |           Mary married as CALLARD

                        |

Emily KELLOW/EASTMAN = Charles STEPHENS (m. 1889, Plymouth)

                        |           Emily married as EASTMAN

                        |           One brother continued to be known as CALLARD

                        |

Charles James STEPHENS

Pieces of Evidence Connecting My Family to Scotland – Part 2 – The Maitland Connection

I explained before about finding information about my Anderson ancestors, in particular my 3^rd great-grandfather, Gilbert Anderson. The other (better?) half of the Anderson family, the ancestors of Margaret Maitland, also proved to be a challenge to locate. I did meet another cousin on the Internet who was also engaged in searching this line and who had a tree on Ancestry. She was a direct descendant of two Maitlands, first cousins who married each other in 1796. Through them we believe we share 6^th great-grandparents. This “new” cousin was very helpful in showing me her side of the Maitlands. My research on the Scotlands People website appeared to tie the two lines together.

One of the things I found right away was that the surname Maitland was also shown in parish registers as Macklum, Maiklum, Maiklem, Mclam, Mclen, Mclum, Meiklem and Miekleholm. Through comparing a variety of birth, marriage and death records we did establish that they were all in the same family, just recorded by unknowing or uncaring clerks in a different way. For example, the cousins referred to above were shown as “Archd. and Jean Maiklum” in their marriage record. Seven children were baptized with the same surname and then four more were baptized as Maitlands, although I suspect the pluralized version of the name is a reference to both parents having had the same surname of Maitland not another variation.

I have not found the actual birth/baptism record for Margaret Maitland, my 3^rd great-grandmother. There is a person of that name on the IGI listing of the right age, born in 1802 in Leven Wastes, Dunbartonshire,  but I believe this is a contribution from an LDS Church member, not an extraction from a register. In fact, this has been a problem with many of Margaret’s siblings as well. Only four entries in parish birth registers have been found for them: James in 1796 (Campsie Parish, Stirlingshire), John in 1797 (Campsie), another James in 1800 (Bonhill, Dunbartonshire) and Robert in 1813 (Campsie). The family obviously moved around in response to the father’s opportunities as a cloth block printer. Margaret is shown by one researcher as being born in Dunbartonshire as was two sisters, Janet, in 1803, and Jesse Mary, in 1804, and two brothers, Thomas, in 1798, and Robert, in 1806. Reasons why records cannot be found may be that they have not been preserved, the spelling of their surname was different or indexing of records has not been accurate. In any case, the BMD records have not been a lot of help yet.

Another James Maitland married a Margaret Russell in 1790, in Dunipace, Sitrlingshire. They also had a number of children in Stirilingshire and Dunbartonshire, including a Margaret in 1800. For a while I thought they might be the right family but other records finally surfaced to bring us back to James Maitland and Margaret Young. Their marriage was recorded in the Cadder parish (adjacent to Campsie) marriage register in 1795.

 

I looked for James and Margaret on census and burial records to try to expand on my knowledge of them. The only records I found that made sense were the 1841 census and a 1846 death record for James Maitland. The death record had him living in Lennoxtown, Campsie Parish and aged 78 when he died. That seemed to fit with the marriage to Margaret Young, the birth records for his children and the fact that Lennoxtown was the site of a large mill which produced printed cloth.

The 1841 census, however, showed him living with a presumed wife, Catharine, and two daughters, Agnes and Catherine. So was it the right guy? James was 70 and Catharine was 55, so his age seemed fine. He was recorded as a calico printer; so that fit, too. A search of other BMD records found their marriage in 1817 and the births of four children: James in 1818, Agnes in 1821, Catharine in 1823 and Peter in 1826. All were born in Lennoxtown. I did find a death record for Peter who passed away in 1826. Agnes and Catharine were on the 1841 census but what happened to young James is not known.

 

It appeared, then, that James’ first wife had died prior to 1817 but, unfortunately, the death records for Campsie Parish are missing for the years 1787 to 1816. It is presumed she died between 1813, the birth year of her last child, and 1817, when James remarried but we will probably never know when or how exactly.

The clincher came when my cousin ordered up a copy of the Testament for James Maitland which was basically a will (testament testamentary) with the wishes of a testator set out as to what he wanted to happen with his possessions. The testament for James Maitland contained his last will and an inventory of his personal estate assembled by his wife, Catharine. James of course left his wife as the main beneficiary but also provided for his daughters, Agnes and Catharine. He also left many of his personal possessions to his son, Thomas. The most important part of the document to me, though, was where is said, “. . . I desire my said Trustees that after the marriage or death of my said Wife Catharine Horn and death of my said daughter Catharine that the residue of my Estate be paid to my said daughter Agnes and her heirs and failing Agnes and her heirs to my son Thomas and my Daughters Margaret, wife of Gilbert Anderson, weaver, now in America and my Daughter Janet, wife of William Pollock, Labourer Lennoxtown share and share alike. . .” That phrase tied him to my family in Canada!

 

The list of children for James Maitland and Margaret Russell does not have either a Thomas or a Janet which adds to the conclusion that my 4^th great-grandmother really was Margaret Young.

In the absence of BMD records, other information allowed me to find my Maitland ancestors. From James, who died in 1846 at the age of 78, I was able also to find his parents, James Maitland and Janet Wilson. One of their daughters, Jean, married Archibald Maitland, about whom I started this little story. Further back from 5^th great-grandfather James Maitland, it all gets problematic. But I remain hopeful we will eventually find more about the lines of both he and Janet Wilson.

Copies of all records shown here were downloaded from Scotlands People and reproduced with the kind permission of the Registrar General for Scotland. The testament is reproduced by permission of the Scottish Archive Network Ltd.

Pieces of Evidence Connecting My Family to Scotland – Part 1 – The Anderson Connection

When I went looking for my ancestors in Scotland, I ran into a number of new and interesting experiences.

 

From other family members, I knew that my 2^nd great-grandfather, Robert Anderson, had been born in Scotland and died in North Dakota, U.S.A. The primary information for his birth date comes from his death certificate which states he was born on January 6, 1832 in Scotland. On that document, his parents were recorded Gilbert Anderson and Margaret Maitland, both of Scotland.

1912 Death Certificate for Robert Anderson, born in Scotland January 6, 1832

Robert’s life was also recorded in a book titled, Compendium of History & Biography of North Dakota, published in 1900, in which was stated the same information as to his birth date, country of birth and parents’ names. In that piece his birth place was given as Glasgow. Whether that is true or not cannot yet be demonstrated as no birth or baptism record has yet been found.

 

Robert and his family had moved to the US around 1880. The biography also summarized the migration history of the family. Gilbert and Margaret first came to Ontario, Canada, around 1832. They farmed first in Lanark County and later in Huron County, until their deaths. Gilbert was a weaver in Scotland before he immigrated and plied that trade to some extent in Canada as well. His occupation was important in the search for his family in Scotland. They had six children before they left Scotland and six after they settled in Canada. That helped narrow down the time of their immigration.

There are a number of censuses that show the families of both Gilbert and Robert, in both Canada and the US, between 1842 and 1910; so it has been relatively easy to find them on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Well, sometimes! Not all of the records are preserved and some are not yet transcribed. A researcher in Lanark County found Gilbert Anderson, as head of the household, on the 1842 census, in Lanark Township. Nine people were in the household of which six had been born in Scotland and three in Canada. That fit the family very well. We even got a location for the farm. Gilbert was also identified on an extract from the 1850 Canada census, then living in Stanley Township, in Huron County. He died in Huron County, Ontario and his death record indicates he was born in Stirlingshire, Scotland. So I had one line of evidence as to the origin of the family.

1871 Ontario death record - Gilbert Anderson
showing he was born in Stirlingshire, Scotland

It was not so easy to identify the family in Scottish records, though. Tracing people from the Old to the New World always presents challenges. Not everyone can be found on a passenger manifest, particularly for those who came to Canada prior to the mid-1800s. And often, when they are listed, their names are spelled wrong, adding to the uncertainty!

Gilbert and Margaret were obviously here in 1834 when their daughter, Grace, was born. With Robert’s birth place given as Scotland, their emigration is narrowed down to 1832-33. The obituary of John Anderson, one of Gilbert’s sons, records that he arrived in Canada “when he was but 3 years of age” which would make the year 1832. This was the same year that Robert was born. The obituary also stated that John was born in “Kirktulloch, Dumbartonshire, Scotland” which we interpreted was actually Kirkintilloch in Dunbartonshire. Close enough!



Portion of obituary for John Anderson,
published in Huron Expository January 24, 1902



I looked at the old IGI listings for the Anderson family as well. I got several names off the old list. It is not quite the same any more but you can still search IGI on FamilySearch. A search for children of Gilbert Anderson and Margaret Maitland brings up 23 hits. Many are duplicate entries submitted by different individuals. And few appear to be from extracts from actual registers.

I then decided to look for information on ScotlandsPeople, the prime website for BMD, census and other historical records in Scotland, concentrating on the Kirkintilloch area. Only one baptism showed up in Kirkintilloch birth registers. I expanded my search to nearby parishes and found two more in Campsie parish. I also found the marriage of Gilbert and Margaret in Campsie. But no more children! It makes you wonder where the contributors to FamilySearch got their information about births of the Anderson Children. I believe much of the information comes from obituaries and publications and not from actual parish registers; so there is reason to question the accuracy of the data.

Finding Gilbert’s birth record posed a specific problem. I had his marriage to Margaret Maitland in 1820. The entry said they were both from Campsie parish so that gave me a place to look for their births. Many published family trees, and not a few family history write-ups show his parents as John Anderson and Margaret Wilson but, again, there is no entry in any parish record that shows these people. I spent quite a few credits looking for a family with these people. Finally, in a broad search for any child with a surname Anderson in Campsie parish, I found him. Except he was baptized as Gabriel, not Gilbert! And his parents were James Anderson and Janet Finlay, not John and Margaret! James Anderson was also a weaver, adding substance to the idea that James was Gilbert’s father. It appears Gilbert/Gabriel learned his trade from his father.

Once I had the parents’ names, I quickly found all of Gilbert’s siblings. Many of these names matched people named in some of the published stories so I believed I had the right person. Interestingly a sister, Grace, was baptized as Grisil. I learned that not every English name translates directly to old parish records.