Ref. M4
The Williamson family entered our story when Mary Williamson married James Clapperton (see Ref. M3) 3.1.1806 at St Cuthberts church, Edinburgh. They were the parents of Isabella Clapperton, Mike’s maternal great-grandmother.
Williamson Roddan family
At her marriage, Mary was said to be the daughter of Alexander Williamson, residing in Crosscauseway, Edinburgh. As to her date of birth, the difficulty is that we have not found Mary Clapperton, as she then was, in the 1841 Census and when she died 20.12.1841 her age was not recorded. We are also somewhat unsure about her husband, James Clapperton’s date of birth. The 1841 Census is all that we have to go on and that implied a range for him of 1782/86, so we were inclined to look for Mary’s birth around the 1780s. Combing the Old Parish Records on the Scotlandspeople site, we found only three suitable Marys, daughters of Alexander Williamson. One of them appeared to have died aged 10, leaving (a) Mary baptised at Dumbarton 2.10.1789 whose mother was Christian Millar and (b) Mary (with her twin John) who was born at Tynron, Dumfriesshire, 21.2.1779, as the daughter of Elizabeth Roddan. As our Mary’s first child was named Elizabeth, we were inclined towards (b) rather than (a).
We tried another approach by looking at the 1841 Census for Edinburgh and not finding an Alexander Williamson who could possibly Mary’s father. We perused all deaths of that name in Edinburgh 1806 to 1841. There were two at St Cuthberts and one at Canongate. In all cases the age at death was given, so we could look at the index of births and see what the possible locations and parentage of the births were. It turned out that the Alexander Williamson who was died at Canongate 20.2.1832 could certainly have been born at Tynron 19.5.1752. We checked that there were no Alexander Williamsons dying at Tynron prior to the marriage there 5.5.1778 of Alexander Williamson and Elizabeth Roddan, so we decided that they were Mary Williams’ parents, she being born 21.2.1779.
An incidental check relates to Mary’s age when she had her last child, Isabella. This was 11.2.1825, i.e. just 10 days before her 46th birthday. Admittedly, a birth at that age was on the rare side but not inconceivable, if we may put it that way!
Alexander and Elizabeth’s family that we have seen so far are:
Mary Born 21.2.1779 and baptised at Tynron. Married at St Cuthberts, Edinburgh, 3.1.1806 James Clapperton, shoemaker (see Ref. M3).
John Born 21.2.1779 and baptised at Tynron.
David Born 24.7.1780 and baptised at Keir*, Dumfriesshire. Buried 7.12.1780.
Alexander Born 25.1.1782 and baptised at Keir.
*Tynron and Keir are in reasonable walking distance
The father Alexander Williamson died at Mallochs Close, Edinburgh 20.2.1832 of “old age” aged 80. Before that, we notice there was a burial at St Cuthberts 8.7.1810 of an Elizabeth Williamson, age not given. That could be Elizabeth Roddan. We know nothing of her origins.
Williamson Jackson family
As regards Alexander Williamson, we believe he was born at Scroghouse, Tynron 12.5.1752, as the son of James Williamson and Mary Jackson. Although we have not found their marriage, they had children baptised at Tynron as follows:
Isobel 27.5.1750. Buried 21.7.1761, aged 11.
Alexander 19.5.1752 Married Elizabeth Roddan. See above text.
John 19.5.1754. Buried 15.12.1763, aged 9.
Robert 4.4.1757. Buried 22.10.1760, aged 3.
James 5.7.1759
Janet 29.11.1761
Mungo 4.8.1765
Robert 11.12.1768
December 2020
Young Family History 