I’m still reading Roy Buchan’s fabulous ‘From Peterhead to Passchendaele’ which has thrown up some more avenues of research but have been wondering about Jessie’s husband who was also a BUCHAN. John’s parents, Arthur and Christian BUCHAN sounded familiar but the same names do keep cropping up in these fishing villages. How closely related were they?
The first step was to download their marriage certificate to prove the parents of John.
Then I located the family on the 1861 census. Christian was deceased and 2 of her sisters were living with Arthur – most likely helping with the 2 young children.
I suspected she died during childbirth but she actually died shortly before the census was taken of consumption and pneumonia.
I then looked to the transcribed 1851 census. Christian and her sisters were there and again appeared in 1841 with their other siblings. Which I will soon look closer at as a study of the village of St Combs.
Roy lists other children of Arthur and Christian but mentions that he believes some are half brothers and sisters and therefore children of another union after Christian died. Before I look further into the BUCHAN – BUCHAN connection, I’d like to find out more about this second union.
