52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 7 : Valentine's Day for Carstairs in St. Andrews.

The "VALENTINE" theme for week 7 of the 52 Ancestors challenge had me a bit stumped as Valentine's Day didn't seem to me to be celebrated much here in Australia until recent years. 

There are varying stories of how Valentine's Day came about.

I searched through my family tree for any ancestors married on that day and found my 5th great-grandparents, Thomas Carstairs and Janet Bell were married on Valentine's Day, the 14th of February 1772 at St. Andrews.

I don't know if it was celebrated in Scotland in the 18th Century but it has given me cause to set out and record some of the information I have on my Carstairs ancestors from St. Andrews in Scotland.

14/02/1772 CARSTAIRS, THOMAS (Old Parish Registers Marriages 441/ 20 163 Kingsbarns) Page 163 of 289 National Records of Scotland

Carstairs } January 16th, 1772 Were contracted, Thomas Carstairs in the Parish of Kingsbarns & Janet Bell in this, married 14th February.

Their son Andrew Carstairs, my 4th great grandfather, was born in 1780 at Kingsbarns.  There is a record for an earlier Andrew born to them in 1776 but he must have died and they named their next son, born in 1780 Andrew as well.

Andrew married Betty Stewart in 1812

12/12/1812 CARSTAIRS, ANDREW (Old Parish Registers Marriages 453/ 160 147 St Andrews and St Leonards) Page 147 of 187 National Records of Scotland

On 27th Nov 1812 were contracted Andrew Carstairs at Bonnytown of this parish and Betty Stewart in the parish of Dunino - proclaimed & married 12th of Dec by Mr Roger.

Andrew and Betty's daughter, Margaret Leslie Carstairs, my 3rd great-grandmother, was born at Cupar, Fife in 1823

10/09/1823 CARSTAIRS, MARGARET LESSLI (Old Parish Registers Births 420/ 40 37 Cupar) Page 37 of 395 National Records of Scotland

Margaret Leslie Carstairs married Peter Webster Mason on the 15th of November 1842 at Cupar, Fife.  They emigrated to Australia in 1848 on the ship "Cheapside". 

A death certificate in Australia has never been found for Margaret.

In 2002 my Mum purchased a book from the St Andrews University Library called "Living in St Andrews" by Catherine Forrest 
A history of the Carstairs family from the 15th to the 19th century.

As yet I can't with any certainty connect my Carstairs ancestors to specific families in the book but perhaps one day.