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.

52 Ancestors - week 27 - Independent

The American declaration of Independence took place on the 4th of July in 1776.  

As I have no direct ancestors that I know of in America I've decided to write about an ancestor who was born in that year.

According to the 1841 census my 4th great grandmother, Agnes CUNNINGHAM, was born in 1776 at Largo, Fife, Scotland.   I don't know who her parents were.

She married Andrew MASON on the 15th of May 1795 at Kemback, Fife.
Andrew and Agnes MASON had 14 children born at Largo, Fife over the next 23 years, including 3 sets of twins.

1. John Berwick - 4 Feb 1798
2. Andrew - 16 April 1800
3. Euphemia - 9 July 1802
4. David - 27 June 1804
5. Jean - 29 Oct 1806
6. Thomas - 31 July 1808
7. Grizal (Grace) - 27 July 1810
8. Andrew - 30 June 1812
9. Peter Webster - 17 Sept 1814 d 1 March 1892 Bendigo, Vic. (my ggg grandfather)
10. Robert - 17 Sept 1814
11. Archibald Goodsir - 8 July 1816
12. Janet Goodsir - 8 July 1816
13. Anstruther - 30 Dec 1818
14. James Durham - 30 Dec 1818

Agnes (CUNNINGHAM) MASON died at Largo on the 11th of June 1854 aged 78 which I think is an amazing acheivement for that time, after so many children and three lots of twins to boot! 

Her husband Andrew had predeceased her by thirteen years.

52 Ancestors Challenge 
  by Amy Johnson Crow at "No Story Too Small"