Jacob's Family
Records shows that Jacob Mitchelson was born in the Parish of Kirkbean, Kirkcudbrightshire, on the 1st day of April, 1813, the first child of John Mitchelson and Mary Thurot. John and Mary had married the previous year (June 12, 1812) in Kirkgunzeon Parish, Kirkcudbright, where they started out their life together. Young Mrs. Mitchelson's parents lived not too far distant in Kirkbean Village, and it was here that Mary went to have her first child, Jacob, and also her second child, Agnes, born on January 17, 1815. Jacob and Agnes were both christened at Kirkgunzeon. Their third child, Janet, was born at Balmaclellan, Kirkcudbright in 1817, while the next 4 children (John 1820, Elizabeth 1822, John 1825 and George Locke 1828) were all born in Dumfries, Dumfries-shire. Neither a birth nor a christening record has been found for their youngest child, Mary Mitchelson, who was born in Dumfries circa 1832.
The Dumfries correspondence from "Mother" makes reference to Jacob's brother George Mitchelson and to his sisters Janet (at the Trinch) and Agnes (Mrs. Girvan at Sanquhar). This correspondence, together with Ellen Girvan's letter of April 30, 1871 addressed to her uncle and aunt, serve as confirmatory evidence of the details in the paragraph above. There is a record of the birth of a Helen Girvan at Sanquhar, Dumfries on July 30th, 1852 to Hugh Girvan and Agnes Mitchel.
Several other people are mentioned in various correspondence who seem to be family connections and this is something that, given time, it should be possible to trace. Alexander Riddel's letter of May 1st, 1871, is also addressed to his Uncle and Aunt. He and his family lived in Glasgow. On March 23, 1871, Alex Riddell sent a notice of the death of his wife, Mary Finlay, to Jacob Mitchell and we know that members of the Mitchell family attended her funeral. There are several letters from John McGlashan, some addressed to his uncle and aunt, and others to his cousins. In fact, John Mitchell in New Zealand named his youngest son Allan McGlashan, "called for cousin McGlashan at home".
The four letters from Dumfries (all written by the same hand) are difficult to decipher. They are from Jacob's mother and sister and are directed to "Jacob and Mary". Only one of Jacob's children (George in Motherwell) refers in his letters to grandmother at Dumfries. Surprisingly, there is no reference at all to "grandmother" in any of the correspondence from Jacob's off-spring in New Zealand. From the way the Dumfries letters are worded and from the hand-writing, there is little doubt that all the letters were hand-written by the sister.
Another family from whom there is correspondence is the Wilson's who lived at Newmains, just a few short miles from Cleland, by Motherwell, where Jacob and his family lived for the better part of 12 years while Jacob was working on the railway contract. The Wilson's may just have been close friends or there may have been some inter-marriage between the families.
Hopefully, as this story progresses, confirmation will become available of the relationship of some or all of these people to Jacob Mitchell.
As indicated above, Jacob's mother was Mary Thurot, and there are several issues of interest concering the Thurot family.
Mary Thurot's parents are shown as John Thurot and Agnes Locke. Research to this point shows at least 9 children were born to John Thurot and Agnes Locke, all christened at Kirkbean, between 1787 and 1809. A descendant of John Thurot, one of those 9 Thurot children, has provided details from the gravestone of our common ancestor at Kirkbean churchyard:
In memory of John Thorat who died at Gateside 12th Jany. 1833 aged 77 years; also Agnes Lock his spouse who died 29th May 1833 aged 74 years
One mystery, now partially solved, is the portion of an undated letter, apparently written to Jacob's mother, and signed "your distressed brother, William Thorrat". The Thorrat web page (updated 2009) provides additional information about William Thorrat and his son, "John Mitchell Thorrat" who was raised by Jacob and Mary Mitchelson. Read the updated page and the Thorrat letters.
Jacob Mitchell 's occupation and location
By occupation, Jacob Mitchell was a "Horse Keeper". During the period 1835-1857, the birthplaces of the Mitchelson children provide a clue as to Jacob's whereabouts. We know that John (1839) was born in Dumfries, as were Elizabeth (1841), Catherine (1843), George (1845) and Charles (1849). Jacob (1854) and William (1857) were born in Ayrshire. In 1859, on August 19th, Catherine (then aged 16) married Andrew Fergusson at Kirkmabreck, Kirkudbrightshire, and their first child was born there the following year. John Mitchell in New Zealand passed on to his descendants the information that as a child he had lived in Tarbolton, near Ayr, and had passed Rabbie Burns' cottage on his way to school or work.
When I first wrote this webpage, Census records were not easily obtainable. Now, based on Census records, we can follow the movement of the Mitchelson family from Gateside, Dumfries (1841) to The Castle, New Cumnock (1851), to Kirkmabreck (1861), to Glenbuck, Ayrshire (1871), and to Douglas, Lanarkshire (1881). The addresses to which Jacob's older children mailed their letters show how often their parents moved from one job to another. Receipts such as this one for goods
or services also pinpoint their location at a specific time. A letter of reference dated 1869 shows that the family lived near Cleland, outside of Motherwell covering an 11-year period while Jacob was working on the "Railway Contracts"; thus
1858-1868 Cleland, By Motherwell
1869-1870 Aldersburn, by Lanark, Lanarkshire
1870-Glenbuck, Ayrshire
1871- Archgreen, by Douglas, Lanarkshire
1872-1874 High Patrick Street, Hamilton, Lanarkshire
1882-1884 Gore Bridge Temple, By Edinburgh
Jacob Mitchell died on the 29th June, 1886 at 114 Salamander Street, Leith, at the age of 74 years.
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