Walter Fairbairn

     
     Walter Fairbairn was born on 10 Jun 1861 at Canonbie, DFS, SCT.¹
     Walter Fairbairn married Elizabeth Roy, daughter of William Roy and Elizabeth Paton, on 28 Nov 1884 at the Turf Inn, Dalry, AYR, SCT, cert. shows marr. after publication, established Ch. Walter was a 23 yr old Railway Porter resid. Clarkston Toll, Clarkston, s/o Walter Fairbairn farm servant and Grace m.s. Armstrong; Elizabeth is a 20 yr old domestic servant resid. (?Dist)bourne Gardens, Glasgow, d/o William Roy, engineman, dec. and Elizabeth m.s. Paton. Witnessed by John McBain and Jane Roy (Elizabeth's younger sister) reg. Dalry Dec 1st.²
     Walter Fairbairn died on 7 May 1918 at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, Dist of All Saints, NBL, ENG, at age 56; assumed to be the 56 yr old reg. Newcastle T Jun qtr 1918 10b/140 as the cert shows his widow as E Fairbairn, although the varnish maker occupation seems somewhat at odds with his earlier railway portering: 56 yrs, of 8 Drydon Tce, Haltwhistle, NBL, varnish maker journeyman, cod carcinoma of rectum, operation exhaustion & cardiac failure, cert. by A Smithwaite M.B; Inf E Fairbairn, widow of deceased, present at death, resid 8 Drydon Tce, Haltwhistle, NBL, reg. 8th May, All Saints Sub Dist Newcastle upon Tyne C.B.^3,4,5
     
     Even though we have now shown that the New York line of a John, son of a Walter, is an excellent dna match to a documented descendant of Archibald, this Walter's great grandfather, we would still love to find a living male line descendant of this family willing to join the Fairbairn Surname DNA project.⁶


     The census of 1871 showed Walter living with his sister Margaret in the household of his parents Walter and Grace Fairbairn at Old Tinnishall, Canonbie, DFS, SCT.⁷ It is possible that Walter Fairbairn was at Kirkpatrick Fleming, DFS, SCT, in 1881 as the groom and gardener domestic, aged 18, born Canonbie, servant with the Minister David Graham, as this is the only Walter within 5 yrs of the right age, and the only Walter b Canonbie in 1881 SCT Lowlands.⁸ By Nov 1884 he was a railway porter at the Clarkston Toll, Clarkston, Dalry, AYR, SCT, when he married Elizabeth.²
     The census of 1891 showed Walter with his wife Elizabeth, their sons Walter and John at 5 Main St, East Kilbride, LKS, SCT, household enumerated as FAIRBAIRN: Walter 29 railway signalman b Canonbie DFS; wife Eliz. 27 b Dalry, AYR; Children: Walter 5 scholar b Cathcart, RFW; John 8 mths b E Kilbride LKS.⁹
     The census of 1901 showed Walter with his wife Elizabeth, their sons Walter and John, their dtrs Elizabeth, Margaret and Jane at Haltwhistle, NBL, ENG, household enumerated as FAIRBAIRN: Walter 39 coke drawer; wife Elizabeth 37; Children: Walter 15 coal pit pony driver; John 10; Elizabeth 8; Margaret 6; Jane 4 all b SCT.³
     Walter Fairbairn was shown as the head of the household in the census of 1911 at 8 Westfield Tce, Haltwhistle, NBL, ENG, with Elizabeth enumerated as FAIRBAIRN: Walter 49 jobbing gardener b Canonbie, DFS; wife Elizabeth 46 b Paby, AYR marr. 27 yrs 7 children 5 living; Children: Walter 26 coal miner hewer marr. under 1 mth (new wife Mary nee Storey was with her parents and their "under 1 mth old" son), John 20 coal miner shifter below ground, Elizabeth 18 milliner all b East Kilbride, LAN; Jane 14 b Dalton, CUL (all shown as married in transcript, but only Walter actually enumerated as married). Margaret also listed, but crossed out: 16 dom. serv b East Kilbride, Lanark, explained by her also being enumerated as a servant in a separate hsehold).^10,11 By May 1918 they were living at 8 Drydon Tce, Haltwhistle, NBL, ENG, with Walter's occupation now being a varnish marker (journeyman).⁵