James Fairbairn

     
     James Fairbairn was born cir. Dec 1794 at Grahamslaw, Par. of Eckford, ROX, SCT.^3,4,5 He was baptized on 10 Dec 1794 at Haughead, Par. of Eckford, ROX, SCT; the entry in the Gateshaw Records reads: Dec^r 10th Baptized James Son to Archibald Fairbairn & Alison Croser in Grahamslaw, Parish of Eckford (Eckford is a neighbouring parish to Morebattle, as are Yetholm, Linton, Hounam and Northumberland. According to Groomes, Morebattle can claim the oldest Secession congregation in the South of Scotland (first Minister ordained in 1739), the original meeting house standing at Gateshaw Brae or Corbet, and the present one was built in 1866, so Archibald and Alison travelled to get their children baptised away from their nearest church, which was of the wrong persuasion for them).^2,6,3
     James Fairbairn married Joan Forsyth on 18 May 1817 at Yarrow, SEL, SCT, entry isn't very informative "May 18 Jas Fairbairn and Joan Forsyth 1/2d."^7,5,8
     James Fairbairn remarried on 26 Apr 1844 at Melrose, ROX, SCT, to Elizabeth Laidlaw "Grandma Viele" wrote that her "grandmother Joan Forsythe died when father (John b 1832) was quite young and a step mother came into the picture. I never heard much about her except that she wasn't kind to the children".
This could certainly explain a mass emigration of the children! I assumed that this 2nd marriage was after 1841 as James didn't have a wife with him in that census, but it could just as easily have been between the c 1834 death of his first wife Joan, and the census, or she could just have been absent on the 1841 census night. However, subsequent happenstance (my curiousity about the marriage of James' dtr Alison) led to my finding this entry further down the page: "James Fairbairn at Melrose bridge bar and Elizabeth Laidlaw in the Parish of Ettrrick and married 26 April 1844" (having been "booked for Marriage on 12 April), Melrose Bridge bar being where Alison was when she married her Willam Scott.^9,10,11,4
     James Fairbairn died bet 1851 - 1854 ?Lantonhall, ROX, SCT.^12,13,4
     I have long thought that the James Croser buried Eckford with the h/stone mentioning a nephew James Fairbairn would be the brother of Alison Fairbairn nee Crosser. I am now confident of this id.
The second marriage for James Fairbairn reported in "Grandma Viele's" reminiscences, has been found, which, tied to the property of Elizabeth Laidlaw, relict of James Fairbairn of Lanton Muir, to where James Croser was, it all makes sense to me now.¹⁴
     James outlived his wife Joan Forsyth who died cir. 1834.^15,16,17
     James Fairbairn was considered as a potential duplicate of James Fairbairn, but this has been discounted; one the son of Archibald and Alison, the other married to Mary Bell Thomson, they cannot be in two places at once in 1841, one with children Alison, Archibald etc, the other with wife Mabel and son Robert.^18,10
     James Fairbairn appeared on the census of 1841 at Sloethorn Bank, Selkirk Burgh, SEL, SCT, as FAIRBAIRN: James, 46 ag lab, Alison 20, Archibald 15, Janet 14, James 12, Barbra 11, John 9, Walter 7. Only Alison b cty. (NB enumerators were instructed to round ages down to the nearest multiple of 5).^5,15 He erected the h/stone on the grave of James Croser at Eckford, ROX, SCT, H/stone: Sacred to the memory of James Croser portioner Lanton Hill who died at Jedburgh 14.12.1842 aged 75 years this stone was erected by his affectionate nephew James Fairbairn.¹³"
     James Fairbairn appeared on the census of 1851 at Lanton Hill, Par. of Jedburgh, ROX, SCT, with Elizabeth Laidlaw, enumerated as FAIRBAIRN: James 56 proprietor & farmer 8 ac b Eckford, ROX; wife Elisabeth 51 b Ettrick, SEL.⁴ James Fairbairn and Elizabeth Laidlaw owned property "George Hilson Jun solicitor, Jedburgh seized -pt of Lanton Muir - on Disp by James Murray, Hind, formerly Timperdean, now Shedlaw, with consent of Elizabeth Laidlaw, relict of James Fairbairn, formerly Hind, Clarilaw, latterly Lantonhall May 7 - Jun 3 1854 PR 171. 186" on 1 Dec 1855 at Lanton Muir, ROX, SCT.^19,12
     An ancestral file entry by Mrs Nees (Olympia, WA, USA) links the James who married Mabel Thomson as the s/o Archibald and Alison , and chr Morebattle 1794. She also had that Archibald as chr Aug 1758 St Boswells, s/o Robert. She advises that this information was provided to her by a relative and unchecked, much to her regret.²⁰
I believe that the Archibald baptized 1785 St Boswells is the son of Robert and Agnes (Landreth), and is the one married to Mary Grierson instead. My previous belief that there was a better candidate for the 1794 Morebattle James, s/o Archibald and Alison in the 1841 census in Selkirk, with children Archibald and Alison, has now been borne out, as, although I could not find hide nor hair of them after this date in Scotland, this is fairly easily explained when descendants get in touch from America with evidence that they are highly likely to belong to James son of an Archibald and an Alison, with a brother James, also with children that fit this naming pattern.

It does seem highly likely that there is a connection somewhere between all these families, particularly since I now know that James and Mabel's son Robert's baptism was in the Gateshaw Secession Church records, as were 3 of Archibald and Alison's children. Possibly the one married to Mabel is a son of the Archibald who married Mary Grierson?
James' birth c 1795 would fit in a gap of Archibald & Mary's children between Margaret born St Bowsells c 1793 and George born Southdean c 1804, but I would expect James & Mabel's son to be named Archibald, rather than Robert, for this to be a strong contender, Robert being born Jul 1824 after a Dec 1822 marriage doesn't leave much room for an earlier son Archibald.

Any descendants of James & Mabel out there willing to participate in the Fairbairn surname DNA project to help sort this out?
DNA tests on descendants of both Archibalds have indicated a close relationship between them.

Research on this family has suddenly come to life again from contact with an American descendant of James Fairbairn and Joan Forsythe. Known famliy relationships link this family to a brother David for James. Both David and James have first sons Archibald, and 2nd daughter's Alison/Alice/Elsea, so I've bitten the bullet and decided that the mystery has been solved. Now all we have to do is find descendants of James and Mary Bell (Thomson) and link them in somewhere too!^21,20,22