David Fairbairn

     
     David Fairbairn was born cir. Feb 1800 at Cavers, Par. of Eckford, ROX, SCT, (my initial interpretation of the place in the baptism record was a rather doubtful "Greenes"?, closer inspection shows it as more likely to be Cavers).^5,6,7,8,1 He was baptized on 23 Feb 1800 at the Gateshaw Assoc. Session, Morebattle, ROX, SCT; entry in the records of Gateshaw Session shows David as son of Arch^d Fairbairn and Allison Crosser of Cavers, Parish of Eckford and baptised at Morebattle.^5,1
     David Fairbairn married Jane Herd say 1825 ?Par. of Swinton & Simprim, BEW, SCT.^7,8,3
     David Fairbairn died bet 1870 - 1880 prob. at ?Mt Morris, Waushara Co, WI, USA.^8,9
     John or David Fairbairn was considered as a potential duplicate of David Fairbairn, but this has been discounted; one the son of Archibald & Alison (Crosser) FAIRBAIRN, the other the brother of the William who married Jean Wanless. A descendant of William has proved to be an exact dna match, at 37 markers, of the Archibald who married Mary Grierson, and only 36/37 of a descendant of the Archbald who married Alison Crosser, so yes, they are all related, but these two David's are not one and the same person, this being doubly proven now that his brother James has also been identified, with their respective children inter-marrying.¹⁰
     Another voyage of discovery. David has been sitting in my database, his fate and family undiscovered for many years, with no likely sightings other than a very tentative, and now known to be spurious, id of his being the one married to Jane Williamson and living in Quebec. Until Betsy came along. Her famiy information linked her ancestor James to a brother David, and both turned out to have children of the right naming patterns, sons Archibald and daughters Elsie/Alison. A lot more digging and piecing together of clues and families has uncovered some 200 years of missing Fairbairn history in the space of a few short weeks (Jun 2008).
Patron submissions on the IGI show 9 children for this couple, all born Cambden St Mary's Perth Ontario, which is not totally correct, but provided a good starting point. Two baptisms were found in Scotland (Mary and Janet), David McDougal (wherever did that second forename come from?) was documented by descendants, and of the remaining 6, all bar James have now been found in Canada and the States. A 10th child, Martha, was temporarily added to the family from assorted circumstantial evidence but has now been removed again. As she married a George Tracy, brother of the Jane who married Archibald, and they were also found in Mt Morris it was looking a good id, until Joan came up with George's obit that showed her to be nee Junor and not Fairborn as shown on the patron submission on the IGI. Apart from Archibald who died St Marys Ontario, and James whom we can find no further trace of, all seem to have migrated from Ontario to Wisconsin in 1848.¹¹
     David and Jane Fairbairn emigrated from Scotland bet 1832 - 1835 to Perth Co, ONT, CAN, (I was initially unsure if all the children actually made it to Canada, or how many there actually were for that matter, but it looks like 5 children accompanied them to Canada, ranging in age from Jane born c 1825, through Archibald James, Elsie, Mary to Janet born 1832. The next known child, David, was born 1835 in Ontario, which pinpoints the move from Scotland to Ontario).^4,12,13
     David Fairbairn and Jane Fairbairn migrated to WI, USA, in 1848; from Napanee, Ontario, this date being borne out by dtr Esther's obit, son Robert's 1900 census data, and the family's appearance in the 1850 Wisconsin census.^14,7,15
     David Fairburn appeared on the census of 3 Jul 1850 at Clayton, Winnebago Cty, WI, SCT, with Jane Fairburn, enumerated as FAIRBURN: David 49 farmer $800; Jane 47 both b SCT; David 13, Robert 11, Esther 9, Wm 8, all b Canada, Elsia 22 b SCT Jane 5 b CAN.⁷
     In 1855 David was indexed in the census at Mt Morris, Waushara Co, WI, USA, (perhaps this index only lists heads of household? the only Fairb* name listed in Waushara Co is David Fairban (sic), no other info from index, but this does show they were at Mt Morris by 1855).¹⁶
     David Fairburn appeared on the census of 9 Jul 1860 at Mt Morris, Waushara Co, WI, USA, with Jane Fairburn, enumerated as FAIRBURN: David 59 farmer $2000/$660; Jane 58, both b SCT; Assumed children: Esther 20, William 17 farmer both b CAN.¹⁷ David Fairbairn appeared on the census of 9 Jul 1860 at Mt Morris, Waushara Co, WI, USA, as neighbour of Caleb Richardson and Jennette Richardson.¹⁸
     David Fairbairn and Kate Fairbairn at Mt Morris, Waushara Co, WI, USA, in 1870 were possibly related ?grdfather/dtr? Kate is of an age to be a grdchild, but I've not found her before or since this 1870 census - yet.¹⁹
     David Fairbairn appeared on the census of 25 Jun 1870 at Mt Morris, Waushara Co, WI, USA, with Jane Fairbairn, enumerated as FAIRBAIRN: David 69; Jane 69 both b SCT; William 28 b CAN; Kate 16 b WI (4 schedules down was dtr Esther with hubby Peter LEE and family).⁸