Robert Fairbairn

     
     Robert Fairbairn was born cir. 1786 in SCT.¹
     Robert Fairbairn married Kate Scott say 1815 in SCT date assumes marries shortly before "oldest child" Elizabeth.^3,4
     Robert Fairbairn died aft. 1851 ?Richmond, Lennox Co, ONT, CAN.¹
     
     The relationship between Archibald and Robert is on rather circumstantial evidence.
Here's my rationale:
Robert emigrated to Ontario c 1828 and settled in Lennox Co. Archibald & Alison's son David F and wife Jane Herd also emigrated to Ontario (abt 1834), and two of their children are documented as born at Napanee in Lennox Co (Robert 1838, Esther 1840).
The children of Robert and Kate look like they will fit the Scottish naming pattern as the 2nd dtr is an Alison, and it rather looks as if the first son was also known as Archie. However, as both William and James/Archie's ages vary wildly in assorted records, it isn't clear if William or James/Archie is the eldest son.
As to identification of the children: I was looking for sons William, James and Robert and dtrs Elizabeth, Alison, and Jane according to the pre-Confederation Scots information.
A descendant of Elizabeth provided Robert Snr's wife's name and Elizabeth's husband, and they were easily found, living next door in 1851, and assuming that they never moved, their tavern was at Napanee. Alison was already documented as marrying David Fitchett. The James who married Mary Strain had already been investigated by Betsy as a possible match for the James son of David and Jane (Herd). We now believe he fits here much better, particularly as their dtr Agnes Bush Fairbairn was a witness to the marriage of Minto Grieve and William French, Minto being her cousin, dtr of William and Elizabeth (Fairbairn) Grieve. William is a bit more circumstantial. Naming pattern of his known children would indicate parents of Archibald and Eliza or Jane and I don't have any good candidates for that. Proximity to Robert and family however adds a bit of weight.
I don't yet know who Esther is with Robert in 1851, but it does seem to be a family name, wherever it crept in from. Jane may or may not have married a John Hope, blacksmith and moved to Pamelia, Jefferson Co, NY. This is based on VERY flimsy conjecture in that in 1850 there, a John and Jane Hope have a Robert and Archibald Fairburn living with them of an age to be the two in Richmond in 1851, albeit with birthplaces reversed. Investigations will continue.
I would be ecstatic for someone to turn up with some lovely obits that proves all of this, particular for Robert Snr. Wonder where the pre-Confederation Scots migration info on the children came from?^5,6,7,8

     Robert outlived his wife Kate Fairbairn who died cir. 1828 while they were crossing the Atlantic, presumably leaving Robert with a very young family to care for in his new country, the eldest dtr Elizabeth would be about 13, the youngest son Robert a babe in arms.⁹
     Robert Fairbairn and Kate Scott immigrated in 1828 to nr Selby, Lennox & Addington Co, ONT, CAN; entry reads: FAIRBAIRN: Robert b ca 1786. To ONT ca 1828; stld nr Selby, Lennox & Addington Co ch incl: William, James, Robert, Elizabeth, Jane, Alison qv OGF15,115 (where qv refers to Alison marrying David FITCHETT);
Additional info has Elizabeth marrying William GRIEVE in ONT, emigrating c 1828 as well, and separate information for the chap I believe is son William has him emigrating 1826 (1901 census), and his obit says at age 10, with parents (which implies 1827 given age at death, but as other info gives him an 1820 birthdate, he may have been younger) Additionally, information in William's obit says that his family firstly went to Bytown (Quebec), which just happens to be where William and David Fairbairn were from the early 1810s, William being a proven relation via the Fairbairn surname dna project
I've subsequently found that Kate died at sea crossing the Atlantic.^3,4,5,9 Another possible relation for Robert was Archibald Fairbairn in Richmond, Lennox Co, ONT, CAN, in 1851 ?another grdfather/son?⁵
     Robert Fairbairn appeared on the census of 1851 on the 6th, 7th, 8th Concession, Richmond Twp, Lennox Co, ONT, CAN, enumerated as FAIRBAIRN: Robt labourer 22 Sr (sic); Robt Jr (sic) gentleman 65; Esther 22 All b SCT; Robt 11 b USA; Archd b C West 9 All Presby;
(these are neighbouring entries, conjecture as to how they relate to each other):
The immediate previous entry is the family of Robert's dtr Elizabeth with husband William Grieve and family (Esther 7, Geo 5, Robt 3, Minto 2); It does rather look like they are all living in the Grieve's tavern as the next building listed is the frame house of the carriage maker, Abraham Fraser. A prior entry is that of William and Catherine (Morgan) Fairbairn, who looks likely to be the William known to exist as a son of Robert.^1,5