I have traced the beginnings of my Petrie / Birnie line as far back to John Petrie born in the Shetland Islands in about 1699.
http://www.bayanne.info/Shetland/getperson.php?personID=I8058&tree=ID1
It would appear that John Petrie had two families. From his first family he had a son, Peter Petrie, born before 1755 also in the Shetland Islands. There is no information on Peter’s mother at this stage.
Peter Petrie married Helen Cluness . She was born on the 13 July 1740 in Guddon, Gossaborough, East Yell, Shetland Islands. Together they had seven children of whom the eldest is the separation point for my family tree.
Garth Petrie was born 1769 and died in 1850. Garth also had two families and his second marriage in 1790 to Barbara Johnson resulted in five more children from where my family descend.
http://www.bayanne.info/Shetland/getperson.php?personID=I4344&tree=ID1
His youngest son, William Petrie, born in 1814 in Yell is my Great Great Grandfather. William Petrie married Barbara Davidson on the 27th January 1842. Barbara Davidson was born in Tingwell in 1815.
Their children were:
Barbara Petrie : 23 Jan 1843 Tingwell, Shetland Islands
Garth Petrie : 9 December 1844 Whiteness, Shetland Islands
*Margaret Petrie: 28 June 1847 Sandsting, Shetland Islands
(My G Grandmother ~ she died on the 9th October 1889)
Peter Petrie : 16 July 1849 Sandsting, Shetland Islands
William Petrie : November 1851, Sandsting, Shetland Islands
Not a lot is known of my Petrie ancestors up to this stage, but I believe that my GG Grandfather William Petrie (1814 – 1851) was a farmer / fisherman, as were a lot of other men in Shetland in those days. In 1851 the family was resident at Burfield, Aithsting, Shetland Islands and in 1871 they were resident at Annsbrae Place, Lerwick.
Their daughter *Margaret Petrie was my Great Grandmother. She first married a Merchant Seaman Garth Petrie (born 7 September 1834 Tingwell) in about 1868 in Liverpool and together they had a son William Peter Petrie. Although Garth and Margaret both had Petrie as a common surname, prior to marriage, it is not confirmed, as yet, if they were cousins as some researchers have suggested.
Due to illness, Garth passed away on 17 Feb 1870 in Lerwick leaving Margaret with their young son.
We don’t know what happened to Margaret after Garth died, but she appears to have moved to Edinburgh at some stage. She worked as a seamstress in Edinburgh and subsequently married James Birnie on the 18 July 1873 in Edinburgh. James was a Tailor so this may have been how they would have met. They were married by Rev. D McLaren and the marriage was witnessed by Garth Petrie (Margaret’s brother) and Janet (Jessie) Birnie (James’ sister).
James BIRNIE was born in 1847 in Strichen, Aberdeen, Scotland and passed away on 27th April 1890 at 14 South Elgin Street, Edinburgh. In 1881 he was resident at 2 Salmond Place, Greenside, Edinburgh together with Margaret and the children.
Their children were:
Margaret Birnie : 1874 Newington, Edinburgh
Alexander Birnie : 1875, Strichen, Aberdeen
James Birnie : 1877 South Leith,
Garth Birnie : 1878 South Leith
Barbara Mary Birnie : 13 April 1881 2 Salmon Place, Edinburgh
**William Petrie Birnie : 22 September 1886 2 Salmon Place Edinburgh
Margaret Petrie Birnie passed away on the 9th October 1889 at 14 South Elgin Street, Edinburgh and not long afterwards James Birnie passed away on the 27th April 1890, leaving a young family to fend for itself.
Their eldest daughter Margaret (affectionately known as Aunty Maggie) was a mere 16 years old when her parents died. As a result of the deaths of her parents, her younger siblings were left in her care. At some later stage the two younger children, Barbara Mary Birnie and my Grandfather William Petrie Birnie, were placed in foster care with a family in Edinburgh by the name of Walker. The Walker's were well connected in football circles, but unfortunately that is all that we know about them. William was three years old when both his parents died. Barbara Mary was nine years old.
We don’t know what happened to Margaret after Garth died, but she appears to have moved to Edinburgh at some stage. She worked as a seamstress in Edinburgh and subsequently married James Birnie on the 18 July 1873 in Edinburgh. James was a Tailor so this may have been how they would have met. They were married by Rev. D McLaren and the marriage was witnessed by Garth Petrie (Margaret’s brother) and Janet (Jessie) Birnie (James’ sister).
James BIRNIE was born in 1847 in Strichen, Aberdeen, Scotland and passed away on 27th April 1890 at 14 South Elgin Street, Edinburgh. In 1881 he was resident at 2 Salmond Place, Greenside, Edinburgh together with Margaret and the children.
Their children were:
Margaret Birnie : 1874 Newington, Edinburgh
Alexander Birnie : 1875, Strichen, Aberdeen
James Birnie : 1877 South Leith,
Garth Birnie : 1878 South Leith
Barbara Mary Birnie : 13 April 1881 2 Salmon Place, Edinburgh
**William Petrie Birnie : 22 September 1886 2 Salmon Place Edinburgh
Margaret Petrie Birnie passed away on the 9th October 1889 at 14 South Elgin Street, Edinburgh and not long afterwards James Birnie passed away on the 27th April 1890, leaving a young family to fend for itself.
Their eldest daughter Margaret (affectionately known as Aunty Maggie) was a mere 16 years old when her parents died. As a result of the deaths of her parents, her younger siblings were left in her care. At some later stage the two younger children, Barbara Mary Birnie and my Grandfather William Petrie Birnie, were placed in foster care with a family in Edinburgh by the name of Walker. The Walker's were well connected in football circles, but unfortunately that is all that we know about them. William was three years old when both his parents died. Barbara Mary was nine years old.
John Murray, Jess Watt, William Petrie BIRNIE,(My Maternal Grandfather) James Watt Jnr, Rosemary Watt (nee Birnie), James Watt Senior, Margaret Ellen Mackenzie Murray BIRNIE (My Maternal Grandmother), Annie Douglas (Bridesmaid).
My Great Grandmother Margaret Petrie Birnie suffered the loss of her eldest son William Peter PETRIE on 21st November 1885 from a chronic lung disease. He was about 16 years of age when he died.
William Petrie BIRNIE was my maternal Grandfather. His elder sister Barbara Mary Birnie (known to me as Aunty Mary) left Edinburgh to travel to Simonstown, South Africa in the early 1900's. This was to take up a position of Governess to a family who were with the Royal Navy at the time, based in Simonstown, South Africa.
Whilst working and living in Simonstown, she met Andrew McIlrae. They married on 23rd December 1903 in Simonstown. Uncle Andrew, as he was affectionately known to my mother, was born on 9th October 1879 in Craiglockhart, Edinburgh.
My Great Grandmother Margaret Petrie Birnie suffered the loss of her eldest son William Peter PETRIE on 21st November 1885 from a chronic lung disease. He was about 16 years of age when he died.
William Petrie BIRNIE was my maternal Grandfather. His elder sister Barbara Mary Birnie (known to me as Aunty Mary) left Edinburgh to travel to Simonstown, South Africa in the early 1900's. This was to take up a position of Governess to a family who were with the Royal Navy at the time, based in Simonstown, South Africa.
Whilst working and living in Simonstown, she met Andrew McIlrae. They married on 23rd December 1903 in Simonstown. Uncle Andrew, as he was affectionately known to my mother, was born on 9th October 1879 in Craiglockhart, Edinburgh.
Andrew McIlrae
(Son-in-law to Margaret Petrie Birnie)
(Son-in-law to Margaret Petrie Birnie)
The McIlrae Children from the marriage of Barbara Mary Birnie (Aunty Mary) and Andrew McIlrae.
(They were Grandchildren to Margaret Petrie Birnie and James Birnie)
It is not clear which year William Petrie Birnie followed his sister Barbara Mary Birnie to South Africa but he arrived after she wrote to him to suggest that he join her in South Africa. I am assuming it would have been after Aunty Mary and Andrew McIlrae married in 1903, so possibly around 1905 which would have put him at about age 19.
The story has it that some years later William was on board a ship at Cape Town docks, to wish a friend farewell, but before he knew it he was at sea and had no option but to undertake the trip back to Southampton.
On arriving in England, he made his way back to Edinburgh and found employment working on the cable cars. It was there that he met his future wife.
On 26th September 1919 at The Manse, Park Road, Leith, he married Margaret Ellen Mackenzie Murray (born 7th March 1886 Rhemusaig; died 13th May 1955 Cape Town, South Africa). They were married after Banns according to the Church of Scotland.
See the links for my Murray/Mackenzie connection set up by a distant cousin, Christine Stokes. We share Murray and Mackenzie Great grandparents.
https://countysutherland.blogspot.co.za/2007/06/alexander-murray-jane-mackenzie.html
https://countysutherland.blogspot.co.za/2007/06/william-murray-isabella-mackay.html
The Birnie Connection:
My Great Grandfather , James Birnie was the son of Alexander Birnie (1817/1880).
I have found no other records to date for Alexander Birnie other than he married Agnes Ritchie on the 10th October 1841 at Old Deer, Aberdeen.
They had at least two children:
James Birnie : 1845 Strichen, Scotland
Janet (Jessie) Birnie : 1853 Strichen, Scotland
In 1881 Janet was resident at North Street, Strichen, Aberdeenshire with her mother. By this stage James Birnie was living at 2 Salmond Place, Greenside, Edinburgh with Margaret and 5 of their 6 children.
http://www.bayanne.info/Shetland/getperson.php?personID=I63152&tree=ID1
Attempts to find more information about my BIRNIE family and / or their origins have been unsuccessful as at date of this publication.
It is not clear which year William Petrie Birnie followed his sister Barbara Mary Birnie to South Africa but he arrived after she wrote to him to suggest that he join her in South Africa. I am assuming it would have been after Aunty Mary and Andrew McIlrae married in 1903, so possibly around 1905 which would have put him at about age 19.
The story has it that some years later William was on board a ship at Cape Town docks, to wish a friend farewell, but before he knew it he was at sea and had no option but to undertake the trip back to Southampton.
On arriving in England, he made his way back to Edinburgh and found employment working on the cable cars. It was there that he met his future wife.
On 26th September 1919 at The Manse, Park Road, Leith, he married Margaret Ellen Mackenzie Murray (born 7th March 1886 Rhemusaig; died 13th May 1955 Cape Town, South Africa). They were married after Banns according to the Church of Scotland.
See the links for my Murray/Mackenzie connection set up by a distant cousin, Christine Stokes. We share Murray and Mackenzie Great grandparents.
https://countysutherland.blogspot.co.za/2007/06/alexander-murray-jane-mackenzie.html
https://countysutherland.blogspot.co.za/2007/06/william-murray-isabella-mackay.html
The Birnie Connection:
My Great Grandfather , James Birnie was the son of Alexander Birnie (1817/1880).
I have found no other records to date for Alexander Birnie other than he married Agnes Ritchie on the 10th October 1841 at Old Deer, Aberdeen.
They had at least two children:
James Birnie : 1845 Strichen, Scotland
Janet (Jessie) Birnie : 1853 Strichen, Scotland
In 1881 Janet was resident at North Street, Strichen, Aberdeenshire with her mother. By this stage James Birnie was living at 2 Salmond Place, Greenside, Edinburgh with Margaret and 5 of their 6 children.
http://www.bayanne.info/Shetland/getperson.php?personID=I63152&tree=ID1
Margaret
Birnie: b. 1874 (Aunty Maggie / spinster)
Alexander
Birnie: b. 1875
James Birnie
: b. 1877
Garth
Birnie: b.1878
Barbara Mary
Birnie: b 1881 (Married Andrew McIlrae)
**William Petrie Birnie: b 1886 (Married Margaret
Ellen Mackenzie Murray)
Attempts to find more information about my BIRNIE family and / or their origins have been unsuccessful as at date of this publication.
Rosemary, Margaret and **William Petrie Birnie.
Table View, Cape Town, South Africa. Circa 1947
Most of this information would have been lost to the family had it not been for the work of
Table View, Cape Town, South Africa. Circa 1947
Most of this information would have been lost to the family had it not been for the work of
Tony Gott
http://bayanne.info/Shetland
http://bayanne.info/Shetland
and
Christine Stokes
Watch this space for "The Cluness Connection".....
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