Tracing ancestor Andrew Paton in Aberdeen 1805
My great-great-grandfather Andrew Paton was born in Aberdeen in January 1805. He emigrated to South Africa at some stage and married a Jane Yates or Yeats in 1837. He died in Oudtshoorn, Cape Colony in 1876. The only documentation I have is his death certificate. I can't find any record of him or his family in Scotland. I tried the Scotland's People website and found one Andrew Paton born in Aberdeen in 1805, but that man died in the US. Can anyone suggest a way to dig out more info on my ancestor's family line? Many thanks for any suggestions. Russell
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Which version of his death certificate do you have? The ones in the estate files have familial information and asked for parent's names, which could help.
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Russell,
City directories for Aberdeen may list Andrew. These are freely available online via the National Library of Scotland at https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/91047493
and there's a useful guide to their content at https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2019-09/Guide%20-%20Post%20Office%20Directories.pdf
Aberdeen City Libraries' local history resources are highlighted at http://www.silvercityvault.org.uk/
and speaking on a personal note, I found the kirk session records, also freely available at ScotlandsPeople, invaluable when tracing my own ancestors' departure from Aberdeen as they were involved in church activities and are mentioned in the minutes of meetings. You can access them at https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/virtual-volumes - also check out my RootsTech video about these amazing records: https://youtu.be/kf9x1lEJx9U
Another useful source can be newspapers; I recommend the British Newspaper Archive which is included in some FindMyPast subscriptions as well as being a standalone product: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
Alison Spring
scotsancestors.blogspot.com
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Thank you both for your help. I'll certainly follow those links.
In reply to McKenna Cooper, the death certificate I have is limited and does not include parental information.
Thanks again,
Russell
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This is his long-form death certificate from the South African estate files, but unfortunately the parental section was left blank: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQN-X4B?i=141&cc=2517051&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3A7JXG-YC2M. Allison has some great suggestions--good luck!
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Thanks McKenna. Sorry It's taken me so long to respond. I've been offline. I have this death certificate, but keep drawing blanks about his birth details. I'll persevere!
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