I just found an example of what I was referring to above - although no direct help in your specific search.

Here is a link to a page showing an admission of fornication, etc., at the parish of Symington, Ayrshire - where there were at least five EASDALE baptisms at the period in question (as shown in a previously provided link).

The right-hand page gives a good example of what can be found on illegitimate births, albeit not relating to Hugh, of course! The child itself is seldom named, but the parents names can be a good guide in finding the child.

See https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/virtual-volumes/volume-images/volume_data-CH2-728-2/GAZ01040?image_number=109#image_position - the handwriting is about as clear as you will find in such records, unfortunately!

I hope these links are working for you, as I am copying them while being signed in to the website, which might make a difference.

Thank you for your response, Howard. Some people raise queries, I (and others) then spend a good deal of time trying to help, but never get any acknowledgement our comments have ever been noted!

I just had a look at the records for Fenwick held on the ScotlandsPeople website, but the minutes book appears very patchy for that period. As you may have noted (if you could read what was at the end of those links), there were two EASDALE baptisms at Fenwick during the period in question: for Mary,1810, and Jean, 1812, both daughters of Charles Easdale and Mary Wallace. If Hugh was born illegitimately, that doesn't directly help, but Charles was possibly a relative of his mother. I have noticed in my own searches that illegitimate children appear not always to have had baptisms recorded, so that could be the case here.

In fact, as I write, I have being looking through over 300 "Hugh" baptisms that took place in Ayrshire between 1812 & 1816 and I found not one who appeared to be illegitimate (i.e., only the mother's name shown - as in English registers - or the father's surname being different from the child's. I also had a quick check for a Gavin Bickett / Beckett, but again found no Ayrshire baptism.

What also has to be considered is that there are many omissions from the Scottish parish registers - even more so regarding marriages and burials. Also, some children were probably baptised by a "non-conformist" (i.e., not Church of Scotland) minister in a church (or even at home) for which records have been lost.

Finally, I made one "last" check for female EASEDALE marriages in Ayrshire post 1813 - the handful found all being at Dalry parish, though I expect many more just didn't make their way into the Ayrshire registers.

(See https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/record-results/184104475767e83f0b7b6a2?page=1#main_search_results )

Hi @Howard Cameron your case intrigued me and I've had a little poke around this afternoon to see if I could be of any help. You'll notice I've attached a few straggling sources to Hugh's profile. No dazzling revelations, sadly, but a few things that might be helpful to keep in mind going forward.

Regarding date of birth. I see it's been recorded as October 1814, which I'm assuming comes from the find a grave entry? I would suggest that it's actually a bit later than that. In the NY Passenger List and census records Hugh's date of birth appears twice as 1817, twice as 1820 and once as 1818. As these dates are based on ages Hugh himself was reporting, they are likely to have a bit more accuracy than a secondary person reporting after his decease.

Like @Paul W I didn't have much luck with scotland's people. There is a Hugh BROWN born to a James Brown and Elizabeth EASDALE in Sorn, Ayrshire, 08/02/1818. But there's no evidence he was illegitimate as he was one of at least 6 siblings, two of them being younger.

How certain are you of the Ayrshire connection? The only mention I could see in the records was on his son's death record, which is getting quite removed to be a certainly. Its possible its an assumption based on Mary Aitken's place of birth. Likewise the friend, Gavin Bicket, do you know they were friends in Scotland, or is it possible they met on the ship?

Sorry if it reads as if I'm torpedoing the little Scottish information you do have. I promise I'm not. I'm just trying to establish what is known and what is presumed, as it can sometimes reveal an unconscious bias or avenue of possibility that has been missed.

As an aside, I noticed there was also a John Becket/Bicket on the same ship aged 22, which is a close match for a John BICKET born to HUGH BICKET and AGNES BORLAND 20/04/1819 in Fenwick. No siblings recorded but perhaps a brother or cousin of Gavin? Not sure if it will prove relevant but worth noting, I think.

I did find Hugh's will on Ancestry. Have you found that? It lists presumed dated of death as 1891, but the children are listed. I don't have a paid subscription so I didn't see the original document. But if you haven't got that yet, it might reveal a scrap of new information (fingers crossed!). (You can access for free via most public libraries, or someone might do a look up for you, if you don't have a subscription).

The other thing is the children's middle names. Craig, Finney and even Alexander and James may be surnames of previous generations or sibling's spousal names that the couple were honouring. For example, if his grandmother raised him, one of those names may be hers.

@Howard Cameron I'm so glad you found some of my suggestions to be useful. I'm very happy to be able to help. (Sorry for the weird formatting at the end of my last post. It keeps happening to me and I can't figure out why!)

Unfortunately your attachment didn't post, but if you feel a fresh set of eyes would be helpful, please feel free to try again or message the jpeg to me directly. I'd be happy to give it a look over for you. Otherwise all the best in your search.