JACK, Catherine 2
- Born: About 1790, Midlothian, Scotland 3
- Partnership (1): WEBSTER, Richard
- Marriage (2): McWILLIAM, John on 1 December 1810 in Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland 1
- Died: 21 December 1860 at 00.00 pm, 19 Salisbury Street, Canongate District, Edinburgh, Scotland 2
- Buried: Newington Burying Ground, Edinburgh, Scotland 2
Cause of her death was hemiplegia over about 6 days.2
Other names for Catherine were McWILLIAM, Catherine 2 and McWILLIAMS, Catherine.3
General Notes:
The 1841 census for Edinburgh, St Cuthbert's parish, recorded John McWilliams and Catherine McWilliams living at no 19 Salisbury Street. Along with them lived Anne Prentice, aged in the 25-29 years age group, her two children, Catharine and Robert, and one other adult: Barbara Wilson, aged in the 35-39 years age group, and born in Midlothian. Catherine McWilliams was in the 45-49 years age group and had been born in Midlothian Scotland.
Catherine McWilliam died in December 1860. Her recorded age at death was 75 years. Her death certificate recorded her as the widow of a cotton weaver. Both of her parents were deceased. 2 3
Research Notes:
CATHERINE JACK
Catherine Jack was identified as the mother of Helen Webster by Helen's death certificate of 1883.
No birth or baptismal reference has as yet been found for Helen, either under the name of Webster or her mother's surname of Jack. For the period 1808-1812 only one Helen Webster is listed in the IGI for England whose father is Richard; her mother was Ellen. There are none in Scotland. There are no Helen Jacks whose mother is Catherine for the same time period. There is more than one possible explanation for this. A likely explanation, confirmed in other areas, is that the Jack family had nonconformist leanings, and a search of nonconformist birth and marriage data might extend our knowledge of this family quite considerably.
The ages and birthplaces researched for Helen, during the course of her life and death, are consistent with each other, and lead to the conclusion that she was born in the area of Water of Leith, Edinburgh about 1809-1811. Her parents, therefore, were likely to have been born about, or most likely before, 1795. Since Helen's own information about her birth points to Midlothian, and to Edinburgh in particular, that is the first place to look.
In the 40 years ending in 1800 there are three women by the name of Cathrine, Catharine or Katharine Jack, who were born in Midlothian county. In the twenty years before and after 1800 three women called Catherine Jack married in Midlothian. This rises to thirty four, if we take in all of Scotland. None of these women married Richard Webster.
Helen Webster married Robert Winton in 1829 and had five children with him. Robert died between 1844 and 1850-51, for in the 1851 census Helen was recorded living with James Winton, his brother, and they had a child Normina. From census records it appears that Helen's other children were split up to some extent, and cared for by what seems to have been members of Helen's extended family.
We know, for example, that young Helen and Alexander Winton were living with Robert and Isobel Wilson, in Salisbury Street in the St Cuthbert's district of Edinburgh. Isabella Wilson was Isabella Jack before marriage, and married Robert Wilson in 1820 in St Cuthbert's parish in Edinburgh. Isabella Wilson died in 1862 at the recorded age of 70 years. Her parents were noted as John Jack and Helen Grieve who married in Cockpen, Midlothian in 1774.
Elie or Elizabeth Winton, the youngest of Robert and Helen Winton's children, was living, according to the 1851 census, with a woman called Jane Jack, in Lasswade Midlothian. Jane P. Jack, Jane's daughter, also lived there. The 'P' stands for 'Proudfoot'. Jane Jack was Jane Conacher who had married George Stewart Jack in 1826, at St Cuthbert's Edinburgh. George's parents were James Jack and Bell Miller, who married in 1797 in Alyth, Perthshire. The Jacks were an extended family over generations, so it is likely that a family link was present here.
Catherine Jack's own link with the Prentice family in the 1841 census enables us to link her with people mentioned above. In the task of selecting possible, or even likely candidates, for the Catherine Jack who was Helen Webster's mother, a small amount of information is available from census records and old parish registers. The definitive record is Catherine's death certificate which provides us with the names of her parents, and confirms the circumstantial links already formed.
Medical Notes:
The cause of Catherine's death was certified by David Gordon MD who saw her on 21 December 1860.
She was buried in Newington burial ground, as certified by D. McKichan & Co. undertakers.
Robert Wilson, Catherine's brother in law and occupier of the house in which she died, and who had been present where her death occurred, gave notice of her death before the registrar, Andrew Balfour, at Edinburgh on 24 December 1860. 2
Catherine had a relationship with Richard WEBSTER, son of William WEBSTER and Bessie ROBERTSON. (Richard WEBSTER was born on 7 October 1760 in Inveresk, Midlothian, Scotland 1 4 and was baptised on 13 October 1760 in Inveresk With Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland 4.)
Catherine next married John McWILLIAM on 1 December 1810 in Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland.1 (John McWILLIAM was born about 1789 in Scotland, but not Midlothian 3 and died before 21 December 1860 2 3.)
Marriage Notes:
Old Parish Registers Ayr Parish Ayrshire Marriages
"1810-1 Ayr 1st December John McWilliam & Catherine Jack Quo Die John McWilliam Soldier Ayrshire Militia, and Catherine Jack in Ayr, gave in their Names to be proclaimed in Order for Marriage, and after proclamation were Married Accordingly" 5
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