The Anderson Ancestors of Sophia Anderson

Peter Anderson and Sophia Henry

I have traced Sophia's father's side of the family to Peter Anderson who married Sophia Henry - I assume about 1803-4. According to an online source, they married 7 Dec 1799 and proceeded to have a lot of children Margaret (1800), Peter (1803), Martin (1805), Andrew (1808), William (1811), Thomas (1814), George (1817), John (1820), Thomas (1820), Henry (1824) and Marion (1826). There is a lot more about this family that seems very credible and, although I have not verified it all, I have only added the children that I have confirmed with the censuses to my own genealogy data.

All but one of their children had left home by the time of the 1841 Census. Marion who was born 1826 is the only child left.

Peter and Sophia Anderson at 1841 Census - West Pinkerton, Dunbar, Haddingtonshire

It is their son, John, who is of particular interest to us. He had married the year before the 1841 census. He married Agnes Shearman 28 Jul 1840

John Anderson and Agnes Shearman

John Anderson was born 5 May 1820 and baptised on 21 May 1820 at Innerwick, East Lothian. His parents were Peter Anderson and Sophia Henry. [source]. He married Agnes Shearman on 28 July 1840 at Dunbar

Marriage of John Anderson and Agnes Shearman 28 Jul 1840 at Dunbar

[source]

28 July 1840 Register of Marriages for Dunbar John Anderson and Agnes Shearman both of this Parish were regularly proclaimed this day and Sabbath the 5th July for Marriage.

I believe that Agnes Shearman was born about 1818 in Dunbar.

There is a very long gap between their marriage and the birth of Robert - about 22 years - but Robert’s marriage registration says that these are his parents. It is a matter of speculation what happened to the family but at the moment it is a little bit off-topic for me.

John Anderson and Agnes Anderson or Shearman at the Censuses 1851-1881

1851 Census Stottencleugh, Oldhamstocks, Haddingtonshire (East Lothian)

[source]

Here we find John and Agnes's family of three sons and three daughters. Although no specific occupations are given for the children, it is fair to assume that the older children were farm servants. The live at Stottencleugh in Oldhamstocks, Haddingtonshire. The following maps shows various places that the Andersons were to be found at when the censuses were taken.

[source]

At the next census, we find tha the Andersons have moved from Stottencleugh to Whitekirk

1861 Census New Mains, Whitekirk, Whitekirk & Tynninghame, Haddingtonshire (East Lothian)

[source]

John Anderson is now a Ploughman and his oldest four children; Sophia (18), Peter (16), Margaret (14) and James (12), are agricultural labourers. John (10) and Thomas (7) are scholars but it is hard to imagine that they did not do a lot of work on the farm as well as being scholars - especially at harvest times. Andrew (5) and Henry (3) round off the family. The last three of the children were born between the 1851 and 1861 censuses

The family continue their westward movement after the 1861 Census and at the 1871 Census they can be found at East Fortune

1871 Census East Fortune, 14, Athelstaneford, Haddingtonshire (East Lothian), Scotland

[source]

Here we see that Peter (now about 26), Margaret (now about 24) and John (now about 20) are no longer present in the household at East Fortune. Another child, Robert (9), has been added to the roster of children, though. Essentially they are all still farm labourers. Thomas is described as a "lademan", an obsolete tern which is defined as "One who leads a packhorse; a miller's servant."

1881 Census Kirk Street, Prestonpans, Haddingtonshire (East Lothian)

by the time of the 1881 census, the family have moved further east again and are now at Kirk Street, Prestonpans

[source]

At the 1881 Census the family of John and Agnes is almost wholly dispersed with only their last-born child, Robert, aged 19, with them. He is a gardener. There is also a granddaughter, Agnes Anderson, aged 8, present in the household

Summary of The Andersons

John Anderson and Sophia Henry

As mentioned above, John Anderson's parents, Peter Anderson and Sophia Henry lived in Dunbar. Their first two children, Margaret (b 1800) and Peter (b 1803) were born inn Athelstaneford, Haddingtonshire.

Their next child, Martin, was born in Dunbar in 1805. Andrew, their next child was born 1808 in Whitekirk and Tynningham (a civil parish in East Lothian which takes its name from the two small settlements of Whitekirk and Tyninghame - two ancient parishes were joined in 1761).

Thomas, their next child, was born 1814 in Innerwick and they seem to have stayed there until at least the 1841 Census.

Their son, John Anderson, was born in Innerwick in 1820. He married Agnes Shearman in 1840 In Dunbar and they started their family.

John Anderson and Agnes Shearman

At the 1851 Census they are living at Stottencleugh, Oldhamstocks, Haddingtonshire. I imagine that Stottencleugh was the name of the farm they lived on in the village of Oldhamstocks. They already have six children and, apart from the mother, Agnes, they are all farm servants, although it is hard to imagine that the three children under 6 years old did much farm work.

At the 1861 Census they have moved to Whitekirk and are living at New Mains, Whitekirk. John Anderson, the head of the household, is 40 years old and is now a ploughman. Their eldest child, Agnes, is no longer with them - perhaps married. Sophia (18), Peter (16), Margaret (14) and James (12) are all still at home and are agricultural labourers. John, who was present at the previous census is now 10 and he has three younger siblings now - Thomas (7), Andrew (5) and Henry (3). John and Thomas are scholars.

At the 1871 Census the family have moved again and are now at 14 East Fortune, Athalstaneford, Haddingtonshire. John is 50 now and is described, again, as an agricultural labourer. Sophia is still at home, an unmarried agricultural labourer aged 28. Peter and Margaret are both gone but James (22 ag lab), Thomas (17 lademan), Andrew (15 Ag lab) and Henry (12 farm lab) are all still with the family. There is a new addition to the family and that is the person we are most concerned with. Robert Anderson is 9, was born in Whitekirk and is a scholar. He was actually born 26 Dec 1862.

At the 1881 Census the family are living at Kirk Street, Prestonpans and are much reduced. John, 61 years old and a labourer, and Agnes, his wife now aged 63, are still alive but they only have their last born child still with them - “our” Robert. He is now a Gardener aged 19. There is a grand-daughter in the household as well - Agnes aged 8. This is the last we see of the family because, by the time of the next census, Robert Anderson had married into the Cunninghams when he married Margaret Cunningham on 17 November 1882. More about the Cunninghams can be found here and more about the marriage of Robert Anderson and Margaret Cunningham (Sophia Ramsay's parents and her siblings) can be found here