The Williamson family

We cannot trace the Williamson ancestry back with certainty before James Williamson who lived in Tumblin. His first certain appearance is in the 1851 census records, when he lived with his wife Catherine, baby George and "General Servant" Janet Yonsen (Eunson), probably in the West House. He was then described as a "road labourer and farmer of six acres". His baptism has not yet been traced in the church records, but from census information he was born around 1824, and his wife around 1817-18. Their marriage was in 1849, and Catherine's maiden name was Leisk; she was probably also from Tumblin (or Houlland). Through the census records the family is seen to grow to four children: George, James, Jessie and Catherine.

Jessie was born around 1855, and married James Manson around 1879; their son James William was one year old at the time of the 1881 census, when James, Jessie and their son lived with Jessie's parents, her brother James (a seaman) and sister Catherine (a knitter). James and Jessie had one more child, Catherine, who was born after James was lost at sea. Jessie died soon afterwards leaving James William and his sister Catherine to be brought up by the Williamson family in the West House.

As the birth of the father, James Williamson, has not yet been traced we cannot be sure who his father was. However, in the 1841 census records a James of about the right age was living with Theodor and Christina Williamson, also in Tumblin, with an elder brother (possibly - relationships are not given for the 1841 census) Andrew and younger brother Christopher. The problem is that the baptisms of these two brothers also have not yet been traced; the only child Theodor Williamson and Christina Tait was a son John, born in Aith in 1821. We cannot make a certain connection between the James living with Theodor and Christina at the time of the 1841 census, and the James who married Catherine Leisk in 1849. As Theodor and Christina both came from Nesting, it is possible that some of their children were baptised there; this can be checked. On the limited evidence available, though, it seems quite likely that Theodor and Christina were the parents of James.

Theodor(e) appears in the census records to 1881; Christina died between 1851 and 1861. By 1861 a daughter-in-law, Elspeth, lived with Theodore (together with grand-daughter Christina, a "widow's daughter" implying that by then Elspeth's husband had died, possibly lost at sea; and a "farm servant" Margaret Hunter from Weisdale). The household was the same in 1871, but by 1881 only Theodore and Elspeth remained.