Nicolsons from Bower in Caithness

[colin nicolson]

I am trying to track down any info on my great grandfather William Nicolson who was born in Caithness to a David Nicolson and an Elizabeth Bain. I know that they come form the Bower area and that they were part of the farming community. My great grandfather ended up being a grocer in Edinburgh where his son went to law school and joined a firm of lawyers in Edinburgh up to his disappearance in 1959. Any info would be much appreciated.

[Bill Mackay]

Colin,
From the 1871 Census I have a family in the village of Lyth, Bower. They are as follows
David Nicolson Head Mar 40 Farm Servant
Elizabeth Nicolson Wife Mar 36
William Nicolson Son 10 David Nicolson Son 4
Jane B. Nicolson Dau 1

This may be the family you are looking for
Hope this helps
Bill Mackay

[colin nicolson]

Bill, they are the ones I am looking for. In 1881 there is also Alexander age 7 (son), Magnus age 18 (son) and Elizabeth age 15 (dau). William was the one who went to live in Edinburgh with his wife Catherine Banks. His son William was my grandfather and he disappeared in 1959. I can trace all births except for Magnus. If you need any further info, give me a shout.

Colin

[sgmcgregor]

Colin,

I don't know whether there is a link into your Nicolson's, but I do have a William Nicolson which I will tell you about. I haven't checked for his family yet, but I have a William Nicolson who married Elizabeth Grant in Wick on 11th November 1904 at 15 East Banks, Wick.

Elizabeth is a sister of my Great Grandmother and was born on 13th August 1862 in Wick, and I would be interested to know if you have any information which may clear up whether the Nicolson in my family is linked to you. I will look at the marriage record soon to find what William's parents were called.

Regards,
Steven McGregor

[colin nicolson]

Steven
I will look through my records and see what I can come up with. As soon as I have a result I will get back to you. There appeared top be so many Nicolsons in that area that trying to sort them out has been a headache.


Colin

[Durran]

Bill, they are the ones I am looking for. In 1881 there is also Alexander age 7 (son), Magnus age 18 (son) and Elizabeth age 15 (dau). William was the one who went to live in Edinburgh with his wife Catherine Banks. His son William was my grandfather and he disappeared in 1959. I can trace all births except for Magnus. If you need any further info, give me a shout.

Colin

I am a descendant of a different branch of the same family and have done a lot of research into the name Nicolson in Caithness. The following piece from an article I wrote some time ago on the subject of the Register of Corrected Erors will be of interest to you in your quest to locate the birth of Magnus Nicolson, aged 18 in 1881 census. Here it is -

In complete contrast the information found in the RCE in connection with one birth certificate I looked up had a much more amusing outcome. The reason I decided to look up this particular birth was that there appeared to be some confusion over the children born to David Nicolson and Elizabeth Bain, who had married 3rd February 1860 in Wick. According to the IGI they had the following children William, b. 1860; Margaret, b. 1862; Elizabeth, b. 1865; David, b. 1867; Jane, b. 1870 and Alexander, b. 1873.

When I looked up the family in the 1871 census there was a discrepancy. William, Elizabeth, David and Jane were all there but in place of Margaret was a Magnus, aged 8, and the same age as she would have been. I thought that perhaps there had been twins born in 1862 and Margaret had died and Magnus had been omitted from the IGI, a not unusual occurrence. When I scrutinised the birth certificate for Magnus I found the RCE notation at the side and ordered the volume. On reading it the mystery was solved, as this is what was recorded: -

Register of Corrected Entries - Volume 1, page 15.
David Nicolson presented a Deposition dated 27th January 1870 to the effect that the child born on 9th October 1862, whose birth he had recorded on the 14th October 1862 as being a female named Margaret, was in fact a son and should have been named Magnus.

[sgmcgregor]

Colin,

I was trawling through old messages that I had posted replies to in an effort to make sure that I gave all information possible. This particular thread came up, and I realise that I have additional information which I said at the time I would check into, and then I NEVER posted it. Huge apologies I didn't get back sooner, and I hope that you are still checking messages - even after a few years! I said I would give more details on the grant-nicolson marriage, and here it is - finally!

William Nicolson, scavenger, widower, age 38, married Elizabeth Grant, domestic servant, age 40, at 15 East Banks, Wick, on 11th November 1904.

At the time of marriage, William was given as living at 39 Huddart Street, and he was the son of David Nicolson, fisherman, deceased, and Catherine Nicolson, maiden name illegible on the record. She was also deceased.

Steven

[Mamie_2]

Steve
I believe your William would be William Sinclair Nicolson 1866 to David Nicolson and Catherine Harrold.

David was the son of Alexander Nicolson and Janet Sinclair.
Alexander the son of David Nicolson and Helen Barnie
David was the son of Alexander Nicolson and Helen Budge

There may be a connection with Colin's Nicolsons in that the earliest ancestor of his that I know David who married Mary Coghill might the brother of Alexander who married Helen Budge

[pra]

Another Nicolson / Banks query for you, a bit further back

Was Donald the son of the William and Elizabeth ???

William NICOLSON married Elizabeth/Elspet BANKS
Their children were
Janet NICOLSON b: 8.10.1805 at Lochend, Dunnet
Brodie NICOLSON b: 11.2.1810 at Lochend, Dunnet (male )
Helen ICOLSON b: 29.10.1812 at Lochend, Dunnet
Elizabeth NICOLSON b: 21.8.1815 at Lochend, Dunnet
Isobel NICOLSON b: 21.8.1815 at Lochend, Dunnet

Donald Nicolson was b in Bower

Donald Nicholson of Hempriggs married Carolina Gordon ( Caroline Amelia Gordon ) on 23/6/1843 in Wick

They had 11 children

Donald Nicolson, farmer, married to Carolina Amelia Gordon, died 26.10.1904 aged 82 at Girnigoe Manse, Wick.
( and so was b ~1822 )
His death cert confirms his father was a farmer, and that his mother's maiden name was BANKS.
Informant was Marcus Nicolson ( a son of Donald )

Is this all the same family, or is there another Nicolson/Banks connection ?

[J1985]

I will double check with the boss but to my knowlage his partners fathers dad belonged to bower and was nicolson he mentioned something about it recently while we was passing through. Her father now has lived in rogart for many years but will ask and see what he says. Thanks