As many will know, family history research can be easy or it can be a continual battle in an attempt to break down a seemingly endless series of brick walls. Despite having a considerable amount of documentation, my maternal grandmother’s maternal great grandfather Alexander Kirk, and his family remain a mystery to us in many respects.

The Missing Portrait

I knew Alexander Kirk existed as I remember my maternal grandmother telling me that she owned a portrait of him. However, a relative had borrowed it in order to photograph it and had never returned it. In the 27 years that I knew her, she almost invariably seemed to be in the best of moods and that was the only time I can remember her being annoyed. Having made some discrete enquiries many years later, it seems likely that the portrait may have been discarded in a house clearance as just some unknown person and a precious piece of family history may well have been lost to us.

Parents Unknown

Although Alexander Kirk was reported to have been born in Saint Andrews in Fife according to various English census records – and he owned a house there while working in Liverpool – we have yet to find any trace of him in the various Old Parish Registers of Births and Baptisms.

He married on 26 May 1835 in Liverpool and although we have two entries for the marriage, as might be expected before civil registration came into force there in 1837, the parent’s names were not listed.

Scotland and England

After a considerable amount of research, I believed that Alexander Kirk had died in 1898 in Liverpool, so I looked into ordering the corresponding death certificate. I was used to the convenience and simplicity of the excellent, although at times costly, ScotlandsPeople where, once registered, you could search online and as soon you had found the certificate you wanted, you could immediately download it for six credits – currently £1.50 – with 30 credits costing £7.50.

However, I discovered to my dismay that the English system was considerably more convoluted – and far more expensive. After registering at the General Register Office website, it was necessary to look up the GRO index reference number of the certificate in question. In order to do this, it was necessary to search using the FreeBMD website. (It was possible to apply without the reference number, but this currently costs an £3 extra and can take 15 working days.) I found the reference of the certificate I wanted and went back to the GRO. Certificates currently cost £11 and are sent usually 4 days after the application is received, but for urgent cases there is a priority service which currently costs £35 with the certificate being sent the next working day if ordered by 16h00. Unfortunately, there was a backlog when I ordered the certificate and it took considerably longer to arrive than at normal times. Having been used to locating a document on ScotlandsPeople and downloading it immediately, I found the wait incredibly long.

But finally, after days and days of an……tic……i…………..

…. it finally arrived.

And I was absolutely shocked and stunned to discover that in 1898, English death certificates, unlike the Scottish ones, did not include the names of the parents of the deceased!

And so the brick wall remained standing!

Who Were Jane Kirk’s Parents?

Statutory Death Register: daughter of Andrew Kirk, Seaman (Merchant Service) and Mary Anne Millar

The failure to find Andrew Kirk’s parents was simply the latest in a whole series of difficulties with this line. Andrew’s daughter, my maternal grandmother’s maternal grandmother, Jane Kirk had married Andrew Philp, a baker. Andrew Philp lived to a ripe old age and eventually lived with my grandmother and her family so she had stories to tell about her grandfather, but his wife had passed away many years before. She had died on 07 February 1884 at 2 Water Street in Leith when she was said to be aged 40 (suggesting she had been born in 1843-1844). The cause of death was Cardiac disease, cardiac dropsy, 21 days as certified by A. McKenzie Johnston, M.D.. Her parents were registered as Andrew Kirk, Seaman (Merchant Service) (deceased) and his wife Mary Anne Kirk, maiden surname Millar. So far that looked to be as expected.

Statutory Marriage Register: daughter of James Kirk (Land Labourer) and Janet Sime

Jane Kirk had married Andrew Philp on 29 March 1865, at South Street in Saint Andrews after Banns according to the Forms of the Church of Scotland with the ceremony being conducted by Alexander Hill, second Minister of Saint Andrews. Jane Kirk was then living at Muttos Lane (as expected) and was recorded as aged 25 (suggesting she had been born in 1839-1840, making her a little older than suggested at her death). The real surprise was that her parents were recorded as James Kirk (Land Labourer) (deceased) and Janet Kirk, maiden surname Sime.

What I only discovered considerably later was that James Kirk, Land Labourer and Janet Sime (Sim/Syme) were actually the maternal grandparents of the groom, Andrew Philp. Had there been a breakdown in communication and perhaps after asking the names of the groom’s parents, the clerk had asked “and the woman’s parents?” with the assumption being that he had been asking about the maternal grandparents? It seems hardly credible, but everyone can be confused or misunderstand a question and give a misleading response in good faith.

The 1861 and 1871 Saint Andrews censuses

Finding Jane Kirk’s birth proved to be challenging for a novice researcher as she could not be found in the 1841 and 1851 Scottish censuses – and for good reason as she was living in England.

She seemingly did not appear in the 1861 Scottish census either as her family had not been included in the index. It was only many years later after consulting the Valuation Rolls that we realised that from at least 1860 until after 1863, the owner of 6 Muttoes Lane was Alexander Kirk, Mariner and the occupier was Jane Kirk, his daughter!

Jane Kirk did appear in the 1871 census at 6 Muttos Lane in Saint Andrews, in Fife as the wife of Andrew Philp a Baker, with the census noting that she had been born in England. That was not very helpful in narrowing down her place of birth.

The 1881 Leith census

By 1881, the family was living on the second floor of a communal stair at 2 Water Street in Leith, in Midlothian with Jane being recorded as aged 38 and again her place of birth being given as England.

Breakthrough: The 1851 Liverpool census

A major break-though came after much searching over many months and looking through a great deal of records when I eventually found a Jane Kirk, daughter of Alexander Kirk and Mary Anne Kirk in Liverpool in the 1851 English census. Not knowing where in England she had been born and with Jane Kirk being a fairly common name, I had been looking for someone born between 1839-1844. So, I had missed her in my initial searches as according to the 1851 census, she was born about 1837.

An examination of the original record revealed that the family were living at Glegg Street in Liverpool and that the household consisted of:

1. Alexander Kirk, head of the household, aged 34, a Mariner, born Scotland.
2. His wife, Mary Ann Kirk, aged 33, born Liverpool in Lancashire.
3. His daughter, Jane Kirk, aged 14, a scholar, born Liverpool in Lancashire.
4. His daughter, Sarah Kirk, aged 6, a scholar, born Liverpool in Lancashire.
5. His daughter, Margaret Kirk, aged 3, born Liverpool in Lancashire.
6. His father-in-law, John Miller, aged 76, a Mariner, born Liverpool in Lancashire.
7. His mother-in-law, Honnor Miller, aged 66, born Ireland.
8. A visitor, Julia McDougal, aged 5, born Scotland.

This record revealed that Jane Kirk was a little older than we had expected, and that her parents were Alexander Kirk and Mary Ann Miller, as recorded on her Scottish Statutory Death Register entry. The new information was that she had been born in Liverpool, that she had two sisters named Sarah and Margaret and that her maternal grandparents were John Miller from Liverpool and his wife Honnor, from Ireland.

Julia McDougal has not been positively identified as yet but she may be a key player in working out relationships as a recently discovered but as yet unconnected Kirk-McDougall family are currently being investigated.

The 1841 census: The “Quirks”

Following up on the information that the family seemed to have been based in Liverpool for some time, I made a more thorough search of the 1841 census and discovered that the Kirks had indeed been living in Liverpool in 1841, but that their surname had been recorded as “Quirk“.

In 1841, the family were living at Croston Court, just next to Hockenhall Alley – as illustrated in the image above. The Household consisted of:

1. Alexander Quirk, aged 25 and a Mariner, born S (Scotland).
2. Mary Quirk, aged 25, born Y (in the county of Lancashire).

But where was their daughter, Jane, who should have been aged 4 at that time?

I found her seven lines further down, after Thomas Brocklebank, his (presumed) wife and two children and John Calvin and his (presumed) wife.

She was recorded as Jane Quirk, aged 4 and born in the county of Lancashire.

Jane’s maternal grandparents, were found, as so often happens, as the last two entries on the previous page. They were recorded as:

1. John Miller, aged 65 and a Mariner, born in the county of Lancashire.
2. Honor Miller, aged 50, born I (Ireland).

Birth and Baptism as a Catholic: Joanna Eliza Kirk with parents Alexander Kirk and Maria Anna Carroll

Knowing that Jane Kirk had been born in 1837, in Liverpool, I was more confident of finding a record of her birth and baptism, but once again that proved to be more difficult than I could have imagined. I eventually found her in a Liverpool Catholic Baptismal record where she appeared not as Jane, but recorded in Latin as Joanna Eliza Kirk. She was born on 20 June 1837 and baptised on 02 July 1837 in the Catholic Church of Saint Nicholas in Liverpool by (possibly?) Father Thomas Young. Her parents were recorded as Alexander Kirk and Maria Anna Kirk (maiden name Carroll).

So, this meant that Jane Kirk had been baptised, married and died with three different sets of parents being registered:

1. Born 20 January 1837 and baptised 02 July in Liverpool, England as Joanna Eliza Kirk with parents Alexander Kirk and Maria Anna Carroll.
2. Married on 29 March 1865 in Saint Andrews, Fife as Jane Kirk with parents James Kirk (Land Labourer) and Janet Sime.
3. Died on 07 February 1884 in Leith, Midlothian, as Jane Kirk with parents Alexander Kirk (Mariner, Merchant service) and Mary Anne Millar.

The information given in the Statutory Marriage Register is clearly wrong as these were actually her husband’s maternal grandparents. Jane (Joanna) Eliza Kirk’s parents were Alexander Kirk, a mariner from Saint Andrews and Mary Ann (Maria Anna) Miller or Carroll.

The name of the sponsor to the baptism was Anna Miller. It is not clear if she was a maternal relative, or if this was, as I suspect, her maternal grandmother, Honor or Honnor Miller. Anna Miller also appears as the sponsor for another Kirk child, Maria Anna on 26 January 1840, then it is Honora Miller who is sponsor for Jacobus (James) Kirk on 10 April 1842, Margarita (Margaret) Kirk on 03 October 1847 and 25 January 1852 for Alexander Kirk. Perhaps when spoken in an Irish accent, Anna and Honor sounded similar and the name was misheard by an English ear?

The fact that Jane Kirk had been born, baptised Joanna Eliza, and presumably brought up as a Catholic might possibly explain the incorrect parents being recorded when she was married in the Church of Scotland in Saint Andrews in 1865. In days when religion was more important than in these secular times, had she and her husband attempted to conceal that she was a Catholic and therefore given the wrong names for her parents? We shall never know, but it seems to be a distinct possibility.

The marriage of Alexander Kirk and Mary Ann Carroll

Knowing that Alexander Kirk’s wife’s family were Catholic prompted a search in the Catholic registers for his marriage and this was found, in both the Statutory Register and in the records of the Catholic Parish of Saint Peter in Liverpool. The Marriage Licence was also found.

In this case, there was no surprise regarding Alexander Kirk, who appeared in both registers as a Mariner. However his bride was not recorded as Mary Ann Miller, as would be expected from the 1851 census where John Miller appeared as Alexander Kirk’s father-in-law. Instead she appeared in both registers as Mary Ann Carroll – as in Joanna Eliza Kirk’s baptismal records.

Who Was John Miller?

John Miller appears in the 1851 census as the father-in-law of Alexander Kirk, however in 1835, Alexander Kirk married Mary Ann Carroll, not Mary Ann Miller. This suggests that John Miller may have been Mary Ann Carroll’s step-father rather than her father.

A Sarah Miller, daughter of John and Honor Miller was born on 17th December 1823 in Liverpool and baptised on 28th December in the Catholic church with sponsor Mary Wheelan. It seems likely that she was Mary Ann Carroll’s half-sister and that Mary Ann’s daughter Sarah Kirk was named after her.

Interestingly there is a Carroll baptism immediately after that of Sarah Miller and it seems possible that they may have been relatives of Mary Ann’s mother?

There was a Jonathan Miller born on 25 August 1775 in the Old Shambles of Liverpool and baptised on 25 September 1775. The father was John Miller, a Pilot, and the mother was not named. While Miller is a common name, it does seem possible that this might be “our” John as Jonathan’s age corresponds with that of John and a Mariner having a father who was a Pilot seems coherent.

However what seems less certain is that John Miller was Mary Ann Carroll or Miller’s biological father.

Who Was Honora Carroll?

There is even more uncertainly regarding Mary Ann Carrol’s mother, Honnor/Honor/Honora/Anna Carroll. While there is little doubt that she was Mary Ann’s mother, was Carroll her maiden name, with Mary Ann possibly being illegitimate? Or was Carroll the surname of her first husband? No obvious baptism has yet been found for Mary Ann Carroll or Miller so further research is necessary.

An Honora Miller died aged 70 in the Workhouse in Liverpool and was buried in Saint Martin’s-in-the-Fields cemetary on 04 June 1855. Her age would be right for our Honora who was aged 66 in 1851.

The fact that Honor was born in Ireland is fascinating, but in a way it returns us to the situation we were in with her granddaughter, Jane Kirk, when we only knew she was born in England with two possible sets of parents, only in this case, it could be more difficult to trace the family back any further.

DNA may prove to be useful in attempting to break down this brick wall and there are some possible leads that are currently being explored, including small but potentially significant DNA matches with a four thousand year old sample from Rathin Island off the coast of County Antrim in Northern Ireland!

So, Who Was Alexander Kirk?

Despite all the progress and considerable documentation, we are still unable to identify the parents of Alexander Kirk. Strangely, as detailed in another blog entry, while living and working in Liverpool, he became the owner of a house at 6 Muttoes Lane in Saint Andrews in Fife, that had previously belonged to his future son-in-law Andrew Philp’s step-grandmother, Janet Herd, second wife and widow of James Kirk, Land Labourer. This was the same James Kirk who with his first wife Janet Sim, Alexander’s daughter Jane Kirk had claimed were her parents when she married Andrew Philp.

One possibility is that Andrew Kirk was the last and unrecorded child of James Kirk, Land Labourer and his first wife Janet Sim, who may have died in childbirth. If this was the case, then Andrew Philp and his wife Jane (Joanna) Eliza Kirk would have been first cousins. Another possibility would be that he was the first, unrecorded, son of James Kirk and Janet Herd.

On 26 September 1836, Alexander Kirk was recorded as being aged 21 and Steward on Governor of Liverpool.

Meanwhile, on 02 November 1837, he is recorded as aged 21 appears to have transferred from the Governor to the Bouyant.

If Alexander Kirk was born in 1814 as his mariner records suggests – aged 21 in 1835 – then he could not be the son of Janet Sim, who died in 1812. However, unlike the other Alexander Kirk who lived at Muttos Lane, his date of birth is not given in the mariners records and his age might not be accurate. In theory he might be the son of Janet Herd, but she had a son named Alexander in 1833. By that time, this Alexander seems to have been away at sea, perhaps presumed lost or even dead, and perhaps the name was reused? What we do know is that Alexander Kirk born 1814 succeeded Janet Herd as the owner of 6 Muttoes Lane strongly suggesting that they are connected in some way.

The detailed Saint Andrews Kirk Session records mention the contract of marriage between James Kirk and Janet Herd in 1814 but a search through records for 1813 and 1814 do not reveal any rebuke for a child Alexander born before wedlock as might be expected had he been born before or soon after their marriage.

Future Research: DNA

“We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation.”

Voltaire

Lacking a paper trail, we look to DNA for all our new ideas.

Honora Carroll’s reported birth country of Ireland is coherent with our mtDNA results.

Our mtDNA Haplogroup (as determined by Scotland’s DNA) is U5b2c2b. They found that the highest frequency of U5 in the British Isles was 17%, in Leinster, compared to just 6% in Wales.

On Family Tree DNA, the highest percentage (33.33%) of U5b2c2b participants had a maternal origin from Ireland.

So, the research continues, and perhaps, one day, like Frank, we will also be inspired:

It was strange the way it happened. Suddenly… You get a break! All of the pieces seem to fit into place. What a sucker you’ve been, what a fool. The answer was there all the time. It took a small accident to make it happen. AN ACCIDENT! And that is how I discovered the secret. That elusive ingredient, that… Spark that is the breath of life… Yes I have that knowledge! I hold the key to life… ITSELF!

Dr Frank. N. Furter. The Rocky Horror (Picture) Show.