Anderson, George ¹

  Events:

• Historical. ¹ Following on from the event recorded for Margaret, the evidence strongly supports the idea that the father of the 5 children was indeed named George and not William Anderson. The naming of children follows normal custom in that the first child was female and thus named Margaret after her mother, Margaret Taylor. The secnd child a male was named after his father, George. The third child being a male would have been named possibly after his grandfather, say William which seems to have been a common family name. Peter Stafford Anderson, who has the biblical record of the family states that there is no record of the name William for the Anderson born in Aberdeen about 1697, but we have found that my father William Wardlaw Anderson had used this name as the original name of the earliest family head in his booklet "A Pioneer's Tradition"
In hindsight, I can well understand why he assumed this name, as it was certainly a traditional first name of a number of his forefathers. He could also have assumed that he was born 20 years earlier than his first born child, Margaret (1717-) and hence he entered the birthdate as Abt 1697.
Thus I am led to believe that our first known Anderson was indeed named George and not William, and furthermore, his spouse was Margaret Taylor, who we have not previously had any information about. I have therefore taken the liberty of making this very important change to the Anderson family tree, and I hope that it will be accepted for at least until it could be further investigated and only changed if then found to be to the contrary.
Ralph Anderson. (21 July 2006)

• Alt Birth. ¹ In trying to obtain more information about George Anderson we found that name in the records of the Family Society on the 1696 Poll Tax in Scotland. In the Parish of Newhills there were a total of about 1200 people, but in Wagley there were only two who paid tax and one was a George Anderson, described as a weaver, and I am informed that he would have had to be at least 16 years old before he could be liable for tax. If he had been the father of the 5 children listed here he would have been at least 36 years old when his first child Margaret was born, and 50 in the case of the last child, James. This is not an unusual situation but still we need some other evidence to support that notion. It might be significant that the 3rd son William is reported to have been a partner in a firm of silk merchants in London, and there may be some connection therefore with his work as a weaver father in Aberdeen. The only other factor is that of the very small population of the parish Newhills of only 1200 and Wagley must have been much less so that there could not have been too many George Anderson's in Wagley. I would be happier to accept this George as the father of the 5 children if we could find further evidence in records of his birth and death, for example, and/or his marriage to Margaret Taylor.

• Historical. The Source for the above information is copied from the original print as follows:-


582
VIII. PRESBYTRIE OF ABERDEEN.
Item, Janet Chalmer,servant, fee 10 merks p.er annum, fortieth pairt and generall poll is£094
- 7 4
7 4
SCLATIE.
William Bruice, taylor ther, his proFOrtione of the valued rent is 2s., and the
generall poll for himself and wife is£100
Item, James and Jean Bruices, his children in familia, their poll is0 120
Item, JAMES THOM, tennent ther, his proportione of the valued reut is Ss., and
the generall poll for himself, his wife, and son, Gilbert, in familia, is...
James Simpson, servant, fee 20 merks, fortieth pairt and generall poll is.........
Thomas Andersone, subtennent ther, and his wife, their poll is.....................
Item, ALEXA.NDER FETTES, tennent ther, his proportione of the valued rent is
Ss., and the generall poll for himself and. wife is...........................
John Henderson, servant, fee 20 merke, the fortieth pairt an4 generall poll......
Agnes Anderson, servant, fee 10 merke, the fortieth parland generaU'poll is...
William Gray, his servant, his fee £8, fortieth pairt and generall poll is.........
Robert Stephan, cottar ther, and his. wife, their poll is.................................
Item, Alexander Traill, heather bearer, aliaI bisom maker, and his wife, poll is

MILL OF SCLATTIE.
Robert Chalmer, tennent ther, his proportione of the valued rent is 48., and
the generall poll of 6s., both is£0 10 0
WAGLEY.
George Anderson, weaver ther, his proportion of the valued rent is 3s., and the
generall poll for himselfe, wife, and trade£1
Robert Fouler ther, his proportion of the valued rent is 2s., and the generall poll
for himself and wife, is0 14-0
£1 I5 0
0
The waluatione of the Lands of Auchmull and Muggemoss, belonging to Mr.
WILLIA.M: ALEXANDER, in the said pariochin, is£166 134
The hundred pairt whereof, payable be the tennents, is..."'£1
William Edward, tennent in Auchmull, his proportione of the valued rent
is£0 112
Alexander Duncan in Mnggemoss, isI22
13 4
I 13 4
The said Mr. William Alexander his walnatione in the said pariochin being above :fifty pound, is layable in the poll of £4, and the generall poll for
himself and wife, is '"'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' £4 12 0
Item, Mary Midletone, servant, fee 16 merke, fortieth pairt and generall poll is 0 11 4£5 3 4ACHMULL.
William Edward, tennent ther, his proportione of the valuatione is lis. 2d., and
the generall poll for himself and wife, is£13 2

12, TOUNE OF OLD ABERDEEN.
583
r
[
Margaret Andersone, servant, fee 5 merks, the fortieth pairt and generall poll... £0 7 10 Andrsw Chalmer, subtennent and desher ther, his poll for himself and wife is 0 18. 0
Marjorie Cumming, subtenn~n~ tber,.her generall poll is~,0 6 0
MUGGIMOSS.
Alexander Duncan, tennent ther, his proportione of the valuatione is £1 2s. 2d.,
and the generall poll for himself and wife, is...,.,"£1 142
Alexander Donald, his sernmt, fee £8, the fortieth part and generall poll0 100
Jean Roch, his 6el'\\"ant, her fee 11 merks, the fortieth pairt and generall poll is 0 9 8 Alexander Clerk, officer to the Shirreft'e of Aberdeen, and his wife, their poll is 0 12 0
£3 5 10
15 0
f
!
The waluatione of the Lands of Bishops Clinterty, belonging to WILLIAM J OnNSTONB of Craige, in the said pariochin, is£66
(The heretor of this land is polled in Banft'shyre, and there is no person
living on the ground of it.)
13 4
The hundred pain whereof is£0 134
Summa of NEWHILLS Paroch is£12662
PAROCH OF NEWHILLS
MALES FEMALES
102 110
TOTAL
212

George married Margaret Taylor on an unknown date in Scotland. (Margaret Taylor was born Abt 1697 (?) in Scotland (?) ¹.)