Elizabeth Aitken [549]

  General Notes:

1841 Census ED 4 p.16 - Kilsyth Main Street
Elizabeth (widow) Aken 50
Robert Shaw 25

1841 Census ED 10 p.14 hhs 57 Kilsyth, Newtown
Margret Shaw 32 1819 Head b.Kilsyth Weaver
Mary Shaw 6 1845 dau b.Kilsyth
Elezabeth Shaw 3 1848 dau b.Kilsyth
John Shaw 1 1850 son b.Kilsyth
Elezabeth Stiken 62 1789 Mother-in-law b.Banockburn

1861 Census ED 10 page 13 Kirk Street
David Shaw Burns 28
Margreat Burns 41
Mary Burns 16
Walter Burns 7
James Bunker Burns 5
David Shaw Burns 1
Elizabeath Shaw 13

SHAW - created by Richard Leishman

I. John Shaw
II. Robert Shaw
III. Elizabeth Shaw
IV. Mary Abercrombie


I. - JOHN SHAW - John Shaw and Elizabeth Aitken prior to c1818, the year of the birth of their son, Robert.
John was dead by 1849, as according to the parish register for Kilsyth, his son Robert was buried before his father’s headstone.
In the 1851 Census Return for Kilsyth, Elizabeth Aitken (mother-in-law, wiodw, aged sixty-two, windor, pauper, born in Bannockburn, Stirling) was recorded living with her widowed daughter-in-law, Margaret Shaw, and her three grandchildren in Newtown.
John and Elizabeth had at least one son:

1. Robert, of whom, see below:


II. ROBERT SHAW - Robert Shaw was born c. 1818.
In the register of Proclamation of Banns for the parish of Kilsyth, there is the following entry: November 23 1844 - Robert Shaw and Margaret Bankier, both residing in this parish have given in their names in order to proclamation of Banns - 3 Sabbaths.
Robert and Margaret had three children before Robert died at the age of only thirty-one. He died during an outbreak of Cholera in Kilsyth, which took a total of thirty-four lives during 1848/49. Robert Shaw died on 29 January 1849 in Kilsyth, Stirling, aged thirty-one and was buried on 31 January 1849 in Kilsyth.
In the 1851 Census Return for Kilsyth, Margaret and her mother-in law, Elizabeth Aitken were recorded caring for the three children. However, Margaret married David Shaw Burns on 13 Aug 1853 in Kilsyth and the 1861 Census Return for Kilsyth indicates that two of the Shaw children were being cared for by he and Margaret, along with their three children; Walter Shaw Burns, James Bankier Burns and David Shaw Burns.
Margaret died on 12 October 1864 and by the time of the 1871 Census Return David had himself re-married with Janet Patrick. The family were recorded in the 1881 and 1891 Census Returns for Kilsyth and David and Janet had a further five children; George, Isabella, Alexander, William and Elizabeth.
Robert and Margaret’s children were:

1. Mary, daughter of Robert Shaw, (weaver, resident of Old Town, Kilsyth) and Margaret Bankier his wife, who was born on 23 February 1845, and baptised on 10 April.
In the 1851 Census Return for Kilsyth, Mary Shaw (daughter, un-married, aged six years, scholar, born in Kilsyth) was recorded living with her mother and Elizabeth Aitken, her grandmother in Newtown.
In the 1861 Census Return for Kilsyth, Mary Burns (daughter, un-married, aged sixteen, cotton weaver, born in Kilsyth) was recorded living with her mother Margaret Burns, Step-Farther, David Shaw Burns at Kirk Street.
Mary Shaw married James Rowatt on 30 December 1864 in Kilsyth. James was born in 1841 in Airdrie, Lanark.

2. Elizabeth Shaw, of whom, see below.

3. John, son of Robert Shaw, (weaver, resident of New Town, Kilsyth) and Margaret Bankier his wife, who was born on 16 June 1849, and baptised on 8 July.
In the 1851 Census Return for Kilsyth, John Shaw (son, un-married, aged one year, born in Kilsyth) was recorded living with his mother and Elizabeth Aitken, his grandmother, in Newtown.


III. - ELIZABETH SHAW - Elizabeth Aitken Shaw, daughter of Robert Shaw, (weaver, resident of Kingston) and Margaret Bankier his wife, who was born on 22 May 1847, and baptised in the parish of Kilsyth on 20 June.
On 29 Jan 1849, when Elizabeth was only twenty months old, her father Robert Shaw, died of Cholera.
In the 1851 Census Return for Kilsyth, Elizabeth Shaw (daughter, un-married, aged three years, born in Kilsyth) was recorded living with her widowed mother and Elizabeth Aitken, her grandmother, in Newtown.
On 13 August 1853, when was fiver years of age, Elizabeth’s mother, Margaret Shaw married David Shaw Burns
In the 1861 Census Return for Kilsyth, Elizabeth Shaw (daughter, un-married, aged thirteen, cotton weaver, born in Kilsyth) was recorded living with her mother Margaret Burns, Step-Farther, David Shaw Burns at Kirk Street.
On 12 October 1864, Elizabeth’s mother, Margaret Burns died of consumption after an illness of seven months.
Elizabeth Shaw (weaver, single, aged nineteen, resident of Newtown), daughter of Robert Shaw (weaver, deceased) and Margaret Shaw nee Bankier (deceased) married James Abercrombie (coal miner, single, aged twenty, resident of Parkfoot), son of Alexander Abercrombie (coal miner) and Jean Abercrombie nee Ross, at the Presbyterian Church, Kilsyth, on 31 December 1866. The marriage was witnessed by James Pollock and Peter Cleland.
Elizabeth and James had seven children: A males child, Margaret Bankier, Alexander, Jean, Mary, Robert and James.
In the 1871 Census Return for Kilsyth, James Abercrombie (Head, coalminer, aged twenty-four, born in Kilsyth) and Elizabeth Abercrombie (wife, married, aged twenty-two, born in Kilsyth) were recorded living with their daughter Margaret at Shaw’s Proterty, Charles Street.
In the 1881 Census Return for Kilsyth, James Abercrombie (Head, ironstone miner, aged thirty-three, born in Kilsyth) and Elizabeth Shaw Abercrombie (wife, miners wife, aged thrity-two, born in Kilsyth) were recorded living with their five children and Robert Jaffrie (an agricultural worker who was lodging with them) at the Low Craigends, Kilsyth.
James Abercrombie (Ironstone Miner, thirty-five years of age, married to Elizabeth Shaw), son of Alexander Abercrombie (Grocer) and Jean Abercrombie maiden name. Ross, died in an accident in No. 2 Pit Twechar, Kirkintilloch at 8.00 A. M. on 20 July 1881. The death was registered by James’ father, Alex Abercrombie in Kirkintilloch on 22nd July (Extract of an entry in a register of Deaths, Kirkintilloch). At this time Elizabeth was expecting the birth of her son, James, and also had five children up to the age of twelve.
Elizabeth Abercrombie (her mark x, widow, aged thirty-nine, Low Craigends), daughter of Robert Shaw (weaver, deceased) and Margaret Shaw nee Bankier (deceased) married John Gray (coal miner, bachelor, aged twenty-five years, resident of High Craigends), son of James Gray (coal miner) and Isabella Gray nee Paterson, after Banns according to the forms of the Congregational Church at Kilsyth, on 2 September 1887. The marriage was witnessed by Richard Lothian and Isabella Burns (Isabella Burns was the daughter of Elizabeth’s step-father and his second wife).
In the 1891 Census Return for Kilsyth, John Gray (head, married, aged twenty-seven, coalminer, employed, born in Stirling), Elizabeth (wife, married, aged forty-six, born in Kilsyth) and four of John’s stepchildren were recorded living on the Low Craigends.
In the 1901 Census Return for Kilsyth, John Gray (head, married, aged forty, coalminer, employed, born in Stirling), Elizabeth (wife, married, aged fifty, born in Kilsyth), Elizabeth Gray (daughter, aged eight, scholar, born in Kilsyth) and three of John’s step children (including Alexander Abercrombie who was actually a grandson of Elizabeth) were recorded living on Criagknowe.
Elizabeth Gray (aged sixty-nine, married to first James Abercrombie - coalminer, and second John Gray - coalminer), daughter of Robert Shaw (cotton weaver, deceased) and Margaret Shaw (MS Bankier, deceased) died of chronic bronchitis and cardiac disease at 51 Low Craigends, Kilsyth at 8.30 AM on 7 April 1917. Her death was reported by John Gray (widow) at Kilsyth on 7 April 1917. (Extract of an entry in a register of Deaths, Kilsyth).
Mary Leishman recalled that in her will she left her family quite a lot of money.
Elizabeth and John Gray had one daughter

7. Elizabeth Gray, who was born c1893.
In the 1901 Census Return for Kilsyth, Elizabeth Gray (daughter, aged eight, scholar) was recorded living with her parents at Craigknowe.
George Leishman recalled that Lizzy married and had two sons

Elizabeth married John Shaw [1054] [MRIN: 203], son of John Shaw [374] and Elizabeth (Betty) Jervay [934], on 24 Apr 1813 in Kilsyth, Stirling, Scotland. (John Shaw [1054] was christened on 18 Dec 1791 in Kilsyth, Stirling, Scotland.)