Thomas USHER

  Research Notes:

They were probably still at Newstead, at a best guess.

1841 Melrose census
Piece: SCT1841/799
Place: Melrose, Ladhope-Roxburghshire
Enumeration District: 5
Civil Parish: Melrose Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: -
Folio: 5 Page: 6
Address: Newstead

Surname First name(s) Sex Age Occupation Where Born Remarks
USHER Thos M 70 Pauper Roxburghshire
USHER Betty F 75 Roxburghshire
USHER Nelly F 45 Roxburghshire
USHER Willm M 35 Roxburghshire

Ages in the 1841 census were very very vague, rounded down I think to the nearest 5 years, but we can't rely on that instruction being followed precisely.

Then 10 years later this:

1851 Melrose census
enumeration district 2, p. 24, at Newstead:

Betsey Usher, Head, Widow, 86, Pauper (formerly servant), b. Melrose, Rox.
William Usher, son, U., 46, Pauper, b. Melrose, Rox.

If Thomas Usher died between 1841 and 1851 there may be a reference to him in the Melrose Church of Scotland burial registers (unindexed, but available worldwide in LDS family history centres). I couldn't spot him when I extracted Ushers, but I may have missed him. Also if his widow died between 1851 and 1854 she may be in there too. After then you'd be looking for a death certificate. Looking in your index from Scots Origins there seems to be a promising looking match:

;SI ;D;F;94;;;1858;USHER;ELISABETH;;;DRUMMOND;;MELROSE;;;799;1;64;;;;;;;SI

which seems to suggest an Elisabeth Usher (maybe not her maiden name) aged 94, with a mother whose surname was Drummond (a very rare thing to be recorded in the indexes), and whose death was registered at Melrose in 1858. This may not name her husband: I'm not sure that death certificates in Scotland over 1856-1860 did name spouses fully, but it should identify her, her parents, and identify the informant (maybe her son?) and also I think at this time where she was buried (i.e. if Melrose, or elsewhere).

Also might this be her son?
;SI ;D;M;;;;1864;USHER;WILLIAM;;;;;MELROSE;;;799;1;56;;
Unfortunately it's from a period when ages were not recorded in the Scottish indexes. If it's the right one and if the informant knew the details, this death certificate should name William's father and mother.

Unfortunately I honestly think that Thomas Usher was unlikely to have any sort of obituary, and also unlikely to leave any sort of testamentary record (will or inventory) though this could be easily checked by emailing the staff at the National Archives of Scotland and asking them to check the testamentary records of the Jedburgh Sheriff Court or such like. As for a tombstone, I have trawled through the graveyard at Melrose looking for Ushers. There is an Eildon family stone that may name this bunch, but much of the inscription is worn away or has fallen off. Only a few names are visible. Many other gravestones are no longer legible. I've also checked notes of an earlier (incomplete) survey of the Melrose Abbey graveyard (notes held at the Scottish Genealogy Society Library in Edinburgh) and seem to recall that they didn't note any extra Usher information, in fact I think they missed the Usher stones altogether.

  Noted events in his life were:

• He appeared on the census in 1841 in Newstead, Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scotland. ⁶

• He worked as a Weaver. ⁷

Thomas married Elizabeth STEVENSON, daughter of William STEPHENSON and Helen DRUMMOND, on 21 Nov 1789 in Melrose, Roxburghshire.^{1 2} (Elizabeth STEVENSON was christened on 22 May 1763 in Bridgend, Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scotland,⁸ died on 13 Oct 1858 in Newstead, Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scotland ^{7 9} and was buried in Church Yard, Melrose, Roxburghshire ⁷.) The cause of her death was Decay of Nature.

  Marriage Notes:

It is still not certain which Thomas Usher Elizabeth Stevenson married.

The "Usher Family in Scotland" lists the marriage as to Thomas b.1774 son of James Usher of Toftfield and Margaret Grieve. It also lists the marriage as having no issue, but according to parish records there was issue.

It is also possible that she married Thomas Usher b 17. Aug 1766, but this could also have a problem, in that if their mothers were sisters then they would be first cousins. It is equally possible that their mothers were cousins and were thus second cousins. This would have made their meeting and bethrothal very plausible. Until their mothers are researched I have left the marriage with this Thomas.

A 3rd possibility is Thomas b. 5 Aug 1759, son of Thomas and Janet Mercer. He would have been 30 at the point of marriage. The Thomas son of John and Janet Drummond does have a slightly more youthful edge though.