Rev. John USHER

  General Notes:

The 1956 Usher book shows just one spouse for Rev. John Usher, tallying with the recollections of his nephew Andrew. Checking in the Fasti (biographical listings of ministers) however reveals details of two wives. The identity of the first wife is also discussed in the listing of monumental inscriptions in Wilton Old Churchyard in Hawick, Roxburghshire [Hawick Archaeological Society Transactions, 1937, p. 51]. In his pamphlet Thomas Usher (grandson of John Usher last laird of Toftfield) had described Rev. John Usher's first wife as Jane Charters, daughter of Rev. Samuel Charters of Wilton. Instead she was the daughter of another Samuel Charters, Solicitor of Customs for Scotland [a relative of Rev. Charters, both of whom were members of an extended Charters family of Burntisland, near Kinghorn].

The dates of marriage I have entered for John are taken from the Fasti entry, but slightly earlier records of marriage are noted in the Kinghorn parish registers: 29 May 1785 for his marriage to Jean Charters, and 11 Dec 1795 for his marriage to Elizabeth Gordon. These earlier dates are probably dates of proclamation of banns, prior to the slightly later ceremonies.

Whilst John held the situation at Kinghorn, he wrote the statistical account of Kinghorn for "The Statistical Accounts of Scotland" 1791-1799. It begins in Volume 12, page 229 and can be found online at http://edina.ac.uk/StatAcc/

  Noted events in his life were:

• He was employed in Kinghorn Parish Church, Kinghorn, Fife. Minister of Kinghorn

• Testament: 23 Nov 1799. ¹²

John married Jane CHARTERS, daughter of Samuel CHARTERS and Unknown, on 1 Jun 1785 in Kinghorn, Fife.¹ (Jane CHARTERS died in May 1788.)

John next married Elizabeth GORDON on 14 Dec 1795 in Kinghorn, Fife.³ (Elizabeth GORDON died on 16 Feb 1838.)