Family History - 6 Sep 2009 ************************************************** (1) 1. Alexander DOWNS ************************************************** Birth Date: 28 Mar 1802 Birth Place: Moffathills, Shotts, Lanark Christen Place: Baptised by Rev. Ebenezer Hislop Death Date: 2 Aug 1887 Death Place: Cawdie (?) Cottage, Muiravonside, Age 86 Occupation: Overseer Spouse: Christina (Christian) ANDERSON Birth Date: Circa 1803 Birth Place: Torphichen, West Lothian Spouse Father: Thomas ANDERSON Spouse Mother: Christian WALKER Marriage Date: 20 Jun 1824 Marriage Place: Torphichen, West Lothian Children: Christian Walker Jean Archibald Thomas Margaret Mary (1) Mary (2) Alexander (2) 1.1 Christian Walker DOWNS ************************************************** Birth Date: 1825 Birth Place: Torphichen, West Lothian Christen Date: 22 May 1825 Christen Place: Torphichen, West Lothian (2) 1.2 Jean DOWNS ************************************************** Birth Date: 1826 Christen Date: 8 Dec 1826 Christen Place: Torphichen, West Lothian Spouse: Peter WALKER Marriage Date: 15 Jun 1853 Marriage Place: Muiravonside, Stirling / Torphichen, West Lothian (2) 1.3 Archibald DOWNS ************************************************** Birth Date: 1828 Birth Place: Torphichen, West Lothian Christen Date: 24 Aug 1828 Christen Place: Torphichen, West Lothian (2) 1.4 Thomas DOWNS ************************************************** Birth Date: 1830 Birth Place: Torphichen, West Lothian Christen Date: 9 Apr 1830 Christen Place: Torphichen, West Lothian (2) 1.5 Margaret DOWNS ************************************************** Birth Date: 1832 Christen Date: 22 Apr 1832 Christen Place: Torphichen, West Lothian Death Date: 1913 Death Place: Cleish, Kinross, Aged 81 Notes: Marriage certificate shows her as spinster, Muiravonside Windyyetts. Spouse: Thomas MAIN Birth Date: 1833 Death Date: 1910 Occupation: Farmer Spouse Father: John MAIN (1789-1844) Spouse Mother: Jean BELL (1795-1862) Marriage Date: 9 Sep 1864 Marriage Place: Muiravonside, Stirling Children: Christina Jane (Jeanie) Main Thomas Margaret Downs Mary (3) 1.5.1 Christina MAIN ************************************************** Birth Date: 31 Dec 1864 Birth Place: Slamannan, Stirling Spouse: John INGLIS Marriage Date: 1886 Marriage Place: Slamannan, Stirling (3) 1.5.2 Jane (Jeanie) Main MAIN ************************************************** Birth Date: 4 Nov 1871 Birth Place: Slamannan, Stirling Spouse: John Williamson MCINNES Marriage Date: 1894 Marriage Place: Bannockburn, Stirling (3) 1.5.3 Thomas MAIN ************************************************** Birth Date: 6 Sep 1873 Birth Place: Slamannan, Stirling Spouse: Mary MILLLAR (3) 1.5.4 Margaret Downs MAIN ************************************************** Birth Date: 1878 Birth Place: Muiravonside Death Date: 20 Sep 1950 Spouse: William GRAY (3) 1.5.5 Mary MAIN ************************************************** Birth Date: 29 Jan 1881 Birth Place: Slamannan, Stirling Death Date: 25 Jul 1974 Death Place: London, England Spouse: William SAUNDERS Birth Date: 1 Oct 1886 Death Date: 1 Oct 1976 Spouse Father: Robert SAUNDERS (1842-1922) Spouse Mother: Magdelene CROMBIE (1844-1922) Marriage Date: 11 Mar 1911 Children: (Robert) Valentine Margaret Downs Magdalene (4) 1.5.5.1 (Robert) Valentine SAUNDERS ************************************************** Birth Date: 1913 Death Date: 1999 (4) 1.5.5.2 Margaret Downs SAUNDERS ************************************************** Birth Date: 10 Apr 1915 Birth Place: Ipswich, England Death Date: 13 Apr 2002 Death Place: Masterton, New Zealand Occupation: Teacher, Mathematics Education: MA, Dip Ed, Edinburgh Sources: Notes by son Michael. Spouse: William Brittain Rutherfurd LAIDLAW Dr Birth Date: 8 Sep 1902 Birth Place: Edinburgh, Scotland Death Date: 25 Jan 1975 Death Place: Leith Hospital, Leith Burial Date: Jan 1975 Burial Place: Cremation Occupation: Entomologist Education: Edinburgh Acadeny, Aberdeen University DSc Forestry Spouse Father: John Kinlay LAIDLAW (1860-1928) Spouse Mother: Flora Charlotte Jane BEDFORD (1862-1916) Spouse Notes: As a child William lived at 13 St Bernard's Crescent Edinburgh. He attended Edinburgh Academy and Aberdeen University where he was awarded a DSc in Forestry (ref "One Hundred Years of forestry teaching and research at the University of Aberdeen 1907 to 2007 by Andrew D Cameron.. He was a research scientist (forest entomology) and lecturer at the unversity in the 1920's. His scientific work took him to Ranchi India where he met his first wife. In 1941 he he married Margaret Saunders. At this time, during World War 2 he worked for the Ministry of Food in Glasgow where son Ruary was born. They then moved to Edinburgh where son Michael was born. After the war William bought a market gardedn near Eyemouth in Berwickshire before sailing for New Zealand on the P&O liner Strathnaver in 1952 to take up a post in the Zoology department at Auckland University. In 1956 he spent 3 months at the Cawthron Institute (science) in Nelson before returing to Auckloand. Latterly he took teaching jobs in various parts of New Zealand. He published 2 books "A Guide to British Hardwoods" illustrated with his own pen and ink drawings and "Butterflies of New Zealand" published by Collins NZ using his own water colour illustrations. His main hobby was water colour painting. Shortly before his death William returned to Scotland. Spouse Sources: SRO Death Certificate Notes by son Michael. Marriage Date: 14 Feb 1941 Children: Michael Rutherfurd (5) 1.5.5.2.1 Michael Rutherfurd LAIDLAW ************************************************** Birth Date: 1 Apr 1945 Birth Place: Edinburgh, Scotland Occupation: Meteorologist, Quality Manager Education: Auckland Grammar School, Auckland University, BSc Maths. Notes: Born in Edinburgh, some of Michael's early years were spent in Eyemouth where his father had a market garden Big Law Burn). Michael emigrated from Scotland with his parents in 1953 on the ship Dominion Monarch. He was educated at Auckland Grammar School and graduated BSc in Pure and Applied Mathematics from Auckland University in 1966. In 1967 he moved to Wellington to follow a career as a meteorologist, firstly as a weather forecaster and later as a manager. He a did a tour of duty in Fiji as a weather forecaster in 1975-1978 during which he married Elaine. The whole family returned to Fiji 1985-1987 when Michael managed the Nadi Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre. Hobbires include Scottish Country Dancing (RSCDS certificated teacher), and gardening. In late 1999 Michael and Elaine "pre-retired" to Carterton (Wairarapa) an hour and a quarter from Wellington by Road or rail. In 2005 they moved to Masterton. Spouse: Elaine Elizabeth WILSON Birth Date: 9 Sep 1947 Birth Place: Nelson, New Zealand Occupation: Science tech., Met.Observer, Buildings Manager Spouse Father: John Vernon WILSON (1912-1992) Spouse Mother: Sarah Elizabeth LUNN (1913-) Spouse Notes: Brought up in Nelson. Elaine's first job was a laboratory technician. She then moved to Auckland and worked for a time as a Meteorological Observer before marriage. Elaine has also worked as a Real Estate office administrator and Real Estate Agen and School building project manager for the Catholic Education Management Board. Her interests include Scottish Country Dancing (RSCDS certificated teacher), Flying - prior to marriage (provate pilot's licence), 1/12th scale miniature modelling, croquet and gardening. Marriage Date: 19 Feb 1977 Marriage Place: Nelson, NZ, All Saints Church, Vanguard Street (4) 1.5.5.3 Magdalene SAUNDERS ************************************************** Birth Date: 1917 Spouse: Alexander CURRALL OBE (2) 1.6 Mary (1) DOWNS ************************************************** Birth Date: 1834 Christen Date: 27 Jul 1834 Death Place: In infancy? (2) 1.7 Mary (2) DOWNS ************************************************** Birth Date: 1836 Christen Date: 21 Nov 1836 (2) 1.8 Alexander DOWNS ************************************************** Birth Date: 1841 Birth Place: Torphichen, West Lothian Christen Date: 14 Jan 1841 Christen Place: Torphichen, West Lothian Index ************************************************** ANDERSON, Christina (Christian), spouse of (1) 1. CURRALL, Alexander OBE, spouse of (4) 1.5.5.3 DOWNS, Alexander (1) 1. DOWNS, Alexander (2) 1.8 DOWNS, Archibald (2) 1.3 DOWNS, Christian Walker (2) 1.1 DOWNS, Jean (2) 1.2 DOWNS, Margaret (2) 1.5 DOWNS, Mary (1) (2) 1.6 DOWNS, Mary (2) (2) 1.7 DOWNS, Thomas (2) 1.4 GRAY, William, spouse of (3) 1.5.4 INGLIS, John, spouse of (3) 1.5.1 LAIDLAW, Michael Rutherfurd (5) 1.5.5.2.1 LAIDLAW, William Brittain Rutherfurd Dr, spouse of (4) 1.5.5.2 MAIN, Christina (3) 1.5.1 MAIN, Jane (Jeanie) Main (3) 1.5.2 MAIN, Margaret Downs (3) 1.5.4 MAIN, Mary (3) 1.5.5 MAIN, Thomas (3) 1.5.3 MAIN, Thomas, spouse of (2) 1.5 MCINNES, John Williamson, spouse of (3) 1.5.2 MILLLAR, Mary, spouse of (3) 1.5.3 SAUNDERS, (Robert) Valentine (4) 1.5.5.1 SAUNDERS, Magdalene (4) 1.5.5.3 SAUNDERS, Margaret Downs (4) 1.5.5.2 SAUNDERS, William, spouse of (3) 1.5.5 WALKER, Peter, spouse of (2) 1.2 WILSON, Elaine Elizabeth, spouse of (5) 1.5.5.2.1