Parents of Margaret (Johnston) Falconer, born 1833 in New Brunswick, Canada?

Question

Margaret (Johnston) Falconer was my 3rd great-grandmother, and she's become a brickwall:

Her marriage on 12 October 1858 lists her husband's parents, but not hers, just says that they were both of the same parish (Newcastle).

In the 1861 Canada Census, Margaret and William and children are residing in Newcastle: https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1861/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=2082235 and the same in 1871 (albeit with the surname spelled incorrectly): https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1871&op=img&id=4396660_00599

Margaret and William both died in the spring of 1879, approximately three weeks apart: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/133881593/margaret-falconer.

I have no idea who her parents were, or how to find them, I haven't yet turned up a baptism or a birth record for her.

Answer 1

Hi Val,

Looks like you have searched the sources I can think of. Maybe there's something additional on Library and Archives Canada but I kind of doubt it. Did you try the 1851 census?

https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1851/Pages/about-census.aspx

Good luck!

Comments

There are 3 different spellings of Johnston in Newcastle that year.  However, there is only 2 Margarets,  1 gae 9, the other age 30.  The 9 year old could have married in 1858.  How confident are you about the 1833 birth?

http://automatedgenealogy.com/censusnb51/View.jsp?id=3356&highlight=35&desc=1851+Census+of+New+Brunswick+page+containing+Margaret+Johnston

Edit. You can rule out this family as they were in the 1861 census, Margaret still at home.

You're missing the find a grave link.  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/133881593/margaret-falconer

---

Hi Stu! Based on the headstone and this, transcribed from a New Brunswick paper: https://archives.gnb.ca/Search/NewspaperVitalStats/Details.aspx?culture=en-CA&guid=d80ba2ec-493d-4f4f-9845-06d15bf28f5c.

1879 - 45 = 1834 (or 1833, depending on when her birthday actually was).

I'm somewhat confident of her birth year, +/- a year or two.

---

I saw that Val and I already commented that the 9 year old was already accounted for.

Answer 2

My 4th great grandmother is Charity (Falconar) Barnes. I just ordered the Falconer of Halkerton book from Amazon and it covers all the male lines beginning with Alexander Falconer of Halkerton, who died about 1499. It goes into the branches from Scotland, to England, the United States and Jamaica. When it arrives, I will check to see if your Falconer line is included. The book is due to arrive November 24th-December 20th.

Comments

I know my Falconer line (see: Falconer-1627) came from Kincardineshire before they settled in Canada and they really liked the name 'William', I'm not sure how/if they connect to the Halkerton line. Let me know though, please!

---

I will for sure. I know there are a couple of lines. I know my 4th great grandmother is in the book, as someone told me she was. But I will for sure have a look and let you know. And my side loved the name Alexander! Lol

Answer 3

That sounds pretty tough. The only idea I have is to maybe slog through Northumberland County probate records to look for various Johnstons in the hopes that one of them named a daughter Margaret as an heir -- I see they are on FamilySearch, but only accessible from a Family History Centre or Affiliate Library.

It doesn't yield any clues to your core question, but I think this is a record of her husband William Falconer Jr. selling property in Newcastle in 1866 (indenture #455):

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6Q57-2K1

Comments

Hey, every little bit of information helps, and I think that is William Jr, husband of Margaret (This family liked naming their sons William. A lot).

---

I should have said that was a *purchase* of land *by* William (not the other way around).