John Cockburn (1742 - 1834)

Born 24 Jan 1742 in Berwickshire, Scotland

Husband of Lillias (Aitchison) Cockburn — married 14 Jun 1767 in Langton, Berwickshire, Scotland

Husband of Margaret (Dickson) Cockburn — married 13 Jun 1776 in Chirnside, Berwickshire, Scotland

Descendants

Died 26 Oct 1834 at age 92 in Berwickshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Biography

John Cockburn was born on 24 Jan 1742 in Berwickshire, Scotland.

John was baptized on 24 January 1742 in Duns, Berwickshire, Scotland.

John had 4 children with Lillias Aitchison (born in 1747 in Berwickshire). Their children were:

• Agnes Cockburn (born Duns, 19 Nov 1769) ^[1]
• John Cockburn (born Duns, 5 May 1771)^[2]
• James Cockburn (29 Nov 1767 – 26 May 1802)
• Lillias Cockburn (8 Jan 1772 – 3 Jul 1784)

After the death of Lillias in childbirth, John proabably married Margaret Dickson at an unknown date. The couple had 8 children. The 7 that survived infancy were:

1. John Cockburn, ^[3]
2. Margaret Cockburn, ^[4]
3. Mary Cockburn, ^[5]
4. Adam Cockburn, ^[6]
5. Gabriel Cockburn, ^[7]
6. Elizabeth Cockburn ^[8]
7. Thomas Cockburn.^[9]

John died at the age of 92 on 26 October 1834 in Berwickshire, Scotland. Duns.

Research Notes

I have done my best to examine the questions set out in the excellent research set out below by another researcher, which suggests that the 8 children of John Cockburn and Margaret Dickson may be from two separate couples called by the same names. I think the correctness of this hypothesis is unlikely for two reasons.

First, as a close examination of the birth dates allow a minimum of 11 months between all the children, and the probability of two overlapping groups of births from 2 couples within a confined period, that allows these gaps is very low.

Second, the alternating locations for the birth being reported can be explained by the parishes of Duns and Whittingehame being adjacent to each other, and the towns being only 25km apart, so the Cockburn’s could easily have used both places for reporting if they lived somewhere in between.

From the family records on Ancestry, it appears that John Cockburn and Lillias Atchison (the spelling used in https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) had four children at Duns, with Lillias dying in the fourth childbirth (8 Jan 1772), and the surviving daughter being named Lillias Cockburn after her deceased mother. Unfortunately, there is no substantiation of those events on https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk apart from the birth of the first two children, Agnes Cockburn b. 19 Nov 1769 and b. John Cockburn b. 5 May 1771.

John then appears to have remarried Margaret Dixon at an unknown date, and then had their first child (John) in September 1773, and went on to have 7 more (all substantiated on https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk ). “Unknown date” because the marriage between a Margaret Dickson and John Cockburn of 13 Jun 1766 would mean that the couple had no children for over 7 years while John had 4 children with another woman (Lillias), and then when Lillias died, Margaret and John went on to have 8 children over a 10-year period. Not a very likely story. A 1771 marriage date for the couple taken from FamilySearch is unsubstantiated, and also requires a similar long break before the first child with Margaret. But https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk records the marriage between a Margaret Dickson and John Cockburn of 13 Jun 1766 in Duns!

As can be seen, there are big holes in the data supporting my hypotheses of events. For instance, John and Lillias, and John and Margaret could be totally separate couples; and where does the couple married in 1766 fit in? However, I think the narrative remains the most likely sequence of events, so I think retaining the current organisation of this profile is the best way to go until better data comes forward.

Thanks very much to the great work of the previous researcher who started this exploration. John and Margaret are my 5th great-grandparents, and I presume the other researcher has a similar connection.

(Chris Hair 13/2/2024)

Older research notes by a previous researcher/contributor:--

There are other John Cockburn marrying in Berwickshire about the same time. Some sites state he married Lillias Aitchison on 14 June 1767 in Langton, Berwickshire, Scotland. There is no 'spouse' associated with that date^[10], but he was having other children with Margaret at the same time, so it is probably a different person. The couple had 2 children, that are currently linked to this profile: James Cockburn (1767-1802) and Lillias Cockburn (1772-1784) Note This profile had a later marriage date with Margaret Dickson, but source states he married 1766, not 1771.

The linked children are possibly conflated with another John Cockburn and Margaret Dickson. Some children are born in Duns parish in Berwickshire (Margaret, Adam, Elizabeth), othes are born in Whittingehame parish in East Lothian (John, Mary, Gabriel, Thomas). From Scotlands People, the children are born back and forth in both locations, with 2 children born in 1780, Jan in Duns, Nov in Whittingehame. There is only one marriage of John Cockburn and a Margaret Dickson for this timeframe.

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/record-results/101569861065cb4da88f132
2. ↑ https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/record-results/101569861065cb4da88f132
3. ↑ FamilySearch.org Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. Citing: "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTYK-6FV : 16 September 2021), John Cockburn in entry for John Cockburn, 1773.
4. ↑ "Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Births and Baptisms," database, National Records of Scotland, (ScotlandsPeople : accessed 15 January 2024), Margaret Cockburn born or baptised on 24 Jul 1774, daughter of John Cockburn & Margaret Dickson, in Duns, Berwickshire, Scotland; citing Parish Number 735, Ref 40/7, Frame 834.
5. ↑ FamilySearch.org FamilySearch Family Tree. Citing: "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XBPB-M7C : 16 September 2021), John Cockburn in entry for Mary Cockburn, 1776.
6. ↑ "Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Births and Baptisms," database, National Records of Scotland, (ScotlandsPeople : accessed 15 January 2024), Adam Cockburn born or baptised on 23 Jan 1780, son of John Cockburn & Margaret Dickson, in Duns, Berwickshire, Scotland; citing Parish Number 735, Ref 40/28, Frame 855.
7. ↑ FamilySearch.org Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. Citing: "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTYK-NLS : 16 September 2021), John Cockburn in entry for Gabriel Cockburn, 1780.
8. ↑ "Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Births and Baptisms," database, National Records of Scotland, (ScotlandsPeople : accessed 15 January 2024), Elizabeth Cockburn born or baptised on 5 Jan 1783, daughter of John Cockburn & Margret Dickson, in Duns, Berwickshire, Scotland; citing Parish Number 735, Ref 40/48, Frame 875.
9. ↑ FamilySearch.org Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. Citing: "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTYK-2XD : 16 September 2021), John Cockburn in entry for Thomas Cockburn, 1785.
10. ↑ "Scotland, Select Marriages, 1561-1910," database, (Ancestry Record 60144 #3507245 : accessed 15 January 2024), John Cockburn marriage to undefined on 14 Jun 1767 in Langton, Berwick, Scotland; citing Original data Scotland, Marriages, 1561-1910. Salt Lake City, Utah FamilySearch, 2013, FHL Film Number 1068240.

See Also:

• FamilySearch Person: 9MTR-PT7
• Ancestry Profile