ANDREW TURNBULL, SON OF . . . ? ?

How the Turnbulls got their name! (Heritage Hub in Hawick.)

In the post dated May 8, I invited anyone and everyone to help me decide who Andrew Turnbull’s parents were. Edith was the only one to venture a guess. Her idea was different than mine, which made me go back and re-think my theory. It will be good for me to go over my reasoning and see if it makes sense. I also want to know if it makes sense to others. Feedback is welcome!

• In the last post, we saw that Andrew, in naming his children, followed the Scottish naming pattern, but with a slight twist: we know the maternal grandparents are John (Little) and Mary (Armstrong). Andrew Turnbull named his second daughter and second son after their maternal grandparents. So chances are good that his first son and daughter were named after their paternal grandparents – Andrew and Agnes.

• Building on this reasoning, I purchased the birth record of Andrew Turnbull, born/christened 22 Nov 1767 in Hawick to parents Andrew Turnbull, mason, and Agnes Deans. Is it too far-fetched to theorize that Andrew the younger, whom we know to be a mason, would have followed in his father’s footsteps and learned his father’s trade?

• As I looked for a little more background on Andrew Turnbull and Agnes Deans, I discovered that Agnes’s mother’s name was Isobel / Isabel. That could account for Andrew’s and Janet’s youngest daughter being named Isabella.

• The timing of the proclamation of Andrew’s and Janet’s clandestine marriage may also be significant, as it comes about the time of Andrew’s twenty-first birthday (if he is the son of Andrew and Agnes).

The Turnbull Coat of Arms

• A major problem with this theory is that ‘everybody else’ on Ancestry seems to be on the same track. I’m a suspicious person and I hate going along with the crowd unless there is good reason. Thirteen other family trees show Andrew Turnbull and Agnes Deans as the parents of Andrew Turnbull who married Janet Little. But none of those thirteen show any documentation except other family trees!

It’s pretty much circumstantial evidence, so, even though I feel like it’s right, I’m not going to stop looking for some record that will tie the two families together. In the meantime, I guess I’ll jump on the band wagon and add Andrew Turnbull and Agnes Deans to my Ancestry tree; but I will definitely show my reasoning for choosing them as the parents of our Andrew Turnbull. And I will keep my mind open to any other clues either proving or disproving my theory.