Main, Andrew (b. 1807)

Pinning down the exact birth year of Andrew Main, one of Alec Miller's maternal great-grandfathers, is somewhat of a challenge.  While several later sources such as censuses and marriage records indicate Andrew was born in 1812, there is no corresponding birth record to confirm this date.  However, there is an 1807 baptism record from the Banchory-Devenick Parish which seems to be a good match.  This record says that John Main and Elizabeth Livingston from Downies (a cliff-top fishing village in Aberdenshire) had Andrew baptized on 10 January 1807.  While this is somewhat problematic in that it creates a five year difference in dates between official records (baptism versus census), the other information contained within the baptism record - such as the names of Andrew's parents, and living in an Aberdeenshire fishing village - provide strong corroborating evidence.  Also, the 1851 Census lists Andrew's birthplace as Banchory - same as this 1807 baptism record.  The Downies and Banchory were both small fishing villages just a couple miles south of Aberdeen.  And while not totally discounting the difference in years between 1807 and 1812 in some records, it should be noted that discrepancies between dates and ages contained within official records were not uncommon during the 1800s.  

As noted by Laurence Harris, Head of Genealogy UK at MyHeritage, "Documents may contain date errors for a variety of reasons. There can be errors if the respondent (who provided the information) never knew the accurate event date or their memory of the actual date has faded. In such a situation, the respondent may have guessed or approximated the date, especially if they were not present at the event. This happens frequently on death certificates when the deceased’s date of birth is required and the informant may know only the approximate age.  Also, when providing information, there could be reasons why the date might be deliberately falsified. Perhaps a person wanted to marry against the wishes of their parents but had not yet reached the required age, then they might have falsified their age or date of birth.  Errors also frequently occurred due to mis-hearing or mis-understanding by either the respondent or the person recording the information."  Again, perhaps not an iron-clad confirmation because of the inconsistency in dates, but it seems likely that Andrew Main was baptized 10 January 1807 in Banchory Devenick Parish, Kincardine.

According to Wikipedia, "Banchory-Devenick (Scottish Gaelic: Beannchar Dòmhnaig) is a village approximately two kilometres south of the city of Aberdeen, Scotland in the Lower Deeside area of Aberdeenshire. The village should not be confused with the historic civil parish of the same name which spanned the River Dee until 1891, its northern part lying in Aberdeenshire and its southern part in Kincardineshire."

On 15 November 1834, Andrew Main married Elizabeth Baxter.  The official document from the National Records of Scotland says, "After due proclamation of banns, Andrew Main, seaman in Aberdeen was, on the Fifteenth day of November, One Thousand Eight Hundred & Thirty four, married at Aberdeen to Elizabeth, daughter of Alexander Baxter, Pilot in Footdee, by the Reverend John Thomson M.D. Minister of St. Clements parish Aberdeen, in presence of these witnesses - Alexander Fowler, and Alexander Baxter, both Pilots in Footdee, Aberdeen."

In 1839, on October 24th, Andrew's father John died and was buried in the St Fittick Kirkyard of Aberdeen.

In the 1841 Census, Andrew Main is listed as 34 years old and living at South Square (no house number given) Footdee, Aberdeen with his wife (32), and their children Christian (7, a female), John (5), Elizabeth (4), and Andrew (1).  It is worth noting that the 1841 Census, which is the oldest available census for Andrew Main and is also the most contemporaneous to his birth, indicates that indeed he was born in 1807 (1841 minus 34 years old would mean he was born around 1807).

By 1851, the Main family had expanded by three more children and were living at 11 South Square in Footdee, Aberdeen.  According to the census information, Andrew was 39, head of the household, and working as a whitefisher.  Living with Andrew were his wife Elizabeth (37), also a whitefisher; and their seven children: Christian (17, female), a House Servant; John (15), a scholar; Elizabeth (13), a Factory Servant; Andrew (11), a scholar; Ann (9), a scholar; Margaret (4); and Jane (2).

There are two interesting things to note from the 1851 Census.  First, both Andrew and his wife Elizabeth are each listed as being 5 years younger than they should be based on the information contained in the preceding 1841 Census.  As discussed earlier, age discrepancies such as this were not uncommon in the record.  The second note of interest is that Andrew's wife Elizabeth is also listed as a whitefisher.  While it would have been highly unusual for a woman to be out on the fishing boats with the men, it is possible.  What is more likely, however, is that Elizabeth worked on the docks and piers with other women processing the whitefish and herring that were caught. 

On 25 September 1857, Andrew Main died at his home on 11 South Square in Footdee from "morbus cordis" (heart disease).  According to the official record, Andrew was a pilot, married, and 53 years old (while this age would place his birth year as 1804 versus the accepted 1807, enough has been said already on this website about age discrepancies that occurred in records to put too much stock in the exactness of this age).  The document also identifies Andrew's father as John Main (deceased), a whitefisher, and while his mother's name is left blank, she is also listed as deceased.  Andrew was laid to rest in the Burying Ground of Nigg, and his son John Main signed the document as the "informant."