ELSIE FINDLATER - 1880s
Elsie Findlater, strictly, is not a Findlater. Her name on the Scottish birth records is Elspet Smith. She was born on 31st July 1864 in Insch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the illegetimate daughter of Elspet Smith. Her mother was only 18 when Elspet was born. There is no indication on the official records of the name of her natural father. Elsie, as both she and her mother seem to have preferred to be called, gained the Findlater surname when her mother married William Findlater on 27th May 1873 in Foveran, Aberdeenshire.
Elsie then followed the example of her mother and became pregnant as a teenager. In fact she was only sixteen when she gave birth to William Wilson Findlater on 15th January 1881 in Huntly, Aberdeenshire. There is no natural father listed on the birth records but we can make some assumptions from the choice of given names for the child. William is probably from her step-father but Wilson may be from the father of her child, Unfortunately William died at only 11 months old in Dec 1881.
Elsie emigrated to New Zealand sometime in the 1880s, We know that she was in Scotland in Dec 1881 and in New Zealand in January 1888 but at this moment we haven't pin-pointed the exact date and ship. My assumption is that she would be unable to obtain a passport on her own account until she was at least 21 years old. If that is correct then she would be unable to leave Scotland until after July 1885. It is also possible that if William Findlater hadn't officially adopted Elsie then she may have had to apply for a passport in her official name of Elspet Smith (and the travel documents would then be in the same name).
She was married in January 1888 in Oamaru to George Wilson who was also from Aberdeenshire. George's father was also called William. Is this a coincidence or was George her earlier lover and the father of her son William Wilson Findlater? Elsie is said to be 22 on her marriage records but was actually 23.
Elsie and George then went on to have at least nine children.
- George William (b:1889 d: 1967). George William married Mary Alice Steel in 1912.
- John (b: 1891 d: ????)
- Mary Ellen (b: 1893 d: ????).
- Ernest (b: 1895 d: ????
- Elsie (b: 1897 d: ????).
- Dolly (b: 1899 d: 1970) Dolly married Richard Henry Ryan in 1920. Dolly died in 1970 but her husband had pre-deceased her in 1966.
- Albert (b: 1902 d: ????)
- Bessie (b: 1904 d: ????)
- Newton Findlater (b: 1908 d: 1963)
Elsie died in 1941 aged 77 and George died ?????. The marriages and deaths of the remainder of their children are very difficult to pinpoint due to the common surname and the fairly common forenames. Perhaps a member of the family could help?
