Connection with the Massey's

Well, after a couple of days off work and on the search of more family members, I struck lucky with my findings and I've laughed about it most of the day with my husband and the kids.

When I found the will of Alexander Massey and plugged the family info into ancestry.com it took me to Alexander's grandson, also named Alexander Massey - who was born in Saintfield in 1863 and moved to Manchester, Connecticut, USA in the 1880's.... I just kept plugging in the family information and merging into mine until I became rather alarmed that it had brought me full circle from my "home" town of Hamilton, Scotland to Saintfield Northern Ireland, over to the USA and here I was finding ancestors from Hamilton, Lanarkshire.

But the names were a bit TOO FAMILIAR to me. I couldn't help smile when I started seeing some "famous names" but I'll let you look at the names that appeared as I went back generation by generation from Alexander Massey!

The names on the left are my connection to Alexander Massey Snr (father in law of George Batton Snr who died in Newmilns, Ayrshire in September 1872 - ironically Alexander died in November 1872).

The names on the right are the connection with Alexander going back one generation at a time - either maternal or paternal connection.... and each time it explains the connection to me, Sandra Murray O:)

Last Will and Testement of Alexander Massey - Tonaghmore, Co. Down

I was able to view the last will and testement on the proni.gov.uk website and have typed up the content of this will.

Alexander Massey was the father of Eliza Massey, spouse of George Batton.

Alexander was the grandfather of the Batton siblings - Ellen, Samuel, John, Andrew, Robert and George.

The thing I found exciting from this document is that it confirms the names of Eliza Massey's other siblings - William, Robert, John and Eliza's mother Susanna.....

This also explains why the name Susanna/Susan features in quite a few of the Batton families........

Correction to previous information

Apologies for incorrect information in my last post on the Mair Family connections.


As pointed out by Betty Davey, John Mair died in Scotland in 1939.


Nellie Mair and her 4 small children went to Canada. Children - James, Margaret, George and Jack.

Margaret and George died one year apart, but James, Jack and Margaret's husband George currently live in the USA.

Mair family connections......if you'll pardon the pun!

I was recently entering lots of the information on FamilyTreeMaker software and happened to click to connect with my account on Ancestry.com for the first time.
As I was entering the information I was being given hints that the information was already entered on someone elses family tree.

Low and behold Brian Long's information kept popping up.......

It turns out there is another connection in the Batton family.

George Batton (my grandfather) and Helen Batton (married John Mair) were brother and sister.
Helen (Nellie as she was known) married John Mair in Galston in 1932.
Nellie and John moved to Canada and I know they had a son, George Mair. I have a photo of my Papa taken with George Mair and his 2 sons (John and Bob) outside their house in Canada in the late 1950's.
George Batton Snr (my great grandfather) and Elizabeth Batton were siblings. Elizabeth married Henry Connell and they had a daughter Lily Batton Connell. Lily married Alexander Young and they had a daughter Lilias Young. Lilias married Richard Newlands Mair. Richard is Brian Long's grandfather.

It turns out that John Mair and Richard Mair share the same parents - James Mair and Rebecca Newlands.

What a coincidence since Brian had recently contacted me with the connection between Ellen Batton and Andrew Batton - a further generation back.....

So my grandfather and Brian's grandfather were related through marriage.

And I found another set of connections between Brian's family and some of mine! Will add the information tonight. I need to leave to go to work!

The Will of Alexander Massey father of Eliza Massey

I have found an actual copy of the will of Alexander Massey.
Alexander was the father of Eliza Massey, wife of George Batton.

It is quite feint so I don't think it would be able to be read online.

I'll type up the contents tonight and post.

Connection between Janet Fyfe and Margaret Eadie - wives of George Paton (son of George & Eliza Batton)

I was recently entering information on Family Tree Maker as well as ancestry.com website and came across a connection between George Paton (Batton) and both of his wives.
George Paton was the brother of my great great grandfather, Andrew Batton.


George married Margaret Eadie on 31 December 1888. Sadly Margaret died less than a year later, on 12 September 1889. George was to marry again on 16 July 1891 - to Janet Young Fyfe.


I noticed some similarities with names going further back and this is what I have since established. Thought I'd share it :

Samuel Brown and Mary Grieg had 10 children of which there were 2 daughters named Janet and Ann.
Janet married John Fyfe and they had a son, Samuel Fyfe in 1829.
Ann married James Bulloch/Balloch and they had a daughter Janet Bulloch in 1835.
Samuel Fyfe and Janet Bulloch were first cousins.

Samuel Fyfe married Sarah Whyte in 1850 and they had a daughter Janet Young Fyfe in 1867.
Janet Bulloch married Robert Eadie in 1860 and they had a daughter Margaret Eadie in 1868.
Janet Fyfe and Margaret Eadie were second cousins.


George Paton (Batton) was probably familiar with the Fyfe family through his marriage to his 1st wife Margaret Eadie.
Prior to marrying Janet in 1891 he was boarding with William Fyfe (Janet Fyfe's brother).