Immigrants to Scotland often faced multiple barriers to fit in - this is the story of Margaret PEOPLES, daughter of Alexander PEOPLES and Catherine O'DONNELL. Margaret was one of 5 children - Alexander, Elizabeth, Ellen and James from Taughboyne, Donegal. Her father died in 1873 of consumption aged 48, Her mother a few years later in 1881 age 42, Margaret is 17 when her mum died and is most likely working away from home. We don't know if this is when she heads to Scotland ( no definitive record of her in the 1881 Scotland census). The first clear record of her is when she marries Thomas ELLIOTT in 1898 - Thomas is the second generation son of an Irish protestant immigrant to Scotland ( ELLIOTT possible from Fermagh)
Thomas ELLIOTT B: Dec 1845 (Elliott Eliot, Elliot) was the tenth child and fifth son of Robert Elliott from Ireland and, Agnes Harley a local Neilston woman.
Thomas married in 1869 at 23 years of age to Ann ESSEN and has 7 children between 1870 and 1888. Thomas does well for himself and becomes an Engineer.
Unfortunately Ann died about 1896 before the age of 40. Thomas meets Margaret and decides to marry again again in September 1898. Margaret had been working as a cook to the richer families in Greenock - was this where she met Thomas ELLIOTT?.
Thomas tells her he is only 39 (he is 52, so a reduction of 13 years). Margaret tells Thomas she is 28 ( she is 34 so a reduction of 6 years). The photo above is Thomas Elliott with Margaret PEEBLES and their only son James MCDONALD ROY ELLIOTT who is born in 1899. Interestingly not only does Margaret change her name to PEEBLES ( could be a different pronounciation of PEOPLES) on the marriage licence but she gives her parents as: Alexander PEEBLES and Catherine MCDONALD. Did she change the names to fit in better into the Scottish culture? O'Donnell is very similar in meaning to McDonald* ( son/decendant of Donal/Donald). So in a short period of time, she has changed her mother's family name from O'DONNELL, her age by 6 years and possibly her religion as she gets married in a protestant church of Scotland.
Through DNA I have been able to find that her O'Donnell relatives (siblings of her mother Catherine ODONNELL) also came to Scotland and setteld in Clydebank, Scotland.
Margaret and Thomas continue the fiction of their ages in the next census of 1901 whilst they are living in Greenock, Scotland.
When Margaret dies in 1929 her age is given as 59. Her birth records state she is closer to 64.
When Thomas dies in 1923 his age is finally given as 77 - his correct age after living as a much younger man with his second wife. True love.
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