Hi Trevor, 

Many thanks for the acceptance.  My surname is Connor but my mothers maiden name is Cree from Lisburn.  I have been recently searching back, upon discovery of Samuel Raymond Cree.  My Uncle has made me aware that he was my Grandads 1st or 2nd cousin.  My Uncle had made me aware that there is a few photographs.  To our amazment he has found them.  I now have a copy of this.  This would have been my Mums Great Great Grandfather, so I'm guessing it would be my Great Great Great Grandparents.  On the back is written William and Mary Cree. 

I am hoping to piece more of this together and would love to share the photo with you guys 

No probs my great grandfather was Robert Cree he married Lilian Ridler they lived in a little cottage think it was called elmos or emos cottage in Sunniside near Whickam.

Sorry I should have added that it was  April 2014 when I settled over here in Portadown and I was born 10/02/1974 my sister on 19/03/73 we are the only children Robert and Dorothy had.

Hi Trevor and thanks my grandfather Robert Cree married Betty Smith and moved to Burnopfield where my father Robert  was born he married my mother Dorothy Brown and had myself and my sister Diane who still lives there. I joined the Army and met my wife Lynn Neilly  whilst serving over here and when I left the army I settled here we have one son called Alexander.

thank you Trevor, I did know some of that information but not all.  most interesting.  I will contact Mike when I can.  Thank you again. Katrina

Is there any further information available on David Cree - Christening Date 03 Feb 1706, Kinnoul, Perth. Father's Name David Cree ?

Hi Sean,

Welcome to the Cree Family History Network! Great to have a Dubliner here.

I think it is eminently possible, I would say probably even, that John Crie married three time as you have shown in your posting. Such a situation is not unusual at this period. I have him on the Cree database with wives numbers 2 and 3 at http://cree.one-name.net/person.htm?id=2346 (and will add his first wife and her children shortly).

Perth was an unhealthy place to live in the 18th century when the town's sewerage system had not kept up with the needs of its growing population. Millers' families were susceptible to TB and lung diseases and women at childbirth were especially vulnerable. It was usual for widowed fathers of young children to marry almost immediately after the loss of their wives in order that the children could be lookd after. So it is far more likely that there was one John Crie, miller, who married three times than three such men. The existence of three people known as John Crie, miller, stretches credulity - mine anyway. The dates as you point out fit this story very well.

What is less clear is whether John was the one baptised on 23 November 1736 in Blair Atholl as the son of David Cree for he would have been only 15 yrs old at his marriage to Jean Keiller. I am uncertain what the minimum age for marraige was for males in Scotland at that time. John was old enough to father a child and their daughter was born six months after the marriage, so we can guess there would have been pressure for a marriage. I know that marriage laws were in general more relaxed than in England, so it is not impossible that it was he.

However I accept there is no convincing evidence to connect John Crie, miller in Perth, with David Crie and Margaret Cowan of Blair Atholl, even bearing in mind that this couple were from the Methven- Tibbermore area just a few km west of Perth. The fact is that there were a number of Crie families from this area.

Going by the most common age at marriage of 24 (for males) the most likely birth record for our miller is that of John Crie born 3 February 1719, Meckven, a fermtoun in Methven parish, to Alexander Crie. This is one of those suggested by Trevor Cree. At present I think we have to suspend judgement about where John Crie came from.