Notes:

NOTE 1./ 1851 Caradoc Twp , Middlesex Census: from the Ontario Gen Web Project at
<>

DIV PG LN HS SURNAME FIRST SEX AGE MAR RESIDENCE BIRTH RELIGION OCCUPATION REMARKS
1 11 43 85 Erskine David M 47 M R 2 Lot 21 Ireland CofEngland Farmer
1 11 44 85 Erskine Ann J. (Anne) F 26 M Ireland CofEngland
1 11 45 85 Erskine Mary Janis F 5 S England CofEngland
1 11 46 85 Erskine Elizabeth Elenor F 4 S England CofEngland
1 11 47 85 Erskine David Mordon (Morson) M 2 S Canada CofEngland
1 11 48 85 Erskine Benjamin M 1 S Canada CofEngland
1 11 49 85 Erskine John M 36 S DelawRe Ireland CofEngland Weaver

An closer investigation of the actual 1851 census image provides that David had 6 family members in his household, and they all lived in a Log house. They seemed to have faired just about as well as their neighbours, 3 others of whom resided in the same type of dwelling, while there was one frame house, one brick house and one frame shanty according to the enumerator. RAM

NOTE 2./ ERSKINE 1861 census district 243; @ca.on.middlesex.london_township
Surname Given Age
ERSKINE David 56
ERSKINE Ann 34
ERSKINE David 11
ERSKINE Mary 4
ERSKINE Elizabeth 13
ERSKINE Jane 2
ERSKINE Robert 7
ERSKINE William 1
source: OGS London-Middlesex Branch publication #222 1861 Census Middlesex - London Township: Surnames A-L

NOTE 3./ 1871 London, Middlesex, Ontario census

Name Birth Year Birth Place Home in 1871
David Erskine abt 1803 Ireland London, Middlesex East, Ontario
Anne Erskine abt 1826 Ireland London, Middlesex East, Ontario
David Erskine abt 1851 Ontario London, Middlesex East, Ontario
Robert Erskine abt 1855 Ontario London, Middlesex East, Ontario
Mary Erskine abt 1858 Ontario London, Middlesex East, Ontario
Jane Erskine abt 1859 Ontario London, Middlesex East, Ontario
Harry Erskine abt 1864 Ontario London, Middlesex East, Ontario

NOTE 4./ Nissouri Township <>
Believed to have been named for an Indian word meaning "gurgling waters". Split into West Nissouri (Middlesex County) & East Nissouri (Oxford County) in 1851

NOTE 5./ The Canadian County Didital Atlas Project: Full record for Erskine, David <>

Last Name Erskine
First Name David
Nativity Canada
Business Carpenter; Builder
Year Settled 1877
Post Office London
Township London
County Middlesex
Atlas Date 1878
Concession: I
Lot: 7

NOTE 6./ Historical Note: The Year Was 1818

The year was 1818 and the Convention of 1818decided the northern boundary of the United States and the southern boundary of Canada as being the 49th parallel, between the Lake of the Woods in Minnesota and the Rocky Mountains. The land west of the Rockies was under joint control of the U.S. and Britain. That boundary was settled in 1846 with the Oregon Treaty.

South of 49th parallel, Illinois was admitted as the twenty-first state. Initially the northern boundary was set just below the southern end of Lake Michigan, but at a population of around 36,000, Illinois was short of the necessary 60,000 minimum required for statehood. Illinois Congressional delegate, Nathaniel Pope, suggested that it would make better sense to move the boundary northward to include the City of Chicago and the area upon which the I & M Canal would be built, connecting the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River, and from there the Gulf of Mexico.

In the South, the First Seminole War resulted from the escalation of conflicts between the Seminoles and settlers who were moving into Seminole territory. The Seminoles provided a sanctuary for escaped slaves and this provided additional fuel for the fire. Andrew Jackson pursued the Seminoles into Florida, which was then under Spanish control. His victory led to the accession of Florida to the U.S. the following year.

In the Ohio River Valley, an epidemic of what was commonly called "milk sick" broke out and in October it claimed Abraham Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln. At the time, the illness was attributed to many things, but only a few suspected the real culprit. It wasn't until the early 1900s that it was determined that milk from cows that had eaten snakeroot caused the illness. By then it had claimed many other victims, the majority of them infants.

In literature, a young Mary Shelley's most famous book-- Frankenstein--was published. 1818 also marked the first time the Christmas hymn Silent Night was sung in the small Austrian village of Oberndorf.

David married UNKNOWN. died before 1845 in Ireland?. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

NOTE 1./ RAM Theory:
I have David Erskine b. 1803, a brother John Erskine b. cir 1815 (Verified from August 08, 1850: Note from David Erskines Record Book that " My brother John commenced living with me") and a brother Thomas, b.October 18, 1812. I do not have my resource for Thomas listed, so I am immediately suspicious until I find that connection resource. My point here is that these 2/3 brothers range from 1803 to 1815, which is not a stretch for children born during this time, but the lack of any other siblings in between, is not congruous. It could not be because of the potato famines, because that first occurred cir 1820/1840/1850. What I am saying then is that I believe there would be other children.

Here is my found reference to aforementioned brother Thomas Erskine. This was not connected ideally to our David and Anne, but was provided by an Irish researcher to one of the Thompson researchers:
Public Records Office, Parish Records Office for Seagoe, Ireland, Reference: Mic/1/73, 74, 75
Burials:
David Erskine of Tarson, buried March 20, 1834, aged 78.
Janet Erskine of Tarson, buried 2, February, 1842, aged 66.
Sarah Erskine, buried 7-4-1816, aged 63.

Baptism:
Thomas, baptised18-10-1812. Parents David and Janet Erskine, of Upper Seagoe.

I have used these folks, ie David and Janet as the parents of our David w/o any real connective data. Thomas, brother/son, fell into the fold because of David and Janet. Seagoe looks to be about 10 miles from Portadown as best as I can make of it from an internet map. The strength of the surname Erskine in Scotland, and it's minimal frequency as a stand alone in Ireland, leads me to believe there is a connection Between David and Janet, even if it is not the one I have proposed here. Enlarge the following map link about 5 clicks to see the distance between the Seagoe Hotel and Portadown.
Click here: Seagoe Hotel in Armagh, Northern Ireland, 22 Upper Church Lane, Portadown - Yahoo! Local UK

NOTE 2./ The IreAtlas: Search Output <>
Townland Acres County Barony Civil Parish PLU Province
Tarsan 203 Armagh Oneilland East Seagoe Lurgan Ulster

NOTE 3./ TOWNLANDS: William Blacker's translations of townland names are listed: Tarsan - A place where the river is swum across <>

NOTE 4./ Historical Note: The Year Was 1789

The year was 1789 and in the U.S. a young government was beginning to take shape. In its first nationwide election, the popular Revolutionary War general, George Washington, became the country's first president and was sworn in at the first capitol of the United States, Federal Hall in New York City.

In France, a rebellion was underway and with the storming of the Bastille prison, the French Revolution began. In its reporting on the subject, The Times of London, England had the following to say of the conflict:

The spirit of liberty which so long lay in a state of death, oppressed by the hand of power, received its first spark of returning animation, by the incautious and impolitic assistance afforded to America. The French soldier on his return from that emancipated continent, told a glorious tale to his countrymen--"That the arms of France had given freedome to thirteen United States, and planted the standard of liberty on the battlements of New York and Philadelphia." The idea of such a noble deed became a general object of admiration, the [facets?] of a similar state were eagerly longed for by all ranks of people, and the vox populi had this force of argument--"If France gave freedom to America, why should she not unchain the arbitrary fetters which bind her own people.

Later that year, the Marquis de Lafayette, with the advice of Thomas Jefferson who was at the time the American ambassador to France, drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. It was adopted by France's National Assembly in August and ratified by Louis XVI in October.

There was unrest in other parts of the world as well. Sweden and Russia were at war, and briefly, Norway had joined the conflict, although a peace treaty was signed in July 1789.

In a smaller, but well-known conflict, the mutiny on the H.M.S. Bounty was also in the year 1789. On April 28, part of the crew of the Bounty, led by Fletcher Christian, mutinied and set Captain William Bligh and eighteen crewmembers adrift. Bligh managed to get the boat some 3,600 miles to Timor. Some of the mutineers were captured and prosecuted--three were hanged, while others, including Fletcher Christian ended up on Pitcairn Island, where some of their descendants live to this day.

In 1789, there was an epidemic of influenza in New England, New York, and Nova Scotia, which resulted in many deaths due to secondary cases of pneumonia. The new president was among those who fell ill. He caught a cold while visiting Boston, and later, was affected more seriously with influenza, which was dubbed Washington Influenza.

David married Janet UNKNOWN. Janet was born in 1776 in Ireland; died on 02 Feb 1842 in Tarsan, Armagh, East Seagoe, Ulster, Ireland; was buried in Seagoe, Armagh, Ulster, Ireland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

THE ERSKINE CLAN PAGE: <> created by Robert Erskine

A little history

The first Erskine on record was Henry de Erskine, being witness to a charter by King Alexander II, dated 12 March, 1226. A Sir Robert Erskine was the High Chamberlain of Scotland in 1350, and Sir Thomas Erskine, before 1371, was keeper of Edinburgh Castle and Sheriff of Edinburgh. It was not until around 1438 that an Erskine (Sir Robert Erskine) first became a Lord.

In 1457, the Erskines (by then the Earls of Mar) seem to have fallen out of favour with the crown and had their land and Earldom withdrawn, until 1565, when the Earldom was settled on one of the King's sons (later to be restored).

The most stable period of our history seems to have begun in the early 16th century, when the Erskines, as favoured courtiers, became the custodians of the royal persons (to protect them from being kidnapped by ambitious barons).

This responsibility extended from the care of the children of King James V, by the 5th Lord Erskine, to the care of Mary Queen of Scots as a child (at Stirling Castle), and later to the the care of her year-old son under the 6th lord Erskine (wherein hangs an interesting rumour). In 1571 Lord Erskine became Prince Regent, but he died a year later. The hereditary tradition of royal guardianship continued under the reign of James VI, while at the same time the Erskines held the keepership of Stirling Castle; a hereditary responsibility of the Erskines dating back to the early 14th century, and the custody of Edinburgh Castle.

The 7th Earl, John, born in 1562, was a long time friend of King James VI, and entered public life by seizing Stirling Castle from his uncle Alexander. He was charged with the care of the infant Prince Henry (over whom there was a custody battle with Elizabeth I), and in 1601 was on of the two ambassodors sent to the English Parliament to press the claim of King James to the English crown.

The best known Erskine in history was John (otherwise known as Bobbing John), who became Earl of Mar in 1689, and was charged with carrying out the final Act of Union between the English and Scottish Parliaments (1707). He became Secretary of State, and a member of the Privy Council, managing the affairs of Scotland under most of the reign of Queen Anne, but later became disillusioned by the Union and deprived of his Governership of Stirling Castle by King George I. He then committed himself to the Jacobite cause, securing the landing of King James at Peterhead, but was finally forced into exile in France, where he was Jacobite minister at the French Court. He was known as 'a man of good sense, but bad morals'.

A branch of the Erskines also inherited the Earldom of Buchan, and the Erskines also hold the Earldom of Kellie. The present Chief of the clan is Jamie Erskine, Earl of Mar and Kellie, who lives in Renfrewshire.

There is a story that Mary Queen of Scots' infant died soon after birth and that the future James VI was in fact an infant son of the Earl of Mar (6th Lord Erskine) substituted in place of the dead Prince on the instructions of Queen Mary.
This tradition was supported by the finding, in 1830, of the body of an infant walled up in the royal apartments in Edinburgh Castle, where Mary is said to have given birth to the child.

Portraits of the 2nd Earl of Mar and James VI were said to have shown an uncanny similarity of facial features.