Robert Spring (1771-1860)

Genealogy

 * Sex: Male
 * Christened: 6, Udny, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
 * Died: 9 Jan 1860, Spring Bank, Banchory-Devenick, Aberdeen, Scotland; aged 88.
 * Buried: 14 Jan 1860, St. Nicholas churchyard (section D, lair 57), Aberdeen.

Pedigree
Robert Spring was the son of Robert Spring, gardener in Banchory-Ternan and later Udny. His mother was probably Margaret Marns.

Siblings

 * George (b. 1760, Banchory-Ternan; not known after)
 * Isobel (b. 1762, Banchory-Ternan; m. 1796 Robert Sherrat, lived in Birse, had 5 children; last known in 1819 living with daughter in Birse)
 * Mary (b. 1764, Udny; not known to have married)
 * Christian (b. 1768, Udny; married Archibald Farquharson of Finzean; d. 1849, Lumphanan)

Spouses

 * Margaret Gordon, m. 17 Dec 1795, St. Nicholas, Aberdeen.

Offspring

 * 1) Christian Farquharson (b. 5 Sep 1796, St. Nicholas, Aberdeen; died in infancy)
 * 2) Christian Farquharson (b. 17 Nov 1797, St. Nicholas, Aberdeen; married Hugh Garden, lived in London, had 10 children)
 * 3) Thomas (b. 9 Aug 1799, St. Nicholas, Aberdeen; died in infancy)
 * 4) Margaret (b. 4 Aug 1801, St. Nicholas, Aberdeen; married Alexander Mortimer in 1826, lived in Aberdeen, had 8 children)

Biography
Robert Spring was born in 1771 in Udny, outside Aberdeen, the youngest of five children. His father was a gardener. In 1795, at age 24, he married Margaret Gordon, who was five years his senior. They had four children between 1796 and 1801, although two died in infancy. Only two daughters, Christian Farquharson and Margaret, lived to adulthood. Various documents identify Robert as a baker, a merchant, and in one instance, a shipowner. He is also identified as a Trade Burgess in Aberdeen. His marriage, baptisms of his children, and his burial were all in St. Nicholas in Aberdeen. His residence, at least at the end of his life, was given as Springbank Cottage, Banchory-Devenick. He died in 1860, at age 88, having survived his wife by 22 years, and his sister Christian by 11 years.

Disambiguation
An online search of Church of Scotland records (which are comprehensively extracted in the IGI) shows only one other Robert Spring born anywhere near this time and place, which was Robert the son of George Spring, born 22 Feb 1769 in Keithhall and Kinkell. It is clear, however, that the Robert Spring who married Margaret Gordon and had daughters Christian Farquharson and Margaret is the son of Robert Spring, because he is known to be the brother of Christian Spring who married Farquharson of Finzean. This can be shown from Christian's will, as well as Robert's will.

Contributors
TomChatt