David Downie and Mary Kerr

David Downie 
 Workman
b 9 October 1733
Elie, Fife 
d after 1774
Jean Boid 
 
b 3 March 1734
Kilconquhar, Fife 
d after 1774
George Kerr 
Carter 
b
  
d after 1793
Mother unknown 
  
b
  
d
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m 5 January 1758 Kilconquhar, Fife

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David Downie
Labourer 
b 12 August 1761 Kilconquhar, Fife 
d 27 January 1829 Currie, Midlothian

m
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Mary Kerr

b
d

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m 29 July 1794 St. Cuthbert's, Edinburgh

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David Downie 
Slater 
b 1795-6
South Leith, Midlothian 
d February 1852
Currie, Midlothian

George Downie 
Slater and Innkeeper
b 1796-7
Midlothian 
d 5 April 1846
Colinton, Midlothian

John Downie
Labourer 
b 29 October 1797
Ratho, Midlothian 
d 28 November 1855
Ratho, Midlothian 

Mary Downie 
 
b 7 June 1804
Currie, Midlothian 
d

 

 

James Downie 
Gardener 
b 25 October 1806
Currie, Midlothian 
d 28 August 1875
South Leith, Midlothian 

The evidence for David Downie's parentage comes from his age of 67 in his burial record in Currie, and from the fact that David Downie and Jean Boid had four sons in Kilconquhar between 1759 and 1767 and a couple with the same names had three sons in South Leith from 1770 to 1775. The record of his marriage to Mary Kerr identifies her father's name. Mary may be Mary Ker, daughter of George Ker and Mary Bisset, born 26 April, baptized 3 May 1772 at Ratho, Midlothian, but no other evidence has so far come to light to confirm that. No birth or baptism records for the first two children have come to light so far but the witnesses at the baptism of David Downie's son David in Currie in 1823 were David Downie Senior and George Downie, and no other Downies have been found in Colinton and Currie records. John's parentage is confirmed both by his baptism record and by his death certificate, and Mary's by her baptism record.

James's parentage is established from his baptism record but his death certificate does not identify his parents. In late 2023, Bryan Downie, a direct descendant of James Downie, took a Y-DNA 37 marker test which proved to be an exact match with the 37 marker results for Ian Downie, a direct descendant of George Downie. This result goes a very long way towards providing that George and James were brothers, in the absence of direct, documentary proof.