The Prossers of Fintray

1 HUGH PROSSER (1802-18??), born at Fintray on 20 September 1802 and baptized on 3 October. He presumably died in infancy.

2 JOHN PROSSER (1804-1883), of whom more below.

3 ROBERT PROSSER (1806-18??), baptized at Fintray on 23 November 1806. He presumably died before 1837, when another son by Robert senior's second wife, Susan Tosh, was named Robert.

4 JAMES PROSSER (1809-18??), baptized at Fintray on 8 January 1809. He may have married Eliza Adams and had issue in Aberdeen.

5 SARAH PROSSER (1811-18??), baptized at Fintray on 21 February 1811.

6 WILLIAM PROSSER (1813-18??), baptized at Fintray on 6 April 1813.

7 ALEXANDER PROSSER (1815-1882), baptized at Fintray on 14 August 1815. He was a hatter. He married Mary Ann Revell at York on 16 July 1844 and their daughter Helen was born the following year. Mary Ann died at Whitby in the second quarter of 1850. Alexander was widowed and living in Sandgate, Whitby in 1851, with his daughter Helen Jeffery Prosser. In Whitby he was an improvement Commissioner and a member of the Burial Board, who had a great share in forming its rules and purchasing Whitby Cemetery. He was also secretary to the Whitby Institute and a active member of the Court of Foresters. He was a friend of the York Independent preacher, James Parsons. He remarried in the second quarter of 1854 at Barton on Irwell. His second wife was Mary Elizabeth Barlow, from Salford. In 1881, the family were living at 3 Beauclere Terrace, Bishopwearmouth, Co Durham. He also employed three men, two boys and a female in his hatting business. He died on 3 July 1882 at Bishopwearmouth. Although he had left Whitby some 25 years before, an obituary appeared in the Whitby Gazette referring to him as a man of considerable natural ability, of good education, and of manners most affable and genial, there was no tradesman in this town, a quarter of a century ago, more generally respected than he. Mary, his widow, survived him.

8 GEORGE PROSSER (1818-18??), born at Fintray on 7 February 1818 and baptized on 20 February. He was a farm servant at Hatton of Fintray when he married Margaret Reed, or Reid, on 30 June 1837. She was four years older than him. In 1851, he was an agricultural labourer, living at 33½ Harriet Street, Aberdeen.

George was widowed in the early 1850s. He remarried on 9 January 1856 at Old Machar. His second wife was Diana Garden, who had been born in Old Machar. In 1881, the couple were living in a cottage at Gallowhill, Elgin. George and Margaret had issue:

George and Diana had issue:

9 MARY PROSSER (1834-1919), born at Fintray on 30 May 1834 and baptized on 15 July. She married Arthur Walker at Fintray in 1851. In 1861 they were living at Fintray, with five children. In 1871, they were crofting 9 acres at Hill of Crimond, Keithhall.

She was widowed, and died "aged 85" at Flinthills, Methlick, on 1 March 1919.

Arthur and Mary Walker had thirteen children:

(Another Mary Prosser, born illegitimately in Forres and brought up in Nairn, immigrated to Australia as an assisted passenger aboard the Storm Cloud. This Mary met and married a fellow Scot, James Cables on 6 November 1857 in Launceston, Tasmania. She and James had twelve children, of whom nine survived until adulthood. She died on 19 November 1904 and is buried at Railton, Kentish,Tasmania.)

10 ISOBEL PROSSER (1835-1852), born at Fintray on 5 November 1835 and baptized on 7 December. She was staying with her grandmother on Census night in 1841. She died on 23 September 1852.

11 ROBERT PROSSER (1837-1846), born at Fintray on 30 October 1837 and baptized on 5 December. He died on 16 January 1846, and was buried at Fintray.

12 WILLIAM LESLIE PROSSER (1839-??), born at Fintray on 27 July 1839 and baptized on 17 August. On 31 August 1861, he married Jessie Berry, from Aberdeen at Fintray. In 1881, he was crofting ten acres at Hill of Corksie, Cluny, and living with two children:

13 SAVILE PROSSER (1841-??), a son, born at Fintray on 19 February 1841 and baptized on 28 February.

14 SUSAN PROSSER (1843-1879), baptized at Fintray on 1 February 1843. In 1861 she was living with her sister, Mary Walker. She died on 10 October 1879.

15 HUGH PROSSER (1845-??), born at Fintray on 16 January 1845 and baptized on 18 February. On 3 June 1865, he married Jane Morrison at Monymusk. Jane died on 17 September 1896. She is buried with Hugh at Hatton of Fintray. In 1871, the family were at Cranbog Cottar House, Old Machar, and Hugh was an agricultural labourer. In 1881, he was a general labourer at Middlefield, Blackhall Road, Inverurie. There were at least eight children:

16 BARBARA PROSSER (1846-??), baptized at Fintray on 10 May 1846.

Isabella had been baptized at Keithhall and Kinkell on 14 March 1809. She was the daughter of Alexander Ririe of Keithhall and Elspet Pirie.

Innes was some thirty years younger than him, and had been born on 27 May 1835 in Leochel-Cushnie. She already had an illegitimate daughter fathered by John Henderson, Ann Henderson, born in 1853, who came and lived as part of the Prosser family, intermittently alternating between Henderson and Prosser as a surname. Ann Henderson herself had an illegitimate daughter when she was seventeen, Elizabeth, born in 1870.

1 ALEXANDER PROSSER (1836-1917), born in Fintray on 16 May 1836 and baptized on 30 May. He was a school teacher and living at home in 1861. In 1863, he married Helen Ann Webster at Old Machar, and in 1871 the family were at Gateside House, Westruther, Berwickshire, where Alexander was the local schoolmaster. Alexander was still teaching in 1881, when the family were at Springwell Place, 25, St Cuthberts, St Georges, Midlothian (and in 1991 at Gibbs Entry nearby).

By 1901 he was a teacher at Annan School, a public school in Moffat, Dumfriesshire. He died at Canongate in 1917, aged 81.

Alexander and Helen's children were:

2 JOHN PROSSER (1837-??), born in Fintray on 26 November 1837 and baptized on 11 December. While living at home with his parents at Netherhaugh he fathered an illegitimate son with Elizabeth Simpson. The son was born in Inverurie on 11 July 1855 and named John. The son's surname was Simpson initially, and then Prosser after a court case in Aberdeen in 1856. In 1861 he was farm foreman at Drumoak. By 1871 he was at in a lodging house at 267, Union Street, Old Machar, and working as a groom.

His son was:

3 WILLIAM PROSSER (1839-??), born in Fintray on 28 August 1839 and baptized on 16 September. In 1881 he was a domestic coachman, and living at 21 Summer Street, Old Machar, Aberdeen, with his wife Elizabeth Lawson, from Durris in Kincardine. They had married on 23 December 1865 at Banchory-Ternan in Kincardine.

4 HELEN PROSSER (1841-1911), born in Fintray on 19 June 1841 and baptized on 13 July. On 24 December 1859, she married James Ewing at Monymusk. He was a journeyman carpenter. They had a son, but before he was born, James contracted a fever and after three weeks he died at Boatleys in Chapel of Garioch, aged 31. He was buried at Monymusk. Helen remarried, to William Davie on 11 December 1863 at Chapel of Garioch. (They had perhaps met at Craigievar, in Leochel-Cushnie.) She died on 10 January 1911 at Breda, Alford, and is buried in Fintray. From her first husband, she had a son:

She had seven further children from her second husband.

5 ROBERT PROSSER (1843-??), born in Fintray on 22 April 1843 and baptized on 11 May.

6 JAMES PROSSER (1845-1924), born in Fintray on 24 June 1845 and baptized on 12 July. He became a carpenter, and in 1871 was living with John Littlejohn, another carpenter, at Longcroft in New Macher. He married Agnes Hunter on 1 December 1871 at New Machar. In 1881 they were at Longcroft, New Machar, where James was a carpenter employing two men. Agnes died on 16 December 1920, and James on 14 May 1924. They are buried at New Machar. They had issue:

7 GEORGE PROSSER (1847-??), born in Fintray on 15 February 1847 and baptized on 27 March.

8 ARTHUR BERRY PROSSER (1857-1938), born at Monymusk on 21 June 1857. His wife was Mary, from Skene. He died on 30 June 1938 and is buried at Fintray. They had issue: