Biographical notes

The exact date and place of birth of Jane is not precisely known. There is apparently no record of her birth in the OPR's and the first record is in the 1851 Census where her name is given as Jean instead of Jane Taylor (a common mistake), age of 3, born at St Quivox, Ayrshire. This would suggest she was born in 1848. In the 1861 Census, her name is given as Jane and the place of birth is given as Ireland (her parents were Irish). Her age is given as 11 suggesting a birth date of 1850. On the very indistinct facsimile of her marriage (1869) certificate, it looks as if her age is given as 23, suggesting a birth date of 1846. The 1871 Census lists her as born in Newton in Ayrshire, aged 22 (1849), married, a Servant. The 1881 Census lists her as an outdoor worker, widowed, aged 22 (1853) born in Ayr. Her death certificate records her death in 1925 Ayr as a Widow of James Pettigrew, at the age of 73 (1852). The inferred 1848 date in the 1851 Census is probably the most accurate bearing in mind that she and the rest of her family could not write.