Mary Morrison Laing then Daly (née Thomas)

Mary Morrison Thomas, reputed daughter of John Thomas by Joanna Ball, born 02/07/1792 and baptised 27/01/1793 in St Elizabeth, Jamaica.

Mary Morrison Thomas, spinster, married John McLean, gent., both of parish, at St Elizabeth, by licence, 02/11/1815. Mary Morrison McLean, widow, married Mr William Laing, watchmaker, both of parish, at Alscot, St Elizabeth, 03/02/1820. Mr William Laing, aged about 32, was buried at Alscot Pen, 18/07/1821.

Jane Morrison Laing, daughter of Mr William Laing and Mary Morrison, his wife, was born 08/01/1821 and baptised 20/04/1821 in St Elizabeth. At some point between 1823 and 1825, Mary Morrison Laing inherited Alscot estate in St Elizabeth and a further group of enslaved people, also in St Elizabeth, who had previously been the property of Mary McKnight as tenant for life (note Mrs Mary McKnight, aged 68, was buried at Alscot, 16/01/1824). Between 1830 and 1832, Mary Morrison Laing conveyed Alscot to the ownership of Richard Walsh Daly in trust, his guardian being Richard Daly and other trustees being Thomas Mason and Thomas Freeman (the latter declined to act as trustee and was replaced by Charles Newman).

Charles McKnight McLean was born 16/05/1818 and bapt. in St.Elizabeth 05/08/1818 (no ethnicity stated). The baptismal entry gives no parentage for him but it seems likely he was a child of Mary Morrison Thomas’s first marriage.

Richard Walsh Daly was born 31/10/1830 and baptised in St Elizabeth, 27/01/1833 into the Roman Catholic Church. His parents were Richard and Maria Daly (translated from the latin, Maria is probably Mary Morrison Laing, remarried to Richard Daly). Godparents were Thomas Daly and Elisa Parsons. Richard Daly of Black River died in 1835. Alscot (later named Success) was registered to Mary M. Daly in the Almanac of 1840.

Baptisms of Mary Morison Thomas and Jane Morison Laing - Familysearch.org, Jamaica Church of England Parish Register Transcripts, 1664-1880 [database online]; St.Elizabeth, Jamaica, parish register (familysearch.org - unindexed Marriages and burials 1785-1825); see estate information for Alscot for previous ownership by Mary McKnight and later by Richard Daly as guardian of his son Richard Walsh Daly.

Kingston Roman Catholic Baptisms - http://www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Members/cb32d-h.htm; Roscommon & Leitrim Gazette 09/01/1836 for the death of Richard Daly; Jamaica Almanac (1840).

Baptism of Charles McKnight McLean from Familysearch.org, Jamaica Parish Registers, St Elizabeth, Births, Marriages and Burials 1705-1820 p. 229.

We are grateful to David Barker and Paul Hitchings for their assistance with compiling this entry.