Introduction / Families / Hourston / David Hourston and Christian Drever / David Hourston and Janet Miller / Janet Hourston and James Fraser

James Fraser and Jane Shearer

James Fraser (b. 14th June 1846) was the oldest of the six children of James Fraser and Janet Hourston.

He was brought up with the family at Musgarth, Eday and married Jane Shearer (b. 9th May 1846) at Skaill on 12th January 1870. Jane was the daughter of James Shearer and Jane Cormack.

They probably first went to the US about this time and are in the 1870 census at East Troy, Wisconsin and don’t appear in the 1871 census for Eday. They were back in Orkney and at Greenfield, St Ola by 1881 where James was a farm servant.

1881
Lower Greenfield, St Ola

	Relation	Status	Age	Occupation	Born
James Fraser	Head	Married	32 years	Farm Servant	Eday
Jane Fraser	Wife	Married	32 years		Eday
James Fraser	Son		9 years	Scholar	America
Charles Fraser	Son		6 years	Scholar	Eday
David Fraser	Son		4 years		St Ola
Margaret Jane Fraser	Dau		2 years		St Ola

James’s uncle, John Hourston, farmed and stayed there with his wife and family.

James and Jane were again to go to America and the last two of their seven children were born in Wisconsin:

• James Fraser, born about 1872 in US

• Charles Fraser, born 14th September 1874, Eday

• David Fraser, born October 1877, St Ola

• Margaret Fraser, born January 1881, St Ola

• Mary Fraser, born September 1883, Scotland

• Elliot Fraser, born December 1887, Wisconsin

• William Fraser, born July 1889, Wisconsin

The family were in Racine, Wisconsin in 1900 as were James’s brother, David Fraser, and their parents.