Talk:William Neilson (Lord Provost)
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Indenture
[edit]We do know more about Neilson. There is detailed evidence that he dealt in indentures: a specific example is at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Holland-2448. The Neilson there brokering an indenture in Essex County, Virginia is "William Neilson of Edenburg", i.e. Edinburgh. The record used there is published in Deed & Will Abstracts of Essex County, Virginia, 1697-1699, [1].
He also funded the Darien scheme, and loaned money to Edinburgh council around 1710. This I found with some quick research. Charles Matthews (talk) 21:21, 27 October 2021 (UTC)
There is a fly in the ointment, as there were two William Neilsons, merchant burgesses of Edinburgh, one b. 1667 admitted 1692, as son of Alexander Neilson, merchant burgess (b. 1630, son of Gilbert Neilson of Craigcaffie), the other in 1696, no parentage listed. He could tenuously be b. 13/10/1675, son of Alexander's brother John, b. 1643, but married 6/6/1691, not yet 16.....
Provost died in 1728, aged 63, so the former more likely. Trouble is, we have another William breeding from 1690, a gardener, too young to be b. 1675, yet named his eldest son Alex (as did Provost) and later generations used Cornelius, a patronymic from Craigcaffie line, but Provost Wm had no son Cornelius amongst his seventeen kids by Isobel Howison......., yet had 3 Johns in succession............AAAAAArgh!