I have been watching the live webcams from Maes Howe.. The neolithic tomb in Orkney. The sun shines down the entry tunnel only once a year at mid winter mid day. I just saw the light. (pun) David and I were in there last month. http://www.maeshowe.co.uk/index.html

Skaill House from Unigarth Farm. The orignial Stockans at Unigarth were tenant farmers for Skaill House

Beach at Scara Brea (Skaill bay) a little over a mile from Unigarth Farm

Very old crofters cottage used as shed at Ungarth Farm

Main House at Unigarth Farm

Davy Stockan the owner of the Stockan Farm at Unigarth

I spent several days at the Kirkwall Public Library. The library building is new and grand. The Kirkwall library was founded in 1683 and the archives are substantial. I spent the first morning in the archives and the afternoon in the Orkney family history society which is in a room down the hall from the archives.

I searched the archives for George Stoken. I found Stoken spelled several different ways. The proper Orkney spelling is Stockan but I found it as Stokan, Stoken, Stocan, Stockin and Stocking. I researched Hugh Stockan and Marjery Moar and after much research determined that their son George was NOT our George. I found Marjery Moar (age 84) widow living with her son George (age 40) in the 1821 Orkney census. (Interesting that this George was born in North Unigarth, Sandwick.) (North and South Unigarth are large farms).

1821 Orkney census

Additional sleuthing found another George Stockan born in 1785 in South Unigarth. His father was also a George Stockan. I will provide a scan of a family tree given to me by Davy Stockan who is the owner of the Unigarth farm. George in the upper left. There are a number of Peter Stockan’s. The Stokan’s from Sanilac Michigan descend from a Peter Stokan from Orkney.
Send me an email and I will send you a readable tree.

I managed to identify ALL of the George Stokens born in Orkney between 1770 and 1821 in the 1821 Orkney census. All of them were in Orkney in 1821. Back to square one. Not really because we know which Georges are not ours. The records of births, and marriages are on microfiche and there are several readers. The fiche records are almost identical to the Orkney births and marriage listing online. http://www.cursiter.com/pages/indices.htm

When I looked for the contract signed by George Stoken in the Hudson Bay records I found that the microfilm reel for records to 1885 for HBC East of the Rockies was missing or misfiled. The reel for records to 1885 West of the Rockies was there and there were several contracts for Stokens there. William Stoken 1835 and James Stoken 1821. There are about 33 reels of Microfilm from the Hudson bay company at the Orkney archives. I had the librarian check the HBC micro film holdings and the reel that I am after does not exist in their collection. . The absence of the reel prevents any conclusion as to George Stoken’s relationship with the HBC. The Archive room has several microfilm readers but only one is motorized. If you do a lot of searching try and get the motorized reader

We know for sure that George Stoken came from Orkney. This fact is mentioned on Robert Stoken’s death record. We also know from the same document that Robert Stoken’s Mother was named Ann and was from Scotland. There is a George Stoken (died 6/21/1836 at 60 yrs) buried at Parkhurst Cemetery in Ste. Patrice de Baurivage, a rural town about 50 km south of Quebec City. http://www.mackayhouse.com/Cemeteries/prkhrst.htm That George Stoken’s wife Flora Ann McLean (died 11/22/1866) is also buried there. A Flory McLeen age 57 appears in the 1851 Canadian Census living with Walter Stoken age 25. Also listed at the same address is Peter age 23, William age 21, James age 16 and Margurite age 19… all Stokens.

Send me an email if you would like a better copy.

If you search for this page in the 1851 Canadian Census search for Walter Stoken.

Bob

My trip report will be entered in segments as I finish each one.

Bob


Report on trip to Orkney Scotland to research the Stoken Family history.

The results of the trip were mixed. Some good and some not-so-good. I did eliminate some of the possible family links that I had assumed correct prior to the trip. The most positive result is that, with minor exceptions, I believe that all of the Orkney Stoken, Stokan, Stockan, and Stocking surnames are related. There is good evidence that they all came from a common Orkney ancestor. The earliest mention of the Stockan name so far is from 1611 land records of farmers in Orkney cited by Gregor Lamb in his book Orkney Surnames. The farms were well established by then so the surname was there earlier. The farms mentioned in the entry below are the Unigarth farm, South Unigarth farm, North Unigarth farm and Stockan farm in North Dyke. All are definitely in Sandwick district today.

Stockan Farm in 1920, Northdyke, Sandwick and is situated between the farms of Lenahowe and Upper Garson, just north of the Bay of Skaill. The Unigarth and South Unigarth Farms are just East of the Bay of Skaill. North Unigarth farm is just East of the North Dyke farm.

It is possible and likely that the entire Stoken (various spellings) surname in Orkney came from a 9 sq mile area.

The distance from Unigarth Farm to North Unigarth Farm is about 3 miles.



This little map may help understand the relationship of the districts.

Bob

Stoken Blog start up

Here is the Stoken Blog site.

The contact email for those wishing to particpate after reading the blog is
Stokenblog@yahoo.com

Bob is your blog manager.