	Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas - Baptism Records			1

			November 2022
	The title page of the register in which the entry for the baptism of Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas is found.		The Register Entry and Estimate of Her Date of Birth (May 1782) Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas met JMW Turner in 1792; probably September of that year. She took possession of JMW Turner's first oil painting and later gave it to her nephew claiming that it was she who purchased the canvas. This is evidenced in her Nephew's Letter of March 1857. This is her baptism extract from the register (the whole page is shown below). The record for the Douglas's first son [James Bruce Douglas] shows him born 11th August 1785 and baptised 23rd September. It can therefore be reasonably expected that Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas was born some time in May 1782.
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	Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas - Baptism Records Whole page view of Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas' baptism register entry.			2


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	Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas - Baptism Records FreeReg Entry			3

			FreeReg Entry This FreeReg baptism record is effectively a record of a 'Margaret Martha Whiteman' but clearly, given the entry for father and mother names it is the person later known as 'Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas, daughter of Rev. James Douglas'. Comparison may be made with her marriage record. This FreeReg record is wrong in as much as the father's surname should be shown as 'Douglas', father's forename should be 'James' and the child's forenames should be 'Margaret Martha Whiteman'. Looking at the layout of the register entry it is not difficult to see how the transcription error occured! A correction has been sent to FreeReg.
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