John Donald Manson
Great-grandfather of Colin Manson (ahnentafel #8, FFF)
✓ Sourced record
Born
6 September 1874, Cromarty, Ross Shire
Died
30 August 1958, Greenback Gardens, Edinburgh
Life details
From a second, independently-built 2011 family tree archive — not the primary source this site is built from, and not independently verified against a certificate or register.
Occupation
Journeyman JoinerRecorded as sourced from Donald Manson's birth entry.
Died
3 Greenbank Gardens, EdinburghCause of death: Chronic Bronchitis & Heart Failure
Census trail
1881 Cromarty1901 St Cuthbert's, Edinburgh
Documents
7 records from the research archive. Click an image to view it full size.
Birth, 1874
Source: Scotlands people downloads — John Manson 1874 Birth.pdf
Death, 1874
Source: Scotlands people downloads — Daniel Manson 1874 Death.pdf
Marriage, 1901
Source: Scotlands people downloads — John Manson 1901 Marriage.pdf
The register gives 25 January 1901. The GEDCOM, and the parents' marriage date on the 1906 birth entry of their son Donald, both say 1900.
Birth, 1904
Source: ScotlandsPeople downloads, 29 October 2026 — Archie Manson birth cert.pdf
Birth, 1906
Source: Scotlands people downloads — Donald Manson 1906 Birth.pdf
Death, 1958
Source: Manson Widdows — john donald manson death entry.pdf
The same record is also filed as "John Donald Manson 1953 Death.pdf", but the register year is 1958.
Death, 1960
Source: ScotlandsPeople downloads, 29 October 2026 — ScotlandsPeople_D1960_685_07_0007Z.pdf
Entry 19. Entries 20 and 21 are unrelated.
What the records say
Details read from the certificate images above. Handwriting is transcribed as read, with doubts noted.
Birth of Donald Manson, 1906
Statutory Births 685/02 0812 · Saint Andrew district, Burgh of Edinburgh, page 271, entry 812
Name
Donald Manson
Born
14 September 1906, about 8:30 am
Place of birth
60 Hay Terrace, Edinburgh
Father
John Donald Manson, Joiner (Journeyman)
Mother
Annie Manson, maiden surname McDonald
Parents married
25 January 1900, Nairn
Informant
John Donald Manson, father
Registered
4 October 1906, Edinburgh
ℹ Matches the GEDCOMBirth date, address and parents agree. The record gives 25 January 1900 for the parents' marriage and the GEDCOM has 26 January 1900, but the marriage register itself says 25 January 1901 (see the 1901 marriage record on John Donald Manson's page).
ℹ 1911 censusThe 1911 census entry for a "Donald Manson" that had been attached here was a six-year-old son of Hugh Manson in Dalry, so it was removed. Donald would have been 4 in 1911.
Death of John Donald Manson, 1958
Statutory Deaths 685/07 0714 · Morningside district, City of Edinburgh, page 238, entry 714
Name
John Donald Manson, Joiner (retired), married to Annie Macdonald
Died
30 August 1958, about 2:30 am
Place of death
3 Greenbank Gardens, Edinburgh
Sex and age
Male, 83 years
Father
Donald Manson, Fisherman (deceased)
Mother
Margaret Manson, maiden surname Johnston (deceased)
Cause of death
Chronic bronchitis; heart failure
Informant
D. Manson (as read), son, 94 Myreside Road, Edinburgh
Registered
30 August 1958, Edinburgh
ℹ Matches the GEDCOMDate, place, parents and wife agree with the tree. An age of 83 fits his birth on 6 September 1874.
Birth, 1874
Statutory Births 061/00 0038 · Burgh and parish of Cromarty, page 13, entry 38
Name
John Manson (no middle name given)
Born
7 September 1874, in the morning
Place of birth
Fishertown, Cromarty
Sex
Male
Father
Daniel Manson, Fisherman
Mother
Margaret Manson, maiden surname Johnstone
Parents married
10 October 1873, Cromarty
Informant
Daniel Manson, father (his mark)
Registered
24 September 1874, Cromarty
⚠ Date differs from the GEDCOMThe GEDCOM has John Donald Manson born 6 September 1874. This entry says the 7th. The parents and their 10 October 1873 marriage match exactly, so this is him, and the register date is the better one.
ℹ No middle nameHe is registered as John only. "Donald" appears later, in his 1901 marriage and 1958 death, and may have been taken from his father Donald (Daniel) or his father's name in common use.
Death, 1874
Statutory Deaths 061/00 0039 · Burgh and parish of Cromarty, page 13, entry 39
Name
Daniel Manson, Fisherman, married to Margaret Johnstone
Died
21 October 1874, in the morning
Place of death
Near Red-Burn, Cromarty
Sex and age
Male, 59 years
Father
David Manson, Fisherman (deceased)
Mother
Catherine Manson, maiden surname Sutherland (deceased)
Cause of death
Drowning
Informant
David Manson, son (his mark)
Registered
22 October 1874, Cromarty
ℹ Matches the GEDCOMThe date (21 Oct 1874), place, parents and wife agree. He died about six weeks after the birth of his son John.
⚠ A son David, and his ageThe informant is a son named David Manson, who is not Margaret Johnston's child (they married in 1873), so he was probably from an earlier marriage of Daniel. That earlier marriage is not in the tree. The age of 59 points to a birth around 1815, a year before the 1816 baptism, which is within the usual margin for registered ages.
Marriage, 1901
Statutory Marriages 123/00 0006 · District of Nairn, County of Nairn, page 3, entry 6
Married
25 January 1901, Clifton House, Viewfield Street, Nairn, after banns, according to the forms of the Established Church of Scotland
Groom
John Manson, 26, Carpenter (Journeyman), bachelor, usual residence in Inverness (street name hard to read)
Groom's parents
Donald Manson, Fisherman (deceased), and Margaret Manson, maiden surname Johnstone
Bride
Ann McDonald, 23, Domestic Servant (Housemaid), spinster, Boath Houses, Auldearn
Bride's parents
Archibald McDonald, Coalman (deceased), and Elizabeth McDonald, maiden surname McIntyre
Officiating
James Donald (as read), Minister of Auldearn, with witnesses Helen Macdonald and William McIntosh (as read)
Registered
26 January 1901, Nairn
⚠ Year differs from the GEDCOMThe GEDCOM has the marriage on 26 January 1900. This register entry is dated 25 January 1901 and registered the next day, so 1901 looks right. The 1906 birth entry of their son Donald also says "1900 January 25", which may be a slip by the informant that the GEDCOM then copied.
ℹ Confirms both familiesThe groom's parents are Donald Manson and Margaret Johnstone, and the bride's are Archibald McDonald and Elizabeth McIntyre, so this is the John Donald Manson and Annie McDonald (P78) of the tree.
⚠ Bride's ageAt 23 in January 1901 she would have been born in 1877 or early 1878, a little earlier than the GEDCOM's "about 1879".
Birth of Archibald McDonald Manson, 1904
Statutory Births 685/3 1188 · Canongate district, Burgh of Edinburgh, 1904, page 396, entry 1188
Name
Archibald McDonald Manson, boy
Born
5 October 1904, 5.30 pm
Place of birth
43 Albert Street, Edinburgh
Father
John Manson, joiner
Mother
Annie Manson, maiden surname McDonald, married 25 January 1901, Nairn
Informant
John Manson, father
Registered
15 October 1904, Edinburgh
ℹ Marriage date supports 1901The parents are given as married on 25 January 1901 at Nairn. That matches the marriage register entry and not the 1900 date in the GEDCOM.
⚠ Birth date correctedThe GEDCOM had Archie born on 4 October 1904. The register says 5 October, so the tree now shows 5 October.
ℹ Other entries on the pageEntries 1186 (Emma Lilian Bunting) and 1187 (James Rennie) are unrelated.
Death of Annie Manson, 1960
Statutory Deaths 685/07 0019 · Morningside district, City of Edinburgh, 1960, page 7, entry 19
Died
5 January 1960, 11:45 am, at 3 Greenbank Gardens, Edinburgh
Name and status
Annie Manson, widow of John Donald Manson, joiner
Age
82 years
Father
Archibald Macdonald, coachman (deceased)
Mother
Elizabeth Macdonald, maiden surname McIntyre (deceased)
Cause of death
Arteriosclerosis; cerebral thrombosis. Certified by George Morris MB
Informant
C. Manson, son, 94 Myreside Road, Edinburgh (initial as read)
Registered
6 January 1960, Edinburgh, A. Harkes, assistant registrar
⚠ Her age gives an earlier birthAged 82 in January 1960 puts her birth in 1877 or 1878. The tree has "about 1879" at Nairn.
ℹ Parents match the treeArchibald Macdonald and Elizabeth McIntyre are the parents already in the tree. Her husband John Donald Manson died on 30 August 1958.
ℹ Other entries on the pageEntries 20 (Jessie Mitchell) and 21 (Joseph McFarlane) are unrelated.
Spouse & children
Spouse — married 26 Jan 1900, Nairn
Children