My mother, Margery Dey found this scrap of paper in some old papers of her father James Dey. She wrote the note to me on the top left corner.
Thomas Milne married Agnes Christall and one of their children, Jane, married John Duguid Dey. Their youngest son, James married Mary Anna Houston Runciman (my grandparents).
The surname of the Christall family is spelt Chrystal in all documents seen so far.
The Christall and Milne families were market gardeners and lived in and around Aberdeen
Research at New Register House, Edinburgh revealed that my grandfather was not exactly accurate in recording these details for posterity.
The family must have decided to use the more conventional spelling for their surname as all family members are listed under Chrystal. However there are several family members who have the middle name of Christall.
The confirmed facts are as follows:-
| Agnes Chrystal (1798 - 1859) | Peter Chrystal (1802 - ) |
| Alexander Chrystal (1804 - ) | Rachel Chrystal (1806 - ) |
| Elizabeth Chrystal (1808 - ) | James Chrystal (1811 - ) |
| George Chrystal (1817 - ) | William Chrystal (1817 - ) |
| Francis Chrystal (1820 - ) |
| Anne Milne (1819 - ) | Elizabeth Milne (1821 - ) |
| Thomas Milne (1823 - ) | Agnes Milne (1825 - ) |
| Jane Milne (1830 - 1919) | William Milne (1832 - ) |
The marriage of Peter Chrystal is not recorded. His daughter (name unknown) married a Thomas Balfour who was the son of the Rev, Lewis Balfour, DD,
the grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson. The Chrystal/Balfour link has been researched but so far I have found no record of a marriage
between these families. There is every possibility that the marriage was conducted in a foreign land as Thomas Balfour was, according
to my grandfather, residing in Khartoum.
Thomas Milne married Helen Park. They had four boys and two girls.
Jane Milne married John Duguid Dey (1832 - 1918). They had six children, three girls and three boys.
Their youngest son James Dey (1871 - 1938) married Mary Anna Houston Runciman (1875 - 1945), my grandparents.
