On 19 January 1939, Raeburn married the 13 years younger Isabella Rae Smith Dawson. She was born in Falkirk, near Stirling, Scotland, on 23 September 1913. In the marriage certificate is stated that she was the daughter of chemist researcher Hugh Leishman Smith, by the name of Hugh Smith Dawson.The General Register Office London, district of Kensington, Marriages of 1939, act n° 196, dd. 19 January 1939. Isabella was 24 years of age, while Raeburn was 37. Both partners were not married. Her father was already deceased. Raeburn lived at 20, Cranley Place,London S.W.7, while Isabella, or Isobel (as she was known to friends), resided at 85, Warwick Road, London S.W.5. However, when researching Isabella's genealogy, her father seemed to have been an ironmoulder and that her forefathers were all labourers, colliers and coal miners from Falkirk, Muiravonside and Tillicoultry (Clackmannan).Statutory Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. Her father was born as Hugh Smith Dawson. Smith was the surname of his mother, Isabella Smith, married to Christopher Dawson in Muiravonside on 15 December 1890. Christopher's parents were Peter Dawson and Margaret Vicars, married in Tillicoultry on 14 October 1861. Peter's parents were Thomas Dawson and Helena Milsoud. Thomas was a collier, Peter a coalminer and Christopher a labourer. Isabella's mother was Elizabeth Binnie, born 1887/1888, daughter of William Binnie (labourer) and Annie Philips. The couple never lived together. After the wedding, Raeburn continued living with his mother in Cranley Place where he lived with his mother, who mainly looked after the house for him. And Isabella remained at her address at 85, Warwick Road. Both mother, Jeannie Cowan, and sister, Louie, were not in favour of this marriage and probably did everything they could – if not to prevent it from happening – then to terminate it. It is said that they had some suspicion about Isabella's identity and history.
