The McDonalds in Dundee
After much research I am 95% certain that the family below is part of our family tree, this had been a roadblock for many years, but here is how I got over it, I have now added these 2 new generations to the family tree taking the McDonalds back to 1822 in Inverness (can I go further? who knows)
I had a coversation with a group of people on Roots chat and they came up with the following possibility:
Here is the Roots Chat conversation:
Question
I was wondering if any one can look up the birth of my Great Grandfather James McDonald.
From census records and his death certificate he appears to have been born in 1853 in Dundee, from his marriage certificate his fathers name was also James McDonald, he was a Labourer, and he was dead by the time of James' (b1853) marriage on the 20th Dec 1880. James moved from Dundee to Durham sometime before 1880, where he started working in the shipyards of Northumberland and Durham, moving back to Glasgow for while before finally settling in West Hartlepool.
I am trying to find out more information about James (b1853) such as his mothers name.
Replies
Aha! I have found something interesting. There are a family of MacDonalds living in Tynemouth in 1871 who were born in Scotland. I don't have access to transcription (not sure how they are related) but the details are as follows:
Elizabeth, born 1818, Scotland James, born 1822, Scotland William, born 1851, Scotland James, born 1853, Scotland Evan, born 1856, Scotland Mary, born 1859, Scotland Ann, born 1862, Scotland
If this is him then it would seem that he moved between c1862 and 1871.
There is a death for a James McDonald in Tynemouth, Sep 1877 (10b, p88), aged 56 (which of course fits with the age of the one above from the 1871 census). However I have no idea where the above McDonalds were born. Perhaps someone can look at the original entry.
- Lucia
I've found the births for the last three children on LDS (those born after statutory record keeping) that Lucia mentions above, they are:
Ewan Macdonald, born Monifieth to James Macdonald and Isabella Robertson, 7/10/55 Mary Petrie Macdonald, born Dundee to above couple, 24/09/58 Ann Macdonald, born Dundee to the above couple, 20/01/62
I had some credits left so looked on SP for info on Ewan - his birth cert says his father James was 34 years old, a field labourer, born in Inverness ... he was married in ?unclear, either 1836 or 1850 in Monifieith, and has two living children, both boys, his mother, Isabella was 37 years old in 1855 and was born in Edinburgh.
SP also has a record for a William McDonald, born 1852 in Tannadice to a James Mcdonald and Ann Robertson
Ancestry has a family tree attached to the Census record that Lucia mentions - it relates to the family of William who seems to have emigrated to NZ
That's all great info The family's 1861 census entry in Scotland, confirming everything that Lucia and Gali have found:
James Mcdonald 39, Labourer Iron Ship Building Yarge (?yard) b. Inverness Isabella Mcdonald 43 b. Edinburgh Willm Mcdonald 10 b. Monapeth (?spl), Forfarshire Jas Mcdonald 8 b. Monapeth, Forfarshire Ewen Mcdonald 5 b. Monapeth, Forfarshire Mary Mcdonald 2 b. Arbroath, Forfarshire
Address: 24 Lod Burn Lane, Dundee
Monica
PS: In Scotland, Isabella/ Isabel/Elizabeth are common first name variants.
And this family in 1851 are in King Street, Monifieth, Broughty Ferry:
James McDonald, aged 29, born Inverness, occupation Beacher Journeyman Isabell R McDonald, aged 30, born Edinburgh William McDonald, aged 2 months, born Monifieth Mary Robertson, aged 18, born Monifieth, relationship to head: wife's sister
From this info I ordered the Death Certificate of the James McDonald who died in Tynemouth in 1877, unfortunately his son John was in attendance at the death, so it isn't our James, but there is another James who dies in 1877 in Newcastle:
Name: James McDonald
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1818
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1877
Age at Death: 59
Registration District: Newcastle upon Tyne
Inferred County: Northumberland
Volume: 10b
Page: 53
Who might be our man.
Also another tantilising fact that I've been able to find is that in 1820 a boy called James Macdonald was born to:
15/09/1820 MCDONALD JAMES, Parents: EVAN MCDONALD/ANN MCDONALD, M/F: M, Where: INVERNESS /INVERNESS, GRO Data: 098/00 0100 0046
I wonder if one of our family christian names is Evan?
But all of this is speculation and I can't at the moment find a real link, but it does look very good.
