Alexandra
11/6/1886 Marriage on 9/11/1886 of James McKellar to Kate, 2nd daughter of Donald McVicar.
20/5/1888 Captain William McKellar died at Wood’s Mariners Asylum, Greenock, aged 68. (b.1820)
15/9/1888 Probate of Peter McKellar seaman d. 13/1/1888 Royal Infirmary, Glasgow.
6/9/1889 Captain Alexander McKellar senior had two sons Alexander and John. Senior had been on the Victor in 1840
25/9/1889 Margaret Collins widow of Duncan McKellar late of Greenock, died 24/9/1889 at 2, Nithsdale Place, Paisley Road. (Duncan death entry 31/8/1855)
23/10/1889 Probate of Margaret McKellar (Collins) wid. of Duncan McKellar Master Mariner at 2, Nithsdale Place, Paisley Road, Glasgow. Died 24/9/1889.
30/12/1890 Probate of Duncan McKellar, clerk, who died 22/10/1890 of 2, Nithsdale Place, Paisley Road, Glasgow. Died at Greenock.
5/1/1891 Probate of Duncan McKellar, clerk, who died 22/10/1890 by aunt Catherine McKellar or Collins, wife of Douglas Collins. (Cathrine McKellar married Douglas Collins on 31/3/1875 at Kelvin, Glasgow).
2/7/1891 Death of John McKellar eldest surviving son of Captain Alexander McKellar aged 73 at 35, Vincent Crescent on 1/7/1891. (born 14/9/1818 Glasgow, son of Alexander McKellar and Jean Corma. Alexander McKellar married Jean Cormie on 6/2/1818 at Glasgow).
20/4/1892 Death of Louisa Mary on 18/4 aged 10, daughter of late Peter McKellar, shipowner. 13, Union Street, Greenock.
18/1/1894 Death of Isabella McKellar widow of Archibald McKellar aged 84. Daughter of Duncan McKellar, shepherd, and Catherine McConnell.
12/10/1895 Margaret Johnstone McKellar died on 11/10/1895 aged 29, daughter of Captain Archibald McKellar, at 16 Maxwell Road, Glasgow. (born 21/9/1866 Glasgow, daughter of Archibald McKellar and Margaret Johnston.)
3/8/1897 Agnes Buchanan or M’Kellar of 42, Hamilton St., Greenock, fined under Shop Hours Act.
13/7/1905 Villa in Kyle of Bute to let by I. McKellar of 42, Hamilton St., Greenock.
24/9/1907 Margaret Park, widow of Captain Alex McKellar died at Greenock aged 98. (Alexander McKellar married Margaret Park on 7/6/1830 at Greenock.)
The McKellar shipping company was founded by Duncan McKellar. He was a native of Glasgow and was born 1791. When a teenager he didn’t go to sea but joined the army instead. He was at the ill fated Walcharen Expedition which took place in the Low Countries in 1809. 39,000 men were landed on 30th July and the troops were withdrawn on 9th December. During that time 106 officers and men were killed in combat, but 3,960 died from Walcharen Fever. In 1810 eleven and a half thousand were still on the sick roll. Two years later so many were weakened that Wellington insisted that no Walcheren unit should ever be sent to him.
Duncan seemed to have fared not too badly as he was shortly in the Peninsular War. He fought at the Battles of Roleia, Vimiera, Corunna, Fuentes D’oro, Vittoria, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse, and Talavera. At Vittoria he was wounded, not too seriously, but missed the Pyrenees Battle. He stayed with the 7th Regiment of Foot till the end of the campaign and retired from service in 1814, missing Waterloo. Maybe because Wellington didn’t want a Walcharen man!
On return to Glasgow he engaged in a few activities but in 1834 he bought the steamer Hero and started a ferry service between Glasgow, Largs and Millport. Until 1960 he commanded one or other of the company’s boats but then more or less retired from business. He died in January 1875 at the age of 84. In 1861 he was at Tradeston, Govan with wife Mary R. McKellar who was aged 69.
He sailed on the Hero and Victor on the Largs route in competition with his rival Captain Houston. Duncan was more successful and forced Captain Houston to update his ships. Unfortunately the new cylinder didn’t work well with the gearing and lots of breakdowns followed. One of his ships, the Largs, broke down and was drifting but in a short while Captain McKellar came along. Naturally he took the passengers on board his own ship as any captain would, but he rather upset them when he demanded fares off them, especially the opposition’s shareholders that were on board. No love lost there then!
In 1836 the first iron steamboat ever launched was put on the Largs route, the Fairie Queen. The Victor and Warrior followed and then the Invincible and Mars. The Mars was wrecked under Captain Gillies in 1846 (James McKellar married Isobel Gillies). When the opposition owner, Captain Young, died in 1850, Duncan bought up and amalgamated with his company acquiring ships Lady Brisbane, Lady Kelburne, Invincible and Mars. Other ships later joined the fleet, Venus, Juno, and Jupiter, the last two, ultimately being sold to the Confederates.
Competition on the routes continued and mergers took place. Railways replaced some steamer routes cutting the journey time by half and at a third of the price. Ships were sold off and McKellar became McKellar and MacMillan and then the company name seems to fade away.
Jim
