Author Topic: Jimmy Gold, The Crazy Gang!  (Read 10402 times)

Offline mew64

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Jimmy Gold, The Crazy Gang!
« on: Sunday 18 March 12 01:25 GMT (UK) »
Hi, I've just found out that Jimmy Gold, a member of the very well known Crazy Gang, was the first cousin of my great grandmother. His birth name was James McGonigal, born on 21st April 1886 at 62 Clyde St. Glasgow, the son of John & Elizabeth, formerly Gould/Gold (variable spellings.)
I've found plenty of theatrical information which is just fascinating,  even some of their films on Youtube, amazing!
I don't think my mum or grandmother could have known about this connection or they would certainly have mentioned it.
 I would really like to find a marriage for Jimmy, one of the articles online says that his wife's name was May, that's all though sadly. I've looked on all of the usual sites including Scotlands People, as I'm not sure when he came to London from Glasgow, most likely about 1908 I think, however he could have married in Scotland & brought his wife with him, I don't know. Jimmy died in the Brent district of London on 7th October 1967.
Any help or advise would be very welcome please, thanks in advance.

Offline mshrmh

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Re: Jimmy Gold, The Crazy Gang!
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 18 March 12 11:00 GMT (UK) »
Nothing relevant to the family history as such, but there is a piece about the Crazy Gang on the online Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (confirms name & dates). In the sources listed are

The Times (9 Oct 1967) Jimmy Gold (I assume this will be his obituary)
Film: BFINA news footage & performance footage (ie British Film Institute National Archive)
Sound: BL NSA sound recording ( ie British Library)
Photographs: Hulton Archive and National Portrait gallery (Beaton group picture) latter is at:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0kxa/

The whole profile ia accessible at:
http://www.britmovie.co.uk/forums/actors-actresses/103246-crazy-gang-comedy-actors.html

The Times archive is online - some libraries have access otherwise there's a charge. I've access to the Guardian & Observer Archive via my library (as was the ONDB). There's a small piece in the Observer of Oct 8 1967 which reports the death as at his Harrow home and cremation at Golders Green. The Guardian for 9 Oct 1967 gives his home as Sudbury Court Road, Harrow & said he'd been ill for several years. Neither piece has any family information. Perhaps the Times might have more or a Scottish paper or trade one (the Stage for example).

There's a wikipedia article that has his parents & mentions siblings.

Googling produced another relative:
http://sidharta.com/authors/index.jsp?id=7
http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/features/interviews/chrissie-macdonald/index.cfm

Offline mew64

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Re: Jimmy Gold, The Crazy Gang!
« Reply #2 on: Monday 19 March 12 12:34 GMT (UK) »
Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate it. I took out a 24 hour subscription to view 'The Stage' archives and found loads of articles about the crazy gang, plus one useful bit of information from Jimmy Gold's obituary in there, apparently he married a Betty Hobbs in 1957, after being widowed previously. There's no mention of his first wife or if there were any children sadly. I googled Betty Hobbs and wonder if it's this lady - Betty Hobbs Globe girls, a well known and successful dance troupe from the same era as the crazy gang. They were a novelty act, the girls, six or eight of them I think, balanced on globes.
However I can't find any record of either marriages, here or in Scotland, very odd! Thanks also for the link about his great niece, I'll see if I can track her down in Australia.
Thanks again.

Offline mshrmh

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Re: Jimmy Gold, The Crazy Gang!
« Reply #3 on: Monday 19 March 12 14:52 GMT (UK) »
mew64 - there's a marriage in the Harrow Registration district in 1958 between James J McGonigal and Minnie E H Nolan. The 1967 death is listed as James J McGonigal.

Minnie Elizabeth H McGonigal's death is recorded as June 1988 in Brent (the 1967 death was the same district - guessing it covered Harrow by then) - her date of birth was 1909. The legal announcement in the London Gazette after her death has Minnie Elizabeth Hannah McGonigal, otherwise Betty Hobbs, otherwise June Gold (address matches that quoted on Jimmy's death):
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/51494/pages/11373/page.pdf
Looks like you've correctly identified her.

I didn't find a previous marriage for Jimmy in England & Wales unless it's one of the variant spellings. Looking at the London Gazette there's a 1951 notice in relation to Annie McGonigal, wife of James, address Brixton - the same trustees as are listed for the equivalent notice after Jimmy's death so Annie may be the earlier wife:
Annie       http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/39260/pages/3337
Jimmy      http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/44442/pages/11891


Offline mew64

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Re: Jimmy Gold, The Crazy Gang!
« Reply #4 on: Monday 19 March 12 15:07 GMT (UK) »
Wow thank you so much, you're a legend! This gives me loads to work on and I so appreciate your input,
best wishes,
Marion.

Offline mshrmh

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Re: Jimmy Gold, The Crazy Gang!
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 20 March 12 14:39 GMT (UK) »
Joint effort really - you found there'd been two marriages, I just filled in some details.  :D

Offline da1th1

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Re: Jimmy Gold, The Crazy Gang!
« Reply #6 on: Thursday 22 March 12 11:26 GMT (UK) »
I have stacks of information about him and his family, please send me your email address to (*)

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Offline mshrmh

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Re: Jimmy Gold, The Crazy Gang!
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 22 March 12 11:37 GMT (UK) »
Daithi - welcome to RootsChat. Your e-mail address will be removed by a moderator to prevent spamming, but if you can post a couple more times - brief comments will do - such that your post count is 3 or more, mew 64 will be able to contact you via a personal message within RootsChat which is off-board & private.

Offline da1th1

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Re: Jimmy Gold, The Crazy Gang!
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 22 March 12 12:26 GMT (UK) »
Info below is on Jimmys father
John McGonigal           
       
Born in Ireland 1861.

Lived at 63, Clyde Street in Glasgow, before marriage.

Married Elizabeth Russell Gould from Glasgow, Scotland on the 15th of July 1881, at St.Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Glasgow, Scotland.

Married by Fr. James Conaghan, with witnesses being James McKinney & Minnie Davies.

Profession: House Painter 1881, 1883, 1888, 1891, 1892, 1894, 1901,

Lived in the Anderston district of Glasgow, at the time of death.

Died on the 23rd of August 1901, at 53 Clyde Street, in the Anderston District of Glasgow Scotland. (Age 40yrs.) - Death from Acute Pneumonia.

Buried on the 25th of August 1901, at St. Kentigern’s Cemetery, in Glasgow Scotland. (No headstone)

In the same Lair, are his parents Daniel & Elizabeth, and his daughter Ann.

Children: Henry, James, Daniel, John, Elizabeth, Daniel, Ann, Peter & Agnes

Henry – born in 1885.
A Housepainter (Journeyman) married Susan Hoolahan a Domestic Servant on the 6th of March 1916. He lived a 53 Clyde Street at the time of marriage. His children were named Susan and Harry.

James born in Glasgow 1886;.

Daniel - Died at 01.45 on the 10th of July 1883 at 63 Clyde Street, Glasgow aged 1 year. Death from Diphtheria ( 1 day).
His father John signed the death certificate and was present at the time of death.

John was born 01.00 hours on the 5th of June 1888 at 60 Clyde Street in Glasgow.
Married Rose.
His children were named John, Daniel & Rose. Daniel died in infancy.
Profession: Sheet metal Worker & Sailor.

Elizabeth McGowan was born 18.30 on the 14th of February 1892 at 53 Clyde Street in Glasgow, Scotland.
She married John Church.
They had the following children:
John James, Thomas, Harry, Daniel, Peter, Elizabeth, Josephine, Aloysius, Gerard, Charles & Roger

Daniel was born 04.55 on the twenty ninth of December 1893 at 53 Clyde Street in the Anderston District of Glasgow.
He married Agnes
Children: Elizabeth, Mary Margaret & John.
He was a professional singer and took the stage name of Danny Stanton.

Ann was born in 1895.
She died on the 30th of January 1900. (Age 4yrs 6mths.)
Buried on the 1st of February 1900, in the same lair as her Grand-Parents Daniel & Elizabeth, at St. Kentigerns Cemetery, in Glasgow’s Scotland. Lair: 2014 Section: 2.

Peter was born 08.00 on the 23rd of July 1900, at 53 Clyde Street, in the Anderston District of Glasgow.

Agnes moved with her mother to Prestwick, to open a new General Store owner at 102, New Dykes Road in Prestwick, Scotland.
It sold goods, ranging from ‘a needle to an anchor’.
She was previously Shop Keeper of a Sweet Shop, at 36 Carrick Street in Glasgow, Scotland.
Some of the sweets were home-made, like Puff Candy & Candy Apples.
Agnes never married.


Information:

John is listed in the Glasgow Post Office Directory as living in 60 Clyde Street with profession named as a Chandler. This is from the years 1891 till 1912. From the year 1904 the name changes to Mrs John McGonigal.

Definition of A Chandler:
A dealer in supplies and equipment for ships and boats.
A dealer in household items such as oil, soap, paint, and groceries.


Census Records:

1871 Census for 63 Clyde Street Back Land, in Glasgow.
Name   Condition   Age   Relation   Birthplace   Occupation
Daniel McGonigal   Head   36   Married   Ireland   Ship Painter
Eliza McGonigal   Wife   40   "   Ireland   
John McGonigal   Son   11   Not Married   Ireland   Scholar
Daniel McGonigal   Son   6   "   Glasgow   
Eliza McGonigal   Daughter   1   "   "   


1881 Census for 63 Clyde Street, in Glasgow.
Name   Condition   Age   Relation   Birthplace   Occupation
Daniel McGonigal   Married   45   Head   Ireland   House Painter
Elizabeth McGonigal   ""   50   Wife   Ireland   
John McGonigal   Unmarried   20   Son   ""   House Painter
Daniel McGonigal   ""   15   ""   Glasgow   Scholar
Elizabeth McGonigal   ""   11   Daughter   ""   ""


1891 Census for 53 Clyde Street in Glasgow. Two rooms with more than one window.

Name   Condition   Age   Relation   Birthplace   Occupation
John McGonigal   Married   31   Head   Ireland   House Painter
Elizabeth McGonigal   ""   30   Wife   Glasgow   
Henry McGonigal   Unmarried   7   Son   ""   Scholar
James McGonigal   ""   5   Son   ""   ""
John McGonigal   "   3   ""   ""   
Ann Gould   ""   22   Boarder   ""   Shawl Fringer


1901 Census for 53 Clyde Street in Glasgow. Two rooms with more than one window.

Name   Condition   Age   Relation   Birthplace   Occupation
John McGonigal   Married   40   Head   Ireland   Painter
Elizabeth McGonigal   “”   39   Wife   Glasgow   
Elizabeth McGonigal   Unmarried   9   Daughter   Glasgow   Scholar
Peter McGonigal   “”   1   Son   Glasgow   

               
               



Memorial Card for John McGonigal
           

Memorial Card for Ann McGonigal

 

 
                   
   
  Elizabeth            Daniel        Agnes