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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Aberdeenshire => Topic started by: Forfarian on Tuesday 28 October 14 04:57 GMT (UK)
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Ann Gauld, widow of Alexander Young, was admitted to the Register of Poor in Keith in 1886. Her record says that Alexander was "drowned at sea at Peterhead herring fishing about 18 years ago". I can't find a death certificate, and I have looked in vain for newspaper reports of a drowning.
Alexander was born in Keith about 1834/5. I have census data for both him and Ann in 1841, 1851, 1861 and 1871, and from the 1841 I think his parents were William Young and Ann Wallace. I hoped that a death certificate would confirm that.
Ann Gauld was born in 1814 and died in Keith in 1895. I have her death certificate. Her parents were Robert Gauld and Ann Beaton. Yes, the 1861 census (FreeCEN transcription) shows her being 18 years older than her husband. They had a daughter Jane, born 1852/3 in Keith.
Does anyone know anything about this alleged drowning at Peterhead?
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Hi,
There are a couple of newspaper reports dated 26th Sep to 1st Oct
1st October 1868
Under the heading "Melancholy Boat accidents at Peterhead"
...We have yet to add another to the melancholy list.Alex. Young, labourer, Keith but employed at Peterhead, fell overboard his boat in the bay and was drowned on the same night. Efforts made to save him were to no avail. He was 35 years of age and married. The boat belonged to Findochty and was commanded and owned by David Nair ("Dear")
Cathy :)
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Brilliant, Cathy, thank you.
Which newspaper was it?
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Article here
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01e2x/
Regards
Malky
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Thanks, Malky. I see that that Glasgow Herald article cites the Scotsman, but I still can't find it in the online Scotsman, which is odd. Also, I can find nothing in the Aberdeen Journal until about ten days later, which is even more astonishing.
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GenesReunited is also linking to several other newspapers of the time.
Regards
Malky
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Thanks, I will check that out. I have access to the 19th century British Newspaper collection, but maybe GR will have something else.
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Did you look at the Scotsman's piece :-
"THE BOAT ACCIDENT AT PETERHEAD PUBLIC INVESTIGATION"
dated 2nd October 1868. That may be related to this accident(s).
Regards
Malky.
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Did you look at the Scotsman's piece
Yes. I've read quite a number of articles in the Scotsman and Aberdeen Journal this morning. There are quite a few reports of the aftermath of the accident in which the five were drowned on the 'Prosperity' - it seems that the Lifeboat management drew up a report exonerating the coxswain, which led to the setting up of a formal investigation which found the coxswain at fault.
However none of these reports relates to the second incident on the same night, which was the loss of Alexander Young in a separate accident. The only mention of that seems to be in the Glasgow Herald item that Cathy found, and to be honest it had not occurred to me to try the Herald before. Come to that, I wonder why the Dundee Courier doesn't seem to have reported it either?
Even knowing the year and that it was an inshore accident, I still can't find a death certificate on SP.
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Even knowing the year and that it was an inshore accident, I still can't find a death certificate on SP.
I grew up in Cockenzie and Port Seton, and have had my fair share of drownings in my family. I note the Death Certificates gave an approxiamate location of where drowning took place, and it was also added that no body had been recovered, in a few instances.
Tom
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Thanks, Tom. I had been wondering if perhaps there was no certificate because the body had not been recovered, but thank you for confirming that certificates were still issued in the absence of a body.
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Hi again,
Sorry, just got in from work. The newspaper reports are available at Findmypast and other sources I m sure.
Cathy
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I can access the 19th Century British Newspaper Collections through the National Library of Scotland web site.
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Reports in following papers , all the same report.1868
1st Oct John O Groats Journal
26th Sep Paisley Herald and Renfrewshire Advertisor
26th Sep Manchester Courier
1st Oct Inverness Courier
Hope this helps
Cathy
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Thanks, yes it does. There must be a different selection of papers on FindMyPast.
It was also reported, more or less verbatim, in the Glasgow Herald, 25 September 1868; Leeds Mercury, 25 September 1868; Liverpool Mercury, 25 September 1868; London Standard, 25 September 1868 and Nottinghamshire Guardian, 2 October 1868 !
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As I had not come across this scenario before, I wrote to several people to try and find out why ther was no obvious entry. This afternoon, Karen Brett from National Records of Scotland sent me a copy of a page from a Registration library book, the contents of one paragraph is as follows :-
“Deaths at Sea on board ship, or drowning from a British vessel, are reported by the master to the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen, Customs House, London, from whom certified copies or extracts of such events can be produced for a small fee (sec, 254, 56 & 58 Vict. c 60) and some “Results of Precognition” regarding Deaths at Sea out-with the three mile limit are forwarded by the Procurator Fiscal generally to the Register-General of Shipping and Seamen, Customs House, London, where such events are recorded.”
I don't know if this is the answer or not.
Regards
Malky