Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - griogair

Pages: [1] 2 3
1
Hello,
I wonder if anyone could help by narrowing down the date and also age of the person in the attached photograph that I've just been shown by a distant relative. I've had a look at the Glasgow Victorian photo studio website and this company seems to have been at their George's Cross address between 1891 and 1912. And their other two addresses may have only appeared on their photos between 1896 and 1905. Would anyone have an idea how old the person is? And also can anything be told from the clothes, furniture, etc? I have an idea that this is my great-grandfather's brother Edward Gillan born in 1887 in Garscadden, New Kilpatrick parish, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, but unsure if that fits with these dates. Any assistance would be gratefully received.
Many thanks.

2
Cavan / Re: Gillan County Cavan
« on: Tuesday 18 August 15 13:53 BST (UK)  »
I'd posted in the all Ireland forum a couple of weeks ago before I had info on County Cavan. I thought I might find someone researching Cavan specifically here who may look here rather than in the all Ireland threads. Apologies

3
Cavan / Gillan County Cavan
« on: Tuesday 18 August 15 13:34 BST (UK)  »
Hello,
I'm looking for some help or even to be pointed in the direction of where I may go next in my Gillan research.  I have been searching for the Irish origins of my Gillan ancestors for a while and recently made a breakthrough in discovering by chance that they came from County Cavan. My great-grandfather was John Gillan 1888-1976 of Garscadden and Duntocher, Dunbartonshire, Scotland. His grandfather was Patrick Gillan c1831-1877 and who came to Dunbartonshire from County Cavan. There were, an still are, a concentration of Gillans in Duntocher, where they originally worked in the flax industry and coal/ironstone mining. I can go one generation back to Patrick's parents Thomas Gillan (born c1808 - a farmer) and Catherine Duffy. Thomas had siblings John b1805 and Mary b1823, all born in Ireland, presumably County Cavan also. The names Patrick, Thomas, Edward and John seem to recur frequently in my branch of the family. I have been unable to link back to any Gillans in Ireland so far. I realise that there are many different spellings (Gillen, Gillon, Gillin, McGillan, Gallen etc.) and the lack of a village name also makes the task even more difficult. My next task is to study the poor law records in Scotland and see if I can come up with a village of origin but as I live in the Isle of Skye I'm quite a distance away from where the records are kept in Glasgow and Edinburgh and may not get there for a while. I was just wondering if anyone perhaps knew of any more background on the Gillans in Co. Cavan.
Many thanks indeed,
Greg

4
Ireland / Re: Gillan Gillen Gillon
« on: Saturday 15 August 15 22:47 BST (UK)  »
Might be worth checking for Poor Law/Workhouse records. Many people born in Ireland who moved to Scotland claimed under the Poor Law (the equivalent of today's social security). If they did, their case files usually noted their parish of origin in Ireland. (This was because for recent arrivals they could be returned to that parish). The records often also contain details of next of kin. Interesting in its own right too. I am not sure where Dunbartonshire Poor Law records are kept. But it might be worth searching for them because if any of these families did claim, it may answer your question as to their origins.

Thank you, I will defo try this. 😄

Hi Zebrakat,

I haven't been able to view the Poor Law records yet but have just discovered that my ancestor Patrick Gillan came from County Cavan in Ireland which narrows down my search for a place of origin for my Gillans quite a bit. Thought this could possibly be of help if you were able to link to my Gillans.

I also came across a birth record for a Laurence Gillon yesterday but you'll probably have this already. Laurence Gillon. b. 22 Aug 1873 at Blairdardie Rows, New Kilpatrick. Father, John Gillon - coalminer. Mother, Ann McAubray. Parents married, 10 Jun 1868, Kilmarnock.

As far as I know Blairdardie was the neighbouring mining township to Garscadden as I mentioned in a previous comment. There seem to be many Gillans involved in coal/ironstone mining in this area at this time.

Best wishes.

5
Ireland / Re: Gillan Gillen Gillon
« on: Monday 03 August 15 13:25 BST (UK)  »
Thanks, Elwyn. That is very helpful. Just seen that Dunbartonshire Poor Law records are held at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. I'll definitely look them up the next time I'm in Glasgow.

6
Ireland / Re: Gillan Gillen Gillon
« on: Sunday 02 August 15 23:11 BST (UK)  »
Hi Zebrakat,

I hadn't come across the name Laurance Gillan before but after reading your post in the Ayrshire thread and seeing Old/New Kilpatrick mentioned there could well be some sort of link. Trying to find the link could be quite tricky though. My earliest Gillan ancestor to come to Scotland was Patrick Gillan b. 1831 (parents Thomas Gillan - Catherine Duffy) sometime before the 1851 census. I'm unsure where in Ireland they originated. Some Gillans had settled in Duntocher (Old Kilpatrick parish) for about 20 years before Patrick came over (from the 1820s) and many Gillans later moved to the purpose built mining village of Garscadden (New Kilpatrick) after around 1860ish. Most seem to be involved in coal/ironstone mining at some point. I've just started trying to catalogue all of the Gillans in the Old and New Kilpatrick parishes as there seems to be a family link between most of them. I'm hoping some clue may pop up as to the origins of my Gillans in Ireland. I'll let you know if I come across anything.

7
Ireland / Re: Gillan Gillen Gillon
« on: Friday 24 July 15 13:33 BST (UK)  »
Many thanks for your response, Annclare. That's very interesting. I thought I had siblings for Patrick but it's actually his father's siblings I have, John Gillan (born c. 1805) and Mary Gillan (c. 1823) and possibly a Peter Gillan. I don't seem to have siblings for Patrick.

I'd never thought of my Gillans coming from further south in Ireland. I wonder if there was much emigration from Offaly to Glasgow and surrounding area? The different spellings of the name don't help either!

8
Ireland / Gillan Gillen Gillon
« on: Thursday 23 July 15 15:06 BST (UK)  »
Hello,
I have the same problem as many other people researching their Scottish-Irish family history as I have hit a brick wall (several times) in trying to trace my Irish ancestors who came to Scotland in the 1840s. The first record I have of my great x3 grandfather Patrick Gillan (also written as Gillon and Gillen) is in the 1851 census for Duntocher, Dunbartonshire, Scotland where he is stated as being born in Ireland - there is no further information given in any subsequent censuses - or any other official documents - as to town/county/province of origin. He was born around 1833 and died in 1877. He and nearly all of his male family members were involved in ironstone and coal mining in Garscadden, a purpose built mining village in Dunbartonshire, although when he first moved to Scotland he was an agricultural labourer. His parents were Thomas Gillan and Catherine Duffy, both born in Ireland. I know this surname is most common in counties Antrim, Derry, Donegal and Sligo but apart from that I don't really have much more to go on. I have a bit of an idea in my head that he came over from County Antrim but I am unsure now whether someone told me that or whether it was just an original assumption of my own. I realise that this is a familiar problem due to the loss of many Irish records but I was just wondering if anyone may have any ideas on where I could go from here as I'm really stuck on where to go now. I would love to find out where my Gillans originated from. Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
Griogair

9
Dunbartonshire / Re: Thomson - Duntocher
« on: Wednesday 03 December 14 15:52 GMT (UK)  »
Hi Rena,

Sorry to have taken so long to reply to you. It was really lovely to hear from you. I will gather together what I can for you - photos, documents, etc.

It would be great to find out some more about any relatives in Alness who might still be around. It is only a couple of hours away from me by car so if I can find some time in the new year I will maybe go over and see if there is any local information I can find.

I'll hopefully be coming down to Duntocher and Clydebank sometime in the New Year so it would be great to meet you then if possible. I would also love to meet Catherine's daughter in Duntocher if that was possible. I know that Catherine and my gran were good friends. I don't think I've ever met anyone from my granda's extended family so it would be really nice to meet you.

I see what you mean about your grandparents having a lot of grandchildren. From my family tree I can see that there were at least 20 grandchildren, who will nearly all have grandchildren themselves now.

Also I had a question for you. In a newspaper article I have on your grandpa Thomson it states that he had 4 boys and 4 girls. I have only been able to trace the 4 boys (Allan, Alex, John and Robert) and 3 of the girls (Isabella, Elizabeth and Catherine). You wouldn't happen to know the name of the other daughter? It's been puzzling me for a while.

Anyway I'll see what info I can find for you that you may be interested in.

Best wishes,
Greg

Pages: [1] 2 3