Forth Bridge

[doric]

Could anyone please help me with a query?  My grandmother was born in Ferryden in 1881 and is shown on the 1881 Census as 2 months old.  Her father William Johnson isn't with the family, but the status of  her mother Caroline  is shown as wife, so presume William being a contractor could have been working away.  However, I have just learned from a distant cousin whilst we were chatting,  that a member of the family was supposed to have been killed working on the Forth Bridge.  I am curious to know if this could be my William, as I have been unable to find him.   By 1891  the family are back in Sunderland and Caroline is shown as widow on the census.  Has anyone any  idea how I can follow this through?   Would there be any records available regarding any accidents that occurred whilst the Forth Bridge was being built?  Any sugestions as to  how I can move forward with this would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

Dorothy

[RJ_Paton]

Have a look at http://www.forthbridges.org.uk/forth%20bridge%20deaths.htm which may give some further information although his name is not amongst those listed

[doric]

Dear Falkryn,

Thanks so much for your swift reply and what a fantastic site this is.  I am going to have a careful study of it and see if it might offer some clues of who I could contact etc.  Again many many thanks for taking the time and trouble to try and help, it's much appreciated.

                     Dorothy

[Forfarian]

Would there be any records available regarding any accidents that occurred whilst the Forth Bridge was being built? 

If someone was killed building the Forth Bridge there will be a death certificate at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

HTH

[doric]

Thanks for that Forfarian, problem is I have no dates etc. to go by and there are loads of William Johnsons, I have checked the site that was given me, but unfortunately no luck, so my quest continues.

Again many thanks for taking an interest in my query

                                Ddoric

[RJ_Paton]

The other problem that Doric (or anyone else) chasing death certificates under specific circumstances is that the certificate would not have the full details

[Forfarian]

problem is I have no dates etc. to go by

You could get hold of a book I read decades ago called Crossing the Forth by H Douglas, published by Robert Hale in 1964. Several copies are on sale via www.abebooks.com, or you could try to borrow it through a library.

Or have a look in the National Archives www.nas.gov.uk to see if they might have records of the construction company; or possibly http://www.scan.org.uk/ which has catalogues of holdings in all sorts of public and private archives.

Happy hunting!

[Forfarian]

The other problem that Doric (or anyone else) chasing death certificates under specific circumstances is that the certificate would not have the full details

Very true; but with such a death there would have been some sort of inquest, which would have resulted in an entry in the Register of Corrected Entries.

Also with a death certificate you would get the date of death and the residence of the dead man, which would help in looking for any obituary in his local paper.

[doric]

Thanks for that Forfarian, quite a lot of useful information there that I can get to grips with.  Here's hoping !!!

                                 Doric