Another McNab burial Dalbeth cemetery

[Cladhan]

Magbill, I was hoping you'd engage, having seen prior comments! I look forward to hearing more. Have a good sleep!

[maggbill]

Hi again Cladhan,   Oh dear - you have stirred up my obsession... very quick look at my "Hugh mcNab"  files.  Can you clarify/repeat the exact details of the memorial?  ( I have seen your comments  about 3wordsapp... confuses me...) Could it possibly be that our Hugh McNab is the one named on the memorial?  Date of death in October 1883 -  very interesting, how do they get that date? -  cos checking deaths for said name between 1882 and 1884 on Scotlandspeople - there are absolutely none for 1883, 3 for 1884, including a 79 year old in Ayr, a 29 year old in Larbert, and ours "Greenock" age 33.. (ages of our family are fairly vague - birth/baptism records in Ireland not found)..... Could it be that he was "missing" for such a long time, - surely not all that time "in the river", found nearly 5 months later with a good description of his clothing( have newspaper report).    Raises many questions about our ancestor - thought I had about everything to be found on him!!  Am very interested in info about the memorial if you can supply.  Will get back to you tomorrow

[Cladhan]

Here's a closeup of Hugh's part on the memorial. See also https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/203102127/hugh-mcnab

what3words has divided the planet into small squares and assigned a unique 3-word code to each. One needs the app, where the location on the map is found immediately.

[garngad]

Fascinating Cladhan havent a clue about what3words apart from the tv ad but will work on your info many thanks.

[maggbill]

Hi Cladhan,

I presume the "Ditto" before the date on the Memorial signifies the actual known date of death? Or could it be a date of "missing"?? And are the names necessarily persons actually buried there? (Have very strong evidence of Hugh's burial at Greenock cemetery). I suppose trying (!!!) to gain access to any surviving Bridgeton RC records  might help.  I am definitely one for verification before believing the "possibilities"!!  As Hugh is my Great grandfather, I am eager to take the story further.  Typical Irish family -  1864 Hugh, his parents and five siblings came over from Co. Tyrone.   Within 7 or 8 years, 4 sisters married and died very young (one of them in Karachi with soldier husband - she and 3 month baby died of fever, buried there,) - Hugh himself had first marriage to Anne Mooney who died in childbirth.  Second marriage Mary Martin - 6 children of whom 4 died in infancy.  Mary lost Hugh, her brother and a toddler all within a couple of months. Cannot find anything significant re the family in 1883/1884 apart from the birth of that toddler in July 1883...  Have a couple of newspaper items for Hugh's death or at least for the finding of his body on 3rd March 1884. - One of them says "... Dressed in dark corded shooting coat and vest, dark tweed trousers, blue and white striped shirt, elastic sided boots (iron heels).  No property of any kind found in his pockets".  I always thought that seemed a fairly decent outfit for a foundry labourer??  Clothes in this condition surely wouldn't signify a great time in the water?? - therefore could he have gone "awol" in October - been elsewhere, got into trouble and had a sad ending in March?   I doubt that there would be much in the way of "Missing persons" data for the Glasgow of those days....   To think of various family members who have visited Dalbeth over the years, - we know where Hugh's wife Mary etc are buried, but never for a moment thought that there could be another memorial pertaining to our Hugh.  The possibility seems strong - no other Hugh McNab relevant age/October date on Scotlandspeople....   A great mystery to unravel - Sometimes takes years, but so often people on Rootschat have knocked down my brick walls!!!   What are you thoughts Cladhan?

[Cladhan]

Hi,
Answering point by point:
If you look at the photos in this link, you’ll see that the first ditto refers to ‘DIED’, the second to the year of death of the preceding person, and the third to ‘AGE’.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/203102127/hugh-mcnab

It’s turning out that some of those inscribed probably are buried there (I have to get the RC people to name the lair number), but others not so, instead being associated with religious societies in the RC church.

The Dalbeth burial records are in Scotland’s People and are of good quality. The only Hugh McNab entries returned from searching are of infants. It’s unlikely he was buried in Dalbeth.

Let me describe our research. My gggrandfather was a stonemason, probably from Tyrone, whose name and address are on the base of these memorials. To study his life further, I’ve teamed up with an academic historian and we’re aiming to understand as much as possible the collective lives of those memorialised. We’ll publish our findings in an academic journal.

Those ancestors of mine suffered disease and death at a similar level as did Hugh’s family - what a dreadful time and place.
 
Would it be possible to have copies of the newspaper reports and the Greenock burial info? They could be valuable resource for our study.

It’s like a detective story trying to deduce poor Hugh’s last movements. I imagine his clothes (his Sunday best? Although the Oct 1883 date was a Thursday) could last in the water. If he was in the water for a long time - which seems likely as he lived in Glasgow - the real cause of death would not be ascertainable. His empty pockets - was he victim of fatally violent robbery and thrown into the river?

I hope we can shed some light on this man’s life.
Thanks

[maggbill]

Hi again Cladhan,
Again a quick post, as I rush out the door to my volunteer job (nothing to do with genealogy)!  Have relooked at "Hugh McNab's" story - wrote it in 2011, and realise I have never updated it - Another job to be done with much more info found on other family members over the years.  So - hope attachment of it will be accepted here.  Check out Page 7 - I have photo of the Dalbeth lair where Hugh McNab's wife and family are buried, - no headstone, - but interestingly right next to it, is a large memorial which looks very like the one you are working on!!  Surroundings look different though.  I think your research and work sound amazing... very happy to be involved!  There is also info re Greenock cemetery and copies of the newspaper items... If it doesn't go through - will get back to you later - maybe email needed.   Wooops - thought so, pdf is just over 900 kb... too big...  will try to attach greenock stuff separately...  Will just attach Greenock cemetery for March 1884 - "Body of a Man".. on 5th March 1884... Oh damn it, now it is not accepting that one either "Over 500 kb"... duhhh... Get back to you later on today - (Aussie time).

[sancti]

The Greenock Telegraph 3 March 1884

[sancti]

Glasgow Evening Times