James McGrechan

[queenbess1]

Hi, My cousin and I are researching our family tree, and are stuck on our great great grandfather, James McGrechan. We know from the 1861 & 1871 Scottish census he was born in Ireland circa 1832, and married Elizabeth Kerr in Co. Down on Nov 9th 1863, Unfortunately neither of his parents names were written on the document. (His name was listed as James McGeehan.
 We do not know when he migrated to Scotland. He and Elizabeth and their children lived in Renfreshire, Dunbartonshire and  Rutherglen in Scotland.
 In 1883 he was listed as being deceased on his daughter's marriage certificate.
We have been told that the name McGrechan has been changed over the years.
Our questions are, Is anybody else researching the McGrechan's of this era, we would love to know who his parents and siblings were, and when and where he was born and passed away.
Thanks for any help

[Maggie1895]

Hello Queenbess, and welcome to rootschat.

I just tried a quick search to see if I could pick up a death in Scotland for James between 1871 (you say you have him on the census then) and 1883.  On a 'fuzzy search' for McGreehan / McGrechan I got 6 entries from McCrachen through McGlashan and McGronan to McMeechan, so none of them obviously yours.

To assist anyone trying to help, can you post a bit more detail?    What would help would be the details of the 1861 and 1871 census (county, town, name shown on the census etc, ideally the census line reference).  That will help someone to look at the entries for the whole family and see if we can track the family forward using one of the other family members, if James is hard to find.   I do appreciate you are asking us to go backwards, not forwards, but sometimes it helps to get a fuller picture.

You say 'James was listed as deceased' at his daughter's wedding in 1883.   Can you give us the detail of the daughter, her marriage date and place etc because the more someone has to work with the more likely they are to be able to help.

[Maggie1895]

Is this entry in 1881 the family we are looking for?

Elizabeth McGrechan, age 56, born Ireland, Blackfaulds Row, Rutherglen
Agnes, 20, James 18, Mary 15, Jane 11 (all born Scotland) plus Thomas Daly a Lodger.

If that's them Elizabeth is listed as Head of the household so presumably we can narrow James's death to between his 1871 census appearance (if you can confirm that) and 1881.    I've only seen a transcript as the original is on a pay per view site.

[queenbess1]

Hi Maggie, yes, that is the correct family. I sent you a long reply from my email yesterday, but its not showing us on here, I'll have to look at the help section to see what Ive done wrong. If I cant find it, I'll write it again. thanks Colleen

[queenbess1]

Hi again Maggie, I cant work out why it's not here, so Ive copied from my sent items,

Hi Maggie, thanks for replying so quickly. The 1861 census, has the family living in Queen St, Renfrewshire, Paisley High Church. The surname was spelt McGreechin, and their oldest son Hugh was 6, and it states he was born in Stewarton, Ayrshire.
The 1871 Census, had the names spelt in 2 different ways, McMehan & McGuchan, James is 38, and Elizabeth is 44. Hugh 16, Agnes 10, James 8 (my great grandfather), Mary  5 and Jane 2. It states that young James was born in Old Kilpatrick, Dumbartonshire.
The 1881 census, that I have is the one that you have seen. James snr wasn't listed on this census, and the surname is spelt as we spell it now. All of James & Elizabeths childrens birth certificates, have them both listed as their parents, and we suspect that Agnes's wedding cert has an error. Agnes married a William Kerr, "Agnes Kerr" is listed as Agnes's mother, but  Elizabeth McGrechan (maiden name was Kerr), is on her birth cert. We know that they were illiterate, X were marked at different times, and think that it has been written in error at the time of the wedding. I can't find any evidence that James ever had another partner or children to any other women, and we know that on Elizabeth's death certificate,
Hope this isn't too confusing (just finished a 12 hr shift at work), thanks for your help, Queen Bess (Colleen)

[azurecrayon]

im not researching this family, but i love a good mystery =)

this record is available on freecen
a quick census search finds this family in the 1841 scotland census living in Glasgow -Lanarkshire:
Mcgeracher, James  age 40  b. Ireland
Mcgeracher, Margaret age 30  b. Ireland
Mcgeracher, James  age 8  b. Ireland
Mcgeracher, Margaret age 2  b. Lanarkshire

the age of the younger james is in line with your james mcgrechan.  there is a margaret mcgrechan who m. a william reid in 1855 in county lanark and has a son william b. 1861 and on her sons birth cert it lists her birth year as 1838, which is in line with this family.

here the father james is listed as quarryman, your james is listed in 1861 and 1871 as an iron miner.


cant say its your james for sure, but mis-spellings being what they are....

i will keep looking for more.

[MonicaL]

Adding to what has been found already, Colleen.

Not sure about the 1863 Irish marriage cert you say you have found 

You have them already in Scotland in 1861 onwards. From family search, this first child shows as early as 1856 www.rootschat.com/links/0s39/

Have you looked at the birth certificate image of the later born children to confirm place and date of parents' marriage?

Monica 

Added: Marriage year likely just a typo  7 November 1853 from Jane's birth entry:

[MonicaL]

The family were Roman Catholic? At least two of the children's baptisms are showing on Scotlands People:

Mary bapt. on 12 May 1866 (b. 25 Jan.)
Jane bapt. on 24 Sept. 1869 (b. 6 July, matching with https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XYRK-Y9N)

Both of these baptisms show at St Mary's Duntocher, Dunbartonshire.

Monica

[azurecrayon]

i question the marriage dates as well, since they had a son age 6 in the 1861 census.  you list their marriage as 9 nov 1863, with james listed as mcgeehan.  only thing close i found was this on familysearch:

Ireland, Marriages, 1619-1898
Elizabeth Carr   m. James Mcgreghan
09 Nov 1853   Banbridge,​ Down,​ Ire
groom's father's name:   Patrick Mcgreghan
bride's father's name:   James Carr

does this sound like it could be them?