Margaret Bennie COULSON - merchant seaman?

[seaweed]

There are two cards for her on FindMyPast. A CR1 and a CR2. Both cards refer to the same person as the discharge A number is the same.
The CR1 gives the name as Margaret Bennie Coulson date of birth 1899 in Glasgow. Rating  Stenographer 5ft 4in tall. Hair dark, Complexion dark. The  eye colour is unreadable. She signed on MINNEDOSA around 18/Aug/1928. This was her first ship. This card was issued at the Mercantile Marine Office in Glasgow. She signs her name as Margaret B Coulson

The CR2 card gives the name as M Coulson, No date or place of birth, rating Stenographer. The official number 145903. This card was issued at MMO Southampton 13/Sept/1930. The reverse gives the names or official numbers of the vessels she sailed on.

As for her DOB. Was it vanity that she gave a latter DOB or was it a mistake in transcription. Either way I don't think it is that important.
You need to look at crew agreements to see if there are any clues there.
It was a fairly common occurrence for women to work on passenger ships. Almost entirly in a domestic capacity such as Stewardess, Laundress , Nanny etc.

[Jang]

Thanks for confirming I have the right Margaret Coulson and for the extra details. You're right about her DOB - perhaps she needed to be younger in order to get the job in the first place.  It also occurred to me that perhaps she needed to be unmarried - if married woman lost their jobs back then.

[amackay99]

Hi, Im also researching Margaret Bennie Coulson. Ive found what I believe to be my fathers birth certificate which gives his mother as 'MARGARET COULSON widow if EDWARD TAYLOR first-officer (Merchant Service), who died at BUENOS AYRES, 2nd FEB 1924. (domicile 20 Broompark Drive, Glasgow.' - so presumably the family lived at this address at the time of his death?

Does this help.?   

Im intersted in tracing any of her childrens family (ie the other 2 sons you have previously identified, and any other family of her siblings.
also/
My fathers certificate, indicates, he was born on 1934, Name was given as 'Iain Hardie Coulson or Taylor' - but MARGARET signed as 'Margaret Taylor'.

Margaret Bennie Coulson seems to have had an interesting life!
Also, Ive found in the 1901 and 1911 censuses that there is another Margaret Coulson (dont have hr middle name), who was a year older than Margaret Bennie Coulson, also of Glasgow but different district.

[Jang]

amackay99,
I'm so pleased to hear from you. Margaret was my great aunt, sister of my grandmother Elizabeth, who came to Australia in 1908. I have a photo of the whole family - Margaret would be about 10. 20 Broompark Drive was where the Coulson family lived in the 1911 census and where father Thomas died in 1921.

You definitely have the right Margaret Coulson - her death notice:
Glasgow Herald" 19 June 1944
TAYLOR - At a hospital in Glasgow on 18 June 1944, Margaret B. Coulson, wife of the late Edward Taylor, and late of 20 Broompark Drive, Dennistoun; also their son, Trooper George C. Taylor, RAC, killed in action May 1944. Inserted by her brother George Coulson, 50 Boyd St Glasgow S2

If you can post twice more here, then I can send you a message with my email address.
Looking forward to hearing from you :-)
Jan

[amackay99]

Excellent - thank you.

My next port of call is the Register Office WRT the 2 other sons you have found earlier; ie birth, marriage and death certificates. George Coulson (Taylor) (son of Margaret) may have married prior to enlisting, and I know nothing of Edward D Coulson (Taylor).

The photo of the whole family sounds interesting!, so this is post 1, post 2 follows shortly....

 

[amackay99]

The other strands are:

Margaret herself around 1933 - if 1928 was her first ship she worked on, then possibly she was still working intermittently - do you think the children were left in Glasgow or could they possibly have travelled with her?

and of course - 'Edward Taylor master-mariner'.

Another possibility is that they were married abroad and had their children, but after his death she returned to Glasgow with her children.

[Jang]

I've just sent you a PM :-)