William GILMOUR, b. Irvine c. 1811

[ogilmr]

I am trying to find out more about my gggg grandfather, William Gilmour.

His parents were listed at the time of his death as John Gilmour and Mary MacIntyre.

William Gilmour married Margaret Bicket (daughter of Hugh Bicket and Agnes Borland) on the 17th of Feb 1838 in Fenwick, her home town.

He came to Australia in 1853 aboard the Genghis Khan with his family as an assisted immigrant. He was a blacksmith and wheelwright.

The 1841 census lists his residence as West Side Main Street, Kilmaurs.

The 1851 census lists his residence as Campbell Street, Riccarton, and his birthplace as Irvine.

William and Margaret had the following children:
John Gilmour, c. 1838-1904, married Mary Daniel
Hugh Bicket Gilmour, 1840-1911, married Christina Milne
William Gilmour, 1842-1896, married Catherine Henderson McKay
Agnes Gilmour, 1845-1911, married James Lawrie
Mary Gilmour, c. 1849-1852? (listed on 1851 census but not Genghis Khan passenger list)
There may have also been an Alexander Gilmour born after arrival in Australia, but died young.

It appears that the children were named following a fairly common pattern at the time, ie 1st son after father's father (John), second son after mother's father (Hugh Bicket), third son after father (William), first daughter after mother's mother (Agnes), second daughter after father's mother (Mary), and so on.
I think the story is that there was a son called Alexander born in Australia, but he died young. I haven't found a record of this however, but I think I read or heard somewhere that he was recorded on his parents' death certificates. Margaret Bicket did not have a brother called Alexander as far as I can tell, so it's possible that William did.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Alan of Kaslo]

Hello. William Gilmour's death info is as follows:

 William Gilmour
Birth    1812
Scotland
Death    1878 (aged 65–66)
Broadmeadows, Hume City, Victoria, Australia
Burial    
Will Will Rook Cemetery
Broadmeadows, Hume City, Victoria, Australia

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17AENbespys8N7gA0CSSpQQWErZqbHWrY/view?usp=sharing

If you get the above certificate it will likely have more info as Aussie birth certificates can be very good on info....

https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history

I have not found any info on an Alexander. Cheers.

[ogilmr]

I thought it would be worth updating this thread as I believe I have identified the parents of William Gilmour, and it may be of interest for any potential cousins who might be googling names.

No birth or baptism record appears to have survived, but William's death certificate contains some useful information. According to his death certificate, William's parents were John Gilmour, a weaver, and Mary Macintyre. No record appears to exist of this couple at all, but there was a weaver by the name of John Gilmour living in Waterside, Fenwick parish who died in 1855. His wife was Mary McNair, which I suppose could have been misremembered as Macintyre. Included among John Gilmour's children on his 1855 death certificate is a 45 year old William. John and Mary's second son was Alexander, born 1793 in Paisley. The youngest of their children whose birth/baptism record survives is a Catherine, born 1808 in Irvine. John and Mary had a daughter, Mary, who resided in Fenwick and was married to a John Husband. This tells us a few things: John Gilmour, weaver and Mary McNAIR, lived in Irvine just two or three years before William was born. Secondly, we know that they were residing in the parish of Fenwick later on, and so their known movements perfectly coincide with those of William prior until the time of marriage.
John's death certificate also includes a son called Gilbert, which is notable as William's son William Jnr., had a son in Australia named Gilbert Alexander Gilmour, so it seems that perhaps he was named after his great uncles.

I have therefore concluded that William must in fact have been the son of John Gilmour and Mary McNair, as the evidence seems to suggest that William's son John, as the informant on William's death certificate, simply misremembered his grandmother's maiden name, or that perhaps the name was misheard by the registrar.

[Kloumann]

There are also 2 births in Loudoun with the same parents as Catharine, Duncan 1804 & Janet, 1806.

There is also an Alexander, 1793, Abbey, Mary, 1795, Abbey,  Duncan, 1799 Paisley & a Gabriel, 1802, Mearns.

Using fuzzy matching in the search for Renfrewshire & Ayrshire

[ogilmr]

There are also 2 births in Loudoun with the same parents as Catharine, Duncan 1804 & Janet, 1806.

There is also an Alexander, 1793, Abbey, Mary, 1795, Abbey,  Duncan, 1799 Paisley & a Gabriel, 1802, Mearns.

Using fuzzy matching in the search for Renfrewshire & Ayrshire

Yes I have seen all of these. So far The siblings whose later lives I am aware of are Mary, mentioned in my previous post, and Alexander, who married Elizabeth Walker and had a few children in Glasgow, and one much later in the Isle of Barra, and probably more. Alexander was dead by his son Duncan's wedding in 1857, so probably dead c.1856.