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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Renfrewshire => Topic started by: JimMcL on Sunday 07 October 12 16:13 BST (UK)
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Can anybody help me with my ggggrandfather?
James McKellar was born on the twenty fourth of June 1817 in the town of Gourock on the River Clyde. He married Isabella Shearer on 9/4/1839 at Greenock Middle Church, Renfrewshire. His seafaring career began in 1929. Apart from one, all of his ships were paddle steam tugs, although there was some accommodation for passengers/cargo on some of them. He first served on the James McInroy for thirty seven months. This was followed by the Samson in 1831 which was the first steam tug in Europe. Then followed by the Hercules in 1833, Agnes, a brigantine, and back on the Samson in 1835. He then returned to the Hercules for seven years.
By now he was quite experienced and so from 1845 he was Master on board, starting with the Champion then Defiance and Jenny Lind. Four years on the Helen Faucit and Helen McGregor takes us to 1853 when he took charge of the Robert Bruce. This was quite a large vessel and although competent, James had not taken his Masters examinations. He did apply however on 12th August 1857, and passed on 17th August. Address at the time was 14, Hamilton Street, Greenock. The 1871 census has James as master on tugs Eliza and Rover at Greenock.
James died on 3/7/1876 at Gourock Infirmary of apoplexy aged 59.
In 1851 James was at 43, Hamilton Street, Greenock with Isabella, daughter Helen and possibly his father, also James aged 57. The census transcript has this James born Kilmarn (Kilmun?) in Argyllshire, but the quality is poor. Unfortunately I can’t find the 1817 birth record for James. James (1794) married Isobel(Isabella) Gillies on 25th January 1813 and on the marriage entry James is described as a boatman in Gourock. With Gillies being in granddaughter Annabella’s middle name and 1794 James at the same address as James 1817, I would assume that he is the father. James 1817 seaman’s record says he was born in Gourock, living in Hamilton Street, Greenock.
James senior was a paddle boat steamer Captain from Glasgow/Greenock to Ireland and Liverpool. There were at least a dozen Captain McKellers on the Clyde then.
Siblings:
William McKellar b. 3/6/1821, bap. 22/6/1821 Inverkip, Renfrew, parents James McKellar and Isabella Gillies.
Peter McKellar b.28/4/1823 bap. 2/5/1823 Inverkip, parents James McKellar and Isabella Gillies.
Margaret McKellar b. 19/6/1825 bap. 10/7/1825. Greenock, parents James McKellar and Isabella Gillies.
Janet McKellar b. 21/3/1827 bap. 15/4/1827 Greenock, parents James McKellar and Isabella Gillies.
Likely to be other births for James and Isabella between marriage in 1813 and 1820.
I can't find the birth records of either James senior or junior or the death record of James senior and I need them to move on. I have a death entry for a James McKellar of 13/5/1878 in Gourock but it's not my James. This one was married to Jane Anderson in Gasgow in 1839.
Any help would be much appreciated
Rgds
Jim
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Hi JimMcL
you say that the James who died 13/5/1878 is not yours
but according to Inverclyde intimations that James was a Captain on the steamer Samson
here is what there is on there
Marriage
Record
McKELLAR Isabella 1838 Isabella, 2nd daughter of Captain James McKellar
of the steamer „Samson‟ to Duncan Clark jnr, at
Greenock on 6th February 1838 by Rev McBean.
(Greenock Advertiser 12.2.1838) see Captain
James
and
Death
Record
McKELLAR James 1878 Captain James McKellar died at Clarmount,
Gourock on 13th May 1878 age 77 (Greenock
Advertiser 14.5.1878 and Greenock Telegraph
14.5.1878) see Isobella
just seems to be a bit of a coincidence :)
Elaine
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JimMcL
there is another death in 1878 for a James McKellar
Death
Record
McKELLAR James 1878 James, son of James McKellar, labourer, died at
25 Crescent Street Greenock in May 1878
(Greenock Telegraph 31.5.1878)
this doesn't have an age or any other details
just thought it was worth posting,
note the date of deaths
31/5/1878
13/5/1878
do you have a copy of the death cert for the one married to Jane Anderson
Elaine
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Hi Jim
With all the info that Elaine has found, just adding this possible Will & Testament entry on SP:
James MACKELLAR, 20 June 1878. Shipowner, High Ashton, Gourock. Died on 13 May 1878. at High Ashton. Testate. Paisley Sheriff Court. Ref. SC58/42/46 (10 Pages - not indicated what document type it is).
Monica :)
Added: This does seem to be the death entry you mentioned, with wife showing as Jane Anderson (parents John, a seaman, and a Mary Black). Hugh, son, reported the death of this James who showed as aged 77 on 1878, so from this born c. 1801?
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Hi Elaine,
Many thanks for getting back to me.
I have the death cert for James 13/5/1878 at Clairmont, Gourock aged 77 widower of Jane Anderson. Informant Hugh McKellar. This James' will leaves everything to Hugh plus £500 each to Margaret and Elizabeth, 'children of my late son James'. Very tempting but with having him married to Jane Anderson (Glasgow 25/9/1838) rather than Isabella Gillies (Greenock 25/1/1813) would seem to eliminate him. Also my gxgrandfather James (b1817) would have been born 21 years before the marriage.
The Marriage entry for James to Isabella Shearer at Greenock on 9/4/1839 describes him as pilot.
His seaman's record has him as pilot in 1839 and Master from 1845 although he didn't take the exam until 17/8/1858 (there weren't any examinations or certificates before the 1850s). His death entry on 3/7/1876 describes him as tugboatman aged 59.
I did see the marriage of Isabella to Duncan Clark in 1838. His boats include two periods on the Samson. 1831-1833 and 1835 to 1837, both as pilot. From 1837 to 1845 he was on the Hercules but that doesn't mean he was exclusively on that and probably would be back on the Samson now and then but not as Captain. To complicate matters there were two Samsons. The first was a passenger/cargo steamer that plied between Greenock and Glasgow built 1819 and the second was a steam tug built 1830. Another Captain James McKellar of Glasgow sailed out of Liverpool to the Far East, Carribean etc. and he died in Birkenhead. It's getting complicated isn't it?
In 1851 census for 43 Hamilton Street James senior aged 57 is Master of a lighter. I think it unlikely he would become a labourerer. It is possible that that James may have been the son of James McKellar and Jane Anderson mentioned in the will.
On Scotlands People there seems to be a black hole for James and Isabella's births between their marriage in 1813 and 1820 so I think my next step is to get the birth records of the siblings after 1820 and see whether they have more information on the parents.
Once again thanks so much for you help. Having two minds on it makes a big difference.
All the best
Jim
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Hi Elaine and Monica,
I've just got the birth records of James' siblings.
William lawful son of James McKellar mariner in Gourock and Isabella Gillies his spouse born 3rd June 1821 baptised 22nd June
Peter lawful son of James McKellar Seaman of Gourock and Isabel Gillies spouse, was born 28th April 1823 baptised 22nd May
Margaret daughter of James McKellar Master of the steamboat Hercules, and Isabella Gillies born 19th Jun 1825 baptised 10th July
Janet, daughter to James McKellar Shipsmaster and Isabella Gillies born 21 March 1827 baptised 15th April
Best Regards
Jim
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Jim Again
I meant to mention there was a James McKellar labourer died 3/12/1873 in Greenock Poorhouse aged 75. His wife was Ann McGilvray. Not the one we're looking for.
Rgds
Jim
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Jim
do you have a death for James's wife Isobel Gillies
just wondering if the marriage to Jane Anderson could
have been a second marriage
Elaine
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Hi Jim
Nothing really new to add, just some questions from me too.
- Was Helen the only living daughter/child of James and wife Isabella Shearer? See from other material she married in Ireland in 1860 and remained there?
- Did Isabella Shearer died before 1855? Couldn't easily see anything for her post this date.
- When you mention a granddaughter named Anabella Gillies, is this a daughter for Helen?
Monica :)
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Hi Monica
James went on the steamtug Robert Bruce in 1853 and was doing salvage and towing on the Clyde and Scottish coast. Late 1850s he moved to Queenstown in Co. Cork and was rescuing ships on the Irish coast until at least 1864. Daughter Helen met a coastguard named George Jones there and they married on 3/6/1860. On the marriage record Helen's father was James McKellar, Captain of the Robert Bruce. They had their only child on 6/3/1861, Annabella Gillies Jones. They moved to Kilkeel Co. Down where Annabella married coastguard James Scott McClaughlin in 1877, and then to Belfast. The Belfast censuses have Helen Jones born Greenock.
From 1870 the Robert Bruce was registered at Cardiff and in 1871 James was back in Greenock on the tugs Eliza and Rover so the family would not be on the Scottish 1861 census. As James' 1871 census was on the tugs, it doesn't show Isabella's whereabouts, or even if she was alive.
Isabella McKellar who died 2/9/1884 had never married, Isabella McKellar 18/1/1894 was the widow of Archibald McKellar.
Helen was the only child of James and Isabella on the 1851 census and she was 10 so she probably was the only one, I haven't found any other.
It did cross my mind that Isabella Gillies had died and James had married again to Jane Anderson, but his age is about seven years out and it would be about twenty six years after the first marriage. There is also no sign of the granddaughters Margaret and Elizabeth mentioned in the will, they would have been sisters to Helen. Anything's possible though.
All the best
Jim
(James Scott McLaughlin)
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Hoping you are still on this forum, Jim. I'd be interested to know where you obtained the military information about Duncan McKellar, founder of the McKellar shipping company. Duncan McKellar, 1791, was the brother of my 3xgreat grandfather.
The information you have provided is extremely interesting and I would like to be able to find a way to obtain similar military information from the same period for other family members.
Dee
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I'd be interested to know where you obtained the military information about Duncan McKellar, founder of the McKellar shipping company.
Can you clarify please?
The only Duncan previously mentioned in this thread is Duncan Clark, husband of Isabella McKellar, and none of the information in the thread appears to be of military origin - James McKellar seems to have been a civilian throughout his career.
The Wikipedia article on Duncan MacKellar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Mackellar does not contain any suggestion that he ever served in the Royal Navy or the Army either, in which case there will not be any military records of his career.
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The info I have does not contain any military connection.
James McKellar was born on the twenty fourth of June 1817 in the town of Gourock on the River Clyde. He married Isabella Shearer on 9/4/1839 at Greenock Middle Church, Renfrewshire but Isabella must have died shortly after as he married again to Isaaca Robert on 19/1/1848 at Greenock Old or West.
In 1851 James was at 43, Hamilton Street, Greenock with Isaac, daughter Helen and his father, also James aged 57 widower. Helen is entered as Helen MacKay, aged 10, daughter of James McKellar, born Greenock.
There is no record of a birth for Helen/Ellen McKellar c1840 in Greenock, but on the 1841 census there is a Helen McKay aged 5 months, daughter of Angus and Lucy McKay living in Hamilton Street. It is quite possible that something happened to Angus and Lucy and Helen was adopted by James and Isabella, or James and Isaaca. Angus and Lucy do not appear on any census return after 1841. Before 1930 adoption was done on a very informal basis and no records were kept.
I can’t find a marriage record for Angus and Lucy or birth record for Helen McKay, so regrettably this has become a ‘brick wall’, but nevertheless, some of the information gleaned so far does paint a picture of Helen’s life.
James senior married Isobel (Isabella) Gillies on 25th January 1813 in Glasgow and on the marriage entry James is described as a boatman in Gourock. In 1848 the parish marriage entry for James McKellar and Isaaca Robert reads ‘James McKellar shipmaster, son of James McKellar steamboat Master Greenock and Isaaca Robert daughter of Thomas Robert, mariner’. Around 1859, James senior, James and Isaaca, and daughter Helen all moved to Queenstown, Co. Cork, Ireland.
Before 1855 deaths in Scotland were seldom registered.
Isabella Gillies died in Scotland prior to 1851 and her death wasn’t registered.
Isabella Shearer died in Scotland prior to 1848 and her death wasn’t registered.
Isaac Roberts Kellar, female, died at Queenstown, Cork aged 50 on 22/6/1867. Wife of a captain of a steamer living at 4, Church Street, Queenstown. Informant Ellen Jones of same address. (Helen/Ellen McKellar)
James McKellar senior died at Queenstown, Cork aged 75 on 15/1/1868. Late captain of a tugboat. Address 13, Harbour View. Informant Mary Ann Hughes of 14, Fish Street, Cork.
The tugboat Robert Bruce sank in 1866 in Liverpool and with Isaaca passing away in 1867, his father in 1868, and Helen married, James returned to Greenock.
James McKellar, tugboatman, died on 3/7/1876 at Gourock Infirmary of apoplexy aged 59.
Rgds
Jim
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Siblings:
William McKellar b. 3/6/1821, bap. 22/6/1821 Inverkip, Renfrew, parents James McKellar and Isabella Gillies.
Peter McKellar b.28/4/1823 bap. 2/5/1823 Inverkip, parents James McKellar and Isabella Gillies.
Margaret McKellar b. 19/6/1825 bap. 10/7/1825. Greenock, parents James McKellar and Isabella Gillies.
Janet McKellar b. 21/3/1827 bap. 15/4/1827 Greenock, parents James McKellar and Isabella Gillies.
Likely to be other births for James and Isabella between marriage in 1813 and 1820.
Just wanted to add another sibling to your list, David McKellar who died in 1913 in Greenock at the age of 84. He was a deep sea pilot and married twice (Jane Patteson and Catherine Thomson). Doesn't help with solving the puzzles you still have but just extending the family ::)
Monica
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And one more...Jane McKellar, wife of a Robert Chambers, who died at the age of 55 in 1872 in Greenock.
Monica
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Sorry JimMcL and Forforain, I've obviously put my question on the wrong thread about Duncan McKellar. I'll find the correct one and repost.