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Research in Other Countries => Immigrants & Emigrants - General => Topic started by: 2dandan on Tuesday 19 September 17 13:57 BST (UK)

Title: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: 2dandan on Tuesday 19 September 17 13:57 BST (UK)
An ancestors headstone in Greenock Cemetery records that William Mackie, born 20 January 1829 in Rothes, Elgin died on 30 August 1849 in Matanzas, Cuba.

I have researched a lot of open source websites on Google and cannot find any guides or sites which help me find more information about this man or any event in Cuba which would lead to his early death barring an accident.

As he was from Greenock it is very likely that there is a connection to sugar.

Are there any of the pay sites (Ancestry etc) which hold death records, shipping records etc which might help in my search. If so what one would you recommend?

Any other links would also be appreciated in relation to employment records etc.

Title: Post deleted. New post submitted
Post by: 2dandan on Wednesday 04 September 24 12:48 BST (UK)
Post deleted. New thread started
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: shume on Thursday 19 September 24 12:03 BST (UK)
Family Search has a selection of Cuba BDM but nothing for a Wm Mackie b 1829 d 1849. Although quite a few Wm Mackie.
If you Google Cuba Genealogy there are quite a few groups who might help.
He may well have died of disease too.
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: wivenhoe on Thursday 19 September 24 13:07 BST (UK)
You see all of this on the headstone?

    "William Mackie, born 20 January 1829 in Rothes, Elgin died on 30 August 1849 in Matanzas, Cuba."

What else is on the headstone?.  Do you have an image of the headstone?
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: wilcoxon on Thursday 19 September 24 18:37 BST (UK)
https://www.rootschat.com/links/01tf2/

Headstone in Greenock.
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: shume on Saturday 21 September 24 00:50 BST (UK)
I can't see any mention on this tombstone of William Mackie died Cuba?
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: mckha489 on Saturday 21 September 24 08:52 BST (UK)
I thought, with a stone like that, that the death of someone in Cuba would be in the newspapers,  I can’t see anything.
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: bearkat on Saturday 21 September 24 09:58 BST (UK)
I can't see any mention on this tombstone of William Mackie died Cuba?

I can't see any mention of a William dying in Cuba either.  The headstone lists William  who died in 1880 and a son who died in infancy.

A search of FindaGrave for William Mackie comes up with this headstone and details of William who died in Cuba in 1849 - strange.  :-\
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: wilcoxon on Saturday 21 September 24 13:07 BST (UK)
William who died 1880 was in Inverkip Street Greenock in 1851 , 61 and 71. He appears in a PO directory.
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: shume on Sunday 22 September 24 12:55 BST (UK)
I think that someone has added the information about a William Mackie dying in Cuba to this family group headstone on FindaGrave in error.
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: 2dandan on Tuesday 24 September 24 18:16 BST (UK)
I have photographs of the original headstone with Matanzas text on it and the same headstone which was refaced at some unknown point with similar text on it. I have tried and failed to add these photos to my post because the size is too big. The text on the headstones are as follows.

Original……

Erected to the memory of William Mackie, Mason who died 14 Jan 1880 aged 75 years. Also his wife Elizabeth Anderson who died 24 Jan 1876 aged 71 years, their son William, died at Matanzas 30 Aug 1849 aged 20 years, their daughter Elizabeth died in infancy, also Mary McLeish McDonald, wife of Peter Mackie died 12 Nov 1875 aged 39 years and their son William died 15 July 1867 aged 2.5 years

The refaced version states…

Erected to the memory of William Mackie, Mason died 1880 aged 75. Elizabeth Anderson his wife 1876 aged 71 and their children William and Elizabeth. Peter Mackie, Mason 1890 aged 51 Mary MacLeish MacDonald his wife 1879 aged 39 and their son in infancy. Murdoch Sutherland, ? died 3 March 1918 aged ? Mary Mackie Sutherland, died 1941 aged 72, Alexander Sutherland, died 12 June ? aged ?, Elizabeth Mackie, died ? February 1958 ? her ?

Linked thread….

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=885482.msg7590925#msg7590925

Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: ShaunJ on Wednesday 25 September 24 09:55 BST (UK)
There's a seaman's ticket for a William Mackie born Rothes 25 January 1829:

https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=TNA%2FMSEA%2FBTOTH%2F4620401%2F00174&parentid=TNA%2FBT113%2F2132992213%2F1
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: 2dandan on Wednesday 25 September 24 15:13 BST (UK)
There's a seaman's ticket for a William Mackie born Rothes 25 January 1829:




Thank you. I have located the record but further searches have failed to identify any ships he may have sailed on after he registered on 14 October 1848 and his death in Cuba on 30 August 1849.
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: bearkat on Wednesday 25 September 24 15:29 BST (UK)
There are some burial records for Matanzas, Cuba online

https://hijosdecoamopr.com/cuba-digitized-online-records/

They are quite faint and there's a limit on how much they can be enlarged which makes them difficult to read and then there is the language problem.
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: 2dandan on Wednesday 25 September 24 18:42 BST (UK)
Many thanks Bearkat for that find and the link.

I have looked at the records and 2 books relate to burials/death during the appropriate period. They are very difficult to read, as you mentioned.

My references do not match those provided by the link but I did manage to find 2 entries numbered 454. Unfortunately they do not refer to William Mackie or his Spanish nom de plume Guillermo Mack Anderson.

Both of those books have reference cover sheets which state that “This libro (book) contains burial records of black inhabitants of Matanzas” so maybe there is another book for foreigners.
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: wilcoxon on Thursday 26 September 24 09:23 BST (UK)
I have photographs of the original headstone with Matanzas text on it and the same headstone which was refaced at some unknown point with similar text on it. I have tried and failed to add these photos to my post because the size is too big. The text on the headstones are as follows.

Original……

Erected to the memory of William Mackie, Mason who died 14 Jan 1880 aged 75 years. Also his wife Elizabeth Anderson who died 24 Jan 1876 aged 71 years, their son William, died at Matanzas 30 Aug 1849 aged 20 years, their daughter Elizabeth died in infancy, also Mary McLeish McDonald, wife of Peter Mackie died 12 Nov 1875 aged 39 years and their son William died 15 July 1867 aged 2.5 years

The refaced version states…

Erected to the memory of William Mackie, Mason died 1880 aged 75. Elizabeth Anderson his wife 1876 aged 71 and their children William and Elizabeth. Peter Mackie, Mason 1890 aged 51 Mary MacLeish MacDonald his wife 1879 aged 39 and their son in infancy. Murdoch Sutherland, ? died 3 March 1918 aged ? Mary Mackie Sutherland, died 1941 aged 72, Alexander Sutherland, died 12 June ? aged ?, Elizabeth Mackie, died ? February 1958 ? her ?

Linked thread….

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=885482.msg7590925#msg7590925

You can add your original photos to the record on Findagrave quite easily.  You have to join the free site first.
That would be of interest.
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: 2dandan on Thursday 26 September 24 12:58 BST (UK)

You can add your original photos to the record on Findagrave quite easily.  You have to join the free site first.
That would be of interest.[/quote]


Photo added to Findagrave as requested.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/141995784/william-mackie
Title: Re: Death in Cuba 1849 - where is the best place to research this?
Post by: wilcoxon on Thursday 26 September 24 13:13 BST (UK)
Goodness,  there's a lot of information removed isn't there.