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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Lanarkshire => Topic started by: sparksss67 on Monday 27 August 18 19:44 BST (UK)
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John Acton was baptised on 6 July 1834 in Avoca, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. The next record I can find for him is when his first son Dennis is born on 8 July 1858 is Cambusnethan, Lanark, Scotland. His wife is given as Mary Doyle.
I have had no luck finding an entry for the marriage of John and Mary in Ireland, and was wondering if perhaps they moved and married in Scotland, or maybe met in Scotland. Dna Matches would indicate John was my 3 rd gt uncle, but if I could see his parents name in a record it would confirm the family link.
Thanks for any help with this matter.
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To confirm their marriage details, you can check any of their children's birth certs from the early 1860s onwards. Parents' date and place of marriage was recorded on their child's birth certs.
This is the family in 1871?
John Acton 30 Labourer In Iron Works b. Ireland
Mary Acton 27 b. Ireland
Donots (Dennis?) Acton 13
Matthew Acton 9
John Acton 7
Edward Acton 5
Lawrence Acton 4
Thomas Acton 1
Address: 11 Berryhill 1st Row, Wishaw, Cambusnethan
If John and wife Mary died in Scotland, their parents' full names would be included on their death registrations if known to the informants. Though, I think most family members ended up in the Washington area?
Monica
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Can't easily see Mary Doyle's death so far on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk but a possible for John maybe showing as:
John Acton, 58, died in 1895 in Cambusnethan.
Monica
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That’s great Monica, exactly the information I was looking for and I’d imagine that’s John’s death entry. Are 30 credit bundles the minimum amount that can be purchased or is it possible to just buy enough credits to open up a particular entry one is interested in seeing.
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Are 30 credit bundles the minimum amount that can be purchased or is it possible to just buy enough credits to open up a particular entry one is interested in seeing.
30 is the minimum, and it will buy five documents. You already need three documents
- birth of one of the younger children (go for Lawrence as that's the most unusual of the given names, but remember to use wildcards for spelling variations) to tell you the date and place of John and Mary's marriage
- John's death certificate to tell you the names of his parents, assuming the informant knew, and whether or not Mary predeceased him
- the original of the 1871 census, which will contain information not included in the index or transcription quoted by Monica
You could use the remaining credits to get two more census records.
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Although I have the 19th century burial records for Cambusnethan cemetery, the Common Ground records (paupers' graves) for the 1890's have not survived. It may well be that John was interred there. The only record I found for this family is for a child who died in 1874. Here are the details.
JAMES ACTON. Wishaw, aged 2 years.
Parents - John Acton & Mary Doyle.
Interred in Public (common) Ground on 14th December 1874.
My advice to you is to follow Forfarian's always accurate advice!
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Thanks for the further information Forfarian and Lodger, much appreciated. Sad to read James died so young. While we see this quite a bit when doing family research, it is always a poignant reminder of how fortunate we are to be here today.
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John’s death cert did indeed confirm that his parents were who I hoped they would be. Also Lawrence’s birth cert entry shows that John and Mary married in Co. Wicklow in October 1855.
Thanks again for the wonderful pointers.
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Excellent!
Did John's death describe him as married or widowed?
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I think John is on the 1891 as a boarder by himself:
Ann Brady 53 head b. England
John Acton 52 boarder coal miner b. Ireland
Walter Nelson 59 boarder
Address: 20 Scotts Rows Berryhill, Wishaw
The original image from Scotlands People would also show his marital status in 1891.
Monica
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Mary still alive in 1881. Just found their census (mis)transcription:
John Achion 40 coal miner
Mary Achion 40
John Achion 17 coal miner
Edward Achion 15 coal miner
Lawrence Achion 13
Thomas Achion 10
Address: 30 Berry Hill F. Raw, Wishaw
Mary and her sons look to have headed off to the US in 1882 - manifest here www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-5R9T-1G?i=219&cc=1849782
John Snr not showing. He either travelled separately and then came back by 1891...or they travelled without him.
Monica
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1881 census transcription from LDS CD-ROM
30 Berryhill F Row, Cambusnethan*
John Action, Coalminer, 40, Ireland
Mary Action, Wife, 40, Ireland
John Action, Son, 17, Coalminer, Cambusnethan
Edward Action, Son, 15, Coalminer, Cambusnethan
Lawerence Action, Son, 13, Scholar, Cambusnethan
Thomas Action, Son, 10, Scholar, Cambusnethan
The SP index also lists them as Action not Acton.
*Wishaw is the principal town in the parish of Cambusnethan. For reasons presumably known to themselves, the LDS omitted from their transcription of the 1881 census the names of all towns and villages which are in the headers to each page of the census, so Wishaw itself isn't mentioned. (Neither are the other large industrial towns of Airdrie, Coatbridge and Motherwell, and a raft of smaller places, in neighbouring parishes.)
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Excellent!
Did John's death describe him as married or widowed?
The cert says;
John Acton, pauper, formally hawker, widower of Mary Doyle.
61 Berryhill Rows, Wishaw.
29 May, 1895. 58 years.
Father is Patrick (coal miner deceased)
Mother Susan Reid, deceased
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So Mary had died before John. The 1891 census might tell you whether she died before then.
The really useful detail here is that he is described as a pauper. This means that he had applied to the parochial board for support, probably because his health had broken doewn and he was no longer able to work and earn his living.
That means that the parochial board would have collected a lot of information about him and his family and circumstances.
I don't know whether the Cambusnethan Parochial Board records have survived or not, but if they have it would definitely be worth trying to get hold of whatever they have about him. It should tell you, for example, his religion, where in Ireland he was born, where his surviving children were and maybe when his wife died. There will also be details of why he applied and what assistance they gave him.
Start with Glasgow City Archives https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/libraries/glasgow-city-archives
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Hello,
the Poor Relief records for Cambusnethan and Dalziel can be viewed in Motherwell Heritage Centre Local Studies Dept "Archives"
Cheers
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Thanks, lud, very useful.
https://culturenl.co.uk/museums/archives-and-local-history-museums/
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Thanks again everyone for all your helpful contributions. I have passed on this information to a woman in the States who is a direct descendent of John and Mary and she is delighted with it all. :)