Help with a death cert

[KatieC]

Can anyone read the first name of the witness on this death certificate?

It's -something- McGowan Son Present.  I cant read the -something-


Thank you!

[JAP]

First impression is William - but who knows ...

JAP

[Gadget]

Is it William McGlowan or McGouan

Certainly is 'son present'

Gadget

[kerryb]

I'd agree with William McGlowan!

Kerry

[JLo]

Looking at the 'n' on the end of 'son', I would go for William McGonsin, but I think KatieC already knows it's McGowan, so I guess it's only the William that she needed and we all agree on that

[KatieC]

I know for sure the last name is McGowan, as the name of the deceased was McGowan.  I just couldnt make out the first name.  William may be right, I just didnt have him on my list of children.

[JAP]

Hi KatieC,

Looking at your previous posts, I take it that the parents are Thomas MCGOWAN and Agnes MCKECHNIE who married in 1845 in Gorbals.

The online IGI lists 8 children for them (including one - Bernard, 20 Aug 1864 - who was registered in both Hutchesontown and Dunoon & Kilmun which seems odd).  Of these 8 children, only one is before the introduction of Statutory Registration (1855).  So it rather looks as though there may well have been several children between the marriage (in 1845) and the first child recorded in the IGI (in 1854) - possibly including a William?

Do you have the family in the 1851 and 1861 censuses from ScotlandsPeople?  If not, these could well include names of earlier children (assuming that there were some) - also, of course, ages and birthplaces.

Regards,

JAP

[capricorn]

Hi Katiec,   I agree it looks like William. They did have a son William, here is the family in 1861 census index (Glasgow)

Census taken Hutchiestown.

Thomas McGowan age 41 born Ireland
Agnes (McKechnie) age 34 born Linlithgow
William age 14 born Gorbals
Agnes age 12 born Gorbals
Mary age 8 born Gorbals
Maria age 4 born Govan
Thomas A age 2 born Govan
Rosea F age 1 born Govan

Liz

[northern_rose]

I too read William.

Following Capricorn's post i am sure it is William as the death cert then follows the tradition for the oldest child to take responsibility for registering deaths.