McGougan/McGugan family Lochgilphead

[MonicaL]

Ahh...so this is how they met! From 1851:

Neil Mcgugan 32, labourer, b. Inveraray, Argyll
John Mcgugan 9, nephew b. Inveraray, Argyll
Catherine Mcarthur 17, servant b. Kilmichael, Argyll

Address: Auchindrain, Inveraray, Argyll

Monica

[bracken56]

Hi Monica & Hayley

Thanks for the feedback. I'm hoping someone may be able to help me with my  problem.

My McGugan/McGougan family are mainly from the Campbeltown area.

I've been trying to trace the parentage of Malcom McGugan/McGougan and what happened to Malcom after the birth of his son John in 1872.

John's birth certificate reads:
John McGougan (illegitimate) born 12th March 1872 at Fitchburn, Campbeltown. Parents: Malcom McGougan (fisherman) and Barbara McMillan (domestic servant).
Informant: Malcom McGugan (note now spelt McGugan)
Regs. 30/3/1872 at Campbeltown.

John's marriage to Margaret McArthur in 1893 in Campbeltown shows his parents as Malcolm McGougan (decd) - occupation now showing as Farm Servant.
Barbara McLean ms McMillan (decd).

John's death certificate in 1907 shows parents as Malcom McGougan (decd) - farm servant.

So Malcom/Malcolm was definitely his father but as no marriage took place, I can find no trace of him since the birth in 1872.

I'm pretty sure Barbara went on the marry John McLean in 1878 in Campbeltown and died there of typhoid fever in 1881.

Any help would be appreciated as I haven't been able to move forward on this lineage for years now.

Malcolm was my grt grt grandfather.

Bye from a cold and wet day in Australia.

Sue

[MonicaL]

Hi Sue

Always hard with illegitimate births isn't it to be certain on father's details  You are fortunate though that father Malcolm accepted paternity and registered birth which has given you a little bit of extra info to try to work with.

Having said that, I'm not seeing many potential candidates for him. There is this entry in 1871, not sure if you have seen it. One big problem though, as this Malcolm shows as married as at 1871:

Janet Martland 56, head
Mary Forrester 30, daughter
Janet Forrester 11, granddaughter
Maggie Forrester 9 granddaughter
Mary Forrester 6 granddaughter
Malcom Mcgougan 30, son in law, fisherman b. Campbeltown
Flora Mcgougan 28 daughter
Malcom Mcgougan 2 grandson

Address: High Street, Campbeltown

Malcolm McGougan and Flora Maitland married on 11 MAY 1869 in Campbeltown and I can see them in the censuses up to 1901, with Malcolm still showing as a fisherman. From what you have, Malcolm, the fisherman/farm servant showed as deceased by the time of son John's marriage in 1892.

Have you found any possible candidates for John's father?

Monica

[bracken56]

Hi Monica

Thanks for your info. I did track the Malcolm married to Flora Maitland and he died in 1920 so definitely not him, as my Malcolm was showing as deceased when John married in 1893.

I thought he might have been the one born on Gigha in 1840 to Angus McGugan/Peggy McGeachie (mainly because the McGeachy surname is strong in our family) but they emigrated to America in 1871 - though I suppose Barbara may have been pregnant when they left.

The other one I keep coming back to for no particular reason is a Malcolm McGougan who died in 1874 whilst an able seaman. The certificate from the Marine Register on SP reads:
Statutory Deaths 020/MR 0016. Name of ship: "Parsee" Died 13th September 1874 aged 34 years. Cause of death: Fell from wharf. Nationality " Argyllshire. Member of crew.

My cousin Ian wrote to the Otago Times in New Zealand and they sent the following clipping which only confused us more with the spelling and also the fact they call him James from Ireland aged 27 at the end??


Otago Daily Times, Monday 14 September 1874: An accident which had a fatal result befel one of the seamen belonging to the ship Parsee on Saturday night. The man, whose name was Malcolm McGuiggan, went ashore 'on the spree' with some of his shipmates, and accompanied by one of them returned to his vessel very much the worse for liquor at about 10 o'clock. In attempting to get aboard over the gangway plank he missed his footing and went overboard, striking in his fall one of the ship's mooring chains. His mate at once gave the alarm and, aided by two or three other seamen belonging to the Taranaki, succeeded in rescuing McGuiggan from his perilous position and conveyed him on board his ship. He appeared to be very much exhausted and all but insensible and hence it was considered advisable to call in medical assistance. Dr Drysdale was summoned and was quickly in attendance and administered such remedies as were deemed requisite. The man seemed to rally under the treatment and when the doctor again visited him at between 2 and 3 o'clock next morning he appeared to be progressing favourably but during the forenoon unfavourable symptoms, indicating severe internal inflammation, set in, and increasing in intensity during the day, it was decided to send the sufferer to Dunedin Hospital and he was accordingly forwarded to town by the afternoon train, Dr Drysdale accompanying him. He died in about half an hour after reaching the hospital."
Thursday 17 September: Malcolm McGuiggan was subsequently stricken by congestion of the lungs... it was questioned if his death was accelerated by his removal to hospital when he was so seriously ill. "His removal was however unavoidable: to permit him to remain in the miserable quarters he occupied on board ship was not to be thought of." Port Chalmers needed some sort of sub-hospital for such cases...
Dunedin Northern Cemetery Burial Records:
McGuiggan, James  (class 3) Lot 49, Block 65; Died Sep 17, 1874, aged 27 years, of accident.
Mariner, resident of hospital. Born Ireland, years in N.Z. unknown.
Buried Sep 17, 1874. Informants Gourlay & Lewis [Funeral directors]   [No headstone.]

Do you happen to know if ship's crew can be traced through marine records?

Thanks again for your help, it it much appreciated.
Sue

[MonicaL]

Confusing the death info you have found isn't it  Dates don't match the marine register date entry on SP either do they and as for name and ages and nationality.... Confusing also that he shows as a fisherman and then farm labourer on son's registrations, so not sure if the able seaman death is therefore connected.

You would think given how very few Malcom M*g*g*n (to pick up on all the spelling variations) there were in the whole of Scoltand, he would be easier to find! The only Malcolm that I am seeing up to 1871 (can't see him after this census) is a farm servant born c. 1853 in Killean, Argyll. He shows with mother Margaret and brother John in 1861 and then working as a farm servant in 1871...but I cannot see a death for him in his birth year range on SP between 1871 - 1893.

There are 3 deaths on SP for a Malcolm M*cg*g*n between these dates, born 1840 +/-5 yrs. Have you looked at any of these?

Monica 

[hayleydoyle]

  I believe according to LDS that Niel McGugans parents may have been Catherine McNicol and Duncan McGugan of Inveraray
I have had no luck trying to access the marriage certificates on Scotlands People since returning to Canada....systems glitch I suspect.
I would like to see both. I am still wondering if the road will lead to knapdale or Gigna...
they are an elusive bunch!

[gavuzzo]

One of my family, John Stewart, born 1795 in Glassary married Isabel McGugan about 1819. The Glassary marriage register is unfortunately blank from 1818 to 1820. John & Isobel had a child called Mary, born 15 Aug. 1820 at Ballimore, Aird of Lochgilphead. John died in 1820 and the daughter was brought up by his uncle (my great-grandfather).

For a comprehensive memoir on the Glassary Stewarts see:

Alexander Donald Stewart, A History of the Glassary Stewarts. Amelia 1999. There are copies at Salt Lake and in NY Public Library.

[brodiemcg]

hi there,

 i'm a mcgougan and thought i might be able to help a little.. or maybe not! my grandparents, sheena and john iain mcgougan had a shop in glasgow for a while, i think around the 70's, and also lived in tarbert for a number of years. i think there are still some mcgougans in the tarbert area. i think my grandfathers cousin or second cousin maybe was john smith, brief leader of the labour party. my great great grandfather was archibald mcgougan, who recieved some sort of medal for bravery. i think a realative and mcgougan several generations back was a doctor who moved to tasmania, possibly spawning the australian branch? i also know that my grandfather did a bit of geneology and traced our family tree, which seemed very much focused in argyll.

that's probably no help at all, but thought i'd post it anyway!

[thommoje]

 Hi Puppygirl ,
                     I have just read through all the posts about you McGugan folk - my head is spinning so will not try to sort them out but there are a couple of sites you may try , if you have not done so already. You may see something that rings a bell.
                     The " FreeCen" site will allow you to see all the McGugans in Argyll in 1841 - so you can pick out those you believe are yours - for free.
                     Google " Knapdale People " and there are many McGugan s in the surname lists there.
                     Hope you find something helpful,
                                                                          Thommoje