McGavin - any suggestions!??

[fridayjan]

Hi, I've been tracing the McGavin family (Robert and Margaret, nee Skelly) and have found them in the 1841, 1851 and 1861 census returns on Ancestry, but after that they seem to disappear - or at least I can't find them!!

Robert was born c1810 in Irvine, Ayrshire and Margaret in 1811 in Monkton Ayrshire.

They have at least seven children, but I can't find a record of any of their births on Scotlandspeople either!!

Robert is listed in 1851 as a Commission Merchant and Shipowner, and in 1861 as a Merchant and JP.  I googled him and found two references to investigions into shipping accidents that were looked into by "Robert McGavin, JP for Forfar" - so wondered if this could be him.

Does anyone have any ideas about how I can trace this family any further?  I've tried searching for variations of McGavin but with no luck.

I'm running out of ideas!!

Janet

[Sherlock]

Where are they residing in 1841,1851 and 1861?

[Sherlock]

There is a death of a Robert Mcgavin in 1874 (aged 63) in Johnston Renfrew on Scotlandspeople

[Piglet01]

Hello,

The IGI has to the couple

 1. JANET SKELLY MCGAVIN  Christening: 18 SEP 1836 Associate Session, Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland
 
 2. MARY REID MCGAVIN  Christening: 29 JUL 1838 Associate Session, Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland 

FYI, there is at roughly the same time a Robert McGavin and a Margaret Wilson beginning to have children  - starting in 1838.

To use the IGI to search for all children born to the same parents go to:
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=igi/search_IGI.asp&clear_form=true
1.  Enter father and mothers names in the 2 right hand boxes
2.  'Event' select 'birth/christening'
3.  'Year' - select - type '1830'
4.  'Year range' -  enter - '+ or - 20 years'
5.  'Region' enter 'British Isles'
6.  Country - enter 'Scotland'
7.  County - enter - 'all counties’                 (or specify)

*   Press enter and hopefully up will come a list   :O)

Change the parameters indicated as required.  Good luck.  Regards,   Steve   :O)

[MonicaL]

Hi Janet

There really doesn't seem to be any trace of Robert and Margaret after 1861 does there?!

I cannot see a death for Margaret in Scotland searching for a Margaret M*cG*v*n/Sk* (pretty open on the searches!).  I would also have thought that given what Robert did for a living, he would probably have left a will but the only one I could find of interest were these two entries on SP:

1   MacGavin   Robert   30/10/1901   Coen River, Colony of Queensland, d. 19/02/1900 at The Bend, Coen River, intestate       non-Scottish Court   SC70/7/5   
2   MacGavin   Robert   27/12/1900   Accountant, The Bend, Coen River, Coen, Colony of Queensland       Edinburgh Sheriff Court Inventories   SC70/1/396

However, given the year, it may be too late for Robert.

Have you managed to find any of their children post 1861 to check on marriage or death certs whether parents were still living?

I can see the two google refs that you mentioned but they are both in the late 1880s and there is no sign of Robert after 1861. Still worthwhile following up though if nothing else to eliminate this Robert McGavin. I found these two refs for Dundee City Archives:

Records retransmitted from the National Archives of Scotland

• Justices of the Peace for the County of the City of Dundee 1894-1975
• Justices of the Peace for the County of Angus 1791-1974

Might be worthwhile following up to see what info these registers hold.

There is nothing showing for in the English Censuses 1871/81 that I could see but there is certainly the possibility they may have left Scotland after the 1861 census given the lack of death entries for both Robert and Margaret.

Regards.

Monica 

Hi Sherlock: The 1874 death also shows on the Wills section at SP:

McGavin   Robert   30/07/1874   Blacksmith in Johnstone       Paisley Sheriff Court   SC58/42/41

[fridayjan]

In 1841 they're in "Ibrox Holm, Govan, Lanarkshire, 1851 - St Vincent Park, Govan and 1861 - 2 St Vincent Park, Govan.

I had a look at the Robert McGavin in 1874 but it's not him I'm afraid (he's a blacksmith).

I'm wondering if there's a mistranscribing of the surname - but it seems too much of a coincidence for it always to be mistranscribed?  James, one of their sons appears in 1851 aged 8, but is missing in 1861 and I couldn't find a death for him either.  Maybe they changed their name or emigrated!

[fridayjan]

Thanks Monica and Piglet (our messages crossed in the post)

I'm pretty sure that Robert (Jnr's) parents were Robert McGavin and Mary Reid, and I've found someone who I presume is a sibling of Robert Jnr's - Matthew (1807-1874) who was a Presbyterian Minister in ...  Australia.

However, Robert (Jnr) also had a son called Robert (b1840) (just to confuse me!).

The strange thing is that so far I've not been able to find any trace (B's, M's or D's) for any of the children.

The internet seems to be running very slooooowly tonight, so I think I'll give up for now and have another go tomorrow - and try your suggestion for searching the IGI.

Thanks for all your help.

Janet

[merryhow]

Hi Janet, I found these on the IGIs

ROBERT MCGAVIN = MARGARET SKELLY  11th Oct 1835 Barony Lanark, also 18th Oct 1835 Irvine Ayrshire. As the Banns were called in Barony one of them must have been living there at the time.

Also found four children.

JANET SKELLY MCGAVIN ch 18th Sept 1836 Associate Session Glasgow
MARY REID MCGAVIN ch 29th July 1838 Associate Session Glasgow
MARGARET  MCGAVIN ch 31st Oct 1852 Associate Session Glasgow
AGNES BOYD MCGAVIN b 16th Mar 1855 Govan Lanark, ch 10th June 1855, ch 10th June 1855 Associate Session Glasgow

Fourteen year gap between Mary and Margaret, perhaps they had boys in this period but only had girls christened.

[MonicaL]

That great Val, that 1855 birth cert for Agnes could provide a lot more info.

Janet, 1855 and the first year of official reg makes this BC certainly one to view due to the amount of extra info that was included for one year only. Entries ran over two pages of the register and for births should include for parents:

When and where they married
Where they were born
What their usual residence was and how long they had lived there
How many children they'd had (living and deceased)

Monica