New to Australian Research!

[fridayjan]

I forgot to say, I'm waiting for a film to come into my local LDS centre which will hopefully have dates of birth for the McGavin boys - maybe that'll help us sort them all out - I'll make sure I look for Matthew and Jane just in case!

The centre has been closed for a couple of weeks, but I'm sure they said they re-opened on the 20th.

Janet

[ewilkin]

To Ruskie,
Thanks for the offer getting the copies of letters when eer it suits you is fine.  Let me know the cost so I can reimburse you.
Can you let me know your e-mail address as well so I can send on photo's to you.
Checked out wills in NSW and have to write for them so will do that ASAP.
I'll keep trying to post images on the thread but may be too technical for me - when I send the images by email it says that are only 200KB but when I try to post them on the thread they say that they are too big and over 500kb.
Elizabeth

[ewilkin]

Hi Janet and Ruskie,
I have the death of  Robert McGavin(the disowed one)  Died Clermont QLD 28th December 1902.

I have found the details of a headstone errected in a cemetry in scotland will have to check notes can't remember which one at present which may be of interest.
In Memory of MArgaret Wife of Robert McGAvin late Merchant of Glasgow.
Died 25th July 1886 age 75 years.
Also of her daughter Mary Reid Mearsh who died April 20th 1899 aged 59 years.
John Adams Skelly McGavin died 8th October 1921 age 77 years.
James (Matthew) McGavin

[ewilkin]

Hi Janet and Ruskie,
I have the death of  Robert McGavin(the disowned one)  Died Clermont QLD 28th December 1902.

ANOTHER MYSTERY SOLVED:
I have found the details of a headstone errected in a cemetry in Scotland will have to check notes can't remember which one at present .   but it solves the Matthew - James query.
In Memory of Margaret Wife of Robert McGAvin late Merchant of Glasgow.
Died 25th July 1886 age 75 years.
Also of her daughter Mary Reid Marsh who died April 20th 1899 aged 59 years.
John Adams Skelly McGavin died 8th October 1921 age 77 years.
[]bJAMES (MATTHEW) MCGAVIN died 27th December 1924 age 78 years.
William Thompson McGavin died 8th March 1933 age 84 year.

So I think  this solves the problem of James and MAtthew I felt they were the same as the birth dates matched.   They seemed to change names and middle names around a bit back th - same with Jessie she is sometimes called Jessie and sometimes Janet.

I haven't really done a lot iwth what I found during my visit as had a girlfriend die whilst I was away which through me for a while.  So this contract with you has thrown me back into catching up with it all.    I was so confused when I was over there with so many McGavins and incomprehensible headstones and sketchy birth records I felt quite dislexic.

Other information of interest to you I feel will be these details I found at Glasgow Library with reference to the business's that Robert McGavin was involved in.  This was taken from books with lists of business owner printed each year.
1850-51  McGavin & Thompson - Commission Merchants
109 and or 33 Virginia Street Glasgow.
Robert McGavin listed as Justice of the Peace acting for the lower ward.

1857-58 McGavin and Thompson Clyde Gale and Co Merchants
12 Dixon Street and Mavisbank Broomilaw.

1861 Robert McGavin of Clyde Galvanising Co.
House St Vincent Park  and Business Mavisbank.

I found the address in Virginia Street, Glasgow aptly named as it was the area for tobacco merchants which I thought may tie in with the West Indies connection.   Sadly they had just demolished the old building on the sight but I have a photo in any case as it shows you the style of building it would have been by others in the street.

Did not bother to find Broomilaw as it all moderised now but is was on the banks of the Clyde River where all the shipping was and there are some good old photos on the net  - maybe on net with Glasgow Library digital photo section I think.

Whilst all this was going on in Glasgow - Robert Senior was in Irvine c1850 as I found this refence to him in  a publication of the History of Irvine.
"In 1850 the council was willing to sell sand from the Moor to the Glengarnock Iron Company.  But when in 1853 Robert McGavin a local man now based in Glasgow proposed establishing an ironworks  beside the river and adjoining the railway, some concillors thought it would be a nuisance, there was a petition against it and the scheme fell through".   It seems clear that councillors and the small electorate they represented were many of them antagonistic to industrial developments.   and in 1858 it was reported that Irvine was retrogressing.    
From our visit there it still seems to be in the same malaise.

All in all what ever I found out about the McGavins they certainly seemed to get in have a go at life.
More later when I dig it out of my bundles.

[Ruskie]

That's all interesting information, thanks very much Elizabeth.

Someone more computer savvy than me should be able to help you with posting photos. I know there is lots of info somewhere on rootschat about how to do that ....

To send personal emails to rootschatters, you simply click on their name, then look at the bottom of the page where it says "send this rootschatter a personal message" - click on that and away you go.

If you've read this entire thread  you'll have discovered that Janet is also looking for the Thomson (Robert's partner's) family, who seem to disappear from the census after 1861 (if my memory serves me correctly). Do you have any knowledge of their whereabouts?

Elizabeth, there will be no cost for the images of Robert's letters (if I can manage to get them onto a USB). I'll just email them to you. 

[fridayjan]

Hi Elizabeth and Ruskie,

At least that solves the question of who Matthew was!  When I get to see the LDS film hopefully it will confirm the boys second names (is there or isn't there a P in William Thom(p)son McGavin?) as well as give their dates of birth.  Did you see the comment on the Scottish thread, that for some reason on certain films only the girls were transcribed onto the IGI?

It's been drizzling here most of the day , so I've been able to spend a couple of hours going through all the information I've been given without feeling guilty for not gardening or painting .

Ruskie, to answer a couple of your questions, I think I put 2 and 2 together about Francis Marsh marrying a Mary Anna because on the Electoral Rolls on Ancestry for 1925, 1930 and 1936 Francis and Mary Anna Marsh are both living at the same address (and in 1925 and 1930 they are the only two Marsh's on the page). 

I'm not too bothered about the Will's for James Harvey, Margaret and Matthew McGavin - I think they may be the children of Matthew McGavin - but of course if you ever found yourself with nothing to do . 

I got excited before when I discovered the NSW BMD site - there's a Janet Thomson with parents John and Janet who died in Sydney in 1893.  I couldn't immediately spot any others in the family but it might be somewhere to start, and could tie in with Robert being in Sydney when he died ??  (or am I making 5 again!!).

[Ruskie]

Janet, I'd say it would probably be that Thomson and Thompson are interchangable which makes the hunt more difficult. For example if they write their name they may omit the p, however if they say their name for someone else to write down, it's likely that person will include a p as it's the more common spelling. Misspellings as simple as that still happen today. Even when I spell my name people often get it wrong ....

No I didn't know about girls only being transcribed on the LDS - how and why did that happen?

Your Francis and Mary Anna logic sounds reasonable Janet - wonder if they married in another State ... or maybe not at all  ?

Your Thomson NSW find sounds like it might be worh investigating - I wonder what Elizabeth thinks about this?

[ewilkin]

Re James & William at school in 1861, that leaves us with 7 children, however on the ship there are 8 children listed.   Jane being the extra one - who is she???Does she exist - oh dear me another conundrum.  Just when I think I've got it sorted in my head.
On the track to find her now.

Janet did you recieve any e-mails on your personal email from me ??
Can't see where to attach pictures to the rootschat email system.
Elizabeth

[karenlee]

WOW

I go off for a few days.......... and you lot go nuts with all this information.

Great stuff.

I am off to the Library in the morning to track down all the MCGAVIN QLD Births until end of 1919.  With luck that will help somewhat.

Karenlee