Thank you for your reply gaffy. I do think he was connected to the Railway. The reason I say this is on the marriage certificates of my GF Isaac and his siblings Adam and Nellie they all say their father was a Railway Guard (Goods).
Helen Barclay McKecnie is my GGM, she did marry a James Davidson in Carluke, they lived at Law Junction and he was a railway Plater, he died in 1887. I wonder if James knew Isaac snr throgh through the railway.
My GGM Helen was born in Lanarkshire, married James there and lived there. I am thinking that as my GF was born out of wedlock and his father was from Ireland he wanted his child born there, or maybe the shame for Helen?
GGM Helen had her GM's maiden Barclay, her daughter Helen had her GM's maiden name Barrie. Traditional thing in Scotland, all of my siblings have family names, as has my grandchildren. Sometimes this helps in tracing ancestors.
The Glasgow newspaper 1885 I followed up, everything seemed to fit. I sent to NHS archives for the hospital report which gave me Rosebank Place Cambuslang as his abode, a place not so far from Carluke or Motherwell but I never was able to trace him after that.
William Caldwell and Elizabeth Irwin (father John Irwin a carpenter) married 20/7/1875 in Drumachose Newton Limavady. William's father was Isaac Caldwell a drover, and mother Margaret Dollas (daulus) who died 1903 in Motherwell Scotland. William and Elizabeth in 1876 had twins born Cambuslang Scotland, Isaac and Matilda Jane died at 10 weeks.
William's brother Isaac on 1881 cencus married a Jane Watson in Motherwell 1879. I found in 1891 an Isaac with son James age 12 lodging with the Paterson family in Motherwell, I beleive he is Jane's husband and son named after her father. Oh dear I have so much knowledge of this family but can not connect it to me!! Thank you for the westminster avenue details. That was another thing I done, I tried to get railway records connected to my GGF, none exist for his time frame. Many thanks gaffy.
