John Acton & Mary Doyle marriage.

[MonicaL]

I think John is on the 1891 as a boarder by himself:

Ann Brady 53 head b. England
John Acton 52 boarder coal miner b. Ireland
Walter Nelson 59 boarder

Address: 20 Scotts Rows Berryhill, Wishaw

The original image from Scotlands People would also show his marital status in 1891.

Monica

[MonicaL]

Mary still alive in 1881. Just found their census (mis)transcription:

John Achion 40 coal miner
Mary Achion 40
John Achion 17 coal miner
Edward Achion 15 coal miner
Lawrence Achion 13
Thomas Achion 10

Address: 30 Berry Hill F. Raw, Wishaw

Mary and her sons look to have headed off to the US in 1882 - manifest here www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-5R9T-1G?i=219&cc=1849782

John Snr not showing. He either travelled separately and then came back by 1891...or they travelled without him.

Monica

[Forfarian]

1881 census transcription from LDS CD-ROM
30 Berryhill F Row, Cambusnethan*
John Action, Coalminer, 40, Ireland
Mary Action, Wife, 40, Ireland
John Action, Son, 17, Coalminer, Cambusnethan
Edward Action, Son, 15, Coalminer, Cambusnethan
Lawerence Action, Son, 13, Scholar, Cambusnethan
Thomas Action, Son, 10, Scholar, Cambusnethan

The SP index also lists them as Action not Acton.

*Wishaw is the principal town in the parish of Cambusnethan. For reasons presumably known to themselves, the LDS omitted from their transcription of the 1881 census the names of all towns and villages which are in the headers to each page of the census, so Wishaw itself isn't mentioned. (Neither are the other large industrial towns of Airdrie, Coatbridge and Motherwell, and a raft of smaller places, in neighbouring parishes.)

[sparksss67]

Excellent!

Did John's death describe him as married or widowed?

The cert says;
John Acton, pauper, formally hawker, widower of Mary Doyle.
61 Berryhill Rows,  Wishaw.
29 May, 1895. 58 years.
Father is Patrick (coal miner deceased)
Mother Susan Reid, deceased

[Forfarian]

So Mary had died before John. The 1891 census might tell you whether she died before then.

The really useful detail here is that he is described as a pauper. This means that he had applied to the parochial board for support, probably because his health had broken doewn and he was no longer able to work and earn his living.

That means that the parochial board would have collected a lot of information about him and his family and circumstances.

I don't know whether the Cambusnethan Parochial Board records have survived or not, but if they have it would definitely be worth trying to get hold of whatever they have about him. It should tell you, for example, his religion, where in Ireland he was born, where his surviving children were and maybe when his wife died. There will also be details of why he applied and what assistance they gave him.

Start with Glasgow City Archives https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/libraries/glasgow-city-archives

[lud]

Hello,
the Poor Relief records for Cambusnethan and Dalziel can be viewed in Motherwell Heritage Centre  Local Studies Dept "Archives"
Cheers

[Forfarian]

Thanks, lud, very useful.

https://culturenl.co.uk/museums/archives-and-local-history-museums/

[sparksss67]

Thanks again everyone for all your helpful contributions.  I have passed on this information to a woman in the States who is a direct descendent of John and Mary and she is delighted with it all.