James Crawford
(1820-1898)
From the baptism
record for Helen Crawford, is is known that there was
a James and William Crawford. Although it does not state a relationship, I think
it is fair to have a guess that they would be brothers to Robert. Of course,
trying to find any James or William Crawford in Scotland, is very difficult and
might as well be John Smith! I also like to have documentary evidence to prove
my findings. The odds began great but I narrowed them to a point that I must
have the real James Crawford - unless something else turns up to positively
identify him as somebody else!
Apart from the Baptism record, there was a James Crawford
together with Robert Crawford and his wife and son, John, and daughter, Helen,
on the 1841 census.
The 1841 census does not give relationships, but with the
research we do know that this was the family group. I believe that the James who
is with the family, was the same James who was a witness on the baptism record.
Both, he and Robert, were listed as 'not born in Barony' and the ages on this
census are rounded up and down by about 5 years, so they are not accurate. None
of which really helped solve the case!
I searched
through the censuses to see if there was a James Crawford who might fit with
what I knew. In 1851, I discovered a James who seemed to fit. He was an Iron
Stone Miner and lived at Rose Bank Cottage North Woodside Road, Maryhill. He was
born in Airdrie.
Since the rest
of the family were coal and iron stone miners, this was a matching occupation,
his age was about right for the parameters set by the 1841 census. Also from my
research, I knew that the family migrated to Airdrie, so I was happy with that.
Other family members lived at Woodside Road, Maryhill. It looked as if I had the
right man so I followed this through.
In 1861, James as a colliery oversman
and lived at Knightswood Row, New Kilpatrick, Dumbartonshire.
John Crawford
actually lived there in 1865 and his
mother must have been living with them as she registered the birth of twins.
James' address was further identified as 29 Knightswood, New Kilpatrick,
Dumbartonshire and he was a colliery manager in 1871. Perhaps he gave his nephew
a job.
This increased
my feelings that this was indeed Robert's brother. Still not entirely convinced
though, I looked at the statistics. How many James Crawfords of the right age
etc. There was one other James who fitted but he was already married so that
actually ruled him out. If it had been the James I was looking for, he would have to
have re-married and some of his children to the first marriage would have shown
up with the 'new wife' on subsequent censuses. That James was a stone
mason and he appears with his wife on censuses at the same time as James with
his wife. So this concluded that I had identified two distinct James Crawford's
and there families.
From these
censuses we can see when family members disappear and from this I was able to
find the records for marriage and death for them.
The first thing
I found was the death of Marion who turned out to be Marion Weir.
On the 12th
September 1858 at 0h 10m at Rown, Knightswood, Parish of New Kilpatrick.
MARION CRAWFORD
(m.s. Weir –wife of a Colliery Overseers Man) died aged 39 years; daughter of
James Weir (Weaver – deceased) and Charlotte Weir, m.s. Howden
Cause of death:
Dysentery, 10 days
Certified by: Wm Young
who saw deceased on 11th September.
Burial: Sighthill
Cemetery, Glasgow, Certified by Wyllie Leishman, Undertaker
Informant: James
Crawford, Husband, Present, registered the death 14th September 1858
at New Kilpatrick.
Ref. 1858/D Parish of
New Kilpatrick, County of Dumbartonshire 500/00/061.
This confirmed that this
Marion was indeed the wife of the James I was looking for.
Births for the children
would not show up in the Statutory Records as they were before 1855, except that
for John. The birth records were found on the International Genealogical Indexes
(IGI(e))
No IGI was found for the
first child, Charlotte but her death was discovered in the Statutory records.
On the 18th
July 1868 at 8h 5m PM at Row, Knightswood, Parish of New Kilpatrick.
CHARLOTTE CRAWFORD
(Single) died aged 19 years; daughter of James Crawford (Underground Manager)
and Marion Crawford, m.s. Weir (deceased)
Cause of death: Typhoid
fever, 15 days, Pneumonia 8 days.
Certified by: Alex Haig,
M.D.
Informant: John Weir,
Neighbour, Present. Registered the death on 19th July 1865 at New
Kilpatrick
Ref. 1865/D Parish of
New Kilpatrick, County of Dumbartonshire 500/00/053.
Elloner Miller Crawford
was
Christened on the 1st October 1848 at Cambridge Street United
Presbyterian, Glasgow, Lanark.
William Crawford
– no record was
found but his year of birth is about 1851.
Marion Crawford
was born 8th November 1854 Barony, Lanark, Scotland.
John Crawford
was born 23rd November 1856 at Milton, Glasgow, Lanark
The first daughter was
called Charlotte after her grandmother and the 2nd daughter being called Helen
(Eleanor) I would guess that this was after James' own mother. Perhaps she was
actually Helen Miller but I have yet to establish this. James died 1st April
1898. The death certificate gave his father as John Crawford, miner. Since
Robert Crawford named his first son John, I had already concluded his father
must have been John and with his daughter being Helen, I also thought that would
be his mother's name. James death certificate did not give his mother's name, it
was obviously long forgotten by his son, who registered the death.
On the 1st
April 1898 at 6h 45m AM at
Moorpark, Refrew.
JAMES CRAWFORD
(Fuer - widow of Marion Weir) died aged 78 years; son of John Crawford (Miner -
deceased)
and _______ Crawford, m.s. Nelson (deceased)
Cause of death: Morbus
Cordis
Certified by: W G
Stevens, LRCP
Informant: John
Crawford, Son, Present. Registered the death on 2nd April 1898 at
Renfrew.
Ref. 1898/D Parish of
Renfrew, County of Renfrew 575/00/045.
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