James and janet Russell of Neilston

[shaigh]

I am looking for records of a James Russell death registered at Neilston Mar 3 1836 and recorded as being from Grahamston. I want to confirm who his parents and/or wife were. No details on OPR record other than name and date and Grahamston.

Also his daughter, Janet, born 1837 Neilston and recorded in 1841 census at Carmunnock with mother, also Janet Russell, widow of James. I cannot find any record of this birth.

Unfortunately the Glasgow papers I can access do not have any online editions in this date range.

Any ideas of where I could look?

[WilmaM]

The Janet Russell's in Carmunck in 1841 have a 7 year old William with them, have you found his birth? The 1841 census doesn't give marital status so no proof that that Janet was widow.
Do any of their death certificates state who the father,or husband was? To tie them with the James you are looking at?
You are reaching the outer edges of positive documentation for those dying before 1855.
Neilston is really in Renfrewshire not the Glasgow area, so city papers wouldn't be much help.
If I remember correctly Grahamston is also a Renfrewshire place name (among many other towns around Scotland), so you may have to check other areas.
A gravestone may or may not help, do you know where he was buried? Local mortcloth records may exist somewhere.

[Currie]

Google News Archive has earlier editions of the Glasgow Herald. Appears to have only been twice weekly at that time. Click on "Browse this Newspaper" for other editions.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid= ... page&hl=en

The search facility is usually a waste of time.

Alan

[shaigh]

Thanks WilmaM. Yes I have the birth record for William, born in Eaglesham to James and Janet. All the siblings were born either Mearns or Eaglesham except for the youngest, Janet, who I think was born around Barhead/Neilston. I have all the records except for Janet. You are right, I have no proof Janet senior was a widow in 1841, but there was no mention of James in any of the later censuses either and he was definitely dead when Janet junior married about 1860.The death was registered in Neilston I think. I had not thought of mortcloths so will follow that up.

Thank-you Alan for the Google News Archive link. I didn't know about this site

[WilmaM]

There is a likely pair still in Carmunnock in 1851:

Piece: SCT1851/631 Place: Carmunnock -Lanarkshire Enumeration District: 3
Civil Parish: Carmunnock Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: Carmunnock
Folio: 631 Page: 9 Schedule: 14
Address: 14 Carmunnock Village
Surname First name(s) Rel Status Sex Age Occupation Where Born Remarks
RUSSEL Janet Head W F 55 Washer Lanarkshire - Carmunnock
RUSSEL Janet Dau U F 13 Washer Renfrewshire - Barrhead

Mother down as Widowed for certain and daughter says born Barrhead.

Son William may be here in 1851:

Piece: SCT1851/654 Place: Rutherglen -Lanarkshire Enumeration District: 13
Civil Parish: Rutherglen Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: -
Folio: 630 Page: 6 Schedule: 20
Address: 70 Stonelaw

Surname First name(s) Rel Status Sex Age Occupation Where Born Remarks
SINCLAIR Elizabeth Head W F 57 Tambouring Lanarkshire - Barony Glasgow
SINCLAIR William Son U M 30 Coal Miner Lanarkshire - Glasgow
SINCLAIR Gavin Son U M 14 Coal Miner Lanarkshire - Glasgow
RUSSEL William Lodger U M 18 Coal Miner Renfrewshire - Neilston

Remember to add/remove the extra S and L in Russell if you aren't finding a hit straight away.

Neilston Parish Church has a very old graveyard, but I don't know if there are Monumental Inscriptions on-line to check.

[Russell]

The only Russell burial recorded in the pre-1855 Mitchell book is Margaret Russell (married to William Stevenson d 2/12/1885).
She died 29/12/1848. No other details. When the graveyard was surveyed in 1969 many stones had fallen and been covered over so I wonder how many -or how few, stones are visible today. I would wonder whether the family could have afforded a stone in view of the subsequent occupations of his son and his widow. I see this so often in my village enquiries.

Russell

[Alan SHARP]

Greetings;

Re the comment-

"Neilston is really in Renfrewshire not the Glasgow area, so city papers wouldn't be much help."

In the context of 1840 - 1850 the Barrhead; Neilston; Eaglesham, area that Sue is researching relatives, is [by my map] in a band only 5 to 10 miles out from Glasgow. What other newspaper would there have been ? Doubt if the local population had grown big enough, to support one at that stage of development.

The biggest issue I feel, would be the people of the land would be unlikely to be paying for classifieds, and not note worthy enough for editorial coverage unless before the courts, or involved in an accident or notable good deed.

Just an opinion, from down under.

Alan SHARP.

[WilmaM]

Paisley and Glasgow are 2 very distinct communities even yet, when the 2 have grown together geographically. Back then I doubt any Buddy (the name for Paisley born person) would have ventured near the city.

I lived in the city but worked in Renfrewshire, and can assure you they may bre close in distance but apart in practical terms, public holidays are different days, bus services in the 1980s were distinct, health service separate, local newspapers very local.

The Paisley Advertiser newspaper was around in the 1850s period, archives are available for that online.
I'm not sure when the Paisley Daily Express started, or under what name, or if there was a newspaper covering Neilston Barrhead back then.

[Alan SHARP]

Greetings

Thanks, local knowledge counts.

If nothing else, I suppose crossing the Clyde was like paying yet another toll, so why do it, if you can conduct your business on the Paisley side. In writhing my question I was mind full of how rapidly Glasgow grew after 1800, but was also remembering the 1790's & 1834 Statistical Accounts, which indicate the local Parishes were quite small, population wise. The Carmunnock 1799 one, has a very interesting comment about it's members being like a closed community. Though within sight of a city, there were few marriages between their rural community, and that of the burgeoning city of Glasgow. That ties in with your experience four [or more] generations later.

Alan SHARP..

[shaigh]

Thank-you to everyone for your useful suggestions. I thought I had found William in the 1851 census in Stirling working on a farm which had family connections, but I was not aware of the Neilston coal-miner record and will follow that up. Thanks WilmaM for that find.