Cannot trace my g-g-grandfather's death: McAulay

[ColinMacaulay]

Hi everyone! I found this site just recently and I am delighted to have done so. How have I managed without it?

I'm a genealogy newbie and I'm hoping some of you old hands will be able to help me. I have been searching the statutory records through the Scotland's People site but have failed to find a record of my ancestor's death. He was James McAulay, born Ireland c1836 and subsequently moved to Glasgow. I have marriage certificates for him and census records (last one is Edinburgh 1881) but nothing after that. I have searched using all the variations of spelling that are common: Macaulay (used by subsequent generations), MacAuley, M'Aulay etc but have found nothing. I think it unlikely he left Scotland, and the Mormon site has produced no answers.

What would be my next step?

[paddyscar]

Hi Colin and a warm welcome to TalkingScot!

ScotlandsPeople http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ produces 10 hits in the death index with the following search:

Surname: M*aul*y
Forename: James
Year range: 1881 to 1891
Birth year: 1836 +/_ 5 years

Have you looked at them?

Entering m*aul*y in the surname box allows for some variations in spelling and entering +/- in the birth year allows for someone not knowing exactly how old he may have been. You might be able to narrow the selection down by entering the mother's maiden name or the name of his spouse, but it would be worth it to view the entire list to have some options.

ScotlandsPeople is a pay per view site, so you would have to purchase some credits to have a look at the list and to then view the original registrations.

Frances

[LesleyB]

Hi Colin
...and welcome to Talking Scot

I'd be interested to know when and where your James married - are his parents' names given? I have a few McAulays/McAuleys in Scotland, originally from Ireland with the same family spelt as McCauley in Ireland. I also have a couple of McAulay brothers (next generation, b. 1850s-60s) who I last saw in 1881 (one of them married with two children both born in Scotland) and then they seem to vanish into thin air, so I can sympathise with your problem.

Best wishes
Lesley

[nelmit]

It looks like Barbara may have married John Collins in 1888. Have you looked at her marriage entry at SP to see if her father is still alive then?

Regards,
Annette

[ColinMacaulay]

Hi Colin and a warm welcome to TalkingScot!

ScotlandsPeople http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ produces 10 hits in the death index with the following search:

Surname: M*aul*y
Forename: James
Year range: 1881 to 1891
Birth year: 1836 +/_ 5 years

Have you looked at them?

Entering m*aul*y in the surname box allows for some variations in spelling and entering +/- in the birth year allows for someone not knowing exactly how old he may have been. You might be able to narrow the selection down by entering the mother's maiden name or the name of his spouse, but it would be worth it to view the entire list to have some options.

ScotlandsPeople is a pay per view site, so you would have to purchase some credits to have a look at the list and to then view the original registrations.

Frances

Frances, thank you so much for that. I hadn't realised searches with asterisked letters could be done! Yes, unfortunately none of the ten results is my ancestor. I have spent fortunes on Scotland's people, planning a couple of trips to Register House now.

[ColinMacaulay]

Hi Colin
...and welcome to Talking Scot

I'd be interested to know when and where your James married - are his parents' names given? I have a few McAulays/McAuleys in Scotland, originally from Ireland with the same family spelt as McCauley in Ireland. I also have a couple of McAulay brothers (next generation, b. 1850s-60s) who I last saw in 1881 (one of them married with two children both born in Scotland) and then they seem to vanish into thin air, so I can sympathise with your problem.

Best wishes
Lesley

James married twice, both in Scotland. His parents were Robert and Catherine Ann (nee Austin), and the family seem to have moved to Scotland around the time of the famine or shortly after. Robert was born Londonderry around 1813, occupation stoker of a steamboat in 1857 and 1861, died Glasgow Poorhouse, 1877. Catherine Ann died 1857 of TB in Glasgow. The family don't appear in the 1851 census.

[ColinMacaulay]

It looks like Barbara may have married John Collins in 1888. Have you looked at her marriage entry at SP to see if her father is still alive then?

Regards,
Annette

Thanks Annette, I haven't looked at that marriage record yet, will do so very soon. A very good suggestion, many thanks.

[LesleyB]

Hi Colin

James married twice, both in Scotland. His parents were Robert and Catherine Ann (nee Austin), and the family seem to have moved to Scotland around the time of the famine or shortly after. Robert was born Londonderry around 1813,...

Thanks for the above; it looks like this is a separate McAuley family, and not related to my lot who were from Fermanagh with the father of the 1830s generation being Bernard.

Best wishes
Lesley

[ColinMacaulay]

I have checked at Register House and apparently James McAulay was still alive in 1888 when his daughter Barbara was married. However I have not been able to trace his death. Any further suggestions would be most welcome.

[Alcluith]

Colin,

I have a similar problem with my own great great grandfather who has no death entry anywhere yet we know that it was within a 14 month period 1881/1883 from other family records.
The problem was he was a seasonal fisherman and our belief is that he was lost at sea around Skye/Outer Hebrides and as his wife and family were living near Glasgow and for some reason they never registered his death?

Could this be a similar case with your James? what was his occupation on his daughter's certificate? Around that period there were a lot of storms and considerable loss of live around our coastline.

alcluith