In search of James Joseph McGowan and Family

Hi Shawn

There is a record of the baptism of James McGowan with parents James McGowan & Sara Devlin in 1884 Antrim on www.rootsireland.ie/

I went through all the parishes with Belfast in their title and found it was St Peters parish Belfast

You may wish to view it for yourself which will cost about 3euro

I could not find James McGowan & Sara Devlin's marriage however

Col

I wonder if this is the mother Sarah and James jnr in the 1901 & 1911 censuses:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Falls_Ward/Iris_Street/980496/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Antrim/Falls/Benares_Street/172564/

Assuming it?s the correct family, then judging by the children?s places of birth, James the father was in the army until at least about 1880.

The information on the 1911 census tells you that Sarah (Devlin) was born in Lurgan, Co. Armagh, that she married c 1867 and that she had 4 children, all of whom were alive in 1911. That?s a bonus as it was information not actually required from a widow. The daughter Mary?s place of birth is apparently Secunderabad, India. So presumably James? regiment was posted there in the late 1870s.

There may be some army service records for James McGowan which may give you a little more information.

Col,

Please accept my sincerest thanks for this research and assistance. This is the first tangible piece of evidence that ties the three names together and fits wiht the dates I have from other sources. This is very much appreciated. 

Shawn McGowan

With My Thanks,

I believe you may be on to something here. I very much appreciate the lead and the detailed information.

In an effort to further educate myself, might I ask how you were able to extract the specific location in India as the birth location for Mary?

Shawn McGowan

Shawn,

On the 1911 census return, click on the box marked "household return". That will bring up the actual return that the family completed, and often contains extra information. For example, you were only required to put down the county where you were born. If you put Lurgan, Armagh, that was usually reduced to Armagh for official purposes, but often you can read what the head of household originally put. And in this case I can see Secunderabad (which was just recorded officially as India).

Always look for original documents where you can, as they often contain extra bits of information, and it also eliminates transcription errors, of which there are many on the computerised version of the census and on some of the transcript records on the pay to view sites.

Elwyn

Elwyn,

Season's greetings and best wishes for a safe and healthy New Year.

I was able to get confirmation of my grandfather's baptism directly from Rev. Fr. Hugh P. Kennedy with St. Peter's Cathedral in Belfast. I am now reasonably comfortable with the identify of his father and mother. 

As for his sister, Mary. I have a question. Do you have any suggestions as to how I might be able to confirm her birth in Secunderbad, India? I have made a preliminary look through military records and have located several James McGowan's in India. However, I am unable to locate any that list their nationality as Irish. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

All the best,

Shawn McGowan

Shawn,

Irish nationality did not exist as a separate legal entity (for nationality purposes) until the creation of what is now the Republic of Ireland in 1922. So for someone serving the army in the 1870s, (whether of English, Irish, Scots or Welsh birth) that was the British army and they would all likely be listed as British in military records I suspect. Records of any children born whilst  posted overseas, may be recorded in British overseas birth records (assuming the parents chose to register it). These are held as a separate collection, along with the births, deaths and marriages for people residing in England & Wales. See:

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/

You have to register on the site and then go to ordering a cert. You will need the option marked: ?For overseas events which were registered with the British authorities?. (My understanding is that if GRO don't find the event you will get a refund, but I would confirm that with them. It's probably on the FAQ section).

I think some regiments also kept records of births to soldiers serving with them, and so that?s another option to explore (probably in the UK National Archives at Kew) if you know his regiment but I would start by looking to see if this birth was registered in India. That seems the easiest route.

Elwyn

Elwyn,

As always, your feedback is very helpful. I simply did not think in those terms. Thanks for the kind suggestions. I will follow up on them.

Unitl next time, here is wishing you a safe and healthy New Year.

Shawn

Elwyn,

I hope this message and the (not so) New Year finds you well.

Based on your earlier feedback, I was able to confirm the birth of my great aunt, Mary McGowan in Secunderbad, India via the India Office Ecclesiastical Returns archived at the British Library. This also gave me the military information on my great grandfather, James McGowan. He was a private in the 16th Regiment (the Bedfordshite),.2nd Battalion which was stationed in the Secunderbad area at the time of my great aunt's birth. This has allowed me to turn my attention more and more to finding out what I can about my great grandfather (James McGowan)  and great grandmother (Sarah Devlin McGowan). I don't know enough about them to effectively research their births. I am particularly intrigued about your reference to their marriage ("c 1867") above. Can you provide me any advice on how I might locate their marriage data. I have tried Roots Ireland but like I would need to buy several records based on the limited information provided prior to purchase. Obviously, I am hopeful to find the bride and groom's parents names as part of the marriage record. Any guidance would be appreciated. 

Shawn McGowan

Shawn,

My remark that John & Sarah were married around 1867 is simply based on what Sarah put on the 1911 census. She said she had been married 43 years so she married 1867 or 1868 (if 43 is accurate). I have searched the civil indexes in Ireland for the marriage but cannot find it. One possibility of course is that if James was a soldier, they married outside Ireland. In which case you would need to search the Scottish, English and any relevant overseas records.

Sarah gave her age as 69 in 1911 and 49 in 1901, so born somewhere between 1841 and 1852. If she married in 1867 or thereabouts, she was probably 20 and so probably born around 1847. We know she was born in Lurgan, and that?s in the parish of Shankill. Their baptism records are on rootsireland, so you could search for her there. But Sarah Devlin is a very common name and without her father?s name, there?s no way of being certain you have the right baptism.

Elwyn