Thomas Lynch c1832-1889 Dundee --> Glasgow.....

[jennyblain]

I was talking about my g-grandfather Thomas Lynch with Jack on the Census forum, and it got into issues that were not strictly about Censuses. So, here's the last post from there, with a few addenda.. (with thanks again to Jack for his previous help here).

The information I have on the elder Thomas Lynch is:

In census 1871 in Bridgton, Glasgow, with Margaret aged 30 and child Thomas, 2. Elder Thomas and Margaret are both listed as born in Dundee, and I have the younger Thomas's birth in the Glasgow district of Clyde.

1881 census has Thomas Lynch, widower, aged 48, with children Thomas (12) and Margaret (8 ), in the Great Eastern Road, Glasgow, his partner Margaret Cassidy having died after birth of a third non-surviving child (I have the death record and the children's births - the parents did not register a formal marriage). Elder Thomas's birth is again given as Dundee.

Address for Thomas at death is 779 Great Eastern Road, Glasgow (matches marriage address for younger Thomas Lynch), and described as widower of Margaret Cassidy. On the DC (1889, Glasgow) Thomas is described as son of Michael Lynch, weaver, and Margaret Lynch MS McTaggart.There is nothing else to substantiate this, no 'Michaels' in the family names at all, and we don't know if it's so or if Thomas (or his son, aged 20 when having to report his father's death) made it up..

Both the children - Thomas and Margaret - gave their mother's name as 'Lowe' on their marriage records. But it seems to have been Cassidy.

Margaret Cassidy, from her DC, is described as daughter of Michael Cassidy, mother's name not given. (Thomas reported her death.)

Family stories place the antecedents of Thomas in Dundee and the areas of Forfar and Meigle. We have had occasion to wonder if Thomas was leading some kind of double life - he was a labourer apparently getting work in various areas, iron forge labourer, chemical labourer, at one point asphalt layer, who (from family accounts) wrote highly literate letters in English to his children when he was away from home. It is quite possible we will never find an answer to this!

But, does anybody have information?

Jenny

[DavidWW]

Hi Jenny

Having had a read, my only suggestion is to see what you can find in earlier censuses, e.g. 1861, 1851, maybe even 1841.

Even for frequently occurring names, if it's possible to specify a tight age range (you don't give enough info for me to judge if Thomas Snr's age was consistently reported in the various records), and maybe also restrict the search to a particular area, then it can be surprising how few candidate records there are.

I'd have suggested a visit to New Register House if there turn out to be a number of hits on line such that viewing all the images could get expensive, except that the 1861, 1851 and 1841 indexes and images are not available on the DIGROS system at NRH

David

[jennyblain]

Thanks David. But the point is that I can't find anything in the earlier censuses... I have this family from 1871 on (or rather from 1868) and the ages etc. are quite consistent and everything transparent, except for the strange happenstance of the mother's surname on children's marriage records (Lowe as opposed to Cassidy). Before 1868 I have found nothing. I'd thought that the 1861, 51 and 41 censuses would help, but they haven't. I found a likely candidate for Thomas Lynch senior (I thought) in the 1861 census in Bridgton aged 28, but he turned out to be listed as born in Ireland...

As to place - if he was born in or around Dundee in 1832 (though a family story suggests Forfar or Meigle) and later moved to Glasgow - he could be anywhere between 1832 and 1868. But we don't know where..

The info from 1871, 1881 and the death cert is consistent for age (which puts him as born around 1832) and birthplace in the censuses is Dundee.

Jenny

[JustJean]

Hi Jenny

I wonder if you've considered some possibilites.......for example.....that Thomas was married before???

The reason I ask is that there is a very interesting couple in the 1851 census in Kirriemuir......19 year old Thomas born Dundee and his little wife Euphemia. You'll find Euphemia and Thomas only having one child in 1851 and then in 1861 you'll find her going by her maiden name again...with two more kiddies in tow (all fathered by different partners according to the IGI....) I'm not seeing Thomas *nch hiding anywhere in 1861 nearby Euphemia. In 1841 there is a young Thomas in Auctherhouse? I think???? Didn't jot it down... .not with a family though so no clues whether that one is right or wrong.......I do think you should look at the Kirriemuir situation though and see what you think!!

Best wishes
Jean

ps.....you might be interested to note further that Euphemia's maiden name is LOW

[jennyblain]

Hi Jenny

I wonder if you've considered some possibilites.......for example.....that Thomas was married before???

Yes, I'd wondered that, especially with Thomas being in 30s when his son Thomas was born (and when I found the one in Bridgton in 1861 I thought it might be him with another family, but that one was born Ireland as was his partner).

The reason I ask is that there is a very interesting couple in the 1851 census in Kirriemuir......19 year old Thomas born Dundee and his little wife Euphemia. You'll find Euphemia and Thomas only having one child in 1851 and then in 1861 you'll find her going by her maiden name again...with two more kiddies in tow (all fathered by different partners according to the IGI....) I'm not seeing Thomas *nch hiding anywhere in 1861 nearby Euphemia. In 1841 there is a young Thomas in Auctherhouse? I think????

It certainly sounds as if I should pay some attention there. I'd found the 1841 Auchterhouse one already through FreeCen, though he's maybe too old - 12 rather than 8/9 as I recall. No clues there

Thanks, Jean - I will get hold of the 1851 census info and see what young Thomas is doing... Family stories didn't have any mention of another spouse, but if they were together for a short time only that might be. Alas there is no birth record available.

Jenny

[jennyblain]

Hi again Jean,
I've been looking into this and when I next buy credits from SP I'll get the 1851 census for Thomas and Euphemia. It seems the only lead I have, and the area is right. But - I have one indication that Margaret (b. 1872), the child of Thomas and Margaret Cassidy, was named 'Margaret Lowe Lynch', which doesn't seem likely if the 'Lowe' connection was a memory of Euphemia!

But then, this may have come from Margaret herself, thinking that her mother's last name was 'Lowe'. Her DC, btw, still gives the mother's name as Lowe whereas Thomas the second's DC has Cassidy, so there seems to have been some confusion that persisted!

Everything connected with this bit of the family seems, well, odd. However there's one lead which it may be possible to pursue. Thomas Lynch the second won the Glasgow School Board medal for 'top boy' in Glasgow schools, and I am wondering if there would be any kind of record of this, and if it just might have any mention of father's background... He was in Camlachie school - I suppose this would be around 1883 or so, assuming he'd be around 14 or 15... I have no idea at what age this would be awarded. (His eldest son, also Thomas Lynch, won it also, thus occasioning a newspaper headline 'Schoolboy wins Gold Medal for second time!'.)

Does anybody know, therefore, how I could track information about Glasgow School Board medals?

Jenny

[jennyblain]

I'm answering my own query here! Glasgow School Board records are in the Mitchell Library... but I won't be able to get there for a good while...

Is there anybody who is likewise looking at Glasgow School Board things, who has access and who might be able to look for me to see what they have?

Hoping...
Jenny