Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Hi, I'm searching for info on James Macgowan b:11 Aug 1828 Liverpool. He was chr:9 Jan 1829 at the Oldham Street Presbyterian, Liverpool & emigrated to South Australia on the Planter in 1838. It may seem like I have it all, but, all the info I have, (ie) ship passenger list, marriage cirt, many newspaper clippings, children’s birth, marriage & death cirt's, his death cirt and even his headstone have him listed as James Macgowan or McGowan. Well I was told by a source (forgotten who or when) that his middle name was Thomas then many years latter I obtained two hospital admittance forms with his name as James Thomas Macgowan. The problem I think I have is that birth records in Liverpool were not registered as early as 1828? Can someone please shed some light on his correct name for me?
Kind Regards,
Roger

Hi and welcome to the forum

Civil registration didn't begin in England and Wales until 1837 so there won't be a birth certificate as such, however, the information that you have may have been obtained from www.familysearch.org which also lists a possible sisters and brothers for James

Anne Isabella Mc Gowan Birth : 18 Aug 1827 Christening : 03 Dec 1827
Elizabeth McGowan birth: 30 Apr 1825 christening: 24 Jun 1825
Mary Anne McGowan birth: 12 Apr 1824 christening: 24 Jun 1824
Mary McGowan Birth: 16 SEP 1829 Christening: 31 OCT 1829
Daniel McGowan Birth: 10 MAR 1802 Christening: 16 MAR 1802
Susannah McGowan Birth: 25 JUN 1820 Christening: 13 AUG 1820
Agnes McGowan Birth: 22 MAR 1823 Christening: 17 MAY 1823
Helen McGowan Birth: 19 AUG 1826 Christening: 09 NOV 1826

all at the same church, parents the same as James - James McGowan and Susannah Jackson - how lovely of the register to record the mother's maiden name. These entries appear to have been transcribed from the Parish Register however, if you wanted to see the actual entries for yourself you could order the film at your nearest LDS Centre.

http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library ... et_fhc.asp

With these siblings maybe you will be able to identify whether you have the correct James or not.

Hi MaryA,
Thanks for your quick reply. If there were no civil registrations you could change your name at any time then like an alias, now?
It doesn’t add up why all the records over a life time his
name is James Macgowan then months before he died his wife writes his name as James Thomas Macgowan on a hospital admittance form.
Is there any other record available that could clear this up for me?
Kind Regards,
Roger

The most likely explanation is that he had decided to ad Thomas to his name for some reason of his own. If he was only a small child when he went to Australia the name addition was probably as an adult in Australia. However the would be no need for anything official to be done he would just have added the name.

My great grandfather's brother was called Frederick Thomas, he married as that, died as that and made a will as that BUT he was registered as plain Thomas and christened as Thomas. The Frederick was added later and by common usage became his name.

Further back in my family there is a James. He was christened that etc but when he later appears in America he is James Valentine. The family there say it was because he was born on 14 February but there is no record in England of a birth date. It might be true or it may have just been added.

By the same token I have a middle name which I never use - it just appears on official things. Anyone knowing me would never know I have a middle name.

I think it is very unlikely you will find anything official about the added name and will just have to accept that the Thomas somewhere along the line he added.

Hi
Please can you list the rest of his family who left for Oz in 1838.

Thank you.

Tina

The name may have been a confirmation name i.e., given to him as he was confirmed by the Church or christened.

Alternatively as Hilary says it could just have been by usage. My father-in-law was actually Frederick on official documents but his two older sisters decided when he was a baby that they would call him Bob and so everyone knew him as Bob.

Thanks Guys, I guess I'll have to let it go but just in case anyone can help further, James was b: 27 May 1787 in Dalry, Kirkcudbrightshire in Scotland. He married Susannah Jackson from Wes' on 28 Jun 1819, Susannah bore
1) Susannah b: 25 Jun 1820
2) Agnes Newall b: 22 Mar 1823
3) Mary Ann b: 12 Apr 1824
4) Elizabeth b: 30 Apr 1825
5) Helen b: 19 Aug 1826
6) Anne Isabella b: 18 Aug 1827
7) James(Thomas) b: 11 Aug 1828
Mary Glover b: 16 Sep 1829
9) Jean Welsh b: 26 Jan 1832
10) Jessie Newall b 23 May 1833
11) John Thorburn b: 23 Sep 1836
Poor old Susannah was kept busy wasn't she?
They departed on the Planter, 24 Nov 1838 & arived in Port Adelaide on 17 May 1859.
The Kindest Regard,
Roger

Roger Ma

Hi.

There is a lady in St Johns Town of Dalry who runs a local history society who may be able to help. I will PM her email address.

Heli.

Judging by the names of those siblings who you have confirmed emigrated, then you have the correct family in the baptisms also. I notice that Agnes was also christened with only the one name, yet she in your list she also acquired a middle name at some time.

Hi Roger
is that a typo for the arrival date please.

Tina

Hi crew
Have a look at this link..
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/voyage- ... 5834060512

That will give Roger a idea of what the trip would have been like, at least it's a more cheerful story than the doom and gloom that we usually hear about the journey.

Indeed Mary, how the ship ever got to Adelaide is beyond me

Tina

Hi Guys,
I'm real sorry, the arrival date was 17 May 1839 the voyage took longer than usual because of a mutiny in Rio.

Kind Regards,
Roger

Hi again Guys,
I think it was the Adelaide Library won the auction and paid something like $7000 Australian for the Diary. The junior officer was probably rejected by one of the girls and tried for a bit of revenge. The Captain apparently moved his bed on deck because of the heat in the cabin, I don’t think I could have stood the conditions in the lower deck in the summer either.
I was amazed when I discovered the story and I must admit a little shocked at the content. The oldest girl was Susannah at 18 years, she was a teacher in Adelaide and never married. The next oldest was Agnes Newall at 15 years, she married a Doctor and moved to Tasmania.
The article mentioned that it was two daughters so I guess it was the two oldest so it was, if my guess is right, Susannah that rejected the junior officer.
Best Regards,
Roger

Hi Heli,
The email address you sent me privately about the lady in St Johns Town of Dalry who runs a local history society who may be able to help didn't go anywhere. Can you please check it out and re-send?
Thanks & kind regards,
Roger

Hi,

Sorry about that, have sent a further PM.

Heli.