Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Have been seeking my gr gr grandparents John Callaghan born in Ireland between 1825 & 1831 depending on which census age I believe and Jessie Strachan born in Scotland between 1833 & 1836 same census results.

They are in Liverpool Summer Street in 1861 - with son John (2)
in 1871 in Westmorland place with John, Robert, Catherine, James & Philip
in 1881 in 92 Latimer Street with Robert, Catherine, Philip, Elizabeth (my gr grandmother) aged 8 and a new James (5)
in 1891 Jessie & Elizabeth are in 2,25 Court Hornby Street obviously not too prosperous.

Any advice on how to find a marriage record or other earlier information appreciated. I have tried IGI, Lancashire BMD, Ancestry - the Strachans & the Callaghan's do not align.

All the children were born in Liverpool and Elizabeth's birth certificate states that Jessie Callghan formerly Strachan was the informant. Does this mean that they were married?

Thanks

Hi,
FreeBMD has a marriage entry with both John callaghan and Jessie Strachan in the list of names

Dec 1874 Liverpool vol 8b page 408

This could be them.
Emeltee

This is so long after they had the family - started in 1858 I didn't look that far. Will follow it up. Does this mean that Jessie was Known as callaghan prior to that?
Thanks

Hi
Lancs BMD have a marriage for John to Jessie SCACHAN
1874 Lpool RO or Registrar attended (poss R.C marriage)

Tina

Hi,
The reality is that you are what you choose to call yourself. If that 1874 marriage is them, some 16 years after their first child, it is quite possible that one of them was already married and because divorce among the 'working class' was almost unknown (particularly if they were RC), they had to wait until the other party died. Happened at least three times in my lot!
Cheers,
Dickiesam

Hadn't thought of that. They obviously had a long and fruitful relationship. I have ordered the marriage certificate - not sure if it will lead me to their Scottish & Irish roots but you never know. That side of the family were RC I think - until my nan (not Catholic) had a row with the priest over children fasting before communion.
cheers

Marriage cert arrived and it is the right couple - that will teach me to look further afield. There was no conspiracy however - must have decided to have the kids (7) and then get married. John was 46 Bachelor occupation Stoker), Jessie 41 Spinster married in St Anthony's Chapel in Oct 1874 Johnn's father is James Callaghan, Stonemason and Jessie's father was Robert Strachan, Engineer.

Have had a quick sqiz for eveidence of either of them but nothing popped up. Both fathers were listed as deceased in 1874. Irish & Scottish records seem harder to find.

Thanks everyone

Well done, it's a lesson to us all not to take it for granted that events happen when we think they might.

I suppose the witnesses weren't any help?

There are a couple of possible Jessey/ie's on the 1851 census without parents, both born approx. 1833 and living in Dundee, one a servant, the other "variously and suitably employed" in a home in Patons Lane.

It could be worth checking Scotlandspeople for births of these two to see who the father is. It would have to be baptisms since Civil Registration didn't begin until 1855.

Glad you've got the marriage.

For Scotland you'll need to use www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk it's a paying website but not too dear and you can download the images you find. You can search the indexes for free.


They also have all the actual Scottish censues on the site.

Ed Officer

Thank you both. The witnesses were a Patrick harvey and catherine O'Rourke. They were living in Raymond Street at the time of the marriage. Have started transcribing for Lan_OPC so less time to play. Enjoying it enormously.
cheers

Hi Mary would you mind giving me the references for Jessie the 1851 census - I haven't been able to find any on either of the sites I subscribe to.
Thanks

Cancel that - I found it plus one (Jess) with just a mother Elizabeth - plenty to pursue now
Thanks

I was searching the Scotland census, not England!