Robert McWilliams 1822

There’s a tree on Ancestry (Petermann tree, owner Laura Petermann) which lists this family. It has the family in Airdrie, Lanarkshire in the 1841 Scottish census.  (Census date was 6^th June 1841). Head of household is Agnes McWilliams 45, with Anne 25 dress maker, Eliza 15, Robert 15 & Samuel 10 both miners. Note that Agnes and Nancy are interchangeable names in Scotland & Ireland. Agnes being on her own suggests she may have been a widow.

In the 1841 census (only), the age of persons over 15 was supposed to be rounded down to the nearest multiple of 5. For example, a person aged 19 would be listed as 15, a person aged 22 would be listed as age 20, and a person age 59 would be listed as 55.

What happened to Anne? Did she go to America or stay in Scotland? If she died in Scotland after 1855 you should get her fathers name, occupation and her mother’s maiden name from her death certificate.

Possible marriage for Anne McWilliams to Charles McGuchman on 30.6.1842 in Airdrie or New Monkland. You can view the record on the Scotlandspeople site for a small fee. It was a Presbyterian ceremony, as was Elizabeth’s marriage to Daniel McIlhutton in that same parish. (Tradition was to marry in the bride’s church).

Further to the above, I can see Ann McWilliams death in Black St, Airdrie on 4^th March 1879 on Scotlandspeople.  Widow of Charles McGeehan. Her father was Hugh McWilliams, schoolmaster, deceased. Mother was forename unknown, surname Gaw, deceased. Informant was her son Patrick McGeehan.

The surname Gaw is largely Presbyterian, in Ulster anyway. I know the McWilliams who went to the US were mostly RC, so this looks to have been a mixed marriage, with the father being RC and the mother Presbyterian. 2 daughters married in the Presbyterian church in Scotland, so I would guess that the family brought up the sons RC and the daughters Presbyterian (ie sons following the father’s denomination and daughters following the mothers. That was a common solution to a mixed marriage in Ireland).

Putting the mother’s maiden name as a middle name is a particularly Scottish & Irish Presbyterian practice. Catholics in Ireland don’t routinely do that. Another hint as to the family background.

So as far as baptism records are concerned, if they exist, the daughters may be in Presbyterian records, though none go back that far in Loughguile, if that’s where they were baptised. Likewise, sadly, the RC records don’t either.

Knowing the precise denominations in Ireland is so important to identifying which records might be useful.  Hugh McWilliams & Nancy Gaw would likely have married around 1805-1815, I suppose. At that time neither the Roman Catholic church nor the Presbyterian would conduct mixed marriages. The RC church would if the non RC person converted but that doesn’t appear to have happened in your family’s case, since 2 daughters attended a Presbyterian church. So couples faced with that problem married in the Church of Ireland which was open to all denominations and where there was no question mark over the validity of the ceremony. (Civil Register office ceremonies were only introduced in Ireland in 1845).

I am fairly sure that your Hugh McWilliams is the poet. I recall from research on another website that I found some biographical information about him indicating he was born c 1783 in Glenavy Co Antrim and that he first taught in Ballysallagh, near Newtownards from around 1800 to 1816. Then by 1819 he was in Loughguile. The article says he married long before he came to Loughguile but there is an anecdote suggesting his bride was from the Glens and that they eloped. Her father being a laird (Scottish term = big landowner) and he presumably opposed the marriage.  But the writer is sceptical about this and thinks the speaker may have confused the actual facts with the lyrics of a local song.

Ballysallagh is in Ballee parish. The Church of Ireland there only has marriages for 1807, 1821 and then 1823 onwards, so not very promising. Ballee Non Subscribing Presbyterian church has baptism records from 1811 onwards (copy in PRONI). They might be worth a look for daughters’ baptisms 1811-1819.

https://johnmouldenonirishsongs.wordpress.com/hugh-mcwilliams-schoolmaster-1831-1993-1997/

The article also refers to a daughter Jane who wrote poetry. What became of her?

Just to add to my previous messages, I happen to be doing a part-time course at Queen’s University in Belfast.  The lecturer (Dr Carol Baraniuk) is a highly regarded expert on the Ulster-Scots literary tradition. She is familiar with your ancestor Hugh McWilliams and his poetry. He was one of the “Weaver poets” though he wasn’t himself actually a weaver, but it was generic term. I asked her if she could assist with finding more about his background. She was most helpful but could not find any more relevant sources over and above those I have mentioned previously. The most detailed history of his life seems this which you will already know:

https://johnmouldenonirishsongs.wordpress.com/song-makers/

 

Karamcw,

I’m glad you think that we have traced your family correctly. I certainly think so. That Scottish death cert seems to tie everything in pretty well. From what you say, they seem a particularly interesting and talented family.

My lecturer at Queens University in Belfast, Dr Carol Baraniuk, is delivering my course on Robert Burns. If you are really interested in Hugh McWilliams, you could contact her on ulsterlitscholar@gmail.com  She isn’t going to be able to help with McWilliams ancestry (her academic field is Ulster Scots poetry, not genealogy) but if you want to ask her about Hugh’s poetry etc, she’s an expert, if anyone is.

I mentioned previously that Hugh was a weaver poet (though not actually a weaver himself). Ironically, next weeks lecture is on weaver poets but I will miss it because I will be over in Scotland.  So won't be able to tell you what she says.

Many years ago I came across this poem in Ballymena library, which perhaps explains many folks feelings here about their identity and culture quite well. It was written in the late 1700s by Samuel Thomson (1766 - 1816), who lived near Ballymena, Co Antrim.  “To Captain MacDougall at Castle Upton.*”

I love my native land no doubt

Attached to her thro’ thick and thin

But tho’ I’m Irish all without

I’m every item Scotch within.

Thomson was a weaver poet, self employed and worked from home. He and many other weaver poets had strong connections with SW Scotland where their ancestors had mostly lived. He was heavily influenced by Burns, the master poet-ploughman, whom he met in Scotland at least once, and wrote in his vernacular style. He also composed a poem entitled “To a hedgehog” which was a reference to a military tactic employed at the Battle of Antrim in 1798 (a hedgehog being a formation of men) but anyone familiar with Burns work will immediately recognize the allusions to his poems “To a mouse” and “To a louse.” I did all this at school 60 years ago but can still automatically recite all these poems even when upside down and very tired. They have stuck with me. It’s a personal interest and so makes your McWilliams poetic work particularly interesting to me. Hugh wrote in that same style, as the article I sent you explains. I enjoy it, though I recognise it may be a limited interest subject for many.

Your references to St Aloysius are also familiar as I went to school in Glasgow. Later in life I worked in Liverpool, and often visited the Walker Art Gallery. So I much enjoyed reading your account.

It is also great to read about your female ancestors achieving major academic recognition in the late 1800s and early 1900s because, in general, society then was rather slow to acknowledge women’s skills. Well done to all of them. Your ancestors seem to have done fairly well in life. Good stuff.

 

* Castle Upton is a partially fortified house in Templepatrick, Co Antrim. Built in 1611. Still there.