This lady is my great, great grandmother Sarah McLaughlin. She’s the only great great grandparent of whom I have a photo. I actually have two! Sarah was born in County Mayo, Ireland the parish of Oughaval. I don’t have a record of her birth but I know that it was around 1839. Her parents were … Continue reading Sarah McLaughlin 1839-1916
Cambusnethan Cemetery
An Unhappy Marriage – Elizabeth Brawley 1861-1846
On 24 May 1883 my great grandaunt, Elizabeth Brawley married Charles McCafferty. The strange thing about Elizabeth is that when she died in 1946 she had been on her own for a long time. The family knew her as Lizzie Brawley and certainly my mum's generation of the family had no idea that she had … Continue reading An Unhappy Marriage – Elizabeth Brawley 1861-1846
Catherine Brawley 1859-1960
The village of Newmains, Lanarkshire really owes its existence to the Coltness Iron Works which was established in 1839. The promise of employment led many Irish immigrants to make their homes in the rows of houses provided by the company. My family first arrived in the village in the late 1850s. The first Newmains birth … Continue reading Catherine Brawley 1859-1960
The Russell Children
Isn’t this sad? A memorial erected by parents for four children who died before them. Lockdown means I can’t go to far from home for my daily exercise so my usual route takes me through the local cemetery. Cambusnethan Cemetery is the final resting place of many of my ancestors on both sides of the … Continue reading The Russell Children
Mary Mollahan 1924-1929
I spotted this newspaper story from June 1929 reporting the death of Mary Mollahan. Mary's paternal grandmother, Ann Keenan was my great grandmother's sister. This is the only report I have found about this incident but I have added the record of her death. It doesn't say exactly what happened. Was she playing with friends … Continue reading Mary Mollahan 1924-1929
Born On This Day – Tom Dickson 1912-1913
Thomas Dickson was my paternal grandmother's little brother. He was born on 21 July 1912. I had no idea that my granny had a brother. She died before I was born but from what my father had told me my granny, Margaret Dickson had just the one sibling, her sister Annie. I found out about … Continue reading Born On This Day – Tom Dickson 1912-1913
Shaking The Branches 