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/

Elwyn,

Thank you so much for uncovering this piece of the puzzle!  I found the tree on Ancestry and I purchased credits on ScotlandsPeople to view the census and marriage record.  It would seem that our Robert is the son of Agnes Gaw and Hugh McWilliams!  It seems that Hugh's daughter Anne had a very artist son and granddaughter.

https://staugustinescoatbridge.wordpress.com/2012/06/03/a-family-of-art…

The McGeehan patriarch was Patrick, (1847-1924) a grocer and spirit dealer in Black Street, Rawyards, Airdrie, Scotland, who later became a carriage hirer. Very involved in the local church and community, he was a talented musician and artist who had a painting accepted by the Royal Scottish Academy in 1879. Patrick obviously encouraged his children’s interest in art and in March 1888, his eldest daughter Jessie Mary McGeehan (1872-1950) enrolled at the Glasgow School of Art, aged just fifteen. In September, she was joined by two of her younger sisters, Annie Louise (Aniza) (1874-1962) then thirteen, and nine-year-old Mary Catherine (1877-1960). Although they seem very young to be at the Art School, there were other students of this age listed on the register at the time, often attending with older family members. Jessie and Aniza continued to attend the school until 1895, but after the 1888-1889 session, Mary’s name does not appear in the records. Instead, Mary entered the Order of Sisters of Notre Dame in September 1904, taking her final vows in 1914 and becoming Sister Callista. Another McGeehan sister, Lizzie (Elizabeth) (1882-1918) also attended the Art School from 1902. A watercolour artist, Lizzie died of pneumonia at the end of the war. Jessie and Aniza appear in a photograph of female students at the Art School in 1894-95.

Jessie became a well-known artist and exhibited in both oil and watercolour at the Royal Scottish Academy and Walker Art Gallery from 1892 onward. In 1901, her work was shown at the Royal Academy in London. After Glasgow School of Art, she continued her studies in Paris and may also have spent time painting in Holland, as many of her paintings after 1906 are of Dutch domestic scenes. Her work was widely recognised, and Elma MacDonald quotes a review that appeared in 1903 in the influential art magazine “The Studio” vol. 28, p 137-8: “…mention must also be made of Miss McGeehan’s bold and striking work. She is an ambitious artist whose pictures improve steadily from year to year; she evinces considerable skill in brushwork, and much that is fine and poetic in the inspiration of her work.”Later in her career, she appears to have concentrated more on commissioned work and did not contribute to the major exhibitions, but in 1929, she had two oil paintings in the Walker Art Gallery Autumn Exhibition, one a portrait of her sister Aniza. At the same exhibition, Aniza showed a bronze bust of Jessie.

She is recorded living at 134 Bath Street, Glasgow where she had a studio, by 1936, Jessie had moved to 152a Renfrew Street, which remained her studio and home for the rest of her life.In an advert that appeared in the Glasgow Observer in October 1936, Jessie was described as a Church Decorator and mention was made of mosaic fresco work and stained glass windows. An example of this strand of her work is the glass mosaic in St Augustine’s Church, Langloan, Coatbridge of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. She also produced work for St Aloysius, Garnethill in Glasgow, the glass mosaic Stations of the Cross.

* * *

Jessie Mary McGeehan was born on 24 August 1872. After leaving Glasgow School of Art in 1895 she continued her studies in Paris. This is borne out by an article in the Scots Pictorial, 27 September 1919 and the fact that by 1897 she exhibited paintings entitled Un Bon Coin and Flower Sellers, Paris, at the Exhibition of the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts (RGI). From 1892 she had been exhibiting both oil and water colours at the RGI, the Royal Scottish Academy and the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. In 1901 her work was shown at the Royal Academy, London. From 1897 Jessie had a studio of her own at 134 Bath Street, Glasgow, and by 1903 her work was being noticed beyond Glasgow. She appears to have also spent some time painting in Holland as many of her paintings, exhibited from 1906 to 1913 featured Dutch subjects. The following article from the Scots Pictorial gives us some idea of Jessie's place in the art world by 1919: Jessie McGeehan - 'One of our youngest Painters whose work has earned for her a high place among British Artists. Trained at the Glasgow School of Art, and in Paris, where she enjoyed the friendship of some of the greatest painters and sculptors of the age, she has added to this training by travel and an exhaustive study of the treasures in the great European galleries. Miss McGeehan contributes to the Royal Academy and other important art exhibitions.

Source: McTear's Auctioneers 

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.