William McGowan : Short Biography

William McGowan, abt 1782 – 1846 and his wife Rose Anna ( maiden name unknown), abt 1788 – 1867 lived at 12 Castle Place, Belfast. William established a business “McGowan & Sons” Saddle and Harness manufacturers approx. 1824, and following this time there are regular advertisements in The Belfast Newsletter. In 1800 the population of Belfast was a mere 20,000, but was growing fast with a thriving ship building and linen industry.

Castle Place, an extension of High Street, is the very centre of Belfast and in various family newspaper notices Williams name appeared it was always “William McGowan of Castle Place”. So obviously the family considered being linked to this location was a matter of some status. These references to the address was key to accurately tracing the family. William placed regular advertisements in the Belfast Newsletter advertising the business. Some of the advertisements stated “McGowan & Sons, opposite the Donegal Arms”, which from various accounts was the most favoured hotel in Belfast. A 1786 pen drawing of Castle Place shows the Donegal Arms and the building opposite so we have an idea of what the area looked like in 1800.

William and Rose had two children that we are aware of. John who was born abt 1808 and Frances who was born abt 1807 – 09. John’s birth date is calculated from his age at death, and Frances from Mobile, Alabama, USA Census records.

Frances married David Blair 5th Nov 1828 at the Larne and Inver Church of Ireland, and the following announcement appeared in The Belfast Newsletter on 11th Nov.

At Larne, on the 5th instant, by the Rev Mr Gwynne, Mr David Blair of said place, to Mii Frances McGowan the only daughter of Mr Wm. McGowan, Belfast.

David’s occupation is recorded as “saddler” so clearly the relationship had developed through her father’s business contacts. However I have found no further records on David & Frances, until Frances Blair appears in the Mobile, Alabama 1860 Census, and David is not recorded in the 1860 or any subsequent census.

  John grew up in Belfast and at a young age would have learnt the saddlery trade under his father’s tutoring and joined the business. He married Isabella Marshall on 9 Feb 1835.

Record Public Records Office of Ireland for Down Connor & Dromore, Marriage Licence Bonds record 1835 (no specific date) recorded the marriage of John McGowan and Isabella Marshall and a marriage notice appeared in  The Belfast Newsletter Feb 10 1835

On the 9th inst. At Newtownbreda Church, by the Rev. Thos Hincks, Mr John McGowan, Castle –place, to Isabella, youngest daughter of the late Mr Hugh Marshal, Belfast

A son William was born 9 March 1836 in Belfast, Ireland, a second son John born 31 May 1839 and a sister Frances born 30 June 1843. They had 3 other children, Hugh, Mary, Isabella but to date I have been unable to find the birth dates for these children. All the children are recorded on the Testamoney Papers (PRONI) of Isabella McGowan following her death in 1849 - these papers record the household inventory and assets and the inheritance to each child. The birth records of 1836 and 1839 record the family address as 32 Bruce Street, Shankill. In 1843 they had moved to Albion Place. There baptism records are at St Anne’s Church of Ireland, Belfast

The business was successful as it was still operating in 1845, when family fortunes rapidly changed. John died in 1845 and a year later his father William died. Rose put the business up for sale and moved out of Castle Street to Joy Road. And then in December 1849 Isabella died leaving the children William, John & Frances orphans.

The cause of death of all three (William, John & Isabella) was recorded as “Consumption” (tuberculosis).  They are all buried in the New Burying Ground (Lot K39) which has now been renamed the Clifton Street Cemetery.

Within the next 10 years the remaining family, except for John (b 1839) emigrated from Ireland. William at aged 16 immigrated to Victoria, Australia as an unassisted passager on the El Dorado arriving November 1852. Why he chose Australia is unclear but there were other McGowan’s in the Ballarat area so it is possible related McGowan’s had written home telling of good prospects in Australia.

The USA was also a possible option for William as sometime during the 1850’s Rose together with her daughter Frances Blair and Williams’s sister Frances (Fanny) immigrated to Mobile, Alabama. In the 1860 Mobile census they are recorded in a household of 9, with 6 giving their occupation as “Milliner” plus a clerk, a servant and Rose aged 72. Except for one person they all gave their place of birth as Ireland. The household declared their “value of personal estate” at US$25,000 which in today’s money is US$ 700,000 so they were well off.  Rose died on 13 August 1867 and the following death notice appears in The Belfast Newsletter on Friday 6 Sept 1867

McGowan August 13, at Mobile, Roseanne, relict of the late Wm. McGowan, of Castle Place, Belfast.

By 1870 the Millinery business has folded as the 1870 Mobile census records Frances Blair is dressmaking and Frances McGowan is a school teacher.  By 1880 Frances Blair is no longer working and in the 1900 census does not appear (presumed dead). Frances McGowan is still teaching school in 1900 but I find no further records except a Frances McGowan is buried in the Magnolia Cemetery, Mobile,  with a headstone but there are no details on the headstone, and the cemetery internment record has no details or date of burial.

John (b 1839) who stayed in Ireland, died in Bangor 24 Sept 1869 aged 30, having suffered tuberculosis for 2 years. The death certificate shows he was married but to date I have not found a record of his marriage or any children. His death was also notified in The Belfast Newsletter 25 Sept, 1869 – McGowan –September 24, John McGowan, son of late John McGowan, saddler, Castle Place, Belfast. His remains will be removed from Bangor, for interment in the New Burying-ground, Belfast, on Monday morning, next, passing over Queens Bridge at 10.30. Friends will please accept this information.

John is buried together with his parents and grandfather in Lot K39 at the Clifton Street Cemetery.

Back to William ………….after arriving at Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne, William made his way north but his movements are unknown until his marriage……………… 

He married Alice Elizabeth PARKER (born about 1842 Armagh, Ireland) at Smythesdale on 17th February 1861. William recorded his religion as United Church of England and Ireland. Alice was married with “consent of the bride’s guardian” who unfortunately is not named. It is rather curious that her name is recorded as “Elizabeth” in the marriage register when on all other documents her name was always recorded as “Alice Elizabeth.” However we can be completely confident that they are the same person based on cross reference with the children’s birth/death certificates and her death certificate.

Alice PARKER immigrated to Victoria on the Euphemus July 1853. She was an assisted immigrant and therefore there is a good information on Alice. Whilst origin Armagh Ireland reconciles with later documents, she was just 12 (based on marriage certificate age) but recorded in the ships records as 16. Most likely she overstated her age to meet criteria for assisted passage – desperate times require desperate measures and she could read and write (ship register record) which was a bonus for any employer so any question regarding her age could be overlooked.  Her employer is recorded as Mrs Robinson of Geelong to whom Alice was bonded for 3 months.

The marriage certificate records her parents as Frederick and Margaret (nee REED). To date I’ve found no record of a Frederick (a soldier) or Margaret PARKER that have sufficient information to give a high degree of confidence of finding the correct Frederick or Margaret. There are a number of Frederick Parker’s in the British Army and the most likely appears in the muster rolls for the 84th Foot Regiment 1808 -1818. Given their names, Parker & Reed, it is highly likely they were English immigrants to Ireland.

William & Alice Elizabeth’s Marriage Certificate records Williams occupation as “Ginger Beer Maker” and two years later when  a son, William Parker, was born he was still making Ginger Beer, but on other  birth certificates of the children he became a ‘carter” and later a “miner”.

“Dean Hart” was a local soft drink manufacturer with a factory in Burke Street, Smythesdale.  

It was a surprise to find that William was manufacturing Ginger Beer when most of the population were mining, but clearly when young he had interests other than mining for gold. He may well have had family connections to other McGowan’s in the area, as when reviewing old Australian newspapers in  “Trove” the name McGowan comes up frequently and there was a cartage business in Ballarat run by McGowan’s, possibly explaining both his later move to “carter” and also Ballarat. When he died he gave his occupation as “miner” so somewhere along the line he finally succumbed to the lure of gold.

In 1860 Smythesdale (136 Km W Melbourne, 21 Km W Ballarat) was a booming gold mining town with a population of approx. 20,000 with a Court House, hotel and lockup.

Gold was discovered in 1853 and a diggers township called Smythes Creek quickly developed. In 1856 a digger found a nugget weighing 336 ounces. The township was renamed Smythesdale in 1859 and many more permanent buildings were built. companies were formed to invest in high pressure hoses and slice boxes to handle tons of gravel per hour.

The first Rate assessment of the Borough of Smythesdale was conducted in 1862/63 and William McGowan was living in a wooden house in Argyle Street, Smythesdale. The house was valued at 12 pounds. A bark house was worth 5 pounds, a wood and calico house 7 pounds.   A brick building was 80 pounds and some wooden houses were worth up to 75 pounds.

They had 11 children but sadly eight died in infancy and only William Parker (my grandfather), Alice and Margaret survived into adulthood.

William died in 1882 aged 42 years with Typhoid Fever, and Alice died aged 55 in 1896. They are both buried in the St Arnaud cemetery.

William Parker headed to Melbourne as a young man and then in 1895 crossed the Tasman to New Zealand and married Daisy KIDD. They had four children their first son (my father) was named William Parker McGowan (jnr) so the Irish connection of the Belfast McGowan’s and the Armagh Parker’s lived on.