Devlin Ancestry in Blantyre

In September 2014, Claire Milne sent me an email, saying , “Hi Paul, fantastic site. My maiden name is Devlin. I have been trying to find out info about the Devlin family in Blantyre in early 1900s esp about my grandfather hugh Devlin. Just wondered if you had come across anything, Thank you, Claire milne.”

After a search of some ancestry records, I was able to form this reply, “Claire – Thanks for your email. I do have some information about a Hugh Devlin of Blantyre. The info is very fractured though and leaves a lot of questions.

In 1881, there is a Hugh Devlin, aged 7 living at 10 Dixons Rows, with the McGinnes family. I found that strange in itself that such a young boy was staying with another family. Dixons Rows were just built and housed coal miners. Jumping to the 1891 census, Hugh is 17 and is a coal miner. He was then lodging with the McCallum family at Turners Buildings, Blantyre.

There is another Hugh Devlin in the census information. A different person born in 1881, whom by the 1901 census at aged 20 was lodging at Auchentibber, 6 Clyde Row with the Brown family. I wondered if any of this feels right as your ancestor?

The only other mention of Devlin I remember was the Care home “Devlin Care” that opened in 1983, but i think this was named after an external business man, of more modern times. Hope this is helpful and interesting.”

If anybody can add to the Devlin ancestry of Blantyre or knows more about this story, please feel free to get in touch. Thanks.