Sam Loughran contacted me asking, “I’m tracing my family tree and stumbled on your website. My grandparents lived in 29 Caldevale Terr, Uddingston in 1916. Their names were Michael and Emily Loughran and he was a coal miner. His father was James Loughran married to Annie. If you have any information l would be grateful.”
Recognising that Caldervale Terrace was in fact “Fin Me Oot” village, on the outskirts of Blantyre, I was able to reply with the following.
Michael Loughran was born in 1896 and was 20 years old when he married on 1st November 1916. His bride was 20 year old Emily Cook, a restaurant waitress. Unusually, when they married, they had both been living together already at 29 Caldervale Terrace, a row of terraced miners homes just over the northern boundary of Blantyre Parish.
As war raged around Europe that year , the couple took time out for their happy day, marrying in Glasgow. It was quite common for coalminers Michael’s age not to go off to war, for they were considered important workers to keep the war effort going.
Michael was the son of James Loughran (a coalminer) and Annie McDyre. Emily was the daughter of David Cook (a carpenter) and Jane McConnell. James and son Michael most likely worked at Newton Colliery or Blantyreferme Colliery.
It’s interesting that the address for Caldervale is noted as Uddingston, for only a few years earlier in 1911 census, it most firmly is noted as being in Blantyre and there was often a fine line for Caldervale about which of Uddingstone, Netwon or Blantyre should be used in addresses.
In 1911, James Loughran was 48 years old and living at 11 Caldervale Terrace with wife Annie with their 2 sons and 4 daughters. James actually had 8 children by 1911, but by that time, sadly two of their children had died.
On social media: Shared exclusively with Blantyre Project, (not for use elsewhere):