Neil Brown messaged me, “A few years ago I got interested in genealogy – however it has been a difficult task because my father, who knew quite a bit about the family passed away in 1958 and as a young man was not much interested in learning about family history. Since I know the family came from Donegal, Ireland, I focused my efforts there. However, I recently found out that my family has a Blantyre connection. My grandfather Neil and his brother James came to Blantyre in the late 1880’s to work in the mines.
James married Margaret McDade in Blantyre on February 11, 1892. My grandfather Neil Brown was a witness at their wedding. The bride’s father was Rodger McDade and her mother’s name was Marjorie. They had 7 children that I know of:
1. Anne, born December 11, 1893 at Front Row, Blantyre Works; died August 29, 1896, at Stonefield Rd.
2. Neil, born October 13, 1895 at Stonefield Rd.; died Sept 27, 1896, at Stonefield Rd.
3. Mary, born August 17, 1898 at Larkfield; emigrated to US in 1907 with my grandfather and his wife Kate.
4. John, born August 25, 1902 at Front Row Village,
5. Susan, born November 13, 1904 at Hartsland,
6. Maggie, born February 28, 1907 at Greenside St.
7. Daniel, born July 13, 1911 at McAlpines Bldg.
Daniel came to the US to visit, probably in the late 1930’s (I have a picture of him with another unknown relative) and I believe that Maggie married someone name McKecknie. I would be very interested if there are still members of this family living in Blantyre. Thank you, Neil Brown.”
Knowing the ancestry of a popular name like Brown would be difficult, this was going to be challenging. First though, to check the census of 1911.
James and Margaret Brown with son John (8). With them was Susan (6) and Maggie (4). i.e only 3 children living with them. The census is telling as it notes the couple having been married for 18 years by 1911 had 7 children, although 3 of them had died in infancy. John, Susan, Maggie and Daniel do not appear to be buried in High Blantyre Cemetery, so I think there’s a good chance that life took them away from Blantyre.
I open up this question to anybody out there in Blantyre who thinks they may be related to the Brown family of this era. Of course, Susan and Maggie Brown may have married changing their surnames, so the task is made more complex.
On Blantyre Project social media, with granted permission. Strictly not for use on any other website or publication:
Helen Lawson Taylor I went to school with Elizabeth Brown who was born around 1945 and the family stayed in the Buggy building, I also remember going with her to visit I think her gran at Larkfield when we were about 9 years old but don’t know where the went after she left school in 1960 .They may not be connected .