Mr Robert Reid lived at Springwell Cottage, Blantyre and died on 14th November 1865 at the advanced age of 90 years, something that made the headlines given average life expectancy was half that at the time.
Robert was born in 1776, the son of Andrew Reid and Mary Jamieson. He married Mary Fulton, who was 2 years younger. They had 12 of a family, 9 of whom were still alive in 1865. He had 5 sons, 13 grandsons and 3 great grandsons. He was survived by his aged partner, whom he had been married to for 60 years. That year, the progeny of this worthy couple including children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren, amounted to 92 in number, making Reid a common Blantyre name today.
With thanks to Wilma Bolton for the heads up on this story.
