McGrattan family

[George Ardrossan]

Sweet Caroline and Bubbly Blue

You both mentioned Patrick McGrattan who was born in Ardrossan in 1887. He married Jean Shaw in 1913.

They had several children including Jeannie McGrattan who was born in 1925 and died in the Paisley Cinema Disaster which claimed the lives of 69 or 70 children on 31 December 1929. Details can be seen at http://www.paisleyonline.co.uk/html/glen_cinema.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Cinema_Disaster.

George

[bubblyblue]

Hi Sweet Caroline & George Ardrossan

Thank you for the posts,
James and Susana’s marriage document only lists the 2 witnesses, Susana’s sister Catherine McConville and another name I can’t make out as it is from the old church records. I had also come across the two James McGrattan’s who are a year apart in age and could not find any documentation to point me in the right path from there. My next step after trying my post on here was to view the poor relief records.

Thanks George for making the link to Granny McGrattan it is a wonderful story I have replied to your pm. After reading Granny McGrattan’s story I found an old newspaper clipping carried by the Louisville Kentucky Irish American newspaper on Saturday, January 5 1901, it is on page 4 see link below

http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/text-idx ... 1901010501" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thank you both
Bubblyblue

[bubblyblue]

Sweet Caroline and Bubbly Blue

You both mentioned Patrick McGrattan who was born in Ardrossan in 1887. He married Jean Shaw in 1913.

They had several children including Jeannie McGrattan who was born in 1925 and died in the Paisley Cinema Disaster which claimed the lives of 69 or 70 children on 31 December 1929. Details can be seen at http://www.paisleyonline.co.uk/html/glen_cinema.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Cinema_Disaster.

George

Hi George

Jeannie was my grandfather’s cousin and lived in George Street, Paisley at the time, she was at the cinema with her 2 sisters Catherine aged 8 & Elizabeth aged 6 they were both severely crushed but survived. Jeannie is listed on the memorial at Hawkhead Cemetery, Paisley, but was not buried with the other children at Hawkhead or with any of the other family at Woodside Paisley. None of my grandfathers children were aware of this until I found out through my research it was seemingly never mentioned.

There is also a 3 part documentary about the disaster on you tube

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bubblyblue

[George Ardrossan]

Bubbly Blue

Thanks for the information in your recent posts. I looked at both links. It is amazing that Granny McGrattan's long life and death was reported in an American newspaper. The YouTube story of the Glen Cinema Disaster reinforces that it was a real tragedy.

I hope you find the information I sent on Granny McGrattan's family - which is also your family - useful.

George

[bubblyblue]

Hi George,

Thanks for the information you have put a lot of work into it, it’s great and helps solve a lot of my queries, I have replied to you private email.

Thanks again
Bubbly blue

[alaskagirl]

Hi,
I stumbled across this sight and am particularly excited as I am in the middle of researching my mother's family the McGrattan's of Ardrossan. My mother was Margaret McGrattan, daughter of Patrick Mcgrattan and Jeanie Lamont Shaw. My mum was raised at 158 George Street in Paisley. Their other children were James(the eldest)Susan(Sadie),my mum, Margaret, wee John (died when he was 3) Catherine, wee Jean who died in the Glen Cinema Disaster. It was my mum, Margaret who was in the cinema with Catherine and wee Jeannie.Patrick and Jeanie lived in Elderslie before moving to Paisley. My grandpa worked at the carpet factory, and my grandma Jean worked at Coat's Mill in Paisley for many years. Patrick died August 4, 1966 and Jean died October 1984 in her. My mum died March 9th, 1995 at the age of 76. I have lots more info.

[little plum]

grandma Jean worked at Coat's Mill in Paisley for many years.

alaskagirl, not sure if this is of any use to you. Coat's produced sewing threads and was located on the old Glasgow rd from Ayrshire ( Lochlibo rd - A 736 ) just before the town of Barrhead.

[George Ardrossan]

Alaska Girl

Your grandfather was Patrick McGrattan born in Quarry Lane, Ardrossan on 24 February 1887. This makes you a great great great granddaughter of Granny McGrattan, the oldest person to have died in Ardrossan. She featured in this post - http://www.threetowners.net/forum/viewt ... tan#p97214

In the late nineteenth century, there were three families of McGrattans living in Ardrossan. They all emigrated from County Down in Ireland, arriving in Ardrossan in the mid 1850s. They were all poor and some were illiterate. They lived near each other and worked as labourers in the harbour and on the railways. One member of one family is buried in another family's grave. These facts lead me to think that they might be related to each other but despite extensive research using archives in Ardrossan, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin and elsewhere, I cannot find documentary evidence.

I will contact you by private email.

George

[sweet caroline]

Patrick McGRATTAN . Inishargy b. 1799 in Ireland ; husband of Helen McKerry (d. 13 Mar 1879); father of Samuel b. 1826 (d. 1865) & Thomas b. 1837 (d. 1906) & Patrick b. 1840 (d. 1896) & Bernard b. 1842 & d. 1896 (married Maria Morrow; d. 1917 ); all born Ireland & died Ardrossan, Scotland


http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.anc ... c/McGr.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

sweet caroline

[bubblyblue]

Hi Alaska girl,

Thank you for your PM I have sent a reply and look forward to hearing from you and sharing info.

Bubblyblue

[alaskagirl]

Hi Littleplum,
Thank you for giving me the heads up on Coats and Clark. After much research I found out that my grandmother, Jean Lamont Shaw McGrattan, actually worked at the Ferguslie Mills in Paisley. My grandfather, Patrick McGrattan also worked there in his later years as a fire watchman and a nightwatchman. In his younger years when my grandfather came to Elderslie from Ardrossan, he worked at Stoddards carpet factory as a weaver. He also had a little business on the side with his elder brother, James or John, selling bobbin sticks for firewood.

[BoBBy3836]

Re.Patrick McGrattan b.1799 Innishargy Co.Down,husband of Helen McKerry(although l have their son Bernard McGrattan age 22 marriage certificate to Maria Morrow age 22 on 9.5.1864, with Patrick's wife's name as Ellen McCary)Ref.NRS marriages 576/01 0014 Old Ardrossan.


I would like to know where evidence and concrete proof came from, of Patrick's coming from Innishargy .This would be a definite place for me to visit for my father John Gilmour's mother "Maggie" (nee McGrattan's) side of my family.Maggie was b. 26.3.1881 at 94,Ardeer Square ,Stevenston and married my grandfather James Gilmour ,30.8.1901at "Our Lady Star of the Sea" ,Saltcoats.They moved to Glengarnock in 1915.
Maggie did run a shop from her front room window ,when they stayed at 72,Long Row ,Glengarnock.She has a nice gravestone in the Kilbirnie "middle" graveyard against the west wall,where her husband James and my brother Michael(no.1) are also buried.
I hope this can be an update and add to the McGrattan family history site.
There is a recently instated grave stone almost immediately inside the main gates of Stevenston New Street, Cemetery, which bears the names of the Morrows and McGrattans going back .