6. GALT-BARR-LITTLEJOHN
GLASGOW: 1818–1904
by Alan Craig Download the PDF of this page (10.1 MB)
Up to now we have traced the history of five branches of Robyn’s Galt line (Galt, Howie, Littlejohn, Barr and McColl) and we can now take up the story as all branches converge in Glasgow, Scotland.
N.B. — Throughout this text, all of Robyn’s direct ancestors are marked in purple. All blue text [inside brackets] represents additional information or corrections, and did not form part of the original documents. Copies of the original birth, death, marriage and census records are held by me and stored in the Cloud, and can be made available to interested parties. When reproducing the baptismal and marriage entries below, I have kept the original archaic spellings and text, and also laid them out to reflect how they appear in the parish records.
The families arrive in Glasgow
As we know from the story of the Littlejohn family, Robert Littlejohn and Ann Steedman were the first of Robyn’s ancestors to migrate from the country to the booming metropolis of Glasgow. Their first four children had been born in Kinross, but their fifth, Alexander, was born at Glasgow in April 1808. Apart from the baptisms of the children born in Glasgow, we know nothing of this family until their oldest son, Richard [2] Littlejohn, was counted in the 1841 census (see chapter 3). At that time, Richard [2] had a 15-year-old daughter Helen, whose baptism we have never found, but who would have been born around 1824, and would soon join the ‘Galt’ line.
The next branch of Robyn’s ancestors to arrive in Glasgow was spearheaded by Gabriel [3] Galt, and we know this because of a Kirk record in 1819 after he had married Margaret Howie in 1818. We also know that Margaret was eight months pregnant when she married, and the nuptials were recorded in two parishes (all spellings original):
1818 SCOTLAND O.P.R. MARRIAGES: Parish of Kilwinning, Ayrshire 1Source: GALT, Gaberial [3] & HOWIE, Margaret; 1818 Scotland O.P.R. Marriages; 599/ 30 163; Kilwinning, Ayrshire.
Dr. James Steven Minister
x in the parish of Glasgow
Gabriel [3] Galt x and Margaret Howie in this parish, give in their
Names Upon frayday the 6th. of Novr. to be procld. for Marriage 3d
and were Married
—1818 SCOTLAND O.P.R. MARRIAGES: Parish of Glasgow, Lanarkshire 2Source: GALT, Gabriel [3] & HOWIE, Margaret; 1818 Scotland O.P.R. Marriages; 644/1 290 66; Glasgow, Lanarkshire.
Glasgow 15th November 1818
Galt | Gabriel [3] Galt Smith in Glasgow &
Margaret Howie parish of Kilwinning
But, as you might guess, a premarital pregnancy was not going to go unnoticed in 19th-century Presbyterian Scotland:
1819 SCOTLAND KIRK SESSION MINUTES: Parish of Kilwinning, Ayrshire 3Source: GALT, Gaberial [3] & HOWIE, Margaret; 1819 Kirk Session; CH200591-7-129; Kilwinning, Ayrshire.
Compeared Gaberial [3] Galt and Margt. Howie Spouses —
Judicially Confessing that they had been guilty of the sin of
Antenuptial fornication. But upon the Acct. that the man
was Residing in Glasgow this Case was Repaired to the Sessn.
of the high Church there.
So, it looks like Gabriel had got Margaret Howie in the family way before moving to Glasgow and setting up as a blacksmith — but, at the last, he had done the right thing and married her. Their first child, James, was born on New Year’s Eve in 1818 at Doura, Ayrshire, and Margaret must have joined her new husband in Glasgow shortly after that, because the next child was born there in 1820:
1820 SCOTLAND O.P.R. BAPTISMS: Parish of Glasgow, Lanarkshire 4Source: GALT, Gabriel [4]; 1820 Scotland O.P.R. Births; 644/ 1 300 120; Glasgow, Lanarkshire.
Glasgow, November 1820
Galt | Gabriel [3] Galt, Smith, & Margaret Howie
a Law: Son Gabriel [4] Bo: 3d. Novmr. Wit:
John Galt & Peter McNicol
It’s reasonable to assume that the witness “John Galt” was Gabriel [3]’s elder brother, who had married Helen Frew in 1812 at Kilwinning, but was also living in Glasgow from 1818. In all, Gabriel [3] and Margaret Howie had nine children: James (1818); Gabriel [4] (1820); John (1822); Mary (1824); David (1827); Margaret (1829); Jean (1831); William (1834); and Robert (1838). As with the Littlejohn family, the first record that tells us anything about their lives came with the 1841 census, and the entire family was here:
1841 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 146 Garscube Rd, St Georges, Glasgow 5Source: GALT, Gabriel [3]; 1841 Scotland Census 644/1 241/ 9; St George, Glasgow.
Gabriel [3] Galt; 40 [45]; Blacksmith; not born in Lanarkshire
James Galt; 20 [22]; Blacksmith; not born Lanarkshire
Gabriel [4] Galt; 20; Iron Turner; born Lanarkshire
John Galt; 15 [18]; Blacksmith; born Lanarkshire
Mary Galt; 15 [16]; Established Church; born Lanarkshire
David Galt; 14; born Lanarkshire
Margaret Galt; 12; born Lanarkshire
Jean Galt; 10 [9]; born Lanarkshire
William Galt; 7; born Lanarkshire
Robert Galt; 2; born Lanarkshire
Margaret Galt [Howie]; 40 [46]; [not] born in Lanarkshire
Ages in the 1841 census were routinely lowered to the nearest ‘5’ (mostly), so I’ve added the corrections; and, for some reason, Margaret Howie is at the bottom. Gabriel and his sons were all in the ‘blacksmith trade’, and smithies at that time were amongst the most important members of a community — definitely a step up from the labouring class.
If you look at our map of Glasgow’s Milton District, you’ll see that Ann Street, where the Littlejohn family were at this time, runs into Garscube Road. Our Galt family, at 146 Garscube, were living close to that intersection, so there was certainly opportunity for Gabriel [4] Galt to meet and court Helen Littlejohn — and they married in 1843:
1843 SCOTLAND O.P.R. MARRIAGES: Parish of Glasgow, Lanarkshire 6Source: GALT, Gabriel [4] & LITTLEJOHN, Helen; 1843 Scotland O.P.R. Marriages; 644/1 420 676; Glasgow, Lanarkshire.
Glasgow 24th September 1843
Galt | Gabriel [4] Galt Smith in Glasgow and
Helen Littlejohn residing there
This couple were eventually to have ten children, but the first one, named Gabriel (i), died in 1845 at 18 months — and he became the second person to buried in what was to become a family grave at the Sighthill Cemetery. This burial ground was opened in 1840, and lies about 1 km north-west of where the family lived at Milton (the Port Dundas district around the Clyde Canal, now known as the ‘Cowcaddens’). The first of our family to be interred in this plot, in 1841, was also a ‘Gabriel’ (aged 23), the first son of John Galt (brother to Gabriel [3] ) and Helen Frew. In all, eleven members of the Galt family were eventually interred in this lair, the last in 1894.
We can be grateful that we discovered this gravestone and its cemetery records, because they gave us a good deal of information that wasn’t recorded in the parish records — in particular, it gave us the death of Gabriel [3] Galt: December 1st, 1847; he was aged 52, and he was the third person to be laid to rest at our Sighthill Cemetery plot.
The years 1851–1861
When the 1851 census was taken, Thomas [2] Barr and Ann McColl were both working in Renfrewshire (see chapter 4 and chapter 5), and were not yet married. Richard [2] Littlejohn and Margaret Fleming had left the Port Dundas and were living at Blythswood, a bit south and closer to the Clyde River [see page 3]. However, some of the Galt family had also moved further south, while the younger family remained by the Clyde Canal:
1851 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 15 Union Place, Anderston, Glasgow 7Source: GALT, Margaret [Howie]; 1851 Scotland Census; 622/ 75/ 3 & 4; Barony, Glasgow.
Margaret Galt [Howie]; Head; Widow; 56; Domestic duties; born Kilwinning, Ayrshire
James Galt; Son; Unm.; 32; Grocer & Spirit Dealer; born Kilwinning, Ayrshire
William Galt; Son; Unm.; 17; Moulder apprentice; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Robert Galt; Son; Unm.; 12; Scholar; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Margaret Galt; Daur.; Unm.; 21; Shop Keeper; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Margaret Howie had been a widow for over three years, and was now living in Anderston with four unmarried children. However, her son Gabriel [4] and his wife Helen Littlejohn were still living in the district near the Clyde Canal:
1851 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 18 North Woodside Rd, St Georges, Glasgow 8Source: GALT, Gabriel [4]; 1851 Scotland Census; 644/1 19/ 19 ; St Georges, Glasgow.
Gabriel [4] Galt; Head; Mar.; 30; Engineer; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Helen Galt [Littlejohn]; Wife; Mar.; 27; Engineer’s Wife; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
James Galt; Son; Unm.; 4; Scholar; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Jannet Littlejohn; Sister-in-law.; Unm.; 21; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
One of Helen’s younger sisters was living with them at this time. We noted above that their first child, Gabriel (i), had died in 1845, but also missing from the 1851 census is a second son called ‘Gabriel’ — we have his baptism in July 1849, but no death record has been found. This Gabriel (ii) is not buried in the family plot, so we have no idea what happened to him, and must presume he died before this census was taken.
Between the 1851 and 1861 censuses, Gabriel [4] and Helen were to have four more children, but we can turn our attention for a while to the ‘Barr-McColl’ line. We saw in chapter 4 that Thomas [2] Barr and Ann McColl had married in Eaglesham, Renfrewshire, but by 1856 they were living at Port Dundas near our Galt family, where they gave birth to their second child, Robyn’s great-grandmother:
1856 SCOTLAND STATUTORY BIRTHS: Central District, Glasgow 9Christina; 1865 Scotland Statutory Births; 644/ 1 156; Central District, Glasgow.
Christina Barr
born: 13th January 1856 (5:00 am)
at: 101 Water Street, Glasgow
—
father: Thomas [2] Barr, Carter
mother: Ann Barr M.S. McColl
—
informant: Ann Barr, Mother (her X mark) (present)
witness: Thos. Davidson, Registrar
Again, looking at our map of the Milton District, you will see that Water Street runs off Ann Street where the Littlejohn family had lived in 1841, and in the general Port Dundas area where these families had congregated. This area is known today as the Cowcaddens. Thomas [2] and Ann had previously had a daughter called Jane, but no record of her birth has been found, either in Eaglesham (where they married), or in Glasgow — but the poor child was to die of hydrocephalus (water on the brain) at 101 Water Street in March 1857, aged three. We only know of her existence from information on her parents’ Queensland death certificates. Thomas [2] and Ann were, however, to have two more children at Water Street before the 1861 census: Mary (1858) and Ann (1860).
The years 1861-1871
As we saw in chapter 3, Helen Littlejohn’s widowed mother, Margaret Fleming, was living in Brown Street, still in the immediate area of Port Dundas. However, Gabriel [4]’s mother remained at Union Place, now with just two unmarried children, and she was never to return the Milton district:
1861 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 15 Union Place, Anderston, Glasgow 10Source: GALT, Margaret [Howie]; 1861 Scotland Census; 644/8 86/ 20; Barony, Glasgow.
Margaret Galt [Howie]; Head; Widow; 66; House Keeper; born Kilwinning, Ayrshire
Robert Galt; Son; Unm.; 22; Iron Turner; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Jane Galt; Daur.; Unm.; 29; Dress Maker; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Gabriel [4] and Helen, though, had moved about five short blocks eastward to Scott Street (off Dobbie’s Loan), where they were living with four of their children:
1861 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 54 Scott Street, Front Land, Central District, Glasgow 11Source: GALT, Gabriel [4]; 1861 Scotland Census; 644/1 100/ 6; Central District, Glasgow.
Gabriel [4] Galt; Head; 40; Iron Turner; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Helen Galt [Littlejohn]; Wife; Mar.; 37; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
James Galt; Son; 14; Moulder; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
John [3] Galt; Son; 9; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Margaret Galt; Daur.; 7; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Robert Galt; Son; 2; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
This census (right) is the first mention we have of Robyn’s great-grandfather John [3] Galt. He was almost certainly born at their previous address of 18 North Woodside Road, and from later documents we can estimate he was born in 1852 (before statutory records came into force). However, there is yet a third ‘Gabriel’ not entered in this census — and we do have birth and death records for him. Gabriel (iii) was born on 10 March 1856 at the 18 North Woodside Road address, and died of chronic diarrhoea at this Scott Street address on 28 December 1858 — he was only 18 months old, and was his parents’ last attempt to name a boy ‘Gabriel’. Gabriel (iii) was buried at Sighthill Cemetery, but for some reason is not recorded as being in the family grave.
Still living at Water street was the Barr family, now with a five-year-old Christina (who would later marry John [3] Galt):
1861 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 101 Water Street, Milton, Glasgow 12Source: Thomas [2] & Ann [McColl]; 1861 Scotland Census; 644/1 98/ 16 ; Milton, Glasgow.
Thomas [2] Barr; Head; Mar.; 29; Labourer; born Kilmacolm [Renfrewshire]
Ann Barr [McColl]; Wife; Mar.; 27; born Salen, Island of Mull [Argyllshire]
Christina Barr; Daur.; 5; born Glasgow [Lanarkshire]
Ann Barr; Daur.; 1; born Glasgow [Lanarkshire]
Mary Barr; Daur.; 3; born Glasgow [Lanarkshire]
Thomas and Ann were never to move away from this Port Dundas area until they left for Queensland in 1885, but their last two children would be delivered at 16 Charlotte Street, just a couple of hundred meters east of Water Street: Thomas (1863); and Jane (ii) (1866).
The years 1871-1881
Margaret Howie had lived in Union Street, Anderston, for the 1851 and 1861 censuses, but had darted east to Glasgow’s Bridgeton District by 1871:
1871 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 82 Bernard Street, Bridgeton, Glasgow 13Source: GAULT, Margaret (Howie); 644/3 72/ 3 ; Calton, Glasgow.
Margaret Gault [Howie]; Head; Widow; 76; born Kilwinning, Ayrshire
James G Gault; Grand Son; Unm.; 16; School; born Rio [de] Janerio, South America
Here we have Margaret living with a grandson, who was born in … Brazil ! When we found this record, we had no idea about any Brazilian links. It wasn’t till 2019 that I was contacted by a Galt descendant living in Rio — and right away I guessed this would be the connection (and he was also the source of the only photo we have of Margaret Howie). The ‘James Gault’ above was the only son of Margaret’s third child, John, who migrated to Brazil and married Margaret Gardner, an English lass — no doubt, young James was sent to Scotland for an education that might not have been available at that time in Rio de Janeiro.
While his mother was darting from place to place in Glasgow, Gabriel [4] and his family was staying put in the Port Dundas district:
1871 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 38 William Street, Milton, Glasgow 14Source: GALT, Gabriel [4]; 1871 Scotland Census; 644/7 93/ 11 & 12; Milton, Glasgow.
Gabriel [4] Galt; Head; 50; Engine Fitter; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Helen Galt [Littlejohn]; Wife; Mar.; 47; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
John [3] Galt; Son; Unm.; 20; Iron Moulder; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Robert Galt; Son; 12; Scholar; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Mary Galt; Daur.; 7; Scholar; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Agnes Galt; Daur.; 4; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Living just three short blocks directly east of the Galts was our Barr-McColl family and, by now, all of their children had been born:
1871 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 142 Port Dundas Road, Milton, Glasgow 15Source: BARR, Thomas [2] & Ann [McColl]; 1861 Scotland Census; 644/1 98/ 16 ; Milton, Glasgow.
Thomas [2] Barr; Head; Mar.; 38; Labourer; born Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire
Ann Barr [McColl]; Wife; Mar.; 41; born Mull, Argyllshire
Christina Barr; Daur.; Unm.; 15; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Mary Barr; Daughter; 13; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Ann Barr; Daughter; 11; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Thos Barr; Son; 7; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Jane Barr; Daughter; 5; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Although only Thomas [2] had his employment noted here, it would be very likely that Christina (and probably Mary ) would have been working in a local mill as a power-loom weaver. A bit over two years later, Helen Littlejohn (2g-grandmother) departed this world at a relatively young 49, pre-deceasing her own mother:
1873 SCOTLAND STATUTORY DEATHS: Milton, Glasgow 16Source: GALT [Littlejohn], Helen; 1873 Scotland Statutory Deaths; 644/ 7 564; Milton, Glasgow.
Ellen Galt
Married to Gabriel [4] Galt, Iron Fitter Journeyman
—
died: 31st May 1873 (11:00 am) age: 49 years
at: 20 Lyon Street, Glasgow
—
father: Richard [2] Littlejohn, Power Loom Tenter (deceased)
mother: Margaret Littlejohn M.S. Fleming
—
cause: Not Known doctor: Thomas Barr M.D.
informant: Gabriel [4] Galt, Widower
As you can see, they couldn’t say what she died of, even though she was attended by a doctor … and don’t get excited — I’m sure Dr. Thomas Barr is not related. Helen was laid to rest in the family plot at Sighthill Cemetery; but, inexplicably, her name was not inscribed on the headstone.
As we saw in chapter 3, Margaret Fleming died at the Barnhill Poorhouse on 10 March 1877, nearly four years after the death of her daughter Helen (she actually outlived five of her children). Just two months after Margaret headed for the Pearly Gates, her grandson John [3] Galt married Christina Barr, finally bringing together two of the main streams in Robyn’s maternal line:
1877 SCOTLAND STATUTORY MARRIAGES: Milton, Glasgow 17Source: GALT, John & BARR, Christina; 1877 Scotland Statutory Marriages; 644/ 8 101; Milton Glasgow.
married: 18th May 1877 at: 40 Firhill Road, Glasgow
After Banns according to the Forms of the United Presbyterian Church
—
John [3] Galt, Bachelor, Bricklayer Journeyman age: 24
of: 448 Dobbies Loan, Glasgow
father: Gabriel [4] Galt, Engine Fitter (journeyman)
mother: Helen Galt M.S. Meiklejohn [Littlejohn] (deceased)
—
Christina Barr, Spinster, Power Loom Weaver age: 21
of: 448 Dobbies Loan, Glasgow
father: Thomas [2] Barr, Contractor’s Carter
mother: Ann Barr M.S. McCall [McColl]
—
minister: Robert Cameron witnesses: James Galt; Mary Barr
John was now settled into the trade he would have for the rest of his life, and Christina was confirmed as a power-loom weaver. Both had been living in Dobbies Loan, which ran across the eastern end of Scott Street, and Christina was four months pregnant with their first child, James, who was born at 76 Water Street in October 1877.
However, it was their second child, born 19 moths later, who is more significant to our line. Thomas Barr Galt was Robyn’s grandfather, and he would be only three years old when he would head for Queensland with his parents:
1879 SCOTLAND STATUTORY BIRTHS: Milton, Burgh of Glasgow 18Source: GALT, Thomas Barr; 1879 Scotland Statutory Births; 644/8 756; Milton, Glasgow.
Thomas Barr Galt
born: 22nd May 1879 (1:00 am) at: 4 Cedar Place, Glasgow
—
father: John [3] Galt, Bricklayer (Journeyman)
mother: Christina Galt M.S. Barr
married: 18th May 1877 at: Milton, Glasgow
—
informant: Christina Galt, Mother
Port Dundas district on the Clyde Canal where branches of the family lived from at least 1841 to the early 1900s.
The 1881 Census
By the time the next census came around, Margaret Howie had moved to Glasgow’s Hutchesontown district to the south of the Clyde, and her widower son was living with her:
1881 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 304 South Wellington Street, Hutchesontown, Glasgow 19Source: GALT, Margaret [Howie] & Gabriel [4]; 1881 Scotland Census; 644/11 31/ 9; Hutchesontown, Glasgow.
Margaret Galt [Howie]; Head; Widow; 86; Annuitant; born Kilwinning, Ayrshire
Gabriel [4] Galt; Son; Widower; 60; Engineer Railway; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Interestingly, Margaret is given here as an “Annuitant”, which means she was receiving a guaranteed annual fixed payment, a bit like a pension. However, government pensions only came into place after 1908, so we’re left to wonder who provided the annuity. Her husband, Gabriel [3], had been a blacksmith all his days, a higher-ranking trade, so was probably able to provide something for his widow in his estate. Her grandson, though, was still at Port Dundas, and already had two children (including Robyn’s grandfather):
1881 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 4 Cedar Place, Milton, Glasgow 20Source: GALT, John & Christina [Barr]; 1881 Scotland Census; 644/8 59/ 15; Milton, Glasgow.
John [3] Galt; Head; Mar.; 29; Bricklayer; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Christina Galt [Barr]; Wife; Mar.; 25; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
James Galt; Son.; Unm.; 4; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Thomas Galt; Son; Unm.; 2; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Cedar Place, where Thomas Barr Galt was born in 1879, was a short lane running off St Georges Road, and was also home to a Methodist Church. Christina was eight months pregnant on census night, but by the time wee Annie was delivered four weeks later, they had moved from Cedar Place further north to 34 Firhill Road (off my maps) … and this family were now ready to depart Scotland. It would be three years and four months before they had another child, and this is a long time in an era with no contraception — but a thorough check of Scotland’s births have no other children for this couple recorded (perhaps stillbirths?). Christina’s parents, however, were already living at 40 Firhill Road, so they would have been living cheek by jowl when baby Annie was born:
1881 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 40 Firhill Road, Back Land, St Georges, Glasgow 21Source: BARR, Thomas [2] & Ann [McColl]; 1881 Scotland Census; 644/8 28/ 12; St Georges, Glasgow.
Thomas [2] Galt; Head; Mar.; 48; Carter; born Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire
Ann McC Barr [McColl]; Wife; Mar.; 51; born Aros, Mull, Argyllshire
Mary Barr; Daur.; Unm.; 23; Confectioner; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Ann Barr; Daur.; Unm.; 21; Confectioner; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Thos Barr; Son; Unm.; 17; Moulder; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Jane (ii) Barr; Daur.; Unm.; 15; born Confectioner; Glasgow, Lanarkshire
The scene was now set for the biggest evolutionary change in the story of our Galt-Barr family as first, in June 1883, John [3] and Christina sailed for Brisbane with three children, to be followed by Christina’s parents and four siblings just over two years later. This part of story is told in a separate chapter — in the meantime, we can finish the story of the family’s Glasgow connections.
The years 1891-1901
Margaret Howie was a very old lady of 96 when the 1891 census was taken, and she was then living near where I was born at Govanhill, a bit south of the Gorbals; and she was staying with Robert, her youngest child:
1891 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 143 Cathcart Road, Govanhill, Glasgow 22Source: GALT, Margaret [Howie]; 1891 Scotland Census; 644/11 112/ 14; Hutchesontown, Glasgow.
Robert Galt; Head; Mar; 52; Steam Engine Fitter (employed); born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Isabella Galt [Drummond]; Wife; 50; born Paisley, Renfrewshire
Maggie H Galt; Unm.; Daur.; 23; Elementary Teacher (employed); born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Wm D Galt; Unm.; Son; 21; Stationer’s Assistant (employed); born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Robert D Galt; Unm.; Son; 17; Muslin Warehouse App. (employed); born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
James H Galt; Unm.; Son; 13; Warehouse Office Boy (employed); born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Margaret Galt [Howie]; Mother; Widow; 96; born Kilwinning, Ayrshire
Robert and Isabella had married in 1864, and three of their seven children (including a ‘Gabriel’) had already left the family home. Margaret probably needed care by this time, and was already the oldest-ever living person in the Galt bloodline. Her second son, Gabriel [4], was lodging with a family in the Gorbals. Even at 70 years, he was still working as an ‘iron turner’:
1891 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 48 Norfolk Street, Gorbals, Glasgow 23Source: GALT, Gabriel [4] ; 1891 Scotland Census; 644/12 1/ 10; Gorbals, Glasgow.
Alexr. L. McCormick; Head; Mar.; 48; Railway Clerk (employed); born Mull, Argyllshire
— McCormick Family —
Gabriel [4] Galt; Lodger; Widower.; 70; Iron Turner; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
His mother, however, battled on for another three years, dying of old age at Langside Road, which was about 400 meters (250 yards) west of the Cathcart Road address from 1891:
1894 SCOTLAND STATUTORY DEATHS: Gorbals, Glasgow 24Source: GALT [Howie], Margaret; 1894 Scotland Statutory Deaths; 644/ 12 230; Gorbals, Glasgow.
Margaret Galt
Widow of Gabriel [3] Galt, Blacksmith (Fireman)
—
died: 3rd April 1894 (4:15 am) age: 99 years
at: 255 Langside Road, Glasgow
—
father: John Howie, Farmer (deceased)
mother: Mary Howie M.S. Jack (deceased)
—
cause: Senile Decay doctor: Thomas McCubbin, Surgeon
informant: Margaret Howie Galt, Grand-daughter [d/o Robert]
Margaret Howie, 1794–1894
Margaret was just seven months short of 100. She had outlived three of her nine children, and had been a widow for over 46 years. We have her birth, marriage and death records, and she appears in every Scottish census from 1841 to 1891. No one else in her extended family lived as long until Enid Galt (née Parsons), the wife of one of her great-great-grandsons, pipped her by a few months when she died, aged 100, in November 2020. The picture (right) came from her Brazilian descendants, and this branch was noted for gifting the land to help found the Rio Golf Club and the Rio Yacht Club.
The children of Gabriel [3] Galt and Margaret Howie
James Galt (1818–1906) — was the first child, and was conceived well out of wedlock, his parents marrying only seven weeks before his birth on New Years’ Eve. James had worked as both a spirit dealer and a blacksmith, like his father, and married three times throughout his life: (i) Martha Allen in 1851 (died of delirium tremors in 1862!); (ii) Martha Brown in 1863 (died of TB in 1866); and (iii) Catherine McFarlane in 1869 (died of hectic fever in 1876). We have no record of any children from these marriages, and he lived longer than of any of his siblings, dying aged 87 in 1906 at Springburn Road in Dennistoun.
Gabriel [4] Galt (1820–1903) — is Robyn’s great-great-grandfather, and his story has been told gradually through these pages. To summarise, though, he worked variously as a blacksmith, an engine fitter, and an iron turner. He was 22 when he married Helen Littlejohn, and they had ten children, of whom at least four died as infants. He became a widower in 1873 when he was 53, and lived at times with his mother or one of his daughters until he died of a stroke at the Govan Poorhouse in 1903 — he was 82.
John Galt (1822–1883 ) — was the first of the brood to migrate. He was an engineer, and must have left for Brazil before 1851, where he married Margaret McNaught Gardner, a lass from Liverpool, England. They had six children at Rio de Janeiro between 1853 and 1860, and one of those came into our story in the 1871 census (see above). It is reported that his descendants provided the land for both the Rio Golf Club and the Rio Yacht Club. John died “suddenly” in Rio in 1883, and is buried with his wife and other family members at the Cemiterio dos Ingleses Gamboa.
Mary Galt (1824– ) — was reported a being employed by the “Established Church” in the 1841 census, but married John Twaddell, an engineer, in 1848 when she was 23. This couple were in Greenock, Renfrewshire, in 1851; however, nothing else is known about them or their children. No death record has been found for Mary or her husband, so it seems feasible they might have emigrated.
David Galt (1827–1851) — was recorded in the 1841 census (Garscube Road), but nothing else is known of his life. He is buried in the family plot at Sighthill Cemetery, and was 24 when he died on 10 July 1851. He should have been counted in the 1851 census of 30 March, but no record has been found.
Margaret Galt (1829–1914) — had been a ‘shopkeeper’ in 1851, and married Archibald Young, a joiner, in 1853. We have little information about her life, but her death certificate shows that Archibald had been a ‘hotel keeper’ when he died in 1890. Margaret was living at Strathaven, 23 km (14 miles) south-east of Glasgow, when she died aged 85. Her will doesn’t mention any children by name, but she left an estate of £1716 7s. 7d.
Jean Galt (1831–1890) — was 30 when she married gardener and nurseryman, Alexander Hamilton in 1862. Again, nothing is known of her life until she died of tuberculosis in 1890 at Auchinraith Cottage, Blantyre; she was 58.
William Galt (1834–1903) — was living at Water Street when he married Isabella Anderson in 1862 — but this marriage only lasted 79 days because Isabella died of tuberculosis when she was only 21. Nearly four years later, William married again, this time to Agnes Gillespie, the widow of his first cousin John Neilson Galt (s/o John Galt and Helen Frew), who had died of bronchitis in 1863. William himself died of bronchitis in 1903, aged 69; his widow, Agnes, lived on till 1931, and died aged 91.
Robert Galt (1838–1922) — was 25 when he married Isabella Drummond in 1864. Through his life he variously worked as an iron turner and a grocer, but mostly as an engine fitter. Robert and Isabella lived on Glasgow’s south-side, and were at Cathcart Road when his mother, Margaret Howie, was with them in 1891. They had seven children, and William died aged 84 in 1922. Isabella was 92 when she passed on in 1932.
The years 1901-1903
Towards the end of his life, Gabriel [4] had lived for at least some of the time back on the north side, a bit further north on Garscube Road than where they lived in 1841:
1901 SCOTLAND CENSUS: 579 Garscube Road, Kelvin, Glasgow 25Source: GAULT, Gilbert [GALT, Gabriel 4]; 1901 Scotland Census; 644/9 107/ 24; Kelvin, Glasgow.
Mary Cowan [Galt]; Head; Mar.; 38; Weaver (Steam Loom) (Worker); born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Gilbert [4] Gault; father-in-law; Widower; 80; born Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Mary Cowan was Gabriel [4]’s second-youngest child, and she had been twice widowed before this census. The “Gault” spelling was not unknown amongst members of this family, but “Gilbert” just looks like a scribal error — this is our Gabriel [4] Galt for sure. When he took a stroke and cashed in his chips nearly three years later, he had been living back in Govanhill. His son James managed to at least spell his name correctly on the death certificate, but gave Gabriel’s grandmother as his mother!
1903 SCOTLAND STATUTORY DEATHS: Govan, Burgh of Glasgow 26Source: GALT, Gabriel [4]; 1903 Scotland Statutory Deaths; 646/2 274; Govan, Glasgow.
Gabriel [4] Galt, Engine Fitter (Journeyman)
Widow of Helen Littlejohn
died: 21st February 1903 (7:40 am) age: 82 years
at: Govan Poorhouse former residence: 22 Jamieson Street, Glasgow
—
father: Gabriel [3] Galt, Blacksmith (deceased)
mother: Margaret Galt M.S. Cunningham [sic- Howie] (deceased)
—
cause: Cerebral Haemorrhage & Valvular Disease of Heart
doctor: Jas. B.W. Bank, M.B. Ch.B.
informant: James Galt, Son of: Beechfield Cottage, Tuphall Road, Hamilton
Govan Poorhouse – the hospital wings either side of the main building were added on in about 1902.
The Govan Poorhouse was located further west on the south bank of the Clyde, and is not in any of my detail maps — but you can see its location on this map at the bottom right. The building had just been extended to include hospital wings when Gabriel [4] died there. He wasn’t buried with his wife and parents; rather he was interred at Lambhill Cemetery in a plot owned by his son-in-law John White (married to daughter Margaret). Lambhill is about 4 km (3 miles) north-west of the Sighthill Cemetery, and not in range of my maps. We can wrap up his story with the following summery of his children.
The children of Gabriel [4] Galt & Helen Littlejohn
Gabriel (i) Galt (1844–1845) — had a short life, and was not quite 18 months old when he became the second person (following his 1st cousin, also a Gabriel) to be buried in the family plot at Sighthill Cemetery.
James Galt (1846–1922) — had moved east to Hamilton shortly after his mother’s passing in 1873. His first son was born out of wedlock in Hamilton in 1874, but he didn’t marry the mother, Margaret Clark Weston, until nearly a year later! They had seven children between 1874 and 1884, the oldest one eventually migrating to Johannesburg, South Africa. James was a bricklayer most of his life, and became a widower in 1898 when Maggie died of TB. James died aged 72 of stomach cancer at Tuphall Road, Hamilton; he was buried in the family plot at Sighthill Cemetery. Robyn has a DNA match to one of his descendants.
Gabriel (ii) Galt (1849–c.1850) — has a baptismal record, and nothing more. We know he had died before the 1851 census, but we do not know where he was buried; it wasn’t in the family plot at Sighthill.
John [3] Galt (1852–1914) — is Robyn’s great-grandfather, and we have more of his story in the next chapter — but here’s a summary: We found no baptism for John, but he was almost certainly born at 18 North Woodside Road at Milton, Glasgow, because the family were there in 1851, and his next younger brother was born at that address in 1856. He had been an ‘iron moulder’ in 1871, but he was a ‘bricklayer’ when he married Christina Barr in 1877, his trade for the rest of his days. They had three children in Glasgow before taking an assisted passage on the “Southesk” to Brisbane in 1883. They had a further six children Downunder, most of them born in what is now Newstead. John died at 62 of cirrhosis of the liver (an alcoholic?) at Ella Street in 1914. Christina died of pneumonia eleven years later at Hawthorne, aged 70 — they are buried together at South Brisbane Cemetery in Dutton Park.
Margaret Cunningham Galt (1853–1929) — was also born at 18 North Woodside Road, and married John White, a mill mechanic, when she was 20. This couple had at least one son we know of (Gabriel, of course), and lived all their lives close to where she was born. John died of spinal paraplegia in 1911, aged 59, but Margaret lived on till 1929 when she died at 32 Windsor Street, Kelvin, of heart failure at the age of 75.
Gabriel (iii) Galt (1856–1857) — was to be the third and last attempt of Gabriel [3] and Helen to name a son “Gabriel”, but it didn’t work out any better than the previous two goes. Born at 18 North Woodside Road, he died of chronic diarrhoea at 34 Scott Street aged about 22 months. This Gabriel was buried at Sighthill Cemetery, but is not recorded as being in the family lair.
Robert Galt (1859–1901) — was born at 54 Scott Street and was still with the family in 1871. What comes next is a little unclear. We can’t find him in the 1881 census, and he was boarding in Water Street with a widow and her daughter in 1891, and hereafter spelling his surname “Gault”. He was always described as an ‘iron moulder’. In June 1892, he had an illegitimate son (you guessed it, Gabriel ! ) with Helen McElhinney, a widow herself to a Daniel Kelly. Despite claiming in census and death records that he was married to Helen, we can find no documentary evidence of this, so we presume they were cohabitating. Helen was still alive when Robert died in 1901 of pneumonia at Lyon Street; he was only 42 years old. Robyn has three DNA matches to his descendants.
Helen Galt (1861–1863) — was another of this couple’s children to die in infancy. She was born and died at 54 Scott Street, and was only 20 months when she succumbed to tabes mesenteric, a form of tuberculosis .
Mary Galt (1863–1930) — was also born at 54 Scott Street. Her first marriage, and hereafter spelling her surname ‘Gault’, was in 1880 to Patrick Connor, a Catholic iron dresser; however, Patrick died of a stab wound to the heart in 1899 … I don’t think Mary was responsible! A year later, she married John Cowan (another iron moulder, but a Presbyterian), and he seems to have died before 1901, but no record has been found. Her father was living with her at Garscube Road in 1901, and she died from heart problems in 1930, leaving £200 to Daniel Connor, “… her nephew, child of a predeceasing next of kin.”
Agnes Galt (1865–1929) — was the baby of the family, born in William Street, Milton. Not too much is known about her life; however, when she was 18, she married William Cramb, a joiner. They had six children (yes, including a ‘Gabriel Galt’, and a ‘Helen Littlejohn’!), all born in Glasgow between 1885 and 1900, one dying in infancy. It may be that this couple eventually left Scotland, for Agnes was to die in London in 1929. William migrated the New York State in 1911, and died at Lockport, Niagara, in 1935 — however, it’s not clear if Agnes had also gone to the US, and if so, when she returned to the UK.
The story continues in Queensland …
References