Chapter 3: William Ross and Isabella Murray in Scotland
William Ross and Isabella Murray were married in the Gartsherrie Manse, Old
Monkland, Lanarkshire, on March 14, 1856. They recorded their residences as
Gartsherrie, which is now part of Glasgow.
Under the heading ‘When, where, and how Married’ is written: ‘On the fourteenth day of March, 1856 at Gartsherrie Manse, marriage after banns was solemnized between us according to the Terms of the Church of Scotland.’ This implies that William and Isabella were married in the Presbyterian Church, which does not fit perfectly with later information that their religion was Baptist. It is possible that a conversion took place, either in Scotland or in Canada.
Under the heading ‘When, where, and how Married’ is written: ‘On the fourteenth day of March, 1856 at Gartsherrie Manse, marriage after banns was solemnized between us according to the Terms of the Church of Scotland.’ This implies that William and Isabella were married in the Presbyterian Church, which does not fit perfectly with later information that their religion was Baptist. It is possible that a conversion took place, either in Scotland or in Canada.
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1856 Marriage Registration
‘They surely moved around a lot, did they not?’ was the comment of a
professional genealogist named Anne King, who helped with some of the early
research. We can piece together some of the story from the official birth
registrations and census records.
In November 1856, they lived in Stenhouse Mills, which is now part of Edinburgh, and William was a wagon driver. This is from the birth registration of William2, the Black Sheep.
About one year later, their second son Donald was born. We don’t know where they lived in 1858.
In November 1859, they lived at Toll Lane in Alva, which is near Stirling, and William was a general labourer. This is from the birth registration of Joseph.
In mid 1861, they were lodgers at 23 Corson Street in Glasgow, and William was a railway works labourer. This was found in the 1861 Census, and it only records William, Isabella, and Joseph. Were William and Donald living somewhere else, perhaps with grandparents? Was this just an error in the Census? I was not able to find either set of grandparents in the 1861 Census. Census data is notorious for being inaccurate, so we should not jump to any conclusions based on this lack of information.
In November 1856, they lived in Stenhouse Mills, which is now part of Edinburgh, and William was a wagon driver. This is from the birth registration of William2, the Black Sheep.
About one year later, their second son Donald was born. We don’t know where they lived in 1858.
In November 1859, they lived at Toll Lane in Alva, which is near Stirling, and William was a general labourer. This is from the birth registration of Joseph.
In mid 1861, they were lodgers at 23 Corson Street in Glasgow, and William was a railway works labourer. This was found in the 1861 Census, and it only records William, Isabella, and Joseph. Were William and Donald living somewhere else, perhaps with grandparents? Was this just an error in the Census? I was not able to find either set of grandparents in the 1861 Census. Census data is notorious for being inaccurate, so we should not jump to any conclusions based on this lack of information.
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1861 Census of Scotland
In December 1861, they lived at 111 Wellington Street in Glasgow, and William
was a railway breaksman. This is from the birth registration of Thomas, who died
at the age of 2 weeks from bronchitis.
In March 1865, they lived at 262 Cumberland Street in Glasgow, and William was a railway stoker. This is from the birth registration of James.
In March 1867, they lived at 3 Upper Faulds Place in Glasgow, and William was a day labourer. This is from the birth registration of their first daughter, Mary Ann.
In December 1868, they lived at 60 Mathieson Street in Glasgow, and William was a carter. This is from the birth registration of Margaret.
In mid 1871 they still lived at 60 Mathieson Street in Glasgow. This was found in the 1871 Census, and William again recorded his occupation as carter.
In October 1871, they lived at 272 Cumberland Street in Glasgow, and William was a waste store engine keeper. This is from the birth registration of Isabella, their last child to be born in Scotland.
The occupation ‘waste store engine keeper’ fits very well with information we will see later. After William moved to Canada, he almost always gave his occupation as ‘stationary engineer’.
Sometime after 1871, the family decided to make an even bigger move – emigration from Glasgow to Toronto, Canada. On June 9, 1874, Isabella and her 5 youngest children boarded the S/S Waldensian in Glasgow and departed for Quebec City. Her husband William and her 2 oldest sons William2 and Donald were not with her. It is likely that they had emigrated a year or two earlier, to get established in Canada before sending for the rest of the family. This was a common practice at the time, but we do not have any records to say exactly what happened in the case of the Ross family.
In March 1865, they lived at 262 Cumberland Street in Glasgow, and William was a railway stoker. This is from the birth registration of James.
In March 1867, they lived at 3 Upper Faulds Place in Glasgow, and William was a day labourer. This is from the birth registration of their first daughter, Mary Ann.
In December 1868, they lived at 60 Mathieson Street in Glasgow, and William was a carter. This is from the birth registration of Margaret.
In mid 1871 they still lived at 60 Mathieson Street in Glasgow. This was found in the 1871 Census, and William again recorded his occupation as carter.
In October 1871, they lived at 272 Cumberland Street in Glasgow, and William was a waste store engine keeper. This is from the birth registration of Isabella, their last child to be born in Scotland.
The occupation ‘waste store engine keeper’ fits very well with information we will see later. After William moved to Canada, he almost always gave his occupation as ‘stationary engineer’.
Sometime after 1871, the family decided to make an even bigger move – emigration from Glasgow to Toronto, Canada. On June 9, 1874, Isabella and her 5 youngest children boarded the S/S Waldensian in Glasgow and departed for Quebec City. Her husband William and her 2 oldest sons William2 and Donald were not with her. It is likely that they had emigrated a year or two earlier, to get established in Canada before sending for the rest of the family. This was a common practice at the time, but we do not have any records to say exactly what happened in the case of the Ross family.
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ST. ANDREW / WALDENSIAN
‘The ST.ANDREW was built by Barclay & Curle, Glasgow in 1861 for the Allan Line.
She was a 1,432 gross ton ship, length 253ft x beam 33.9ft, clipper stem, one
funnel, three masts (rigged for sail), iron construction, single screw and a
speed of 10 knots. There was accommodation for 30-1st and 350-3rd class
passengers. Launched on 8th Aug.1861 as the ST.ANDREW, she started her maiden
voyage on 28th Sep.1861 when she left Glasgow for Quebec and Montreal. She
started her last sailing on this service on 23rd Oct.1872, and in 1873 was
rebuilt to 2,256 tons, lengthened to 322.5ft, re-engined and renamed
WALDENSIAN.’
“Mr. Buchanan, the Chief Immigration Agent at Quebec, reported in 1860:
Mr. Buchanan stated in his report of 1862 that the average length of passage by
steamers was 13¼ days from Liverpool, England and 18 days from Glasgow,
Scotland. By sailing vessel it was 36 days from Britain and 50 days from
European ports.
By 1863 about 45 percent of the emigrants were arriving in Canada by steamship. That number increased to 81 percent three years later and by 1870 was almost at 100 percent. The voyage was now taking about 17 days and the old sailing ship, with the independent master, was all but gone.”
When William and Isabella lived in Scotland, the area around Glasgow was in the midst of the industrial revolution. Anne King provided some background information:
‘A seam of ironband coal was found in the central belt of Scotland coinciding with the invention of steam power providing the basis of heavy industry. The agricultural based society gave way to the dictates of the Satanic mills and coal was king. The Irish potato famine and the Scottish Highland Clearances forced people from their traditional lands to find work either in America, Canada, Australia, or in this new environment. Glasgow grew from what could be described as a village to a great city in a very short time.’
These were times of great change and dislocation, driven by extreme economic need. The new arrivals in Glasgow from Ireland or the Scottish Highlands were almost all unskilled and illiterate. There was enormous competition for the jobs at the bottom of the economic ladder – a ‘race to the bottom’. This probably accounts for the fact that William and Isabella moved so often, and eventually decided to emigrate.
It cannot have been an easy decision for a family with 7 young children to move to Canada. There was no social safety net waiting for them when they arrived. In fact, Canada did not even record their arrival. The only immigration records at that time were the ship’s passenger lists, which were compiled at the port of departure and given to Canada at a later date.
More than any other country in Europe, there was a ‘culture of mobility’ in Scotland. This culture existed before, during, and after the Highland Clearances. Scottish people moved around a lot, both within Scotland and to other countries. We will see in the next chapters that the Ross family continued to move around a lot after they immigrated to Canada.
“Mr. Buchanan, the Chief Immigration Agent at Quebec, reported in 1860:
Mr. Allan states that his charge for adults is £7 7s. sterling. When we consider the shortness of the passage, the generous dietary, the unlimited supply of water, the protection afforded by the better description of these ships, from sickness, from ill-usage, and from the want of cooking accommodation, it is almost impossible to conceive how there can be any room for competition.
By 1863 about 45 percent of the emigrants were arriving in Canada by steamship. That number increased to 81 percent three years later and by 1870 was almost at 100 percent. The voyage was now taking about 17 days and the old sailing ship, with the independent master, was all but gone.”
When William and Isabella lived in Scotland, the area around Glasgow was in the midst of the industrial revolution. Anne King provided some background information:
‘A seam of ironband coal was found in the central belt of Scotland coinciding with the invention of steam power providing the basis of heavy industry. The agricultural based society gave way to the dictates of the Satanic mills and coal was king. The Irish potato famine and the Scottish Highland Clearances forced people from their traditional lands to find work either in America, Canada, Australia, or in this new environment. Glasgow grew from what could be described as a village to a great city in a very short time.’
These were times of great change and dislocation, driven by extreme economic need. The new arrivals in Glasgow from Ireland or the Scottish Highlands were almost all unskilled and illiterate. There was enormous competition for the jobs at the bottom of the economic ladder – a ‘race to the bottom’. This probably accounts for the fact that William and Isabella moved so often, and eventually decided to emigrate.
It cannot have been an easy decision for a family with 7 young children to move to Canada. There was no social safety net waiting for them when they arrived. In fact, Canada did not even record their arrival. The only immigration records at that time were the ship’s passenger lists, which were compiled at the port of departure and given to Canada at a later date.
More than any other country in Europe, there was a ‘culture of mobility’ in Scotland. This culture existed before, during, and after the Highland Clearances. Scottish people moved around a lot, both within Scotland and to other countries. We will see in the next chapters that the Ross family continued to move around a lot after they immigrated to Canada.
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Descendants of William Ross and Isabella Murray
(when they immigrated to Canada)