Find Ancestors

For info on 580 Ontario, these were the occupants at that address in the 1921 census:

Jene Deachman Head
Martha Deachman

Margaret Unter Head
Mrs A Matheson Lodger

R J Tallon Head
Dora Tallon

i.e. 3 separate households

Neighbouring addresses were also multi-household, some with lodgers.


The 1931 census will be available in 2023!

:-S Don't know where to go now.

Well all my lovely friends I have news. I have found John McCreadie Kerr aka grandfather!!!! He was born in Glasgow in 1900 the only son and brother to 7 sisters. His father was a painter / decorator and John used to work with him. They always had guns for shooting pheasants etc (I bet you can sense something is coming) well one day John and his father were working and argued. John tried to shoot his father! He was banished to Canada. But at the time he was sent away he had a wife, who he married in1922. They had a son, John Alexander Kerr (year unknown). He must have been less than 3 years old when his father left. His son had 4 sons, so there are more Kerrs out there in Scotland.I found his passenger record leaving Glasgow and going to Montreal, Quebec on the Saturnia departing 18 September 1925. He died on fourth February 1946 and his spouse Blanch Gushue was the informant. It states he was married but I think that must have been his Scottish marriage. If they were married I guess she would have signed as Blanch Kerr? If I'm wrong please enlighten me. Anytime the family asked what happened John or where he went, they were told he got into bad company and not to ask! He was in British columbia, worked as a ships cook. This came about from the dna test my brother Les did on Heritage site. A match came through today of a lady, 1st cousin 3 times removed. So I rang her tonight and bingo!!

Congratulations, Sandra!

It was worth persevering!

Ah, the wonders of DNA matching, me being a big fan of it myself. :-)

Congratulations! There is nothing like a good ancestral tale of (ahem) erring-do.



(Could you please just remove the cousin's name from your last post? It isn't neessary information for us and it's a bit of an invasion of privacy, like putting living people in one's family tree.)

The marriage was in Blythswood RD

KERR
JOHN MCCREADIE
MILLAR
WILLIAMINA
1922
644/10 249
Blythswood

These are the birth Registrations of a John Alexander Kerr between 1922 and 1929
As they are under 100 years ago you will actually have to purchase the certificate unless anyone is going into the Records Office ?

There are many more if only registered as John.

KERR
JOHN ALEXANDER
M
1922
691/ 89
Lasswade

KERR
JOHN ALEXANDER
M
1924
644/15 1107
Hutchesontown

KERR
JOHN ALEXANDER
M
1926
572/1 23
Neilston

KERR
JOHN ALEXANDER
M
1926
044/2 5
Stoer

KERR
JOHN ALEXANDER
M
1927
644/3 1253
Calton (Glasgow)

Apologies if all posted before, haven't waded through 7 pages!

John McCreadie's birth - might give a clue to area for birth of son? There was a Williamina Miller birth listed as Williamina A WA Miller on SP site in Hutchesontown RD 1903 , so some of name probably missed as only certain number of characters show on index. there are other Williamina's elsewhere though.

KERR
JOHN MCCREADIE
M
1902
644/11 838
Hutchesontown

???

Blanche Gushue
in the Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
Name: Blanche Gushue
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Birth Year: abt 1900
Vessel: Sachem
Date of Arrival: 17 Apr 1919
Port of Arrival: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Port of Departure: Liverpool, England

Heading for Toronto.
Had not been in Canada before.
Single.


But there are records for other (?) Blanche Gushues in Newfoundland - one a married woman with several children, and one born c1901 in Newfoundland.

Also one (single) living in Chilliwack, Fraser Valley, BC, in 1935 - a saleswoman.
There's also a John Kerr (mechanic) and a Mrs John Kerr in Chilliwack in 1935 - but it 's a very common name, so probably doesn't mean anything.

Mias [Miss ] Blanch Gushue
in the Canada, Voters Lists, 1935-1980
Name: Mias [Miss ] Blanch Gushue
Occupation: Cw [saleswoman]
Year: 1935
Location: Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Electoral District: Fraser Valley

greyhost I think it must be either of the first 2 John Alexander's since John McCreadie was away to Canada in 1925. The John Kerr in Hutchestown is not the correct one. He was born in 1900,,i have his birth registration. I would love to be able to locate the sons of John Alexander. My cousin has no idea where they lived.

Argyllgran - I think you are spot on with the ship records for Blanche Gushue, its such an uncommon name. The saleswoman Blanch is bound to be her also, as John kerr (grandfather) died in British Columbia. Is there no John Kerr on the voters list in
1935?
Is there any way to tell by a passenger record, where someone was actually going to in Canada. It seems strange that John would be sent to Canada of all places, just by chance. Why not send him to England, Ireland, somewhere closer and cheaper, I imagine to send him too!

You ask if there's a John Kerr on the voters' list in 1935.
I've mentioned the one (who appears to be married) in Chilliwack - but he's an engineer. Do you mean somewhere else?
It's such a common name -there are loads of John Kerrs all over the place.

1935-46, I don't see one listed as a cook (other than a married John Maxwell Kerr in Vancouver in 1935).

Perhaps going to Canada was seen as a chance for a whole new life, with no risk of ever meeting his estranged family again? Maybe Canada was Johns own choice, once he'd been sent packing by his family.

Emigration to Canada was slowing down by the 1920's, and by the 1930's the Canadian authorities were sending people home again because of the Depression. But obviously some people did still emigrate there.

I don't see Blanche anywhere in the UK before that travel record, so maybe she is the one born in Newfoundland in 1901.

If so, I can't see a record of her having gone to the UK in the first place.

The 1919 record does say she hadn't been to Canada before, but possibly ( ??? ) that's because Newfoundland wasn't part of Canada until 1949 (per Wikipedia).

You asked about knowing where in Canada someone was going to.
Blanche was going to Toronto, as already posted.

The travel record you think is John's:

John Kerr
in the UK, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960
Name: John Kerr
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Birth Date: abt 1900
Departure Date: 18 Sep 1925
Port of Departure: Glasgow, Scotland
Destination Port: Quebec, Canada
Ship Name: Saturnia
Shipping line: Anchor Line
Official Number: 129489
Master: Wm E Titshall

Occupation: painter
UK address: 220 Thistle Street, Glasgow.

It doesn't say if he was going on to somewhere else from Quebec.


Looking at the Glasgow ER:S, there seem to have been Kerrs at various addresses in Thistle Street, Govan, from 1871 to 1915 per ER's
And until 1935 per Valuation Rolls - though I don't see any Kerrs at 220 Thistle Street in any year..

John's parents in 1901 ???

EDIT:
NO, IGNORE THIS -
SANDRA SAYS HIS FATHER'S NAME WAS COLIN

John McCready Kerr
in the 1901 Scotland Census
Name: John McCready Kerr
Age: 54
Estimated birth year: abt 1847
Relationship: Head
Spouse's name : Mary McLachlan Kerr
Gender: Male
Where born: Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Registration Number: 644/12
Registration district: Gorbals
Civil Parish: Glasgow Govan
County: Lanarkshire
Address: 263 Thistle St
Occupation: House Painter
ED: 27
Household schedule number: 5
LINE: 14
Roll: CSSCT1901_314
Household Members:
Name Age
John McCready Kerr 54
Mary McLachlan Kerr 54
William Kerr 16


John Kerr
in the 1891 Scotland Census
Name: John Kerr
Age: 45
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1846
Relationship: Head
Spouse's name : Mary McLacland Kerr
Gender: Male
Where born: Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Registration Number: 644/11
Registration district: Hutchesontown
Civil Parish: Glasgow Govan
County: Lanarkshire
Address: 346 Rutherglen Road
Occupation: House Painter
ED: 76
Household schedule number: 16
LINE: 14
Roll: CSSCT1891_288
Household Members:
Name Age
John Kerr 45
Mary McLacland Kerr 45
Jane Kerr 17
John Kerr 16
Margaret Kerr 14
Mary Kerr 9
William O Kerr 6


John Kerr
in the 1871 Scotland Census
Name: John Kerr
Age: 25
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1846
Relationship: Head
Spouse's name : Mary Kerr
Gender: Male
Where born: Glasgow, Lanark
Registration Number: 646/3
Registration district: Partick
Civil Parish: Govan
Town: Partick
County: Lanarkshire
Address: 7 Graham St
Occupation: House Pamlin
ED: 9
Household schedule number: 158
LINE: 3
Roll: CSSCT1871_144
Household Members:
Name Age
John Kerr 25
Mary Kerr 25
Angus Kerr 1

John McCreadie Kerrs father was Colin Kerr. He died in Scotland in 1937. Argyllgran, the ship record was in my cousins information she got from family. She also has a picture of the ship. With regards to the voters list, I meant was there a John McCreadie Kerr in British Columbia in 1935?

Several John Kerrs, Sandra, but none with middle name McCreadie.

Argyllgran,
Re your post of 20 Mar at 12.51 showing a 1901 census.
I suspect that they are the grandparents.
Colin was their son.

Can Sandra confirm the parent names of her grandfather, John McCready Kerr on the 1900 birth cert?

1881: 23 Govanhill Street, Hutchesontown
John Kerr 35 House & ship painter
Mary Kerr 35
Agnes Kerr 11
**Colin Kerr 9**
Jane Mc L Kerr 7
John Kerr 5
Margaret J Kerr 3
Donald Kerr

Can't locate Colin at 1891 but I guess that this is his marriage?
KERR
COLIN
NEILSON
MARY ELDER
1893
644/12 512
Gorbals

Wife's birth
Mary Elder Neilson
Gender: Female
Birth Date: 26 Dec 1866
Birthplace: HIGH CHURCH,GLASGOW,LANARK,SCOTLAND
Father's Name: James Elder Neilson
Mother's Name: Mary Johnston

1901: 671 Gallowgate
Colin Kerr 28 Painter
Mary E Kerr 27
Married approx 7 years and no children showing....

Colin and Mary are both found on the 1911 census index in Gorbals 644/17 66/ There is no one else called Kerr on this index?

If these are the parents of only son, John Kerr, and a further 7 daughters where are these children ?
I think Sandra needs to obtain the 1911 census to see how many children Mary had born and still living.

Argyllgran
They are the correct people. I don't know where all the other children were at the date of census. John was youngest of 8 children. There were 7 sisters.

Sandra,
you say that John was born in 1900 and was the youngest?
At 1901, his parents had been married for about 7 yrs
Is that 8 children in 7yrs?
No child appears on any census.
Do you have the 1911 census?
It will state exactly how many children Mary had at this time

Have you actually seen his birth cert?
This one was registered in 1902.
As a first son is usually named for his paternal grandfather, this could be a cousin?

KERR
JOHN MCCREADIE
M
1902
644/11 838
Hutchesontown

Have reinstated 1871 and 1891 for John McCreadie Kerr and Mary McLachlan in my earlier post. GL has posted 1881.

Possibly their marriage;

KERR
JOHN
MCLACHLAN
MARY
1868
644/3 163
Bridgeton