Q & A
Our team of experts offers tips and inspiration EDITED BY CLAIRE VAUGHAN
Have I got the right Devlin family?
Q John Devlin was born in 1857 to Francis Devlin and Sarah McAvoy, whose surnames are recorded under various spellings in different records. Both were from Ireland. I have found the death record of a Francis Devlin in a police station in Glasgow in 1884 aged 47 years, with the witness on the death certificate being his son, John Devlin, of 24 Hospital Street. The record notes that John senior was the widower of Sarah McAvoy, and the only possible record of death I can find for her is in 1879, where she is stated to be 60 years old.
I have only been able to find these Devlins in the 1861 census – have I got the right family?
Linda Kirkwood
A In 1881 Francis is found as a widower at 24 Hospital Street, Gorbals, Glasgow, a labourer aged 66, placing his birth year in about 1815, close to that of the 1819 suggested for his wife, Sarah, in her death record. With him were his daughters, Ellen (aged 29) and Annie (16), and five-month-old grandson James Young. Ellen’s age may be erroneous; a Helen Devlin was born on 21 January 1863 to Francis and Sarah at 109 Bridgegate, Glasgow, her parents having married in Roscommon, Ireland, in 1848.
Although Francis’ age is given as 47 in his death record, the accompanying Register of Corrected Entries states he was 48, showing an inconsistency even here, but with son John from 24 Hospital Street listed as the informant, found there again in October 1884, this would appear to be the correct candidate. For the census, Francis was the informant to the enumerator, whereas this was not the case at his death; John may simply not have known his father’s true age.
A further source that may help tie everything together is the Poor Law records. These are held at Glasgow City Archives (glasgowlife.org.uk/libraries/city-archives), and can provide useful details about applicants. There are five entries for a Francis Devlin prior to 1884, with two worth looking into: a Francis Devlin from Ireland applying in 1877, and born in 1822 (D-HEW 10/1/56, page 239), and another for Francis Devlin from Tyrone, applying in 1878 and stated to have been born in 1808 (D-HEW 10/5/57, page 144). Potential applications for his children should also be explored, while police records held at the archive may also be worth checking.
Chris Paton
