Keay family in Perth

Here is a story of a fairly large family which has seemed to (almost!) disappear. You'll see what I mean.

First of all of course I asked Great-Uncle Dave to tell me all that he could remember. He was only an infant when his father David was killed (1918), so what he knew for sure about his father's family seemed a little sketchy. It seems the boys were encouraged not to ask about their father too much after he had died in the war. "All rather Edwardian, I'm afraid", as he said. It is very understandable when you remember that their mother remarried.

Uncle Dave mentioned a gravestone at Wellshill burial ground Perth (lair # 847). I got some very helpful information about the Wellshill cemetery from Perth Council. When we next travelled to Perthshire, Aunty Iso & I found the gravestone and made the following notes about the family from the headstone. I had hoped that there may have been details of John's parents, but still - what was there was interesting.

The headstone (pictured above) reads:

In Loving Memory of John Keay
who died 13th March 1905, aged 55
and Mary Innes his wife
who died 8th October 1923 aged 71
also their family
James drowned in the Tay at Perth
15th August 18?? aged 20 years
{damaged stone surface}
William L/C (6th) Black Watch
killed in action on the Somme
30th July 1916 aged 25 years
John Pte 6th Black Watch
died of wounds France
9th February 1918 aged 36 years
David Pte Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
killed in action in France
1st September 1918 aged 31 years
and two children who died in infancy.

There was also a gravestone next to it for the family of Will'm Barclay Keay, perhaps I'll tell you about that another time.


Here we see a photo of the War Memorial, Comrie. David Keay is remembered there. His brothers, William & John are remembered at the National War Memorial (Roll of Honour), and at the Thiepval and Tincourt memorials in France (see this posting).






Uncle Davey remembered being told about young James Keay, and how he had drowned after an accident on the River Tay when training for a boat race. He thought the helmsman went the wrong way going under a bridge. {You'll find out more from a newer post here.}
Davey also remembered 3 sisters who all emigrated after WWI; Margaret (to USA, where she married), Isobel and Anne (to Canada). A post on these ladies can be found here.
Nothing is known as yet about the infants who died - but if we look through the dates of birth of Mary Keay's surviving children, we can see there is a suitable gap between 1875 and 1880.


Tardis Time - National Census, Perth
{More details on the National Census here, and you can see a Google Maps feature that I'm trying out here.}

The 1901 Census for Perth shows us the Keay family (John & Mary as under the gravestone at the top of this post)
living in St Andrews parish, at 13 Union Lane, Perth.

Head John Keay, a Jobbing Dyer, aged 52, born Perth
Wife Mary Innes Keay, aged 47, born Lanarkshire, Garthhamock (could be the Garthamlock estate, Glasgow?)

and their children, all born in Perth;
John 19, Dyers Labourer {so born ~ 1882}
Isabella 17, Tailoress {born ~ 1884}
David 14, Message Boy {born~1886}
William 12

That all fits fairly well with the Perth gravestone inscription. The headstone has a damaged area in a crucial place; telling us in which year James Keay died. If it was in fact 1895 then Mary would have been around 24 when James was born. That fits as James would have been aged around 20 at his drowning.
There were also daughters we know – Margt, Isabella and Annie. Perhaps Margt and Annie were moved out already/ working in service, or were not born yet? I've not yet found them elsewhere in 1901.
{See later post here, giving details on what has been found on the sisters.}

The parents: from the gravestone, we know John Keay died in 1905 aged 55 {puts his birth year at 1850}, and Mary Innes Keay died in 1923 aged 71 {puts her birth year at 1852, the census have her at 1854}.

The PO Directory for Perth (1905-6) tells us Mrs John Keay lived at 31, Cross St., and worked as a Laundress.

National Census, 1891
The census for 1891 gives us more details of the children, they are all accounted for here:
At 8, Cross St., Perth
John Keay (Dyer, born Perth)
Mary Keay
Ann (17, born Irvine Ayrshire; Ironer)
James (15, born Abbotshall, Fifeshire; Dyers Apprentice)
Margaret (13, born Abbotshall, Fifeshire)
John (9), Isabella (7), David (4)
William (2) - all the other bairns were born in Perth.

In the 1881 Census, John & Mary Keay were living on the High St., Perth.


Registry of Marriages
I have now seen the marriage certificate for John Keay & Mary Innes, 2nd May, 1873 in the Anderston district of Glasgow. We know that Mary was born there, so that seemed likely to be them. They were aged 24 and 21, and they are described as a Journeyman Dyer and Clothes Presser, respectively. They are both listed as living at Milncroft, {Shellstone/Shettleston?}.
John's parents are named as Margaret Keay (nee Caw) and James Keay (Cloth Manufacturer).
Mary's parents are named as Ann Innes (nee Innes, I think) and Maurice Innes (Coal Miner, deceased)

Knowing Mary's maiden name means we can look up Mary as a lass in the 1871 Census for Lanarkshire. There were several Mary Innes' working away from home in the 1871 Census, but I have finally found this lass who seems to fit the bill, as her oldest brother is named for her late father, as well as working as a miner. Roughazie is now known as Ruchazie, part of Easterhouse.
(1871) At Shettlestone (in the Hamlet Of Roughazie), a widow named Ann Innes (an Irish woman of age 50, a field worker). Also a son Morris (16, a coal miner), Andrew (11) and her daughter Mary (born ~1852, a Bleacher).
{Not yet found any suitable records on IGI for Mary's birth, or parent's marriage. Also not found the family in the 1861 Census, but there are some possibilities for Ann Innes in later years.}


Glasgow Dyeworks

If our Mary was working as a Bleacher, she could well have met John Keay who was a Dyer working in Shettlestone in 1873. Certainly, there were dyeworks at Rutherglen at the time, also the Barrowfield dyeworks, and there's the Dalmarnock Dyeworks at Davidson St., north of the Clyde. The Anderston district had a great number of cotton mills around 1850.
This 1869 book about Scottish Industries has a chapter on dyeworks which has a huge amount of detail on the processes (as does this pdf about the dyeworks at Barrowfields; linked here). It's interesting to note that the discovery of Mauveine by W.H. Perkins (in association with Pullars of Perth) occured in 1856 while John Keay was a young lad.

The Perth Archives have posted some images from their archives on a Flickr page - here's a Gorrie dying machine, (or here) and another dated 1927. Also come in an octagonal shape, dated 1927.


Birth Records for the children of John & Mary Keay
On IGI (I searched using Origins for details prior to 1875) we see:-

• Ann Keay was born in Shettleston, Lanarkshire, in 22/6/1873 {Mothers often spend their first confinement in the home of their Mother}.
• James, and Margaret born in Kirkcaldy/ Abbotshall.
  
• I have the Birth certificate for David Keay, 8th September 1886 (35 Kinnoull Causeway, Perth).
• Also John, Isabella, and William born in Perth.
  

Death Certificate for John Keay, 1905
Susan very kindly passed me the details on John Keay's death certificate;

John Keay; March 1905.
13 Union Lane, Perth.
Died of gastritis, which had been chronic & became acute. He was aged only 56. The death certificate also helpfully gives the names of his parents (both deceased). James Keay {manufacturer} and Margaret Keay, nee Caw.

Thanks very much, Susan.

The death cert of Mary Keay confirms that she died on the 8th of October, 1923. Her daughter Margaret Dick was with her at the the time in Dalginross, Comrie. She is described as dying of "...Cerebral Softening", bless her.

You'll find more details on the older generations in a later post {here}.


So in Summary
My Grt Grt Grandad was John Keay who married the Glaswegian Mary Innes in 1873. John is known to have lived at 35 Kinnoull Causeway (near the Railway Station), Perth. He died at 13, Union Lane, Perth in 1905. They are buried at Wellshill burial ground, Perth. They had four sons; James Keay (b. 1875, who was drowned in the Tay, 1895), John (b. 1882, died 1918 Black Watch), my Grt-Grandad David (b. 1886, died 1918 Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers) and William (b. 1888, d. 1916 Lance Corporal in Black Watch). Also 3 sisters who all emigrated; Margaret (to USA where she married), Isabella and Anne (both to Canada). The gravestone told us that there were also two who died in infancy.

So a clean sweep…

How many of these young folk had children of their own? Well, we know David had three boys before he was killed in the war... but I've no records of any children for James, John, or William. So far as we know, none of the girls had a family of their own. Do let me know if you know otherwise!!

Many thanks for your interest.


Here are some sites you may find interesting if you want to look further (If links fail, please let me know):
Perthshire heritage
Interesting books on Perth; Mysterious Perthshire, Perthshire Walks,
Tay family Family History Soc
Perthshire & Kinross Council: includes Perth burial records 1794-1855.
Scotlands People.gov.uk
The origins network - Scottish records, free (up to 1875).
Old Maps to see online, and to purchase
Maps to purchase - 'Caledonian Maps' - this company run by a McKerracher cousin!
Commonwealth Wargraves Commission
Passenger Lists - folk emigrating from UK


A question for you:
If you would like something to come to an end, what would it be?? (Please don't say this blog!!)