McCORMICK, Hugh ¹

   Cause of his death was drowning.

  General Notes:

The 1851 census recorded Hugh McCormick, living with his in-laws. His age was recorded then as 34 years old, whereas he himself in 1855 said his age was 30 years. Using other records to help calculate an average where conflicting ages are recorded gives a birth year for Hugh of 1824.

Hugh was the informant of his mother's death in 1855. He was the eldest child. His age was noted as 30 years.

In the birth certificate of his son, Thomas, in 1857, in that of his daughter, Jane, in 1858, and in that of Elizabeth in 1861, Hugh was recorded as being a 'Harbour Labourer'.

1861 Census:
Hugh McCormick was recorded as head of a household living at 12 Wellington Lane, Hutchesontown, in the parish of Govan, Glasgow. With Hugh lived his wife Susan McCormick, their two sons Charles, aged 14 years, and John, aged 11 years, and their three daughters Catherine, aged 6 years, Jane aged 2 years, and Elizabeth aged 5 days. Hugh and Susan were both Irish born. He was 37 years old and she was 34 years old. Hugh worked as a harbour labourer. All of their children had been born in Glasgow. Charles was an apprentice to a tobacconist and John was a message boy to a tobacconist. Their living quarters had only one windowed room.

In the 1867 marriage certificate of his son, Charles, Hugh McCormick was recorded as a 'Kay labourer' .

Hugh died in 1868. His death certificate recorded him as a harbour labourer and widower of Susan Harris. It records that his 'Body (was) found floating in Glasgow harbour (South Side) at Clydebank Ferry'. His usual residence was 32 Rose Street Hutchesontown. His age recorded at death was 45 years. His parents were both deceased.

Hugh McCormick was a quay labourer, according to the marriage certificate of his son John in 1873. Hugh was deceased by then. The same occupation was assigned to him when his son John died in 1908. In 1902 he was recorded as a dock labourer in the death certificate of his son, Charles. ^{1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9}

  Research Notes:

ROSE STREET HUTCHESONTOWN

This street is now named Florence Street.

WELLINGTON LANE (SOUTH) HUTCHESONTOWN

This lane became Lawmoor Lane, then later ceased to exist.

ELDEST CHILDREN

Although Charles, John and Catherine McCormick are recorded in the census from 1861 on as having been born in Glasgow, no supporting record or birth or baptism has been found as yet. The 1851 census does record the two older children, Charles and John, living with their parents in the home of their Harris grandparents. Catherine was not yet born then. A Catherine McCormick was a witness to the marriage of John McCormick and Ellen Hanigan in 1873, so that was possibly her.

In Elizabeth McCormick's birth certificate of 1861, the informant, Elizabeth Anderson, her aunt, provided a marriage date and place for Susan and Hugh of '13 March 1853 in Glasgow'. No record of that has been found. The date itself was after the time of birth of at least Charles and John. Various scenarios can be conjured up to account for this gap, but no evidence for any of them has been forthcoming. ¹⁰

  Medical Notes:

No other cause for, or detail about, Hugh's death is noted on his death certificate, except that his body was recovered from the water only after two months had passed. There was no certification of the causes of death by any medical personnel.

The death itself was notified to the registrar by two people. First, Constable no. 76 Marine Division Hugh McMillan, who was the finder of the body. Secondly, John McCormick, son of the deceased man, who lived at 32 Rose Street Hutchesontown, who gave notice of his father's death on 2 March 1868 before the registrar at Glasgow. ³

Hugh married Susan HARRIS, daughter of Edward HARRIS and Mary CAMPBELL. (Susan HARRIS was born about 1827 in Ireland ² and died 16 May 1861 at 6.30 am in 12 Wellington Lane, Glasgow, Scotland ¹¹.). The cause of her death was consumption over 5 years accelerated by child birth.

  Marriage Notes:

Elizabeth Anderson, Elizabeth's aunt, who had been present where the child's birth occurred, gave notice of Elizabeth McCormick's birth before the registrar at Glasgow on 18 May 1861, and made her X mark. She also gave information about the marriage of Elizabeth's parents as 13 March 1853 Glasgow, though this has not been confirmed by other means.

The 1851 recorded Hugh, Susan, Charles and John living as a family unit with Susan's parents. This suggests that wherever and whenever the marriage took place before that, the couple did marry. The informant Elizabeth Anderson appears to have been somewhat inaccurate in reporting Susan's age at death. It is possible she was asked for the date and place of the couple's marriage when she was reporting a birth, she gave a date off the top of her head to satisfy the registrar. ⁷