GOLDIE, John ^{2 3}

   Other names for John were DRUMGOUN, John ¹ and DRUMGOWN, John.⁴

  General Notes:

The 1871 census for Glasgow recorded John Goldie as head of a household living at 29 High Street with his wife Mary, their son John and a boarder named John McMahon, probably his brother in law. McMahon was 40 years old and had been born in County Fermanagh in Ireland. He was an iron worker. John himself was a labourer to a bricklayer. He was recorded as born in County Monaghan Ireland, though other sources record him as born in County Cavan. He was 34 years old. His wife Mary was Fermanagh-born and aged 35 years. She was a dealer. John junior was 3 years of age and had been born in Glasgow.

"John Goldie" applied for poor law relief on 13 March 1888. He resided at 21 Watson Street. His place of birth was Hill, County Cavan, Ireland. He was a labourer, aged 46 years, a Roman Catholic and married. He was wholly disabled on account of an aneurism. His parents were recorded as James Goldie, a labourer, and Ann Curtis, both of whom were dead. ^{4 5}

  Research Notes:

DRUMGOUN or GOLDIE

In the poor law relief application made by John Goldie, and subsequently dealing with a further application in 1895 by Mary Mcmahon Flanigan Goldie, in Glasgow in 1888, a paragraph written by the inspector towards the end of the application explains the use of an alternative name:
"...Searched Marriage Registers for Calton District found John Drumgown & Mary McMahon (widowed as Flanagan) married 16/10/67 by Father Carlin - see extract. Pauper can give no explanation other than that when husband came to Scotland he worked for an Englishman who could not pronounce Drumgown correct & he just called him Goldie which he used thereafter"

Note: by "Englishman" Mary Goldie, herself born in County Fermanagh Ireland, could well have meant "a person who only spoke English" ie a non-Irish Gaelic speaker. John Goldie was a native of County Cavan. In 1835 the number of Irish speakers, it has been estimated, was four million. It has also been estimated that there was a drop in population in Cavan and Fermanagh between 1841 and 1851, the famine years of 27-28%, among the highest in Ireland - see http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/ire1841.htm ^{1 6}

John married Mary McMAHON, daughter of Patrick McMAHON and Bridget FLANIGAN, on 18 October 1867 in St Alphonsus RC Chapel, Calton, Glasgow, Scotland.¹ (Mary McMAHON was born between 1828 and 1837 in County Fermanagh, Ireland ^{4 7} and died 8 November 1898 at 6.50 am in City Poorhouse, Glasgow, Scotland ².). The cause of her death was cardiac valvular disease.

  Marriage Notes:

The marriage of Mary McMachan and John Drumgoun in 1867 was solemnised according to the rites and forms of the Roman Catholic Church by J. Carlin in St Alphonsus Chapel Glasgow. The witnesses were John Mcmachan and Bridget Finnigan, both of whom made their X mark.

John Drumgoun made his X mark. He was a bachelor aged 27 years and worked as a mason's labourer. His address was noted as 88 ^1/2 London Street. His father was deceased.

Mary McMachan, who also made her X mark, was a clothes dealer and her age was recorded as 30 years. She was a widow of the same addres as the groom. Both of her parents were deceased.

The marriage was registered on 18 October 1867 at Glasgow.


John Goldie's poor law relief application of 1888 stated that he and his wife Mary McMahon were married 23 or 24 years earlier in St Alphonsus RC Chapel by Father Carlton. ^{1 4}