HARKIN, John ^{2 3 4}

   Other names for John were HARKENS, John ¹ and HARKINS, John.^{2 7}

  General Notes:

In 1840, at St Margaret's Airdrie, a 'John Harkin' was one of the sponsors of Agnes Harkin, lawful daughter of Peter Harkin and Jane Malloy.

The 1851 census for Bothwell parish Lanarkshire recorded John Harkins as head of a household living in Foundry Road in the Omoa Foundry. With him lived his wife Jane and their four children, Jane , Francis John and Mary, aged between 8 years and 1 year, and a nephew Francis Harkins, aged 21 years, a coal miner born in Ireland. John himself, who worked as an engine keeper, was the only other member of the household to be born in Ireland. He was recorded as aged 32 years.

The death certificate of his son, Patrick, recorded that John Harkins was an engine keeper in 1855. John notified the registrar of the death of his baby son and made his X mark.

In 1869 John Harkin was recorded as an engine keeper in the marriage certificate of his son, Francis.

The 1871 census for Crofthead, Whitburn in West Lothian recorded John and Jane Harkin, their four children, a nephew and a lodger, living at Greenburn. John was aged 56 years and had been born in Ireland. He was a labourer. His children were aged between 2 years and 22 years. His nephew was James McFadyen, an ironstone miner, aged 24 years, unmarried, and born in Airdrie. The lodger was John Brown, an unmarried man of 50 years of age, who was a labourer and had been born in England. These eight individuals lived together in a dwelling with one windowed room. ^{2 5 6 7 8}

  Research Notes:

GREENBURN, CROFTHEAD, WHITBURN PARISH

The Shotts Company owned and worked Green Burn Pits at Crofthead in Whitburn parish, Linlithgowshire (now West Lothian) for Iron and Coal. They also had underground workings at Shotts parish, Lanarkshire.

FAMILY

John Harkin may be related to Margaret Harken, married to James McGunnigal.

John married Jane McKILLOP, daughter of Duncan McKILLOP and Jean MOFFAT, in March 1842 in New Monkland, Lanarkshire, Scotland.¹ (Jane McKILLOP was born in 1825 in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland ^{5 6} and died 4 February 1873 at 10.05 am in Greenburn, Whitburn, West Lothan, Scotland ⁹.). The cause of her death was palsy over months.