Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'

Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'
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Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Norman on November 30, 2022, 9:04:58

A friend noticed how board visitors helped find a lady called McPhail last week and wrote the following.

My maiden name is McPhail…my dad was John Donald McPhail (born 1901) I was just wondering..
Is there anyway to find out how many ‘McPhail’s there were in Hebburn at that time?

I checked my 1910 Rates List and there were no McPhails down for paying rates, BUT they could have been Lodging like my Granda did when he came down for work from Scotland.
Can any keen amateur genealogists help?

Now that’s a big puzzle

Posted by Allan Campbell on November 30, 2022, 10:13:11, in reply to "Can one of our genealogist help"

There are a lot of Mcphail’s on the 1911 C England and Wales

BUT there is Only One Family Macphail living in Pontypool Wales with a Donald aged 8. And a younger sister Katie. Was the John name dropped?

Not got the 1921c but may try the 1939 records but I have never tried a search on that with just a surname.

There was John born ? Ireland? There could be a miss translation of the surname. There are a few variations of that name on Ancestry website.

More info required but will try tonight with present info.

Allan C.

Will try another route tonighr

Posted by Allan Campbell on November 30, 2022, 10:17:32, in reply to "Now that’s a big puzzle"

There were a lot of that family name born in Scotland so maybe that’s where John was in 1911.

I would have tried it but it’s a BIG day for Scotlandspeople website today release of the 1921 C.

Allan C.

Re: Will try another route tonighr

Posted by Janice on November 30, 2022, 11:07:15, in reply to " Will try another route tonighr"

It's my family name we're looking for. My father, John Donald McPhail was born 1901 and lived on Tyneside all his life.

I know that lots of Scots came down to work here, like the Irish (my mother's side of the family)
Trying to find anyone on Scottish records is a nightmare - not everyone was registered and those who were the names were often misspelt.
You wouldn't believe how many ways you can spell McPhail

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Margaret McD on November 30, 2022, 13:51:54, in reply to "Can one of our genealogist help"

According to freebmd and the South Shields registrars Indexes, in the Dec Qtr of 1901 a John McPHIL (sic) was registered at Jarrow.

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Janice on November 30, 2022, 14:50:24, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

Margaret, he was born in October so that would tie in. Thanks.
Seeing the name McPhail on this board just made me wonder how many were actually living in the town (?) You see family names that crop up quite frequently and you recognise the name or know someone who carries the name.
With McPhail you don't hence me being curious.

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Lilian on December 3, 2022, 18:05:41, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

There was two brothers who went to the powerhouse youth club in the 1950s they lived in Hebburn their names were Jackie and Stanley McPhail if this is of any interest.Two nice lads.I recall.

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Malcolm on December 3, 2022, 21:50:03, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

Check of the FreeBMD:

John W McPhail born Dec 1930 (Jackie?)
Stanley McPhail born Dec 1933

Births registered in South Shields (which covered Hebburn) Same mother.... i.e brothers

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Janice on December 5, 2022, 19:09:19, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

Cheers Malcolm

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Janice on December 5, 2022, 19:04:19, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

Lilian - my two brothers

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Lilian on December 6, 2022, 12:13:03, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

Janice
Your two brothers went to the powerhouse same time as me
i well remember them being two nice respectful lads.I have many happy memories of the club.

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Janice on December 6, 2022, 14:29:33, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

Lilian - happy memories are the ones to visit often

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Jackie Williams on November 30, 2022, 15:10:18, in reply to "Can one of our genealogist help"

There's only one family that comes up in a 1921 search with a name variant spelling search (doesn't mean I've found everybody, transcription is poor).
It's been transcribed as McPheil. Address 35 Thistle Street, Hebburn
Ellen Head 43 Widowed
Archie Son 21
John Son 19 works Tharsis Copper Works
James Turner 14
Elizabeth Turner 26
If it's the family you want I can send a copy

Well done Jackie W.

Posted by Allan Campbell on November 30, 2022, 15:22:50, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

The spelling McPheil may be why I either missed it or had locked the name as McPhail. For the 1911 C.

Allan C.

The 1921 Census for Scotland, Scotlandspeople website

Posted by Allan Campbell on November 30, 2022, 15:45:40, in reply to "Well done Jackie W."

Just had a look for Ann’s mother, father and grandparents.

First the documents are similar to the 1911 but there may be one drawback.

When you print out the documents the writing is very faint.

Now it could be my printer and it may be better to save the
document to your computer and print the saved document off. If memory serves me right that’s the thing to do.

Ann’s parents hadn’t met until later and I was suprised to find her Dad elsewhere, but he worked for the railways so just posted away. This being the first time that I’ve found his trade. We did know that but just got it on paper.

It looks as if Ann’s Grandmother was away from home and maybe under another name ( not surprised at that, if so number 15 coming up) I know that she was at that time studying to be a midwife or working as a midwife so name “errors” creep in!

In the Grandmothers case I may call it quits as it took me 14 years researching to find her death. Woman of mystery!

Allan C.

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Janice on November 30, 2022, 22:10:49, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

Oh, yes please ! I'd love a copy.
Norman, can I ask you to forward my email address to Jackie Williams please?

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Malcolm on December 1, 2022, 10:24:39, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

Good Morning Janice. I hope I'm not "posting" anything inappropriate here, or stating the obvious, but have you been in contact with a gentleman from Hebburn Colliery named Tom Hood?

He has a Tree on Ancestry, specific to your Dad & family. Maybe he could fill in some gaps for you? Or have you already tried that line of investigation?

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Janice on December 1, 2022, 15:30:28, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

Yes, I'm in contact with him - he's my hubby.
I actually don't keep up to date with what he's found and not found Ancestry.
I saw the name on here and wondered how many McPhail people were living in Hebburn at the time my dad was born - hence me asking.
He follows names but I was interested in Hebburn town itself.

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Malcolm on December 1, 2022, 19:22:13, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

Hi Janice. So a direct answer to your question:"I saw the name on here and wondered how many McPhail people were living in Hebburn at the time my dad was born"
The answer is: NONE.

Archibald & Ellen (born 1878) & son Archie, aged 1, (Your Dads' parents & brother) were living in Jarrow. Moot point, I know.

Search of the 1901 Census shows NO McPhail surnames in Hebburn. And just the 3 above named, but in Jarrow.

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Janice on December 1, 2022, 20:38:28, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

Wow...now I didn't know that Malcolm ! Cheers

He never ever mentioned living in Jarrow..

It's a school day every day on the Hebburn site

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Malcolm on December 2, 2022, 12:47:34, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

Hi Janice.
"He never ever mentioned living in Jarrow.."

Perhaps he was unaware that he was a Jarrow-Lad! By the time he was 9 years old (on the 1911 Census) he was already living in Hebburn.

If the family moved when he was very young (2 or 3 year old?) he would probably have no memory of Jarrow.

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Janice on December 5, 2022, 19:13:11, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

You're probably spot on with that Malcolm. My dad and I didn't go in for deep and meaningful conversations...
I doubt his childhood was nothing to have fond memories of. There wasn't much money around in those dark days.

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Malcolm on December 5, 2022, 22:42:27, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

Hey Janice, "My dad and I didn't go in for deep and meaningful conversations..."
I was the same with my Dad, until (back in 1985) I decided to ask him about his past, to start my Family Research....and the flood gates opened!! I was astonished, to say the least

But your comment:"I doubt his childhood was nothing to have fond memories of. There wasn't much money around in those dark days."

I, for one, KNOW that money doesn't make memories. Hearing regulars talking about happy memories in Hebburn, from playing marbles along the gutter, to sneaking across railway lines, or riding on coal trucks, etc NONE of them involved money at all. As you said, there wasn't much around.

But there's an old saying "What you never had, you never miss"

Re: Can one of our genealogist help

Posted by Janice on December 6, 2022, 7:41:05, in reply to "Re: Can one of our genealogist help"

I, for one, KNOW that money doesn't make memories.
True

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