Andrew Paterson and family 1819 to1858

The story of Andrew Paterson of Inverness. 1819-1858.

Andrew Paterson lived a very short life, in fact he lived almost three years less (37 years) than the average life expectancy for a male in Scotland at that time. Andrew became a seaman, I would imagine because there were very few life choices for anyone in the Highlands of Scotland. Working out the dates and years for Andrew, if he, on his Mates certificate in January1845, and he was 25 years old this means he was born on 7^th September 1819 in Inverness.

On the 24^th of March 1851 Andrew obtained his Certificate of Service for his Masters qualification, at Hartlepool, Durham, England, when he was 32 years old. This meant he acquired his qualification by experience and not examination. Andrew was a very small man at barely over 5 feet tall (1.54 metres) he was fair complexioned with grey eyes.

Although the search for Andrew Paterson was difficult to begin with, there being a plethora of Andrew Paterson’s in Scotland, and particularly Inverness, it was made easier by the fact that the Paterson’s and most other Highlanders followed the Scottish naming pattern, in one form or another.

http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?561

It was also common to find two or more children within a family being given the same Christian name if the first holder of the name died during the mother's childbearing years. The practice of using the same name more than once is particularly evident where the child who died was named after a grandparent.

3. During the early - mid 19th Century it became more common for Scottish children to be given middle names. Often this was the maiden surname of the child's mother or grandmother although sometimes a child's second name used the surname of a close friend.

The way in which Scottish families named their children can be extremely helpful when trying to trace ancestors. The convention was as follows:

1st son named after paternal grandfather

2nd son named after maternal grandfather

1st daughter named after maternal grandmother

2nd daughter named after paternal grandmother.

In December 1840 Andrew Paterson married Helen Grant at Merkinch. They were both of the parish of Merkinch. Merkinch is traditionally a working class area of Inverness.

Helen Grant Paterson shortly before she died.

Helen Grant was the daughter of Thomas Grant and Helen Kemp, and she was born in or near the town of Cromarty in Ross and Cromarty on the day after Christmas in 1822. Thomas was a Hand Loom Weaver, after Helen was born in Cromarty the rest of the children in the family appear to have been born in Inverness. Thomas Grant was a member of the local “kirk” in Inverness and consequently a respected man in the community.

It is here I must mention the prevalence of a family tree which has a Roderick Paterson and Barbara MCrae as the parents of Andrew Paterson, seaman. This is definitely incorrect. The first clue is the fact that the names Roderick and Barbara do not occur in any of the subsequent families, this is quite revealing. The conclusive evidence is the fact that Roderick and Barbara Paterson were on the 1841 census living at (Grey) Friars Street, with their daughter Margaret, and in the 1851 census Roderick appears to have died and their son Andrew, a carter, the same as his father, was living there with Barbara, his mother, and his sister Margaret.   

The only clue to the parents of Andrew Paterson is the fact that Andrew and Helen followed the Scottish naming pattern, the fact that they named their first child Andrew (born 1841) tells any researcher immediately that his father’s name was Andrew and the second daughters name being Janet indicates quite clearly that his mother’s name was either Jane, Janet or Jean or Jessie, variations of the name Janet. The subsequent child and first daughter was Helen (born 1843) unfortunately Helen (named for her maternal grandmother) died in 1850, the daughter born in that same year was also named Helen because it was so important to have a daughter named for the maternal grandmother. 

The second son was of course named Thomas after his maternal grandfather. The two children following Helen Patersons birth in 1850, born in 1852 and 1854 died in childhood, they were named Hugh and James. In 1856 Archibald McLennan Paterson was born, it was at this time it became fashionable for middle names to be given to children. Usually it was the surname of someone they respected or someone in the family. In this case I believe it was the second wife of Andrew Paterson’s father, Catherine McLennan. Andrew Paterson senior, born around 1786, and Catherine McLennan married in 1839 at Merkinch. Andrew was a HLW (Hand Loom Weaver) the same as Thomas Grant, Helen Grants father.

The last child born to Helen Grant and Andrew Paterson was Mary Ann she died approximately six weeks after her birth, in May 1858, the death certificate states that she had “weakness” from birth. Is there a congenital heart defect in both the parents, which would explain the deaths of so many of the children? Janet must have died shortly after her father, Andrew, which could explain why no other child was named for Andrew Patersons mother. Of course another palpable cause for the early deaths of both parents and so many of the children could be syphilis, this was rampant in the 19^th century and particularly so in seamen. Cardiovascular syphilis would be the clear cause of death for both parents and congenital syphilis for the children. At this late date it is difficult to say, but it is very suggestive, when one considers the evidence, it is very similar to Martin Freeman’s family on Who Do You Think You Are?

In the end only four of the children survived to adulthood; Andrew Paterson born in 1841, Thomas, born in 1848, Helen, born in 1850 and Archibald McLennan born in 1856.

In the 1851 census for Scotland Helen Grant is living alone with the youngest child Helen (born 1850) the two boys, Andrew and Thomas, were living with their Grandparents Thomas and Helen Grant at 19 Madras Street, Inverness. This would indicate that Helen was not able to care for the others financially. By the time of the 1861 census, three years after Andrew’s death, the whole family are living with Thomas Grant and Helen Grant (Kemp) this census also shows that Thomas Grant was a church officer, Thomas must have been making sufficient money to feed and clothe all the children at that time, although I imagine it must have been a struggle to make ends meet.

By 1861 the eldest child, Andrew, is apprenticed as an ironmonger. It is fortunate indeed that Thomas Grant was such a responsible grandfather, and that he made himself accountable for their futures. It is significant that Helen Grant is listed as a pauper in the 1861 census, Helen was indeed at the mercy of fate, and without the support of her father and mother she could have ended her life in the Poorhouse. 

When Andrew Paterson died in the public house in Liverpool, Lancashire in 1858, his wife was not informed for several months. It is indeed difficult to see how she would have survived so long without any income, except through the love and with the aid of her parents.  It is impressive that all the sons managed to get apprenticeships and although scarcely adequate livings, compared to those in Australia, at least they were skilled rather than general labourers. Although being a skilled worker did not guarantee any sort of disposable income, certainly not in Scotland. 

When Andrews son Thomas died in Birkenhead, Cheshire (date not known) his wife and children ended up in the Workhouse and one of his daughters went to gaol. They had to live with the threat of poverty at all times, life offered no safety net or comfort for these people. Helen (born 1850) went to Birkenhead with her brothers Andrew and Thomas, there she met and married Angus McIntosh, later returning to Inverness. Andrew, after marrying Mary Redmond and the birth of his first two children, also returned to Inverness.

Archibald McLennan and his wife Mary Milne, visited his brother Thomas at Birkenhead, Cheshire, just prior to their departure for South Australia. Archibald and Mary made a success of their relocation to South Australia, Archie worked at the South Australian Railway Workshops for almost twenty five years then he bought himself a shop at Renmark.

It is indeed fortunate for this family that they had grandparents who were capable of helping them. However this story does point out the unfairness and inequity that predominated in Britain. No matter how hard people worked there was little to show for it and at any moment they could go from living from hand to mouth to starvation and death. Archibald managed to buy a home in Florence Streeet, Goodwood, land at Port Adelaide, a house at Hindmarsh, another house at Croydon and a shop in Renmark. 

He had a remarkable singing voice, he used to sing in the Old High Church in Inverness and his beautiful baritone allowed him to use it to help others in charity performances and give pleasure in many places in Adelaide including the Town Hall. It is said he was paid a florin a song (two shillings). He was respected by many people and was known for his kindness to others. If he had remained in Inverness, it would have been a much harsher existence and certainly more precarious financially.

The Old High Church Inverness

As for his poor father Andrew Paterson, his entire life was hazardous, even though he only worked in the coasting trade it was still very dangerous in the seas around Scotland, and when there were no jobs for him on the ships he had to find work ashore as a general labourer or at whatever he could get, hoping for a ship that would give him a better wage than labouring. Even so in the end when he died that morning in the pub he was reported in the newspaper as the master of the ship Industry yet he was buried in a pauper’s grave. Such a sad indictment on a society which did not even pay enough to afford a basic buriel.