4th Great Grandfather
9th Generation
Born - 17 June 1791, Lanark
Died - 26th November 1856, Glasgow
John was born in Lanark on the 17th June 1791 to James Rae and Agnes McGhie he was one of 7 children – Agnes, Helen, John, James, Allen, Robert & Janet. Out of all his siblings I only found records of his sister Helen, who married a Blacksmith.
AS there were no census records in the 1700s the next record we have for John is his marriage certificate, he married Anne Parker on 1st September 1790 in Ayr. (Note that at the beginning of the extract the phrase “eodem die” is used, a latin phase which means the same day. ie they were married the same day as the couple above.)
Over the next 20 years John, a baker and his wife Ann had at least 8 children. They were named John (the father’s name), Ann (the mothers name), Agnes (the parental grandmother’s name), James (the parental grandfather’s name) then Robert, Jane, Thomas, William which most likely are other family members names. Many families followed this tradition of naming not only in Scotland but in other European countries too.
Baker’s have a long history in Glasgow, the first records indicate there were mills and bakers before the 1500’s. John lived in Gallowgate, an area of Glasgow that was destroyed in the great fire of Glasgow in 1652. The fire destroyed the mills. Mills where then built and built again in and on the same area until 1971 when milling ceased.
30 years had passed by the time the first census arrived in 1841 and by then John had lost his wife. He is 51 years old and still a baker by trade. He is living in Gallowgate Street, St John’s, Glasgow. He is living with his son John (a baker) , Robert (my ancestor), Jean, William Janet and Thomas.
John didn’t marry again, which was unusual back then and by the 1851 census he has his son William living with him. The census notes William as a pauper, his daughter Janet is only 14. As John’s wife died at least 10 years previous he brought his kids up on his won. John died only 5 years after this census.
John was aged 69 and died of Bronchitis, he was a master baker when he died. His death certificate states he is buried in the Southern Necropolis cemetery in Glasgow.
The Southern Necropolis is a cemetery in the Gorbals district of southern Glasgow, Scotland. It was opened in the year 1840 to provide an affordable and respectable place of burial for the people of Gorbals and the surrounding areas of the city of Glasgow. Over 250,000 individuals have been buried within the many lairs. It had only been open for 16 years when John died, his gravestone will be one of the oldest in it……one day I’ll go see it.
Wife – Ann Parker
Marie's Genealogy 