The Cassidy’s – From Ireland to Scotland

Click Here For An Index To This Page

The Cassidy Family at the 1851 Census

1851 Census Back Land, Pit Street, Upper Ward, Eaglesham, Renfrewshire

As noted in the main Neil family narrative, I first found the Cassidy’s living at Back Land, Pit Street, Eaglesham in Renfrewshire.

John and Bridget Cassidy were recorded as “lodgers” because John was not the head of the household; the family lived in the household of John Muirhead, a shoemaker and labourer. John Muirhead lived with his wife, Katrine and their tree children. It is reasonable, of course, to think that John and Bridget were husband and wife since both are said to be married and they are the same age. It is also clear that they have three children, Sarah aged 10, Ann aged 8 and John aged 6. All are said to have been born in Ireland.

We know from a later census that John and Bridget Cassidy had another child born before Sarah and named Patrick. He was born circa 1838 in Ireland. Perhaps we can assume, then, that John and Bridget may have married circa 1838 or before in Ireland. By 1851 they were living in Eaglesham, Renfrewshire and, since their youngest listed child at the 1851 census was born in Ireland in 1845, they most likely made the move from Ireland to Scotland between 1845 – 1851. This was, of course, the period of the Irish Potato Famine. The National Library of Scotland has a Map of Eaglesham ca 1856. Eaglesham is 8 miles south of Glasgow.

The Cassidy Family at the 1861 Census

1861 Census 54 Main Street, Gorbals, Glasgow.

I found the Cassidy’s again at the 1861 Census. I had been looking for a John and Sarah Neil but, in fact, what I found was that the newly wed couple were living with Sarah’s parents at 54 Main Street, Gorbals, Glasgow.

(There are some Thomas Annan photographs of Main Street in “Photographs of the Old Closes and Streets of Glasgow 1868/1877 with a supplement of 15 related views” published by Dover Publications Inc 1977. ISBN 0-486-23442-8″ Plates 39,40, 43.) and Glasgow University has an interesting web page about the photographs in this book and Thomas Annan in general.

At this census, John Cassidy and his wife Bridget still have their children, Ann (now 18 and a Cotton Factory Worker) and John (now 16 and a Labourer at Iron Works) living with them but they also have two additional children listed, Patrick (aged 22 an unmarried labourer born in Ireland) and James (9 , born just after the previous Census in 1851). James is the first Cassidy to be born in Scotland. It would seem that a migration date for the family of between 1845 and 1851 is probable. Also living in the household is their daughter, Sarah (now 20), here recorded as the wife of John McNeil (aged 24 and an Iron Moulder). Despite John and Sarah being listed as McNeils they are clearly our couple. In addition to the Cassidy family and John and Sarah McNeil there are seven other lodgers making fifteen residents in all.

The Cassidy Family at the 1871 Census

1871 Census 11 Kirk Street, Gorbals, Glasgow.

John Cassidy died between the 1861 and 1871 Censuses leaving the Cassidy household with Bridget Cassidy as the head of household.

Bridget is recorded as a 50 year-old Fish Dealer. In the household is the eldest son Patrick (30 and a Carter), John (24 and a Carter) and James (19 and a “Labourer, Store”.) There is a visitor in the household, Rosy Murray a 40 year old woman born in Ireland. The Cassidy’s lived in two rooms.

Bridget’s daughter, Sarah, had married John Neil in 1860 (and at this time was living at 151 Main Street, Gorbals with John and their family of two girls and a boy – plus a boarder. Her daughter, Ann, had married Hugh Henderson in 1880 (and at this time was living at 82 Main Street, Gorbals with her husband Hugh and their one daughter and three sons).

The Cassidy Family at the 1881 Census

Polnoon Street, Eaglesham, Renfrewshire

By the time of the 1881 Census Bridget Cassidy is living at Polnoon Street, Eaglesham, Renfrewshire (she was living in Eaglesham at the 1851 Census) and she lives with her son, Patrick, who is now aged 36, is still unmarried and is now a mason’s labourer. Bridget, herself is a sixty year old housekeeper and head of the household. The next household to hers shows that her son, John, now married (27 and a mason’s labourer) lives there with his wife, Ann (26), son, John (6) and daughter, Mary (4).

Bridget Cassidy at the 1891 Census

4 Surrey Street, Govan, Glasgow,

By the next Census, in 1891, Bridget is living back in Glasgow with her daughter Sarah, whose own husband, John Neil, had died two years previously in 1889. Sarah is a widow, aged 50 and a washerwoman. In her household are her children Thomas (18), Charles (15) and Mary (12). Sarah also has her mother Bridget (Biddie) Cassidy (70) her brother, Patrick (52 an unmarried carter) and her granddaughter, Sarah Henderson (10). Sarah isn’t actually her grand-daughter but her sister, Anne’s, illegitimate child so her niece. Ann’s husband, Hugh Henderson, had died 13 Jul 1880 and Sarah was born 29 Mar 1881.

Death of Bridget Cassidy 25 Dec 1891

29 Salisbury Street, Glasgow

Bridget Brannan died, aged 71, at 6h 15m am on 25 December 1891 at 29 Salisbury Street, Gorbals, Glasgow. Widow of John Cassidy, farm labourer. at 29 Salisbury Street, Glasgow. She was the daughter of Patrick Brannan Farm Labourer (Deceased) and Annie Brannan MS McAdam (Deceased). Her cause of death was Bronchitis 1 month. Certified by David M Sith MB CM. The informant was her son Patrick Cassidy who signed with his x mark. The death was registered 26 December 1891 at Glasgow.

Burial of Sarah Cassidy

Bridget Cassidy aged 71 buried 27 Dec 1891 St Peter’s Cemetery, Dalbeath. [cause of death] Debility 10/6d

A Note on Bridget’s Age

Bridget was said to be 36 at the 1851 Census, 47 at the 1861 Census, 50 at the 1871 Census, 60 at the 1881 Census, 70 at the 1891 Census, and 71 at her death in 1891. This gives an approximate range of birth dates between 1814 – 1821

Children of John Cassidy and Bridget Brannan

Patrick Cassidy born c 1838 in Ireland

I have not tried to trace the births of John Cassidy and Bridget Brannon or their first four children who were all born in Ireland, so my knowledge of Patrick (b 1838), Sarah (b 1841), Ann (b 1842) and John (b ca 1844) first comes from the census returns.

1861 Census

Whereas Sarah (10), Ann (8) and John (6) are all living with their parents at Back Land, Pit Street, Eaglesham, Renfrewshire at the 1851 Census, Patrick was not listed with them. I have been unable to locate him at that census but he does appear with the family at the 1861 Census when he is said to be an unmarried 22 year-old labourer. They are living at 54 Main Street, Gorbals, Glasgow. His father is a 47 year old labourer and also in the household are his sister Ann, an 18 year old Cotton Factory Worker and his brothers, John (16 Labourer in Iron Works) and James (9). Also living in the household but as lodgers is his sister Sarah (20) and her husband, John McNeil (sic) a 24 year old Iron Moulder. There are seven other lodgers.

1871 Census

His father, John Cassidy, died between the two census returns of 1861 – 1871, so when we find him again, his mother Bridget Cassidy, now a widow, is the head of the household. She is a 50 year-old fish dealer. Patrick is now a 30 year-old carter and still unmarried as he was to remain for the rest of his life. His brothers, John (24 carter) and James (19 Labourer Store) are also in the household but his sister Sarah (now aged 30) , and her husband John Neil had moved to their own home at 151 Main Street, Gorbals where they lived with their three children. patrick’s other sister, Ann (now aged 26), had married Hugh Henderson in 1865 and they now lived at 82 Main Street Gorbals with their four children.

1881 Census

By the 1881 Census, his mother (now aged 60 and a housekeeper) is the head of the household in Polnoon Street, Eaglesham, Renfrewshire and he is the only child living with her. He is now 36 and a mason’s labourer. So is his brother, John, who lives next door. He is 27 years-old and he and his wife Anne (they married in 1873) have two children, John (6 and a scholar) and Mary (4).

1891 Census

Patrick’s brother -in-law, John Neil had died in 1889, leaving his wife, Sarah, as a 50 year-old widow as head of household. She is a washerwoman and only has her three youngest children still living with her, Thomas an 18 year-old labourer, Charles a 15 year old coal carrier and Mary a 12 year-old scholar. this leaves room for her mother, Bridget, (here called Biddie and now a 70 year-old) and her brother, Patrick, a 52 year-old carter. The last person in the household is Sarah Henderson, the illegitimate daughter of Sarah’s sister Ann, whose husband died 11 July 1880. Sarah was born 29 Mar 1881. Biddie Cassidy died later that year on 25 December 1891. Patrick was the informant on the death registration.

I looked for Patrick in the 1901 Census but I couldn’t find an obvious fit. I did find his death, though, in 1909.

Death of Patrick Cassidy

12 June 1909 at 162 Mathieson Street, Glasgow

Sarah Cassidy born c 1841 in Ireland

I have not tried to trace the births of John Cassidy and Bridget Brannon or their first four children who were all born in Ireland, so my knowledge of Patrick (b 1838), Sarah (b 1841), Ann (b 1842) and John (b ca 1844) first comes from the census returns.

1851 Census

At the 1851 Census, John and Bridget Cassidy are living as lodgers in the household of John Muirhead, shoemaker and labourer and his wife. They live at Back Land, Pit Street, Eaglesham, Renfrewshire. The Muirheads have two sons and a daughter living with them and the Cassidy’s have Sarah (10), Ann (8) and John (6); all of them were born in Ireland. Their eldest known child, Patrick, isn’t in the household and I do not know where he lives at this time.

1861 Census

By the time of the 1861 Census Sarah has married, but she, and her husband, John Neil, are still living with Sarah’s parents at 54 Main Street, Gorbals, Glasgow. John (47, labourer) and Bridget Cassidy’s eldest child (as far as I know) is back in the household after being absent at the 1851 Census. Patrick is said to be an unmarried 22 year-old labourer. Sarah’s sister, Ann (18, cotton factory worker) is in the household as are her younger brothers, John (16, labourer in iron works) and James (12, carter’s boy). Including other lodgers there are fifteen people in total in the household.

Sarah’s story is part of the main narrative of the Neil family and is best followed there.

Ann Cassidy born c 1842 in Ireland

I have not tried to trace the births of John Cassidy and Bridget Brannon or their first four children who were all born in Ireland, so my knowledge of Patrick (b 1838), Sarah (b 1841), Ann (b 1842) and John (b ca 1844) first comes from the census returns.

1851 & 1861 Censuses

Anne is present with the Cassidy family at Back Land, Pit Street, Eaglesham, Renfrewshire in 1851 (she is 8) and at 54 Main Street, Gorbals in 1861 (she is 18 and a cotton factory worker) but by 1865 she had married

Marriage of Ann Cassidy and Hugh Henderson 26 Oct 1865

I also have a copy of the parish register that recorded this marriage which records the marriage two days before the date of the civil registration.

Children of Hugh Henderson and Ann Cassidy

Hugh Henderson born 9 Jan 1869

I also found Hugh at the 1871 Census  when the family were living at 82 Main Street, Gorbals, Glasgow. He is aged 2 years.

James Henderson born 13 May 1870

Ann Henderson born 19 Mar 1872

I only have the civil registration index entry for Ann. The day and month of her birth are from an Ancestry tree and would need to be checked.

Mary Henderson born 5 Jan 1874

I only have the civil registration index entry for Ann. The day and month of her birth are from an Ancestry tree and would need to be checked.

Death of Hugh Henderson

I know of no other children to Hugh Henderson and Ann Cassidy. He died in 1880.

Pthisis is pulmonary tuberculosis and this is reflected in his burial registration which took place just 2 days after his death.

Birth of Sarah Henderson 29 Mar 1881

Ann Henderson or Cassidy had one last child but this was nine months after the death of Hugh Henderson and this is recorded in the birth registration where she is called Sarah Cassidy or Henderson.

5 Days after the birth of Sarah the 1881 Census was taken.

Name	Rel	Stat	Age	est YOB	Occupation	Birth place
Ann Henderson	Head	Widow	36	1845	Weaver	Ireland
James Cassidy	Brother	Unmarried	26	1855	Brick labourer	Eaglesham, Renfrewshire
John Henderson	Son	Unmarried	14	1867	Message boy	Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Margaret Henderson	Daughter	Unmarried	16	1865	Grounder printer field	Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Sarah Henderson	Daughter	Unmarried	0	1881	–	Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Ann Jane Clerk	Boarder	Unmarried	45	1836	Weaver	Glasgow, Lanarkshire

1881 Census England, Wales & Scotland: 125, Kidston Street, Govan, Hutchesontown, Lanarkshire, Scotland (Find My Past , Record ID: GBC/1881/0028465863)

Sarah Henderson is found at the 1891 census living at 4 Surrey Street as granddaughter of Sarah Neil (Ann Cassidy’s sister) She is ten years old and a scholar. As well as her own children Sarah Neil also has in her household her mother, Bridget (Biddy) Cassidy, widow aged 70 and her brother, Pat Cassidy, unmarried aged 52 and a Carter. I have not found out any more about Ann Henderson or Cassidy.

John Cassidy b c 1844 in Ireland

1851 Census

Back Land, Pit Street, Eaglesham, Renfrewshire

John is the last of the Cassidy children to be born in Ireland. We start to see him at the 1851 Census when John and Bridget Cassidy are lodgers in the household of John Muirhead, shoemaker and labourer. They live at Back Land, Pit Street, Eaglesham, Renfrewshire. John is the youngest child in the household where his siblings are Sarah (10) and Ann (8).

1861 Census

54 Main Street, Gorbals, Glasgow

By 1861 the family have their own household and John is now a 16 year-old labourer in an iron works. His eldest brother Patrick (22 and a labourer) is back in the family after being absent from the household at the previous census). His sister, Sarah is now married to John Neil (here called McNeill) and living with her parents. Ann is also living there (18, a cotton factory worker) and there is a new son since the previous census, James, (9 and born Eaglesham, Renfrewshire). The rest of the fifteen member household is made up of a variety of lodgers, some of whom are related to each other.

1871 Census 

11 Kirk Street, Gorbals, Glasgow.

The Cassidy household has changed by the time of the next census; with John Cassidy having died, his mother is the head of household, a 50 year-old Fish Dealer. In the household is the eldest son Patrick (30, a carter) and the youngest son, James (19, Labourer, Store). John is a 24 year-old carter. His sister, Sarah, had married John Neil in 1860 and his other sister, Ann, had married Hugh Henderson in 1880 and these have their own households and families now.

13 Dec 1873 Marriage of John Cassidy and Anne Mageehan

1881 Census

Polnoon Street, Eaglesham, Renfrewshire

As mentioned above, at the 1881 Census for Polnoon Street, Eaglesham, Renfrewshire, John’s mother, Bridget Cassidy, is living with her son, Patrick who is aged 36 and is still unmarried. John and his family live in the next household. He is a 27 year old mason’s labourer and he lives with his wife, Ann (26), son, John (6) and daughter, Mary (4).

1891 Census

Main Street, Mearns, Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire

1901 Census

Watson’s Land, Mearns, Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire

I had a look at the 1921 Census but I could not find a likely candidate. I could not find death registrations for either John or Ann(ie)

Children of John Cassidy and Anne Mageehan

I found the following children in the indexes to births on Scotland’s People.

Name	Mothers MS	Gender	Year	RD Name	Ref
John Cassidy	McGechan	M	1875	Eaglesham	561 / 12
Mary Cassidy	McGechan	F	1877	Mearns	571 / 34
Patrick Cassidy	McGrehan	M	1880	Eaglesham	561 / 12
Jane Cassidy	McGeehan	F	1881	Eaglesham	561 / 19
James Cassidy	McGechan	M	1883	Eaglesham	561 / 1
Thomas Cassidy	McGachan	M	1884	Eaglesham	561 / 27
William Cassidy	McGeehann	M	1887	Eaglesham	561 / 8
Joseph Cassidy	McGeehan	M	1888	Eaglesham	561 / 23

Anne’s maiden name undergoes a number of changes from entry to entry.

John Cassidy born 1875 Eaglesham, Renfrewshire

John seems to have been the first child of John and Mary. John Sr is a Mason’s labourer. John Jr is aged 6 and a scholar at the 1881 Census when the family are living at Polnoon Street, Eaglesham, Renfrewshire. He has a younger sister, Mary, aged 4. At the 1891 Census, when the family are living at Main Street, Mearns, Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire, John is aged 18 and is a bleachfield worker as is his sister Mary, now aged 14. There are three new additions to the family, Jane (9), James (7) and Thomas (5) all of these siblings are scholars. By the 1901 Census when the family is living at Watson’s Land, Mearns, Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire, John is no longer present. I have not found a marriage for him, nor death.

Mary Cassidy born 1877 Mearns, Renfrewshire

Mary is the second child of John and Mary and she is 4 years-old at the 1881 Census when the family are living at Polnoon Street, Eaglesham, Renfrewshire. She has an older brother, John, aged 6 who is a scholar. At the 1891 Census, when the family are living at Main Street, Mearns, Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire, Mary is aged 14 and is a bleachfield worker as is her older brother John who is now 18. There are three new additions to the family, Jane (9), James (7) and Thomas (5) all of these siblings are scholars. At the 1901 Census when the family is living at Watson’s Land, Mearns, Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire, she is an unmarried bleachfield worker aged 24. Her younger siblings Jane (19) and James (17) are also bleachfield workers and her youngest sibling, Thomas, is a 15 year-old printfield works messenger.

Patrick Cassidy born 1880 Eaglesham, Renfrewshire

Patrick is never seen in the censuses and it seems that he probably died. I found a death registration for a Patrick Cassidy who died aged 0 in Eaglesham in 1880

Jane Cassidy born 1881 Eaglesham, Renfrewshire

Jane Cassidy first appears at the 1891 Census when the family are living at Main Street, Mearns, Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire, She is a 9 year-old scholar and has two older siblings living in the household and two younger ones. Her older brother, John is a 16 year old bleachfield worker and her older sister, Mary, is aged 14 and is also a bleachfield worker James (7) and Thomas (5) are tee two younger siblings and are also scholars. At the 1901 Census when the family is living at Watson’s Land, Mearns, Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire, she too has become a bleachfield worker as us her older sister, Mary. Jane is 19 and Mary is 24 and unmarried. Her younger siblings are James (17) also bleachfield workers and her youngest sibling, Thomas, is a 15 year-old printfield works messenger. Her father is now a Quarryman (Whinstone) aged 45.

James Cassidy born 1883 Eaglesham, Renfrewshire

James Cassidy first appears at the 1891 Census when the family are living at Main Street, Mearns, Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire, He is a 7 year-old scholar and has three older siblings living in the household and one younger. His older sisters are Jane (9 a scholar) and Mary (14 a bleachfield worker) His older brother is John (16 and also a bleachfield worker). He has a younger brother, Thomas who is 5 years old and a scholar. At the 1901 Census when the family is living at Watson’s Land, Mearns, Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire, his older brother is not present so he is the oldest son in the family at 17. He and his older sisters, Jane (19) and Mary (24) are both unmarried bleachfield workers. His younger brother, Thomas, is a now a 15 year-old printfield works messenger.

Thomas Cassidy born 1884 Eaglesham, Renfrewshire

Thomas Cassidy first appears at the 1891 Census when the family are living at Main Street, Mearns, Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire, He is a 5 year-old scholar and has four older siblings living in the household. His eldest brother, John is a 16 year old bleachfield worker as is his older sister, Mary (14). His other siblings are Jane (9) and James (7) both of whom are scholars. At the 1901 Census when the family is living at Watson’s Land, Mearns, Newton Mearns, Renfrewshire, Thomas is now a 15 year-old printfield works messenger. His older siblings, James (17), Jane (19) and Mary (24) are all bleachfield workers.

William Cassidy born 1887 Eaglesham, Renfrewshire

William Cassidy does not appear in any of the censuses and I gather this is becasue he died at or shortly after birth. I found a death registration for a William Cassidy aged 0, died 1887 in Eaglesham

Joseph Cassidy born 1888 Eaglesham, Renfrewshire

Joseph Cassidy does not appear in any of the censuses and I gather this is becasue he died at or shortly after birth. I found a death registration for a Joseph Cassidy aged 0, died 1889 in Eaglesham

I had a look at the 1921 Census to see if I could find this family again but I could not find a likely candidate. I could not find death registrations for either John or Ann(ie) so that sums up my research into this family at the present.

James Cassidy born 28 Dec 1851 Eaglesham, Renfrewshire

James Cassidy was the first child of John Cassidy and Bridget Brannan to be born in Scotland; all the other children were born in Ireland. He was born 28 Dec 1851 and was baptised 7 Jan 1852 at St Mary Immaculate, Glasgow.

We find him at the 1861 Census aged 9, the youngest child in the family.

1861 Census

54 Main Street, Gorbals, Glasgow.

By 1861 the Cassidy’s have their own household and James is 9 years old. His father is a 47 year-old labourer. Apart from his father and mother, Bridget (47) There is his eldest brother, Patrick, a 22 year old labourer, is back in the family after being absent from the household at the previous census). His sister, Sarah is now married to John Neil (here called McNeill) and living with her parents. Ann is also living there (18, a cotton factory worker). His brother, John, ia a 16 year old labourer in an iron works. The rest of the fifteen member household is made up of a variety of lodgers, some of whom are related to each other.

1871 Census

11 Kirk Street, Gorbals, Glasgow.

The Cassidy household has changed by the time of the next census; with John Cassidy having died, his mother is the head of household, a 50 year-old Fish Dealer. In the household is the eldest son Patrick (30, a carter) and also John, now a 24 year-ols unmarried carter. James is now 19 and a “Labourer, Store”. His sister, Sarah, had married John Neil in 1860 ands they had a household of their own at 151 Main Street, Glasgow. His other sister, Ann, had married Hugh Henderson in 1880 and they had their own household at 82 Main Street, Glasgow.

1881 Census

125 Kidson Steet, Glasgow.

By the time of the 1881 Census, James’s mother was living at Polnoon Street, Eaglesham with her oldest son, Patrick. In the household next to them was James’ brother, John and his family. As for James, he was to be found with his sister Anne Cassidy who had married Hugh Henderson. He had died in 1880 so Anne had become a widow and the head of her household. She was 36 years old and a weaver with three children and a boarder living with her as well as James who is now a 26 year old, unmarried Brick Labourer.

This is as far as I have gone with James. There are trees online that suggest that there was a Mary Cassidy born 12 Aug 1854 and Catharine Cassidy born 16 Nov 1860 with parents called John Cassidy and Bridget Brannan but I am convinced this is another family. Lisa Cooper’s online tree at Ancestry suggests that they do belong to this family but I am sceptical.

Summary of the Cassidy’s

I stopped researching the Cassidy family at the 1911 Census when it became too difficult to trace all the individuals involved. After the death of John Cassidy (before 1871) the family changed quite a bit as marriages saw children leave the family home. With time, though Biddy Cassidy and Patrick came to live with Sarah Cassidy after the death of her husband, John Neil. Bridget Cassidy died in 1891, her brother Patrick in 1909. I do not know what happened to Ann after 1881. I could not find a death for her nor a remarriage. I stopped following John and his family at the 1901 Census and James I lost at 1881 though it is possible that Ann and James could be living in the same household like they did at the 1881 census. Resturning to Sarah, she is the central figure in our narrative and this branch of my researches had just been to get some background into the Cassidy family picture.