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JAMES SINCLAIR (1826-1891),
SCOTTISH-AMERICAN COAL MINER
By William John Shepherd, Crofton, MD, USA
JAMES SINCLAIR was the eldest son of coal
miner and former weaver JAMES SINCLAIR (1805-1874) and JANET BENNIE
(1802-1865). He was born 1 March 1826 and christened 19 March 1826 in the
Parish of Denny, Stirlingshire, Scotland. His siblings were ANDREW (b.
1827), ALEXANDER (b. 1829), WILLIAM (b. 1831), JOHN (b. 1834), JEAN (b.
1837), CHRISTINA (b. 1840), DAVID (b. 1842), and ROBERT (b. 1844). His
parents were married 7 November 1823 in the BENNIE'S home Parish of Denny.
JANET'S father ANDREW BENNIE was both a farmer and a cattle dealer. The
SINCLAIR's home parish was Kilsyth, also in Stirlingshire, where the
family had been weavers for generations. By the time of the 1841 census,
JAMES, JANET and family were living at Carlingcroft Square, Parish of Old
Monkland, Lanarkshire, Scotland, where JAMES was employed as a coal miner
or collier as the Scots would say. Fifteen year old son JAMES is not
listed as working which is strange as boys his age and much younger were
generally employed by that age. On 3 May 1846 young JAMES, now a coal
miner like his father, married MARY PATERSON, daughter of blacksmith
GEORGE PATERSON (1796-1881) and RACHEL IMRIE (1801-1889) of the village of
Gartsherrie, now part of Coatbridge, Parish of Old Monkland, Lanarkshire,
Scotland.
The first child, also named JAMES, was born
about 1846-1847. Additional children were GEORGE (my great great
grandfather) born 1 April 1848 and Alexander born about 1850. In the
1851 census, the family was living at Herriot Row, Gartsherrie,
Lanarkshire, Scotland. By 1854 when son WILLIAM was born, the family had
moved to the Parish of Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Several more
children followed: RACHEL IMRIE born 18 November 1856, ROBERT born 6
February 1859, and ANDREW born 21 January 1861. The 1861 census shows the
family living near to JAMES and JANET SINCLAIR on the Parish Road in
Newarthill, Parish of Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Sons JAMES, age 14,
and GEORGE, age 12 are listed as coal miners like their father and
grandfather. By 1863 the family was living in the nearby village of Carfin.
Son JOHN was born 22 January 1863 but died 21 months later of Chlorosis on
17 November 1864. JAMES lost his mother JANET BENNIE SINCLAIR the
following year, she died of Inflammation of the Chest at Carfin on 1
November 1865. Another child, born 10 February 1865, was also named JOHN.
The last two children were JANET born 18 September 1866 and MARY born 1
July 1868.
In 1870, JAMES moved his family from
Scotland to America although the two eldest sons, JAMES and GEORGE appear
to have remained home in Scotland. JAMES, MARY, and the other eight
children sailed from Glasgow on the Steam Ship AUSTRALIA, in steerage,
under Master John Hedderwick and arrived at Castle Garden, Port of New
York, on 16 June 1870. All arrived safely and they shortly settled in the
small coal mining town of Arnot in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, where James
could continue his occupation. Wife MARY died sometime after this and
before 1875 when JAMES married again, to ELIZABETH HUNTER, on 16 May 1875
at Mansfield, near Arnot, in Tioga County, PA. They would eventually have
4 children: DAVID born 4 August 1876, HELEN born about 1877, THOMAS born
about 1878 and an unnamed daughter born 30 June 1880. JAMES applied to the
Tioga County Court for naturalization as a US citizen on 27 August 1877
and was sworn at a US citizen on 28 August 1879. The 1880 Federal
census shows the family living at Arnot, Bloss Township, Tioga County, PA.
Mary Paterson's children JOHN and CHRISTINA were living at home as were
the children of Elizabeth Hunter, in addition to her mother Margaret
Hunter. Daughter RACHEL had married 13 October 1874 to JAMES BLAIR and son
ANDREW on 29 November 1878 to ANN HUTCHINSON. Son ROBERT appears to have
been married by this time as well, to a woman named MARGARET. At present
there is no additional information regarding sons ALEXANDER and WILLIAM or
daughter MARY.
Nothing more is known about the eldest son
JAMES back in Scotland but son GEORGE was married 18 June 1872 in the
Parish of Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland, to SARAH LYONS, daughter of
coal miner ROBERT LYONS and SARAH MACREADY. George brought his family to
America, via New York, in 1881, and settled in Arnot to work like his
father in the coal mines there. The coal there was rapidly being
exhausted so GEORGE and family moved near Houtzdale, Clearfield County, PA
in 1890. JAMES died at the age of 65 in Arnot on 21 October 1891, exactly
two weeks after his fourteen year old son DAVID, and both were buried in
Arbon Cemetery, Blossburg, Tioga County, PA. His widow survived for
some years and did not remarry. She died 23 September 1912 and was buried
alongside her husband and son.
SOURCES:
Clearfield County Court House
Clearfield County Historical Society
LDS Family History Library
International Genealogical Index (IGI)
Old Parochial Registers (OPR)
Scottish Church Records on CD Rom
National Archives:
Census Records
Passenger and Immigration Lists, New York
Scottish Record Office via Scottish Family Search
Census Records
Civil Registration: Births, Marriages, Deaths
Parish Registers
Thanks to William
J. Shepherd for sending this in |
