Elizabeth Chrystal Neil was my great-aunt. I wanted to analyse Elizabeth’s and her husband, John’s, family because of the number of children they had – fourteen that I found. I wondered what that felt like; how long was it between births; how many children were alive at any one time, what was the infant mortality…
The Problem The question of the original name of the family arises principally because of the use of several variations in the name in the early years of our study. In researching the Neils (unlike the Ramsays), it soon becomes apparent that the surname, Neil, is very fluid. People can be referred to as Neill,…
I came across a tree online that featured an Ann O’Neil as a child born to John O’Neil and Sarah Cassidy (one that I had not known of before but that fitted well in a space between known births for this couple) I tried looking for this Ann Neil or O’Neil on Scotland’s People and…
The Problem After having a massive brick wall with my ancestors Thomas Neil and Agnes Feran, I decided to ask James Oakes of the GWSFHS Research Team if he could give me some suggested lines of research.
Research into Thomas Neil. Quarrier Who Died of Cholera 7th February 1854
The Textile Trade In Scotland in General Before the American War of Independence, the tobacco trade had been a major source of wealth in Scotland (contributing largely to Glasgow’s growth). Subsequently the Americans could sell freely anywhere, resulting in a substantial decrease in Scotland’s trade. This resulted in investment being diverted into cotton, and this…
I had found Agnes Feren and her sons, Charles and John living in Muirhead Street, Gorbals, Glasgow in the 1841 Census. Her husband, Thomas Neill, was not living with them and Agnes is listed under her maiden name. The children are McNeils not Neills. Since Agnes, Thomas and Charles have been such a brick wall…
I tried asking Chat GPT some questions about the life of a weaver in Glasgow in the 1820s and in particular, the housing conditions and industrial development and inventions in the weaving industry in Glasgow at that time and going forward. It came up with some very good copy. I went ont to ask about demography and immigration in Glasgow 1820-1840. Again it did very well and provided excellent skeletons on which to add some flesh for the family history web site.