Ardrossan Dock Workers

[Del 80]

Hello, Does anyone know if there are records of dock workers at Ardrossan from the early 1900s, I am trying to establish if a chap called Samuel Clarke worked on the docks, I am begining to wonder if he actually came over from Ireland at all, his family are in Ardrossan in 1901, but he does'nt appear to be with them, on a couple of his childrens birth and marriage certs. he is given as either a general labourer, or a dock labourer, any help appreciated, Regards Del.

[Penny Tray]

Del,

Here's a longshot for you.

Patrick O'Connor, in his book DOWN THE BATH ROCKS, describes how his large Irish immigrant family survived with like neighbours in the bottom end of Ardrossan in the 1920s. In one passage he says, "Nobody goes to school on Saturdays and the shipyard men only work till twelve o'clock, and even the Belfast Boat men who work all the time get away early and the dockers at the iron ore and Mister McAteer who works on the Co-opeative coal in the railway yard and Sam Clark the patrolman in the Shell-Mex and anybody else, they all finish when the horns blow at twelve o'clock.

The Shell-Mex, of course, existed adjacent to the oil tanker berth at the harbour.

[Meg]

Times like this I wish my dad was still around - he would have for known who Sam Clark was - he worked in Shell Mex
over 30 years - but I am sure there will be someone who knows this patrolman - they worked in the office where everyone clocked in - so everyone knew the patrolmen.

Meg

[Del 80]

Thanks for the replies, I wonder if this is THE Samuel Clarke, here's what I know, Samuel was born in Ireland in 1865, he married Susannah McDowell at Kilmegan Co. Down in 1896, by 1901 she and 2 children are in Ardrossan with her mother and brother, but no sign of Samuel. In 1912 Susannah re-marries and is given as a widow, between 1901 and 1910 she had 2 daughters by fathers unknown,she states on their birth certificates that she has neither seen, nor heard of Samuel since they lived together, and that he was NOT the father of the 2 girls,I reckon that he either did'nt come over from Ireland with them, or that for some reason he abandoned them and went to live elsewhere. I cannot find him on the 1901 or 1911 census in Scotland or Ireland, and cannot find his death. I have been looking for him for a long time, Regards Del.

[sweet caroline]

This the Family
1901
Name: Samuel A Clarke
Age: 3
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1898
Relationship: Grandson
Gender: Male
Where born: Ireland
Registration Number: 576/2
Registration district: New Ardrossan
Civil parish: Ardrossan
Town: Ardrossan
County: Ayrshire
Address: 9 Harbour Lane
ED: 6
Household schedule number: 105
Line: 6
Roll: CSSCT1901_215
Household Members: Name Age
Anne McDowall 64
Joseph McDowall 30
Susanna Clarke 24
John Cummings 27
Richard Cummings 21
Samuel A Clarke 3
Hugh Joseph Clarke 1

Have we been here before?

[sweet caroline]

Could this be a relation
Samuel CLARKE . Greyabbey husband of Agnes McDowell; father of James b. 18 Jun 1866 & William b. 18 Aug 1868 & Robert b. 19 Nov 1870 & Jane Brain Clarke b. 15 Apr 1873

Sweet Caroline

[sweet caroline]

Name: Susannah M'Dowell
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1896
Registration district: Downpatrick
Volume: 1
Page: 745 (click to see others on page)
FHL Film Number: 101258

Name: Samuel Clarke
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1896
Registration district: Downpatrick
Volume: 1
Page: 745 (click to see others on page)
FHL Film Number: 101258

Marriage will give his Fathers name and occupation,Have you got this ,and do you know name of Fathers

Sweet Caroline

[sweet caroline]

No death here on Ancestry ?
All Ireland, Civil Registration Deaths Index, 1864-1958 results for Samuel Clarke

[Del 80]

Sweet Caroline, Yes that is the family, we have been down this road before, but still looking, Samuel's father was I believe named Bernard Clarke, and I think his mother was Sarah Allan [Samuel's first son was Samuel Allan Clarke], Susannah's father was Hugh McDowell, and her mother was Anne Smith, all came from Co. Down, Anne McDowell died in Scotland in 1918. Not sure about other family, but I have heard Greyabbey mentioned before. Regards Del.

[sweet caroline]

Hi Del 80, I think if there are no more children ,Samuel likely died in Ireland and Susannah came home.There is no poor relief claimed if he died in Ardrossan.Susannah must have known he was dead to remarry,especial in home town where gossip would spread LOL

Sweet Caroline

Edit-Bernard CLARKE . Down regd. Downpatrick; husband of Sarah Allan; father of male child b. 22 Jun 1865

[Del 80]

Hi, Sweet Caroline, Susannah was born in Ireland as well, so why they came over the water remains a mystery,I'm told a lot of Irish came over at that time for the work, so maybe that was it, on one of the certs. I have, Samuel is given as a dock labourer [deceased] but of course he could have done that in Ireland . Regards Del.

[sweet caroline]

Hi Del 80 ,So her mother was not over in Ardrossan before her.Must be someone already here , who told them it was better over here.

Sweet Caroline