Matthew Coubrough ^1,2

  General Notes:

Possible marriage date of March 31, 1831

Matthew married Jean Allan on 4 Mar 1831 in Thornliebank, Eastwood, Renfrew, Scotland. (Jean Allan was born about 1810 in Thornliebank, Eastwood, Renfrew, Scotland and died before 29 Dec 1865 in Thornliebank, Eastwood, Renfrew, Scotland.)

  Marriage Notes:

July 19, 2000:
According to the 1841 census return for the County of Lanark, Parish of Rutherglen (part of), Burgh Royal and Parliamentary of Rutherglen, enumeration district 2, Page 11, line 8:

Place Name Male Female Profession Born in County
North Side Mathew Coubrough M30 Cal Prin No
Burnhill James do M10 No
Robert do M8 No
Jane do F30 No
Jane do F5 No
Ann do F1 No
William Allan M25 Cal Prin No

The description of the enumeration district was: From James Stevens property Causewayhead along up the Shawfield Road to Burnhill to Minzie's House including that House. Note that Mathew's age is out by about 6 years due to the way the 1841 census recorded people's ages. The ages of the children are probably right because the exact age was to be given for children under 15 (the age of consent in Scotland at the time?), but Jean may have been as much as 35 or 36 also. William Allan was probably Jean's younger brother.

December 6, 2000:
According to the 1851 Neilston parish census (District 14, Barrhead, Grahamston village, pg. 48/9):
Household # 187, Paisley Road
Matthew Coubrough Head Mar[ried] Male 46 Calico Printer born Renfrewshire, Thornliebank
Jane do Wife Mar Female 40 born do do
Robert do son U Male 18 Color Mixer in Printfield born do do
Jane do daur U Female 15 Power Loom Weaver born do Neilston
Ann Coubrough daur U Female 12 Tearer born Lanarkshire Rutherglen
Malcolm do twin-son Male 6 born Renfrewshire Neilston
William do twin-son Male 6 born do do
Margaret do daur Female 2 born do do
Alexander McNab Lodger Male 34 born do do

Note: There was a check mark beside Ann's name in the column marked "Whether Blind, or Deaf-and-Dumb." Since she seems to have had a job, it seems more likely that she would have been deaf than blind. Also, she may have been big for her age as she seems to have been employed before she was 12 years old: The census gave her age as 12, but other records indicate that she was born April 19, 1840 which would have made her still only 10 by the date the census was supposed to record (March 31, 1851), though she would have had her 11th birthday before the actual count was done on April 20th.

Children were supposed to go to school until they were at least 12, but Annie was obviously at work before that. Her father was a calico printer, and thus responsible for finding-and paying-his own assistant, who was known as a "tearer." Possibly Annie worked for her father in this capacity, a financial advantage in that he needed a helper, but saved the cost of hiring one.