Family of Michael Teevan and Catherine McGraw

Husband:	Michael Teevan (1852-1920)
Wife:	Catherine McGraw (1854-1900)
Children:	Margaret Teevan (1883- )
Marriage	10 Aug 1882	St Mary's RC Chapel, Glasgow

Husband: Michael Teevan

Name:	Michael Teevan
Sex:	Male
Father:	Thomas Teevan (1811-1872)
Mother:	Mary Keown (1825-aft1911)
Birth	Mar 1852	Fermanagh, Ireland
Occupation		coal miner
Education		Could write.
Religion		RC
Death	4 Mar 1920 (age 67-68)	St Joseph's Home, Glasgow

Additional Information

Death

Cause: cystitis

Wife: Catherine McGraw

Name:	Catherine McGraw
Sex:	Female
Father:	Alexander McGraw (1820?-bef1882)
Mother:	Margaret McHugh (1820?-bef1882)
Birth	1854	Broadway, New York
Occupation		power loom weaver
Death	1900 (age 45-46)	Paterson, New Jersey
Religion		RC
Education		Could not write.

Child 1: Margaret Teevan

Name:	Margaret Teevan
Sex:	Female
Birth	3 Mar 1883	21 Gray St, Shettleston, Lanarkshire
Occupation		nurse
Emigration	1894 (age 10-11)	to USA

Note on Husband: Michael Teevan

In 1871, Michael was still living at home with his parents and siblings in Tollcross, Shettleston, Glasgow. He worked as a drawer in a coal pit.

 

Bernard Teevan and Margaret McCourt were witnesses to the wedding.

 

In the 1881 census he was the head of the household, listed as a coal miner (unemployed). His siblings and widowed mother were staying with him. They lived at 28 Main Street, Shettleston, Lanarkshire.

 

Michael and Catherine sailed on the Furnessia with Michael's brother Bernard, and Bernard's wife Margaret. Both Michael and Bernard were described as labourers, and Margaret as a house servant. They travelled in steerage and arrived in New York on the 26th of August 1884.

 

Intriguingly, there were three children with them - Daniel aged 11, and Margaret and Thomas both aged 10. Daniel is undoubtedly the same Daniel who travelled back to America ten years later with Michael and Catherine (see below) but was not their child - nor were the other two children. They were not the children of the newly married Bernard and Maggie either; and not more siblings as Michael and Bernard's mother only gave birth to 11 children, 10 of whom have been accounted for. If the parentage of these children can ever be ascertained, it is certain to link another Teevan line to this one.

 

Maybe the Thomas and Margaret were in fact Michael's younger siblings - but they would have been aged 22 and 17 years old in 1884. It's uderstandable that a few years would be shaved off, maybe to save on the fare, but passing young adults off as 10 year old children wouldn't have been easy. It's not impossible though, as Thomas did emigrate to Paterson, NJ and there's no record of Margaret marrying or dying in Scotland.

 

If Thomas and Margaret were Michael (and Bernard)'s siblings, it seems probably that Daniel was the 11th missing child of Thomas Teevan and Mary Keown. On the other hand, Daniel was born in Ireland (certainly not Scotland), whereas Thomas and Mary lived in Scotland at the time of his birth.

 

On the 30th of July 1894, Michael and his wife Catherine arrived in New York on the SS Umbria (photo of the ship on Ancestry.com). Michael was listed as a mining contractor and their destination was listed as New Jersey. Daniel Teevan aged 20 and Michael and Catherine's daughter Margaret, aged 11 went with them.

 

NOTE - I do not believe that Daniel is Michael's son, as he was not in Michael's household at any time, even as a child (which was years before Michael and Catherine were married). He may have been a nephew or cousin, or even another brother. Given the dates and locations, I am almost sure that the Daniel who travelled with them is the Daniel J Teevan born 1873 who married Elizabeth Halliwell (for which, see the Connecticut chapter of the tree).

 

Michael appeared in the 1900 Census, living in Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey, close to his mother and some of his siblings. His wife had just died that year, so he was living alone. He worked as a labourer in a shop.

 

However he returned home shortly thereafter, because in 1913 he appeared in the Glasgow Poor Law records:

 

Michael Teevan (insane)

Applied 3/3/1914

Residence: Little Sisters of Poor

Age 64, widower, mine [bowsher], Roman Catholic

Born: Fermanagh, Ireland

Parents: Thomas Teevan, farmer and Mary Keown

Marriage: 1/8/1882 St Mary's Chapel, Glasgow

Wife: Catherine McGraw from Broadway, New York - died 14 years ago at Paterson, New Jersey - daughter of Alexander McGraw, bottler and Margaret McHugh

Wholly disabled - senility

 

Applies for removal as insane.

Last employer: Clydesdale Colliery

Previous means: own efforts

 

Children in family:

Margaret [Boyd] from Gray Street, Shettleson - single - nurse - Derby

 

3/3/14 Certified insane and removed to Woodilee Asylum

 

Off work since 12/12/13. Last employed in Clydesdale Colliery as brusher and repairer, 6/8 hours shift. Those 10 yrs insurance bond and Catholic assistance. States he hurt himself when carrying a large stone and has not been well since. Afraid of his food being poisoned hence his reason for coming to this home. He states further that he lifted his savings out of bank and has given Fr. Johnson of St Michael's £15 to keep for him, also £13 in hands of Little Sisters of Poor.

 

17/10/17 Discharged from Woodlilee Asylum recovered and admitted to Little Sisters of Poor

 

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When he died, the Mother Superior signed his death certificate instead of a relative. She named his mother as Mary Connolly - an easy mistake from Keon, which every other record gives as the true name. She also named his wife as having been Catherine McGrath, though Michael's poor law record is more reliable as it was influenced by Michael's own information.