IJ McMenamin is 50 years old.  To help celebrate, friends and family met at The Argosy on Paisley Road West.

I had to gate-crash because I never received an invite!  I believe they were like Navid's wedding invitations in Still Game but no-one can confirm this.  For those who don't know, before Ian became a professional raconteur he was Glasgow's finest postie.  He told me that if he still worked for the GPO I wouldn't have had to rely on my cousins to find out about the party.

There was a good turnout for Ian, especially given his pish-poor patter (and let's face it at 50 it's no' gonnae get any better).  In attendance, his daughter Michelle; his sister Carol Anne with her husband Michael (who came over to say hello) and Rachael and Matthew; his brother Paul and Nicola; his aunties Annie, Mary, Catherine and Arline (no bad hey); his cousins Arlene, Neil and "his burd" Marie, Me, and Andrew.  Also Joe and Christine McMenemy, who came over to say hello, I'd been in touch with them recently on facebook; and Joe's sister Lorraine Crawford, who is acknowledged several times on the website.

Anyway, party, I can't slag him off too much (John & Darren), but I have never been to a birthday party with two cakes, one for Ian and one for John, and only one birthday!!!  Made me smile.  Ian stepped onto the dance floor at about 9.45, Mrs Mac came to pick me up at 11.00 and I had to interrupt him mid-dance to say cheerio.  It was great to see a smile back on the wrinkly face.

John and Mary
Civil Marriage Register
Castlederg 1864

James
Birth Register
Castlederg 1869

Elizabeth Ross
(nee McMillan)
Birth Register
Gorbals 1877

James Alexander
Birth Register
Govan 1908

Mary Fanny
(or Molly)
Birth Register
Partick 1911

James
Death Register
Dunoon 1922

MCMENAMIN GENEALOGY UPDATE (from Sandra Olah 12/01/10)

Under your heading First Generation and again under Second Generation:

John McMenamin’s marriage to Mary McMenamin was 21 November 1864. I have a photocopy of the record (attached). You had a Civil Marriage Record for them, which is much easier to read! When we went to Ireland, we went to Castlederg and took pictures of the church (Parish of Termonamongan) and also some in the church cemetery.

On a microfilm I found a record of a female named Jeremy born 23 April 1865 in Castlefinn, County Donegal, Ireland to a John and Mary McMenamin.  I do not know if she is part of our family.

Under your heading Second Generation, John and second wife, Mary:

Hugh McMenamin was born on 23 January 1866 (I can’t locate my photocopy of record right now), his wife Mary McDaid and their daughter, Mary (born 1898 in Scotland) went to San Francisco, California.  According to the 1910 U.S. census, Mary McDaid McMenamin had four children but only the one daughter was still living.

James McMenamin (my grandfather) was born 9 January 1869 (photocopy of record attached) in Castlederg, Co. Tyrone, Ireland.  He died in Dunoon, County Argyll, Scotland on 13 August 1921. Death record attached.

Under your heading Third Generation:

Elizabeth Ross McMillan (my grandmother) was born 22 January 1877 in Gorbals, Glasgow.  I have her original birth record! ---attached.  You have her marriage record to James McMenamin (I have the original!)   I have a copy of the marriage record of Elizabeth’s parents Duncan McMillan and Elizabeth Ross.  Let me know if you would like to have it.  I also have this Elizabeth’s death record; if you want it, let me know.  She was born in Ireland but I never checked there because I had assumed she was born in Scotland.  I have it on my list to check at the Family History Center for Ireland birth information for her (in my spare time!).  Elizabeth Ross McMillan McMenamin died 8 January 1935 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, U.S., and she is buried in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.  I do not have her death certificate but am going to try to get it.  Later on is the story about the family coming to Canada and the United States.

Following is additional information on the six children you already have in your family tree Third Generation for James and Elizabeth (my grandparents):

John James McMenamin died in March 1960 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Duncan William McMillan McMenamin died 7 May 1952 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, U.S.

Hugh (no middle name) McMenamin died 3 December 1986 in Troy, Oakland County, Michigan, U.S.

Elizabeth Ross McMillan McMenamin died 14 October 1985 in Miami, Florida, U.S.

Catherine Edgar McMenamin died 20 October 1975 in Madison Heights, Oakland County, Michigan, U.S.  You asked about the name Edgar.  In 1897, William, one of the brothers of Elizabeth Ross McMillan, married Catherine Edgar (she was born in 1869).   It is assumed that is who the 1903 Catherine was named after.  Also, you list two children named Catherine born to John and Mary in1888 and 1891, which could be where the Catherine came from.   Who were the Edgars you mentioned at 31 Helen Street?  I know the 1869 Catherine’s parents’ names if you want to know what they are to see if they are the same people.

Christina McMillan McMenamin died 24 February 1994 in Clinton Township, Macomb County, Michigan, U.S.

There were three more children born after Christina:

James Alexander McMenamin was born on 29 July 1908 at 38 Fairfield Street in Govan.  I have his original birth record and it is attached.  He ran away in 1925 at the age of 17 (in Ontario, Canada) and the family has not heard from him since.  My grandmother even hired a detective to find him, but James could have changed his name. 

Mary Fanny McMenamin (my mom) was born 10 June 1911 at 7 Walker Street in the District of Partick, Glasgow.  She was called Molly.  A copy of her original birth record is attached.  She died on 30 June 1997 in Taylor, Wayne County, Michigan, U.S.

Martin Ross McMenamin was born 11 Nov 1914 in the District of Partick (cannot access record online---no image available).  Martin died 3 January 1972 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, U.S.

Do you want a list of the marriages and the children of each of the above?  If so, I can get it together for you.

Here are the details of my grandmother coming to Canada:

My grandmother had two brothers, William and Duncan McMillan (two girls died young).  Duncan was a postman in Dunoon and did not leave Scotland as far as I know.  William (mentioned briefly under Catherine Edgar McMenamin above) brought his family to Quebec, Canada around 1912.  After my grandfather, James, died in 1921, William insisted that his sister come to be with him and his family in Canada.   She agreed only if all of her children would leave Scotland too.  Her oldest son, John James, was married and had a child, but agreed to go to Canada.  That family actually came to Canada in 1928.  Also, my Uncle Duncan (born 1898), went in the military to India and came to Canada in a later year.

The rest of the family left Scotland in May of 1922 on the SS Metagama and went to Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  William bought a farm near Barrie, Ontario and they all lived there for a while.  Then William decided to move back to Quebec with his family.  (Note:  Recently I discovered and talked to a descendant of William’s family who lives in Ontario and she gave me a lot of information on his family and I clarified or confirmed some information for her.)  Elizabeth and her children moved into the city of Barrie.  Because of job availability, they moved to Toronto and in 1926 they moved to Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Gradually each one moved to Detroit, Michigan, U.S. except for my mother and grandmother who stayed in Windsor. John James McMenamin and his family came to Windsor when they first arrived but moved to Toronto where they stayed.  I believe my Uncle Martin was in the military and also lived in Canada.

In 1935 while my grandmother was visiting the family in Detroit, she took ill and died.  My mother’s brothers and sisters insisted she leave Windsor and come to live in Detroit to be near them and so she did.

Recently I talked to the only surviving child of John James McMenamin.  Her name is Margaret, she is 86 years old, married, and still lives near Toronto.  She gave me information about her sibling’s children.  Most of them still live in Canada.  Some of the descendants of that family legally spell their name MacMenamin.

Briefly about me:  I was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1941, am married to Daniel J. Olah since 1965, have two grown children (one married, one single) and two grandchildren, ages 10 and 13.