On 2 Dec 1849 William Lees married Jean Tarleton at Barony in Lanark, Scotland. The 1855 birth record of their daughter Matilda Lees lists his place of birth as Ballyclog, Co. Tyrone, Ireland. This is so far the only record I have connecting this family to the parish. There are surviving Ballyclog church records from 1808 which should be consulted to try and find records relating to the family.
William appears on the 1841 census with who appear to be his mother and siblings. Transcription courtesy of FreeCEN:
Piece: SCT1841/500 Place: East Kirkpatrick -Dunbartonshire Enumeration District: 3
Civil Parish: New Kilpatrick Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: Stirlingshire
Folio: 500 Page: 17
Address: Puddock Row
| Surname | First name(s) | Sex | Age | Occupation | Where Born | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAYS | Ann | F | 53 | Ireland | ||
| LAYS | Elizabeth | F | 22 | Cotton Spinner | Foreign Parts | Born France |
| LAYS | Matilda | F | 20 | Cotton Spinner | Ireland | |
| LAYS | James | M | 18 | Apprentice Slater | Ireland | |
| LAYS | Joseph | M | 16 | Ireland | ||
| LAYS | William | M | 13 | Ireland | ||
| DUNBAR | Ann | F | 25 | Cotton Spinner | Ireland |
Mother Ann, Agnes or Nancy, maiden name unknown, was likely born between 1786-1791 Ireland, and died 1869. She is recorded as the widow of a Canvas Weaver. The Victoria Index of daughter Matilda‘s death record list her parents as Wm Lees and Jwan Mac. Some Ancestry trees list her parents as William Lees & Jean MacRae, but these same trees contain many obvious mistakes such as parents born before children, so I would consult the actual record to double check.
Here is an overview of what I’ve been able to find out about the family:
- Elizabeth Lees, b. Abt 1819 Foreign Parts, b. France [later censuses], likely m. Robert Andrew 1844, d. Aft 1871 cannot find the family in Scotland after that date, so they appear to have emigrated.
- Matilda Lees, b. Abt 1821 Ireland, m. Joseph Andrew 1843 Dunbarton, later emigrated to Victoria, Australia where she died 1909
- James Lees, b. Abt 1823 Ireland, cannot find after 1841
- Joseph Lees, b. Abt abt 1825 Ireland, cannot find after 1841
- William Lees, b. Abt 1828 Ballyclog, Tyrone, Ireland, m. Jean Tarleton 1849, had at least 10 children born in Maryhill and died 1904. No parents names are recorded on his death certificate.
Selected baptisms for Bright Presbyterian Church, Ballyclog from 1832-1845 have been transcribed and made available online. These include the record of an
Alexander Lays baptised 11 November 1838 to Alexander Lays.