Patrick is first mentioned in the 1871 census. He's living with his uncle Felix Gunn and his Aunt Mary and cousins at Old Calder Hall, High Street, Shotts Ironworks, Scotland. According to entries on Scottish birth certificates for their children Felix married Mary McCabe in Killeevan on 6 September 1852. I'm not sure that's a hundred percent correct date as the birth certificate for their last child says August 1850 but perhaps they'd lost their note of the date by then and made an approximation. Patrick died in a mine accident when he fell from an open lift in a shaft. Felix took the mining company to court in Glasgow and won a case of negligence as the person responsible for seeing that the lift door was closed was not competent, being elderly and having bad eyesight. £120 was provided as compensation. Patrick's death certificate gave his mother as Helen Gunn and his father as Felix Gunn. The death was registered by a neighbour so perhaps he didn't know the name of the father and gave Felix's for convenience. Perhaps Helen was Felix's sister or perhaps she was his sister in law. As Patrick was staying with his uncle I assume his parent(s) had stayed in Ireland or were deceased. Felix's parents were (according to his death certificate) John Gunn and Ellen Finlay. These would have been Patrick's grandparents. From research, hunches and guesswork I think Felix may be from Calliagh Townland. There is certainly a John Gunn there and an Ellen Gunn died in the 1860s who might have been his mother. The above link leads to the report of the mining accident.
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| Date of Death | 14th Nov 1872 | VIEW SOURCE |
