Person:Peter Sweeney (1)

Peter Sweeney was born on 26th July 1856 at Sorbie in Wigtownshire, son of Mary Sweeney, formerly Kilcawley, and her husband Michael Sweeney, an agricultural labourer. Peter's parents were Irish and had married and had their first three children at Castleconor in County Sligo before moving to Scotland in the wake of the Potato Famine.

Peter appears in the 1861, 1871 and 1881 censuses living with his parents and siblings in Sorbie. He was described as an agricultural labourer in 1871 and a general labourer in 1881.

Peter left home in the early 1880s and moved to Glasgow. He was married in the Springburn area of the city on 15th June 1883 to Ann (or Annie) Hassan. Back in Sorbie, Peter's father died ten days later.

Peter and Ann settled in Glasgow, where he worked in galvanizing. They had ten children, but sadly eight of them had died before the 1911 census. Back in south-west Scotland, Peter's mother died in 1889 at Kells, where she had been living with Peter's brother Luke.

Ann died in 1924. Peter survived her by about eleven years and died on 9th October 1935 at Woodilee Asylum at Lenzie in Kirkintilloch in Dunbartonshire. He was 79 years old.

1. ↑ Birth certificate, in General Register Office for Scotland. Civil Registration.

   1856. BIRTHS in the parish of Sorbie in the County of Wigtown
   No. 35
   Name: Sweeney, Peter
   Where and when born: 1856 July Twenty Sixth 7h25m AM, Sorbie Village, Parish of Sorbie
   Sex: M
   Father: Michael Sweeney, Agricultural Labourer
   Mother: Mary Sweeney maiden name McCally
   Informant: Michael Sweeney his X mark, Father, Present, Ja[me]s Dunsmore, Registrar Witness
   When registered: 1856 July 28th at Garliestown, Ja[me]s Dunsmore, Registrar

2. ↑ Baptisms register, in Roman Catholic Church. Newton Stewart Catholic Parish Registers. (Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Catholic Archives).

   1857
   Place: Sorbie
   Names: Peter
   Legit[imate]: Law[ful]
   Names of Parents: Michael Swiney & Mary McAuley
   When Born: 12 July
   When Bap[tised]: July 27th
   Names of Sponsors: James Swiney
   Names of Clergyman: Pat[ric]k Tho[ma]s O'Gorman
   
   and
   
   Names of children: Peter
   [Legitimate]: Law[ful]
   Names of Parents: Myles Swiney & Mary McCauley
   B[orn]: 10 Aug[u]st A.D. 1856
   B[aptised]: Aug[ust] 31 1856
   Names of Sponsors: John Stroyan & Elizabeth Doran
   [Clergyman]: Pat[ric]k Tho[ma]s O'Gorman

3. ↑ General Register Office for Scotland. 1861 Scotland Census. (Edinburgh)
   897/00 005/00 012, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Sorbie, Wigtownshire
   2 rooms with windows
   Michael Swenie, head, married, male, 37 [1823/4], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Sligo, Ireland
   Mary Swenie, wife, married, female, 39 [1821/2], b. Sligo, Ireland
   Patrick Swenie, son, male, 14 [1846/7], b. Sligo, Ireland
   Michael Swenie, son, male, 12 [1848/9], b. Sligo, Ireland
   Cathrine Swenie, daughter, female, 8 [1852/3], b. Sorbie, Wigtownshire
   Stephen Swenie, son, male, 6 [1854/5], b. Sorbie, Wigtownshire
   Peter Swenie, son, male, 4 [1856/7], b. Sorbie, Wigtownshire
   James Swenie, son, male, 1 [1859/60], b. Sorbie, Wigtownshire

4. ↑ General Register Office for Scotland. 1871 Scotland Census. (Edinburgh)
   897/00 006/00 010, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Garlieston R[oa]d, Sorbie Village, Sorbie, Wigtownshire
   1 room with windows; 1 child in education
   Michael Sweeney, head, married, male, 46 [1824/5], Ag[ricultural] lab[ourer], b. Ireland
   Mary Sweeney, wife, married, female, 48 [1822/3], Labourer's Wife, b. Ireland
   Stephen Sweeney, son, unmarried, male, 17 [1853/4], Carpenter, b. Sorbie, Wigtownshire
   Peter Sweeney, son, male, 13 [1857/8], Ag[ricultural] lab[ourer], b. Sorbie, Wigtownshire
   Luke Sweeney, son, male, 7 [1863/4], Scholar, b. Sorbie, Wigtownshire
   Andrew Sweeney, son, male, 5 [1865/6], b. Sorbie, Wigtownshire
   ~ next household (part of same house) ~
   1 room with windows
   Jane McCulloch, head, widow, female, 74 [1796/7], Ag[ricultural] lab[ourer] formerly, b. Sorbie, Wigtownshire

5. ↑ General Register Office for Scotland. 1881 Scotland Census. (Edinburgh)
   897/00 006/00 007, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Main Street or Road, Sorbie, Wigtownshire
   2 rooms with windows
   Michael Sweeney, head, married, male, 56 [1824/5], Gen[era]l Labourer, b. Ireland
   Mary Sweeney, wife, married, female, 58 [1822/3], b. Ireland
   Peter Sweeney, son, unmarried, male, 23 [1857/8], Gen[era]l Labourer, b. Sorbie, Wigtownshire
   James Topping, lodger, married, male, 39 [1841/2], Gen[era]l Labourer, b. Buittle, Kirkcudbrightshire
   Edward Guffie, lodger, unmarried, male, 23 [1857/8], Gen[era]l Labourer, b. Wigtown, Wigtownshire

6. ↑ General Register Office for Scotland. 1891 Scotland Census. (Edinburgh).

   Address: Gladston Place, Glasgow (Barony), Lanarkshire, Scotland
   Peter Sweeney, head, married, male, 33 [1857/8], Iron Pickler, b. Sorbie, Wigtownshire
   Annie Sweeney, wife, married, female, 33 [1857/8], b. Ireland
   Andrew Sweeney, son, male, 5 [1885/6], b. Glasgow, Lanarkshire
   Peter Sweeney, son, male, 4 [1886/7], b. Glasgow, Lanarkshire

7. ↑ General Register Office for Scotland. 1901 Scotland Census. (Edinburgh).

   Address: 30 Avenue Road, Glasgow, Lanarkshire
   Peter Sweeney, head, married, male, 43 [1857/8], Labourer in Galvinizing, b. Sorbie Village, Wigtownshire
   Annie Sweeney, wife, married, female, 43 [1857/8], b. Ireland
   Andrew Sweeney, son, male, 15 [1885/6], Rivet Heater, b. Glasgow
   Peter Sweeney, son, male, 14 [1886/7], Message Boy, b. Glasgow

8. ↑ General Register Office for Scotland. 1911 Scotland Census. (Edinburgh)
   644/06 033/00 022, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 15 Blenheim Street, Springburn, Glasgow
   2 rooms occupied, 3 people in house
   Peter Sweenie, head, male, 48 [1862/3], married, Plate Layer, Colliery Coy., worker, b. Sorbie, Wigtownshire
   Annie Sweenie, wife, female, 53 [1857/8], married 28 years, 10 children born alive, 2 children still living, b. Ireland
   Andrew Sweenie, son, male, 25 [1885/6], single, Sheet Iron Galvanizing, worker, b. Glasgow, Lanarkshire

9. ↑ Death certificate, in General Register Office for Scotland. Civil Registration.

   1935. DEATHS in the District of Kirkintilloch in the County of Dunbarton
   No. 208
   Name and Surname: Peter Sweeney, Galvaniser, widower of Annie Hassan
   When and Where Died: 1935 October Ninth 2h35m A.M., Woodilee Asylum, Lenzie, usual residence 29 Blenheim Street, Glasgow
   Sex: M
   Age: 76 years
   Father: Michael Sweeney, Farm Worker (deceased)
   Mother: Mary Sweeney M.S. McAuley (deceased)
   Cause of death: Prostatic Enlargement Retention Uraemia 4 Days as certified by J. Wallace Strongham M.B. C.L.B.
   Informant: F. Macleod, Medical Officer
   Registered: 1935 October 11th at Kirkintilloch, Geo M. Matson, Registrar