William, ‘lawful son of James Barr & Mary Dougherty in Sunderland’, was born on 4^th December 1829 and baptised on 28^th March 1830, as recorded in the Kilchoman Parish Register.

An entry for the marriage of William Barr and Agnes Wright appears in the Abbey (Paisley) Parish Register, dated 8^th April 1850:

William Barr and Agnes Wright both residing in this Parish have been regularly Proclaimed in order to Marriage and no objections made Booked 23 March     3 Days. Married 12th April by the Revd Dr McNair Abbey

At the time of the 1851 census, William and Agnes were living at 42, Stock Street, Paisley. William was a starch maker, aged 20, and his place of birth was given as ‘Argyle, Islay’. Agnes was entered as having been born in Paisley. They had a lodger, Mary Wright, who was probably Agnes’s sister. Mary was a warehouse sewer, aged 19, born in Paisley.

A son, James, was entered as aged 10 at the time of the 1861 census and must have been born very shortly after the 1851 census.

A daughter, Mary, was born to William and Agnes Barr on 14^th February 1856, at what appears to be 10, Brown Street, Glasgow. At that time William was a foundry labourer. Agnes acted as informant, signing with her X mark.

A further daughter, Agnes, was born on 20^th March 1858 at 29, West College Street, Glasgow. William Barr, the child’s father, who had been present in the house at the time of birth, acted as informant and was designated as a boiler maker.

William’s wife Agnes acted as informant on the birth certificate of brother-in-law Hugh’s son Edward in May 1860. She signed with her X mark and was stated to be Edward’s aunt, who had been present at the birth. Her address on that occasion was given as 55, Piccadilly Street.

Daughter Elizabeth arrived on 7^th October 1860 at 55, Piccadilly Street, Anderston, Glasgow. William was again designated as a boiler maker. Agnes acted as informant and signed the register with her X mark.

William Barr, aged 30, appears in the 1861 census residing at 25-31 West College Street with his wife Agnes (aged 32, born Paisley) and various children, in a dwelling with two rooms having one or more windows. The full entry reads:

William Barr, 30, Boiler Maker (Journeyman), b. Argyleshire, Islay Agnes, wife, 32, b. Paisley James, son, 10, scholar, b. Glasgow Mary, daur, 5, b. Glasgow Agnes, daur, 3, b. Glasgow Elizabeth, daur, 6 months, b. Glasgow Elizabeth Spiers, lodger, unmarried, 41, Ironer in muslin warehouse, b. Glasgow Jane Spiers, lodger, unmarried, 39, dress maker, b. Glasgow

Agnes again acted as informant on the birth certificate of Hugh’s daughter Isabella Barr in November 1862. By that time, Agnes’s address was given as 29, West College Street, which corresponds to the 1861 census.

A son, William, was born on 22^nd February 1863, at 29, West College Street, Glasgow. William was again designated as a boiler maker. Agnes acted as informant and signed the register with her X mark.

Daughter Elizabeth died on 13^th August 1863 at three in the afternoon, at 29, West College Street, Glasgow. She was three years old. The cause of death was certified as bronchitis. The informant was the child’s father, William Barr, who was designated as a boiler maker (journeyman).

Son William died on 4^th April 1865 at 2^h 30^m, at 29 West College Street, Glasgow. He was two years old. The cause of death was certified as diptheria, from which he had been suffering for eight days. William Barr, who had been present in the house at the time of death, once again acted as informant and was designated as a boilermaker.

Another daughter, Margaret, was born on 13^th July 1865, at 70, Carrick Street, Glasgow. William was designated as a boiler maker (journeyman). Agnes acted as informant and signed the register with her X mark.

A further daughter, Helen, was born on 3^rd September 1868 at 67, Brown Street, Glasgow, which is the same address at which Hugh’s daughter Janet had been born in 1856. William was designated as a boiler maker (journeyman). Agnes acted as informant and signed the register with her X mark.

Daughter Margaret died on 26^th March 1870 at 7^h 50^m pm, at 67, Brown Street, Glasgow. She was four years and eight months old. The cause of death was certified as diptheria. William Barr, who had been present in the house at the time of death, once again acted as informant and was designated as a boiler maker (journeyman).

Daughter Helen died on 1^st April 1870 at 5^h 40^m pm, at 67, Brown Street, Glasgow. She was nineteen months old. The cause of death was certified as diptheria. William Barr, who had been present in the house at the time of death, once again acted as informant and was designated as a boiler maker (journeyman).

In 1871, William and his family were still living at 67, Brown Street. The full entry is as follows:

William Barr, head, mar., 40, boilermaker, b. Argyle, Islay Agnes Barr, wife, mar., 41, b. Renfrew, Paisley Mary Barr, daur, unm., 15, boot sewer, b. Lanark, Glasgow Agnes Barr, daur, unm., 13, boot folder, b. Lanark, Glasgow

The last-known child of the family, a daughter, Adah Elizabeth, was born on 11^th March 1872, at 136, Holm Street, Glasgow. William, designated as a boilermaker (journeyman), finally got round to registering the event almost a month later, on 10^th April.

William is mentioned as a younger brother in Hugh’s 1886 application for poor relief. At that time, William was a riveter, married with four children and residing at 32, West College Street.

William Barr, a boilermaker (journeyman), married to Agnes Wright, died on 31^st October 1887 at 2^h 40^m am, at 32, West College Street, Glasgow. His age was entered, inaccurately, as 54 years. The causes of death were certified as pneumonia and plurisy, from which he had been suffering for ten days. The informant was the deceased’s widow, Agnes Barr, who signed with her X mark.

In 1891, William’s widow Agnes was entered in the census of that year as a widow, living at 385, Caledonia Road, in the Parliamentary Division of Blackfriars & Hutchesontown, Glasgow, in a tenement property with two rooms having one or more windows. The full entry reads:

Agnes Barr, widow, 61, housekeeper, born Paisley Agnes, daur, unmarried, 33, boot & shoe factory clerkess, employed, born Glasgow Ada Eliza, daur, 19, unmarried, boot machinist, employed, born Glasgow Wm, Grandson, unmarried, 19, apprentice boilermaker, employed, born Glasgow

Adah Elizabeth Barr, a boot machinist (spinster) aged 23, married George McClerie Scott, an iron moulder (journeyman) (bachelor) aged 28, on 5^th July 1895 at 9, London Street, Glasgow, after Banns according to the Forms of the Free Church of Scotland. The usual residence for both was entered as 385, Caledonia Road, Glasgow. George’s parents were entered as James Scott, a boilermaker (journeyman) and Catherine Scott MS McLerie. The register was signed by Fred. H. Georgeson, Minister of Free St James’s Church, Glasgow and by witnesses Charles Scott and Agnes Barr, who were presumably the brother of the groom and the sister of the bride respectively.

Agnes Barr, widow of William Barr, a boilermaker (journeyman), died on 23^rd January 1907 at three in the morning, at 52, Dixon Road, Crosshill. She was 78 years of age. Her parents were entered as James Wright, a handloom weaver (deceased), and Agnes Wright MS Gould (deceased). The cause of death was certified as Senile Decay. The death was registered on the 24^th at Cathcart by George Scott, the deceased’s son-in-law, who had been present in the house at the time of death.