John Docherty (1840-1921)

John Docherty, was born in Donegal, Ireland in 1840 to John Docherty (tbc) and Ellen McGeachie (tbc). John's father was recorded as an agricultural labourer on his death certificate.

John, who was a shipyard hammerman, married Susan Ferrie in Donegal on the 24th November 1861. The family moved to Dumbarton and were identified as living at 17 Henryshott in Cardross at the time of the 1881 Census. They had at least five children with their son John Docherty (1862-1916) being the direct ancestor of the later Docherty family described in this site.

In view of the relatively small population of Cardross of apparently only 632 individuals in 1881 (according to an online Gazetteer Entry for Cardross), it is a coincidence that another individual described on this site - Sarah Douglas Donald (1861-1903) who is a direct ancestor of the Hart's in this site, also lived in Cardross. King Robert Bruce (1274-1329) also spent the two last years of his life here.

The 1881 Census also reveals that a James and Margaret Loag were visiting the family with their 2 year old daughter Jane. James Loag was also a Shipyard Labourer and had also been born in Ireland.

John worked as a hammerman throughout his life and this was described as his profession before retirement. His family's address at Henryshott in Cardross comprises a street of houses built by the Shipyard Owner Peter Denny for his workers, so we can safely assume that John worked in the Shipyard at Dumbarton. The area at Henryshott was known as little Dublin due to the number of Irish workers living there. The cottages were eventually demolished in the 1960's.

Peter Denny founded his ship building company in 1840 and they became particularly well known as innovative producers of cross-channel steamships and ferries. The company was eventually liquidated over a hundred years later in 1963.

John was to live a long life at Henryshott, finally passing away aged 81 from bronchitis on the 3rd July 1921. His son Daniel was the Informant, as he had been when John's wife Susan passed away a few months earlier on the 28th March. Daniel was also living at Henryshott. The death certificate noted John as being the widower of a Susan Coll (not Ferrie) - which in fact was her mother's Irish maiden name with the Colls having lived on the tiny Island of Inishbofin.

	Peter Denny at his Shipyard in Dumbarton		A 19th Century View of the Shipyard Where John Worked		Scottish West Coast sea trials of the Denny-built King Edward in 1901 - the first steam powered commercial vessel

      Family Tree Summary

Forename	Surname	Born	Died	Cause of Death
John	Docherty	1840	28/03/1921	Bronchitis and Cardiac Failure