There were so many out of the 1722 people on my tree (to date) that I could have chosen but I decided to pick the man who set me off on this genealogical journey.
The youngest of eight children, John Cobain was born on 27th July 1880 to William Cobain, a mechanic, and Mary Wherry (sometimes spelt Wharry) in Belfast. Census records from 1851-1891 were destroyed when the public records office in Dublin caught fire in 1921. John first appears on the 1901 census living at 40 Lawther Street with his parents (aged 50 and 51) and his sister Ann Jane (aged 26). You have to be careful with these records because some people do not always give their correct age which is the case with John who states his age as 28 when in fact he was 21. It is important to note every detail listed from the address to their occupation.
John married Letitia Elizabeth Brown on 11th July 1909 in St Matthews Church of Ireland Belfast. His occupation is given as a carter which I believe is someone who carried goods on a horse and cart. Letitia was an ornamenter something I can only associate with pottery. Both fathers are named as Engineers. Witnesses were Letitia's sister Eveline Brown and her cousin Allan Nesbitt Brown. I believe this marriage might have been in haste because their daughter Mary Jane was born three months later in October 1909. A son Robert Henry (my great-grandfather and known as Harry) was born in October 1910 and another daughter Letitia Elizabeth in 1917. Mary Jane died on 27th March 1929 aged 19 as a result of TB and Harry married Mary Sweeney in August 1939, they had one daughter (my grandmother). Letitia Jnr married Adam Moore on 25th December 1941.
John begins his career as a fireman on 3rd August 1911 aboard the steamer "Londonderry". A fireman's job would have involved stoking the fire aboard the ship. He was discharged on 8th July 1913. 10 days later he was aboard the new steamer SS Katoomba built by Harland and Wolff for an Australian shipping company. She was very much similar to the cruise liner of her day with newspapers talking of her six decks, dining rooms and entertainment areas. John would spend three years in Australia before arriving back in London on 6th June 1916. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Mercantile Marine Medal for his services during the World War One. The documents map John working as a fireman up to 1932 sailing largely between Belfast and Scotland although he did go to Tilbury and Montreal. He does alter the year of birth on these certificates going as far as taking seven years off his age. These documents also reveal the name of ship, where he was engaged and discharged, the dates, the ship official number and his rank.
On 8th January 1959 John died aged 78 in Belfast. He is buried in Belfast City Cemetery alongside his wife Letitia (died 8th April 1976 aged 92), daughter Mary Jane and sister-in-law Mary Jane Brown. Burial records can be incredibly useful in that they can provide the last place of residence for an individual as well as their name, when they died and the grave section and number. Mary Jane Brown is listed as having died at 51 Lisburn Road in 1942 despite living in 9 Cavour Street. 51 Lisburn Road was a workhouse infirmary and is now the site of Belfast City Hospital. The other three were living at 53 Cavour Street. Belfast City Council has an online search facility for burial records but there is a price if you do want to have a copy of the record.
