Family tradition suggests that Robert McCosh, who arrived in New Brunswick about 1820 as a shipbuilder with Gilmour, Rankin & Co. was originally from Ayr, Scotland. His approximate birth date, from census records is 1793. The parish of Stair, Ayrshire, has a number of McCosh entries, including a Robert of approximately the correct age to be the immigrant. Early entries include:
William McCosh 'in Drongan' had children baptized in Stair by Mr. John Steele:
1765 Dec 25. Jean McCosh lawful daughter to Wm McCosh
1767 Mar 22. Margaret McCosh lawful daughter to Wm McCosh
1768 Jun 26. Katherine McCosh lawful daughter to Wm McCosh
1772 Feb 2. Mary McCosh lawful daughter to Wm McCosh
William McCosh may be a son to Thomas McCosh b. ca 1830.
A Thomas McCosh (young enough to be a son of Thomas McCosh b. ca 1830) begins having children baptized in Stair ca.
1770. However, the first recorded child is a son Robert -
1771 May 5 Robert McCosh lawful son to Thomas McCosh at Drongan was baptized by Mr Steele
(Recorded in 1780 as a group)
1774 June 11. William McCosh lawful son to Thomas McCosh was bpt
1777 Mar 12. Jean McCosh lawful daughter to Thomas McCosh was bpt
1779 May 31. David McCosh lawful son to the above Thomas McCosh was bpt
1782 Jun 23. Elizabeth McCosh lawful daughter to Thomas McCosh coal hewer at Drongan was bpt.
1782 Sep 26. John McCosh lawful son to Thomas McCosh coalhower at Drongan bpt.
1784 May 7. Thomas McCosh lawful son to Thomas McCosh coalhewer at Drongan was bpt.
1783 June 3. Robert McCosh son to Robert McCosh in Coalhill was bpt.
1792 Jan 1. Elizabeth McCosh daughter to James McCosh was baptized.
1793 June 3. Robert McCosh natural son to Robert McCosh in 'Coalhale' (Coalhill) was bapt by Mr.
John Steele.
The family name disappears altogether from the parish entries by 1800, suggesting they moved away or joined another church. Further research needs to be done to positively identify this man as the immigrant.
Another McCosh family is found in Ontario. From A Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to Canada Before Confederation. Toronto, Canada Alexander McCosh 29 Aug 1806 - 10 Dec 1867. From Ochiltree Parish, AYR. son of William M. McCosh in Lawershill & Elizabeth Strathom. to Quebec on the Glasgow, ex. Glasgow, 23 Apr 1853. Settled Toronto, ONT later Huron Township, Bruce Co. Married (1) Elizabeth Gemmel, who died 1839. William b 1831, Robert b. 1833, Thomas b. 1835, John b. 1837, Alexander Gemmel b. 1839. Married (2) Mrs. Margaret Brown. Some of this family descendants emigrated to Chicago, IL and other US locations.
In 1822, Robert McCosh of New Castle and Catherine Taylor of the 'same place' were married. The only child for whom a baptism is recorded in New Castle, in St James United Church, is their last son, Alexander McCosh.
The family was resident in New Castle for the 1851 census, where Robert McCosh states he entered the colony in 1820 and is a farmer. He is affiliated with the Baptist church at that time. Several of their children are living with their parents, although others are living with families in New Castle, as apprentices or domestic servants. Robert and Catherine McCosh are still living in New Castle during the 1861 census, when Robert McCosh is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. He does not appear on the 1871 census. No probate file has yet been located for him.
His wife, Catherine Taylor, was native-born to New Brunswick, grand-daughter of Alexander Taylor. She probably also died between 1861 and 1871.
Robert McCosh, oldest son of Robert and Catherine McCosh, would have been named after his father's father, if his parents followed Scottish naming traditions. He was a farmer in New Castle, appearing there on all the census records between 1851 and 1901. He married Eliza Wolliston and they were members of St. James Church in New Castle. As eldest son, Robert inherited his fathers' grant property. He bought and sold land several times during his life. He died sometime after 1901, although a search of Northumberland Co. death records to 1919 did not locate a record of his death.
Jane McCosh, oldest daughter of Robert and Catherine McCosh, married John Thompson, son of a neighbor in New Castle and a brother of her sister Margaret Gladys' husband (both were sons of David Thompson). They were members of St James Church in New Castle. One of their daughters was named Catherine Taylor Thompson, in honor of her mother. The couple first lived with David Thompson, her father-in-law. The last record of the family I have been able to locate is the 1871 census of New Castle.
Margaret Gladys McCosh married Robert Thompson, brother of her sister Jane's husband. The couple lived in New Castle. It is likely that Robert Thompson died between 1861 and 1871, as a widowed Margaret Thompson and her children are found living with David Thompson, her father-in-law, in 1871. No further record has been found.
John McCosh married Margaret Millar (whose name also appears as Mills, Miller, etc) in 1854. He was apprenticed as a blacksmith to Robert Miller, who may have been a relative of his wife. He worked in this occupation his entire life. His children were baptized in St. James Church, New Castle. He remained in New Castle until his death.
James McCosh appears with his family in the 1851 census, but has not been located since that record. He was apprenticed to Thomas McGregor, a boot-and-shoe maker in New Castle. Further research needed here.
Catherine McCosh married a neighbor, John McComb (also appears as McCoomb, McCombs) in 1864 in New Castle, New Brunswick. John McCoombs was probably a brother of George McCoombs, in whose household he was living as a lodger in 1851. John and Catherine raised a family at Trout Brook. Catherine lived until 1929. CHILDREN: Albert b. 1864, John b. 1866, Major b. 1873.
Elizabeth McCosh married Ebenezer McKay in Chatham, New Brunswick. Her sister Mary lived with them for a while as a servant. Ebenezer McKay was a farmer in NorthEsk. There is a tombstone in St. James and St. John churchyard for Elizabeth McKay, who died on Dec 1 1914, aged seventy-seven.
Mary McCosh married John Way in 1872, as the second of his three wives. She died before his third marriage, in 1886. He had arrived from England and settled in North Esk.
Alexander McCosh, the youngest child of Robert and Catherine McCosh, appears in a baptism record at St. James Church. He has not been found in the 1871 census of Northumberland Co., New Brunswick, but was there 1n September 1871, when he married 'Ellen Cannon of Douglastown'. She was born on Prince Edward Island, the daughter of John Cannon, a farmer. He is employed as a 'laborer' and 'works in the sawmill' as his family grew in New Castle. By the 1901 census, the family was living in a rented house with windows and chimneys.
Like so many other laborers with the pulp and paper industry in the Miramichi area in the late 1800s, members of the McCosh family moved south, to Brewer, Penobscot Co., ME. It is not known if Alexander McCosh moved with the family, or if the move was occasioned by his death. The family was in Keaduskeag, ME abt 1904, and then Ellen McCosh, and several of her married children were living in Brewer, ME in 1910 and 1920. No probate or burial has been found for Alexander McCosh in New Castle, New Brunswick.
My family continues with John McCosh, son of Alexander and Ellen Cannon. Ellen (Cannon) McCosh and her children emigrated to Maine about 1901, settling in the South Brewer area.