The love rat?

I was looking for the birth of William McMurtrie in Glasgow about 1856 and there were 2 that looked right. It turned out neither was for the correct William, but were very interesting nonetheless.

The first William was born on 1 January 1856 at 24 Hospital Street, Hutchesontown, Glasgow, father Peter McMurtrie, shoemaker, journeyman, mother Elizabeth McMurtrie maiden name Killen, registered by Peter McMurtrie father. The second William was born 24 January 1856 also at 24 Hospital Street, father Peter McMurtrie shoemaker, journeyman, mother Christina McMurtrie maiden name Lawson. This one was registered by the mother Christina.

First I wondered if 24 Hospital Street was a hospital but it seems to be a tenement address. It seems very unlikely that there were 2 Peter McMurtrie shoemakers at the same address and both having children. Did Peter have a ménage à trois? 

I had a look on familysearch.org for marriages.
I found a marriage to Christian Lawson in May 1848 in New Monkland, (Airdrie).
I can find no marriage for Peter to Elizabeth Killen.

I had a look for Peter McMurtrie in the censuses on ancestry site.

In 1851
at 132 Gallowgate, Gallowgate
Peter McMurtrie 31 shoemaker born Airdrie
Christina McMurtrie 29 wife born Kilchrenan, Argyll
John McMurtrie 20 son born Kilchrenan, Argyll
Clearly, they don't have a son aged 20! It probably should read 20 months, although I can find no record of him.

Statutory registration starts in 1855 so any births, marriages and deaths must be on scotlandspeople.gov.uk

In January 1856 Peter is living with both Christina and Elizabeth at 24 Hospital Street and the 2 Williams.

In 1861
at 24 Wilson Street
Peter McMurtrie 41 shoemaker  b Airdrie
Elizabeth McMurtrie 32 wife b Mauchline, Ayrshire
William McMurtrie 5 son  b Glasgow

He has 4 further children with Elizabeth all of whom died in infancy.
Jane 24 Feb 1858 died 1858
Thomas McMutrie (sic)16 October 1861 died 1861
Christina 19 Jul 1863 died 1863
Peter Hamilton McMutrie (sic) 27 February 1865, died 1865

I can find no death for or further trace of Christina or her son nor can I find a marriage to Elizabeth on scotlandspeople but she died at Wilson Street in 1866. She was the daughter of Thomas Killen and Jean McEwan.

Peter died in 1874 in Glasgow. His parents were John McMurtrie shoemaker and Christina Smith.  His death was registered by son William (presumably the son of Elizabeth) who lists the wives as no 1 Elizabeth Killen  and no 2 Ann Gordon.  I had trouble finding the 1871 census on ancestry (bad transcription - Julis McMartin!!) but got it first on scotlandspeople. Ann is with Peter and his son William in 1871 census at 54 McIntosh Street in Springburn, the same address as on the death certificate. I can find no marriage for Ann Gordon either.

It seems father John was a shoemaker born in Dailly which would make him related to the William I was looking for in the first place! More of him another time.

Second wives

Beware the second wife! It is easy to spot a second wife providing they have a different given name. Some men, inconsiderately to future genealogists, marry a second wife with the same first name. You can sense it is a different person if they are born in a different year or place though. Don't assume it is a mistake.
However yesterday I came across a man who married 2 women called Mary Sinclair. This only became clear on his death certificate where his son helpfully noted that they were cousins. The child I had attributed to Mary no 1 was in fact the child of Mary no 2!