John "Kitey" and David "Davie" (and Jimmy) McPherson
The McPherson brothers were born six years apart, James, "Jimmy", the eldest, John, known as "Kitey" the middle one. They were the three surviving sons of a blacksmith from Strathaven and a mother from Fenwick. And all three grew up to be notable footballers, Jimmy at Cowlairs, Kitey mostly at Rangers but via Killy and Cowlairs and Davie at mainly Kilmarnock, the younger two also going all the way to international level.
In fact James was also born in Fenwick, whilst for the other two it was Kilmarnock and early life could not have been easy. It looks as if in the mid-1870s the family had moved to Newmilns and it was there their father died in an industrial accident 1876, aged just twenty-nine. Certainly by 1881 their mother was a widow, back in Kilmarnock and working as a washerwoman with James a Hydrant Fitter but her two younger boys still at school.
And it may well have been the family's economic situation that caused it, probably already by mid-decade, while very much maintaining Killy connections, to leave Ayrshire for Glasgow, specifically for Springburn. Certainly by 1888 Jimmy and Kitey were both playing for the local club, (Cowlairs) the former a left-half until about 1894 and the latter for two seasons, a left-sided forward. Indeed in 1890 James would even guest twice for Celtic.
But for Kitey Cowlairs had not been not the start. His football career had begun when still in Killy at junior club Britannia before at eighteen joining the home-town team. There he was an almost instant success, leading, still just nineteen, to him being awarded a first cap, followed by a further two against, England in both cases, and another versus Ireland, once the Cowlairs move had been made. And there he, as at Rugby Park, was to remain for two seasons, that is until Rangers came in, he then staying with the Ibrox club for a dozen campaigns until retirement in 1902. And in those years he would win the small matter of four League titles, three Cups and six more caps, four goals, in both cases the last in 1897.
By then Kitey had been married for six years. In 1891 he had returned to Kilmarnock to wed Margaret Brown, he registered to trade as an Engine Fitter. They were to settle in Govan and have two sons, still there in 1901, the year in which his mother was to die still at the Springburn address and by which time Davie was lodging in Beith, whilst playing for the town club.
Davie McPherson would during his career show considerable versatility, playing as a left wing, an inside right and at left-half. He, in 1891 at nineteen, would join Kilmarnock directly but within a season had had a trial at Rangers, Kitey already there, joining the Glasgow club in 1892. But he would not be retained, after just a season returning to Killy a division down, and for the best part of an additional decade. However, it would be nine years that saw the club first win the Qualifying Cup, twice top the second tier, being promoted finally in 1898, and that same year reach the Scottish Cup Final. In that match he was at left-half. His elder brother was at inside-right, so under the Scots marking system in direct opposition. And he must have done a job. Whilst Killy lost 2-0 the opening goal came from the Rangers left and the other down the centre.
And by 1898 Davie too had been married and also to a Brown, in fact Margaret's younger sister by eight years, Agnes, he recorded as an Iron Turner. They were to settle in Kilmarnock and have six children, four boys and two girls.
However, from 1916 the McPherson as a whole were to suffer a number losses. That year, William, second son of Davie would be killed in action on the Western Front. He was just eighteen. Then in 1920 his aunt, Kitey's wife, Margaret, would pass away at their Govan home, aged fifty-one. Moreover, in March of 1926 Jimmie, who it seemed had never married, would pass away in Springburn, at the age of sixty-two to be followed in July by Kitey himself. He would collapse at Clyde's Shawfield Stadium. His death would be a month after his fifty-eight birthday, to be buried with Margaret and a grand-daughter, also Margaret, who died as a child, in Craigton Cemetery in Glasgow. Only Davie himself and Agnes would survive into older age. He would died in 1942 at their home a month before his seventieth birthday, outlived by her, still in Killy, for a year short of a decade.
Birth Locator:
1868 - 51, Grange Rd., Kilmarnock (Kitey)
1872 - 49, Grange Rd., Kilmarnock (Davie)
Residence Locations:
1871 - 49, Grange Road, Kilmarnock (Jimmy and Kitey)
1876 - 49, Robertson St., Kilmarnock (All)
1881 - 13, Low Glencairn Sq., Kilmarnock (All)
1891 - 519, Springburn Rd., Glasgow (Mother & Davie)
Bonnyton Sq., Kilmarnock (Kitey)
1893 - 519, Springburn Road, Glasgow (Davie)
1901 - Burnswynd, Beith (Davie)
1901-26 - 40, Craigton Road, Govan, Glasgow (Kitey)
1911 - 4, Fairyhill Road, Kilmarnock (Davie)
1921 - N/A (Davie)
1942 - 25, West Netherton St., Kilmarnock (Davie)
Death Locator:
1926 - Springburn, Glasgow (Jimmy)
1926 - Shawfield Stadium, Rutherglen, Glasgow (Kitey)
1942 - 25, West Netherton St., Kilmarnock (Davie)
Grave Locator:
Craigton Cemetery, Glasgow (Kitey)
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