However at twenty-four and not yet at his prime 1896 saw him move South and to Everton, where he was to remain for sixteen seasons, fourteen in the First Team. In that time after almost sixty appearances at Dumbarton, almost thirty more at St. Mirren and two more caps he would rack up another four hundred at Goodison Park, winning, as captain, the FA Cup in 1906 and being on the losing sides a decade apart in 1897 and 1907, plus three Benefit matches. And even after finishing a Everton, aged forty, he continued to play, dropping down into local, Merseyside football to play for another two years, only hanging up is boots in 1914. 

Meantime, of which there was plenty, in 1897 a year into his time at Everton he had returned to Dumbarton to marry Elizabeth Goudie, a lassie who lived just round the corner back home. He is recorded as living in Walton, Liverpool, a Marine Engineer; he had trained as a fitter/turner. They immediately settled back in Liverpool. And it was there that all of their six children were born, five girls and a boy. Jack would also go into business as a Newsagent, something he seems to have pursued until retirement. Then post-Great War, perhaps due to war-work, he is recorded as back at his old profession of engineer before finally working as an Insurance Agent.