Saturday, 30 October 2010

Sievwrights - the wealthy ones!


Widow Helen Low Sievwright who died in 1838 left her estate to 3 of her children Joseph Alexander, Marjory and Catherine. Marjory was the easiest to find as she never married and died in Brechin, where she was born, in 1874. But in the 1861 census she wasn't in Brechin but in Newington, Edinburgh with a sixteen year old Helen C Sievwright born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Both are listed as boarders so no clue as to their relationship there. In 1871 they are both in Crieff, Perthshire along with girls B H and C C Sievwright aged 23 and 20 respectively both born in New Brunswick. Again they are lodgers.
I have done much googling and found a reference to Joseph Alexander Sievwright *  on a MI (memorial inscription) in New Brunswick. He died in in 1856 and was married to Catherine Hoyt who seems to have been the widow of Samuel Edwin Hoyt, so I don't know her maiden name. She died in 1866. This would fit in with the orphaned sisters moving back to Scotland. But I can't find any births or census records of them so how to find out their names and parentage?
Marjory must have been a wealthy woman so there must be a will! There is, dated 1864! And in it I find unequivocal proof that they are her nieces the daughters of her "dear, deceased brother Joseph Alexander" and their names?
Helen Catherine Sievwright born about 1842,
Henrietta or Betty Horre(?) Sievwright 1847
Colina Charlotte Sievwright 1849
Marjory leaves them everything, with Helen getting all her silver plate (to be retained for her until she reaches majority or is married!) all the bed and table linen, the chair covered in worsted and the 2 ottomans in leopardskin (! maybe similar to the one in the image), sewed (sic) foot stools, her books, wearing apparel and trinkets to be retained for her own use and the old china and ornamental china, all her household furniture and if sold the proceeds of this to be hers in money. To Henrietta, her gold watch and chain. To Colina Charlotte, her best set of china. Perhaps she had not met the 2 younger girls in 1864 when the will was written. Helen certainly comes off best!
With this information I am able to find Helen Catherine Sievwright married to Henry Speid 22 years her senior who was from a local family but had left home in Ardovie near Forfar and travelled via Portugal and South America ending up in Canada. Quite how they got together is a mystery. I can't find a marriage in the UK so think they must have married in Canada in the late 1870s. They had a son Arthur Theodore Speid in 1882. In the 1901 census they are in Lennoxville, Quebec.
Arthur had 3 daughters Catherine Speid, Janet Marion Speid and Lorna Speid. Catherine graduated from Bishop's University in Lennoxville in 1936. Both married academics. Janet had 3 children, Catherine had none and died only last year in her nineties!
I haven't found any trace of Henrietta although there is a death of a Hetty Sievwright in Canada in 1884 which may be her. You'd think Colina Charlotte would be easy to find, but no joy so far. Update: now think she married George Dixon about 1889. Seems she used Charlotte rather than Colina.

My tree here

* Update on Joseph Alexander Sievwright here 

Catherine Sievwright's story here

Solomon, John and Norman Sievwright (updated)

I have been sent a copy of a letter from cousin Lyndsay written in 1886 by Colin Sievwright to his grandson in New Zealand which details his family history. Gold dust - a primary source!
His father was Solomon born about 1776 which we knew. Solomon apparently was an officer in Nelson's navy and didn't return to Scotland until after Napoleon's exile in 1815. This fits with his marriage to Martha Burnett in November 1816.
I can't find any reference to Solomon to support this but no reason to think it is not the case. According to the letter, Solomon was the oldest son of John, the only son of the Rev Norman Sievwright. Since John was married to Helen Low in 1788, either John was married before or Solomon was illegitimate. There is no baptism for Solomon which is strange for the grandson of a clergyman. Mind you only 2 of Norman's 7 children have baptism records.
His grandfather Norman Sievwright was educated at Aberdeen University and was first a schoolmaster in Monymusk and then presbyter in the Scottish Episcopal church in Brechin from 1749 until his death 1790. My granny maintained she had an ancestor who was a Bishop! He was a learned scholar of Hebrew.
His son, Solomon's putative father, John was a writer in Brechin and appears to have been quite wealthy. I have seen (the transcript of ) his widow Helen's will dated 1828. They clearly had property, land and stock in the London Docks Company. Solomon does not get a mention in the will although he was still alive and living nearby until 1843.
Of John and Helen's children only 3 are mentioned in the will. Presumably the others were already deceased. Joseph Alexander who is living on a frustratingly illegible island*, Catherine who is married to a Frenchman Louis Apollinaire Pellerin and living in Paris and Marjory who remains unmarried until her death in 1874. I can't find any more about the Pellerins. But I have found Joseph Alexander in Canada - for another post.
John and Helen also had a son Colin b 1792 after whom Solomon may have named his son Colin, the poet. There is a reference to a Colin Sievwright, a fellow of the royal college of surgeons. I need to go through to Angus Archives for a look at that! Perhaps he too was in the navy and perished!
Now at least we can see that Colin, the poet, had brains in his genes!

My tree

* Since writing this I have purchased the original will and can see that it is the Island of Demerary. The mystery deepens and no such island exists in the present day. I think it is part of Guyana in central America.