Update on Hamilton as a given name.

This post follows on Fun with the McFunns where I tried to work out where the given name for a girl Hamilton came from.

I had a message from a lady in Canada descended from Hamilton Lesley mother of Hamilton McFunn. She said it was her understanding that Hamiltonia Lesley b Cambuslang in 1757 was named after a Covenanters' victory at the "tiny village" of Hamilton.

I asked my husband about a famous Covenanters' victory and he immediately said the Battle of Drumclog in 1679.  Wikipedia confirmed this.  Drumclog is a tiny village but not terribly near Hamilton so that didn't make sense. However Wikipedia says the commander of the Covenanters forces at Drumclog was Robert Hamilton.  Could he be the source of all these girls called Hamilton? Why not call the sons Hamilton? There did seem to be a tradition of calling girls by surnames.

A search of Old Parish Records on scotlandspeople revealed 848 females named Hamilton but all were from 1730 - 1854. Seems a bit too long after the event. However, few records exist before 1730. The jury is out.

The fallen

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
 In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
 In Flanders fields.

The author of this moving poem is  John McCrae who is a very distant relative of my husband (a McCrae married into the Wilsons.)

I looked through my extended tree to find those who fell in WW1. A lot of our ancestors were miners and stayed at home to keep the home fires burning so there are maybe not as many as in others' trees.

Aaron Dickens of Kirkintilloch died 7 Nov 1918 in France & Flanders. He was a private in the Highland Light Infantry.  A particulary sad case - just before the Armistice and only 21.

Alexander Shaw of Aberdeenshire a private in the Gordon Highlanders died of wounds on 26 Dec 1915 in France or Flanders aged 26.

William Rollie of Ayrshire died 27 Feb 1916 in France or Flanders. Only 18.

Tom Holmes of Featherstone, Yorkshire died 12 Apr 1917 in France or Flanders age 41.
Left a wife and 6 children.

Murdoch Ferguson of Skye died 5 Aug 1917 in France or Flanders aged 50. He was a corporal in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and formerly in  the Lovat Scouts.

James Cook of Blackburn died 26 Sep 1917 in France or Flanders age 27.

William Mathieson of Ayrshire died 21 Mar 1918 in France or Flanders age 26.

Corporal Abraham Yates from Auchinleck, Royal Scots fell 19 Apr 1918 in France or Flanders aged 29.

Alfred Allan Walker of Aberdeen was killed in action on 14 Nov 1914 in France having served only 45 days. He was a corporal in the Gordon Highlanders and my great aunt Aggie's husband.  Their only son William Sievwright Walker died in the Second World War.

Richard Ewart Shearer my grandfather's younger brother was an engine fitter in the Royal Flying Corps and died of pneumonia in the military hospital in Ayr aged 19 on February 17th 1917.

Gone but not forgotten.

Chynoweths in Mexico

This week I've gone off on a tangent but it has taken me to Mexico and back so it has been interesting!

While hunting Chynoweths I spotted one Maria Chynoweth born in Mexico about 1830. This sparked my interest and I resolved to find out more.

In 1841 census she is living in Helston with William and Mary Allen and their children at the New Inn. I suspect they are relations.

In 1850 she marries Thomas Priske of the Railway Inn in Penzance and in 1851 census they are living in Penzance where he is an innkeeper.

By 1861 she is a widow with 2 children and is an innkeeper at the Red Lion back in Helston.

In 1871 she is the manageress of the Metropol Tavern in London which is owned by her older brother William Chynoweth.

In 1881  aged 50 she is described as a bargirl back in Helston at the New Inn owned by cousin Lavinia Lory. This is where she was in 1841 and Lavinia turns out to be daughter of William Allen and Mary Harris born 1841 after the 1841 census. More of Lavinia in a future post.

Now to work out who her parents are.  Her  mother must be either an Allen or a Harris. Being born in Mexico there is no birth record.
But her brother William was born in Cornwall about 1824.
Using Cornish Parish Records online I find  William Chenoweth born 1824 in Helston to John Chenoweth carpenter and Grace (no maiden surname) but with Helston it sounds good.
I look for other children of John and Grace and find several with the middle name Harris. I think she is Grace Harris! The oldest is Grace Harris Chenoweth born 1819. I look for a marriage prior to 1819 and find it in December 1818.  She is from Helston but he is from Breage. And two witnesses are named Mark Shephard and John Chynoweth. I file this info away in my head!

Now to explore the Mexico connection.  Some  judicious googling leads me to find out he worked at the Real del Monte silver mines in Mexico and died there is 1837. His wife and 5 children come back to Helston. Grace died in 1839 in Helston. You can see the family tree here

 Their daughter Grace (b 1819)  married and stayed in Mexico. Son William (b 1824) went back as a civil engineer before becoming a pub landlord in London.

I love that you can get Cornish pasties in  Real del Monte (now called Mineral del Monte  twinned with Redruth.)

The Cornish in Latin America project

BBC story from 2008

Maria's family tree

Kedzlies from Scotland to New Zealand

This time last week I had one Kedzlie on my tree. Now I have upwards of 30 and rising! A comment left on my tree led me to contact a friend of a living Kedzlie in New Zealand who had been trying to find out where her family came from.

May Irene Kedzlie born 1901 in New Zealand married Colin George Sievwright.  This information from a cousin in New Zealand and it checked out on NZ records. Her father was Alexander Charles Kedzlie, born 1866 but parents were not recorded. At this point many would give up, but I am determined.  Kedzlie is not that common a name - I had never heard it before so I searched for all the Kedzlie births in New Zealand and entered data into an excel spreadsheet so I could sort them by year of birth.

I could see that the only Kedzlies recorded having children between 1857 and 1871 were John and Elizabeth and decided to assume that they were the unrecorded parents of all three with no parents.

I had a wee look on familysearch for Kedzlies and saw that there were a lot in Inveresk and Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland  near Edinburgh

I then looked for a marriage of John Kedzlie to Elizabeth. Nothing on familysearch but ancestry gave a marriage to Elizabeth Cossar in Australia in 1854. Hadn't I just seen "Cossar" on the list of births? This was sounding good despite being Australia. Familysearch had one child Ellen Janet born to them in 1855 so they must have come to New Zealand between 1855 and 1857.

I turned by attention to Elizabeth Cossar and looked for her death on NZ records to get an idea of her birthdate. Found Elizabeth Catherine Kedzlie died 1915 aged 79 giving a DOB of 1836.  Some googling and looking on family search, other family trees and  censuses leads me to believe her to be the daughter of George Cossar a tanner from Edinburgh who married Susana Gallet in Hanley Castle in Worcestershire. Elizabeth was born in Tewkesbury and the family moved back to Edinburgh by 1851. Other Cossars are found in Australia too.

I am suspecting by this time that John Kedzlie is the son of butcher George Kedzlie in Inveresk censuses in 1841 and 1851 but there is no John to be found in the censuses with the family or anywhere else.

The biggest breakthrough though was in online newspaper archives New Zealand's papers past and Australia's trove.

I found an obituary in the Otago Witness (scroll d0wn about 3/4) for John Kedzlie who died in 1903. It recounts his birth in 1821 in Musselburgh, that he left for Australia in 1849, married Elizabeth Cossar  there and moved to New Zealand in 1856. I found a record for the latter journey too.

I also found a baptism on 6  Sep 1821 to George Kedzlie and Helen Cleugh in Inveresk and Musselburgh. 

And his death is reported in the Northern Star in Australia as well; he is the eldest brother of Alexander Kedzlie which supports my theory of him being the son of George Kedzlie the butcher. Alexander was born in Musselburgh in 1831.

All this research took about 3 days (well it's been raining here) and I did it all on my laptop at no additional cost to my ancestry subscription.  I had a lot of fun looking and what a great feeling of satisfaction when it all ties in.


John Kedzlie on my ancestry tree  I f you have an ancestry account, you should be able to see this tree. If it is not a UK account you have change the url from .co.uk to .com or .au or whatever.

What is an "inmate"?

My friend was shocked to see "inmate" next to her g g auntie's name when she registered her mother's death on a Scottish death certificate. Her stepfather worked as an attendant at Aberdeen Lunatic Asylum and she put 2 and 2 together and thought the worst. Auntie had had an illegitimate son the previous year.

On Scottish death certificates from 1855 the informant gives a relationship eg son, whether present at the death and an address. If the son does not stay at the same address he gives his address. If however he does stay at the same address the archaic term "inmate" meaning living at the same address is used.

Here are three examples from the same certificate.

To prove it to my friend, I found her auntie in the census at the same address with her siblings and her son a year later.

70 years ago today

My parents were married in Glasgow on 27 August 1942.  My father was on leave from the forces,  I think he was based at Fort George at the time.

They were married in the Ca' d'Oro in Gordon Street in Glasgow. Mum had sweet peas for a bouquet and her cousin Ethel Sievwright was the bridesmaid. I still have the daisy brooch she is wearing. I don't think this is the wedding photo - it must be in the attic. She wore a mauve two piece and he wore a smart uniform.

They had a brief honeymoon in Nairn.

They lived at my grandparents' house in Knightswood until 1949. It must have been a full house as my uncle Colin lived there too with his family; so 6 adults and 4 children in a council semi!

Tour of Scotland 1964

I came across my mum's journal of the 1964 tour of Scotland we did when I was 13. We went up north, as far as John O'Groats and across the north coast, down to Ullapool and then Oban. I can remember some of the dodgy bed and breakfasts particularly an ancient iron bedstead with a mattress I sank into the middle of.

 Mostly we toured about stopping to take photos and short strolls. Not so dissimilar to our current holidays apart from the length of the walks!  Mum documented every meal.  What passed for a good meal in 1964 is fascinating as in this entry from 14 August 1964.

We lunched at the Thistle Restaurant (in Oban), really very smart like Nardini's in Largs and had tomato soup (Kay had tomato juice) then Kay had a cheese omelette and Cliff and I had a tomato omelette all with chips. Kay had strawberry ice and a glass of milk and Cliff and I had apple tart and custard and coffee (£1.4.11d) 7/6 and 1/- coffee.

1965 advert

They must have liked it at the Thistle as they ate there again in the evening (cold roast beef salad) and subsequent days (haddock & chips and braised rump steak, jelly & fruit). She also mentions seeing the new Columba ferry "much bigger than the Clyde ferries" and records a visit to the tiny isle of Easdale, which David and I repeated in June. They went to see a friend of my father's who had recently bought a cottage there. He and his brother were born in Glasgow but his father had been from the island. He left  in 1904 when work at the Easdale slate quarries was petering out after about 600 years. The roofs of Glasgow University and the Royal Infirmary are of Easdale slate.  The island now (1964)  has electricity and "many mod cons". Mum reports that the children wear shorts or slacks all the time except for ceilidhs or to go to church.

A typical view stop with me off to take a photo

Somewhere near Durness. Looks chilly for August

Bad hair day!

 

 We had these tweed skirts run up for us somewhere en route, maybe Strathpeffer. I don't think my mother wore slacks until the late sixties or seventies.

  Mum always took her knitting!

This one is from the 1962 tour at Hopeman. I'm 11.

Fun with the McFunns

Readers of this blog will know how I get caught up with names.

I like unusual names and I especially like unusual first names especially female ones.

The one that started me off on this route was a witness to the marriage of Agnes McMeekin and John Ross in Cumnock in 1864 - Hamilton Stillie.  I had seen Stillie before. Elizabeth Stillie was the first wife of husband's grandfather so I needed to find out more.

It turned out that these 2 Stillies were cousins.

But why was he called Hamilton? Often it would be his mother's maiden name. But not in this case. His parents were Daniel Stillie and Jean Adamson.  There were 3 other Hamilton Stillies in the extended family, so it must be important.

His grandparents were James Stillie and Jane McFunn, sometimes McPhun(n) born about 1780. Only Jane survived to the first census in 1841 in Cumnock and it gave her as born in Ayrshire.

Surname		First name(s)		Sex		Age		Occupation		Where Born		Remarks
		STYLIE		Jane		F		50				Ayrshire
		STYLIE		Daniel		M		20		Ag. Lab.		Ayrshire
		STYLIE		Ann		F		25				Ayrshire
		STYLIE		Andw		M		15		Ag. Lab.		Ayrshire
		STEEL		Janet		F		10				Ayrshire

I left it at that for a long time but today I had another look for McFunns in Ayrshire. I did a very wide search in familysearch.org with McFunn and Ayrshire
and one jumped out at me. A Catherine McPhunn married to John Walker had a child Hamilton Walker in Galston in Ayrshire. In fact they had 2 daughters named Hamilton in 1812 and 1814. Did the Hamilton name come from the McPhunn/McFunn line?

Had another look for possible parents of Jane McFunn est DOB 1780 (as first child b 1801) and found one in Glasgow to Archibald McFunn and Hamilton Leslie. They also had a Catherine.

Looking at James Stillie's and Jane McFunn's children names
first daughter was Hamilton ( named after her mother, traditional Scottish naming pattern)
and second son was Archibald (named after Jane's father) - a perfect fit. Now I'm convinced. It doesn't tie in with 1841 census saying she was born in Ayrshire but that's not 100% reliable.

So the first Hamilton Stillie in 1801 was a girl named after her grandmother, but the other four in subsequent generations were boys.

Now to work out where Hamilton Leslie got her name from. I may be some time…


Update here

John McMeekin 1932 - 2012

This is my dear brother-in-law Jock who died earlier this year just a few weeks short of his 80th birthday.

He was born in Glengyron Row where the family lived until 1939 when they moved down to Cumnock.

On leaving school he served in the army in Malaya and Singapore and carried some photos from that time in his wallet. He never went abroad again!

He married Margaret on 6th June 1952 when they were both 20 and they went on to have 8 children.

He was a skilled bricklayer and generally very good with his hands.  

with his mother Bel circa 1980

For a while he drove a baker's van and his wee brother was his van boy. David recalls how well he dealt with his customers.

He was a wonderful family man investing in a minibus for outings. The family grew as the children married and gave him 19 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. The family home was never empty for long.  However they were chased home on Sunday evening as that was the night he and Margaret would head for the Juniors Club for some R and R.

The annual family bash on the 2nd January was legendary. Jock would sit in his armchair like the ayatollah as food and drink were delivered to him. He would dispense balloons and pennies and hugs and kisses to the wee ones. He was a truly lovely man and had time for everyone.

Fleming line from Beith

I've traced my mother-in-law's ancestors to Beith in north Ayrshire in the late 18th century. It's a typical tale of families supporting each other, adapting to circumstances: moving where there is work, early deaths and second marriages and families.

Online tree here Follow the blue markers for the direct line.

Robert Fleming married Margaret Anderson in Beith on 23 August 1805

I think Robert was the one born 25 May 1783 in Beith to Robert Fleming and Margaret Barbour making him 22 at the time of his marriage

Margaret Anderson (1786 -1862) is the daughter of John Anderson and Mary Dunlop born 14 October 1786 in Beith making her 18 at the time of the marriage. Her family farmed at Foreside in Beith parish.

Robert Fleming (1783) and Margaret Anderson have 10 recorded children born in Beith between 1806 and 1826.

We are descended from Samuel Fleming born 2 December 1818 who married Elizabeth Shemons on 3 Jan 1839. Elizabeth was born in Ireland about 1819 and her parents are Hugh Shemons and Elizabeth Jellie; this information from her 1864 death certificate as given by her son.

In the 1841 census Samuel, Elizabeth and baby Janet are at 60 Main St, Beith. He is a cotton handloom weaver.

His grandmother Margaret Barbour is, I believe, still alive in 1841 and recorded at 99 Bunswynd, Beith as Widow Fleming; not much to go on, but her daughter-in-law and 5 grandchildren are present:

Widow Fleming     80 = Margaret Barbour born possibly 1756 (Ages in 1841 are rounded down, so 80 = 80 - 84, assuming the person knows their year of birth!)
Mrs.  Highslop     50 stocking maker  = ?may be daughter Mary
Mary Highslop     15 =?  Cotton Hand Loom Weaver
Mrs. Robt Fleming     50 = Margaret Anderson b1786 Cotton Hand Loom Weaver
Robert Fleming     30 = Robert b 1809 Cotton Hand Loom Weaver
Margt Fleming     25 = Margaret b 1814 Cotton Hand Loom Weaver
Andrew Fleming     20 = Andrew Fleming b 1816 Cotton Hand Loom Weaver
William Fleming     15 = brother b 1823 Cotton Hand Loom Weaver
Thos Fleming     15 = brother b 1826 Cotton Hand Loom Weaver

Margaret Anderson is living in Bunswynd with son William a cattle driver in 1851 and 1861 and dies there in 1862. Her parents names are confirmed as John Anderson and Mary Dunlop.

Samuel Fleming dies somewhere between 1844 and 1847
1844 is the birthdate of his 3rd child Robert (great grandfather) and 1847 is when his widow remarries.

In 1851 census his widow Elizabeth Shemons, with her 3 children Janet, Elizabeth and Robert, is in Auchinleck with new husband coal miner George Rae, an older widower,  and baby Hugh Rae born in New Cumnock in 1850

In 1861 census they are at Kilgrammie in the parish of Dailly with daughter Catherine Rae born in Old Cumnock in 1853.

Elizabeth Shemons dies in 1864 in Dalry aged only 45 of cancer of the uterus. Son Robert Fleming signed the death certificate as Robert Rae. Widower George Rae gets married for a third time to Margaret Bole.

Samuel and Elizabeth's son Robert Fleming (1844-1920) a coal miner marries Marion McFedries(1842-1917) in Dailly later in 1864*. She is the daughter of David McFedries and Isabella McJannet. They name their first child after Robert's stepfather George Rae.
They live in Dailly, then Galston, New Cumnock and settle in Cumnock about 1883 and have eight  children all of whom survived to adulthood (1911 census).
Robert's older sister Elizabeth Fleming and husband David Murdoch and children go out to Australia in 1889 on the Cuzco. Other family members remain in the area.

Grandfather Hugh Fleming was born at Kilgrammie in Dailly in 9 February 1875. He was a coal miner. He married Elizabeth Stillie in 1895 in Cumnock. They had 3 children 2 of whom died before 1900. And Elizabeth herself died in 1900 of tubercular peritonitis aged 35. In 1901 widower Hugh married his cousin Mary Cowan Wilson the daughter of Isabella McFedries and William Wilson. They had seven more children five of whom survived into adulthood including
Isabella McFedries Fleming b 1903 who married David McMeekin.

Mary Cowan Wilson (Mrs Hugh Fleming)

Bel (Isabella McFedries Fleming (1903-1995)  her niece Mina Fleming (1929-1994)  and her mother  Mary Cowan Wilson (1874-1957) taken early fifties in Cumnock

In 1914 Robert and Marion Fleming celebrated their Golden Wedding with a party at their home 6 Glengyron Row.  This is the invitation they sent to their son Hugh which was kept by Hugh's daughter Bel McMeekin who must have attended the party on 7 October 1914 aged 11, just 2 months after the outbreak of World War One.