A father's final letter to a son

page 1

I've been sorting through several bins of decades worth of photographs, letters and other mementos collected by my parents and grandparents. It's a massive and very long overdue task, and I admit that it's slow going.

One reason this project is slow going is because of the many discoveries that I'm making. And in many cases, I stop the work and get lost in thought, pondering over photos or letters, like this letter that surfaced this week.

The letter is from my great grandfather to his son, my grandfather, and is written from a hospital, undated, except for the year: 1908. My great grandfather would then have been 74 years old. I don't know what town the hospital was, only that it is where my grandfather's "Aunt Maggie lives."  This was probably my great aunt, Margaret Grace Darling Ross Gillies.

page 2

My great grandfather, Frank Gillanders Matheson, was recovering from an operation that left him a shadow of his former self, he wrote. What was that operation for, I wonder? He could no longer work, and said he had to leave the house where he and Annie, my great grandmother, lived. Their 28 year old blind and mentally challenged son, Alex would certainly have been with them, and possibly their daughter Annie, with her infant son, Andrew. The rest of their surviving children were living elsewhere, in service or apprenticed.

As can be seen here, Frank's faith played a large part in his life. He possessed a three-volume bible, in fact, that I wrote about here and as I noted in my last post, was a deacon at his local church. He was a devout Presbyterian. 

Frank's comments about his loneliness in hospital and about some of the people in his life give a brief insight into 1908 life in the Scottish Highlands. Is it odd that he doesn't mention his wife? I don't know.

page 3

I don't think that in the end, Frank and Annie had to move, as his death registration notes that he died at the Railway Cottages at Delfaber, Duthil. But such a great worry that must have been.

My grandfather, John, emigrated from Scotland to Montreal in June 1907. I know he didn't get to see his father, Frank Gillanders Matheson again, as Frank died in June 1909. That he kept this 1908 letter from his father the rest of his life speaks volumes, doesn't it?

The never ending story continues....

page 4

© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2020 All rights reserved

When Letters of Introduction were always a good idea

I wrote here about when my grandfather, John Matheson, left Scotland for Montreal on June 8, 1908. That was still a time when a letter of introduction from your church minister could often open doors when you searched for work or a roof over your head in a strange new place. In what has become an epic task, I've been slowly sorting through memory bins as I call them .... the bins of accumulated family records and documents. The finds are always rewarding. I recall many from years ago, when I did a purge, but now that so much of my life is immersed in all things genealogy, they of course have new meaning.

Here is a June 7, 1908 letter of introduction from A.M. MacLeod, Minister of the United Free Church of Scotland, written from the United Free Church Manse at Rothiemurchus, Avimore, as noted on the embossed letter.

Imagine in the whirl of packing and farewells, before you sailed the very next day to Canada, stopping at the Manse to get this letter of introduction.

I like that Rev MacLeod notes that while my grandfather wasn't a "member of the church, he has regularly attended its services and has been a devout and intelligent listener."

   

But the kicker is Rev MacLeod's closing sentence on page 2. Surely mentioning that the bearer's father is a church deacon and that he is "one of the most respected men in the district." was enough to ensure whatever doors needed opening for my grandfather in Montreal were opened. 

Perhaps it was my great grandfather Frank who secured this excellent letter of introduction on his son's behalf. 

The never ending story continues ....

© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2020 All rights reserved

When Andrew Horne left Scotland to live in Montreal

I first mention Andrew Horne, who was my first cousin once removed on my mum's side when I wrote about his father here. I later wrote about his mother, my great aunt, who died in 1918 in the Spanish Flu epidemic here.

Andrew was just 10 years old when his mum died. He continued living with his step-father, a career soldier, in hard scrabble Gourock, just north west of Glasgow. But Andrew was ill-treated by his step-father. When word of this reached his Matheson aunt and granny he was taken from Gourock and went to live in Nethy Bridge with his granny, my great grandmother, Annie Ross Matheson.

After his granny died just before Christmas in 1922, Andrew was sent to the Quarriers Orphans Home at Bridge of Weir, but only several months. Here it gets a little confusing, but I think I've sorted out what happened. I had known from my mum and aunt that Andrew came to Montreal as a teenager, to live with his uncle Frank and his family. He was closer in age to Frank, who was born in 1892, than to my grandfather, his uncle John, who was born in 1884.

Declaration of Passenger to Canada

Researching Andrew's departure for Canada a few years ago, I found the information card on the right, confirming his departure from Glasgow on 23 Aug 1923 on the Athenia -- note that he was going to Canada to settle with his uncle.

A couple of years ago, another DNA cousin sent me information about Quarriers Homes at Bridge of Weir, saying that Andrew had lived there before coming to Canada.

Out of curiousity, I checked Library and Archives' British Home Child collection. There, I found contradictory information, indicating that Andrew was a passenger on the Cassandra, which arrived in Canada in April 1923. The record notes he was destined for Brockville, Ontario. Quarriers had afacility in Brockville where all newly arrived boys were first sent before being sent on to other places.

Library and Archives Canada
British Home Child Collection

I kept researching. On the British Home Children Advocacy & Research Association website, I found the photograph below of boys, the caption of which went so far as to list Andrew, and said the photo was on t the caption identifying him on a photograph purportedly taken onboard the Cassandra.

from British Home Children Advocacy & Research Association website

But I still couldn't find any record of Andrew leaving Scotland in late March or early April 1923 on the Cassandra, or any other ship.

Next, I contacted Quarriers Home at Bridge of Weir, and they confirmed to me that the August date is the correct date Andrew left Scotland.

What happened? Remember, Andrew's granny died at Christmas 1922. Was he sent immediately to Quarriers? Or early in 1923? I think there were too many children at Bridge of Weir, and I have a theory about what probably happened. His aunt Kitty was already the legal guardian of her handicapped brother, Alex, whom I wrote about here. Kitty was from my great grandfather's first marriage, and in 1923 she was 54 years old. But Kitty wasn't for whatever reason able to take on raising a 15 year old, when she herself was childless and her husband was a Glasgow police detective.

Aside from Kitty and Alex, my grandfather and great uncle were the only family members Andrew had left. I wonder if Quarriers moved that quickly to organize for Andrew to be sent to Canada, that when his interim guardian, his aunt Kitty, found out, she leapt into action and contacted her brothers in Montreal. It seems to me that it was a very lucky break for Andrew that he was pulled off the April 1923 manifest. But not soon enough for a photograph to be taken -- not on the Cassandra or on arrival in Brockville.


Quarriers have a small amount of records about Andrew's time there, but wanted 60 GBP to copy and send these to me. As this is over $100 Canadian for me, I decided against getting his records.

Andrew was embraced by his uncles and their families when he reached Montreal. Until then, he certainly hadn't had a lot of stability, and indeed had experienced trauma as a child. My sense is that he always wanted to belong. Just belong.

Andrew served overseas in the Canadian Army in the Second World War, married afterwards, but was childless. I met him a few times. Andrew was a very kind, gentle, and soft spoken man. He wrote me letters addressed "Dear cousin Margie".


The never ending story continues....


© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2020 All rights reserved

Physically and mentally challenged in the 19th century 2: Alex Matheson (1880-1946)

I first wrote about my great grandfather's efforts to get assistance for his 15 year old son and my great uncle, Alex Matheson here.

I've just found a second story reporting the outcome of those efforts, this time in the 22 Feb 1896 issue of the Northern Scot and Moray & Nairn Express. The facts are the same, but the opening paragraph gives a bit more background about past efforts by my great grandfather to seek relief and where my great grandparents lived and for how long.

I can't say this enough: I know it was the language of the time, but how cruel our forebears were to label anyone an imbecile.

The never ending story continues....




© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Alexander Ross married the girl next door: the 1841 census

I love connecting dots that lead to an exciting discovery, especially when it comes about in an aside made by another researcher who was writing to me about several overlapping genealogy matters.

It turns out that when the 1841 census of Scotland was conducted in Abernethy and Kincardine, my 2nd great grandparents-to-be lived next door to each other, each with their widowed mother. Stuff you can't make up. Really.

The census handwriting isn't 100 per cent clear, but is decipherable. Previously, I had relied on the 1841 census transcriptions available on FreeCen and Ancestry, not stopping to pay attention to the fact that the parish numbers (90A if you're interested) for both families are the same. I happily purchased the image from Scotland's People this morning.

1841 census of Ross household at Ryduack and Smith household at Straaneruie

First up are the Rosses of Ryduack: Alex, his mother Marjory and his sister Mary. Below that are the Smiths of Straanruie: Isabella and her mother Margaret, who share their cottage with four other people. Both households each have a farm servant, who were both Grants. Are the Grants connected to my Smiths and Rosses? Time will tell.

What's notable in the Straanruie household is that Margaret Smith's son-in-law, John Dow, was then visiting. John had married my 2nd great great aunt, Grace Smith in 1838.

Ryduack on ordinance map

Another researcher directed me to the National Library of Scotland's 1867-79 ordinance map of the area in which Ryduack and Straanruie are mentioned, and explained that these places were about five miles apart in the Abernethy Forest, which is in the mid-to-top of the right side of the map. To find these places, look for the river Duack from Ryduack to south of the Duack Dam. Straanruie is almost due south of that. These pull out shots may help you locate, if you're really interested. No?

Ryduack and Straanruie were both the property of the Earl of Seafield in 1841. I suspect the lands and those surrounding are still held by the current Earl of Seafield, the 13th of his name, in Game of Thrones parlance, who still today owns vast swaths of land in the Strathspey area. Both place names are old Scots Gaelic. The original spellings left transcriptions through the years open to the imagination, when the skills of census takers and ordinance map scribes did not include accuracy and spelling.

Straanruie on ordinance map

Tomgown (or Tomghobhain in Gaelic) in the district of Tulloch, birthplace of Isabella, can also be found on the larger map.

My 3rd great grandmother, Margaret Davidson Smith, was a widow by 1841. I don't know when Donald Smith died, but it is safe to say that it was before the census was done. Here's a post about their family.

Marjory McDonald Ross, my other 3rd great grandmother, was also a widow. Her husband, Duncan, died in 1824. I wrote about their family here.

So, Alexander married the girl next door, only next door in this case was about five miles apart. Did the families visit by boat or by foot through the forest?

The ordinance survey name books collected between 1868 and 1876 and now held by ScotlandsPlaces describe both Ryuack and Straanruie.

Ryduack description, ScotlandsPlaces OS1/16/1/68

 Straanruie description, ScotlandsPlaces OS1/17/1/73

The third word in the description of Straanruie, cothouses, means a home for cottars, who usually had small pieces of land which they worked while also doing work for their land-holder, who was likely the local tenant farmer.

You're wondering when my 2nd great grandparents Alexander and Isabella got married, aren't you? So am I. So far, I haven't been able to find a marriage record. Their first child for whom there is a baptismal record was born in 1846.

Special thanks to three other family researchers who are wealths of information about all things Scotland, genealogy related.

The never ending story continues....




© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Are you sure? Is it this Donald Smith or that Donald Smith?

Experienced genealogists know well the peril of integrating people found in another person's unsourced family tree into their own, and then using that unsourced tree as their source. This is a big red flag, and often creates an endless loop of wrong information. It happens even more now, with the explosion in the popularity of genealogy as a hobby. I go out of our way to always avoid this black hole.

Now, imagine how much further complication is introduced when you're working with a name like Donald Smith. Well, I don't have to imagine, because my 3rd great grandfather is Donald Smith (abt 1774-bef 1841).

not my 4th great grandparents

Some Ancestry trees are linking my Donald to an unrelated couple as being his parents. Because of this, with the introduction of the otherwise fabulous Ancestry ThruLines earlier this year, I'm now seeing a Donald Smith, farmer, Cnoc of Croughly in Banffshire and a Janet Stuart as being my potential 4th great grandparents. But they're just not. And my Donald is not their son. There are no source documents attached to the trees in which these people are found, except for "Ancestry trees".

Now, I'm the first to admit that I don't know who my Donald Smith's parents are, but they're definitely not Donald Smith, farmer at Cnoc of Croughly and Janet Stuart. Their son is another Donald Smith, specifically, one Donald Smith, who was born and baptized on 14 Sep 1775 at Kirkmichael, Banffshire. There's a baptismal record saying so. This Donald Smith married another Smith (I know!), Margaret Smith, who was born and baptized in 1779 also in Kirkmichael, Banffshire. As a matter of interest, this Margaret Smith's mother was also a Smith. This Donald and Margaret had a family of at least seven children:

Cnoc -- or Knock -- of Croughly was a place in Banffshire in Scotland, I learned from Scotland's Places. In the 18th century, this and Ballcorach in Kirkmichael, Banffshire, where the above family were born, would have been a fair distance from Tulloch, in Strathspey, Inverness-shire.

I wrote about the children of my 3rd great grandparents, Donald Smith (who was a stonemason) and Margaret Davidson here but here's a chart too.

I know these are small images, but I use these to illustrate the overlapping similar names in both families. Aside from the fact that both families are led by couples named Donald and Margaret, there are Anns, Donalds and Peters in both families.

Naturally, the similar names would lead some to think that they've got the right family when they come across Donald Smith and Margaret Smith of Ballcorach in Kirkmichael, Banffshire. But this is not the right family. Here's what Scotland's Places says about Ballcorach's location.

Scotland's Places - about Ballcorach, Banffshire

And here's the description of Tulloch:

Scotland's Places - about Tulloch, Inverness-shire 

I have a paper trail of my Smiths, including baptismal, marriage and death records and censuses. I've also found a similar paper trail for the children of Donald Smith and Margaret Smith. These are two, separate and distinct families living in adjacent counties but not close, as the crow flies, as they say.

The kicker that the Balcorach Smiths are not the parents of my 3rd great grandfather, Donald Smith of Tulloch was finding the Will of Donald Smith of Ballcorach. His bequests to his children by name did it for me, in terms of confirmation.

With special thanks again to Scottish genealogist Jenny Blain for her much appreciated research assistance and on the ground knowledge too.

The never ending story continues....




© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Found! Isabella Smith's baptismal record

I'm lucky to live near the excellent Toronto Reference Library and that it is a partner library of FamilySearch, the genealogical records mecca based in Utah.

A few weeks ago, I took myself to the Toronto Reference Library to look at the image attached to the FamilySearch baptism transcription of my maternal 2nd great grandmother, Isabella Smith (1817-1915).

Jackpot! I found the Old Parish Record that confirmed details about both Isabella and my 3rd great grandparents, Donald Smith and Margaret Davidson.

I needed help making out the specific place name before the word Tulloch seen above. I learned that this is Tomghobhain, Gaelic for Smith Hill, a place that is mentioned in this Electric Scotland page, In the Shadow of Cairngorm, which also mentions Abernethy, and place mentioned in many of my Ross and Matheson records.

I knew from Margaret Davidson's obituary, which you can see here, that Donald Smith was from Tulloch. In another great online resource, Scotland's Places, Tulloch is described as:

 "a well-known district on the west side of the River Nethy in the County of Inverness".

Nethy is a place where many of my ancestors lived.

Slowly the pieces of the puzzle of my Smith ancestors is starting to unravel.

With special thanks to Scottish genealogist Jenny Blain for her much appreciated research assistance.

The never ending story continues....




© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Gathering new found Scots cousin ancestors 4: Grace Smith & John Dow and family

Grace Smith (1814-1891) was my 2nd great grandmother Isabella's older sister, part of the family of Donald Smith and Margaret Davidson. I never knew about Isabella's family until just a few years ago. According to several censuses, Grace was born in Abernethy, Inverness in about 1814. I have nothing more specific than that.

On 23 June 1838, in Inveraron, Banff, Grace married John Dow (1812-1884), who went on to become a farmer at Cardockhead, Knockando in Moray. According to the Old Parish Records marriage register found on Scotland's People, at the time of their marriage, both were in service. Grace was indicated as being from Cromdale. A new clue, as I'm now seeing that my Smiths moved around a fair bit. Grace and John had eight children:

• James (1840-1916), who was a brewer (I'm assuming a whisky brewer, given that he lived for many years in Aberlour, home of one of those many fine Highland whiskys.)
• William (1842-1913), an insurance agent
• Margaret (1845-1893), who was in service
• Ann (1847-1928), who cared for her own large family
• Donald (1850-1898), who was a carpet salesman
• Janet (1852-1917)
• Peter (1854-1931), a school master
• Grace (1857-1932)

Their children in turn married, and gave their parents many grandchildren. Some of those served Great Britain in the Boer War, First World War and Second World War and some lost their lives doing that. Others became educators, doctors and nurses. So far, I've connected with just one Dow descendant, thanks to AncestryDNA. Hope springs eternal that I can learn more about their stories.

The never ending story continues ....

© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Margaret Davidson's death notice

Things happen when you least expect them. While on FamilySearch, I found mention of a new source document, a published death notice for my 3rd great grandmother, Margaret Davidson Smith (abt 1778-1863). This appeared in the 5 Mar 1863 issue of the Inverness Courier:

I wrote about the discovery of details about my third great grandmother Margaret here I had learned from censuses that Margaret was a midwife and I knew that she died at her son Peter's home.

The death notice includes a new clue about my 3rd great grandfather, Donald Smith: he lived at Tulloch in Strathspey, which is in the Aviemore area of the Highlands. Was Tulloch an estate? An area? I don't know. I know for certain that he died before 1851. He may also have died before 1841, as I can't find him on that census either. Browsing the Inverness Courier, I see there was a cholera epidemic in the area in the summer of 1832. Could that have claimed Donald's life?

Death notices in Scotland for my ancestors are so rare. This is a wonderous find.

The never ending story continues...



© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2018 All rights reserved

Gathering new found Scots cousin ancestors 3: Peter Smith & Jane Allan and family

My 2nd great great uncle, Peter Smith (1821-1863) was one of two sons born to my 3rd great grandparents, Donald Smith and Margaret Davidson.

According to censuses, Peter was a letter carrier in Edinburgh. We know that he married Jane Allan (abt 1822-1888) in Urquhart, Morayshire on 28 Oct 1846. It was there that their first child had been born on 6 Aug 1846. By the time that child, wee Margaret, died on 5 Dec 1847, they were living in Edinburgh. The children of Peter and Jane were:

• Margaret (1846-1847)
• Daniel (1849-1849)
• Alexander (1850-1890)
• Peter (1851-1857)
• Mary (1853-1901)
• Jane (1855-1925)
• Grace (1858-1918)
• Keith Scott (1860-1861)
• Ann (1861-1870)

Yes, only four of Peter and Jane's children lived to adulthood. From what I've found, of his children who lived to adulthood, only Jane married and had a family. Jane married a man named John Brown in 1880, who was a confectioner. They had three children and lived all their lives in Edinburgh.

Peter's mother Margaret Davidson had spent her final years living with Peter and his family, and had died less than three months before her son. Such sadness there must have been in Peter and Jane's household. Edinburgh was also the home of his sister Anne and her husband Angus Falconer.

Peter was only 41 when he died from liver disease at his home, 42 Buccleuch Street. The cause of death was recorded as liver disease, the symptoms of which developed just six weeks before his death. We have no confirmed record of his father's (my 3rd great grandfather's) death, but I wonder if he had similar health issues.

The never ending story continues....




© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2018 All rights reserved

Gathering new found Scots cousin ancestors 2: Anne Smith & Angus Falconer and family

My 2nd great great aunt, Anne Smith (abt 1810-1852) was the eldest daughter of my 3rd great grandparents, Donald Smith and Margaret Davidson. According to censuses, Anne was born in Kingussie in the Highlands, which is where her mother was born and raised.

By about 1834, Anne had married Angus Falconer (1815-1872), also of Kingussie. A record of their marriage in Scotland's Old Parish Records has not survived, but the first of at least seven children was born in about 1835. They were:

• Margaret abt 1835 - ?
• Mary abt 1837-1901
• Alexander 1839-1899
• Donald aka Daniel 1842-1901
• Duncan 1845-1881
• Christian 1847-1900
• Eliza Ormiston 1850-1930

By 1842, when their son Donald (aka Daniel) was born, Angus and Anne and their family were living in Midlothian -- in Edinburgh and thereabouts. Angus' occupation reported in censuses was sheriff's officer and justice of the peace. Did better employment opportunities drive them from the Highlands? Probably.

I quickly found marriage and other records for Mary, Alex, Donald (who went by Daniel for unknown reasons) and Duncan. Christian never married. Just a few days ago after searching unsuccessfully for a long while, I found Eliza Ormiston's marriage and her family. The life of the eldest, Margaret, remains a mystery. So far. I've got a couple of leads, but need to narrow down the right Margaret Falconer in my searches.

Mary married a man named a grocer and purveyor, in 1863 in Edinburgh, where they made their lifelong home. They had a family of at least ten children, three of whom died as young children. Some stayed in Scotland and a couple went south to the London area. One son emigrated to Australia, marrying and having a family there. One daughter became a nurse and made her home in South Africa, marrying and having a family there.

Alexander became a hairdresser in Glasgow, married, and fathered two sons, who also became hairdressers.

Donald/Daniel married and had at least five children in Edinburgh, but censuses tell us that he and his wife lived apart for several years. There appears to have been no divorce. I've had little success so far researching all of  their children. One daughter's husband was killed in action in 1917 in Belgium during the First World War, leaving her with two small children. I found the marriage of one son, but none for the other three sons.

Duncan was a ship steward who died at just 36, leaving behind a widow and four young children. His only daughter emigrated to Toronto with her husband in 1926, following several of their ten children who had preceded them here. I wonder if I've crossed paths with any Falconer cousins here in Toronto.

Eliza Ormiston married a man who was a commercial traveller, the censuses say, and together they had at least seven children, one of whom died at birth. A travelling salesman if you will. They moved south to London with their four eldest in about 1880. I wonder where the name Ormiston came from....the Falconer side or the Smith side? I've not encountered it elsewhere in my research.

Anne died in her early 40s in 1952 in Banffshire, old parish records on Scotland's People tell me. Angus survived her by 20 years, dying in Leith, outside Edinburgh in 1872. Their children gave her many grandchildren, and me many more cousin ancestors.

Their youngest, Eliza Ormiston, was less than two years old when Anne died. I found her living with Anne's sister Grace Smith Dow and her large family in Moray when the 1861 census was done. I found Anne's widower in Leith in 1861, with their youngest son, Duncan.

I wonder if the siblings remained close in adulthood. They seemed scattered. Did the Falconers know their other cousins, including my great grandmother Annie Ross? Questions never end in genealogy research, do they?

The never ending story continues....







© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2018 All rights reserved

A look at some family tartans on Tartan Day

Happy Tartan Day! On April 6, Canada, Scotland, the United States, Galicia and Argentina* mark Tartan Day. The date was chosen as it marks the day in 1320 that the Declaration of Arbroath document declaring Scotland's independence from England was drafted.

Over the past year, I've been lucky enough to push back in my family history research on some of my maternal Scots ancestors, and so today I present their tartans. Those familiar with tartans will know that most clans have dress and hunting tartans, and both ancient and modern versions of both of those.

Matheson ancient dress 

The tartan of John Matheson (1884-1964), my maternal grandfather (left).

Ross modern dress

Ross is the tartan of Annie Ross (1849-1922), my maternal great grandmother.

Grant ancient hunting

I've just started to seriously research my Smith line that originates with Isabella Smith (1815-1922, my 2nd great grandmother, and discovered that my Smiths are part of Clan Grant. This makes perfect sense when you see the Scotland clan map compiled by History Scotland. Grant territory overlays the area where my Smiths originated.

Gillanders ancient hunting

One of the best discoveries I made over the past year is that of a 3rd great grandmother, Isabella Gillanders (b abt 1775). I look forward to learning more about this line, although mid-1750s Scottish records are very scarce. I'm up to the challenge.

Mackenzie modern hunting

Another 2nd great grandmother is Margaret McKenzie (1798-1865). McKenzie and Mackenzie are interchangeable in many records. In my family, it's McKenzie. But I have a Mackenzie friend (sadly, we're not DNA matches). The McKenzie tartan search brings up Mackenzie, who rule.

MacDonald modern dress

Likewise, the search for the tartan of another 3rd great grandmother, Marjory McDonald (1782-1844) brings up the mighty MacDonald. These names also are interchangeable. There are many Donald clan tartans. I can't begin to accurately ascertain which tartan my McDonalds adopted. Here's one though.

The clan tartan of another 3rd great grandmother, Margaret Davidson (1778-1863) is below.

Davidson modern

Gordon modern

Clan Gordon is represented in my family tree by a 4th great grandmother, Jean Gordon (b abt 1755).

Cruickshank ancient

And finally, the tartan of the family of a 5th great grandmother, Margaret Cruickshank (b abt 1720), which for now, is the furthest back I've traced. It's one of the smaller clans.

*Why Argentina? Wikipedia tells us that Argentina has about 100,000 people of Scots descent, the largest group outside the English-speaking world. Who knew?


The never ending story continues....




© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2018 All rights reserved

Gathering new found Scots cousin ancestors 1: Grace Smith & John Dow and family

My 2nd great grandmother Isabella Smith's (1815-1915) older sister was my 3rd great aunt, Grace Smith (1814-1891). For the past couple of months, I've been gathering the names of auntie Grace's many family members and descendants. Grace married John Dow (1821-1884), a farmer, on 23 Jun 1838 at Inveravon in Banffshire. They made their home in Knockando, Moray, where I think Peter's family had been for many years.

Grace Smith Dow's death registration

Between the catalogues of Scotland's People, Find My Past and Ancestry, I've learned many details about these cousin ancestors. The best and richest resource has been Moray Council's Local Heritage Service Index, which has countless nuggets of information and facts including at times a brief biography listing occupation, children, awards etc. If a newspaper notice appeared in relation to a marriage or death, the date and publication are also listed. I haven't even started to check for newspaper stories.

I've learned that Grace and John's children and grandchildren were school masters, physicians, brewmasters, distillery managers, soldiers, hairdressers, nurses, servants, salesmen, shop assistants, postmen, gardeners, coppersmiths, construction workers, and more. One son became the local justice of the peace. Most stayed in Scotland, but some moved south to England. Some migrated to Canada--Toronto! Many had children, some had none.

One grandson, John Dow (1878-1901) was killed in action in the Boer War, losing his life in the Transvaal. He was a lieutenant in the Seaforth Highlanders. Two other grandsons (brothers), Captain John Dow (1889-1918) and 2nd Lieutenant David Edward Dow (1892-1917), served in the Royal Army Medical Corps and the Seaforth Highlanders respectively, and were Great War casualties.

Remarkably for the time--the early 20th century--four of their granddaughters went to medical school and became physicians:

• Marjorie Johnann MacPherson Dow (1865-1956)
• Griselda Annie Dow (1891-1936)
• Elizabeth May Dow (1894-1969)
• Dorothy Janet Dow (1899-1949)

Griselda, Elizabeth and Dorothy were sisters, and siblings to John and Edward who died in the Great War. What a remarkable family.

Did my great grandmother Annie Ross know her Dow cousins? She was Isabella's daughter and was born in Forres, Moray. Some of my Matheson ancestors lived at times in Moray. The places in Moray don't have huge populations, even today. I have to think that my Ross, Smiths and Matheson ancestors kept in touch with each other and probably some lived near each other.

The never ending story continues....


© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2018 All rights reserved

Found: The graves of Duncan Ross and Marjory McDonald

Duncan Ross and Marjory McDonald are another of my maternal third great grandparents. Randomly searching on Google (yet again, a genealogist's best friend), I've found a record of their deaths on Billion Graves, with the incredible added bonus of a photograph of their grave marker. The inscription reads:

Erected in memory of Duncan Ross late farmer of Ryduack who died there the 24th Sept 1824 aged 48 years and Marjory McDonald his spouse who died 7th Feb 1844 aged 63 years. 

This stone was placed by their two sons Donald Ross and Thomas William Ross.

Now, the last line above leads me to believe that this marker was erected after the death of their brother, my 2nd great grandfather, Alex Ross, who died about 1855, whose exact death date remains unknown.

There are two more lines below the last line above, but I can fully decipher these,

The grave is in the ancient kirkyard of Kincardine Church, which still stands today, in Abernethy and Kincardine, which today is in the county of  Inverness, Scotland, but until about 1870 in the county of Moray.

The dates and ages provided on the marker give me information to further narrow my search for their births, which hopefully will lead to confirmation of their parents.

The never ending story continues....


© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2018 All rights reserved

Found: maternal 3rd great grandparents in the Scottish Highlands

Updated with death registration images 21 Aug 2019

A few months ago, I had a bit of a brickwall smash with my great grandfather Frank Gillanders Matheson, when I discovered that Gillanders was Frank's middle name. Today, I revisited his parents' names on Scotland's People. And what great finds I made!

I had my maternal 2nd great grandparents' names, Donald Matheson and Margaret McKenzie, thanks to finds my mother had made many years ago, but have been on the hunt for more information. I knew, thanks to Frank's 1866 first marriage to Isabella McKenzie (no doubt a cousin), that both his parents were deceased at the time of that marriage. But I had no other information. Because all of Donald and Margaret's children were born and baptized in Urray, Ross and Cromarty, I've made assumptions that they too were born there. That may not necessarily be the case.

Starting first with Margaret McKenzie, after discarding adding a county in my search parameters I quickly found her March 1865 death registration, with the added bonus of her age and father's name (John McKenzie). My grandfather John Matheson was named after his great grandfather, John McKenzie, who was a labourer. Margaret's mother's name is also listed, but the first name (also Margaret) is crossed out, so that must be confirmed. Oh, and Margaret's mother's maiden name was also McKenzie. Margaret died at East Grange, Kinloss in Elgin. A new place name to add to my research arsenal. Kinloss is very near Forres, where I have some ancestral roots on my Ross side.

My 3rd great grandmother was just 67 years old when she died, yet her cause of death is listed as "infirmities of old age". Today, 67 is hardly considered old age, but their lives were so very much harder then, compared to ours in the 21st century.

Margaret McKenzie Matheson 1865 death registration

Next, I looked for the death registration of Margaret's husband, Donald. Her death registration helpfully noted that Donald was already deceased in 1865, narrowing my search window, and confirmed that he was a farm grieve, which is listed in Frank's marriage and death registrations.

Bingo! I found Donald, a farm grieve in 1859, having died at Erbusaig, Lochalsh, in Ross-shire--more new place names to add to my research arsenal. Donald's death registration tells me that his parents were Dugald Matheson, whose occupation was mason, and Isabella Gillanders. I knew that the Gillanders name would open doors. Unfortunately, Donald's cause of death is blank on the registration form.

Donald Matheson death registration 1865

The person who reported Donald's death is identified as his sister in law, Mary MacKay. I haven't yet started to research who her husband was -- that will be a much more difficult task, I think. Was she married to a brother of Donald? Or was she married to a brother of his wife, Margaret McKenzie?

Genealogy discoveries like these do make my heart sing.

Will these new finds help to have more DNA matches? That would be fantastic.

My search for information about Dugald and Isabella and John and his wife will be harder now, as it is hard to find Scottish records from the 1700s. I'll keep looking though. My glass is still half full.

As always, the never ending story continues.....




© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2018 All rights reserved

A bit of a brickwall smash: Frank Gillanders Matheson 1833-1909

As genealogists do from time to time, I was reviewing some old research for my great grandfather and some of his children last week. This is how breakthroughs or other discoveries are often made through the endless task of connecting the dots.

While looking at the 1946 death registration of his son Alex, I noticed that Frank is listed as Frank Gillanders Matheson, as reported by Frank's daughter, Catherine Matheson Graham. I've looked at that document many times, but until last week there had been no ah ha! moment for me. I was then reminded that Frank is recorded in the 1860 Scotland census as Frank G. Mathieson (yes, of course the name Matheson has several spelling variations).

Keeping in mind Scots naming patterns, it seems likely that Gillanders was the maiden name of one of Frank's grandmothers. A check of my 200+ AncestryDNA matches shows that I have three with the name Gillanders as direct ancestors. My brother has more. That doesn't make my task any less than finding a needle in a haystack though.

Still, Gillanders is a new clue. On top of others.

The never ending story continues....


© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2017 All rights reserved

The Gillies sisters of Nethy Bridge come to Canada

Forgive me for seemingly being on a DNA binge, but I have had yet another cousin relationship confirmed by DNA.

A few years ago, a woman messaged me on Ancestry to say she had seen similarities in both our family trees. This connection opened so many doors for me in my research, as often happens. Until this cousin contacted me, I hadn't known that my great grandmother Annie Ross (1850-1922 had siblings and eight nieces (!! but just one nephew), the children of her sister, Margaret Grace Darling Ross, known as Maggie (1847-1932).

My latest confirmed DNA cousin is a great great granddaughter of Maggie, who lived with her husband James Gillies (1847-1906) and their family in Nethy Bridge, the same Cairngorms village in Inverness-shire where my paternal great grandparents lived with their family. In 1906 and 1908, four of Maggie's daughters, Mary, Jessie, Robina and her namesake Maggie; emigrated from the Scottish Highlands to make their home in Toronto. I wonder why they chose Toronto? Likely they already knew someone there. Their cousin, my grandfather John Matheson (1884-1964) followed them to Canada in 1907, but he chose Montreal for his home.

The sisters all took jobs as servants in Toronto, and between 1908 and 1914, each married. Three sisters stayed in Toronto, but the youngest, Robina Gillies (1888-1969) moved to Los Angeles with her husband Ben Kelly (1884-1939) in 1919, after their only child, Jackie, tragically died aged only seven in January of that year from bronchial pneumonia.

Maggie Gillies Wood

Maggie Gillies (1874-aft 1931) and her husband John Thomas Wood (abt 1857-1931) had no children. Nor did her sister Jessie Darling Mary Gillies (1880-1931) and her husband Thomas Devereux (1881-?)

Mary Gillies Bennett

My 3rd cousin once removed is the great granddaughter of Mary Gillies (1878-1929), who died after being struck by a streetcar in Toronto, leaving her husband Peter Bennett (1870-?) and their children Peter and Annabelle. The January 10, 1929 edition of the Toronto Star carried this very brief death notice for Mary:

"Bennett - On Wednesday, January 9th 1929, at Toronto. Mary Bennett, 7 Grove Avenue, in her 50th year. Funeral private from Bert Humphrey's Funeral Parlors, 466 Church Street Friday afternoon. Interment Prospect Cemetery."

Did the Gillies sisters stay in touch with my grandfather John Matheson in Montreal by letter and phone calls? I suspect so. Since he was a locomotive engineer with CN, he probably went through Toronto from time to time. Letter writing was the great social pastime of that era. I do have a memory of my mother mentioning that her father had a cousin in California -- that would have been Robina.

My cousin is lucky to have photos of her great grandmother and great aunt, and has kindly let me use these here. Not for the first time do I wonder what happened to my families' photos. I have a couple of shoeboxes worth of photos from the late 19th and early 20th century with absolutely nothing to identify the people pictured. This is a great frustration.

My cousin and I live just a couple of hours' drive apart. We're so pleased to be in touch, but we still haven't met face to face. We need to make that happen.

The never ending story continues.....



© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2017 All rights reserved

Brick Wall: On the hunt for Mathesons and McKenzies in Urray

Updated 2 Sep 2019 with birth and death years

Since I know that my great grandfather Frank Matheson was born in the old parish of Urray, Ross and Cromarty in Scotland, and that all of his at least eight siblings were also born there, it has belatedly struck me that I may find some clues to his parents, my 2nd great grandparents, Donald Matheson (abt 1798-1859) and Margaret McKenzie (abt 1798-1865), and their origins, searching with the place name Urray. It would be wonderful to find the names of their parents. How hard could it be? No, don't answer that.

Urray is described as a scattered village consisting of Easter, Old and Wester Urray and is near the Muir of Ord, which today is a short 21 minute train ride from Inverness, but was much more difficult to reach before a bridge was built in 1814.

There are many Donald Mathesons and Margaret McKenzies associated with the parish of Urray in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, even though according to the a recently (for me) discovered resource, the Statistical Accounts of Scotland, 1791-1845, the 1791 population of the parish totalled 1,860. The Statistical Accounts are described by the National Library of Scotland as "an invaluable source for research on Scottish life in the 18th to 21st centuries". The 1791 account, you'll see, is written in Old English, so it takes time to digest.

But let's go back to the number of people with the same name. Between 1700 and 1800, familysearch.org lists over 300 births and baptisms with the name Donald Matheson. Now, many of these are the same person, listed as the father, for example. The same can be said for the name Margaret McKenzie for the same period. Still, in an area with a population of 1,860 in 1791, it is clear that traditional Scottish naming patterns were very much followed. See page 2 here.

So far, I'm not finding the names Grant or Cumming, which came to light after recent DNA relationship discoveries, associated with either Matheson or McKenzie.

Today, the parish of Urray is part of the largest local government area in the United Kingdom, but sparsely populated Highland Council. In 2015, it had a total population of 234,110. The capital of the Highlands is Inverness, where I spent a few days in 2011. It has a population today of about 50,000. The Highland Council also includes place names familiar to me from memories my mother spoke of, and from my family history: including Nethy Bridge, Aviemore, Beauly and Black Isle. Not for the first time as a family historian, I wish I could have a conversation with my parents and their parents and grandparents. It would clear up so many mysteries. If only this were possible.

Meanwhile, this is quite the brick wall.

The never ending story continues....

Frank Matheson's wives and children 2

Frank & Annie marriage 6 Aug 1878

On 6 Aug 1878, Frank married a second time, to my great grandmother, Annie Ross (1849-1922). By this time, Frank is a railway surface man, and Annie is a domestic servant.

The marriage extract for Frank and Annie is filled with family history clues, I realized years after I had first seen it. The witnesses were Annie's half brother John McLeod (1856-1880) and her brother-in-law, James Gillies, who was married to Margaret Grace Darling Ross. Annie's mother Isabella is recorded on the extract with all of her names: Isabella McLeod previously Ross m.s. McLeod. I wonder if the Free Church of Scotland minister given, Walter Ross, was a relation to Annie. Another clue?

In marrying Annie, Frank also took on her four year old daughter, Annie Munro Ross (1874-1882), born out of wedlock. In fact, Annie gave birth to twins on 21 Feb 1874. Her son Henry died the same day he was born. We don't know who their father was -- Henry Munro perhaps? Was the father another domestic servant? I've never found any records giving any clues. Annie's little daughter Annie was only eight years old when she died. A family note says that the cause was possibly peritonitis.

Frank & Annie and family

Annie and Frank had eight children, three of whom died at one year old or less. Here is their family's page from Frank's bible.

My grandfather, John was their fourth child, but he was given the same name as their firstborn, also a John. My great uncle Frank was named after their son Francis who was born and died two years previous to young Frank's birth. Their daughter Isabella was named after Frank's late first wife. And their youngest daughter Annie could have been named for Frank's sister, her mother, or Annie's first daughter Annie. So many similar names in one family:

• John (1879-1879)
• Alexander (1880-1946)
• Isabella McKenzie (1882-aft 1901)
• John (1884-1964)
• Marjory Law (1886-1887)
• Annie (1888-1918)
• Francis (1890-1890)
• Frank (1892-1949)

Of Frank and Annie's five surviving children, only my great grandfather John, great uncle Frank and great aunt Annie had children. In the case of my grandfather and great uncle, they had only daughters, and so Frank's line of male Mathesons died out when my grandfather died in 1964.

The never ending story continues...

Frank Matheson's wives and children 1

My maternal great grandfather Frank Matheson married twice. His first wife was Isabella McKenzie (1840-1871). They married on 20 Apr 1866 in Inverness. As you can see from their marriage extract, he was a railway plate layer and she a domestic servant. The industrial age had reached the Highlands. This record also tells me that Frank's parents Donald and Margaret were deceased by the time Frank married.

Frank & Isabella marriage 20 Apr 1866

Frank and Isabella had three daughters, but sadly, Isabella died four days after the birth of her namesake, who herself died six weeks later.

• Margaret Finlayson (1868-1887
• Catherine (1869-1950)
• Isabella (1871-1871)

The cause of Isabella's death was rheumatic fever.

Here is the page from Frank's bible recording his and Isabella's marriage and their children, as written by Frank.

Frank & Isabella and family

For 12 years, Frank was a single parent. The 1871 census for his household in Rafford, Morayshire, includes the name Catherine Matheson, who is identified as his sister-in-law and whose occupation is given as 'mother's wife' and her nine month old daughter, Margaret Matheson. Is 'mother's wife' a Highland term? Clearly, Margaret was helping to raise Frank's girls.

Only one of Frank's and Isabella's daughters lived to adulthood. Catherine (or Kitty as she was known), married Finlay Graham, a Glasgow police officer, the family story goes, on 2 Dec 1904. They had no children.

The never ending story continues...