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Messages - A.Stevenson

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Banffshire / Re: Alexander Ogilvie Stevenson & Barbara Stevenson from Banff, Scotland
« on: Friday 24 August 12 08:07 BST (UK)  »
  Dear all:

  On weekend, with a little more time available, I will try to expand a little bit more about what happened to my Great Grandfathers children, and where do you have relatives in Mexico and the USA.   As an advance, I want to share an old family picture with you.  You can see my Grandfather, Alejandro Ogilvie Stevenson, born 1910, with my Grandmother, Bertha Bradley, born 1917.  This photo was taken the day they married.  Take care and have an excellent friday!!!

   Best regards,

   Alex

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Banffshire / Re: Alexander Ogilvie Stevenson & Barbara Stevenson from Banff, Scotland
« on: Friday 24 August 12 08:02 BST (UK)  »
   Dear all:

   I want to apologize for my delay.  There has been a lot of work to do (thank God!) so I've been very busy.   Since Monday, I started managing another business, that's why you haven't heard from me until now.   You've made nice findings about Alexander b. 1830!  As I wrote on a previous post, I'm doing a checklist of things that I will have to investigate further on a holiday or somethng.   Trying to find something about Alexander b. 1830 is one of them, lets see if I have the chance to visit those places or at least make a phone call and see if someone could help me there.   
   So, from my previous field trip, I still have some pictures to share.   The ones attached to this post are from a street I believe Alexander Ogilvie lived on for a while, but I don't have any evidence to turn it into a fact.  Its just some family oral tradition.   Right now its a walk for pedestrians, full of shops, restaurants and night clubs.   On the end of that street, you can find the main square and the Cathedral. 

   My best,

   Alex

   P.S.  nw_whiskers, I love that squirrel!!!  Near my home, here in Durango, you can find some squirrels too, but they look very different.   Also, there is another thing, not as nice and lovely, that you can find here in Durango:   Scorpions.   Very poisonous scorpions.  As a matter of fact, Durango is recognized for the scorpions nationwide.  Not a nice thing.

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Banffshire / Re: Alexander Ogilvie Stevenson & Barbara Stevenson from Banff, Scotland
« on: Monday 20 August 12 06:45 BST (UK)  »
   nw_whiskers:

   Thanks for sharing all this with us.  I'm very grateful and amazed by the quantity of info you have.   On your post you solved one question I hadn't posted:  what happened in our family in Scotland with the Stevenson surname?  Is still carried by someone?.     It's a shame and really sad we had some of our ancestors killed on WWII.   As you wrote, we should be thankful for their sacrifice, as they helped to stop a threat to the whole world, and we also should mourn or remember all the ones that didn't return to their homes.

   I still have more pictures to share with you.   As you wrote before, I am "shell shocked" with all the info you have posted.   I have plenty to read yet in order to catch up with you.   Also, I will start a checklist of info I should try to find over time.  I am very intrigued with Alexander Ogilvie b. 1830 time in Mexico.   Tomorrow I will post more photos.  For now, I will attach a picture of the Main Square, so you can see how does it look today.  It is a little late here and sleep is starting to win over me.   Right now we have a nice rainy night.  I believe it will help my sleep.  I hope you both had a great weekend!  Good luck with your daily activities!

   Best regards,

   Alex

   P.S.   Monica, another good read for you:  Battles in the desert, from Josè Emilio Pacheco.  A nice short story about growing up on Mexico City on the late 40's, early 50's.  By the way, you found the family business, we still work in the radio & tv industry.   Alejandro Stevenson T. its my Grandfather.   nw_whiskers, I have been gaining weight too!  My usual weight was 85 Kg, now I am 92 Kg.  I blame my work, I spent all the time sitting behind my desk.   I love cooking and eating, so a diet is very difficult for me.  Instead, I started playing basketball again.   Thankfully, my height is 1.90 m, so when I gain weight its not so easily noticed  ;)

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Banffshire / Re: Alexander Ogilvie Stevenson & Barbara Stevenson from Banff, Scotland
« on: Monday 20 August 12 06:20 BST (UK)  »
   Dear All:

   Thanks to the census page Monica found, I spent some time thinking what where they doing in Monterrey.   So I started a little research to try to somehow explain that movement.   I knew Fundidora Monterrey bought a long time ago the mine at El Cerro del Mercado, but I didn't know the exact year until today.   
   Turns out Fundidora Monterrey bought the mine on 1920.   So Alexander Ogilvie now worked for them.   As you probably have guessed by now, Fundidora Monterrey headquarters were located on Monterrey, so I believe they spent some time there because Alexanders' job.   I found two more articles I would like to share with you.   This one has a paragraph about my Grandfather, Alejandro, in Monterrey: http://radiomty.blogspot.mx/   I will translate an excerpt from this article:

   "The third radio station, identified as X.E.F.B, was founded on April 4th, 1931, with the motto of "Quintanilla and Stevenson".   It was found by Gilberto Quintanilla and Alejandro Stevenson, with the advice of don Jesùs Quintanilla, Gilbertos' father."   By the way, I discovered this about three years ago.   I was studying at Monterrey (lived there from 2000 to 2004, and then returned from 2008 to 2009) and I did a thesis called "How to make a profitable radio station" for my Masters Degree.   I had to research a lot about the history of radio in Mexico, and I found that fact on a published book.  The climate in Monterrey is the worst thing I have endured on my life.   It's as hot as Mexicali, the place where Fernando lives, the climate changes very quickly, its very difficult to predict, and on top of that, it gets hit by hurricates, so flooding is a problem sometimes.

   So, on April 1931 the family still lived in Monterrey, so, when did they returned to Durango?  I have found another article, written by a local historian, about the history of radio in Durango:  http://www.elsiglodedurango.com.mx/noticia/138325.foro.html    Again, I will translate a little excerpt:

   "You may say that radio in Durango started with the X-2-A, located on Coronado Street 1003, on 1931, that transmitted daily from 20:00 to 22:00, but formally, radio started with the founding of XEE, "The voice of Durango", inaugurated on Wednesday, June 27th 1934, on 20 de Noviembre street 122 Poniente, home of Mr. Alejandro O. Stevenson Jr."

   I believe my Grandfather was behind X-2-A.  On Coronado Street lived some relatives for a long time, even I think my father lived with his parents on that street.   So by 1931 I suppose they returned to Durango.

   I'm attaching a couple of photos from my sunday excursion.  On one, you can see how does the mine in el Cerro del Mercado looks today from a nearby hill.   On the other one, you can see Durango from the same hill.   

   Hope you had a repairing sleep!

   Alex

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Banffshire / Re: Alexander Ogilvie Stevenson & Barbara Stevenson from Banff, Scotland
« on: Monday 20 August 12 05:31 BST (UK)  »
  Dear all:

   As promised, I had a field trip today and I have some photos to share with you.   Monica, great findings!   I think you gave us a great lead to find some info about Alexander Ogilvie b. 1830 and his time in Mexico.   I looked for this place, Real del Monte, and it's a mining town in Hidalgo state.  Looks like a nice little town and a good place to start looking for what happened with Alexander there.   I think you turned one of our family stories into a fact.  And you are right, its wonderful to be able to share with our relatives what has happened to us here, and to read/listen to what happened to them there.   I want to thank nw_whiskers for taking some time to do that.   It has been really nice sharing all this stuff with both of you.    ;D
  I knew my Grandfather lived in Monterrey at that time but I didn't know the whole family moved with him.   I have an hypothesis to share, but I will write it later, as I have another one that I would like to share first.
  As I wrote before, there is a family story about my Great Grandfather returning to Scotland for a while with his children.   I believe our family left Durango for a while on 1913.   If you see the census Monica kindly shared with us, you can see that in 1930 Leonor had 17 years and was born in San Luis Potosì.   My Great Grandfather had a brother there.   Anyways, I tried to find they moved from Durango and found an interesting article here:   http://revistabicentenario.com.mx/index.php/archivos/la-toma-de-durango-una-mirada-femenina/ (Sorry nw_whiskers, it's written in spanish, I suggest you try using an online translator to read the full story)
   It is an account of the siege of Durango by someone who lived in town at that time.   Since March of 1913, Durango had issues with the "maderistas", a rebel faction that fought against the man that killed President Madero.   First they cut all the communications with the outside.   It was hard to find goods and food.   They tried to take city on April, but failed.   That's when local businessman funded a militia, called "Defensa Social".   Their objective was to protect their businesses and families.  As we know, back at that time Alexander worked at the Cerro del Mercado mine.   Perhaps he helped funding this militia.   Finally, the revolutionaries took the city on June and the city was plundered.   Business were burned, houses were robbed.  I believe this situation triggered another migration for my Great Grandfather and his family.   It looks like they moved to San Luis Potosì and lived there for a while.   But there is also this family account about my Great Grandfather returning to Scotland.   Do you know if this is true nw_whiskers?
   And here comes one of the pictures I took today.   Its from the tower of the Temple of Santa Ana.  This is very close, like one or two blocks, from where I believe Alexander lived at that time.   If you pay close attention, you can still see the scars left by the battle of 1913: there are bullet and cannon holes.

   My best,

   Alex

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Banffshire / Re: Alexander Ogilvie Stevenson & Barbara Stevenson from Banff, Scotland
« on: Sunday 19 August 12 03:46 BST (UK)  »
  nw_whiskers:

  This is my last picture from this excursion into the cemetery.   Is a close up of Alexander Ogilvie grave.   You can read the following:

  "Alejandro O. Stevenson, died August 11th 1936.  R.I.P.   In loving memory from his wife and children"

   Tomorrow I intend to take a walk around historical downtown, so expect more pictures.   I have three possible locations for Alexanders' house.  I have two certified addresses where my Grandfather lived on 1931 and 1934.  At that time Alexander was still alive, so its possible he lived in the same house.  The third location is just a street, and I can't verify the location precisely.  Its a vague memory from a relative.   

   By the way nw_whiskers, I have heard that story about Alexander Ogilvie b. 1830.  What I know is that he came to Mexico, married a generals' daughter, who unfortunately died giving birth to a son.  That hard loss made him return.   Does anyone in Scotland know where Alexander Ogilvie b. 1830 lived in Mexico?  If he married after 1858, there is a small chance that we could find his marriage certificate.  On 1857, according to a new Mexican Constitution, it became mandatory to register births, marriages, and deaths through the government.   Prior to that, church records are the only source, but they are lots of churches in Mexico, and I don't think they were very careful with that info.   The problem trying to take a look into the government archives is the fact that they don't have old records digitalized, that makes searching a little more difficult and lenghty.  Knowing the place where he lived or married would be very helpful.

   My best,

   Alex

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Banffshire / Re: Alexander Ogilvie Stevenson & Barbara Stevenson from Banff, Scotland
« on: Sunday 19 August 12 03:23 BST (UK)  »
  nw_whiskers:

  Another angle for George, Catalina and Alexander graves.

  My best,

  Alex

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Banffshire / Re: Alexander Ogilvie Stevenson & Barbara Stevenson from Banff, Scotland
« on: Sunday 19 August 12 03:10 BST (UK)  »
  nw_whiskers:

  This is Georges' grave.   I couldn't find it last year because the inscription is facing the opposite way from the rest of the graves on that row.   George grave looks old, so I believe its the original one.   You can read the following on his grave:

    "Jorge Stevenson, born April 1st 1868 on Brechin, Scotland and died December 1st 1905.  R.I.P"   By the way, Jorge is the spanish version of George.   No signs of a wife or children, so its still a mistery if he ever got married.

   My best,

   Alex

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Banffshire / Re: Alexander Ogilvie Stevenson & Barbara Stevenson from Banff, Scotland
« on: Sunday 19 August 12 02:58 BST (UK)  »
  nw_whiskers:

   Here is a photograph from the "English Section" I wrote about on a previous post.   Here you can see in the middle of the caption a path and then three graves.  Starting from the left, a stone grave marker apparently without a name on it, then two white crosses very close together.   Well, from left to right that's George, Catalina and Alexander.   More images coming up.

   My best,

   Alex

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