Inverness-Shire Gravestone Photo Offer

[dhalaughlin]

Wow! That's great of you Martin. THANK YOU !!! It does give me some perspective from my vantage of 1,000's of miles across the Atlantic. I have also had some time to reflect on my theories and reminded myself that I should never challenge a woman's (Lynn's) intuition with categorical logic. I ran a MapQuest from Coupar Angus to Inverness. If my parents came directly along that route in 1936 and if the route would have been the same as it is today then indeed the road would have passed directly past Chapel Yard.

I guess there are 3 factors to consider at this stage. 1) Has the main route of approaching and entering the city from the southeast changed since 1936? 2) In 1936 was the west side of the city, i.e the part of the city on the west side of the River Ness considered the city center of Inverness, or would Chapel Yard also have been considered within the city, or more on the fringe, or within an eastern district not properly considered as Inverness? This is very convoluted language but the intent is to divine whether Chapel Yard would have been considered an "approach" to the city in 1936. 3) Has the Chapel Yard been used for general burials, i.e. multi-denominational for a long time, and is it considered a burial ground "belonging to the city"?

I hope that Lynn too is keeping up with our dialogue.

Many, many thanks. I feel as though "Great Grandpa of Inverness" is whispering for discovery. He's very close for sure, and he certainly exists within or nearby Inverness.

All the best,
David

[Martin Briscoe]

Wow! That's great of you Martin. THANK YOU !!! It does give me some perspective from my vantage of 1,000's of miles across the Atlantic. I have also had some time to reflect on my theories and reminded myself that I should never challenge a woman's (Lynn's) intuition with categorical logic. I ran a MapQuest from Coupar Angus to Inverness. If my parents came directly along that route in 1936 and if the route would have been the same as it is today then indeed the road would have passed directly past Chapel Yard.

I guess there are 3 factors to consider at this stage. 1) Has the main route of approaching and entering the city from the southeast changed since 1936? 2) In 1936 was the west side of the city, i.e the part of the city on the west side of the River Ness considered the city center of Inverness, or would Chapel Yard also have been considered within the city, or more on the fringe, or within an eastern district not properly considered as Inverness? This is very convoluted language but the intent is to divine whether Chapel Yard would have been considered an "approach" to the city in 1936. 3) Has the Chapel Yard been used for general burials, i.e. multi-denominational for a long time, and is it considered a burial ground "belonging to the city"?

I hope that Lynn too is keeping up with our dialogue.

Many, many thanks. I feel as though "Great Grandpa of Inverness" is whispering for discovery. He's very close for sure, and he certainly exists within or nearby Inverness.

All the best,
David

At that time the A9 ran through the middle of Inverness so would go past Chapel Yard though it is just North of the town centre but they could well have gone through the town.  Tomnahurich is just down the Fort William road but it is also quite possible they would go down to Loch Ness.

You can see a map from around that time on the NLS website.

You can also see an aerial view from just after WWII also on the NLS website

There is a good aerial view of Chapel Yard on the TARA website.  You can it just left of the middle of the picture.

MB

[dhalaughlin]

Those are great assets. Thank you. It seems that it all really hinges on which approach my parents took in 1936. That is unknown and it could have been either. So it looks like either cemetery could be the target. But the name "Tomnahurich" was familiar to my mother because her aunts "Gow" in their youth wrote some poems and songs about it (circa 1890's). I have seen these poems somewhere and the poems/songs describe Tomnahurich in magical terms. Growing up in Coupar Angus one wonders why they would have known about Tomnahurich and to have been inspired enough to have written poems and songs accordingly. My thought is that they visited Inverness and the cemetery at some point with their family. In those days I do not believe a visit to the cemetery would have been an idle one. But this is a dim hint which could also be a red herring.

DL

[ghostwhisperer]

There are no Gow Stones in Chapel Yard.

The Scott stones I have photographed are as follows
Name                  DOD           DOB           Spouse
Scott David   *   *   Femmister Margeret
Scott David   *   *   McKenzie Elizabeth
Scott David   1766   25   *
Scott Hector   *   1700   *
Scott Hector   1776   70   *
Scott James Rev   1875   84   *
Scott William   1823   79   Shaw Catherine

Scott stones I dont have include a G Scott, Jean Scott, MacKay Scott, Margaret Scott and another William Scott.

The only Gow I have in Tomnahurich is
Gow John Orr   1892   59   Fraser Elizabeth

and Scotts
Scott Arthur   1917   87   Walker Margaret
Scott Camilla E   *   *   Bonavia
Scott Charles W   1965   1892   *
Scott David   1868   1849   *
Scott F   1948   *   *
Scott Hugh G   1970   1885   *
Scott James   1889   *   Davidson Elizabeth
Scott James Edward   1954   1882   *
Scott James M   *   7   *
Scott John   1896   *   *
Scott Margaret   1911   74   Black Robert
Scott Norman   1960   1883   *
Scott Roderick   1884   1880   *
Scott Roderick H G   1906   1842   Salzman Ellen
Scott Walter   1894   1833   *
Scott William J S   1945   1912   

but I have only done a fraction of Tomnahurich.

[dhalaughlin]

My, aren't you a real sweetheart Tinker Bell, Ghostwhisperer, and just as beautiful too. Thank you.

It's good to know we can count out Chapel Yard now. Both Gow's & Scott's. That is if you have done a complete survey?

I doubt that John Orr Gow is our man either. It's too recent and Elizabeth Fraser doesn't fit in.

However, Tomnahurich "John Scott" could have some possibility if it turns out our Grandpa is not a GOW. Do you know more on this one?

Of course a "fraction" has a lot left over... needles in haystacks. But we know the needle is there and we may be getting closer and deeper into the haystack. Hope Tomnuhurich IS the right haystack.

Thanks for all the help given or yet to be!

David

[ghostwhisperer]

I have photographed everything legible in Chapel Yard and also have the MI Book and there are no Gow stones listed.

The Scott stone in Tomnahurich reads

In memory of John Scott, Farmer, Oldtown of Culduthel who died there 18th Aug 1896. His grand daughter Roberta Gunn Scott and her husband Alexander Munro, Ironmonger and Cycle Agent.

[dhalaughlin]

Thank you SO much! Doesn't look like ours. But you have been so very helpful to guide us away from Chapel Yard so we don't waste time looking where there is nothing to be found. I'm increasingly believing he's at Tomnahurich though. I hope his monument hasn't been covered up over the years since 1936. All the very best to you! David

[dhalaughlin]

EUREKA !!! I have extraordinary news. Never being one to leave loose ends, especially when needles in haystacks are concerned, I decided to play my part in the further research effort towards the discovery of "Grandpa of Inverness". You see it turns out my mother's memory WAS a little faded in her retired life. Although she referred to him as "Great Grandpa 'Gow' of Inverness" I did ask her once if it might instead be her mother's mother's maternal grandfather "Scott". I remember that she became a bit uncertain at the time and I have always believed in the outside chance that he was "Scott" not "Gow". In fact almost all my mother's maternal grandparents and their families are buried in Kettins, near Coupar Angus. However, her mother's maternal grandmother Janet Scott's (M.S. Spalding)  MI is missing her husband's name, although her son who died later is buried with her. The fact that Ghostwhisperer's MI for John Scott at Tomnahurich was missing information on his wife led me to wonder... So tonight I had time to do a death certificate search on GROS for this John Scott. I found it very quickly on the first search and low and behold the Ghostwhisperer's Tomnahurich JOHN SCOTT is absolutely the fabled GREAT GRANDAD OF INVERNESS of our family lore. Thanks to everyone on this site for their help, especially to Ghostwhisperer for her direct guidance to his gravestone. This is a great puzzle solved and one of the Holy Grails of my family research. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will receive no better Christmas present this holiday season.

Ghostwhisperer, I would be much obliged again if you could post the photo of the gravestone (if you have it) in a form I can download, and also provide any and all other information you might have including as much detail as possible about the location. This is an incredible find for me and now I really do believe in fairies. I only just now joined Roots Chat. Through the site with the magical help of friends like you I have been so fortunate to have solved an age-old mystery so quickly. Once again...

A Thousand Thank You's,

David Laughlin

[ghostwhisperer]

The stone is in Section A, right up on the top of the hill. Afraid its not in great condition.

Glad to be of help.