I've been working with Peter offboard and thought it might be helpful if I recorded for posterity what we found.
Family tradition says that "Galbraith - living in Berwick area. Father - Sea Captain. several children, Robert eldest. Father died at sea while children young. widow relatively poor. Bachelor uncle offered to adopt Robert and take him to St Helena provided his surname changed to "Short". Uncle Short was owner of a typical Island import & export business. Robert (Galbraith) Short settled in St Helena as assistant to uncle. Two maiden Galbraith sisters kept house."
As with most family legends there seems to be a lot of truth in the story, but it's got mangled.
His age in St Helena implies a birth in 1839.
In 1841 living in Newham, Bamburgh, Northumberland was
Richard Short 35 Schoolmaster; Eleanor Short 40 b Scotland; William Short12; Thomas Short 10; Elijah Short 8; Mary Short 6; Jane Short 4; Robert Galbreath 2. All ex Eleanor b Northumberland.
In the same place in 1851 the family consisted of
Richard Short head marr 47 Schoolmaster b Egglingham; Eleanor Short wife 51 b Scotland; Mary A G Short 16 b Bamburgh; Jane Short 14 b B'gh; Philip G Short son 9 b B'gh; Richard J Short son 6 b B'gh; Robert G Short 12 nephew (adopted son deleted) b Berwick on Tweed; Jane Galbreath mother in law 76 b Scotland
Richard Short had married Eleanor Galbreath at Bamburgh on 18 May 1828.
So the deleted “Adopted son” replaced by “nephew” in 1851 seems to confirm that Richard and Eleanor Short had adopted Robert Galbreath, and that he was the son of a sibling of Eleanor. So that part of the family story stacks up, as does the part about living in the Berwick area. Additional evidence is provided by a descendant of Eleanor Short who possesses a poem printed on silk, inscribed "R Noble, St Helena 6 Nov 1860" ‘Lines written on the death of Mrs Robert Galbraith’ who d Nov 4, which links the Bamburgh family to St Helena.
Also living on St Helena was a Robert Galbraith who was an uncle of William Ackely. In 1868 Robert Galbraith Short, along with an Elizabeth Galbraith was in partnership with William Ackely as R Galbraith & Co. It seems as though Robert junior went to St Helena to work for an uncle Galbraith, rather than an uncle Short. So the family story is half right on this score. It's the bit about Robert being the son of a sea captain who died at sea when Robert and several younger siblings were still young that concerns me. There was a sea captain who was buried on St Helena:
a plaque in St James Garden, Lower Jamestown in St Helena, reads: “ GALBREATH, William McKellar (Capt)*; d. 9 Nov 1843, aged 30 years. A native of Greenock in North Britain and late Commander of the barque “Alchema” who in January 1843 was shipwrecked on a coral reef in the China Seas and fell a victim to disease induced by the privations which he suffered on his passage home. He was landed at St Helena and died in the 31st year of his age. His sorrowing relatives far separated from his cold remains can but lament his early and hapless fate and destiny to the affection which they bore him by erecting this tablet to his much cherished memory”
A William McKellar Galbreath was born in Greenock on 28 Oct 1812 to parents Matthew Galbreath and Agnes McKellar. A newspaper article reads as follows: “ Captain William McKellar Galbreath died at St. Helena on 9th November 1843 age 31”. (Greenock Advertiser 29.12.1843)
If Robert was born in 1839 and his father was shipwrecked in Jan 1843 there isn't time for Robert to have had several younger siblings. And we know from the 1851 that Eleanor (Galbreath) Short's mother was Jane Galbreath not Agnes. In 1841 living in Berwick on Tweed were Thos? Galbraith 70 pensioner & Jane Galbraith 65, both b Scotland. In the next house was ?? Carr 65, Geo Carr 10 and Jane Galbraith 30 . Subsequent censuses show Jane Galbraith was unmarried and born in Berwick on Tweed in 1807-8. I think there's every chance that she was the mother of an illegitimate Robert Galbraith, and the sea captain story has got embellished so that he turned into the father of Robert.
Berwick on Tweed baptism register needs to be checked for the baptism of Robert Galbraith c1839.
Having helped sort out Robert Galbraith Short, I'm no further forward with my Ackely problem, but my understanding of the Galbraiths on St Helena has improved! And I still think that the mother of the Ackelys was a sister of Robert and Eleanor Galbraith! Just can't prove it. Yet!!!
David
