On this day in JANUARY ...

[BumbleB]

OH was born today - 14 January 1940 in Edmonton, London.  There are times when I would willingly murder him, but wouldn't swap him 

[aspin]

In my news paper today in 1878 on this day
Queen Victoria was given a demonstration of Alexander Graham Bell's new invention ,the telephone

Also Warren Mitchell (silly old moo ) is 87 and Richard Briers 79 Happy Birthday to you both

Elizabeth

[genjen]

15th January 1926 - My great uncle Lawrence Sowerby Smith died at the age of seventeen. My mother always said that he had committed suicide but as she was only a year old at the time, I thought I'd check by sending for his death certificate. He died from TB!

The mystery surrounding him is the question of who his father was. My great grandfather died in 1901 at the age of thirty-eight. His widow never re-married but she gave birth to aforementioned Lawrence in 1908. The name Sowerby must come from somewhere  and it certainly doesn't appear anywhere else in my tree so I'm guessing it must be in his father's line.

As for the suicide story, there was anolder brother, John Lawrence Smith who also died very young - maybe one day I shall get round to sending for his death certificate to see if there is any substance to my mum's belief.

[GrahamSimons]

My great-grandfather James Jaffray was born on 15th January 1834 at Skeoch, Bannockburn. He was a tenant farmer at Skeoch, He married Christian Dobbie in 1864 and they had ten children. His son John took over the tenancy; there is an advert in The Scotsman 21st February 1917 for sale of Skeoch Farm, at the tiime tenanted by "Mr John Jaffray and others" with entry at Martinmas [November 11th]. This would be the end of farming for the Jaffrays at Skeoch.

[genjen]

You're getting closer to my Jaffrays, Graham. Mine were in Belhelvie, Aberdeenshire but my first contact with them is a century earlier than your James and I know little about them other than the father and a few siblings of my 5 x great grandmother, Margaret, born in 1751. 

[Seoras]

On this day 15th January 1874 Vincent McBride, the second child of my GG grandparents James McBride and Mary Ann Clifford was buried in Bathgate. He was born two days previously but lived for only two hours. His tiny body was carried in arms to the grave at a cost of two shillings and sixpence.
14 years later they would name their 8th child Vincent. Their 6th was my great grandfather George, who unlike his unfortunate brother would outlive his wife by 22 years and live to a ripe old age, dying in Falkirk in 1970. However history would repeat itself for George with the birth of his twin daughters. One, Hannah, my grandmother, fortunately for me would survive but her twin sister Mary Ann lived a mere three weeks.

Hannah would grow up and marry my grandfather, yet another George. Her younger sister Mary Jane married George's younger brother Thomas.

[GrahamSimons]

You're getting closer to my Jaffrays, Graham. Mine were in Belhelvie, Aberdeenshire but my first contact with them is a century earlier than your James and I know little about them other than the father and a few siblings of my 5 x great grandmother, Margaret, born in 1751.

Not very close, though. As far back as we've gone, my Jaffray line has been based in Bannockburn, St Ninian's, Chartershall and Airth; I can't find a link to the Aberdeenshire line. Emigration to Ontario, Manitoba, Tansmania and NZ (and as far as Dunbar in Scotland!).
What I do have from my great-grandfather is a book, signed by him, called The Young Woman's Companion or Female Instructor. Filled with recipes for just about everything from ink to bleach, and an amazingly thin soup for the poor; it has improving stories of charity and courage shown by women. There is advice on choosing a husband ....There's a digitised copy on Google Books now.

[nanny jan]

My 1st cousin, 3 x removed, Caroline Ballard, born 1856 in Tenterden, Kent;  daughter of John and Elizabeth (nee Henman).  Caroline married Frederick Hicks in 1888, had 4 children, and died in 1910 in Kent.  One of my many ag. lab families.

[terry h]

1st Cousin 5 x R Peter Brydon b 15/1/1816 Innerleithen, Peebles son of Adam & Isabell Brydon nee Hastie.

1st Cousin 5 x R George Falconer b 15/1/1820 Mid Calder, Scotland d 21/3/1875 Langside Bruce Co Ontario, son of George & Janet Falconer nee Redpath.

G Uncle William Hastie b Sprouston Roxburghshire d 29/3/1968 Powell River, British Columbia son of Robert & Isabella Hastie nee Chisholm.

My Uncle Ian Hastie m Living Young 14/1/1955 Kelso, he died 06/04/2009 Lower Hutt, Wellington NZ