On This Day in FEBRUARY ...

[genjen]

February 17th 1871, my great grandfather, Peter Grant Raitt was born in Footdee ( Fittie) Aberdeen. The illegitimate son of Jane Raitt, he married Jane Milne and had loads of children, the eldest of whom was my nan. Here is Peter, with Jane at the celebration of their diamond wedding anniversary.

[LizzieW]

Thomas Boulton Benson & Selina Stanton Mumby my g.grandparents married at St Barnabus Parisch Church, Hull in 1879.  Thomas’ sister Ann and Selina’s brother James William had already married each other.

William Whittaker my husband’s g.grandfather was born in Denton, Lancashire in 1846.  Like all the Whittakers before him, he became a hatter.

William Bagshaw my 7 x g.g.uncle was baptised at St Nicholas’ Church, Bradfield, Yorkshire in 1641/42

Richard Collett my 3 x g.g.uncle was baptised in Stradbroke, Suffolk in 1763 Jane Stanton 1837

John Chapman my 5 x g.grandfather was baptised at St Mary’s Church, Pinchbeck, Lincolnshire in  1721/22

Dorothy Chapman my 5 x g.g.aunt (and sister of John above) was baptised at St Mary’s Church, Pinchbeck in 1732/33

Robert Robinson Gilchrist my 1st cousin 4 times removed died in Boston, Lincolnshire in 1899

John Frederick W Alden my half great uncle died at sea in 1906.  He was the son of my g.grandmother with her first husband.  He was married, but I haven’t researched whether he had any children or not, but I know his wife re-married in 1913. He was a bosun on a trawler called the Golden Eagle and he was lost overboard whilst fishing in the North Sea.  I doubt that even today, with all modern equipment available, a trawlerman lost overboard in February would survive.

Charles Connor my husband’s 3 x g.grandfather was buried in Ford Cemetery, Liverpool, Lancashire in 1878.  He was born in Ireland and all we know about his 1st wife (from the 1841 and 1851 census) was that she was called Mary and also born in Ireland.  As Charles re-married in 1857 as a widower we assume Mary died between 1851 and 1857, but there are far too many Mary Connors in Liverpool to decide which the correct death certificate is for her. 

[Seoras]

On 17th February 1889 my great grandmother Matilda Skelton McEwan was born in Eastfield by Airdrie. She was the second child of Robert McEwan and Hannah Greer. Both parents were of Irish descent, in fact her father was born there in County Tyrone, where the original spelling of his surname was McKeown. She took her name from her grandmother Matilda Skelton, also from an Irish family. She was known in the family as Tilda and I think her early life was not easy. Her parents seperated in her teens both re-married, her father emigrating to America. Her younger sister, Agnes was born in a poorhouse during one of her father's frequent spells abroad and two of her three brothers were killed in action in WW I. I think she may have been particularly close to her younger brother Alexander. His military records name neither of his parents, both of whom were very much alive as next of kin but consistently name his sister Tilda. Alex would be one of the brothers she would lose to the war.
She married my great grandfather George McBride and their first two children were twins, both girls, Mary Anne, named after his mother and Hannah, named after hers. Mary Anne lived for less than a month. Hannah survived, luckily for me as she was my grandmother.
According to these births George and Matilda married in Edinburgh in 1905, however I can find no evidence of this marriage. In 1948 they went through a formal marriage, again in Edinburgh, which was not where they were living. Matilda had suffered from diabetes mellitas for 18 years and my thinking is that, knowing she was dying, they legalised their marriage. She died just 28 days later.

[genjen]

Such sad stories. I feel quite guilty having posted my hale and hearty great-grandfather celebrating sixty years of marriage!

[Seoras]

Oh I have some hale and hearty ones gengen. It does make one feel  quite humble sometimes to find out about the hardships our forebears struggled through so we can be here today. I think telling their stories is the least we can do.

[stonechat]

William Kerr Holmes died today in 1929 at his home in Great Neck, Long Island, New York aged only 58

He was prominent in his father's business which made metal (gold and silver) cases for pencils - not pencilcases but the metal parts of pencils
William patented some designs for pens

He was my paternal granmother's cousin.

[nanny jan]

3 births today:

A 1st cousin 4 removed, James Ware born in 1841 in Burghfield, Berkshire;  son of James and Hannah (nee Allwright).  James married Sarah Slade in 1864; they had nine children and James died in 1912. He was a county court bailiff at Reading.

My 2xgt. uncle, Edward Rainer, born in 1865 in Capel, Kent;  son of Edward and Charlotte (nee Henman). He died in 1883 at University College Hospital, London, after an amputation at the hip.  He must have been ill for some time because the 1881 census has him as a patient at Guy's Hospital.

My gt. uncle Frederick Howard born in 1911;  son of John ("Russian John") and Ellen Mary Eliza (nee Viney).  Frederick died in 1989 in Kent;  too many Frederick Howards to confirm a marriage for him.

[Seoras]

Only the one sticks out in mine today.

On 18th January 1733, John Tweedie, the second child and eldest son of my 5xG grandparents Robert Tweedie and Katherine Dimmock was born in Carnwarth, Lanarkshire. I know very little about John apart from he was my 4xG grandfather Robert's brother and had another brother, Thomas and two sister's, Jean and Agnes. His father Robert was the first ancestor in my search that I knew for certain was born before the 1700's, being born in Lanarkshire in 1698.

[genjen]

Mine today are all really distant.

18th Feb 1727, a 7 x great aunt, Elizabeth Bland was born in Middleton in Teesdale

1827, 1st cousin, x4 - the delightfully named James Ovens was baptised in Spennithorne, North Riding of Yorkshire.

1902, James Barton who was, and get this for a tenuous connection, the husband of a third cousin, twice removed! What on earth does that mean. Thank heavens my tree programme works it out for me because I certainly couldn't!