Dundonald men to San Francisco ~1906

[hippiechick]

My family understands this photograph to be Archibald Watson and other men from the Troon area who went to San Francisco after the 1906 fire & earthquake to rebuild.

Archie is in the top row, second from right.

Here's a later photo which is Archie and two men from Troon.
https://plus.google.com/photos/115891861277136510049/albums/5862671965065378769/5862671979341675586
L to R: Frank/Francis Brigg/Briggs, John Howie & Archie Watson
Card is missing left edge, so writing on back is cutoff:
I suppose you will kno
face in the middle Cap
John Howie he was in f
his ship we have had to
from him since.

[MonicaL]

Great photo, hippiechick 

There is a shipping entry for a 25 yr old Archie Watson heading to San Fransisco in 1906. He arrived in NY on the 'Columbia' on 2 Sept 1906. A joiner by trade, from Troon. Going to a friend, a G McGeach at 243 Missisippi Street in San Francisco?

Monica

[loobylooayr]

Hi,
That's really interesting. Do you know how they came about to go? Were they recruited en masse?
And did Archibald Watson return?
Great photos,

Looby

[hippiechick]

Great photo, hippiechick 

There is a shipping entry for a 25 yr old Archie Watson heading to San Fransisco in 1906. He arrived in NY on the 'Columbia' on 2 Sept 1906. A joiner by trade, from Troon. Going to a friend, a G McGeach at 243 Missisippi Street in San Francisco?

Monica

Yes, that's my great grandfather. Francis Briggs was also on that ship. In the 1910 census Frank and his new wife are living with my great grandparents in San Francisco. In 1908 my great grandmother (Bella McIntyre) followed Archie to SF with their two children.
Archie, Bella and descendants stayed in San Francisco down to my generation.

I haven't researched G McGeach or the friend Francis Briggs was going to stay with. I was also curious about whether there was a recruitment of Ayrshire men. According to my dad: Archie and several friends decided to go to San Francisco, because there weren't too many job opportunities locally. Dad says James Reid and Frank Briggs were friends long enough for the names to be familiar to him. I imagine all the Troon men on the ship were friends.

[elinga]

there is a Troon and Ayrshire Family History Society in Troon, you might send them an email and ask them.
info at troonayrshirefhs.org.uk  (remove at for at sign)
good luck
Elinga