Category: Stone, Steam and Dynamite
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What’s in a name ?
In August I related the story of my Wife’s Great Uncle Alexander who was a Gardener by trade all of his life. I have also described the background history to her Great Aunt Louisa who became a Domestic Servant in Bournemouth before marrying the licensee of a pub in Irvine, Ayrshire. I have also described…
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Aberdeenshire to Ayrshire
After writing my short account of the book Akenfield last week it got me thinking about the occupations of many of my and my wife’s ancestors. Agricultural Labourer was a common occupation listed against many of our family members in the early Census returns. Whether it was in Sussex, Surrey, Wigtownshire and Aberdeenshire, working on…
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The Landed Proprietor’s Wife
My title comes from an unusual find in the 1891 Census return when I was searching for one of my wife’s Great Uncles. Alexander McKie (1873 – 1951) was the younger brother of Andrew, my wife’s Grandfather. He was born in Kirkinner, Wigtownshire, as were all his siblings. In later life I tracked him down…
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When the Railway came to Braehead
This week I am writing about my wife’s Grandfather, Andrew McKie. The second born child of John McKie and Agnes McKean of Braehead, Kirkinner in Galloway, formerly Wigtownshire. I have previously described John McKie’s tragic death and Agnes McKies reliance on the Parish for Poor Law relief. Agnes had six children to care for and…
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How did she get there?
Previously I have written about my wife’s paternal Great Grandfather who died at a very young age leaving his widow, Agnes, to raise six children with the help of the Parish. This week, I am looking at the story of my wife’s Great Aunt Louisa. She was the eldest daughter of John McKie. His widow,…
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A Poor Law Story
In a previous post I described how John McKie died tragically in 1879. When John McKie died he had been a Master Stonemason. Indeed he had been described as a Contractor in some of his children’s’ marriage certificates. The wages of a Stonemason during this part of the Victorian era would have been in the…
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An Epic Adventure
On Friday last week I travelled down to Stevenston, Ayrshire with a like-minded social history friend to introduce him to the Ardeer Peninsula. It is a spit of land about one and half miles long and a mile wide in its widest part. It is bordered by the sea on one side, the Irvine Bay,…
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A Galloway field trip
Field trips are essential for family history research. Where did our ancestors live and how did they arrive there? The Census, birth, marriage and death records can help us with the first part. Occupation and the search for work and accommodation are the probable reasons for the second part. My wife’s family ancestors came from…