[for Margaret’s parents and siblings see WATSON Family under heading ‘WATSON’]

This story is dedicated to Mary Janet McConnell Smith, a descendant of Isabella WATSON and her husband John McCONNELL. Mary was born in Seattle, lived in Montana and now lives in Tennessee, USA. Mary has been, and continues to be, central to the research and interest in the story of Isabella and John McConnell and their descendants.

Margaret McCONNELL was the seventh child and fifth daughter born to John McCONNELL, a gamekeeper, and his wife Isabella WATSON. She was the first of the children to be born in the twentieth century since her birth occurred on 10 January 1900. Like six of her older siblings, she was born at Carcluie Cottage, Ayrshire, Scotland.

Unfortunately, Margaret’s life was short. Only eleven months old, she died after a fourteen day period of “broncho-pneumonia”. Her death occurred at Carcluie Cottage on 16 December 1900. She was the only one of John and Isabella’s eight children who did not survive to adulthood.

[for Elizabeth’s parents and siblings see WATSON Family under heading ‘WATSON’]

This story is dedicated to Mary Janet McConnell Smith, a descendant of Isabella WATSON and her husband John McCONNELL. Mary was born in Seattle, lived in Montana and now lives in Tennessee, USA. Mary has been, and continues to be, central to the research and interest in the story of Isabella and John McConnell and their descendants.

[Please keep checking this space, Elizabeth’s story will be told here as material and photos become available; the last information and / or images added 05 June 2013]

Elizabeth Wyllie McCONNELL, was born on 10 May 1895 at Carcluie Cottage, Ayrshire, Scotland to Isabella WATSON and her husband John McCONNELL, a gamekeeper. Elizabeth was also known as Bessie or Betty. It is not known at this time where her middle name ‘Wyllie’ came from.

Photo left: In this 118 year-old faded photograph, Elizabeth is the baby on her mother’s lap. [see post 16 April 2013 for McConnell family group photo]. Photo is from the collection of Mary Smith, Tennessee, USA. May Wood in Ayrshire, Scotland also has a copy of this photograph. Since Elizabeth is a baby it can be estimated that the photo was taken in the summer of 1895. The boy standing is Thomas Watson McCONNELL, Elizabeth’s older brother.

By 1901 Elizabeth, 5 years old, was a ‘scholar’ [attended school]; no doubt it was her first year. Sometime between the birth of her brother William in February 1902 and June 1904, two serious blows struck the McConnell family. Elizabeth’s father lost his job as a gamekeeper and, probably as a consequence, the family was compelled to move from Carcluie Cottage. The reason for the forced move is unidentified at this time, however Elizabeth’s father John never again worked as a gamekeeper. The move itself (where could the family go?), must have been extremely stressful. The situation worsened since Elizabeth’s mother was seriously ill and may have been unable to tend to her family of seven children.

Elizabeth was only 9 when, on 11 June 1904, her mother suddenly died in the Western Infirmary in Glasgow after an unsuccessful operation. The seven children of the motherless McConnell family, and their father John, were no doubt devastated. The extended family rallied around. Aunt Janet (WATSON)  and her husband uncle Gilbert SPEIRS probably lived nearby; and Isabella’s grandmother, Mary HUNTER, helped the family. Elizabeth’s uncle Thomas and her aunt Jane (her mother’s brother Thomas WATSON and his wife Jane MUIR) helped however they could, however they lived some distance from Ayr. While they were not geographically close, surviving postcards show that the families kept in touch and that the cousins visited with each other.

As has been told in other stories (posted in this blog) of the Watson / Speirs / McConnell families, emigration from Scotland to Western Canada started in the early 1900s. Elizabeth’s older brother John also left for the United States. Elizabeth clearly viewed this as an option and opportunity for a better life.

On 2 November 1912, Elizabeth, 17, immigrated to Canada. She joined her aunt and uncle Janet and Gilbert Speirs and their daughter, her cousin Janet SPEIRS on the ship S.S. Cassandra in Glasgow. The group disembarked in Montreal, Quebec on the 12th of November. The ship’s passenger list showed that: she used the name ‘Eliza’; her occupation was ‘domestic’ [servant]; her destination was Wolseley, Saskatchewan; and that she was “going to aunt and uncle” who would be her mother’s brother Thomas WATSON and his wife Jane MUIR. The Watson family had already immigrated to Saskatchewan in April 1910 and no doubt encouraged other family members to join them.

A train journey took Elizabeth to Wolseley, Saskatchewan. She was likely met at the railway station by some Watson cousins. Christmas 1912 Janet Elizabeth would have spent with her Watson and Speirs cousins.

What was Elizabeth’s life like in her new home of Saskatchewan? As a domestic, Elizabeth likely found work with families as a ‘hired girl’, a phrase used in western Canada more commonly than ‘domestic’.

  Two post cards still exist which paint a picture of Elizabeth’s trail.

The postcard above, addressed to Miss Jean Watson, Ellisboro, Sask [Elizabeth’s first cousin, daughter of Thomas Watson and Jane Muir], was written from Wolseley where she no doubt had work with a family as a hired girl. Elizabeth speaks of having time off from work for a few days over Christmas. Although the small town of Wolseley was only a distance of a few miles from Ellisboro, the common method of communication was by postcard in the days before telephones. The post card was mailed on 5 January 5, 1915 and was delivered to the Ellisboro post office later the same day.

Dear Jean, I must thank you for the sweet little present you sent me. Christmas was quiet although I enjoyed my holiday very much. I had from Thursday till Monday. I had a letter & a card from Jimmy Carter that used to be at Jim’s. Hoping you are all well, from B. [Bessie] McConnell

Work in the Wolseley area appears to have been hard to find. Elizabeth travelled to Regina and on 15 April 1915 let her family know her progress. She wrote the post card below to Mrs. Tom Watson, Ellisboro, Sask.  who was her Aunt Jane [Jane (Muir) Watson].

Dear Aunt, Both arrived safely alright today have got views of work. Have found the girl from Girvan and have spent the day with her. There are an awful lot of soldiers around here, love to all, Bessie.

Both post cards are from the author’s collection.

By the time of the 1916 census, Elizabeth was in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan where she worked as a ‘maid’ [much grander term then ‘hired girl’]. However better opportunities appeared in the United States and in August 1916, at Portal, North Dakota, ‘Bessie McConnell’ emigrated. Her last residence was given as Moose Jaw. According to her obituary (below) she married Samuel COLEMAN in 1916.

Elizabeth’s obituary, below, is the source of information about her life from 1916 until 1968. Although the obituary contains some inaccuracies (she was born in 1895 not 1896) it does briefly trace the life of Elizabeth and her husband. Elizabeth’s death occurred on 21 March 1968.

Mrs. Coleman, 71, Dies, Local Services Pending Elizabeth (Betty) Coleman, 71, a former Great Falls resident, died Friday in Clinton, Wash., where she had lived with a daughter after leaving here two years ago. Funeral arrangements are pending at the George Co. Born May 10, 1896 in Ayre, Scotland, her parents died when she was a child. After moving to Canada first, she came to the United States in 1915 making her home in Shelby with a sister. She married Samuel Coleman in 1916 and after living in various northern Montana towns, the couple moved to Great Falls in 1931. Her husband, who died in 1954, was a master carpenter for the Great Northern. A past Worthy Grand Matron of the Montana Order of the Eastern Star, she had served on the Rainbow for Girls’ board of directors several times. She was also a member of the Presbyterian Church, White Shrine, and Daughters of the Nile. She is survived by a daughter [name withheld], Clinton, Wash., a son [name withheld], Great Falls, a sister Mrs. Isa Pierce, Spokane and two grandchildren of Great Falls. (Source: unnamed newspaper, clipping with handwritten date of 23 March 1968).

Mrs. Coleman To Be Buried Here Tuesday Funeral Services for former Great Falls resident Mrs. Elizabeth Betty Coleman, 71, Clinton, Wash., will be a 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Great Falls with Rev. H. R. Anderson officiating. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery under direction of George Co. (Source: unnamed newspaper, clipping with handwritten date of March 25, 1968.

[Elizabeth’s story to be continued]

    [for Isabella’s parents and siblings see WATSON Family under heading ‘WATSON’]

This story is dedicated to Mary Janet McConnell Smith, a descendant of Isabella WATSON and her husband John McCONNELL. Mary was born in Seattle, lived in Montana and now lives in Tennessee, USA. Mary has been, and continues to be, central to the research and interest in the story of Isabella and John McConnell and their descendants.

[Please keep checking this space, Isabella’s story will be told here as material and photos become available, the last information and / or images added 06 June 2013]

Isabella Watson McCONNELL, was born on 5 April 1891 at Carcluie Cottage, Ayrshire, Scotland to John McCONNELL, a gamekeeper and his wife Isabella WATSON. Isabella (often known as Isa), the fifth child and third daughter, was named after her mother Isabella.

In the 1891 census Isabella was ‘under 1 month’ old; her grandmother Mary HUNTER was also at Carlcuie as a ‘nurse’, obviously to help her daughter with the new baby and the other four children under the age of eight. The day of the census there was a visitor to the family, Mary THOMSON, 23 and unmarried. It is not known at this time whether Mary Thomson was related to John Hay THOMSON who would marry Isa’s older sister Janet Watson McCONNELL in 1912.

Photo left: Isabella, summer of 1895 [see post 16 April 2013 for family group photo]. Photo is from the collection of Mary Smith (in Tennessee). May Wood in Ayrshire, Scotland also has a copy of this photograph.

By 1901 Isabella, 9 years old, attended school. Her small world crashed sometime after 1902 when her father had to leave his lifelong job as a gamekeeper. While the reason he left his job is as yet unknown, it seems certain that he would not have left his job voluntarily as he had a large family to support, no prospects of work and certainly no savings. Suddenly the family, who had been born and brought up at Carlcuie, were forced into low-rental accommodation and, from records found to date, appear to have moved frequently.  Additional misfortune struck the family when, on 11 June 1904, Janet’s mother, who had been seriously ill for some time, suddenly died in the Western Infirmary in Glasgow after an unsuccessful operation. At the time of her mother’s death the McConnell family lived at 7 John Street in Ayr, and Janet’s father had found work as a ‘auctioneers warehouseman’. The seven children of the motherless McConnell family, and their father John, were no doubt devastated.

Isabella was 12 at the time and her older sisters Mary (Mary Hunter Morton McCONNELL) (21) and Janet (15), would have  taken over much of the care of the family, particularly the younger children Elizabeth (9) and, William (2). Her brothers John (19) and Thomas (17) had completed school and worked outside the home; John as an apprentice joiner and Thomas as a clerk. The extended family also rallied around; aunt Janet (WATSON)  and uncle Gilbert SPEIRS probably lived nearby and no doubt Isabella’s grandmother, Mary Hunter helped. Janet’s Uncle Thomas WATSON and Aunt Jane (MUIR) did not live in the Ayr area at the time, however we know from postcards that they stayed in close touch with the family and were no doubt involved in family discussions about the future.

Little did Isabella know at the time how this period in her life was to shape her future. In time she moved away from Scotland; lived for a time in Ellisboro, Lemberg, Rosewood and Wolseley Saskatchewan; married in Montana, USA; and ended her days in Seattle, Washington, USA. But in 1904 all that was in her future.

It is not known where Isabella lived while she completed her schooling. A bank deposit book, owned by May Wood in Scotland, shows that, after she completed her schooling, at about age 15, she worked in several places.

In the early 1900s, as have been noted in other stories about the extended Watson-McConnell-Speirs families, Isabella’s siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins had started to move away from Scotland. In June 1909, Isabella’s elder brother John MCCONNELL, 24, a carpenter, sailed for New York and settled in New Jersey. By April 1910 all of Isabella’s Watson cousins (with the exception of her cousin Thomas WATSON, a chauffeur in London), and her Uncle Thomas and Aunt Jane Watson had moved to Saskatchewan. No doubt they encouraged others to follow. The McConnell family siblings viewed the move from Scotland from their own perspectives. Isabella’s older sister Janet married John Hay THOMSON in June 1912;  In November 1912 Isabella’s younger sister Elizabeth (Bessie), 17, sailed for Montreal with her Aunt Janet (Watson) and Uncle Gilbert Speirs. Also on the ship S.S. Cassandra was Isabella’s cousin Janet SPEIRS, daughter of Janet and Gilbert Speirs.

By the end of 1912 the only members of the McConnell family left in Scotland were: Isabella (21) her older sister Mary (29); her married sister Janet; young brother William (10); and father John (57). Her brother Thomas had died in 1905. Janet and her husband John elected to stay in Scotland, it is not known whether they ever considered a move to Saskatchewan.  Mary decided to stay in Scotland; the decision was made that Isabella and her brother would move to Saskatchewan. Family stories indicate that their father John had decided to move with them, which seems reasonable as William was still a minor and, as his father, John was responsible for him. Plans were made, tickets purchased. Unfortunately, Isabella’s father died suddenly in January 1913.

Isabella, 22, and William, 11, continued with their plan and on 5 July 1913 travelled to Glasgow where they boarded the S.S. Letitia and sailed for Montreal. Isabella listed her occupation as ‘domestic’

Photo left and below: Isabella, taken in 1913. Was this photo taken in Scotland before she sailed to Canada in 1913? From the collection of Mary Smith, Tennessee.

In later years Isabella became known as ‘nurse McConnell’, although it is not known at this time if she received formal medical training or whether she was a mother’s helper or what we might today call a nanny. If she had trained as a nurse she would not have listed herself as a ‘domestic’ on the passenger list; a nurse would have been a much more desirable occupation.

Photo left: Isabella, dated 1920. From the collection of Mary Smith, Tennessee. Does this uniform indicate that she is a trained nurse, or is this of a nurse involved in Red Cross or similar activities?

Isabella appears to have lived for a time in Ellisboro, Saskatchewan – perhaps with her Aunt Janet and Uncle Gilbert Speirs. She likely worked for families in the area, helping with their children and household chores. Her cousin Janet SPEIRS and her husband  John INGLIS also lived in the Ellisboro area, and Isa may have helped with their children Janet (Jenny) INGLIS and her brother John (Jack) INGLIS.

Photo right: Isa has written on the photo: Little Jenny and Jack Inglis with Isa. The photo was taken about 1917 in Ellisboro, Saskatchewan; the hills of the Qu’Appelle Valley can be seen in the background.

Photo left: In Isa’s handwriting – Notice the rivers and hills [of the Qu’Appelle Valley] this is taken behind the store The little Jackson girl are in too. Jenny Inglis may be the girl on the right?. Isa sent both of these photos back to her sister Mary in Girvan, Ayrshire, Scotland where they are still in the collection of May Wood, a descendant of Mary.

Isa did get involved in the Ellisboro community and joined the local Ellisboro church; the photo at right, labelled “English Church at Ellisboro” she sent to her sister Mary This church was right across the road from where the Speirs family lived in Ellisboro. The photo right, from the collection of May Wood in Ayrshire, was likely taken in 1917, on the same roll of film as the above photos of the Inglis children. Photo below taken in Ellisboro by the author in 2004.

Several years later, in 1922, after Isa had moved to the United States she no doubt informed the church she was no longer part of the congregation and received the certificate below. The certificate is now in the collection of Mary Smith in Tennessee.

In 1917 Isabella had been in the Ellisboro area of Saskatchewan for four years and she obviously considered this her new home. In May of that year she was working in Wolseley Saskatchewan and sent a post card to her cousin Jean WATSON, C/O of Ellisboro post office. The picture on the postcard of Wascana Lake in Regina; she had no doubt bought the card on a trip to the city.

Wolseley, May 25, 1917. Hello Jean, How are ya and all the folks up home? Did you have a good time at the picnic? Had a nice day for it anyway. And I was disappointed at not getting out there. Saw Sandy yesterday he say his job is not all its cracked up to be. They are still working on Magers [?]. Hope to see you soon. Kindest regards to all. How is the seed and garden coming on. Isa

Post card from the author’s collection.

[Isabella’s story to be continued

[for Janet’s parents and siblings see WATSON Family under heading ‘WATSON’]

This story is dedicated to Mary Janet McConnell Smith, a descendant of Isabella WATSON and her husband John McCONNELL. Mary was born in Seattle, lived in Montana and now lives in Tennessee, USA. Mary has been, and continues to be, central to the research and interest in the story of Isabella and John McConnell and their descendants.

[Please keep checking this space, Janet’s story will be told here as material and photos become available, the last information and / or images added 5 July 2013]

Janet Watson McCONNELL, was born on 4 October 1888 at Carcluie Cottage, Ayrshire, Scotland to John McCONNELL, a gamekeeper and his wife Isabella WATSON. Janet was the fourth child and second daughter born to John and Isabella in a family that would eventually grow to eight children. In the 1891 census she was a 2 year old toddler.

Photo left: Janet, summer of 1895 [see post 16 April 2013 for family group photo]. Photo is from the collection of Mary Smith (in Tennessee). May Wood in Ayrshire, Scotland also has a copy of this photograph.

By the time of the 1901 census, Janet was a 12 year old ‘scholar’ [attended school]. Between 1902 and 1904 Janet’s life changed dramatically and unexpectedly in several ways. Sometime after the birth of her brother William at Carcluie Cottage in 1902, Janet’s father, for some reason, lost his job as gamekeeper and the family had to move to rented accommodation. Then, on 11 June 1904, her mother Isabella died after an unsuccessful operation at the Western Informary in Glasgow. Although her mother had been sick for some time, her death was not expected. The McConnell family was motherless and Janet’s older sister Mary likely became the surrogate mother. Janet, 15, would have been expected to help with the cooking cleaning and caring for the three younger children: Isabella (13), Elizabeth (9) and, William (2). Her brothers John (19) and Thomas (17) had completed school and worked outside the home; John as an apprentice joiner and Thomas as a clerk. While Janet’s grandmother, Mary Hunter, likely stayed with the family and her aunt  Janet (WATSON)  and uncle Gilbert SPEIRS helped wherever they could, much would still depend on the McConnell children themselves.

In 1905 Janet’s world suffered another blow with the death of her brother Thomas, 18 years old, from tuberculosis.

From 1906 to 1912 Janet watched as her immediate and extended family of Watsons, Speirs – and also several of her siblings – moved to Canada, in the USA (in the case of her brother John). But leaving Scotland was not what Janet wished to do.

On 7 June 1912, Janet a 23 year old domestic servant, married John THOMSON, a 23 year old locomotive fireman, son of George THOMSON, railway surfaceman and Catherine ROBERTSON. The marriage took place at 169 High Street in Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland. Janet’s younger sister Elizabeth was one of the two witnesses at the marriage. At the time of her marriage Janet gave her ‘usual address’ as Shona South Park Road in Ayr, likely the address of her employer at the time.

[Janet’s story to be continued]

[for Thomas’ parents and siblings see WATSON Family under heading ‘WATSON’]

This story is dedicated to Mary Janet McConnell Smith, a descendant of Isabella WATSON and her husband John McCONNELL. Mary was born in Seattle, lived in Montana and now lives in Tennessee, USA. Mary has been, and continues to be, central to the research and interest in the story of Isabella and John McConnell and their descendants.

[Please keep checking this space, Thomas’ story will be told here as material and photos become available, the last information and / or images added 5 June 2013]

Thomas Watson McCONNELL was born in Carlcuie Cottage on 8 October 1888 to gamekeeper John McCONNELL and his wife Isabella WATSON. As the second son born to John and Isabella, his name was taken from that of his mother’s father Thomas WATSON.

In the 1891 census, Thomas, 4 was still too young for school.

Photo left: Thomas, summer of 1895 [see post 16 April 2013 for family group photo]. Photo is from the collection of Mary Smith (in Tennessee). May Wood in Ayrshire, Scotland also has a copy of this photograph. This is the only known photograph of Thomas; hopefully others will come to light.

By 1901, Thomas now 14, had become ‘clerk’, although the type of clerk is not identified. He was 17 years old when his mother died, unexpectedly, on the 11 June 1904 in the Western Infirmary Glasgow after an unsuccessful operation. The suddenly motherless family of seven McConnell children had yet another worry – Thomas’ health.

It is likely that by mid 1904 Thomas had begun to show signs of tuberculosis or consumption. He died of this disease, on 1 October 1905 – little more than a year after the death of his mother. His death occurred at Byolu (sp?) Street in Ayr; at the time of his death he worked as a ‘railway clerk’ and he had been sick ‘some months’. His elder brother John was the informant of his death, it is easy to imagine that his grief strickened father, still mourning the death of his wife, did not feel up to the task.

It is not known why Thomas died in Ayr, and not at Carcluie Cottage where he had lived with his parents and siblings for many years. Perhaps his father had left Carcluie Cottage, no longer worked as a gamekeeper and now lived in Ayr? Hopefully answers to this question will be found in the future.

[for Mary’s parents and siblings see WATSON Family under heading ‘WATSON’]

This story is dedicated to Mary Janet McConnell Smith, a descendant of Isabella WATSON and her husband John McCONNELL. Mary was born in Seattle, lived in Montana and now lives in Tennessee, USA. Mary has been, and continues to be, central to the research and interest in the story of Isabella and John McConnell and their descendants.

[this post last edited, new information and / or images added 5 June 2013]

Mary Hunter Morton McCONNELL, was born on 23 March 1883 at Old Knockjarder, Ayrshire, Scotland to John McCONNELL, a 27 year old gamekeeper and his wife Isabella WATSON, a 25 year old farmer’s daughter. Mary’s name followed the Scottish naming tradition of the first daughter being named after the mother’s mother – in this case Mary HUNTER. However John’s mother’s name was also ‘Mary’ (Mary MORTON) so wee Mary’s name kept both sides of the family happy.

Photo left: Mary, summer of 1895 [see post 16 April 2013 for family group photo]. Photo is from the collection of Mary Smith (in Tennessee). May Wood in Ayrshire, Scotland also has a copy of this photograph.

Mary was the first born of what was to become a family of eight children born to John and Isabella McConnell. As the eldest she would always be expected to be the ‘Big Girl’, and help out with the younger children. In the 1891 census she is 8 years old, going to school, and no doubt helping her mother with the four younger chidren John (6), Thomas (4), Janet (2) and Isabella (‘under 1 month’). Her 63 year old grandmother Mary Hunter (widow of Thomas WATSON) is also with the family – no doubt to help her daughter Isabella with the birth of the new baby Isabella, and care of the other children. Mary THOMSON, 23, is also a visitor, but there is no indication of the relationship she may have had with the family.

By the time of the 1901 census, Mary, 18 had trained as a dressmaker. The fact that she was listed with the family meant that she either still lived at home, or at least was home the day the census taker visited the McConnell family.

Suddenly, on 11 June 1904, Mary’s mother Isabella died after an operation at the Western Informary in Glasgow. Although her mother had been sick for some time, her death was not expected. The McConnell family was motherless and Mary, as the eldest child and daughter, likely became a surrogate mother. Her brothers John (19) and Thomas (17) had completed shcool and worked outside the home; John as an apprentice joiner and Thomas as a clerk. Three children – Janet (15), Isabella (13) and Elizabeth (9) still attended school. The youngest, William, was only two years old.

It seems fairly certain that Mary’s grandmother, Mary Hunter, would come and stay with the family. Also, Mary’s aunt and uncle Janet (WATSON) and Gilbert SPEIRS helped wherever they could.

Photo below: A photograph of Mary, taken in 1913. The inscription on the back of the photo, in Mary’s handwriting, “With the Seasons Greetings, From Mary, Dec 1913“. The photo is from the author’s collection.

Mary mailed this Christmas greeting to Saskatchewan, Canada to both her Uncle Tom and Aunt Jane/Jean (Thomas WATSON and his wife Jane MUIR), and their family as well as her Aunt Janet, Uncle Gilbert and their daughter (Janet WATSON, Gilbert SPEIRS and Janet SPEIRS) who had arrived in Saskatchewan in 1912.  [for the stories of her Watson cousins see posts 14 May to 22 May 2012, for the story of Janet and Gilbert Speirs see post 28 February 2013]

[Mary’s story to be continued]

[for John’s family see WATSON Family under heading ‘WATSON’]

This story is dedicated to Mary Janet McConnell Smith, a descendant of Isabella WATSON and her husband John McCONNELL. Mary was born in Seattle, lived in Montana and now lives in Tennessee, USA. Mary has been, and continues to be, central to the research and interest in the story of Isabella and John McConnell and their descendants.

[this post last edited, new information and / or images added 8 June 2013]

John McCONNELL was born on 25 August 1855, the second youngest child of John McCONNELL and his wife Mary MORTON. The 1855 birth registration – since it was the first year Scotland required births be registered with the government – recorded detailed information. The birth occurred in the small town of Tarbolton, Ayrshire, Scotland where John (the father) was a mason (stone mason). The registration said that John (the baby) was “the 10th child born to Mary Morton (40 years old). Her husband is John MConnell (42 years old), a mason who has 5 boys living and 5 girls living. John and Mary were married at Carngillan Farm, Tarbolton in 1834.”

In the 1861 census the MConnell family lived at 10 Garden Street in Tarbolton, John (the father) was ‘Master of free stone quarry’, seven of the children still lived at home; Gilbert (24) followed his father as a mason, Jean (18) was a ‘sewed muslin worker’, and Anne (15) was a domestic servant. The four youngest children – Elizabeth (12), William (10), Andrew (8) and John (5) – all attended school. [An eleventh child, James, was born in 1857.]

Photo left: John, summer of 1895 [see post 16 April 2013 for family group photo]. Photo is from the collection of Mary Smith (in Tennessee). May Wood in Ayrshire, Scotland also has a copy of this photograph.

By the time John was 16 years old he had left home; it was expected that everyone would start work and earn money as soon as school was completed. In the 1871 census, his parents, John and Mary, still lived at 10 Garden Street in Tarbolton with several of their children, however John is not among them. It is not known how, or where, John became a gamekeeper. Perhaps he missed being counted in the 1871 census because he was out in the fields learning the gamekeepers’ trade.

John next shows up in the 1881 census, by which time, at age 26, he lived at Old Knockjarder, Dalrymple, Ayrshire. His occupation is listed as gamekeeper. A year later, on the 5th of October 1882, John married Isabella WATSON, a ‘farmer’s daughter’. The marriage took place nearby at the bride’s home, Mount Oliphant Farm.  Isabella’s parents were Thomas WATSON, a tenant farmer, and his wife Mary HUNTER.

John and Isabella lived at Old Knockjarder where their first child, Mary Hunter Morton McCONNELL, was born on 23 March 1883. By the beginning of 1885 Isabella, John and Isabella had moved to Carcluie Cottage, near Ayr in Ayrshire; it was to be their home for the next nineteen years.  It was at Carcluie Cottage that the remainder of Isabella’s and John’s children were born.

John’s world turned upside down when his 46 year old wife, Isabella, suddenly died on 11 June 1904 after an operation at the Western Informary in Glasgow. John was in Glasgow with Isabella and was the informant of her death. Suddenly John, 49 years old, was left with a motherless family of seven children. Some of the children had completed school and were working: Mary (21) was a dressmaker; John (19) was an apprentice joiner; and Thomas (17) was a clerk. Three children – Janet (15), Isabella (13) and Elizabeth (9) still attended school. The youngest, William, was only two years old.

It is not known how John managed with his family for the next few years. It seems fairly certain that Isabella’s mother, Mary Hunter, would come and stay with the family. Also, Isabella’s sister Janet WATSON and her husband Gilbert SPEIRS helped wherever they could. Perhaps Janet also came to stay with the McConnell children – or perhaps William the youngest went to stay at the Speirs home. No doubt much added responsiblity was taken on by Mary, the eldest of the McConnell siblings.

(John’s story will continue)