• About
    • Blog’s Author
    • TheirOwnStories
    • This Blog
  • BOYCE
  • Let’s hear from you!
    • Other Family Members
  • MUIR
    • James & Helen (MCNAB) MUIR Family
    • John and Mary (MAY) MUIR
  • Mystery Photos
  • ORMSBY
  • WATSON
    • Thomas & Jane (MUIR) WATSON Family

TheirOwnStories

~ Remembering our ancestors whose stories have been lost or forgotten

TheirOwnStories

Tag Archives: Helen McNab Steel ORMSBY (1895-1976)

ORMSBY, Henry (1859-1924)

19 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Ormsby Family

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Helen McNab Steel ORMSBY (1895-1976), Helen STEEL (abt. 1821-1913), Henry Ormsby (1859-1924), James Henry ORMSBY (1890-abt. 1956), James ORMSBY (1850-aft.1871), James Ormsby (Abt. 1807-1871), Mary Jane LAMONT (1863-1892), Richard Steel ORMSBY (1853-1922), Robert Lamont ORMSBY (1892-1937), Thomas WATSON (1887-1951)

Henry ORMSBY, born on 19 February 1859 at Brickrow Farm St. Quivox & Newton, Ayrshire, Scotland, was the youngest of James ORMSBY and his wife Helen STEEL’s seven children. His father, James, was not home at the time of his birth, although there is no indication where he was; perhaps in Ireland, or at a cattle sale elsewhere in Scotland. The decision about a career or job was important and Henry watched the choices made by his four older brothers. Like his older brother Richard [Richard Steele ORMSBY] (and maybe James [James ORMSBY]), Henry decided that farming was not for him. He chose a life at sea and had ample opportunity for apprenticeships and training in the seaport town of Ayr. By 1881 Henry, 22, lived in Tynemouth, Northumberland, England as an unemployed marine engineer, perhaps still an apprentice. By 1887 at the time of his marriage Henry had attained his Master’s Engineering ticket.

On 02 September 1887 in Kirkbean, Kirkcudbright, Scotland, Henry married  Mary Jane LAMONT.  Mary Jane was born May 26, 1863 in Bankhead, Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland to Robert LAMONT and Isabella HOWIE.  Henry and Mary Jane had two sons, James Henry ORSMBY (born in Dumfries 18 January 1890) and Robert Lamont ORMSBY (born in Glasgow 5 March 1892). On 10 March 1892, five days after Robert’s birth, Mary Jane died at 19 Regent Place, Shawlands, Glasgow. She is buried in St. Quivox, Ayrshire churchyard in one of the Ormsby family graves.

After Mary Jane’s death Henry moved home with his sons where he had family to help raise them. His work as a marine engineer likely required him to be away for extended periods. In the 1911 census he lived at Gibbsyard with his mother (89), his brother Andrew (63) and his two sons. This census identified that at age 52 Henry had retired.

WATSON1911-ORMSBY family

Photo left, standing, left to right is Henry and Thomas WATSON. Sitting left to right is Henry’s niece Helen (Nellie) McNab Steel ORMSBY and an unknown woman, possibly another niece, a MUIR cousin. This is the only known photo of Henry. The photograph was likely taken in Ayr, Ayrshire as there is no record of Nelly having travelled. The date is prior to 1912 as Thomas Watson, a chauffeur, immigrated to Canada in 1912. Photo is from the collection of Donald Slater, (for Donald’s other family photos see www.flickr.com/photos/palaeoecogeek).

On 4 June 1913, at 121 High Street in Ayr, widower Henry married Katherine MUIR, the daughter of Thomas MUIR and his wife Jeanie CRAWFORD.

Henry died at Bingham House in Richmond, Surrey, England on September 24th 1924. The reason he died in England is not known. Perhaps he and Katherine were visiting?

Hopefully someone who sees this story will have more information on Henry and is family.

ORMSBY, Henry (Harry) (1911-1983)

06 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Ayr, Brickrow Farm, Ormsby Family, Scotland

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Andrew ORMSBY (1848-1928), Annie Young SPROAT (1907-1993), Helen MCNAB (1844-1929), Helen McNab Steel ORMSBY (1895-1976), Helen Ramsay MUIR (1874-1951), Henry Ormsby (1859-1924), Henry ORMSBY (1911-1983), John ORMSBY (1856-1927), Margaret Wilson ORMSBY (1904-1992)

[for Harry’s parents and siblings see page ‘ORMSBY’ at top of screen]

[this post last edited, new information added and / or images added  02 December 2014]

Henry (Harry) ORMSBY was born on 10 June 1911 in Brickrow Farm, Ayrshire, Scotland, the eighth and youngest child of John ORSMBY and his wife Helen Ramsay MUIR. Harry, as he was always known, was named after his uncle Henry ORSMBY and was a benificary in his uncle’s will. Family events provide a glimpse of Harry’s life. Only 16 when his father died in 1927, responsibility for the farm and family fell to him as he was the only surviving son. Harry made the trip to the Registrar’s Office to register his father’s death. Three months later, Harry again made the trip to the Registrar’s office; this time to register the death, at Brickrow Farm, of his uncle Andrew Ormsby.

Harry lived with his mother Helen and sisters Helen (Nellie) McNab Steel ORMSBY and Margaret (Peggy) Wilson ORMSBY at Brickrow Farm. In 1929, two years after his father died, he was the informant of the death of his 85 year old grandmother Helen MUIR (maiden surname McNAB) at Brickrow Farm. Cause of her death was ‘senility’ and she had been cared for by the Ormsby family for some years.

Harry was close to his Muir cousins, the children of his uncles Gilbert MUIR and George Kennedy MUIR. On December 16, 1931 Harry, 20, was witness to the marriage of his cousin Annie Clement MUIR to James COLVILLE at 11 Maybole Road (‘Dean Cottage’) in Ayr. (for Muir family cousins see page ‘James and Helen (MCNAB) MUIR Family’ under heading ‘MUIR’ top of screen)

On January 3, 1940 Harry was again a witness to the marriage of a Muir cousin, this time when James Douglas (‘Douglas’) MUIR married Phyllis HEATH, at North Church in Prestwick, Ayrshire.

Harry and James appear to have been close cousins since, when Harry (36) married Annie Young SPROAT (40) on 29 January 1947 Douglas was a witness to their marriage.

Photo below: left to right; ________, Harry, Annie, and ‘Douglas’ Muir. Photo from the collection of E. H. of South Africa.

Henry Ormsby's Wedding

Annie was born on 27 December 1907 in Skerrington Mains, Hurlford, Ayrshire, Scotland to John SPROAT and Isabella NELSON. Annie’s father had a small land holding just across the road from Brickrow Farm so she and Harry had known each other for years. Annie moved to Brickrow Farm, where her rather formidable and domineering mother-in-law Helen lived. Peggy, Harry’s sister Margaret, took a housekeeping job in East Kilbride and took their mother Helen with her to give the newly married couple more space to themselves at Brickrow Farm.

Harry and Annie continued to farm at Brickrow until Harry’s retirement, aged 65, in 1976. Throughout this time, family from Canada stayed in touch and visited whenever they were in Scotland.

WATSON1977-000-Don-Slater

Photo left: Annie, Harry and Margaret Ormsby, taken Alloway, Ayrshire Scotland in 1977 by Elsie (Watson) Slater from Winnipeg. Brig’O’Doon in the background. See Donald Slater’s Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/palaeoecogeek for this an other family photographs.

WATSON1983-006-Annie-HarryPhoto left: Harry and Annie Ormsby in Ayr, about 1982

WATSON1984-004-Tom-Peggy-Annie WATSON1984-005-Annie

Photo left, L to R: Thomas (Tom) Watson ACTON, Margaret (Peggy) Wilson ORMSBY and Annie

Photo lower left: Annie, Both photos taken 1984 in Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland.

Harry and Annie continued to farm Brickrow until they retired when they moved to 18 Duchvay Place, Coylton in Ayrshire. After Harry’s death on 20 January 1983 in Heathfield Hospital, Ayr,
Ayrshire Annie contined to live in Coylton. She died July 8, 1993 in Ballochmyle Hospital, Mauchline, Ayrshire, Scotland.

ORMSBY, Mary Manson Muir (1896-1900)

15 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Brickrow Farm, Ayr, Scotland, Ormsby Family

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Helen MCNAB (1844-1929), Helen McNab Steel ORMSBY (1895-1976), Helen Ramsay MUIR (1874-1951), James MUIR (1843-1924), Jane MANSON (1813-1890), Jane Muir ORMSBY (1897-1983), Jessie Ross ORMSBY (1899-1921), John ORMSBY (1856-1927), Mary Manson Muir ORMSBY (1896-1900)

[for Mary’s parents and siblings see page ‘ORMSBY’ at top of screen]

Mary Manson Muir ORMSBY was born on 14 August 1896 in Brickrow Farm, St. Quivox, Ayrshire, Scotland. She was the second of John and Helen Ramsay [MUIR] ORMSBY’s children. Her given name Manson was after her maternal great-grandmother Jane MANSON who died six years previously at Mainholme Farm in Ayr where Helen’s parents [James MUIR and Helen McNAB] lived.

Mary died at age four on 30 July 1900 in Brickrow Farm. Cause of death was scarlet fever, a contagious childhood disease. Until vaccine was developed for scarlet fever in 1924, it was a major cause of death. Mary’s sisters Helen (Nelly) [Helen McNab Steel ORMSBY], Jane (Jean) [Jane Muir ORMSBY] and Jessie [Jessie Ross ORMSBY] were all young children at the time and there would have been concern that they would die of the disease as well.

Below, Mary’s father John ORMSBY signed her death registration on July 30th 1900.

ORMSBY, Helen (Nelly) McNab Steel (1895-1976)

13 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Brickrow Farm, Ayr, Scotland, Ormsby Family

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Agnes Elizabeth (Nancy) ACTON (1892-1981), Helen MCNAB (1844-1929), Helen McNab Steel ORMSBY (1895-1976), Helen Ramsay MUIR (1874-1951), Helen STEEL (abt. 1821-1913), Henry Ormsby (1859-1924), James Muir WATSON (1888-1965), Jane MUIR (1865-1933), John ORMSBY (1856-1927), Thomas WATSON (1887-1951)

[for Helen’s parents and siblings see page ‘ORMSBY’ at top of screen]

[this post last edited, new information and / or images added 1 April 2013]

Helen (Nelly) McNab Steel ORMSBY was born on 26 February 1895 at Brickrow Farm, St. Quivox, Ayrshire, Scotland, the first of John and Helen (Ramsay MUIR) ORMSBY’s children. She was named after both her maternal (Helen McNAB) and paternal (Helen STEEL) grandmothers, perhaps an indication that her parents had difficulty agreeing on a name.

Right is a photograph of Helen – on the back of photo “Helen Ormsby, 1914” in her mother Helen’s hand writing. Helen (the daughter) was 19 years old in 1914. This portrait was taken at the Studio of Henderson & Son, Prestwick and Ayr. The photograph is from the collection of an Orsmby family descendant who still lives in Ayrshire, Scotland.

Helen (the mother) sent this photograph to her sister Jane (Jean) (MUIR) WATSON in Saskatchewan. Jean’s son James Muir WATSON had recently married Agnes  (‘Nancy’) Elizabeth ACTON in Saskatchewan and the two sisters may have exchanged photographs of their children at the time. [see posting 29 April 2012 for a description of the 1914 WATSON-ACTON marriage in Saskatchewan]

WATSON1911-ORMSBY familyPhoto left: standing, left to right is Nelly’s uncle Henry ORMSBY and her cousin Thomas WATSON. Nelly’s mother (Helen Ramsay (MUIR) ORMSBY) and Thomas’ mother (Jane (MUIR) WATSON) were sisters. Nelly is sitting on the left; to Nelly’s left is an unknown woman, possibly a MUIR cousin.  The photograph was likely taken in Ayr, Ayrshire as there is no record of Nelly having travelled. The date is prior to 1912 as Thomas Watson, a chauffeur, immigrated to Canada in 1912. Photo is from the collection of Donald Slater, (for Donald’s other family photos see www.flickr.com/photos/palaeoecogeek).

Known as ‘the cook’, Helen worked in Ayr as a cook and housekeeper. She never married and died, aged 81, on 26 August 1976 in Heathfield Hospital, Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland of ‘pernicious anaemia’.

Recent Posts

  • Roy Elmore BOYCE – Growing Up in a Railway Family
  • ACTON, Elizabeth (‘Lily’), 1856-1933
  • Moffat, John (‘Jack’) Brown (1942-2014) Condolences
  • MOFFAT, John (‘Jack’) Brown (1942-2014) Biography
  • Tangled Web of Family Relationships

Archives

  • July 2019
  • April 2016
  • July 2014
  • January 2014
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • February 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012

Categories

  • Ayr
  • Brickrow Farm
  • Brickrow Farm, Ayr, Scotland
  • General
  • McConnell Family
  • Muir Family
  • Ormsby Family
  • Scotland
  • Watson Family

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • TheirOwnStories
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • TheirOwnStories
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...