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Tag Archives: Helen McNab WATSON (1890-1967)

Tangled Web of Family Relationships

19 Sunday Jan 2014

Posted by theirownstories in Muir Family, Watson Family

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Agnes (Nancy) Elizabeth ACTON (1892-1981), Helen McNab WATSON (1890-1967), James Muir WATSON (1888-1965), Jane MUIR (1865-1933), Janet WALKER (1859-1948), John McConnell Muir WATSON (1903-1994), Joseph Francis ACTON (1886-1972), Richard Arthur ACTON (1894-1984), Richard William ACTON (1916-1990), Richard William WATSON (1916-2000), Samuel Acton WATSON (1920-2002), Thomas WATSON (1854-1932), Thomas Watson ACTON (1917-1991), William Watson Muir WATSON (1892-1973)

[Please keep checking this space, additional material and photos will be added as they become available, additional tags will be added as dates are clarified. The last information and / or images added 20 May 2014]

Family history often a confused mixture of relationships; the story of the WATSON (including MUIR) – ACTON  families is no exception. The photo below was taken about 1938-39 in Saskatchewan at one of the many family picnic get-to-gethers of the WATSON-ACTON families. The location of the photo is likely beside the Qu’Appelle River, near Ellisboro, probably just beside the old bridge.

After Thomas WATSON and his wife Jane MUIR immigrated to Saskatchewan in 1910, their sons (James (#15 in the photo), William (#4), Alexander (deceased at the time of the photo), and daughter Helen (Nell) (#40) married members of the Acton family. The resulting combined and extended families led to a tangled web of relations and cousins. While Thomas (d. 1932) and Jane Watson (d. 1933) are not in this photo, many of their descendants are.

 ACTON1937-004a-names

Names of people in picnic of Watson – Acton families and their relationship to Thomas and Jane (Muir) Watson. Names of persons still living have been left blank(__).

1. Joseph (‘Joe’) Francis ACTON (1886-1972): husband of Nell (#40); father of Dick (#12) and Tom (#8); son-in-law of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR.

2. [Living son] WATSON: step-son of Bill (#4); brother of Janet (#23); grandson of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR

3. Samuel (‘Sam’) Acton WATSON (1920-2002): son of Jim (#15) and Nancy (#38); brother of Doris (#29), Bill (#13), Muriel (#37), and __ (#28); grandson of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR.

4. William (‘Bill’) Muir WATSON (1892-1973): step-father of Bob (#2); brother of Nell (#40), Jim (#15) and John (#35); son of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR.

5. Jeff PARKER: husband of Edith (#20)

6. Robert WALKER (Sr.): nephew of Janet (#16); married to Lilly BAKER (not in photo), sister of Bill Sharpe’s wife Priscilla BAKER.

7. [Living son] ACTON: son of Dick (#21) and Annie (#27); brother of __ (#39), __ (#36), __ (#19), __ (#18), __ (#26) and __ (#22).

8. Thomas (‘Tom’) Watson ACTON (1917-1991): son of Joe (#1) and Nell (#40); brother of Dick (#12); grandson of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR.

9. William (‘Bill’) SHARPE: Husband of Priscilla BAKER (#25);

10. Robert WALKER (Jr.): son of Robert WALKER (Sr.) (#6)

11. Anne (Gompf) McKINNON: wife of Alex (#14); mother of Vi (#30)

12. Richard (‘Dick’) William ACTON (1916-1990): son of Joe (#1) and Nell (#40); brother of Tom (#8); grandson of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR

13. Richard William (‘Bill’) WATSON (1916-2000): son of Jim (#15) and Nancy (#38); brother of Doris (#29), Muriel (#37), Sam (#3) and __ (28); grandson of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR

14. Alexander ‘Alex’ McKINNON: husband of Anne (#11); father of Vi (#30); brother of Annie (#27)

15. James (‘Jim’) Muir WATSON (1888-1965): husband of Nancy (#38); father of Doris (#29), Bill (#13), Muriel (#37), Sam (#3) and __ (28); brother of Bill (#4), Nell (#40) and John (#35); son of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR

16. Janet (Walker) ACTON (1859-1948): (widow of Samuel ACTON; Samuel died in 1927 therefore not shown in photo); mother of Nancy (#38), Dick (#21), Bob (#32) and Jenny (#17).

17. Janet (‘Jenny’) Ethel ACTON: daughter of Janet (#16); sister of Nancy (#38), Dick (#21), and Bob (#32).

18. [Living son] ACTON: son of Dick (#21) and Annie (#27); brother of __ (#39), __ (#7), __ (#36), __ (#19), __ (#26) and __ (#22).

19. [Living daughter] ACTON: daughter of Dick (#21) and Annie (#27); sister of __ (#39), __ (#7), __ (#36), __ (#18), __ (#26) and __ (#22).

20. Edith (Allen) PARKER: wife of Jeff (#5)

21. Richard (‘Dick’) Arthur ACTON (1894-1984): son of Janet (#16); husband of Annie (#27); father of __ (#39), __ (#7), __ (#36), __ (#19), __ (#18), __ (#26) and __ (#22); brother of Nancy (#38), Bob (#32) and Jenny (#17).

22. [Living son] ACTON (back of head): son of Dick (#21) and Annie (#27); brother of __ (#39), __ (#7), __ (#36), __ (#19), __ (#18), and __ (#26).

23. Janet Mae WATSON: step-daughter of Bill (#4); sister of Bob (#2); granddaughter of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR

24. [Living daughter] ACTON: daughter of Bob (#32) and Sarah (#31); sister of __ (#34) and __ (#33).

25. Priscilla (Baker) SHARPE: wife of (Bill (#9)

26. [Living son] ACTON: son of Dick (#21) and Annie (#27); brother of __ (#39), __ (#7), __ (#36), __ (#19), __ (#18), and __ (#22).

27. Annie (McKinnon) ACTON: wife of Dick (#21); mother of __ (#39), __ (#7), __ (#36), __ (#19), __ (#18), __ (#26) and __ (#22); sister of Alex (#14)

28. [Living daughter] WATSON: daughter of Jim (#15) and Nancy (#38); sister of Doris (#29), Bill (#13), Muriel (#37), and Sam (#3); granddaughter of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR

29. Doris (‘Doris’) Janet WATSON (1915-ca 1985): daughter of Jim (#15) and Nancy (#38); sister of Bill (#13), Muriel (#37), Sam (#3) and __ (28); granddaughter of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR

30. Viola (‘Vi’) MCKINNON: daughter of Anne (#11) and Alex (#14); niece of Annie (#27)

31. Sarah Hastings (Johnston) ACTON (1896-1986): wife of Bob (#32); mother of __ (#34), __ (#24) and __ (#33), sister of Mary (#41)

32. Robert ‘Bob’ Walker ACTON (1896-1966): son of Janet (#16); husband of Sarah (#31) father of __ (#34), __ (#24) and __ (#33); brother of Nancy (#38), Dick (#21), and Jenny (#17).

33. [Living daughter] ACTON: daughter of Bob (#32) and Sarah (#31); sister of __ (#34), and __ (#24).

34. [Living daughter] ACTON: daughter of Bob (#32) and Sarah (#31); sister of __ (#24) and __ (#33).

35. John (‘John’) McConnell Muir WATSON (1903-1994): brother of Bill (#4), Jim (#15) and Nell (#40); son of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR

36. [Living daughter] ACTON: daughter of Dick (#21) and Annie (#27); sister of __ (#39), __ (#7), __ (#19), __ (#18), __ (#26) and __ (#22).

37. Muriel Mae WATSON (1919-2000): daughter of Jim (#15) and Nancy (#38); sister of Doris (#29), Bill (#13), Sam (#3) and __ (28); granddaughter of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR

38. Agnes ‘Nancy’ Elizabeth (Acton) WATSON (1892-1981): daughter of Janet (#16); wife of Jim( #15); mother of Doris (#29), Bill (#13), Muriel (#37), Sam (#3) and __ (28); sister of Dick (#21), Bob (#32) and Jenny (#17); daughter-in-law of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR

39. [Living daughter] ACTON: daughter of Dick (#21) and Annie (#27); sister of __ (#7), __ (#36), __ (#19), __ (#18), __ (#26) and __ (#22).

40. Helen (‘Nell’) McNab (Watson) ACTON: wife of Joe (#1); mother of Dick (#12) and Tom (#8); sister of Bill (#4), Jim (#15) and John (#35); daughter of Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR

41. Mary JOHNSTON: sister of Sarah (#31)

The picnic was likely held on a Sunday afternoon, after the 11 AM church service in the rural Rosewood United Church. After attending church, the families would briefly return to their farm homes. All family members remained dressed in their Sunday best; they would not change after attending church. Quickly tying on an apron, the women would pack food that had been prepared the day before. The men would conduct a last minute check of any farm animals that might require food and / or water before evening; if this necessitated a change into ‘chore clothes’ the white shirts, ties and dark suit trousers would be put on again before leaving for the picnic. Cars were quickly packed with excited children and delicious and plentiful home cooked food.

ACTON1938-052ACTON1938-051Each housewife would pack more than enough for her own family, but once at the picnic site, all food would be placed on picnic tables or blankets for a large ‘pot-luck’ feast including jellied salads, potato salad, canned chicken, hams, sandwiches (canned salmon, roast beef and pork, chicken, ham), pickles (dill, mustard, sweet, bread-and-butter), homemade buns and bread, cakes, ‘squares’, pies and cookies. Large jars of homemade lemonade would be available for the children, multiple thermos of hot tea would be provided for the adults. Several families would also bring a ‘cream can’ of cool drinking water.

The afternoon’s entertainment was informal: the woman would gather and discuss children, gardens, recipes.

The men would discuss cattle, crops, weather, the price of grain, the lack of railway cars to ship the grain, the cost of farm machinery, the state of the roads, and the other constant challenges of farm life. The young children would dash amongst the trees involved in their own games of tag, or games of, the now politically incorrect, ‘war’ with pretend guns made from tree branches.ACTON1938-054

 

 

 

SPEIRS, Janet (1888-1952)

12 Sunday May 2013

Posted by theirownstories in General

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Elizabeth Wyllie McCONNELL (1895-1968), Gilbert SPIERS (1858-1941), Helen McNab WATSON (1890-1967), Isabella WATSON (1858-1904), Jane MUIR (1865-1933), Janet Speirs (1888-1952), Janet WATSON (1856-1935), John McCONNELL (1855-1913), Mary Hunter Morton McCONNELL (1883-1955), Thomas WATSON (1854-1932)

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

[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 17 November 2018]

WATSON1930-000

Janet WATSON and her husband Gilbert SPEIRS, Ellisboro, Sask. probably in the late 1930s. From the author’s collection.

 INGLIS0001aJanet SPEIRS (left) was born to Janet WATSON and her husband Gilbert SPEIRS (above), their only child. I have not been able to locate her birth registration in Scotland, however on her 1952 Saskatchewan death registration her daughter states her birth date was 22 December 1888. Scottish census records indicated that she was born either in Saltcoats, Ayrshire, Scotland (1891 census of Scotland), or Kingarth, Buteshire, Scotland (1901 census of Scotland). The 1911 census adds to the confusion as Janet, 22, listed her birth place as ‘Argylshire, Inellan’.

Photo left: Janet Speirs, taken in Saskatchewan during WWII (see photos below). From the author’s collection.

Whichever her place of birth, as child Janet moved often. In 1891, when she was 2, her father Gilbert, 33, was a shepherd and her mother Janet, 35, a housekeeper for a farmer named Mitchell, on Overton Farm, Killearn, Stirling. By 1901 Janet, 12, had moved again, this time to Rankinston Farm, Ayrshire. While Janet attended a local school, her father was a farm servant and her mother worked as a dairymaid at the farm. By this time Janet would certainly have known, and played with, her Watson and McConnell cousins, the children of her Uncle Tom  and Aunt Jane [Thomas WATSON and Jane MUIR] and her Aunt Isabella and Uncle John [Isabella WATSON and John McCONNELL].

The extended Speirs-Watson-McConnell family experienced many changes in the early 1900s. In 1904 the sudden death of Janet’s Aunt Isabella McConnell left a family of young children motherless. Janet’s Uncle John McConnell, who had recently become unemployed, was not able to look after all the children by himself. Janet’s parents (Janet and Gilbert Speirs) were involved in helping the McConnell family cope. Janet, 16 in 1904, if not away from home working as a domestic servant, would have been called upon to help with the McConnell children.

As other stories in this blog about the extended Speirs-Watson-McConnell family have explained, in the early part of the 1900s most of them immigrated to North America, particularly Saskatchewan. Janet also wanted to follow her Watson cousins, and shared this ambition with her cousin Nellie [my grandmother [Helen (Nell) McNab WATSON] in April 1910 had left Scotland with her parents [Thomas and Jane Watson], and four siblings. We know that Janet wanted to leave Scotland from a postcard she sent to Nellie.

scan0001 scan0002

Postcard from the author’s collection

The postcard (above) was written on 9 August 1910, four months after Nellie had left Scotland for Saskatchewan; the postcard was addressed to the post office in Ellisboro, via Wolseley, Saskatchewan. Mailed in Ayr, Scotland on August 10, the postcard was received and stamped in Ellisboro on August 30 – amazing delivery time considering the so-called ‘slow’ methods of transportation in that period. Janet’s address at the time she wrote the postcard was ‘Wellpark, Racecourse, Ayr Rd. [Ayr, Scotland]. “Dear Nellie, Just a p.c. [post card] to say I hope you are getting on well and that you are all liking your new places. I was down at Girvan* last week for a few days holidays it rained every day. Write soon and give me all the news about the places you can. I am still on the notion to go out but mother [Janet (Watson) Speirs] thinks I am just as well where I am but I will see. Hope you are all well from your affect[ionate] cousin J. Speirs.” [Janet Speirs, daughter of Janet Watson and Gilbert Speirs]

[* Girvan was where Janet’s cousin Mary Hunter Morton McCONNELL lived – see post 20 April 2013. Janet’s  parents (Janet and Gilbert Speirs) may have also lived in the Girvan area in 1910].

It took just over two years for Janet to convince her mother, or for other family events to occur, that the move to Saskatchewan not only possible, but desirable for the Speirs family. On 2 November 1912, daughter Janet, 23, ‘domestic servant’, boarded the ship S.S. Cassandra in Glasgow. With Janet were her mother Janet, 54, and her father Gilbert, 57. WATSON1930-000Janet’s cousin Elizabeth Wyllie McCONNELL, 17, [see post 26 April 2013] also traveled with them. The group disembarked in Montreal, Quebec on the 12th of November, 1912. The ship’s passenger list showed that their destination was Wolseley, Saskatchewan.

[Photo left: Janet’s parents Janet and Gilbert Speirs; Gilbert with the ever-present corn cob pipe. Photo taken in Ellisboro, Saskatchewan, probably in the late 1930s. From the author’s collection.]

From Montreal, a train journey took the new immigrants to Wolseley, Saskatchewan, where no doubt they were met at the railway station by members of the Thomas and Jane Watson family. Christmas 1912 Janet would have been united with her Watson cousins and no doubt she and her cousin Nellie had many stories to share.

Janet Speirs likely found work as quickly as she could, possibly as a ‘hired girl’ for one of the neighbours. She had been in Saskatchewan only about a year when, at 25 years of age, she INGLIS0001bmarried John (‘Jack’) INGLIS. They probably were married in Ellisboro, Sask. about 1913 as their daughter Janet [another Janet] was 2 years old in the 1916 census, i.e. she had been born about 1914.

Photo right: John Inglis, taken in Saskatchewan during WWII (see photos below). From the author’s collection.

Not much is known at this time about John Inglis or indeed about the Inglis family. The 1916 census listed John Inglis as 28 years old, which meant that he was the same age, or a year older, as his wife Janet. The census also recorded that he was: born in Scotland; Presbyterian; and worked as a labourer. The census also recorded that he immigrated to Canada in 1912,  the same year as Janet. Would it be too much of a coincidence if John and Janet knew each other in Scotland? More research is required to find out which part of Scotland John came from.

For a number of years Janet and John lived in Ellisboro, they then moved north a few miles to a farm known locally as the ‘Johnny Thompson Farm’. They rented this farm until John (‘Johnny’) Thompson married and needed the farm for himself and his bride. The Inglis family was required to move so the farm would be available to the owner. They lived for some time, once again, in Ellisboro and then bought land in the Abernethy – Balcarres area, just a few miles from Lemberg. McConnell1-0002We know that they had moved to Abernethy by February 1933 by The Wolseley News, Wednesday, 12 July 1933 account (see below) Also Janet (Inglis) nursed her mother Janet Speirs (d. 12 February 1935) there before her death. Janet’s father Gilbert also died (d. 19 April 1941) at the Inglis home.

Above, death memorial card for Janet’s mother (Jennet) Watson / Speirs. The card, as well as the one below for Janet’s father Gilbert, McConnell1-0003was sent to Janet’s cousin William Watson McCONNELL in the United States [see post 28 April 2013]. These death memorial cards are still in the collection of William McConnell’s descendants Mary Smith who lived in Tennessee before her death.

John Inglis and Janet Speirs had five children:

Janet Watson INGLIS, also known as Jennie, was born about 1914 (according to the 1916 census). She INGLIS0002alikely was born in Ellisboro. Very little is yet known of her life. She married after 12 July 1933. The Wolseley News, Wednesday, 12 July 1933, in the ‘Ellisboro news column’ noted that “Miss Jennie Inglis spent the weekend with her parents in the Abernethy district.” As Mrs. R. S. EICHEL [Ronald Sinclair EICHEL], of Indian Head, she was the informant of her mother’s death in 1952. There is a grave in the Indian Head, Saskatchewan cemetery with a similar name, and a death date of 1955 – perhaps this is Janet’s grave?

Photo above right: Janet Watson Inglis, taken on the ‘Johnny Thompson Farm’, Saskatchewan, about 1930. From the author’s collection.

John (‘Jack’) W. (Watson? William?) INGLIS was born in the first few months INGLIS0001cof 1916, according to the 1916 census. He also was likely born in Ellisboro. From the photos below we can surmise that he was in the Canadian Army in WWII, it is not known what he did after that. His grave is not with the rest of his family in Balcarres, Saskatchewan.

Photo right: John W. Inglis, taken in Saskatchewan during WWII (see photos below). From the author’s collection.McConnell023-2

Photo left: “Little Jenny and Jack Inglis with Isa”, from the collection of M. W., Mauchline.

[Photo above: Isabella (Isa) Watson McCONNELL was Janet’s first cousin. This photograph was taken in Ellisboro, Saskatchewan probably late 1917 or early 1918. Isa sent this photo ‘back home’ to Girvan, Ayrshire, Scotland to her sister Mary Hunter Morton McConnell. The photograph is still in Scotland, in the collection of M. W. of Mauchline, one of Mary’s descendants.]

Gilbert A. INGLIS was born in 1924 and died in 1963; these dates have been obtained from his gravestone in Balcarres, Saskatchewan. INGLIS0002bGilbert was probably born on the Johnny Thompson Farm. A family story indicates that, as a boy, Gilbert was a good racer and could ‘”run like the wind”.

Inglis02Photo right: Gilbert Inglis, taken on the Johnny Thompson Farm, Saskatchewan, about 1930. From the author’s collection. Photo above left: Gilbert’s grave taken by the author 13 July 2002, in Balcarres, Saskatchewan.

Children numbers 4 and 5 were twins, J. (James?) Gordon INGLIS and Kenneth W. (William? Watson?) INGLIS. They were born on 1 May 1925, probably on the Johnny Thompson Farm. INGLIS0003aWe know from photos that Kenneth was in the Canadian Navy during WWII. Kenneth died 25 March 1990. He is buried in the Balcarres Cemetery. Inglis01

Photo above left: Kenneth W. Inglis, taken in Saskatchewan during WWII (see photos below). From the author’s collection. Photo above: grave of Kenneth W. Inglis, taken by the author 13 July 2002, in Balcarres, Saskatchewan.

Nothing is known about Kenneth’s twin J. Gordon at this time. According to the information on his gravestone in Balcarres, he died 14 June 1993. Inglis04

Photo right: grave of J. Gordon Inglis, taken by the author 13 July 2002, in Balcarres, Saskatchewan.

Information at this time is very sketchy about the Speirs-Inglis family. We do know that they kept in touch with the extended Watson – McConnell family. As well as shared photographs and postcards there were family visits.

My mother remembers that even in the period 1950-1970s, and until my grandfather Joseph (Joe) ACTON died in 1972, John (Jack) Inglis would visit Joe in Lemberg. Jack would have been a ‘cousin-in-law’ to Joe; Joe’s wife Nellie [Helen McNab Watson] and John’s wife Janet Speirs had been first cousins. Nellie had been the recipient of Janet’s post card from Scotland, almost 50 years earlier, in 1910.

Inglis03

Janet (Speirs) Inglis died 16 June 1952. According to the date on the grave in Balcarres her husband John Inglis died in 1980.

Photo right: grave of Janet and John Inglis, taken by the author 13 July 2002, in Balcarres, Saskatchewan.

Other Inglis family photos from the author’s collection: INGLIS0001

On back of photo right: Jack, Janet & young Jack’ Is this the Inglis farm home near Abernethy? From Jack’s army uniform this appears to have been taken during WWII. Perhaps Jack had just enlisted and received his uniform and was leaving home?

INGLIS0003On back of photo left: Ken Inglis & his dad. This photo was taken in the same location (although not the same day – Jack isn’t wearing a tie) as the photo above, sometime during WWII. Perhaps Ken had just received his uniform and was leaving home?

On back of photo below: no names, but we know from the INGLIS0005above photo that the man in uniform is Kenneth Inglis. Who are the children? Could these be Ken’s nephew and niece, the children of his sister Janet Watson Inglis who had married Ronald Sinclair EICHEL? The children could be Keith EICHEL (b. abt. 1941) and Mae EICHEL (b. abt. 1943). The children’s sister Ruth EICHEL  (b. abt 1942) had ‘died as an infant’ so this is not likely her.

On back of photo right: Inglis INGLIS0002Left to right in the photo could be: John (Jack) born about 1916, Gilbert, born 1924; twins – J. Gordon and Kenneth W. born 1 May 1925; and Janet Watson, born about 1914. The location is probably the ‘Johnny Thompson Farm’; surrounding countryside bleak. Photo taken about 1930?

INGLIS0004a

Photo left: Inglis twins Ken & Gordon Location – same as above photo. Taken probably in the summer of 1925 (the uncropped photo shows this photo is in the front doorway, during warm weather).

Photo below: Unknown photo. Could these be the Inglis twins and ?. The photo format is a postcard that has been made in Canada so this is not a family from Scotland, although the provenance of the photo would indicate that this is a Watson family relation.INGLIS0007

ORMSBY, Margaret (Peggy) Wilson (1904-1992)

24 Saturday Nov 2012

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

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Annie Young SPROAT (1907-1993), Helen McNab WATSON (1890-1967), Helen Ramsay MUIR (1874-1951), Henry ORMSBY (1911-1983), James Crawford McGUIRE (1894-1969), James Henry ORMSBY (1890-abt. 1956), James Muir WATSON (1888-1965), Jane MUIR (1865-1933), Jane Muir ORMSBY (1897-1983), John ORMSBY (1856-1927), Margaret Wilson ORMSBY (1904-1992), Richard Steel ORMSBY (1853-1922), Thomas WATSON (1854-1932)

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

[this post last edited, new information and / or images added 01 June 2013]

Margaret (Peggy) Wilson ORMSBY was born on 14 September 1904 in Brickrow Farm, St. Quivox, Ayrshire, Scotland, the sixth child and fifth daughter born to John ORMSBY and his wife Helen Ramsay MUIR. Two children had already died by the time Margaret arrived. I have not been able to determine the source of her middle name ‘Wilson’, although James WILSON was the parish minister at St. Quivox for at least thirty years and had married Margaret’s parents John and Helen Ormsby in 1894. It is possible that James Wilson was a close family friend as well since on October 24, 1924, he officiated at the marriage of Margaret’s sister Jane (Jean) Muir ORMSBY to James Crawford MCGUIRE. [see post 16 November 2012]. Margaret, 20, (photo below) was witness at the marriage.

The photo right [Margaret, October 24, 1924] was sent by Margaret’s mother Helen to her sister Jane (Jean) (MUIR) WATSON who lived in Saskatchewan, Canada. The photograph is now in the collection of an Ormsby family descendant who still lives in Ayrshire, Scotland.

Margaret never married. She worked as a live-in housekeeper / cook for many years, primarily for a well-to-do elderly bachelor. Apparently it was a position that financially allowed her to indulge in her enjoyment of fashion as family stories indicate that she “had a sense of style and always wore lovely clothes”. When the elderly bachelor died he left Margaret a bequest sufficiently large that she was able to buy or build a small home for her retirement.

About 1947 when her brother Henry (Harry) ORMSBY married, Margaret decided that it would be best if Harry and his bride Annie Young SPROAT had Brickrow Farm to themselves without the presence of their mother Helen who had become domineering and overbearing woman. Margaret took a housekeeping job in East Kilbride and took her mother with her. After her mother’s death in 1951, Margaret continued to work as a housekeeper.

On her retirement Margaret lived at her home at 3 Allenfield Road in Ayr. Family ties were important to her and Margaret was a letter writer. From family photos and letters I know that, although she never travelled to Canada, she maintained contact with her Saskatchewan cousins [children of Jane MUIR and Thomas WATSON] and they visited her whenever possible. She may also have been in touch with her cousins in New Zealand (children of Richard Steele ORMSBY), and Australia (children of James Henry ORMSBY), unfortunately no records or letters have been found to indicate this was the case.

Family members from Canada did stay 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, Manitoba. Brig’O’Doon in the background. See Donald Slater’s Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/palaeoecogeek for this an other family photographs.

Photo left: Margaret (left) and her sister Jean Muir (ORMSBY) McGUIRE (right) at 3 Allenfield Road, Ayr, with Canadian cousin Samuel Acton WATSON, from Victoria, British Columbia. Sam’s father, James Muir WATSON, was a 1st cousin of Margaret and Jean. This visit occurred about 1982. Photo above and below are from the author’s collection.

Photo left: Thomas (‘Tom’) Watson ACTON, from Saskatchewan, visited Margaret in 1984, the visit referred to in the letter below. Tom’s mother Helen (Nell) McNab (WATSON) ACTON and Margaret were 1st cousins.

3, Allenfield Rd., Ayr, 17.1.85

Dear Jean & Tom,

I am sure you must think I have departed this world! I am so late in saying ‘thank you’ for your lovely Christmas card and a previous letter.

I am only now starting to write. I had a week in hospital in early December, and had the cataract removed from my right eye. The op. has been a success, but on returning home I took a very lazy fit. They say “Some people sit and think”, but I just sat. I am told that I had left it too late having my first experience of an anesthetic at eighty!

I feel more active now but am plagued with a bad cold.

We are having our first snow of the winter and it is bitterly cold, though nothing like in the south of England.

[page 2 of the letter, not shown here, continued…]

It has been quite a year. This miners’ strike has caused such an upheaval. Luckily, I had decided to finish with my coal fire and will not use it again though I do miss it.

Ann [Annie ORMSBY, Harry ORMSBY’s widow] has had another spell of backache and confined to the house. I have not been able to visit her for two days but we have long chats on the phone. In late summer she had treatment from a specialist near Edinburgh and was happy to think she had been cured but alas! I think she will return for more treatment when the cold season ends. I do hope too that she can find a home in Ayr during the year.

I have nice kindly neighbours here and I would be tempted to go house hunting myself. I have no quarrel with my present house but the garden is just a bit too much nowadays. However will give it another summer and find out if I can manage.

I do hope you both keep well and you are coming to terms with retirement! Perhaps you will fancy another long holiday as you had last summer.

Sorry my writing is so poor – I have still to get new spectacles.

My thanks and good wishes to both.

Sincerely Margt

Letter above is now in the collection of an Ormsby family descendant who still lives in Ayrshire, Scotland.

Margaret, 88 years old, died on 11 June 1992 in Biggart Hospital, Prestwick, Ayrshire, Scotland.

Watson Family: The Backstory

02 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Watson Family

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Helen McNab WATSON (1890-1967)

(see ‘Thomas & Jane (MUIR) WATSON Family’ under heading ‘WATSON’ , for photograph of WATSON family see post 29 April 2012)

[this post last edited, new information and/or images added 12 March 2013. Unless otherwise indicated all photos are from the author’s collection]

[For more Watson family photos also check out Donald Slater’s family history Flickr account www.flickr.com/photos/palaeoecogeek]

The skirl of bagpipes, swish of kilts, tales of Bonnie Prince Charlie, star crossed lovers on the shores of Loch Lomond, princesses who lived in castles, the romantic lairds of Sir Walter Scott; those were the images I had of Scotland when I was a child. I knew that my grandmother (Helen McNab (WATSON) ACTON), known as ‘Nell’ to adults, ‘Granny’ to we children) had been born in Scotland. I suppose she spoke with a slight Scottish burr, the residue of her Ayrshire accent that remained even though she had been in Canada for nearly forty years by the time I first became curious about my background. But I don’t remember her voice or accent.

I do remember that Granny never spoke of Scotland, or of her life there. One day, my curiosity got the better of me. I screwed up my courage since she seemed to never welcome questions about Scotland. I asked her if there wasn’t a laird or two in our background? I’ll never forget her reply. She chuckled and said ”no, there were no lairds, more likely road thieves.” At the time I wasn’t even sure what a ‘road thief’ was.

Later in life, as I learned more about Scotland and its history, I replaced my images of romantic lairds and clan chiefs with the more realistic vision of Highland Clearances, the extreme poverty of the crofters, people being starved out of their homes and forced to emigrate under appalling conditions at sea. I also learned how the industrious and hardworking Scottish people spread out across the world and have been instrumental in world development.

Princesses who lived in castles, evicted crofters, industrial magnates or road thieves; which were our ancestors? I decided it was time to start researching the Watson family.

Lowlands and Highlands of Scotland

My first research revelation occurred when I learnt the differences between the Scottish Highlands and the Lowlands. I had thought that all Scottish people had a relatively uniform background. However, historically Scotland was a land divided. In the Lowlands the people are of Anglo-Saxon stock, more like their English neighbours. To the north there is the Scotland of the Gaelic speaking Highlander. In the Hebrides, Orkneys and Shetlands, there is yet another society more akin to Scandinavia due to centuries of sea invasions from that area. These three distinct peoples were suspicious of each other and many vicious and bloody battles were fought. Even after Scotland was unified people from these areas continued to be wary of each other.

Our Watson family is from Ayrshire in the Scottish Lowlands and has been so since at least the early 1700s. To date the earliest direct link that I have been able to prove is to John WATSON, tenant farmer and labourer (born about 1717, Dundonald Parish, Ayrshire, died 11 January 1782, Dundonald Parish, Ayrshire) and his wife Agnes FREW (born about 1717 – died unknown).

My research also showed that our Watson family did not fit any of my preconceived ideas. We are descended from a long line of hardworking (no princesses), honest (no road thieves), Lowland (no clan chiefs or evicted crofters) labourers and tenant farmers.

Life as a tenant farmer in Scotland in my ancestors’ time was not at all what I had known in my own comfortable Saskatchewan upbringing on my parent’s farm. My parents and all the neighbours, although small landowners by today’s standards and certainly far from wealthy, owned their land and could develop and manage it as they determined. We never wanted for food; huge vegetable gardens, fresh wild berries and our own livestock (chickens, turkeys, cattle, pigs) provided a varied and healthy diet.

Many Scottish land ownership practices are completely different from those of Canada; understanding these gave me a better understanding of the hardships of the Watson family in Scotland, the reasons for the family’s move to Canada; and an appreciation for the determination, courage and initiative this move entailed.

Land Ownership and Farm Life in Scotland

Land ownership in Scotland, to this day, follows patterns established centuries ago. Since earliest times feudal lords, kings, titled nobles, clan chiefs and landed gentry fought frequently and furiously over land. Lands and authority were given as a reward in exchange for loyalty and the promise of enough men to raise an army.

Immense fortunes were made, and lost, as ownership changed hands as a result of the numerous wars that have marked the history of Scotland and England. Once land ownership was in a family, it was handed down through the generations to the eldest son. This inheritance was often interrupted if the property title was lost through battle, war or allegiance to the losing side in a political skirmish. “To the victor go the spoils” was accepted practice and often ownership of thousands and thousands of acres and miles of countryside would change hands as the result of a battle.

A mile of countryside by itself of course had no value, but rather it was the resources found in, or on, the land within that area that were worth a fight. Natural resources, such as lead and gold, made some land valuable. For a large portion of the land the value lay in what was on it, i.e. people who worked the land and paid rent. As an example, if a person (almost without exception a man) owned land where 10,000 families lived and worked then all those people paid rent and owed allegiance to the landowner. Often several small villages were (and still are) part of the property; shop keepers and village people also paid rent to the owner. The rental payments invariably made the landowner an extremely wealthy man, and while the owner had a few obligations to the tenants, the onus was on the tenants or renters to find the money to pay the rent.

This relentless search for rent money was constant and frequently debilitating. In the case of a farm, if a tenant farmer improved the property in an attempt to increase production, and therefore earn more to support his family, the owner often increased the rent based on the rationale that the land was worth more. This was a catch-22 situation that sapped initiative and ensured that most tenant farmers were trapped in a never ending cycle of near-poverty. For tenant farmers ownership of land was not even a dream. Not only was the money to purchase the land impossible to save, but the land simply was not available for purchase. Persons born to this station in life were destined to spend their lives working for a ‘laird’ or the owner’s representative (‘factor’) who lived in ‘the big house’.

Tenant farmers usually worked under a contract or lease arrangement. Often this contract was for a year; the tenant farmer and all his family were expected to work on the farm and were part of the contract. Each summer in every county or ‘shire’ at the annual fair, tenant farmers and owners / factors could meet and discuss arrangements for contracts and positions. If a tenant farmer decided to take a different position and move his family to another farm, it was often at this fair that arrangements were made. A handshake usually sealed the contract.

Farms were often large and required several families of tenants to work them. In this case there was a division of labour. ‘Ploughman’, ‘cattleman’, ‘dairyman’ were just a few of the occupations required. Farming practices were basic and extremely labour intensive. Work was hard, dirty, thankless, unprofitable and never-ending.

Tenant families usually lived on the farm, often in one of several cottages provided on the property. These cottages were primitive, certainly with none of the conveniences now considered essential for living and raising a family. Conditions were normally damp, dark and cold in Scotland’s continual rainy climate. Food was extremely basic; it was a treat to be given a small piece of an egg yolk my Granny told me.

Watson family life in Scotland was that of a typical tenant. For several generations Watsons lived and worked as tenant farmers with no hope or opportunity of owning land or directing their own destiny. Granny did later say that they “always felt like peasants in Scotland”. The Watson family moved often as Thomas, the father and bread-winner, attempted to provide for his family by taking different positions in different areas of the country. This is the story of their life in Scotland and the move to Canada which changed their lives and those of their descendants irretrievably.

(for the stories of the Watson family members see posts 14 May – 22 May 2012)

Watson Family Moves to Canada

24 Thursday May 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Muir Family, Watson Family

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Alexander Hunter WATSON (1895-1934), Helen McNab WATSON (1890-1967), James Muir WATSON (1888-1965), Jane MUIR (1865-1933), Jane Muir WATSON (1899-1988), John McConnell Muir WATSON (1903-1994), Thomas WATSON (1854-1932), Thomas WATSON (1887-1951), William Watson Muir WATSON (1892-1973)

(see ‘Thomas & Jane (MUIR) WATSON Family’ under heading ‘WATSON’;  for photograph of WATSON family see post 29 April 2012)

[this post last edited, new information and/or images added 12 March 2013. Unless otherwise indicated all photos are from the author’s collection]

[For more Watson family photos also check out Donald Slater’s family history Flickr account www.flickr.com/photos/palaeoecogeek]

The Thomas and Jane (MUIR) WATSON family came to Canada in four stages.

First to arrive was 17 year old James Muir (Jim) WATSON, who arrived in Montreal on the 19 June 1906, after a ten day sea journey from Galsgow, aboard the ship ‘S. S. Corinthian’. He travelled to Winnipeg by train and worked for a Manitoba farmer as an agricultural labourer.

The second of the Watson family to arrive in Canada was 17 year old William (Bill) Watson Muir WATSON who sailed from Glasgow on the ship ‘S. S. Hesperian’ and arrived in Quebec City on 19 July 1909. His eventual destination was Rapid City, Manitoba.

The main group of the WATSON family (father Thomas WATSON, mother Jane MUIR, Nell, 20 [Helen McNab WATSON], Alex, 15 [Alexander Hunter WATSON], Jane, 11 [Jane Muir WATSON], and John, 7 [John Mcconnell Muir WATSON]) left Glasgow, Scotland on 2 April 1910 on the ship ‘S. S. Hesperian’, which docked in Halifax on 11 April 1910.

Thomas (Tom) WATSON, 25, the last of the family to move to Canada, sailed from Glasgow on 17 June 1912 on the ‘S. S. Pretorian’, and arrived in Montreal about eight days later.

The Sea Voyage 

The Watson family (Thomas, Jane, Nell, Alex, Jane, and John) boarded the ‘S.S. Hesperian’ in Glasgow on 2 April 1910 with all their worldly possessions. The next day the ship stopped in Liverpool to pick up additional passengers. The sea voyage from Liverpool to Halifax took eight rough, sea sick days.

 S. S. Hesperian, Allan Line, Glasgow, Launched 1907, torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine 4 September 1915

The S. S. Hesperian’s Manifest listed the ‘Number of Souls’ on board as 1,416. Of that number 1,150 souls were housed in the bowels of the ship in 3rd class or ‘steerage’ even though the allowed legal limit was 1,000 people. In this overcrowded, cheap and substandard accommodation, hundreds of immigrants were housed in one large room, with shared sleeping, eating and bathroom facilities. One can only imagine the claustrophobia of bouncing over the Atlantic Ocean during the April storms, enduring sea-sickness in the dimly lit area, surrounded by hundreds of other sea sick passengers.

Newspaper headlines of the time gave some indication of the situation “Steerage conditions called appalling”, “Abuses among emigrant passengers” and “Horrible conditions endured by emigrants in steerage”.

The six Watson family members were among the miserable steerage passengers. My grandmother Nell [Helen McNab Watson], would speak only rarely and reluctantly about the trip, and never wanted to return to Scotland. And she never did.

However, for the Watson family and hundreds of thousands of other immigrants, however horrible the conditions in steerage, the price was right and this was the way to the promised land and a new start on life. The total fare for the six Watson family members was $25, covered by ‘British Bonus Allowed’. This was a commission paid by the Immigration Branch of the Canadian Government to steamship booking agents in the United Kingdom to encourage immigration of desirable settlers, mainly farmers, who were prepared to move to Canada. It encouraged steamship companies to recruit settlers and was a marketing tool of the Canadian government.

The family landed in Halifax on 6 April, 1910 at 6:45 a.m. I have always imagined that it was a cold, dreary, rainy April morning. Port of entry was not the now famous Pier 21, but Pier 2, which combined a deep water shipping terminus with a Canadian Pacific Railway terminus. [Pier 21 was not opened until 1923].

Once landed in Halifax the travails of the passengers were not over as all had to pass medical inspection. The ‘S. S. Hesperian’s’ Manifest for this voyage noted that the medical inspection of the steerage passengers commenced at 8:05 a.m. and was not fully completed until 4:00 p.m.; two passengers were detained. Connecting trains left at 2:00 p.m., 5:00p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Arrival in Wolseley

After several days the train reached Wolseley, Saskatchewan. It is not known how Wolseley was chosen as a destination, however Thomas had probably answered an advertisement for a farm labourer through a newspaper in Scotland. Once they arrived in Wolseley, the six Watson family members received a terrible shock. When the farmer who had hired Thomas showed up with his horse and cart and found out that there were six family members and not just one man, he turned around and left them standing at the railway station. In Scotland when a tenant farmer was hired it was understood that the whole family was included and all were expected to work. In Canada this was not the case. Although the misunderstanding was easily explained it did not make it any less serious for the Watsons. The Watson family was devastated, they had come all the way from Scotland and had nowhere to turn.

Fortunately for the Watson family, Mr. G. P. Campbell heard of their situation, picked up the family and took them home. Several Watson family members worked as hired help for the Campbell family until they were able to establish themselves on land.

Gradually the family established themselves, bought land, married, raised families and became involved in the community. For the Watson family members Canada was indeed the start of a new life, and provided opportunities they would never have had in Scotland.

WATSON, John McConnell Muir (1903-1994)

22 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Watson Family

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Agnes (Nancy) Elizabeth ACTON (1892-1981), Helen McNab WATSON (1890-1967), Isabella WATSON (1858-1904), James Muir WATSON (1888-1965), Jane MUIR (1865-1933), Jane Muir WATSON (1899-1988), Janet WATSON (1856-1935), John McCONNELL (1855-1913), John McConnell Muir WATSON (1903-1994), Thomas WATSON (1854-1932), Thomas WATSON (1887-1951)

(see ‘Thomas & Jane (MUIR) WATSON Family’ under heading ‘WATSON’)

[this post last edited, new information and/or images added 12 March 2013. Unless otherwise indicated all photos are from the author’s collection]

[For more Watson family photos also check out Donald Slater’s family history Flickr account www.flickr.com/photos/palaeoecogeek]

 WATSON1914-001-600-1eJohn McConnell Muir WATSON, born in 31 December 1903, was the eighth child and fifth son born to Thomas WATSON and his wife Jane MUIR. At the time of John’s birth, the nomadic tenant farmer Watson family had moved to Knockhouse Farm, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland where John’s father had taken work as a dairyman.

Photo left: John McConnell Muir Watson, 10 June 1914, Rosewood District, Lemberg, Saskatchewan, Canada

One of John’s middle names was ‘McConnell’ after John McCONNELL who had married his father’s sister Isabella WATSON. The Watson and McConnell families were close as can be seen by surviving postcards. The Watson children seem to have visited the McConnell’s frequently.

John was the youngest in the family; sixteen years separated John and his eldest sibling Tom [Thomas WATSON]. Within two or three years of John’s birth his four elder siblings had already left home to work. In 1910 when the family immigrated to Saskatchewan John was seven: he continued his schooling once the family reached their new home. His boyhood in Saskatchewan was much different than that of his older siblings who were raised in Scotland.

Photo right: John, lower left hand corner, with a pet dog and sister Jean [Jane Muir WATSON]. Standing, left to right, John’s mother Jane, John’s aunt Janet [Janet (WATSON) SPEIRS], John’s sister-in-law Nancy [Agnes Elizabeth (ACTON) WATSON] and John’s brother Jim [James Muir WATSON]. The young children being held are John’s nieces and nephews, children of Jim and Nancy Watson. Photo taken about 1918 in the Rosewood district of Saskatchewan. From the author’s collection.

Photo left: John about 1928, Lemberg, Saskatchewan, Canada

From the author’s collection

During the early years of the 1900s John’s siblings left home to marry and his sister Jean moved to Regina for work. John and his parents continued to live together on his farm in the Rosewood district. It was here that his father Tom died in 1932. John’s mother Jane continued to live with him until her final illness in 1933 when she moved to her daughter Nell’s [Helen McNab (WATSON) ACTON] farm home just a few miles away.

John continued to live year round on his farm until 1957 when he built a home in Lemberg and lived there during the winter months, and continued to farm in the summer.

WATSON1955-003Photo right: John’s farm, the car is in front of the house

Photo left: John in mid-1940s

John never married although he was probably the most gregarious of his brothers, and enjoyed a social life. He was a constant fixture at the many Watson/Acton picnics and get-togethers, and community events. He enjoyed some travel to the United States and Churchill, Manitoba. He also visited his brother Jim and sister-in-law Nancy after they moved to Vancouver Island in 1945. He never spoke about Scotland nor returned there, but was only 7 when he arrived in Canada and his memories of Scotland may have been dim. He was active in the community, supported local events and activities and was a member of the Wolseley Hospital Board.

Photo right: John (with a new car?)

John eventually sold his farm to a neighbour and moved permanently into Lemberg, where he lived for some years. The last years of John’s life were spent in the senior’s residence in Balcarres, Saskatchewan, a neighbouring town of Lemberg. Popular opinion at the time was that he had “checked himself in early” as he was mentally agile, physically fit and in good health. However, he apparently knew what was best for him when he decided to move there. A life-long congenial bachelor, he enjoyed the activities, company and having someone do the cooking and cleaning.

John died in Balcarres on 19 April 1994, 91 years old. Ever the community minded citizen, John left his estate to the Balcarres Seniors’ residence, his home for many years, and to local charities.

He is buried in Ellisboro Cemetery, Saskatchewan beside his sister Jean.

WATSON, Jane Muir (1899-1988)

21 Monday May 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Watson Family

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Alexander Hunter WATSON (1895-1934), Helen McNab WATSON (1890-1967), James Muir WATSON (1888-1965), Jane MUIR (1865-1933), Jane Muir WATSON (1899-1988), John McConnell Muir WATSON (1903-1994), Joseph Francis ACTON (1886-1972), Mary Hunter WATSON (1897-1900), Thomas WATSON (1854-1932), Thomas WATSON (1887-1951), William Watson Muir WATSON (1892-1973)

(see ‘Thomas & Jane (MUIR) WATSON Family’ under heading ‘WATSON’)

[this post last edited, new information and/or images added 12 March 2013. Unless otherwise indicated all photos are from the author’s collection]

[For more Watson family photos also check out Donald Slater’s family history Flickr account www.flickr.com/photos/palaeoecogeek]

Jane (Jean) Muir WATSON was born 10 January 1899. She was the seventh child and third daughter of Thomas WATSON and his wife Jane MUIR. Her father had taken a job as a ploughman at Newton Farm, Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland and they lived in one of the farm cottages where Jean was born.

Photo left: Jane (Jean) Muir Watson, 10 June 1914. Rosewood District, Lemberg, Saskatchewan, Canada

Jean’s sister Nell [Helen McNab WATSON] was nine years older than Jean and it is probable that Nell was required to care for the baby. Their mother Jane would likely have been preoccupied with the toddler Mary [Mary Hunter WATSON], who was ill and died just over a year after Jean’s birth. Nell and Jean were close all their lives and visited almost weekly until Nell’s death in 1967.

Although Jean was the second youngest of Tom and Jane’s eight children, she likely did not long enjoy the position of cared-for younger sister. By 1905, when Jean was 6, both her older brother Tom [Thomas WATSON] and her beloved sister Nell worked away from home. In 1906, when Jean was 7, her brother Jim [James Muir WATSON] left to seek his fortune in far-off Canada and started the family’s eventual move to that country. In 1909 her brother Bill [William Watson Muir WATSON] followed Jim to Canada. After Bill left the Watson family at home consisted of only Jean, 10, and her older brother Alex [Alexander Hunter WATSON], 14, younger brother John [John McConnell Muir WATSON], 6, and her parents. As the eldest daughter at home Jean would have responsibilities to help her mother cook and clean, as well as attend to her own school work.

WATSON1908-000Some 1909 photographs from Jean’s school in Scotland have survived. Photo right: Jean’s School photograph for school year 1908-1909.

Photo below: Jean Watson, seated front row, 1st person on left, Class photograph for school year 1908-1909, Gullane, Scotland

scan-19May-0002

In April 1910, when Jean was 11, she was part of the Watson family that immigrated to Saskatchewan. She continued her schooling in the Rosewood area, and was involved in community activities such as the Red Cross.

In her late teens Jean moved to Regina and took a secretarial course. She worked at the Regina branch of Credit Foncier, a large mortgage company with offices across Canada. She was employed by the company for many years, probably as a senior secretary or administrative assistant, until her retirement in the 1960s.

Her apartment, in the Credit Foncier building, was a window-filled corner unit which overlooked the manicured green lawns and flowers of Victoria Park in downtown Regina. It was a tiny unit – although it seemed large when I was a child – filled with lovely furniture and nick-knacks. My country cousins and I were always amazed at the compact neatness of the apartment. We were also amazed at the concept of such a small living space since many of us lived on sprawling farms with homes that leaked dust and weather. To be asked to spend a few days staying with ‘Aunt Jean’ (as she was known to everyone) in her Regina apartment in the centre of a big city was a treat beyond words when we were growing up.

Aunt Jean was everyone’s favourite aunt and regularly visited her siblings and their offspring. Dozens of photos exist documenting her numerous visits which were highly anticipated as her suitcase always carried small gifts and treats for every child. She was a welcome visitor in all our homes. A happy, fun loving person she was, within reason, prepared to do anything to the delight of we children. She was always smiling, or laughing, or preparing to do so. Her hair, which turned a lovely soft white during her 20s, was always neatly pinned. I don’t remember seeing her wear anything other than a dress and smart shoes; but her stylish attire didn’t stop her from climbing either onto a horse cart or up into the loft of a barn.

Photo right: Jean, left and unknown friend enjoy the view from the loft of a barn, Saskachewan. about 1950s?

Photo from the author’s collection

Jean and her sister Nell remained particularly close. For years each weekend Jean traveled by bus (for all her independence she never learned to drive) from Regina to Lemberg to stay with her sister and brother-in-law Joe [Joseph Francis ACTON].

Photo below: Jean, centre in blue dress, with her sister Nell and brother-in-law Joe.

Photo taken in Lemberg, Saskatchewan, about 1962

From the author’s collection

After her retirement in the 1960s Jean moved to Calgary. A few years before her death she returned to Saskatchewan and moved into the senior’s residence in Balcarres where her brother John lived.

She died in Balcarres on the 27 June 1988, and is buried beside her brother John in the Ellisboro Cemetery in the Qu’Appelle valley.

WATSON, Alexander Hunter (1895-1934)

19 Saturday May 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Watson Family

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Alexander Hunter WATSON (1895-1934), Helen McNab WATSON (1890-1967), James Muir WATSON (1888-1965), Jane MUIR (1865-1933), Jane Muir WATSON (1899-1988), Janet WALKER (1859-1948), John McConnell Muir WATSON (1903-1994), Mary HUNTER (1827-1907), Samuel ACTON (1857-1927), Sarah May (May) ACTON (1898-1982), Thomas WATSON (1854-1932), Thomas WATSON (1887-1951), William Watson Muir WATSON (1892-1973)

(see ‘Thomas & Jane (MUIR) WATSON Family’ under heading ‘WATSON’)

[this post last edited, new information and/or images added 12 March 2013. Unless otherwise indicated all photos are from the author’s collection]

[For more Watson family photos also check out Donald Slater’s family history Flickr account www.flickr.com/photos/palaeoecogeek]

Alexander (Alex) Hunter WATSON, born 21 June 1895 at Cloncaird Mains in the Parish of Kirkmichael, Scotland was the fifth child and forth son of Thomas and Jane (MUIR) WATSON. He was the first of their chldren born in a place other than Mt. Oliphant Farm. The move to Cloncaird Mains sometime after 1892 marked the beginning of the nomadic life of the Watson family as it moved from tenant farm to tenant farm until immigration to Canada in 1910.

Photo left: Alexander Hunter Watson, 10 June 1914, Rosewood District, Lemberg, Saskatchewan, Canada

Alex was given the middle name ‘Hunter’ after his paternal grandmother Mary HUNTER. His life as a child would have been similar to that of his siblings; farm work and school work, chilly damp accommodation and probably never enough to eat. By 1909 Alex, aged 14, was the oldest boy at home since his brothers Tom, Jim and Bill had left to work. Tom [Thomas WATSON] had already embarked on his chauffering career in Scotland and England, Jim [James Muir WATSON] and Bill [William Watson Muir WATSON] had already moved to Canada. Alex would have had to carry a heavier share of farm work to help his father.

By April 1910, Alex and the rest of the Watson family lived in Saskatchewan. Alex worked as a hired farm hand until he could manage to acquire some land of his own.

When WWI broke out, Alex did not immediately enlist as his did his brother Bill. However, in 1918 the war for the allies was going badly and a call went out for additional soldiers. On 30 April 30 1918, in Regina, Alex joined the RNWMP (Royal Northwest Mounted Police Canadian Expeditionary Force). With this Expeditionary Force he travelled by train to Montreal, where on June 3 he sailed for England on the ship S. S. Bellerophon. The eighteen day sea journey was no doubt memorable because it was lengthy, rough and Alex caught measles which meant that he was in and out of hospitals in military camps in England. Finally almost four months later, on 7 October he was transferred to the Canadian Tank Corp. By 12 November he was back in hospital where he underwent a tonsillectomy operation.

Photo: Alexander Hunter Watson, taken between 30 April 1918 – 30 May 1919

His military records are unclear, but it appears that he spent the remainder of the war at Bovington Camp in England with the Canadian Tank Corp. He returned to Canada in May 1919, left Southhampton on 18 May on the ship Aquitania. After disembarking in Halifax, he travelled to Winnipeg by train where he was demobilized from the army on 30 May 1919.

We know from Alex’s military records that he was a slight man; at enlistment he was 5’ 7” and weighed 130 pounds. He had blue eyes and dark brown hair. When he left the military he weighed 140 pounds. While Alexander’s military career may not have offered the excitement he anticipated, it was much safer than that of his brother Bill, and he benefited from the military health care and nutrition of the active and convalescent hospitals.

On 22 July 1919, Alex, his brother Bill and other fellow soldiers from the Rosewood District of Saskatchewan were honoured by their neighbours. The newspaper The Lemberg Star, Friday, July 25, 1919 reported:

“A social evening was held at the home of Mrs. S. ACTON [Janet WALKER, married to Samuel ACTON] on Tuesday, July 22. The objective was to present each of the following soldiers with gold watches: Pte. W. M. WATSON, Pte. Fred OBLEMAN, Pte. Tobert CLARKE; Gnr [gunner] Neil BONGARD, Gnr. R. A. ACTON, Gnr. H. BANTRUM; Trpe. William BARTON, Trpe. Alex WATSON.

The above are all soldiers of the Rosewood District. Mr. Jamieson said a few words of welcome: also Mrs. Acton exressed her joy at seeing the boys home again. On behalf of his associates Mr. Dick Acton thanked the people of Rosewood for all the kindnesses bestowed upon them while overseas and particularly made mention of the numerous boxes of good things, which were so highly appreciated.

After singing ‘They are jolly good fellows’ the pleasant evening was brought to a close“

After the war, Alex returned to farming his half section of land north of Lemberg. On 1 January 1927 in Lemberg, Saskatchewan, Alex, 32, married 29 year old nurse Sarah May (May) ACTON daughter of Samuel ACTON and his wife Janet WALKER. No doubt Alex had met Mae at the numerous family and community gatherings in the Rosewood neighbourhood.

On page 1 of the 7 January 1927 issue the Lemberg Star [newspaper] reported the wedding:

The home of Mrs and Mrs. S. Acton, Martin Street, Lemberg, was the scene of a pretty wedding on Saturday, January 1 when their daughter Sarah May ACTON, R. N. became the wife of Alexander Hunter WATSON of Lemberg. The bride, wearing a plum coloured satin dress trimmed with georgette and carrying a bouquet of pink and white carnations was given away by her father. The room was pleasingly decorated with white bells and pink and white streamers.

The witnesses were Miss Janet E. ACTON, sister of the bride and John M. WATSON, brother of the groom. The wedding service was read by Rev. W. H. Hughes of Lemberg.

About 35 guests partook of the very dainty lunch served after the ceremony. Those assisting at the tables were: Mrs. W. DANNELS, Miss WATSON [Jane Muir WATSON]and Miss Mary JOHNSTON.

The numerous gifts from a wide circle of friends evidenced the high esteem in whch the young couple are held. The bride is a graduate of the Grey Nun’s Hospital in Regina and a daughter of one of the first pioneer families of the Rosewood District.

The young couple left, amid a shower of confetti and rice, on the evening train for Winnipeg, where they will spend their honeymoon. [They likely would have visitedand perahps stayed with Alex’s brother Tom and his wife Mary who married in 1923.] On their return they will reside on the groom’s farm north of Lemberg. The good wishes of a host of friends will follow them.

Alex and May had three children between 1928 and 1932. Sadly Alex died on the 15 August 1934 leaving May a widow with three young children. Alex’s obituary from the [Regina] Leader Post, Monday, August 20, 1934, Evening Edition, Page 20.

Alexander H. Watson, farming north of Lemberg, died at his home Thursday morning. He had been confined to bed with cancer for several months. He was born in Ayrshire, Scotland and was 39 years of age. He came to Canada in 1910 with his parents, who made their home in the Ellisboro district. During the war he enlisted for active service and was attached to the Tank battalion. On his return he took up farming and on January 1, 1927, was married to Mae Acton, R.N. of Lemberg.

 Funeral services were held Thursday afternoon at the house, the remains being taken to Ellisboro for burial. Surviving him are his widow and three children, Janet, Robert and Margaret; two sisters and four brothers, Mrs Jos. Acton [Helen McNab WATSON) of Lemberg, Miss Janet Watson [Jane Muir WATSON] of Regina, Thomas of Winnipeg, James of Ellisboro, William and John of Lemberg. His father predeceased him two years ago and his mother one year ago.

Alex is buried in the Ellisboro Cemetery in the Qu`Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan.

WATSON, William Watson Muir (1892-1973)

18 Friday May 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Watson Family

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Agnes (Nancy) Elizabeth ACTON (1892-1981), Alexander Hunter WATSON (1895-1934), Helen McNab WATSON (1890-1967), James Muir WATSON (1888-1965), Jane MUIR (1865-1933), Janet WALKER (1859-1948), Mount Oliphant Farm, Samuel ACTON (1857-1927), Sarah May (May) ACTON (1898-1982), Thomas WATSON (1854-1932), William Watson Muir WATSON (1892-1973)

(see ‘Thomas & Jane (MUIR) WATSON Family’ under heading ‘WATSON’ , for photograph of WATSON family see post 29 April 2012)

[this post last edited, new information and/or images added 12 March 2013. Unless otherwise indicated all photos are from the author’s collection]

[For more Watson family photos also check out Donald Slater’s family history Flickr account www.flickr.com/photos/palaeoecogeek]

William (Bill) Watson Muir WATSON was born 24 August 1892 at Mount Oliphant Farm, Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland to tenant farmers Thomas WATSON and his wife Jane (MUIR) WATSON.  Bill, the fourth child and third son born to Thomas and Jane, was the last of their children to be born at Mount Oliphant Farm. Sometime between 1892 and 1895 the family left Mount Oliphant in search of a better living, a search that would lead them to seven farms throughout Scotland before the family immigrated to Canada in 1910.

Photo above: William Watson Muir Watson, 10 June 1914, Rosewood District, Lemberg, Saskatchewan, Canada

At Bill’s birth his name was registered as ‘William Watson Muir Watson’, although in later years Bill sensibly eliminated the redundant ‘Watson’ as a middle name. No explanation has ever been found for the extra ‘Watson’, perhaps the registrar was hard of hearing, or had partaken too much of Robbie Burns favourite spirit.

As were all the Watson children, Bill would have been expected to work on the farms the family lived on, as well as attend school. In the 1901 census William (as he was called on official documents) was an 8 year old ‘scholar’, the normal term for school children in the census records of the time.

In 1906 when Bill was 14, his 17 year old brother Jim [James Muir WATSON] left home and immigrated to Canada. Bill wanted to follow him and did so three years later. After he completed school, Bill sailed from Glasgow on the ship “S. S. Hesperian” and arrived in Quebec City on 19 July 1909. Passenger records show that he still used his full legal name as the ship’s register listed him as ‘Wm. W. M. Watson, 17′, His destination was Rapid City, Manitoba.

A postcard has survived from this time. Bill’s sister Nell [Helen McNab (WATSON) ACTON], who addressed the card to: Mr. Wm Watson, C/O S. L. Henry, Stockton, Manitoba wrote:

Aye “haudin the haunles” yet Will[?] What do you think of Canada then, now that you have got there [?] How is harvest getting on[?] Saltcoats have most of theirs cut now but they are first here about. I will stop now. Hope you are not feeling home sick. Had any reels yet [?] Address this postcard and send it to Jim as we have not got his address yet. Nellie

Bill worked as a farm labourer in Manitoba for about a year until the rest of his family immigrated in 1910, when he moved to the Ellisboro area of Saskatchewan. He was with the rest of the family on 10 June 1914 when his brother Jim married Agnes (Nancy) Elizabeth ACTON. [see post 29 April 2012 for photograph of Jim and Agnes’ wedding]. Two months later, in August 1914, WWI broke out and on 14 December 1914 in Winnipeg, Bill enlisted.

WATSON1914-040

Photo right: Bill is sitting down, second from the right

He served with the Canadian army (10th Canadian Infantry Battalion) in France from 1914 until the end of the war in 1919 and was involved in some of the bloodiest battles of the war. He rarely, if ever, talked about his horrific experiences in the trenches. Amazingly, he lived through the experience without suffering any physical wound or injury.

His military file gave a physical description of Bill: 5 foot 7 ½ inches tall, grey eyes, dark brown hair. He weighed 140 pounds when he returned from the war.

After he was demobilized in 1919 he returned to farm in the Lemberg area.

On 22 July 1919, Bill, his brother Alexander Hunter WATSON and other fellow soldiers from the Rosewood District of Saskatchewan were honoured by their neighbours. The newpaper The Lemberg Star, Friday, July 25, 1919 reported:

“A social evening was held at the home of Mrs. S. ACTON [Janet WALKER married to Samuel ACTON]on Tuesday, July 22. The objective was to present each of the following soldiers with gold watches: Pte. W. M. WATSON, Pte. Fred OBLEMAN, Pte. Tobert CLARKE; Gnr [gunner] Neil BONGARD, Gnr. R. A. ACTON, Gnr. H. BANTRUM; Trpe. William BARTON, Trpe. Alex WATSON.

The above are all soldiers of the Rosewood District. Mr. Jamieson said a few words of welcome: also Mrs. Acton exressed her joy at seeing the boys home again. On behalf of his associates Mr. Dick Acton thanked the people of Rosewood for all the kindnesses bestowed upon them while overseas and particularly made mention of the numerous boxes of good things, which were so highly appreciated.

After singing ‘They are jolly good fellows’ the pleasant evening was brought to a close”

On 15 October 1940 Bill married Sarah May (May) ACTON. Mae was the widow of Bill`s younger brother Alex. (See post 19 May 2012 on Alexander Hunter WATSON). Bill and Mae had one son. Bill and Mae had a blended family as Mae`s three children Janet, [living son] and Margaret, from her marriage to Alex also lived and grew up with them.

Bill and Mae lived and farmed in the Lemberg area. Bill died on 7 December 1973, and Mae on 4 December 1982; they are both buried in the Ellisboro Cemetery in the Qu`Appelle Valley.

WATSON, Helen McNab (1890-1967)

17 Thursday May 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Watson Family

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Alexander Hunter WATSON (1895-1934), Helen MCNAB (1844-1929), Helen McNab WATSON (1890-1967), James Muir WATSON (1888-1965), Jane MUIR (1865-1933), Jane Muir WATSON (1899-1988), John McConnell Muir WATSON (1903-1994), Joseph Francis ACTON (1886-1972), Mount Oliphant Farm, Thomas WATSON (1854-1932), William Watson Muir WATSON (1892-1973)

(see ‘Thomas & Jane (MUIR) WATSON Family’ under heading ‘WATSON’ )

[this post last edited, new information and/or images added 12 March 2013. Unless otherwise indicated all photos are from the author’s collection]

[For more Watson family photos also check out Donald Slater’s family history Flickr account www.flickr.com/photos/palaeoecogeek]

Helen McNab WATSON (always known as Nell) was the third child and first daughter born to tenant farmers Thomas WATSON and his wife Jane (MUIR) WATSON. Her birth on 10 September 1890 occurred while her parents were still trying to earn a living at Mount Oliphant Farm, Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland. Within about three years the family started the many moves throughout the Lowlands of Scotland that would characterize the next twenty years of her life before she immigrated to Saskatchewan in 1910.

Photo above: Helen (Nell) McNab Watson, 10 June 1914, Rosewood District, Lemberg, Saskatchewan, Canada

Nell was named after the Scottish naming pattern for children; as the first daughter she was named after her mother’s mother Helen McNAB. What do we know of Nell’s first years? As the eldest daughter she would have been expected to help her mother with the five younger children, cook, clean for the whole family and do farm work such as feed the chickens, milk cows as well as attend school. She also learned to shoot and hunt; perhaps rabbit stew featured on the Watson family menu. In later years she was an avid reader and enjoyed gardening, activities than must have had a genesis in her early years.

As soon as she had completed school, about age 15, she would have been expected to work away from home as a domestic servant to help augment the family’s income. We know this as she sent a postcard (below) from Ayr to her father in Kiersbeath, Dunfermline, Scotland on 22 September 1905, the message on the postcard “Down here at the races for three days, N.W”.

(The post card sent by Nell, to her father at Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. Nell had just turned 16 twelve days before this postcard was sent. The owner of the ‘Wm. N. WATSON’ store in the postcard was Nell’s half 1st cousin – but that is a story for another time.)

In June 1906 when Nell was 16, her older brother Jim, 17, immigrated to Canada. Three years later her brother William (Bill) also immigrated. This changed Nell’s perception of the world. Postcards from the time show that the family was in constant contact and sent newspapers to Jim and Bill now working as farm labourers in Manitoba. No doubt conversations had started to convince the parents Tom and Jane to immigrate to Canada as well.

In March 1910. Nell, with her parents and siblings Alex, Jane and John boarded a ship in Glasgow and arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 6 April 1910. Near Wolseley, Saskatchewan Nell found work with the Campbell family, and with Mrs. George Page Campbell, formed a happy work-friendship relationship as Mrs. Campbell shared Nell’s interest in reading, gardening and issues of the day such as women’s suffrage. [Women in Saskatchewan were granted the right to vote in 1916.]

On 10 March 1915 Nell married Joseph (Joe) Francis ACTON, a local farmer. The marriage took place at the farm home of her parents. For this photo, which appears to have been taken at a photographer’s studio, the young couple probably travelled by horse and cart to Wolseley and dressed in their wedding finery once they got to the studio.

scan0007

A receipt from about this time may be the list of items the young couple needed to set up house:

(Story to be continued)

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