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Tag Archives: William Watson Muir WATSON (1892-1973)

Tangled Web of Family Relationships

19 Sunday Jan 2014

Posted by theirownstories in Muir Family, Watson Family

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Tags

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

 

 

 

McCONNELL, William Watson (1902-1967)

28 Sunday Apr 2013

Posted by theirownstories in McConnell Family

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Tags

Gilbert SPIERS (1858-1941), Isabella WATSON (1858-1904), James Muir WATSON (1888-1965), Jane MUIR (1865-1933), Janet WATSON (1856-1935), Mary HUNTER (1827-1907), Thomas WATSON (1854-1932), William Watson Muir WATSON (1892-1973)

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

This story is dedicated to Mary Janet McConnell Smith, the daughter of William Watson McCONNELL and a granddaughter 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 July 2013]

William Watson McCONNELL was born on 16 February 1902 at Carcluie Cottage, Ayrshire, Scotland, the youngest child of John McCONNELL and his wife Isabella WATSON. Young William’s world was shaken when his mother, who likely had been ill for some time, died unexpectedly on 11 June 1904 after an operation at the Western Infirmary in Glasgow. Additionally – for a reason unknown at the present – his father was no longer employed in his lifelong occupation as a gamekeeper, and appears to have had difficulty supporting his large family. All this for two year old William to cope with.

Suddenly the McConnell family was motherless. Although it is not clear how the family managed it seems likely that William’s 21 year old sister Mary (Mary Hunter Morton McCONNELL), as the eldest child and daughter, may have become his surrogate mother. His brothers, 19 year old John (John McCONNELL) and 17 year old Thomas (Thomas Watson McCONNELL) would have completed school and worked outside the home; John as an apprentice joiner and Thomas as a clerk. William’s older sisters, 15 year old Janet (Janet Watson McCONNELL), 13 year old Isa (Isabella Watson McCONNELL), and 9 year old Elizabeth (Elizabeth Wyllie McCONNELL) still attended school. William was the baby of the family and, if his mother was ill for many months before her death, he may not even have had much memory of her.  It seems fairly certain that William’s grandmother, Mary HUNTER, would come and stay with the family. Also, William’s aunt and uncle Janet (WATSON) and Gilbert SPEIRS helped wherever they could. Strong ties were also maintained with William’s uncle Thomas WATSON and his wife Jane MUIR. Over the next few years, William was likely cared for by a variety of immediate and extended family. He seems to have been particularly close to his sister Isa.

No doubt many extended McConnell-Watson-Speirs family discussions occurred; not only about their own individual futures, but also what could and should be done about the young McConnell children? Not only was the McConnell family motherless, but John, the father, had for some reason no further work as a gamekeeper and the family had left their home of Carcluie and were in rented accommodation. What could be done?

In the early 1900s deliberations began about a possible move to the ‘new world’ of North America. Newspapers were filled with advertisements extolling the virtues of this new land: job opportunities abounded; all skills were required and welcome; land was available for purchase and in some cases basically ‘free’; the climate was healthy; plenty of food was easily grown; the strict class society was not followed. And this new land offered adventure. The younger members of the family were likely enthusiastic about the move. They could see that life as their parents knew it did not offer the opportunity and future that they wished for. The older generation likely were more reluctant to change their ways and routine and were understandably hesitant about a move to the other side of the world.

William, although he was only young, likely listened intently as his father, siblings, aunts and uncles and cousins discussed back-and-forth the pros and cons of emigration.

McConnell0002Photos left: William about 3 years old, taken in Scotland about 1905. From the collection of Mary Smith. In the photo where he wears the cap, it is easy to imagine William listening intently to a dinner table conversation about emigration.

In October 1905 another blow struck the McConnell family when William’s 18 year old brother Thomas died of tuberculosis. It is not known whether Thomas, who had worked as a railway clerk, had been enthusiastic about emigration. In the heyday of railway development in western Canada he certainly would have had opportunity for work if he had moved. However, his death from tuberculosis may also have encouraged the other family members in their search for fresh air (of which western Canada certainly had an ample supply) as well as land and opportunity.

The first to move, in June 1906, was a Watson cousin, 17 year old James (Jim) Muir WATSON. Jim sailed to Montreal and then went by train to Manitoba where he worked as a farm labourer to save up money to buy his own land. Although William didn’t know it at the time, ten years later he was to stay with Jim and his Canadian wife on the Saskatchewan farm that Jim had purchased.

In June 1909, when William was 7, his siblings started to immigrate. His elder brother John, 24, a carpenter, sailed for New York and settled in New Jersey. William would likely miss John whom he may have regarded as a special older brother. In July of that same year William’s cousin William (Bill) Watson Muir WATSON, 17 years old, sailed for Canada where, like his brother Bill, he worked on a Manitoba farm as a farm labourer earning money for land purchase. Unknown to William at the time he would see Bill again in four years in Saskatchewan. [See post 28 February 2013 for the post card that Janet WATSON / SPEIRS wrote to Bill for Christmas 1909.]

William likely continued to live with various family members and the to-emigrate-or-not-to-emigrate conversations continued. We know that the Speirs considered the move. In April 1910 William’s uncle Thomas Watson and his aunt Jane, and their children moved to Saskatchewan. Their move meant that the entire Watson family, with the exception of one son, had left Scotland. One of William’s support families had disappeared from his life. The 1911 census found William as a ‘visitor’ with his aunt Janet and uncle Gilbert Speirs.  A year later, in November 1912, that support family disappeared as well when Janet, Gilbert and their daughter Janet sailed for Canada. With them went William’s sister, 17 year old Elizabeth. They all headed to the Wolseley, Saskatchewan area where the Watson family had settled. For William, Elizabeth’s move meant another sibling gone.

It appears that most of the remaining McConnell family decided to join the others and it was decided that William and his older sister Isa should emigrate and join the other families in Saskatchewan. Family stories indicate the William’s father John planned to move; he would likely feel responsible for his son William who was still a minor. Bad fortune struck the McConnell family again, when in January 1913, William’s father died suddenly and unexpectedly after brief four day bout of “acute pneumonia”.

However likely the travel plan had already been made, the tickets already purchased. On July 5th, 1913 William, 11 years old, and Isa, 22, left Glasgow on the ship S.S. Letitia for the ten day trip to Montreal.

McConnell0003aPhoto right: William about 11 years old. From the collection of Mary Smith. This photograph may have been taken in Scotland, as a formal portrait, before William got on the ship S.S. Letitia.

The arrival in Montreal would have been followed by a train ride to Wolseley, Saskatchewan.

By the end of 1913 most of the extended McConnell-Watson-Speirs family had left Scotland. The only two McConnell family members to remain in Scotland were William’s older sisters Mary and Janet.

McConnell0004a

Photo left: Gilbert Speirs and William, 1919, taken in Ellisboro, Saskatchewan, Canada. From the collection of Mary Smith.

Family stories indicate that when William and his sister Isa arrived in Canada their older brother John met them and stayed with them for a month at the home of Janet and Gilbert Speirs in Ellisboro, Saskatchewan. If this is the case John would have travelled from New Jersey to Montreal to meet their ship and then travelled to Saskatchewan by train with William and Isabella.

Not much of William’s life in Saskatchewan is known. He must have gone to school since he was 11 years old when he arrived in Canada. It is not known when he moved permanently to the USA. His family believe he crossed the US / Canadian border ‘many times’. By 1920 his sister Isa had moved to the USA and married Ernest PIERCE in Shellby, Montana. In 1921, William went, perhaps not for the first time, from Canada to the USA, and again in August of 1922 at Seattle, he went to Shellby, Montana.

Photo below right: William, about 1928.  From the collection of Mary Smith. McConnell0001-xc

Sometime later he joined the US military. McConnell0001-xbPhoto left: William (on left) with an unidentified army buddy. When in 1930 he married his first wife, 18 year old Ruth Leona DAVIS, he was in the Army at Fort Lawton in Seattle with the Third Engineers. Ruth was born in 1912 in Washington state and died in Florida in 1992.

McConnell0001-xgPhoto left: William and his 1st wife Ruth Davis, 1933. This and the above photos from the collection of Mary Smith.

Ruth and William McConnell had three children; Mary Janet McCONNELL (born 22 May 1933); William (Billy) Lyle McCONNELL (born 22 May 1937); and Bonnie Jean McCONNELL (born 29 June 1938). All of the children were born in Glasgow, Montana; William’s eldest child Mary believes her father worked as a fireman during the building of the Fort Peck Dam. The children were born during the depression years and work was hard to find; a job at the Fort Peck Dam construction would have been welcome.

William’s daughter Mary picks up her father’s story. “In 1940 my dad re-enlisted in the Army at Glasgow, Montana for two years, in 1942 he re-enlisted, this time in Butte, Montana. During this tour of duty he was shipped to New Guinea to clear jungles and build air fields. He was one of the first ones there and I have more than fifty pictures of natives in New Guinea. While my dad was at war, my mother Ruth, on June 23, 1943, put my sister, brother and I in an orphans’ home in Great Falls, Montana. My sister Bonnie Jean died on April 7, 1944 of diphtheria.

Dad was discharged from the military on August 12, 1944. He got my brother and I from St. Thomas’ Orphans’ Home and on September 25, in Wolf Point, Montana, he married Lulu FULLER. She was born in 1887, died May 26,1956.” McConnell0001-xd

Photo right: William and his 2nd wife Lulu. Photo taken sometime between 1944 and 1956. Photo is from the collection of Mary Smith.

Mary’s story continues: Between 1945 and 1948 I don’t remember too much but my dad did work on the Great Northern rail line. Lulu  is the one who raised my brother and I after Dad got out of the army. In 1949 we moved to Troy, Montana. I think the Rail Line transferred my father. We rented a piece of land, that had a horse barn on it. My father converted the horse barn into a home for us to live in. Down stairs was divided in half by a blanket that made a kitchen and bedroom. Upstairs was divided in half so my brother and I each had a bedroom. The stairway to our upstairs bedroom was on the outside of our house. There was no electricity, running water or indoor plumbing.

McConnell0001-xfIn 1958 dad married his third wife, Mary ALFORD.  Mary was  born in 1901. She and dad were married in 1958 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Photo left: William with his wife Mary (woman on left side of photo) with an unidentified friend. Photo taken between 1958 and 1967. From the collection of Mary Smith.

On 23 March 1960 my brother William (Billy) Lyle McConnell died at Camp Pendleton, California. He was in a special outfit in the Marines. He was coming home to put on a show at the fairgrounds for Memorial Day and was killed in a car accident.

In 1965 when Dad came down to Florida to meet my husband, Clifford Smith, and my daughter, I had been away from home for sixteen years, since 1949.

McConnell0001-xhDad died on 17 April 1967 in Lewiston, Montana. He was very active in the VFW and the Veterans’ Affairs hospital where he ran the bingo for the patients. Mary Alford died in Hellena, Montana in 1967.”

[Author’s Note: a search of the Montana Death Index and associated records on Ancestry.com show that William W. McCONNELL, born 16 February 1902, died 17 April 1967, was buried in the city cemetery of Libby, Lincoln County, Montana. Also buried in this cemetery are William’s wife Lulu McConnell (1887-1956) and  William’s son William L. (1937-1960).]

Watson Family Moves to Canada

24 Thursday May 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Muir Family, Watson Family

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Tags

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, Jane Muir (1899-1988)

21 Monday May 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Watson Family

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Tags

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)

WATSON, James Muir (1888-1965)

16 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Watson Family

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Agnes (Nancy) Elizabeth ACTON (1892-1981), James MUIR (1843-1924), James Muir WATSON (1888-1965), Jane MUIR (1865-1933), Mount Oliphant Farm, Samuel ACTON (1857-1927), 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]

James (Jim) Muir WATSON [left on 10 June 1914] was born on 20 November 1888 at Mount Oliphant Farm, Ayrshire, Scotland, second son and child to Thomas WATSON and his wife Jane (Jean) (MUIR) WATSON. James was named according to the Scottish ‘naming pattern’; as the second son he was named after his mother’s father James MUIR.

Unlike his older brother Tom [Thomas WATSON], Jim did follow in his father’s farming footsteps. He would have been expected to work on the farm as he grew up, helping with the work when not in school. As he grew up, Jim saw firsthand from his father’s experience as a tenant farmer that there was no future in Scotland. Land ownership was tied up with a few individuals and he could never hope to rise above a tenant. Canada was a different proposition. The Canadian West was being settled and the newspapers were filled with reports of free land, rosy conditions and healthy life style. Hardy agricultural workers in Scotland were wanted and immigration agents travelled throughout the country, distributing posters and pamphlets extolling the benefits of life in Canada.

Jim did not resist the lure and on the 19 June 1906 he arrived at the Port of Montreal on the ship ‘S. S. Corinthian’. He was not yet 18 years old. After his arrival in Winnipeg he worked for a local farmer as an agricutural labourer. It is likely that he saved what money he could to send home to his family, possibly first to help his brother Bill [William Watson Muir WATSON] immigrate, and to eventually bring the whole family.

Sometime after the Watson family arrived in Saskatchewan in 1910, Jim left his farm labouring job in Manitoba and moved to the Ellisboro / Rosewood area of Saskatchewan to be with his family. It was here that he met Agnes Elizabeth ACTON, always known as Nancy. Jim, 26, and 22 year old Nancy were married at her father Samuel ACTON’s farm on 10 June 1914 (photo below).

A local newspaper reported on Jim and Nancy’s marriage in a column entitled WEDDING AT ROSEWOOD.

On Wednesday of last week one of the most popular young ladies in the district, Miss Nancy Acton, entered into the married estate, the happy bridegroom beng Mr. James Watson, second son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Watson who, since they came out from Scotland some four years ago, have been farming north of the valley. The wedding took place at the beautiful home of the bride’s father, Mr. S. Acton. A large company of friends and neighbors gathered on the verandah of the house which was gaily festooned with branches of trees, with the guests grouped around on the lawn.

Rev. D. B. Millard officiated, Mr. Thos Watson, of Winnipeg, brother of the bridegroom, acted as best man, Miss May Acton supported her sister as bridesmaid WATSON1914-006and Mrs. W. S. Oliver played the wedding march and accompanied the singing. The bride looked lovely in a gown of lace over white satin, with a prettily embroidered veil fastened to her hair with a wreath of white carnations, a bouquet of which she also carried in her hand. The bridesmaid was becomingly dressed in embroidered voile with a pink sash and pink carnations.

After the ceremony a sumptuous wedding breakfast was served on prettily decorated tables set out on the lawn under arches of trees and shade with foliage.

WATSON1914-003Many useful and handsome wedding presents were showered on the bride, including a gold watch and chain from the bridegroom and a cheque from Rosewood congregation, where for several years past she has acted as organist. The bridegroom’s present to the bridesmaid was a gold bracelet.

 Amid a shower of rice and confetti the happy couple, the bride attired in a suit of Alice blue and a white hat, left by automobile for Wolseley en route for a short honeymoon in Regina.

The family wedding photograph [see photo in post Sunday 29 April 2012] shows the whole family reunited in Canada. Aside from documenting the happy occasion, I have always believed that this photograph illustrated to the Watson family the opportunities that could be gained by immigration. By 1914 Jim had acquired some land which he would eventually own, and his bride Nancy was the daughter of Samuel Acton, one of the original pioneers in the area, a major land holder and member of the Rosewood school board. The large and industrious Acton family figured prominently in the district. Jim could never have married the daughter of a land owner in Scotland, nor hoped to own his own land. Canada was indeed the land of opportunity.

After their marriage Jim and Nancy lived from 1914 until 1945 on their farm in the Qu’Appelle Valley. A rough lumber shack was their first home for about ten years until the ‘new house’ could be afforded.

In 1945 after their son Richard William (Bill) WATSON returned from WWII military service, Jim and Nancy moved to Vancouver Island where they bought a small farm in the Saanich Peninsula area north of Victoria. They lived there for several years before moving into Victoria. Their son Bill continued to farm ‘the home farm’ in Saskatchewan.

Nancy and Jim Watson, on their 50th wedding anniversary

10 June 1964, Victoria, British Columbia

Jim and Nancy both died in Victoria; Jim on 17 October 1965 as the result of a car accident, and Nancy on 19 August 1981. They are both buried in the Ellisboro Cemetery in the Qu’Appelle Valley in Saskatchewan, close to where they lived and farmed for many years.

WATSON, Thomas (1854-1932)

14 Monday May 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Watson Family

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Alexander Hunter WATSON (1895-1934), Gilbert SPEIRS (1858-1941), 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 Muir WATSON (1903-1994), Joseph Francis ACTON (1886-1972), Mary HUNTER (1827-1907), Mount Oliphant Farm, Thomas WATSON (1827-1878), Thomas WATSON (1854-1932), William WATSON (1847-1878), 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]

Thomas WATSON was born on 2 May 1854 in York Street, Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland to Thomas WATSON  and his wife Mary HUNTER, tenant farmers. By 1858 the family had grown to four children, Thomas’ older half-brother William WATSON (1847-1878) and younger sisters Janet WATSON  (1856-1935) and Isabella WATSON (1858-1904).

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

The Watson family lived on several farms in the Ayr area. In 1861 The family lived on Mosshill Farm in Alloway Parish, Ayrshire, Thomas (the father) was a “farmer of 60 acres” and both a farm servant and domestic servant were employed.

By 1878 the family lived on Mount Oliphant Farm just outside Ayr. That year Thomas’ father Thomas died of “paralysis of the brain”. Thomas registered his father’s death and took over running Mt. Oliphant. By 1881 the farm has increased in size and Thomas was “farmer of 70 acres” and two farm servants, and a domestic servant were employed. A boarder also lived at the farm, probably to help with the family income.

On 20 January 1887 Thomas, 33, married local girl Jane MUIR. They lived at Mount Oliphant Farm for the next five years, the first three of their children were born there. Although Mount Oliphant was considered to be a poor farm the family managed to scrape out a living. Thomas also worked as a carter to augment the family income.

Photo right: Thomas Watson, carter, Scotland, about 1890

By 1895 the family had left Mount Oliphant and for the next fifteen years lived and worked in at least seven different farms throughout the Scottish Lowlands. The last farm before emigrating to Canada in 1910 was Clark’s farm in Gullane, Scotland. Thomas took on different farm related occupations to support his growing family: dairyman (1897), ploughman (1899) and again dairyman (1903).

Family stories indicate that Thomas enjoyed music; descendants of Thomas have a fiddle as a family heirloom that it is believed belonged to Thomas. This is supported by an old photograph (left). WATSON finalThe man with the fiddle looks like Thomas with his bushy sideburns. The photographer’s name place the photograph in Scotland, however more specific date and location are unknown. If it is Thomas in the photo it seems likely that his wife Jane is one of the women seated in front.

violinist final

Photo right: enlargement of man with fiddle. Bushy sideburns and mustache identify Thomas.

In 1910, at the relatively advanced age (for those times) of 56, Thomas, his wife Jane and children Alexander, Helen (Nell), Jean and John sailed for Canada. Two sons, James and William, had emigrated previously. The move was successful; although he never owned land himself he lived to see four of his sons become landowners. In later years he told his family that he wished he had moved to Canada twenty years earlier.

[see posts from May 2012 for the story of Thomas’ children, life in Scotland and the family’s move to Canada]

Photo left and below: The Watson family in Saskatchewan, about 1918, taking a break from harvesting. In the photo below, Thomas is the man on the far right, with the brimmed hat, his prominent side burns can be seen. Other people in the photograph unidentified.

Photo below: Thomas with his sister Janet (WATSON) SPIERS and his brother-in-law Gilbert SPEIRS, photo probably from the 1920s, on the Campbell farm in the Rosewood district of Sakatchewan. Gilbert always had his corncob pipe.

According to family stories, Thomas was a ‘dour’ Scot, some would say “an ornery old cuss“. His memory may have become confused in his later years, although this perception may have been also due to his opinionated personality which sometimes rubbed people the wrong way.

Forty years later, his grandson Tom related the story: “I remember one time a remark, something had come up, Grandpa Watson had some shares in, I think, the United Grain Growers or something. There was an annoucement that came out in the newspaper that they were going to do something with these shares. And it was the only time I remember grandpa getting on the phone. But he got on the phone and he phoned his son-in-law Joe Acton and asked about these shares, probably asked what he should do with them. And whatever remark he made was quite ridiculous and someone’s comment was “I think Grandpa is getting into his second childhood.” Of course, at the time, that was often said, you got old and you went into your second childhood. And someone else made the comment “he’s been in his second childhood ever since I have known him”.” At the time, Thomas was probably in his late 70s and possibly was becoming confused, or at least more inflexible in his outlook on life.

Thomas died on the 6 March 1932 from complications of diabetes. My father, who was 15 at the time, later remembered his grandfather:

He died as a result of diabetes that he didn’t take care of. I can remember him making a remark several times saying “well, I’m ready for my hole in the ground”. He more or less said that he would welcome death because he was not going to put up with these damned needles and eating bread that was cooked with no-starch flour and that sort of stuff. In those days you had to cut out all starch. I remember going one evening with my mother [Helen (Nell) WATSON] and Grandma Watson [Jane MUIR] was pretty discouraged. My grandfather had just been told by the doctor that he had diabetes and told how he had to change his diet. He had been given this flour as in those days you weren’t supposed to eat starch or sugar. You were supposed to bake bread with this flour that had no starch in it. Well you can imagine baking bread with no starch.

Grandma Watson showed us what she had just baked, they were supposed to be buns but they were as flat as pancakes and hard as a rock. Grandma showed this to my mother with the comment “you may see what it’s like …”. And poor Grandma, I felt sorry for her even as a young boy. She was so discouraged. And of course there was no way he was going to eat that crap. He never did. He wanted his porridge and his sugar – even if it killed him that’s what he wanted.

He went into a coma March 1933. And died. They had a doctor out [from the town of Lemberg] and the doctor said” there’s nothing I can do, it’s inevitable” And he died within 24 hours.

He was buried in Ellisboro Cemetery on 9 March 1932, fifty years later my father still remembered “that it was a cold bloody day that he was buried.”

[Obituary from Lemberg Star, Mar 11, 1932, Vol 14, #32]     A highly respected and aged citizen of Rosewood district, passed away at his home on Sunday, March 6th, in the person of Thomas Watson, aged 78 years. The late Mr. Watson was born near the town of Ayr, Scotland and with his family, settled here in 1910, where he has since engaged in farming with a fair measure of success. He is survived by his widow, two daughters, Mrs. Jos. Acton, Lemberg and Miss Jean, Regina, also five sons: Thomas, Winnipeg; James, William, Alex and John of this community. One sister, Mrs. G. Spiers [Janet WATSON, married to Gilbert SPIERS] who resides in Ellisboro. The funeral took place on Wednesday afternoon, following service at the late home, burial being made in Ellisboro cemetery, conducted by Rev. H. Cobb of Wolseley. The pallbearers were his five sons, Thomas, James, William, Alex, John and son-in-law Joseph Acton.

A WATSON family wedding

29 Sunday Apr 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), Jane Muir WATSON (1899-1988), Janet WALKER (1859-1948), John McConnell Muir WATSON (1903-1994), 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 9 January 2019. Unless otherwise indicated all photos are from the author’s collection]

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

Photo above: On 10 June 1914 James Muir WATSON married Agnes (Nancy) Elizabeth ACTON.

For those interested in Watson family history the above photograph is unique because it shows the complete Thomas and Jane (MUIR) Watson family at one time and in one place. Standing, left to right: Alexander Hunter WATSON, Jane (‘Jean’) Muir WATSON, the groom James (‘Jim’) Muir WATSON and his bride Agnes (Nancy) Elizabeth ACTON, Thomas (‘Tom’) WATSON, Helen (‘Nell’) McNab WATSON and William (‘Bill’) Watson Muir WATSON. Sitting: father Thomas (‘Tom’) WATSON and his wife Jane (‘Jean’) MUIR, and between them their youngest child  John McConnell Muir WATSON. The only family member missing is Mary Hunter WATSON who died as a young child in Scotland in 1900.

The date of the wedding is 10 June 1914, the place is the bride’s home on her parent’s (Samuel ACTON and Janet WALKER) farm in Rosewood, Saskatchewan.

WATSON1914-002L to R: Parents of the groom, Thomas Watson and his wife Jane Watson, groom James (Jim) Watson, bride Agnes (Nancy) Watson and parents of the bride Janet and Samuel Acton. The photograph was taken in the vegetable garden – see the sticks with seed package covers to mark the rows in the lower left of the photo.

A clipping from a local newspaper [probably the Lemberg Star, however no source was cited] described the wedding.

On Wednesday of last week one of the most popular young ladies in the district, Miss Nancy Acton, entered into the married estate, the happy bridegroom being Mr. James Watson, second son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Watson who, since they came out from Scotland some four years ago, have been farming north of the [Qu’Appelle] valley. TheACTON1910-001 wedding took place at the beautiful home of the bride’s father, Mr. S. [Samuel] Acton.

Right: The home of Samuel and Janet Acton, obviously several years before the veranda was built, and tree windbreak and garden planted.

A large company of friends and neighbors gathered on the veranda of the house which was gaily festooned with branches of trees, with the guests grouped around on the lawn. Rev. D. B. Millard officiated, Mr. Thos Watson, of Winnipeg, brother of the bridegroom, acted as best man, Miss May Acton supported her sister as bridesmaid and Mrs. W. S. Oliver played the wedding march and accompanied the singing. The bride looked lovely in a gown of lace over white satin, with a prettily embroidered veil fastened to her hair with a wreath of white carnations, a bouquet of which she also carried in her hand. The bridesmaid was becomingly dressed in embroidered voile with a pink sash and pink carnations.

Left to right: Thomas WATSON, and his brother James WATSON, Agnes (Nancy) WATSON and her sister Sarah May (May) ACTON. The veranda of the house “gaily festooned with branches of trees” clearly in view.

After the ceremony a sumptuous wedding breakfast was served on prettily decorated tables set out on the lawn under arches of trees and shade with foliage.

Many useful and handsome wedding presents were showered on the bride, including a gold watch and chain from the bridegroom and a cheque from Rosewood congregation, where for several years past she has acted as organist. The bridegroom’s present to the bridesmaid was a gold bracelet.

Amid a shower of rice and confetti the happy couple, the bride attired in a suit of Alice blue and a white hat, left by automobile for Wolseley en route for a short honeymoon in Regina.

The newly married couple were driven to Wolseley to catch the train to Regina by the groom’s brother and best man Thomas who was a chauffeur in Winnipeg to the wealthy Black family. The bride, Nancy, later told her family that this was her first automobile ride.

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