12 September 2014

Family Treasures: - A tale of tragedy and strength

This very inconspicuous, old cane basket is one of my family treasures. It's a bit worn around the edges, it’s a bit grubby in places, and anyone who didn’t know it’s history would probably send it off to the dump. But my maternal great grandfather James Francis (Jim) EGAN made this basket many, many years ago. He made it totally by hand, which is a feat in itself, but the most amazing thing about it is that when it was made, Jim was totally blind.


James Francis (Jim) EGAN
James Francis (Jim) EGAN and his twin brother Michael Patrick EGAN were born on the 28th of December 1876 at Frankton, in Central Otago, New Zealand. They were the first-born children of Irish immigrants William and Mary (nee DWYER) EGAN, who had arrived in New Zealand in 1867 onboard the ship ‘Elizabeth Fleming’.

Jim's father, William EGAN, was accidentally killed while gold mining in February 1878 when Jim and his brother Michael were only 13 months old. Their family subsequently shifted south to begin a new life farming at Wrey’s Bush in Western Southland. His mother, Mary (nee DWYER) EGAN, was a very strong, determined Irish woman who ran her own farm with the help of her brother-in-law James EGAN, and later on with the help of her three growing sons; Jim, Michael and William (who was born 8 months after his father’s tragic death).

6th of August 1913, the marriage of
Jim EGAN & Hanora COSGRIFF

James Francis (Jim) EGAN was married in August 1913 to Hanora Mary COSGRIFF and before long they had a family of four beautiful young children; Jack (John Francis, my maternal grandfather, b. 1914), Molly (b. 1915), Kathleen (b. 1917) and James (b. 1918). Happiness for them was short-lived however, as Jim's beautiful young wife Hanora fell ill when their baby James was only eight months old. Hanora was admitted to hospital in the nearby town of Riverton and underwent an operation to remove a large hydatids cyst from her liver. After the operation she went into shock and the following day (the 27th of July 1919) she died, aged just 30, leaving Jim a widower with four very young children to raise on his own. His mother Mary, now 75 years old, was able to help him to a certain degree and after much discussion it was decided that the eldest child Jack (only four years old) would remain living with his father and grandmother. Toddlers Molly and Kathleen went to live with relations of their mothers Cosgriff family, and baby James went to live with a local family nearby who raised him as one of their own.

Back when Jim was in his late teens he had begun to experience problems with his eyesight and only a few years after his wife’s tragic death it had got to the stage that he was having real difficulties with everyday life on the farm due to his deteriorating sight. In February 1926 his mother Mary died aged 82, and he was left living alone with his now 12 year old son Jack, and with eyes that were failing him badly. Not long after this he underwent an operation to try and save his eyesight but it didn’t go according to plan and instead Jim was left totally blind. And so began a new phase of his life, learning to live in a world of total darkness.

After a few months of trying to return to live at home it was decided that it would be best if Jim left the family farm and moved north to Auckland, to the NZ Blind Institute, to learn the necessary skills to adjust to his new life. After a very fond farewell from the locals, Jim left Wrey’s Bush for good, and would only return periodically for visits in the years that followed. Social occasions held to farewell Jim each time he visited were often reported in the local newspapers and they provide a great insight into life at the time. 

The following is a newspaper report of his initial farewell, printed in the Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle’ on the 8th of February 1927:

Complimentary Social at Wreys Bush"

"When it was made known that Mr Jas. Egan had decided to take up a course at the Auckland Institute for the Blind, the residents were unanimous in deciding he should not leave without them showing their practical sympathy in his affliction and their appreciation of his many acts of kindness and willingness to assist in any movement or gathering, for the benefit of others. Particularly has he been known as the founder and leader of “Egan’s Orchestra”, whose name throughout the District was a bye word for first class music. Mr Egan had for some years suffered from defective eyesight, and an operation became imperative. Unfortunately the result was not successful and he was totally deprived of sight. With commendable determination to be of use, he decided to go to the Institute, fully resolved to accomplish some purpose. On Tuesday evening the hall was packed to its fullest extent, visitors being present from all parts of the district. Mr John Boyle, Heddon Bush, was Chairman, and in a few appropriate remarks, explained the object of the gathering expressing pleasure at the spontaneous response of the whole neighbourhood. An enjoyable concert programme was submitted. Items were rendered by the following: Misses A Ronald, J Ronald and Matheson. Dances by Misses Caulfield and Anderson. H.E. Philip Comedian, provided a fund of humour.

Mr Jas. G Johnston, one of the oldest residents of the district, in making the Guest a present of a well-filled wallet, said he found great difficulty in making an appropriate speech. He wanted Jim to feel he had the sympathy of them all in this time of trial. He assured him of their best wishes for the accomplishment of the task that lay before him and for his ultimate success for the battle of life. “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” was heartily sung at this juncture. Mr D.J. Heenan, Beaumont, said the occasion was both uncommon and sad. He regretted the circumstances. Mr Egan had been hard against it, having lost his wife a few years ago while his family was still young. Although his fresh affliction had overtaken him, he was not downhearted, but with the heart of a lion, he was game and would not give in. He assured him of their prayers for his prosperity. Mr P Sinclair also spoke, referring to the fact that almost everyone present had at some time danced to music supplied by Mr Egan.

Mr Egan, on rising, received a great ovation. In a voice that could be distinctly heard, though deeply touched by emotion, he said words failed to come to thank them for what they had all done for him. He was overcome with gratitude for their spontaneous gift, although not so much for the gift, as the spirit which prompted it. It spoke volumes for their charity and kindness. He was not going to give in and prayed that God would bless and reward them all. “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” was again taken up by the crowd and after a few more items, the chairman called for three hearty cheers for all who had assisted in the evenings entertainment. A dance followed during which a dainty repast, provided by the ladies, was handed around.”


A report of his visit in February 1929 included the following:
“…….. during a recess Mr D Sinclair, on behalf of the company, congratulated their guest on the rapid advancement he had made in the art of basket making and his proficiency on the typewriter. The residents had had the opportunity of seeing samples of his work which he had done during his holiday and could see for themselves the fine class of work he could turn out ……….”
The ‘Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle’ dated the 11th of February 1930 reported the following:
"Complimentary social was tendered to Mr James Egan in the Wrey’s Bush hall on Wednesday 5th inst., prior to his return to the Jubilee Institute for the Blind at Auckland. The hall was well filled with friends and many had come some considerable distance. Dancing was enjoyed by music supplied by Egans’ New Orchestra (4 instruments).
During supper adjournment, Mr D Sinclair expressed the pleasure of seeing their guest in his own town again and looking well and happy. They were all proud to know that despite the affliction that had overtaken him he had not lost heart, but by the excellent tuition and training he had received at the Institute, he was in the happy position of feeling himself in a large measure independent and self-reliant. Samples of his work were before them and had attracted the admiration of everyone. He had mastered the Braille and could do the bookkeeping by that system and was very proficient at the typewriter. He hoped that many of those present would write now and again to Jim and they would be surprised at the well-written reply they would receive. The speaker concluded by congratulating their guest on the success he had achieved by grit and determination and in conjunction with all those present wished him continued success and good health. “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” was heartily sung. An acceptable and suitable presentation was also made. Mr Egan on rising to reply was accorded an ovation. He thanked them sincerely for their many expressions of good will and practical sympathy and assistance. He did not like leaving again after his holiday, but realised that it was all for the best but was always glad to get back to the “Bush” again. He wished one and all Goodbye and Good Luck."

During his time living in Auckland Jim continued to enjoy his music and played the clarinet in the Blind Institute Band. On one occasion the band undertook a nationwide tour of New Zealand, including a visit to the deep south, and this allowed Jim another chance to catch up with all those at home in Wrey’s Bush and also have many friends and family come to hear his band play.

The NZ Blind Institute Band; date unknown but probably taken in the late 1930's.
My great grandfather James Francis (Jim) EGAN is second from the right in the middle row.

Basket making was one of the many new skills that Jim EGAN learnt while at the Blind Institute. From what I have been told, he was a very fast learner and picked up new skills easily. So long as he was told which colours of cane were sitting where when he started, he could turn out a beautiful basket in no time at all. I was also told that over the years most members of his wider extended family had all been given baskets made by him. But I'm afraid my basket is the only example I know of or have ever seen. It was given to me about ten years ago by a grandson of Jim’s younger brother William. There may still be other examples out there but I guess the stories of how they came to be in the family may have been lost over time and the baskets eventually disposed of.

In his later years Jim returned from the Blind Institute in Auckland and spent his last few years living with his son James and family in Invercargill. He died from cancer of the throat and oesophagus in Invercargill on the 24th of April 1947 at the age of 70. He was buried alongside his beloved wife Hanora, his mother Mary and his uncle James at the Wrey’s Bush Cemetery in Western Southland.

My great grandfather Jim EGAN had more than his fair share of tragedies in his lifetime, including the death of his father when he was only a baby, the loss of his wife after only five years of marriage, and then the subsequent loss of his young family as they were taken and raised by others. And as if that wasn't enough for any man to have to endure, he then had to spend well over half of his life living in total darkness. But he did so with dignity, with courage, with strength and determination, and without so much as a single grumble or a “why me”. He took life as it was dealt to him and made the most of the opportunities he was given.


10 September 2014

Family Mysteries: - A voyage across the seas

My gt, gt grandfather
Robert Speirs LINDSAY
In the late 1880’s my paternal great, great grandparents made a voyage from Scotland to the United States, and then back again the following year. They were unmarried at the time they left and married when they returned, but that in itself is nothing unusual. What is unusual however, is the fact that they were both from very poor families, so how or why they made this voyage is a complete mystery to me.

My great, great grandfather Robert Speirs LINDSAY was born on the 25th of September 1868 at Tollcross, Shettleston, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He was one of the youngest of a family of at least twelve children of Andrew and Elizabeth (nee SPEIRS) LINDSAY. 

Robert LINDSAY's parents, my 3x great grandparents
Andrew & Elizabeth (nee SPEIRS) LINDSAY
His wife Janet CLOSE was born about 1868 in County Down, Ireland. Exactly where or when I have been unable to ascertain yet. She was one of at least eight children of James and Agnes (nee WILKINSON) CLOSE who emigrated to Scotland from Ireland between 1873 and 1878 when Janet was aged between five and ten years old. Both the LINDSAY and CLOSE families lived in very close proximity to each other in Bothwell, Lanarkshire where the men of the families all worked as coal miners. In fact in 1891 the families were actually next door neighbours in Bellshill, so they would obviously have known each other well.

I first became aware of this mystery voyage when I located Robert LINDSAY and his wife Janet (nee CLOSE) on the 1891 Scottish census. Robert (aged 22) was recorded as a coal miner, living at Bellshill in Lanarkshire. What was notable about the census entry for his family was that his eldest son Andrew (age 1), was recorded as having been born in Bleurfield*, America while their second son, James (4 mths), was recorded as being born in Lanarkshire, Scotland. 

The 1891 census of Scotland showing Robert and Janet LINDSAY and their two sons

The subsequent purchase of the birth record for the second son James Close LINDSAY (born 15th November 1890) recorded that his parents were married on the 25th of October 1888 in Clearfield Co, Pennsylvania, America. So that was now two references to America. I obviously needed to look into this a bit further.

A quick search on Ancestry.com turned up a marriage record for a Robert LINDSAY (age 20) and a Jannett CLOSS (age 21) on the same date as mentioned above (25th of October 1888) at Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. This was definitely my couple, but what on earth were they doing in America? This marriage record also revealed that Robert was a miner working and living at the Morrisdale Mines. Another search soon found the baptism of their first son Andrew LINDSAY, born on the 6th of August 1889 and baptised “in the church” at Morrisdale on the 12th of January 1890.

On the 8th of February 1890 the ship 'Anchoria' arrived in Glasgow, Scotland, having sailed from New York. On board were 'John' LINDSAY and his wife Janet and their 6 month old son Andrew. Despite being recorded as 'John' and not Robert, I believe this is probably my family returning to Scotland as no other record for them returning home can be found.
When exactly Robert and Janet went to America I haven’t yet ascertained. I have found a record on Ancestry.com for a Robert LINDSAY, coalminer, leaving Glasgow on board 'State of Nebraska', arriving in New York on the 18th of July 1888. Whether or not this is my Robert I am not sure. And if it is, where then is Janet?

But the most important question, ......... why they went to America, is still the big mystery I hope to solve. There are so many questions I want answers to.
  • Where did they get the money from to make the voyage? 
  • Did their families know they had gone or did they run away together? 
  • Did they go together or did Robert go first and then send money for Janet to come too? 
  • Was Robert enticed over there by American coal mining companies seeking employees?
  • Why did they choose to return to Scotland and not stay permanently in America, a land of so many opportunities?

So many questions, ….… so many answers I may never find, but I will keep searching.


________________________________


Footnote: Robert and Janet (nee CLOSE) LINDSAY went on to have four children together: Andrew (b.1889), James Close (b.1890), Elizabeth Speirs (b.1892) and Robert (b.1894).  Sadly Janet died from pneumonia in May 1896, aged just 28 years. Robert remarried in October 1899 to a widow, Bridget FOX (nee MURPHY), who had two young sons of her own. 

Robert and Janet’s two youngest children, Elizabeth Speirs (my great grandmother) and Robert were aged just 3 years old and 20 months old when their mother Janet died. They were brought up from then on by their paternal grandparents, Andrew and Elizabeth (nee SPEIRS) LINDSAY. The two eldest sons, Andrew and James (6 and 5 years old), also went to live with their grandparents initially, but later returned to live with their father and his new wife. They were still living with their father in 1901 aged 11 and 10 years old, but are later shown on the 1911 census aged in their early twenties living back with their very elderly grandparents in Green St, Bothwell.

The LINDSAY Family; date unknown but thought to be taken immediately after WW1.
Back: Elizabeth (nee McPHERSON, wife of Andrew LINDSAY), Bridget (FOX, nee MURPHY, 2nd wife of Robert Speirs
LINDSAY), Bessie RENSHAW (Elizabeth Speirs, nee LINDSAY, my great grandmother), Robert Speirs LINDSAY
(my gt, gt grandfather), Nellie (Helen, nee BLACK, wife of James Close LINDSAY), James Close LINDSAY.
Front: Thomas & Patrick FOX (Bridget's sons, not sure which one is which), Andrew LINDSAY, Robert LINDSAY


Note: * The “Bleurfield” recorded on the 1891 census is obviously a transcription error made by the enumerator and should read “Clearfield”. All subsequent census and birth entries record the name as “Clearfield”.

7 September 2014

Happy Fathers Day !!!

I am unsure about the rest of the world, but today in New Zealand it is Father's Day, a day we celebrate and remember, and also thank our fathers for all they have done for us. My own father died when I was seven so I have no real recollection of spending a Father's Day with him, but I’m sure he has spent every Father's Day watching down on us from Heaven. Instead, my childhood memories of Father's Day lie solely around my paternal grandfather, Robert ENGLISH. He lived in the house right beside us and was probably the main father figure I had in my life. So my childhood Father's Days always meant a visit next door to see my grandad and my mother always baked him a sultana cake which was one of his absolute favourites.

Today I would like to celebrate and remember all the fathers on every branch of my family tree. Without them our tree would simply stop growing. An extra big thank you must go to all those fathers whose genes make me the person that I am today and whose blood still runs through my veins. These remarkable men; my own father, my two grandfathers and my many great grandfathers further back, have all helped me to become the person that I am and to them I owe a very big thank you. Each and every one of those whose photos appear below makes up a special part of me, and although there is only four of them that I actually ever met, the rest have all had an influence in some way or another in my genetic makeup.

So a very happy Father's Day to those below, and to all of my other great grandfathers further back on my tree. 


But today’s most special happy Father's Day wish must go to the most important father in my life today; - the fantastic father of my children, my husband Ross. For eighteen years now he has always been the kindest, most patient and loving father to our children. Thank you Ross for giving me two absolutely beautiful children and thank you for being the best husband and father that anyone could ever wish for. You are one in a million and Bridget, Mark and I love you so much   :-)



1 September 2014

World War 1: - Remembering the sacrifice

Today, the first day of September 2014, marks the 100th anniversary of the death of 28 year old Douglas McCALLIE. 

Douglas Hawthorn McCulloch McCALLIE (Private 8159, 1st Btn, Royal Scots Fusiliers) was born at Whithorn, Wigtownshire, Scotland on the 1st of July 1886. Douglas and I share a common ancestor, my paternal 3x great grandfather James McCALLIE, therefore Douglas is my first cousin, three times removed. But he is also related to me in a second way; he is also my great, great uncle due to the fact that in 1908 he married my great grandmother’s sister Catherine (who incidentally was his first cousin).

War was declared against Germany on the 4th of August 1914 and Douglas was amongst the first of the British soldiers to arrive in France on the 14th of August as part of the British Expeditionary Force. They had their first encounters with the enemy forces on the 21st of August and within ten days of this first fighting Douglas was dead. He was one of the very early casualties of a war that was to last four long years and was to eventually leave over 16 million people dead and 21 million seriously wounded.

The 1st Btn Royal Scots Fusiliers, to which Douglas belonged, was part of the 9th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Division of the British II Corp. One of Douglas’s first encounters with the enemy would have been at the Battle of Mons (23rd - 24th Aug 1914) where 80,000 British soldiers confronted a huge German army who largely outnumbered the British. Although the British fought well and inflicted disproportionate casualties on the numerically superior Germans, they were eventually forced to retreat due to the greater strength of the Germans and the sudden retreat of the French Army.



British infantry marching through a French village, August 1914   *

After the Battle of Mons Douglas’s division was involved in fierce fighting on the 26th of August to the west of Le Cateau. The long slog of the retreat was to last for two weeks and saw the British Expeditionary Force pushed all the way back to the outskirts of Paris. Throughout this time there was often short, sharp rear-guard actions and pockets of very fierce fighting. What other conflicts Douglas took part in during this time I have been unable to accurately ascertain, and although he died on the 1st of September, the same day as the Battle of NĂ©ry, as far as I know his battalion was not involved with this action.


La-Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial, France **
Although many British and German soldiers bodies were recovered early on and buried in the very first of the huge number of cemeteries to be established during the war, the body of Douglas McCALLIE was never found. He is commemorated on the La-Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial to the missing at Seine-et-Marne, a small town located 66km to the east of Paris. The memorial commemorates the 3,740 men of the British Expeditionary Force who fell at the Battle of Mons, Le Cateau, the Marne and at the Aisne between the end of August and the beginning of October 1914 and who have no known graves.


Douglas's name on the La-Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial
Sadly, I have no photo of Douglas. Although he was married, he had no children and he died far from his home in a foreign land. I feel so very sad for his mother Annie because not ten months later she was reliving the nightmare all over again with the death of another of her sons, James KEITH, at Gallipoli. To loose her two eldest sons must have been absolute heartbreak for her.

Douglas's name is now but an inscription on a memorial in a small town in southern Scotland, and also on another in eastern France. All those who knew him and loved him on this earth have now joined him in Heaven. He may not be remembered by many anymore but I never want him, nor the sacrifice he made, to be forgotten. 

Great Uncle Douglas, rest assured I will never forget you. Thank you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Rest in peace my brave Scottish soldier.


“Greater love has no man than this,

that he lay down his life for his friends.”

(John 15:13)


__________________________

(Please note; the photo marked * is not mine and was found online here during my research,
the photo marked ** is also not mine and was found online here during my research)