Yesterday's article about Clay and Glynne Emigrants to the USA from Susan Johnson drew a flurry of responses.
Val Glass emailed me about John Clay, a Scottish farmer, an online biography of John Clay that mentions daughter, Sarah Clay, later Glynne.
That biography says "John Clay was bom at Dykegatehead, a farm in the parish of Whitsome, in the county of Berwick, on November 5, 1824" and that his portrait used to hang in his daughter, Sarah's house in Castle Terrace, Berwick-on-Tweed.
Val also said "I went to a talk about 10 years ago on the Clay family by, I think, Trevor Swan of Coldstream. All about their lives in USA. It is probably the same family who emigrated." and Tom Esk commented "I seem to remember that Trevor Swan gave a talk about a Clay family, possibly around March 2005 and it might have been in the Borders Family History Society magazine."
They're both right, and a search of the Borders Family History Society Article Index for 'Clay' shows a long article in issue 58 (which I think is June 2005) titlled 'The Purves, Clays, and the Crimean War' by Will Murray and Trevor Swan; the article is the text of the authors' talk to the Society titled 'James Charles Purves: a Coldstream Lad at the Charge' on 20th March 2005 about one of the participants in the charge of the Light Brigade, the battle, and some of James' family.
Trevor rang me this morning and confirmed that it is the same family that he has been researching, so I've sent an email from him to Susan and I hope that she'll be in touch.
If you know know more about this family or related families, please add a comment.
Does anyone have any pictures ?
Celebrating 900 years of Berwick's history and cultural heritage.
Showing posts with label Coldstream. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coldstream. Show all posts
Saturday, 5 September 2015
Wednesday, 22 July 2015
John Stapleton Weatherburn (1883 -1915) - part 1
From Margaret Rogers of Wagga Wagga, Australia:
I have been researching when my ancestors came to Australia and a bit about what kind of background they came from. As 2015 is the centenary of Australia’s involvement I have also been looking at the role some of my family played in World War I. I knew my father’s uncle had died at Gallipoli but in looking at my mother’s family I came across the fact that her great uncle had also died there.
At first I assumed it would have been as a member of the British army but when I looked closely at the photo of the Berwick memorial at St Mary's, Berwick, I noticed that it said AIF so I began to research to find out how that had happened.
John Stapleton Weatherburn was the sixth and youngest child of Alexander Weatherburn (born 1844 in Berwick) and Elizabeth Morrallee. He was born in 1883 in Berwick-upon-Tweed and is shown in the 1891 census living at 6 Castlegate, Berwick-upon-Tweed with his family except for his oldest brother, William, who was a policeman in Blyth in 1891 and who later emigrated to the USA.
He was the youngest brother of Margaret Morrallee Burns (nee Weatherburn) shown in the 1891 Census as a 21 year old tailor’s machinist. She is my great grandmother.
After attending Corporation Academy, in Berwick (a school which provided free education for the children of the Freemen of Berwick Guild) he enlisted in the regular British Army on 14 February 1898. His older brother, Alexander, had enlisted in 1893 aged 15 years and served until 1911, taking part in the Boer War.
On his attestation (enlistment) papers John Stapleton Weatherburn was listed as a shop boy aged 14 years 9 months, and was 5'3½'' (1.61m) tall.
He served in the Royal Artillery as a gunner and bombardier in the Royal Field Artillery Howitzer Brigades 151, 56 and 50 for 12 years. In the 1901 census he is shown as an enlisted soldier boy (aged 17) at Shoeburyness Barracks in South East Essex. During this time he had a record of mild misconduct and redemption as shown on his service record. His service record does not show service in the Boer War in South Africa. By the time he signed out in 1910 he had grown to 5' 7'' (1.7m) and he signed on to the Army reserve and received a pension as shown in UK Chelsea Pensioners Service Records 1760-1913.
Once he left the army John Stapleton Weatherburn returned to the Scottish Borders, was admitted as a Freeman of Berwick Guild on 3 October 1911 as "4th son of Alexander, deceased", and lived at Greenlaw, north east of Coldstream in Scotland. He appears on the 1911 Scottish Census.
At this time his sister, Rebecca, was married and living in Coldstream as was his maternal grandmother. His mother and brother, Henry, had moved to Consett, near Durham.
His older sister, Margaret Morrallee Burns and her children, Elizabeth (Morley), Rae, Iris, Bill and Alex, as well as her stepdaughter, Betty, had emigrated to join her husband, John Rea Burns, in Australia in 1911. They had been married in in July 1899 (at the Scotchgate Baptist Chapel in Castlegate, Berwick.
John Stapleton Weatherburn did not remain in Greenlaw long, as on 16 July 1912 he embarked on the White Star Line steamer, Waimana, from Liverpool for Sydney. He described himself as a farmer from Scotland on the passenger list.
I have been researching when my ancestors came to Australia and a bit about what kind of background they came from. As 2015 is the centenary of Australia’s involvement I have also been looking at the role some of my family played in World War I. I knew my father’s uncle had died at Gallipoli but in looking at my mother’s family I came across the fact that her great uncle had also died there.
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| Berwick War Memorial |
John Stapleton Weatherburn was the sixth and youngest child of Alexander Weatherburn (born 1844 in Berwick) and Elizabeth Morrallee. He was born in 1883 in Berwick-upon-Tweed and is shown in the 1891 census living at 6 Castlegate, Berwick-upon-Tweed with his family except for his oldest brother, William, who was a policeman in Blyth in 1891 and who later emigrated to the USA.
He was the youngest brother of Margaret Morrallee Burns (nee Weatherburn) shown in the 1891 Census as a 21 year old tailor’s machinist. She is my great grandmother.
After attending Corporation Academy, in Berwick (a school which provided free education for the children of the Freemen of Berwick Guild) he enlisted in the regular British Army on 14 February 1898. His older brother, Alexander, had enlisted in 1893 aged 15 years and served until 1911, taking part in the Boer War.
On his attestation (enlistment) papers John Stapleton Weatherburn was listed as a shop boy aged 14 years 9 months, and was 5'3½'' (1.61m) tall.
He served in the Royal Artillery as a gunner and bombardier in the Royal Field Artillery Howitzer Brigades 151, 56 and 50 for 12 years. In the 1901 census he is shown as an enlisted soldier boy (aged 17) at Shoeburyness Barracks in South East Essex. During this time he had a record of mild misconduct and redemption as shown on his service record. His service record does not show service in the Boer War in South Africa. By the time he signed out in 1910 he had grown to 5' 7'' (1.7m) and he signed on to the Army reserve and received a pension as shown in UK Chelsea Pensioners Service Records 1760-1913.
Once he left the army John Stapleton Weatherburn returned to the Scottish Borders, was admitted as a Freeman of Berwick Guild on 3 October 1911 as "4th son of Alexander, deceased", and lived at Greenlaw, north east of Coldstream in Scotland. He appears on the 1911 Scottish Census.
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| Rebecca Weatherburn (seated) and Margaret Morrallee Weatherburn |
His older sister, Margaret Morrallee Burns and her children, Elizabeth (Morley), Rae, Iris, Bill and Alex, as well as her stepdaughter, Betty, had emigrated to join her husband, John Rea Burns, in Australia in 1911. They had been married in in July 1899 (at the Scotchgate Baptist Chapel in Castlegate, Berwick.
John Stapleton Weatherburn did not remain in Greenlaw long, as on 16 July 1912 he embarked on the White Star Line steamer, Waimana, from Liverpool for Sydney. He described himself as a farmer from Scotland on the passenger list.
Wednesday, 29 April 2015
Explore Your History at Bygone Borderlands, Berwick-upon-Tweed, This Weekend
Following on the heels of a very successful Berwick and World War I event is Bygone Borderlands at Berwick Guildhall from 11am to 4pm on Saturday, 2 May and Sunday, 3 May.
Pose your family history question to Borders Family History Society or Northumberland and Durham Family History Society.
Discuss those local history puzzles with Ayton Local History Society, Belford Museum Group, Border Archaeological Society, Borders Family History Society, Bowsden History Group, Chirnside History Group, Coldstream History Society, Eyemouth Museum, Flodden 1513, Friends of Berwick & District Museum and Archives, Glendale Local History Society, Lowick Heritage Group. Northumberland and Durham Family History Society, Old Parish of Bamburgh Group; Till Valley Archaeological Society (Tillvas).
There's a downloadable programme of talks - 4 each day, starting at noon:
Saturday, 2 May
Sunday, 3 May
Download the Berwick 900 Festival's full programme of events.
Monday, 20 April 2015
Find out about Family Members in Scotland with free credits on ScotlandsPeople
Have you got Scottish ancestry or family members in Scotland ?
If you have ancestors that lived on the English side of the Border with Scotland or in the Berwick area, it's quite likely that you had family members that lived or worked in the Scottish Borders, or possibly just got married in Scotland or on one of the bridges over the River Tweed; the bridge between Cornhill and Coldstream was famous for such marriages.
My thanks to Marjorie Gavin for spotting that you can get 20 free credits on ScotlandsPeople worth £4.50 with an offer valid until 30 April.
Register at ScotlandsPeople if you are a new user, or log in, if you already have an account.
When you're logged in, click on 'Buy more credits' at the top of the page on the right.
You will be taken to a page where you should enter the promotional code.
Under 'Do you have a voucher code?', enter the promotional code:
scotlandnow
You should then receive 20 free credits worth £4.50.
If you have ancestors that lived on the English side of the Border with Scotland or in the Berwick area, it's quite likely that you had family members that lived or worked in the Scottish Borders, or possibly just got married in Scotland or on one of the bridges over the River Tweed; the bridge between Cornhill and Coldstream was famous for such marriages.
My thanks to Marjorie Gavin for spotting that you can get 20 free credits on ScotlandsPeople worth £4.50 with an offer valid until 30 April.
Register at ScotlandsPeople if you are a new user, or log in, if you already have an account.
When you're logged in, click on 'Buy more credits' at the top of the page on the right.
You will be taken to a page where you should enter the promotional code.
Under 'Do you have a voucher code?', enter the promotional code:
scotlandnow
You should then receive 20 free credits worth £4.50.
Sunday, 22 March 2015
Come to a talk about John Hamilton Hall (1799-1865) at Kelso on 29 March
Looking through the roll of the Berwick-upon-Tweed Guild of Freemen admitted in the 19th century, one occupation stood out. John Hamilton Hall's occupation was stated as Captain, Honourable East India Company; he lived in Ravensdowne.
This was part of the research I did for Berwick 900 last year and this led me to research him further.
He was born in Coldstream in 1799, but his father was a general physician in Berwick and a Freeman. Seeing his name and occupation in the Guild records led me on an interesting but puzzling hunt for information about his family, his career as an officer in the East India Company’s Bombay Infantry.
This Sunday, 29th March, at the Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes, Kelso, TD5 7BJ, I’ll be talking about John Hamilton Hall's life and career. Map.
Doors open at 2pm; the talk begins at 2.30pm.
However, just as importantly, I’ll be discussing how I researched him, some of the problems I found and the difficulties in reading and understanding the records. I'll also be discussing some of the online resources I used, so at the very least you should leave with a better understanding of researching your ancestors in British India.
The talk has been widely advertised so come early to get a good seat. I warmly invite you to attend the talk whether you are a member or not.
We'll have a range of family history publications available to buy, and there’ll be light refreshments (donation expected) available after the talk.
If you have a problem with your family history, please discuss it with one of our volunteers
He was born in Coldstream in 1799, but his father was a general physician in Berwick and a Freeman. Seeing his name and occupation in the Guild records led me on an interesting but puzzling hunt for information about his family, his career as an officer in the East India Company’s Bombay Infantry.
This Sunday, 29th March, at the Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes, Kelso, TD5 7BJ, I’ll be talking about John Hamilton Hall's life and career. Map.
Doors open at 2pm; the talk begins at 2.30pm.
However, just as importantly, I’ll be discussing how I researched him, some of the problems I found and the difficulties in reading and understanding the records. I'll also be discussing some of the online resources I used, so at the very least you should leave with a better understanding of researching your ancestors in British India.
The talk has been widely advertised so come early to get a good seat. I warmly invite you to attend the talk whether you are a member or not.
We'll have a range of family history publications available to buy, and there’ll be light refreshments (donation expected) available after the talk.
If you have a problem with your family history, please discuss it with one of our volunteers
Tuesday, 22 July 2014
Another Member of John Hamilton Hall's Family Joins the Berwick Guild
My earlier articles about John Hamilton Hall, born in Coldstream on 22nd October 1799 were John Hamilton Hall - Dangerously Assumed to be Unique and John Hamilton Hall's Application to Join the East India Company.
I gave a talk about him in Berwick-upon-Tweed about 6 weeks ago and was asked lots of questions.
By a strange but happy coincidence, Linda Bankier, the archivist at Berwick Record Office informed me a few weeks later that one of John’s great great granddaughters was going to be admitted as a Freeman of Berwick Guild and she suggested that I go along to watch. It turns out that the Admission Ceremony is open for anyone to attend and it’s normal for the applicants’ family and friends to do so.
When I arrived at the Guildhall, I was greeted by the Halberdier dressed in a serge morning-suit; the applicants were having a walk-through of the ceremony so on his instruction I waited in the ante-chamber where the Chairman of the Guild was being enrobed.
The Ceremony is formal but friendly.
We stood. The Sergeant at Mace entered, bearing the Mace and was followed by the female Mayor wearing a suit of the same colour as the Halberdier and an ornate gold chain around her neck. She was accompanied by the Sheriff and the Town Clerk.
There was a speech by the Mayor, each of the 3 applicants stated their claim, the Town Clerk confirmed that the claim had been verified and the applicants' sponsor confirmed the identity of the applicant.
Each of the applicants, in turn claimant, took the Freemen's Oath, to uphold the law, the traditions of the Guild and take care of fellow Freemen's belongings.
The Mayor told the Town Clerk to enter the applicants' names in the Freemen's Roll and the applicants signed the book.
The Mayor and the Sheriff each addressed the meeting and the Chairman of the Guild welcomed the new Freemen, clothing them with the purple robes of a Berwick Freeman.
After the ceremony, there was lots of photography.
If you get the opportunity, it’s worth watching; the next ceremony is on 30th September.
More information on the Berwick Guild and the ceremony.
I gave a talk about him in Berwick-upon-Tweed about 6 weeks ago and was asked lots of questions.
By a strange but happy coincidence, Linda Bankier, the archivist at Berwick Record Office informed me a few weeks later that one of John’s great great granddaughters was going to be admitted as a Freeman of Berwick Guild and she suggested that I go along to watch. It turns out that the Admission Ceremony is open for anyone to attend and it’s normal for the applicants’ family and friends to do so.
When I arrived at the Guildhall, I was greeted by the Halberdier dressed in a serge morning-suit; the applicants were having a walk-through of the ceremony so on his instruction I waited in the ante-chamber where the Chairman of the Guild was being enrobed.
The Ceremony is formal but friendly.
We stood. The Sergeant at Mace entered, bearing the Mace and was followed by the female Mayor wearing a suit of the same colour as the Halberdier and an ornate gold chain around her neck. She was accompanied by the Sheriff and the Town Clerk.
There was a speech by the Mayor, each of the 3 applicants stated their claim, the Town Clerk confirmed that the claim had been verified and the applicants' sponsor confirmed the identity of the applicant.
Each of the applicants, in turn claimant, took the Freemen's Oath, to uphold the law, the traditions of the Guild and take care of fellow Freemen's belongings.
The Mayor told the Town Clerk to enter the applicants' names in the Freemen's Roll and the applicants signed the book.
The Mayor and the Sheriff each addressed the meeting and the Chairman of the Guild welcomed the new Freemen, clothing them with the purple robes of a Berwick Freeman.
After the ceremony, there was lots of photography.
If you get the opportunity, it’s worth watching; the next ceremony is on 30th September.
More information on the Berwick Guild and the ceremony.
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
John Hamilton Hall - Dangerously Assumed to be Unique
One of the dangers of family history research is assuming that the person you're seeking is the person you've found.
With common names, John Smith, Fred Brown, James Hogg, there must be thousands of individuals.
Adding a middle name reduces the number of possibilities and adding a rare middle name must reduce them still further.
When I chanced across John Hamilton Hall son of John Hall (deceased), admitted to Berwick-upon-Tweed Guild on 24th Oct 1840 with the occupation of Capt, East India Company, I thought this would be an easy person to find, an interesting person, and no competition from people with the same name.
How wrong I was.
Confusingly there are several men named John Hamilton Hall in the early to mid-19th century:
another one in England in the First World War (World War I) was appointed Major, 16th Battalion Middlesex Regiment, later Temporary Lieutenant Colonel., then Lieutenant Colonel, then Temporary Brigadier General, then Brigadier General.
The details below refer to the son of a physician who was a Freeman of the Guild (as I've been researching him for the Berwick 900 project).
His parents were John Hall (the physician) and Mary Dickson.
He was born, 22 Oct 1798; baptised, 8 Nov 1798 in Coldstream (Berwickshire, Scotland.)
The Guild records show the admittance of John Hamilton Hall (2nd son of John, deceased) on 24 October 1840. His occupation is shown as Capt, East India Company.
He married Ann Grieve in September 1841 at Easington, Co. Durham, about 80 miles south of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Interestingly, Ann Grieve was the daughter of a Berwick-upon-Tweed Guild Freeman.
The 1851 Scotland census shows Capt. John H Hall and family living at 17 Regent St, Portobello (now Edinburgh).
I've transcribed the details:
Abbreviations: BEW - Berwickshire, NBL - Northumberland, INV - Inverness-shire.
In the London Gazette Issue 21658 published on the 6 February 1855. Page 12 of 40, his promotion 'To be MAJORS in the East Indies.' was listed as
Capt John Hamilton Hall, Bombay Infantry.
I've found him in various Portobello directories, but not before 1857.
Portobello Directory for 1857-8 lists Hall, J HEICS 10 John St
Portobello Directory for 1860-61 lists Hall, J H EIA 10 John St
The 1861 census shows:
Abbreviations: BEW - Berwickshire, NBL - Northumberland, MLN - Midlothian
Portobello Directory for 1861-62 lists Hall, J H major EIA 10 John St
Portobello Directory for 1862-63 lists Hall, J H major EIA 10 John St
Portobello Directory for 1864-65 lists Hall, J H major EIA 10 John St
A search on Families In British India Society (FIBIS) showed a transcription from Allen's Indian Mail - the 16 February 1865 edition about his death on 10 February 1865 at Portobello. http://www.fibis.org/
Portobello Directory for 1866-67 lists Hall, Mrs J H 10 John St
His family's gravestone is at the back of St Mark's Episcopal Church and churchyard, Portobello High Street.
It reads
'In memory of John Hamilton HALL Major of H.M Indian army who died 10th February 1865 aged 65 years and Ann GRIEVE his wife who died 6th April 1884 aged 78 years, also John Grieve HALL Major Royal Engineers, their elder son who died at Cawnpore India 12th January 1884 aged 41 years, also Ann Grieve HALL, their only daughter who died 10th January 1929 aged 83 years and
Burnett Grieve HALL, Colonel Royal Marine Artillery, their younger son who died in London 7th September 1928 aged 84 years. '
Picture of the gravestone.
The family tree is:
There are lots of questions that occur to me:
If you know the answers to these questions or if you're related to any of the people named, please leave a comment.
With common names, John Smith, Fred Brown, James Hogg, there must be thousands of individuals.
Adding a middle name reduces the number of possibilities and adding a rare middle name must reduce them still further.
When I chanced across John Hamilton Hall son of John Hall (deceased), admitted to Berwick-upon-Tweed Guild on 24th Oct 1840 with the occupation of Capt, East India Company, I thought this would be an easy person to find, an interesting person, and no competition from people with the same name.
How wrong I was.
Confusingly there are several men named John Hamilton Hall in the early to mid-19th century:
- one of Dunglass; I think this one’s father was General Hamilton Hall, who lived at Mount Hall, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and died at Bombay (now Mumbai), India.
- another, the son of a physician who was a Freeman of the Guild of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
- another who was married in 1858 in Madras, India, to Victoria C Raulim who had a child in 1861,
- another who was married on 15 December 1860 in Belgaum, Bombay, India to Annie Malcomson.
- another was appointed to Middlesex Regiment (1st Battalion) 57th Foot: records for 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot and later, after 1881, when known as Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment).
another one in England in the First World War (World War I) was appointed Major, 16th Battalion Middlesex Regiment, later Temporary Lieutenant Colonel., then Lieutenant Colonel, then Temporary Brigadier General, then Brigadier General.
The details below refer to the son of a physician who was a Freeman of the Guild (as I've been researching him for the Berwick 900 project).
His parents were John Hall (the physician) and Mary Dickson.
He was born, 22 Oct 1798; baptised, 8 Nov 1798 in Coldstream (Berwickshire, Scotland.)
The Guild records show the admittance of John Hamilton Hall (2nd son of John, deceased) on 24 October 1840. His occupation is shown as Capt, East India Company.
He married Ann Grieve in September 1841 at Easington, Co. Durham, about 80 miles south of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Interestingly, Ann Grieve was the daughter of a Berwick-upon-Tweed Guild Freeman.
The 1851 Scotland census shows Capt. John H Hall and family living at 17 Regent St, Portobello (now Edinburgh).
I've transcribed the details:
In the London Gazette Issue 21658 published on the 6 February 1855. Page 12 of 40, his promotion 'To be MAJORS in the East Indies.' was listed as
Capt John Hamilton Hall, Bombay Infantry.
I've found him in various Portobello directories, but not before 1857.
Portobello Directory for 1857-8 lists Hall, J HEICS 10 John St
Portobello Directory for 1860-61 lists Hall, J H EIA 10 John St
The 1861 census shows:
Abbreviations: BEW - Berwickshire, NBL - Northumberland, MLN - Midlothian
Portobello Directory for 1861-62 lists Hall, J H major EIA 10 John St
Portobello Directory for 1862-63 lists Hall, J H major EIA 10 John St
Portobello Directory for 1864-65 lists Hall, J H major EIA 10 John St
A search on Families In British India Society (FIBIS) showed a transcription from Allen's Indian Mail - the 16 February 1865 edition about his death on 10 February 1865 at Portobello. http://www.fibis.org/
Portobello Directory for 1866-67 lists Hall, Mrs J H 10 John St
His family's gravestone is at the back of St Mark's Episcopal Church and churchyard, Portobello High Street.
It reads
'In memory of John Hamilton HALL Major of H.M Indian army who died 10th February 1865 aged 65 years and Ann GRIEVE his wife who died 6th April 1884 aged 78 years, also John Grieve HALL Major Royal Engineers, their elder son who died at Cawnpore India 12th January 1884 aged 41 years, also Ann Grieve HALL, their only daughter who died 10th January 1929 aged 83 years and
Burnett Grieve HALL, Colonel Royal Marine Artillery, their younger son who died in London 7th September 1928 aged 84 years. '
Picture of the gravestone.
The family tree is:
There are lots of questions that occur to me:
- What years was John Hamilton Hall in India ?
- In what campaigns and actions was he involved ?
- Why was his army career so interrupted ?
- Is the John Hamilton Hall of Dunglass related ?
- Why did he wait until he was over 40 to be admitted as a Freeman of the Guild ?
- Did he meet Ann Grieve as a result of being admitted ?
- Did he die as a result of ill-health or wounds sustained in India ?
If you know the answers to these questions or if you're related to any of the people named, please leave a comment.
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