Monday, May 9, 2016

William Stewart 1836 - 1873

William Stewart was born to Robert and Elizabeth Stewart on September 3, 1836 and baptized a month and a half later on October 16, 1836 in Perth, Perthshire, Scotland.  Reverend John Ferguson, minister of St Stephens Church, performed the baptism.  Stormont Street is three blocks from the River Tay which flows through the town, creating a most idyllic setting.  The street was located near the high street or center of town so it was a short walk to the river, shops and church were William was baptized.  William was the second of seven children.  At the time there were stone block built homes on Stormont Street.  Robert, Elizabeth, John and baby William lived in one of them. (The 1861 census lists William's birthplace as Logierait but we have no other information to substantiate that assertion)  William's father was an itinerant agricultural laborer and no doubt worked on one or more of the local farms.  

By 1841 Robert 30, Elizabeth 25, John 6 and William were living in Cargill, Perthshire.  Cargill is a sleepy little hamlet 8 miles NE of Perth situated on the east side of the River Tay, with a beautiful church in the center of a few sprawling homes and lots of open farmland where Robert worked.

In the 1851 census Robert Stewart, and family, was listed as a farm servant in Kinclaven.  Kinclaven which is another small village on the Tay two miles from Cargill.  William is 15 and not listed in the census and was probably sawing wood away from home.

In 1861 the family is living at 11 Crescent Street, Dundee.  They were within walking distance of the downtown area with a beautiful view of the Firth of Tay.  The Firth is the sea outlet for the largest river is Scotland, by volume. William was a sawmiller or one who operates a saw mill.  On Elizabeth Stewart's death certificate in 1861 it lists William's father, Robert Stewart as a sawmill labourer so father and son may have worked together building ships in the Dundee harbor, only blocks from their home. 

In 1859 - 60 William began taking walks from 11 Crescent Street to 80 Murrygate where the beautiful Christina Duncan lived.  The distance is 1.2 miles.  They met, fell in love and had a child out of wedlock named William Jr.  In the 1861 census William Sr. is living with his family at 11 Crescent Street and a short distance away Christina is living with her family and William Jr. on Murrygate.  The 1861 census was taken on April 7-8 and since William was six months old at the time of the census he was born sometime in September 1860

On July 11, 1862 William and Christina marry in Dundee after banns recording to the forms of the Church of Scotland. W. Stewart, (the W may be the reason Dawn Gardiner couldn't find his birth certificate.) saw miller, 25,  bachelor at 11 Crescent Street, parents Robert Stewart, labourer and Elizabeth Stewart M.S. Stewart deceased.  Christina Duncan was a domestic servant and spinster, living at 23 Murrygate, parents Charles Duncan, seaman and Christina Duncan M.S. Grewar.  Peter Grand was the minister and William Drydew and Elizabeth Stewart, William's sister, were the wedding witnesses.

In 1866 William's siblings Jean and John both die.

In 1867 Elizabeth Duncan Shiells, Christina's twin, died at 8 Fish Street.  In 1871 Margaret Duncan Craig, one of Christina's sisters b 1830 is living at 14 Fish Street.  They were neighbors!

By 1867 at 11 Crescent street, William's sisters, Elizabeth, Jane, Margaret and Amelia have all joined the Mormon church and attend services at Campertown.

In 1868 William's sister, Margaret, immigrates to Utah.

In 1871 William's family was living at 14 Rose Street, Dundee.  William 34 was a wood sawyer, an occupational term referring to someone who saws wood, particularly using a pit saw either in a saw pit or with the log on trestles above ground or operates a sawmill. Christina 35 was taking care of her five children, William Jr, 10, Charles, 7, and the twins Robert Duncan Stewart and George Stewart age 4.  She also has a 3 month old child named David Pirie.  Things were going well for the family.

Scottish people don't name their children random names so the name Pirie is a particularly interesting mystery.  On Christina's twin sister's death certificate the attending physician was George C Pirie. Could this be whom Christina named her child David a year later - after the family doctor who certified her sisters death? 

Scotland's People: Sometimes there appears to be no rhyme or reason to the naming: a child might be named after the minister, the midwife, the doctor, an employer, an influential personage in the community or a close friend, who might appear as a witness to the birth. Witnesses are not always given in OPR entries, but where they are, sometimes (as in Dundee) you will find their relationship to child, if any, noted, e.g. “Charles Jobson, grandfather”, “Mrs Janet Speid, father’s mother”.

Sometime between 1871 and 1873 the Stewarts moved to Bainsford, Falkirk, Scotland. This is sixty miles from Dundee, a considerable distance at the time. Why they moved is unknown.  The move could be work related or there might be a family in the area.  Bainsford is a small village within the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The village is situated in the Forth Valley, 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the town of Falkirk. It is positioned between the River Carron and the Forth and Clyde Canal to the north and south respectively.

On March 4, 1873 at 8 hr 45m PM in Bainsford, Falkirk, Scotland, sixty miles from Dundee, four year old David Pirie Stewart passed away from remittent fever after a 3 month bout.  This is a fever pattern in which the temperature varies during each 24-hour period but never reaches normal. William Stewart, father was the informant.  The next day, March 5th,  Annie Pirie Stewart, was born in, Falkirk, Stirlingshire.   

Eight months later William Stewart, saw miller, father, and husband died.  Death certificate:  William Stewart, sawyer, married to Christina Duncan died November twenty fifth 8AM, Bainsford, Falkirk, 37 years old male, father Robert Stewart farm servant, Elizabeth Stewart, deceased, heart disease 9 months, informant Mary Milroy neighbor.  Who was Mary Milroy?  There was a Mary Milroy, boatsman wife in Falkirk 1891 census.  She had a husband Chas Milroy and 5 children. The family lived at 33 Grainary Square, Falkirk, Stirlingshire. This fits with the location of the Stewart's in Bainsfield, just north of Falkirk.

1873 was tragic for Christina.  She lost her son David in March, delivered Annie Pirie Stewart a day later and in November her husband William died from heart disease.  He was only 37 leaving an 8th month old child.  How sad for Christina.  

Christina and the children moved back to Dundee.  In 1881 Christina was living at 143 Nethergate, Dundee.  She is 40 and doing service as a washerwoman.  In the home are her children: Charles apprentice baker 17, Robert Duncan, apprentice tailor, age 14, George message boy 14, Annie Pirie age 8 scholar.

In 1891 Christina, 50 was living at 8 Victoria Square, Dundee, an office cleaner.  She was living with Annie Pirie, her 18 year old daughter, no profession listed. 
 
In 1901 Christina, 60 and Annie are living at Victoria Square, Nethergate, Dundee.  Christina is still an office cleaner while Annie, 28 is a confectionery worker.  Also living with them, to share expenses, are two brothers Robert Johnson, mason and John Johnson, ironmonger. 

Christina Stewart, widow of Wlliam Stewart wood sawyer died on November 8, 1906, at 2:30 AM at 43 Nethergate, Dundee.  She was 65 years old.  Her father: Charles Duncan, shipmaster, deceased, mother: Christina Grewar deceased.  She died from cardiac disease 5 months as certified by G. Dow MSCM.  Christina's daughter Annie Pirie Stewart was the informant and present at her death.

Annie married John Crow Edwards in 1910 and he died in 1918.  Annie lived until 1936 when she died of angina pectoris 5 days at 43 Nethergate, Dundee. Her daughter Annie was present and acted as the informant.

What happened to each of William and Christina's children?

1.  William Stewart, Jr was born September 22 1860,  In the 1861 census he was living with the Duncan's including his mother Christina at 90 Murrygate, Dundee.  His mother was a dress maker. William was six months old.  William's father was living across town at 11 Crescent Street.

In the 1881 census William is single, a 3rd engineer and is on the open sea helping run the Loch Maree.  The 3rd engineer is generally the most junior marine engineer of the ship, this person is usually responsible for electrical, sewage treatment, lube oil, bilge, and oily water separation systems.
 
The Loch Maree is a three masted ship, commanded by Captain Alex Scott, that sailed from Geelong on 29 October 1881 bound for London. Her cargo was valued at about £150,000, and consisted chiefly of 8,847 bales of wool intended for the February sales. One day out, she was spoken to by the three-masted schooner Gerfalcon and the barque Don Diego, who was in company with the Loch Maree off Kent's Group on 30 October. The Don Diego was bound for Otago through Foveaux Straits, and before entering there encountered a heavy Northerly gale. The sea was very high at the time, and the weather thick, and the vessels lost sight of each other. Expected to arrive in London in January or early February, the Loch Maree never arrived.  The ship Mermerus, that sailed from Melbourne on 20 November 1881 came across a huge iceberg as she crossed the South Pacific on her way to the Horn. Floating in the water at the base of the berg was a large quantity of wreckage that the crew identified as having come from the Loch Maree.
 
The Court, having carefully inquired into the circumstances attending the above-mentioned shipping casualty, finds, for the reasons stated in the Annex hereto, that the loss of the "Loch Maree," whereby loss of life ensued, was caused by a heavy sea striking the vessel, while proceeding at full speed, on her starboard bow, thereby shifting the cargo, which was improperly stowed and secured, and throwing the vessel completely over on her beam ends. The Court finds the chief officer not in default, the master, who was amongst those lost, being in charge of the vessel at the time.

2.  Charles Stewart, was born 8 November 1863 in Dundee to William Stewart and Christina Duncan.  He was an apprentice baker at age 17.  Charles was made a Second Mate June 2, 1887. 

In January 1888 Charles was on the ship Cressington carrying 2160 tons of cargo. He was 25, born in Dundee and died in the Melbourne Hospital in January 23, 1888 of consumption or phthisis.  Charles had a rank of AB on his death certificate.     The Cressington was registered in Liverpool, UK.  

3.  Robert (Duncan) Stewart, a twin, was born on June 30 1866 (FS)
 
4.  George Stewart was born June 30, 1866, one of two twins.  We found George Stewart as a Master Mate, on lists as an unassisted immigrant passenger and as an immigrant passenger from 1885 to 1915.  It is unknown if he actually immigrated to Australia or just took passage to get on another ship.  These documents may be all different people.  A search of the censuses in Scotland and England has been undertaken with no results so far.  More research needed.

5.  David, Pirie Stewart, was born 9 December 1870.  David died in Falkirk, Stirlingshire at four years old of infantile remittent fever 3 months on March 4, 8:45 PM with his father William, saw miller as informant. 

Remittent fever is a fever pattern in which temperature varies during each 24-hour period but never reaches normal. Most fevers are remittent and the pattern is not characteristic of any disease, although in the 19th century it was considered a diagnostic term.

 6.  Annie Pirie Stewart, was born 5 March 1873 in Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland.  In 1891 she was living at 8 Victoria Square with her mother, who was an office cleaner, and is 18 years old.  No occupation is noted. 

In 1901 she was living at 8 Victoria Square, Nethergate Dundee.  with her mother Christina, office cleaner, and John and Robert Johnson, who are subletting.  She was a confectionery worker and  28 years old.

In 1910 Annie married John Crow Edwards on June 3, 1910 in Dundee.  He was 34, and she 36.  John was a ship caulker in the Dundee harbor until his death in 1918.  She is living at 8 St. Andrew's street and was a housekeeper. The witnesses lived at 13 Bridge Street, Perth.  Their names are difficult to read and may be Scott Thomas Jenrie and his wife Jane.

In 1920 she was living at 18 Dens Brae, Dundee and has no occupation.  She is 47.

In 1930 Annie or Mrs Annie Edwards is living at 18 Shepards Lane, Dundee and is a factory worker.  She is 57.

Annie died of angina pectoris 5 days in 1936 at 12:30 am at 61 Reform Street, Dundee. She is noted as the widow of John Crow Edwards and was 63 years old. She has angina pectoris fourteen days as noted by her physician Hema Rosen.  She died at 5 Bonnybank Road with Helen Steven, sister in law, as the informant.  This must be John Edward's sister.   Angina Pectoris is the medical term for chest pain or discomfort due to coronary heart disease.  It occurs when the heart muscle doesn't get as much blood as it needs. This usually happens because one or more of the heart's arteries is narrowed or blocked. 


Perth, Perthshire, Scotland, vintage photograph


2015 Perth, Birthplace of William Stewart b 1836 from Kent on Vimeo.

Birth certificate from OPR:
Stormont Street East Church, Parish Perth, the Third of September, One thousand eight hundred and Thirty six, was Born William Stewart, lawful son to Robert Stewart, Labourer in the said Parish, and Elizabeth Stewart, his spouse and Baptized the Sixteenth day of October said year by the Reverend John Ferguson, Min'r of St Stephens Church, Parish of Perth (P. Parish Register, p537







7 Jun 1841    Census: Burnside, Cargill, Perth (ED1, p9, FHL101904, Adult ages rounded down).
                         
Robert Stewart          30       Ag labourer            born in county
Elizabeth Stewart      25                                          born in county
John Stewart              6                                             born in county
 William Stewart         4                                            born in county
 
30 Mar 1851 Census, Kirkton, Kinclaven, Perth (ED 1, p3, Sch 8, FHL103743)
Robert Stewart           Head   Mar     44       Farm Servant,              Perthshire, Logierait
Betty Stewart             Wife     Mar     40       Farm Servant's Wife  Perthshire, Logierait
Elizabeth Stewart      Dau                  11        Scholar                          Perthshire, St Martins 
Amelia Stewart           Dau                    8         Scholar                          Perthshire, Scone
Jean Stewart                Dau                    5         Farm Servants Dau'r Perthshire, Cargill
Margaret Stewart      Dau                     1         Farm Servants Dau'r Perthshire,
Kinclaven Kirkton, 2015



1861  8 Apr Census, 11 Crescent Street, 1st Dist, Dundee (ED27, p29, FHL103789)
Elizabeth Stewart     Head  Marr  50  Perthshire, Logierait
William Stewart      Son   Unm  24    Sawmiller, Perthshire, Logierait   
Elizabeth Stewart      Dau  Unm   21   Jute WeaverPerthshire, St Martins
Amelia Stewart         Dau   Unm  18   Jute Weaver, Perthshire, Scone
Jean Stewart              Dau            15   Perthshire, Cargill
Margaret Stewart       Dau            11    Scholar, Perthshire, Kinclaven                         
Robert Stewart           Son             3     Forfarshire, Dundee16 Oct 1836


11 Crescent Street, Dundee, 1960s, These apartments were torn down because they had substandard plumbing.

1861 census: living at 90 Murray Gate, Dundee,
Charles Duncan 60, born 1801 in Cupar Angus, Seaman Pensioner On Merchant Bard (from findmypast, better quality indexing)
Christina Duncan 58, born 1803 in Lochee, seaman's wife
Christina Duncan 20 born 1841in Dundee, dress maker
Elizabeth Duncan 20, born 1841 in Dundee, general servant
(George 23 apparently has left home)
David Craig 32, born 1829, seaman (see certificate below)
Margaret Duncan 31, born 1830 in Lochen, seaman's wife, (married to David Craig with daughter Margaret below)
William L Craig son born 1857 5 years old, findmypast indexing
William Stewart born 1860 Dundee. (6 mo grandson, mother is Christina Duncan age 20)

1862 Marriage:  Christina marries William Stewart July 11, 1862.  He is 26 and she is 21.  He is a saw miller and she is a domestic servant. 
  
Note: in 1841 Christina is born at Smalls Wynd and in the 1881 census she is living at 143 Nethergate, a 3 minute walk.

1871 Census living at 14 Rose Street, Dundee
William Stewart, age 34, wood sawyer
Christina Duncan Stewart age 35
1.  William Stewart, Jr 10 (illegitimate)
2.  Charles Stewart, age 7, born 1863 (FamilySearch has a male child born to William and Christina born 3 Nov 1862)
3.  Robert (Duncan) Stewart, b 1866 age 4 June 30 1866 (FS)
4.  George Stewart, born 1866, age 4 second twin same birth
5.  David, Pirie Stewart, age 3 mo (born 9 December 1870) FHL number 6035516

1881 census: They are living at 143 Nethergate, Dundee
Christina Stewart, washerwoman age 40 born 1841
(Husband William deceased four years ago.)
1.  (William Stewart gone from home)
2.  Charles Stewart, apprentice baker, age 17, born 1864
3.  Robert Stewart apprentice tailor, 1867 (twin) age 14 born 30 June 1866 according to FamilySearch
4.  George (Duncan) Stewart, message boy, age 14 born 1867 (birth GS number 6035516, parents are William Stewart and Christina Duncan)
5.  David Pirie Stewart missing and probably died young.
6.  Annie Pirie Stewart, Scholar age 8 (born 5 March 1873, Falkirk, Stirlingshire)

1891 Census: living at 8 Victoria Square, Dundee
Christina Stewart is 50 years old, office cleaner
Annie is 18,

1901 Census: living at Victoria Square Nethergate, Dundee
Christina 40 b 1861
Annie (Pirie) Stewart, 28 born Falkirk, Stirlingshire, (same as 1881 census)  is an confectionary worker
John Johnston 28
Robert Johnston, 21


By the way this is a baptism birth record fit for a king with the fancy copperplate writing.







  



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