history

Finding Garbally House

January 28, 2023 by Kathie Ross

My January project was to find where Garbally House actually sat. This post is about how I went about finding the location of the actual house. I dragged my husband into the search (it wasn’t difficult, he likes maps and a mystery to solve too).

My ggg.grandparents Richard and Anne Woods moved to Victoria in 1861 and in 1862 established Garbally House as their home. At the time, according to the Victoria Heritage Foundation it was 110 acres bordering Selkirk Water.[1] So where exactly was the house located? According to the Daily Colonist, Garbally House was demolished before 1950,[2] so there seemed to be no point in trying to find the actual house. We were looking for the place that the house once stood.

Starting with maps

Starting our search, we looked at GoogleMaps to see exactly where Garbally Road in Victoria is located.

Although current day maps show that Garbally turns into Jutland, however, the fire insurance plan maps[3] indicate that in 1913 Garbally went all the way to the water.

We looked at other maps online. Although we found one from 1854[4] that showed the area, most maps were not in sufficient detail to be able to determine where the original house might have been.

^{1854 Map – The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO). Reference #: CO 700/British Columbia2}

Directories of the time were not very helpful, variously listing Richard and Anne at

Johnson Steet (1863)[5]
Garbally House, Victoria Arm (1868, 1871)[6] [7]
Victoria Arm (1869)[8]
North of David Street, Near Gorge Road (1882)[9]

The city archives also had a picture of Garbally House shown near Pt Ellice House (see section “Not on the Point” below). This picture definitely gives us confirmation that we are in the right area, but still does not get us to the location of the house. Was it on Section v or part of the Work estate (both of which would be in the right area on the above 1854 Map)?

So, it was off the City of Victoria Archives. Sarah and Brett were both fabulous to deal with and happy to answer questions.

I looked at more maps, and more maps and more maps. Most of the maps included only the city of Victoria and the area we were focused on had little or no detail such as in the 1884 map shown here.[10]

^{1884 Map City of Victoria – Image AC1-MAP-0043 Courtesy City of Victoria Archives}

Reviewing the tax rolls

After exhausting their supply of maps from the period 1858 to 1920, I asked to start looking at the assessment rolls. Pay Dirt!! We found Richard Woods listed as Garbally House in “Section v”.[11]

^{1864 Tax Roll – Image CoV-CR-0150 Courtesy of City of Victoria Archives.}

However, Section v is a very large section (110 acres approximately), as blocked out on the map below and is noted as Lot 7, Section 5, owned by R. Clouston in the 1854 map above.. So, where was the house? I was hoping later assessments would show the current lot and block.

The 1864 tax roll above was the only tax roll where I was able to view the actual document. All other tax rolls were only available on microfilm, so I began to go through those. As my time was short I looked quickly through the first two and took some pictures. The microfilm reader at City of Victoria Archives no longer has the ability to print screenshots, so I needed to take pictures with my phone. When I got home that evening, I had some wonderful pictures of Centennial Square behind me.

Looking at records online in the evening, I was able to find the Colony of Vancouver Island Tax Assessment Rolls for 1863-64 for Victoria District in the Government Gazette.[23]

^{Extra Government Gazette. Vancouver Island. 20 January 1865}

Reviewing the whole Extra Gazette and locating all the owners in Section v, it appears that Richard Woods likely bought the whole 110 acre parcel from Clouston and then sold approximately half, being most of the area east of what is now Douglas Road.

Heading back to the archives on the next visit, I started again going through the tax rolls (with the blinds now closed behind me). The 1865 assessment roll indicated Richard Woods at Garbally House on Section v again.

In searching the tax rolls, from 1864 to 1871 they are in alphabetic order. However, after 1865 I could no longer find Richard Woods at Garbally House, though he did have another small property in Victoria. Starting in 1872, the assessment rolls are in a specific area order by area of the City. So I was looking for Section v to be right after the Work Estate (section 4). The 1874 tax assessment roll ended at the end of the Work Estate. What? The Work Estate surrounded Section 5, why wasn’t it there. Checking the 1875 to 1889 tax rolls ended with the same results. Then my available time was up. I checked with the archivists to see what was up with the lack of information. They had more information for me on my next visit…

Apparently, Section v stayed in the District of Victoria until 1890 when a large section of the District was brought into the City.

As Garbally estate was in the District of Victoria before 1890, I had thought to look at the Royal BC Museum and Archives tax assessment records for rural properties for those years. Unfortunately, the 1889 assessment was the earliest assessment for the Victoria District held by the Archive. The 1890 to 1892 assessments rolls were listed as missing, and after that, Section v had transferred to the City. Also, unfortunately, the quality of the document for the 1889 assessment roll was pretty much useless.

_{^{1889 Tax Roll – Courtesy Royal BC Museum and Archives}}

So, back to the City of Victoria Archives microfilm I went. I did not hold out much hope as Richard had died in 1876 and Anne in 1883, but I wanted to be thorough (and you never know).

Checking the 1892 tax roll, the first time that Section v is included, I found Helen Kate Andrew living at lots 5 and 6 of block 41 in Section v. Helen Kate was the youngest daughter of Richard and Anne Woods. She had married John Alexander Andrew, who had died in 1891.

^{1892 Tax Roll – Image CoV-CR-0150 Courtesy of City of Victoria Archives.}

Yay, it looked like I had found the location.

Confirming Garbally House

However, I needed to make sure it was the correct house. It was possible that Kate and John built a separate house on the Garbally estate. I had to be sure that they didn’t simply build close to Kate’s parents. Kate and John married in 1882 and Anne passed in 1883.

In the 1882-83 directory Anne was living at Garbally and either Elizabeth or Emily (Miss E.) is listed as living with Anne.[7] The directory indicates that John Alexander Andrew was living at Government Street that year[12]. So they had not built a separate house prior to Anne’s passing.

The 1884-85 directory[13] still indicates that John was living on Government Street and does not list the Woods sisters at all. However, John and Kate’s oldest son Patrick was born at Garbally in 1884.[14] The 1887 directory[15] indicates that John was living at Garbally, not Garbally road, suggesting that it is most likely Garbally House that they moved to. That same directory indicates that both Emily and Elizabeth were now living on North Park Street.[16] On January 10, 1887, the first daughter of John and Kate was born at Garbally.[17] Certainly by 1888 they were living at Garbally as they posted in the Victoria Times looking for housework help.[18]

The death notice for John Alexander Andrew in 1891 indicates that the funeral will take place from his residence, Garbally House,.[24] confirming that Kate and John were living at Garbally House at the time of his death.

It seems more probable, then, that Kate and Andrew moved into Garbally House after Anne passed rather than building a separate house, sometime between her death in 1883, most likely before the birth of their first child.

Not on the Point

Other family members have argued that the house was situated where the Glo Restaurant now sits – on the point. So, to prove or refute this assumption I did some extra digging.

Newspaper notice of the auction of lots D&E of the Garbally estate in 1893 makes no mention of any buildings, but discusses building potential and uninterrupted views of the waterfront.[19] The tax rolls in 1892 for Blocks C and D of Section 5 show no improvements (buildings) on any of that property.[22]

In an article in the Daily Colonist in 1915[20] where Kate told the story of arriving in Victoria, she states that the house was “just near” where the Cameron Lumber mill now stands as opposed to describing it as at the location of the mill.

Using a picture of the house location in 1863 behind Pt Ellice House compared to the same information today also appears to confirm that the house was not on the point. As well as the location, looking carefully at the top picture, there appears to be a boardwalk-type structure that goes down towards the point from the Garbally House.

I tried lining up a picture with the Glo Restaurant almost behind and to the left as in the 1863 image, but I could not get one that would include the bridge.

They would not have needed to walk down to the point once they were living there. Looking at the maps above and particularly looking at this 1907 map[21] below, which shows where lots 5 and 6 of block 41 are located, you can see how the water came up all the way to where the house was situated and that area superimposed over a current map.

1907 Map – Image Courtesy of City of Victoria Archives

All these pieces of information, lead me to be quite comfortable in concluding that the house where Kate and John lived, which was not on the point, was Garbally House.

Location of Garbally House in 2023

So now, we have the size of the original Garballly estate and the location of Garbally House. The house was located in Lot 5 (lot 6 had no building) in Block 41 of Section 5. On the corner of Bridge and Garbally, what is now 485 Garbally.

My next project is completing a house history for Garbally House. Stay tuned.

[1] Minaker, Dennis. (2004) Burnside neighbourhood history : The great estates – Finlayson, Work, Yates & Woods. https://victoriaheritagefoundation.ca/Neighbourhoods/burnsidehistory.html : accessed 19 January 2023.

[2] Nesbitt, Jim. (1950) Old Homes and Families. Daily Colonist. 05 November. Magazine section p 11 a. https://archive.org/details/dailycolonist1150uvic_3/page/n42/mode/1up?view=theater : accessed 19 January 2023.

[3] Goad, Charles E. (1913) Victoria Fire Insurance Plans. 666 feet to 1 inch. https://vault.library.uvic.ca/concern/generic_works/fd82fe38-5b56-4ce5-aea9-eb0781fa5570 : accessed 25 January 2023.

[4] Map of the Districts of Victoria and Esquimalt in Vancouver Island. Published 1854, by John Arrowsmith. 2 inches to 1 mile. The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO). Reference #: CO 700/British Columbia2

[5] Directories. Canada. (1863) The British Columbia and Victoria Guide and Directory, for 1863, under the patronage of His Excellency Governor Douglas, C.B. and the Executive of both Colonies. Victoria, British Columbia: Frederick P. Howard and George Barnett. p 82. https://bccd.vpl.ca/title/1863/British_Columbia_Guide_and_Directory.html : accessed 19 January 2023.

[6] Directories. Canada. (1868) First Victoria Directory second issue and British Columbia Guide comprising a general directory of business-men & householders in Victoria and the districts; including a large portion of the mainland of British Columbia; also, An official list, postal arrangements, custom house tariff and municipal bye-laws with prefatory remarks on the commercial and political prospects of the Colony. 1868. p 50. Victoria, Vancouver Island: Edward Mallandaine. https://bccd.vpl.ca/title/1868/First_Victoria_Directory_2nd_Issue.html : accessed 19 January 2023.

[7] Directories. Canada (1871) First Victoria Directory, 4th issue, and British Columbia guide, comprising a general directory of business-men and householders in Victoria and the Districts with full lists of every important district in the Colony also, an official list, &c. &c., with preface and statistics. 1871. p 43. Victoria, Vancouver Island: Edward Mallandaine. https://bccd.vpl.ca/title/1871/First_Victoria_Directory_4th_Issue.html : accessed 19 January 2023.

[8] Directories. Canada (1869) First Victoria Directory, third issue, and British Columbia guide, comprising a general directory of business-men and householders in Victoria and the Districts, including a large portion of the mainland of British Columbia; also, an official list, &c. &c., with preface and summary. 1869. p. 56. Victoria, Vancouver Island: Edward Mallandaine https://bccd.vpl.ca/title/1869/First_Victoria_Directory_3rd_Issue.html : accessed 19 January 2023.

[9] Directories. Canada (1882-83) The British Columbia directory for the years 1882-83, embracing a business and general director of the Province, Dominion and Provincial official lists, reliable information about the country. with an appendix by Alexand Caulfield Anderson, Esq, J.P. Author of Prize Essay on British Columbia 1872, &c. p 82. Victoria, British Columbia: R.T. Williams. https://bccd.vpl.ca/title/1882-1883/British_Columbia_Directory.html : accessed 19 January 2023.

[10] A Map of the City of Victoria British Columbia. Publish 1884 by D.R. Harris C.E. 600 feet to 1 inch. Partial Image AC1-MAP-0043 Courtesy of City of Victoria Archives.

[11] Colony of Vancouver Island Tax Assessment Roll 1864. District of Victoria. Partial Image CoV-CR-0150 Courtesy of City of Victoria Archives.

[12] ibid. p.23

[13] Directories. Canada (1884-85) British Columbia directory containing a complete classified business and general directory of the Province, Provincial officials lists, and useful and reliable information. Also, some facts about the Country, contributed by Gilber Malcolm Sproat, Esq. p 18. Victoria, British Columbia: R.T. Williams. https://bccd.vpl.ca/title/1884-1885/British_Columbia_Directory.html : accessed 23 January 2023.

[14] Birth announcements. (1884) Daily Colonist. 06 April [birth 05 April]. ANDREW, a son. p 3a. https://ia803003.us.archive.org/10/items/dailycolonist18840406uvic/18840406.pdf : accessed 24 January 2023.

[15] Directories. Canada (1887) British Columbia Directory containing a general directory of business men and householders in the principal cities and every important district, with Provincial and Dominion officials, and general information about the Province. 1887. p 10. Victoria, British Columbia: Mallandaine and Williams. https://bccd.vpl.ca/title/1887/British_Columbia_Directory.html : accessed 23 January 2023.

[16] ibid. p 97

[17] Birth announcements. (1887) The Colonist. 11 January [birth 10 January]. ANDREW, a daughter. p 4a. https://ia903001.us.archive.org/25/items/dailycolonist18870111uvic/18870111.pdf : accessed 20 January 2023.

[18] Victoria Daily Times (1888) Wanted. Victoria Daily Times. 05 December. p 1b. https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 January 2023.

[19] Victoria Daily Colonist. (1883) H. Cuthbert & Co., Auctioneers. Victoria Daily Colonist. 12 August. p 8f. https://archive.org/details/dailycolonist18930812uvic/page/nundefined/mode/1up?view=theater : accessed 20 January 2023.

[20] Victoria Daily Colonist. (1915) Reached Victoria fifty years ago. Victoria Daily Colonist. 10 March. p 7d. http://archive.org/details/dailycolonist57y77uvic : accessed 09 September 2018.

[21] City of Victoria Tax Assessment Boundaries Coloured 1907 Map. City of Victoria Archives.

[22] City of Victoria Tax Assessment Roll 1892. City of Victoria Archives. p 346.

[23] Colonial Secretary’s Office. (1865) Extra Government Gazette. Vancouver Island. Vol II. January 20. https://archive.org/details/v2n4_20JAN1865_Extra/page/n27/mode/2up : accessed 27 January 2023.

[24] Death announcements. (1891) The Daily Colonist. 19 August [death 17 August]. ANDREW, John Alexander. p 8a. https://archive.org/details/dailycolonist18910819uvic/page/n7/mode/1up?view=theater : accessed 27 January 2023.

Life of a batman

October 1, 2022 by Kathie Ross

It is interesting what catches your eye. I was browsing some military records and the record of my great-great half-uncle Harvey C.W. Parr came up. One of his occupations in the army in WWI was a batman.

No, not “the” batman, but “a” batman.

A batman was a manservant to an officer, also called a soldier-servant. Officers usually chose the person who was to be his batman from among his men. Before vehicles, the batman was in charge of the “bat-horse “, the horse carrying the packsaddle with his officer’s kit. This was seen as desirable as the soldier was exempted from more onerous duties and got better rations.[1]

Harvey Charles William Parr was born 20 June 1890 in Fordham, Cambridgeshire, England. He was the fourth child, and first boy, of Charles Parr and Eliza Wells.[2] He joined his half-sister Agnes (1884) and his sisters Fanny (1887) and Alice (1888). His father was an agricultural labourer.[3] The 1891 census indicates that the family kept growing with new siblings for Harvey: Elizabeth (1891), Frederick (1893), Ruth (1894) and Herbert (1896).

Unfortunately, Harvey’s mother Eliza died from TB in July of 1898. ,[4] In October of that year Harvey, Elizabeth and Fanny were enrolled in the Exning School. Harvey’s father disappears from the records at that time. It appears that the children were likely put into the workhouse after their mother died and enrolled in school then. It is not known at this point what happened to their father.

On the 1901 census,[5] Harvey is living in the workhouse with his sisters Alice, Elizabeth and Ruth and his brother Fred. Agnes was working for the Salvation Army, and Herbert died at the workhouse in February 1901.

In 1911, Harvey was living at 23 Chapel Street, Belgrave Square SW and working as a manservant. The Belgrave area was considered one of London’s most fashionable districts when it was built. Chapel Street is just off of Belgrave square and the area is still quite expensive. The last time 23 Chapel Street was transferred as a leasehold in 2018 it went for £2.3 million. At the time Harvey was working there, he was working for James Labouchere a produce broker.[6]

Harvey likely lost his job when Mr. Labouchere passed away in 1914[7] as in 1916 when he married he was working as a munitions worker and living at 43J Lewis Dwellings. The Samuel Lewis Housing Trust was set up to house the poor. Each flat had a solid copper fuel boiler for heating water for bath and laundry (the bath was under a wooden table top in the kitchen. There was a larder, coal bunker and toilet on the balcony. The solid fuel range in the kitchen could be pushed through to the adjacent living room to warm the family. Rent was between 7 and 8 shillings per week and included chimney sweeping.[8]

Harvey married Frances Eleanor Sinclair SUTHERLAND, who was living in the same building on 20 June 1916.[9] The marriage documentation does not list a job for Frances, but it does note that her father was a butler.

A very short time after the wedding their son Frank William John PARR was born on 14 October 1916.[10] At that time he and Frances were still living at the Lewis Dwelling and he was still working as a munitions worker. While he worked there he was also in the army reserve.

In February of 1917, Harvey was examined for the army. He was working at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich filling shells. The Royal Arsenal was 3.5 miles long, 1 mile wide covering 1,300 acres and employing 100,000 people at its peak.[11]

Inside the Arsenal 1914-18 by LondonsScreenArchive, Collection of the Greenwich Heritage Centre.The full catalogue record for this film, LSA/2766, is available at www.londonsscreenarchives.org.uk

Harvey was 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 100 pounds with a chest of 31.5 inches and an expansion of 3 inches. The forms indicate he had defective teeth, was knocked kneed, had slightly flat feet, a defective septum and a circular scar on the back of his head. Perhaps the teeth and scar are an indication of the rough life in the workhouse as a youth.

In 1917, Harvey, Frances and Frank were living at 95C Guinness Buildings, Draycott Avenue. These buildings were also built for the poor, and it appears a step down from the Lewis Buildings. The Guinness Buildings were built of red brick and their purpose was to house as many people as possible. The baths were in a separate building with cold water available all the time and hot water only available at specific times for tenants, and only for a fee. Toilets and sinks were outside the flats on the landings and were shared by four families. Hot water was supplied to the tenants at meal times so that tenants did not have to light fires in the summer. There was a large common room that could seat 300 people with books, newspapers and games supplied.

The records indicate he enlisted 30 April 1917. His regiment was the Rifle Brigade and then the Kings Liverpool Regiment and his regimental number was 21507 and then 93179.

Harvey was sent to the Macedonian (Salonica) front in October 1917. He was made a batman on 08 December 1918. Did he request it for better rations? Or was it known that he had previously worked as a manservant? We won’t ever know, but we do know he was granted proficiency pay on 15 December, less than a week later.

In March 1919, Harvey was re-deployed to Turkey after he contracted malaria, which was blamed on the climate at Salonica.

On 17 October 1919, at the age of 29, Harvey had a heart attack, thought to have been brought on by malaria. After serving 2 years and 224 days (2 years, 14 days abroad), he was discharged on 10 December 1919 and was given a small pension as he had a child. The pension was to expire on 15 June 1920, so it was only to tide him over for a very short time. He then lists his job before the war as a manservant. He was classified as a Class Z Reserve, meaning he was returning to civilian life but had an obligation to return if called upon. He received the Victory medal and the British medal.

After the war, on the census in 1921, Harvey, Frances and Frank were living at the Guinness Buildings and Harvey was working for Julian Franks, the proprietor of Furnished Chambers at Albemarle Court, as a waiter valet. Harvey was back working in the nicer areas of London as 27 Albemarle Street was considered to be one of Mayfair’s most prestigious locations.

Also in 1921, their daughter Ilona Sutherland Parr was born.

On the 1939 Register, we find the family still living at the Guinness Buildings.[12] Harvey continues to work as a waiter valet. By this time Frank is 23 and is now working as a work shop assistant and 18-year-old Ilona is working as an artificial flower maker.

In December 1942, Ilona married Walter E Cox.[13] By 1945, we can posit that all three men – Harvey, Frank and Walter were enrolled in the armed forces as Frances and Ilona were living at 68 Cloncurry Street, Fulham, London, England. The two were living with another woman named Vera Scutt according to the electoral register.[14] They are now living in a semi-detached house. Perhaps the other woman Vera is renting a room, perhaps they are renting rooms, or it is possible there are two flats in the house.

In 1946, Walter and Frank had joined the three women in number 68.[15] Harvey shows up again at number 68 in 1950 when he, Frances and Frank were living there with Vera and William Scutt. Ilona and Walter had moved next door to number 70 and lived there with Harriet and Kate Knight.[16] In 1954 the same arrangements for the family, but the second couple living in number 68 were Doris and Jonathan Brown.[17] In 1958 we still have the same living arrangements, but Harriet had been replaced by a gentleman named John Bargeton.[18] In 1963 Ilona and Walter had moved back into number 68 with Harvey, Frances and Frank.[19]

In 1969 Frances died, leaving an estate of £5,024.[20] At that time she was living at 68 Cloncurry.

Harvey died in 1974. His death is registered in the second quarter in Fulham, so we don’t know if he made it to his 84th birthday or not. It is likely that he was still living at Cloncurry Street at that time.[21]

Harvey and Frances’s two children remained in the London area. Frank died at the age of 84[22] and Ilona lived until she was 92 and died in 2013.[23] Neither had any children, so Harvey’s line is at an end.

[1] Batman [military]. https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Batman_(military)#United_Kingdom : accessed 30 September 2022.

[2] Birth Indexes (CR) England, Newmarket, Cambridgeshire. Jul-Sep 1890. PARR, Harvey Charles William. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 25 December 2018.

[3] Census. 1891. England and Wales. Fordham, Newmarket, East Cambridge, Cambridge. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 2018.

[4] Deaths (CR) England. RD: Newmarket, Fordham, Soham, Cambridgeshire. 16 July 1898. PARR, Eliza.

[5] Census Records, 1901. England. Exning, Suffolk. 31 March 1901. PARR, Harvey (pauper). RG 13/1541, f177, p 4. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 14 December 2020.

[6] Census Records, England. 23 Chapel Street, Belgrave Sqare SW, St George Hanover Square, London. 02 April 1911. PARR, Harvey (Servant). RG 5. SD Belgrave ED 04 p. 192. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 September 2022.

[7] Testamentary records. England. 03 November 1914. LABOUCHERE, James. Probate. Collection: England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995.

[8] Best, Gillian (2015) From Hovel to Penthouse: A history of social housing in Chelsea. https://chelseasociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Chelsea-Society-Social-Housing-report.pdf : accessed 30 September 2022.

[9] Marriages (PR) England, London. 20 June 1916. PARR, Harvey Charles William and SUTHERLAND, Frances Eleanor Sinclair. London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 25 December 2018.

[10] Baptisms (PR) England, London. 19 November 1916. PARR, Frank William John. London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 25 December 2018.

[11] Royal-Arsenal-History.com. https://www.royal-arsenal-history.com : accessed 30 September 2022.

[12] Census Records, 1939. England. Chelsea, London. 29 September 1939. PARR, Harvey [head]. RD 5/1 Line 10. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 September 2022.

[13] Marriages (CR) England, Willesden, Middlesex, England. October – December 1942. COX, Walter E. and PARR, Ilona S. 3a, 966. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 September 2022.

[14] Directories, London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965. p 278. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 September 2022.

[15] Directories, London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965. p 324. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 September 2022.

[16] Directories, 1950. London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965. p 188. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 September 2022.

[17] Directories, England. 1954. London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965. p 184. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 September 2022.

[18] Directories, 1958. London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965. p 100. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 September 2022.

[19] Directories, 1963. London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965. p 37. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 September 2022.

[20] Testamentary records, England. 18 September 1969. PARR, Frances Eleanor Sinclair. Probate. Collection: England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 September 2022.

[21] Death Indexes (CR) England, Fulham, London, England. March – June 1974. PARR, Harvey Charles W. Vol 12 p. 762.

[22] Deaths (CR) England, Surrey Northern, England. January to March 2001. RN NSC14, SD 7571C, EN 71. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 September 2022.

[23] Testamentary records, England. 13 November 2013. COX, Ilona Sutherland. Death Index. Collection: England and Wales Death Index, 1989-2021. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 September 2022.

William Young – early years

June 28, 2022 by Kathie Ross

While there is much we know about William Young‘s older years. His early years have more questions than answers. Family stories are great, but are they accurate?

Although he is purported to be an actor in the American Revolution,[1] that would have been impossible as the United States won their freedom from Britain in 1776, earlier than any of the possible dates William Young was born. Based on his gravestone, William was born in about 1795[2]; however, family genealogy supplied by other family members have him born in 1782.[3][4] As the 1825 census indicates that William was younger than 40, that gives more credence to a later birth date than the 1782 date.[5] Other censuses available are too general on the dates to be helpful.

*Dunfermline Town Hall from the Kirkgate* **by kim traynor**

There is also a question of who his parents were. Many online genealogies have his parents as David Young and Margaret Drysdale – likely because that is the only baptism in the Church of Scotland of a William Young in Dunfermline found in the relevant time period. However, he could have been baptised in another Presbyterian sect that may or may not have records available on ScotlandsPeople. The largest problem I have with these two parents are their names. When looking at Williams and May’s son’s names, no David is found. It is far more likely that his parents’ names are Andrew and Elizabeth. Based on Elizabeth’s middle name of Wardrope, it is likely that the last name will be found in his parents’ lineage (as it is not found in his wifes’). This is made even more likely as DNA matches show Wadrop(e)s as a surname in as yet unlinked DNA matches.

In addition, David Young is listed as a labourer and family history information4 indicates that his father was a weaver and a wealthy, influential man. There is an Andrew Young (son of Andrew) who was a weaver in Dunfermline at the appropriate time frame. Also in the guild records in the late 1700s is a John (son of Andrew) as a weaver. Both of these men indicate they were fathers of Andrew Young who was a weaver burgess – a freeman able to work as a master and take on both apprentices and journeymen. So either of these men would fit as father. And both would make more sense than his birth with a father as David as no David comes up in the family names.

There is a William Young born to an Andrew Young and Agnes Scot in Stirlingshire in the appropriate time frame. However, that William Young was still living in Scotland in 1841, so that is not our William Young.

Family history has William serving in the Royal Navy for 14 years.4 Specifically participating in the Battle of Trafalgar and the bombardment of Barcelona as well as belonging to the Billy Ruffians. However, similar to his birth date, there are some discrepancies.

There are 3 people named William Young with approximately the correct birthdate in naval service per All UK, Naval Officer and Rating Service Records, 1802-1919. However, none served on the Bellerophon (Billy Ruffians). There are a total of 21 people named William Young in the UK list with no birthdates, only one fits within the relevant date ranges, all others spent time in the Royal Navy that extends past when William moved to Canada. The one match, with no birthdate or other identifying information, does not have the correct number of years. The records start in 1807 and continue to 1819, but this is still the closest match.

No record can be found of William Young at the battle of Trafalgar in the UK National Archives records,[6] except one born 1790 in Leicester, England. The records for the men at the battle of Trafalgar are as complete as possible, but again, it is possible that he was there just not recorded. If William was at the battle of Trafalgar and was born in 1795, he would have been 10 years old at the time. The Royal Navy did take boys, so that does remain a possibility; on the other hand, it perhaps leans more towards an earlier birth date for William.

There are many records of the Bellerophon in the National Archives in Kew that could possibly mention him somewhere if he served on that ship, but a search of those records will have to wait until I have a trip over to England can be made to peruse the records.

Merchant Navy Mosaic by Ton Hisgett from Birmingham, UK

Family history also notes that William served in the merchant navy after leaving the Royal Navy.4 If the William Young’s record noted above as leaving in 1819 is the correct one, this would allow him time to serve in the merchant navy for five years before coming to Canada. So, again, we have a maybe, but nothing concrete in contemporaneous records to substantiate that information. Merchant navy records are not available until after the 1830s, so I would not expect to be able to find any documentation for this time period.

So, obviously, I still have more questions. I’m still looking for those answers, some I may never get, but you never know….

[1] Thomas, Cyrus. (1896) A History of the counties of Argenteuil, Quebec & Prescott, Ontario. Montreal, Canada: John Lovell & Sons; Republished Milton, Ontario, Canada: Global Heritage Press.

[2] Monumental Inscriptions, Canada. Harpurhey Presbyterian Cemetery, Huron County, Ontario. 1856. YOUNG, William. [Transcription: Huron County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society].

[3] Young, Morley [MGS No 2121]. Pedigree Chart for George Morely Young. 1990.

[4] Young, Myrtle Beatrice. William Young. 1982.

[5] Census Records, 1825. Canada. Gore between Chatham and Argenteuil, Ile aux Chats, Lachute, York, Lower Canada. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939D-VDQ3-M?i=6&cc=1834346 : accessed 09 February 2019.

[6] https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/trafalgarancestors/advanced_search.asp

William Ross – finding his regiment

June 19, 2022 by Kathie Ross

My husband’s great-grandfather William Ross was born approximately 1858 in Ireland. We know the names of his parents, but have been unable to find birth records in Ireland – that all important Townland has eluded us. We also have no information before his marriage in Glasgow in 1886.

According to family history, William Ross worked at the Clan Lines from 1885 until his retirement in December 1931. In an article about the retirement of his son Charles, we have information that William started in July 1885 with the Clan lines as a commissionaire. In the 1886 Glasgow Directory we find a William Ross living at 68 Regent Street in Glasgow, also listed at that address (or perhaps a double listing) is William Ross Sergeant. When William married Alice Halliday on 29 October 1886, he listed himself as a Commissionaire and his address as 68 Regent Street.

Kirkwood’s Dictionary of Glasgow and Vicinity published in 1884 lists the Glasgow Branch of the Corps of Commissionaires as having their offices at 68 Regent Street. It notes that the purpose of the Corps is to find suitable employment for any men who have served their time in Her Majesty’s service.

I reached out to the archives at the Corps Security in the UK to see if their records could provide any clues.

There were two men named William Ross listed in their logs. One who was a commissionaire from 14 April 1882 to 15 August 1896 who served in the Royal Scots Fusiliers, and the other a commissionaire from 02 April 1884 until 27 April 1891 who served in the Perthshire Volunteers.

I accessed records through Forces War Records in the UK to see what information they might have. On the first William Ross information showed that he was a recruit in 1871. Our William would have been 13 at this time, making this William Ross unlikely. The second William Ross had little information but indicated a South Africa War Medal awarded in 1879.

As the second William Ross looked more likely, I then went back to the civil records I already had to see if I could confirm that our William Ross matched the information from the second William Ross who was a commissionaire.

Looking at the records where our William was the informant included his marriage and the births of his first four children, as well as the censuses.

If our William is the William that was a commissionaire, we can expect to see him listing himself as a commissionaire before May 1891, but not after that time.

Here is what we have:

Date	Event type	Occupation Listed
29 Oct 1886	Marriage	Commissionaire
12 July 1887	birth of son William Ross	Commissionaire
07 March 1889	birth of daughter Annie	Commissionaire
05 June 1890	birth of daughter Alice	Commissionaire
26 February 1892	birth of daughter Jessie	Office Porter
05 April 1891	1891 Census	Office Porter
31 March 1901	1901 Census	Office Porter

These dates line up exactly for William Ross to be a commissionaire up to April 1891. The census was taken early April and the Corp’s records have him on staff until the end of April; however, it is reasonable to assume that the census taker was given the new occupation with Clan Lines.

I am therefore confident I can say that our William Ross served in the Perthshire Volunteers and was a commissionaire from 1884 to 1891 when his employment moved to the Clan Lines. This provides us with more information about his life, and perhaps gets us another step closer to finding more information about his birth and getting even further back in time.

Charles Ross and the Clan Line Ships

April 2, 2022 by Kathie Ross

Charles Ross started working in the Wharfingers Department of the Clan Line in 1910 at the age of 14 years. He started as an office boy, but had a dream to become a ship’s engineer. He accomplished that dream and overall spent 51 years working for the Clan Line.

In this blog, I will take you on a journey of Charlie’s career through pictures of the most of the ships he worked on. Pictures have come from the book “Clan Line: Illustrated Fleet History” by John Clarkson, Roy Fenton and Archie Munro, published in 2007 by Ships in Focus Publications.

In 1918 he went to sea as a Fifth Engineer on the Clan Macquarrie. The Clan Macquarrie was built in 1913 and served in both World Wars and was sunk by torpedo and gunfire from the Italian Sub Leonardo da Vinci 600 miles from Freetown.

In December of 1920 Charlie passed his Second Class Steam Certificate and was appointed Third Engineer on the Clan Ross 2. This ship was built in 1914 and also served in both wars. In May 1918, she was hit by a torpedo and the hole was 55 feet by 27 feet. She survived that and was eventually sunk by the Japanese submarine I-6 in 1942.

His next ship, in 1922, was the Clan Alpine 3. She was built in 1918 and was bought by Clan Line for £280,000, which was the highest price paid by the Clan Line at that time. The Clan Alpine was another that was requisitioned by the British government for both wars. In 1943 she was badly damaged 190 miles west of Cape Finisterre by German U 107. She was then sunk by HMS Scarborough after picking up the survivors.

^{Clan Alpine 3 [John McRoberts/Roy Fenton collection]}

After two years, Charles moved to the newer Clan Mcfadyen 2, which was built in 1923. Another of the Clan Line World War 2 casualties, she was torpedoed and sunk by German U 508 when she was 200 miles northwest of Georgetown, British Guiana.

In 1926 Charlie started serving on the Clan Macwilliam. At that time he was promoted again to second engineer. He was aboard this ship when it caught fire Christmas Eve 1927 while loading copra and general cargo at Vavau, Friendly Islands. The ship was moved to Upper harbour, but sank and broke her back. Both the master and chief engineer were lost.

There is a gap in our knowledge of the ships that Charlie was on after that. We know that he obviously was no longer serving on the Clan Macwilliam, but we don’t have his next ship listed until 1932.

Then, in 1932, he worked aboard the Clan Murray 3. The Clan Murray 3 was built in 1918, served in both wars and was sold by the Clan line in 1952.

^{Clan Murray 3 [John McRoberts/J. and M. Clarkson]}

In 1933, Charles moved on to the luckiest ship in the Fleet, the Clan Macinnes 2. In 1941 at Liverpool under an air raid where many ships around were hit, she was hit by only one bomb that failed to explode. In 1942 she was missed by a torpedo that struct one of the escorts, and missed again in 1942 by two torpedoes fired by Japanese submarine. And she survived a Japanese air attach on Trincolmalee. She was sold by the Clan Line in 1947.

^{Clan Macinnes [B. and A. Feilden/J. and M. Clarkson collection]}

Next, in 1936, Charles was aboard the Hesperia 1, which was built in 1919 and sold by the Line in 1938.

In 1938 Charlie went to work on the Clan Macnair 1. Built in 1921, she was another ship requisitions by the British government and served in the second world war. She was sold in 1952 to the British Iron and Steel Corporation to be broken up at that time.

After that, Charlie moved to the Clan Stuart 3 in 1939. Built in 1916 she was another ship that was used in both wars for the British government. She sank following a collision in fog with British steamship Orlock Head 18 miles SE of Start Point, Devon.

In July 1943, Charles moved on to the Clan Maciver 2 and received his promotion to Chief Engineer. Read the interesting story of her rescue of pilgrims in the caption below the picture.

The next ship that Charlie was to serve on was the Clan Alpine 4. Clan Alpine was subject to tests on her hull (following accidents where all-welded ships built int he US broke in two). She was chosen because she was wholly riveted. Bending tests were carried out by flooding various combinations of holds and measuring the strain on the hull. Clan Alpine 4 passed those tests.

Charles’s wife Ellen was traveling with him on a voyage in November 1960 when, unfortunately, the Clan Alpine was driven from her moorings at Chittagong by a cyclone and deposited in paddy fields at Shnai Chori, 11 miles north northwest from the entrance to the Karanfuli River. Amazing that all officers and crew were safe; however, the Ross’s cabin was covered in thick mud from the paddy field. Charles, as the chief engineer, developed a system to use sea water for the boiler-feed in order to keep the ship running so that the 2,400 tons of general cargo could be safely unloaded.

^{Clan Alpine in paddy field [Newall Dunn collection]}

The final ship that Charles worked aboard was the Clan Murdoch 2 from May to December 1961. Built in 1946 and acquired by the Clan Line in 1960, she was was called the Hesperia 2 prior to being renamed Clan Murdock by the Clan Line in 1960 when she was transferred to them. The ship was sold in by the Line in 1962.

All of the engines that Charlie worked on were three cylinder triple expansion steam reciprocating engines. Many of the ships received an upgrade to their engines to a Bauer-Wach low-pressure exhaust turbine in the 1930s, where the steam flows from the low-pressure cylinder through a switchover flap into the exhaust steam turbine and drives it. More information on the triple expansion steam engine can be found at Lars Josefsson’s site.

Charles was the youngest in the family that worked at the Clan line. A history that started with his father in July 1885. Combined, the family service record including Charlie, his father and brothers William and George was 136 years.