Anderson extended family to New Jersey

By Kay McMeekin

This is the family of John Anderson author of "the last mile hame."

His mother was Annie White (born 1874 in Pictou Nova Scotia) who was married to first Douglas Kennedy Anderson. When he died his brother John married her. The Andersons below ( apart from the first one her sister) are all her children.

The first Anderson to leave Cumnock for New Jersey was Elizabeth Anderson born 1870 and her husband John Pettigrew who was a mason in 1901.

They left on the Ethiopia in 1906. Their daughter was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1907. They lived in Long Island and they finally settled in Hempstead  Nassau, New York. John was in the building trade. Elizabeth and 2 year old daughter Jeanie made a return trip to Cumnock in 1909 in 1914 and again in 1924.

1924 passport photo 

Jeanie Pettigrew age 16 in 1924 passport photo

Elizabeth's niece Jeanie Anderson was next to emigrate but not until 1926. Her husband Peter Stewart gave uncle John Pettigrew as the person in the USA they were going to.

They sailed on the California from Port Glasgow to New York. Their final destination was Roosevelt, Long Island. In the 1930 census he was working as a hod carrier in Madison New Jersey,  Living with them were Jeanie Anderson's sister Mary Connel Anderson and her husband Hugh Torbet. Mary and Hugh returned to Scotland in 1931.

The youngest sister Annie Anderson went out in 1928 aged 15 on the Cameron also going to sister Mrs Jeanie Stewart. She married Anthony Infinito in 1937.

Lastly in 1930 the oldest son John Anderson ,the author of "the last mile hame" went out on the Transylvania. He too was going to sister Jeanie Stewart. He never married and was still living with the Stewarts in 1950 census in Madison. He returned to Cumnock for a visit about 1950 bringing football boots for his nephews Bobby and Ian Kelly, Madge's sons.

John Anderson

Miners who moved to Indiana

By Scott Daily 

Growing up in the state of Indiana, I was unaware of the conection between my state and many coal miners formerly from Scotland. Quite a number moved from the Ayrshire area to work coal mines around the city of Terre Haute in the western part of Indiana. 

According to the "Coal mining in Vigo Country Indiana Department of Natural Resources Geological Survey Special Report 34",  published in 1985, Vigo county, where Terre Haute is located, was the foremost coal-producing county in Indiana. The value of the total product of the mines in Vigo County, the report states, mounted to billions of US dollars. In just the year 1918 mines in the county produced over 8.8 million tons of coal, almost twice as much as the next largest producing county, the nearby Sullivan county (a county that many Scottish miners also moved to). 

A prime example of an Old Cumnock man who moved to this area to be a miner is Thomas Nicol. Born Thomas McCartney Nicol to parents Thomas Edgar Nicol and Margaret (McCartney) Nicol on the 12th of March 1876. Thomas senior served for a time as a sheriff officer, later (by the 1881 census) working as a pawnbroker and accountant. He made several newspapers listings in 1870 when he was fined for assaulting a John Bryce Clark, listed as a writer from Mauchline. 

Thomas junior, who confusingly at some point appears to have changed his middle name from McCartney (his mother's maiden name), to Edgar (his father's middle name), grew up in a home on Lugar street in Cumnock. In the 1901 census he is listed (along with 10 other people) as living with his widowed mother. He occupation in 1901 is listed as fireman in a coal mine. Later in that same year of 1901 he married Georgina Baird, in Cumnock. 

When exactly Thomas moved to the United States is a bit confusing. His draft registration card, shown below, is from September of 1918, however his United States Declaration of Intention (also shown below) which has him living at the time in Michigan, states he first arrived in New York in November of 1922 from Glasgow on board the Assyria. It is likely he made several trips back and forth to Scotland, especially as it appears his wife and children remained or returned to Scotland, as they are shown to have lived and died in the Cumnock area. In any case, the documents show that Thomas was a miner who lived in Terre Haute and worked as a miner. 

Thomas Nicol's draft registration (above)
and his Declaration of Intention (below)

There were many more miners who moved from the Ayrshire area to Indiana, such as Samuel Shaw from Dalry, William Welsh from Auchinleck, Thomas McGuire from Catrine, and more. It is difficult to locate exactly which town or village many of the miners came from originally as frequently on the Indiana census reports and other records, they simply state they were from Ayrshire or sometimes just Scotland. It is remarkable how many miners are listed on the censuses for the area in the mid 1900's as coming from Scotland. See for example the 1910 census below, which list many settlers from the area coming form Scotland, such as David Houston originally from the Galston area. Apparently several members of the Houston family came over, many working as miners, including (though I can't be sure he was a miner) James the son of David, who was excused from the draft of the First World War because he had lost a leg, I would be curious if anyone could work out if this was due to mining?

(See zoomed in image to note the Houston family who seemed to primarily setttle around the Sullivan/Dugger area of Indiana for a time, as well as others)

Without question there were a number of miners who immigrated. Sadly, just like the mines in Scotland, those in Indiana began to decline after the two great wars. With the increase in coal mining is such places as West Virginia and Kentucky, the production of  the coal mines in Vigo county for example went from 8.8 million tons in 1918 to only 1 million tons in 1931. Many of the Scottish miners thus moved or found other occupations. 

1910 Census from Indiana, with a long list of miners originally from Scotland
enlarged section showing Houston family and others

George Urquhart - Civil Engineer

 by Roberta McGee

Margaret Mackervail, the fourth child of shoemaker Robert Mackervail and Lillias Bryden, was born in 1823 in Cumnock. Robert and Lillias had six children. Margaret's siblings seemed to be content to spend a settled life in Cumnock but for Margaret life turned out a little bit different. 

She met James Urquhart, who was a railway contractor, and they married in 1846 in Old Cumnock. After their marriage they lodged in Main Street, Auchinleck. James's brother William, who was a blacksmith, lived in Main Street so perhaps they lodged with him. Four of their children were born in Auchinleck, James, Lillias, Janet-Jessie and Robert.

By 1861 the family had moved to Lochans Village, Inch, Wigtownshire and two more children had been born, George and Alexander. In 1871 the family were living in Springbank, Neilston with the addition of another two children, William and Margaret. The 1881 census shows the family at 44 Apsley Place, Glasgow Gorbals. James is now a contractor (waterworks). James sadly died in Glasgow in 1889.

So, in total, James and Margaret had eight children. Like Margaret's siblings, all of their children, with one exception, were content to live their lives in Scotland. George was the exception.

Cumnock diaspora map

To add your town, log in to your google account, find your town on the map, Add marker ( symbol next to the hand in bar at top of page, type the name of your town, add your name if you want to. 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1bFE_Wrg366QXTYrEzR8jzx_yQXC8F2Q&ll=2.7579562403534084%2C0&z=2&fbclid=IwAR2JenRFnCcyup9PUkKq4tixfbBunjN4wA6ERJ-A8GZ-feqoa_7Dw5hi6Pg

Drapers

By Kay McMeekin

When doing our recent farm research,  we noticed that many farmers sons were becoming drapers particularly in England.

There were travelling drapers as well as shop workers.

A draper sold cloth and was often also an outfitter as well. 

The definition of “Scotch Draper” was someone who sold goods door to door with payments to be made in instalments. They were also known as travelling drapers and credit drapers. (from https://www.cottontown.org/Other%20Industry/Pages/Retail-Trade.aspx)

Dumfries and Galloway Standard - Wednesday 17 January 1877

Ayr Advertiser 1883

John Weir 1836-1890 of Sykeside farm Cumnock was a draper in Rotherham, Yorkshire

William Howat of Polquhirter and brothers David and James were drapers in Preston, Lancashire in 1881.

3 Baird of Watson sons went to Lancashire, and Robert Baird's brothers in law John and Matthew McKerrow were also drapers in Lancashire.

Another related line of McKerrows were drapers William McKerrow 

Banffshire Herald - Saturday 16 July 1898

This article from the Western Mail - Wednesday 02 April 1930 throws some light on the situation.

DRAPERY TRADE. 

HOW TO ATTRACT THE BEST RECRUITS. 

Sir Sydney Skinner, president of the Drapers' Chamber of Trade, presiding at the annual meeting of the chamber at the Cordwainers' hall, Cannon Street, on Tuesday, said stressing the need for attracting the right sort of ability to the drapery trade, 

"In the old days we used to get the sons and daughters of farmers. A farmer always used to put a boy or girl into the drapery trade. Some of the must successful men and women we have in our business to-day are farmers' sons and daughters. We do not get so many now, and I believe this is largely due to the fact that mothers to-day have a fear of sending their daughters to the big towns. I myself am reinstating the 'living-in' system, because I am going to try and re-attract that type of boy and girl. I ant not going to let them come to London and be at the mercy of some woman who runs a lodging-house and will fleece them. It is because the 'living in' system has been abolished that many mothers are no longer sending us their girls. The drapery trade gives a boy or girl coming up from the country a wonderful opportunity for progress such as very few other trades or professions will offer them."

Niagara Falls Reunions

by Roberta McGee

 The Cumnock Chronicle Parish Reunions at Niagara Falls

The New History Of Cumnock - John Strawhorn - p184

In the 20th century two new floods of emigration, one in the first decade, the other after 1945, took more local people overseas. The Cumnock Chronicle has had a close and varied association with the emigration movement. In 1885 James P. Ballantine added to his printing and stationery business that of shipping and emigration agent. In 1955 Duncan Ballantine started an Overseas Readers' Column in the Chronicle and with the world his parish initiated that year a Cumnock Chronicle Parish reunion at Niagara Falls which became a regular annual event with sometimes as many as 500 guests with a Cumnock district connection.

The following article was reported in The Cumnock Chronicle on 4/8/2023

A document from the 1950s hidden in a dresser has revealed details of reunions held by former residents in the Cumnock area who emigrated to the USA and Canada.

The document, entitled 'Chronicle of the Byelaws of the Cumnock Chronicle Parish Reunion'  was found by Donovan Moore, from the U.S. He revealed: "My great-grandmother moved to the United States from Scotland and I have recently inherited a few of her old dressers. My great-grandmother's name was Martha Gildea Hunter. The document states: "On Sunday, July 30, 1955, a group consisting of 75 loyal Scots held a reunion in the Queen Victoria Park, Niagara Falls, Ontario in honour of Mr. & Mrs. D. Maclean Ballantyne - Mr Ballantyne being editor and publisher of the Cumnock Chronicle, a weekly newspaper published in the south Ayrshire district of Scotland.

The people present on that occasion were drawn from both sides of the Canadian and American borders, but originally emigrated from the various home towns in said circulation area.

Since the gathering became such an unqualified social event, it was unanimously decided to set aside the last week in July of each year for similar purposes and that the current president Mr. James Thomson and secretary David Cunningham be instructed to draw up a set of bylaws covering all matters relevant to same.

The undernoted was presented at the second annual reunion in the Fox Head Hotel on 28 July 1956 and was adopted by acclamation

It then sets out byelaws, which confirmed that Mr. Ballantyne would become permanent honorary president. It also states that Membership would be open to any adult or a friend originating from any of the home towns where the Cumnock Chronicle reaches, Canadian or American. Descendants of parents from the area were also eligible for membership.  

Original Document

The aforementioned Duncan Maclean Ballantine was born at 51 Glaisnock Street, Cumnock on 15/11/1901 and died at Torrance Lodge Nursing Home, Hurlford in 1993. He was the Cumnock Chronicle Editor and Publisher.

The father of Duncan Maclean Ballantine was James Paterson Ballantine who was born on 11/7/1863 at Townhead, Cumnock.

 

  Extract from The Cumnock Chronicle 1924

James Paterson Ballantine, the owner of the Cumnock Chronicle, was a printer-compositor, shipping & emigration agent. In 1885 he was first licenced as agent for The State Shipping Line and in subsequent years he was appointed agent for the principal shipping companies sailing from this country to all parts of the world. He conducted an extensive emigration business, sending young farm hands and domestics particularly to the Dominion of Canada and to Australia and New Zealand. At one time he was responsible for supplying almost the entire house staff of Scotch assistants to the Guelph Sanatorium in Ontario, when many years later, the writer, when visiting this institution in Guelph, met people whom Mr. Ballantine had sent out a generation or more earlier, all of them now in responsible positions. In connection with the emigration work, he paid two extensive visits to Canada, and as a result of his experiences on these occasions, he wrote and published a booklet on 'The Golden West' which was intended as a guide to prospective emigrants in the great farm and orchard lands of Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

Cumnock Chronicle 1924
        

Martha Gildea Hunter, to whom the document belonged, was born 26/12/1917 at Tower Street, Cumnock. Her father was Joseph Hunter, who was born in Portobello, and her mother was Martha Gildea, who was born in Dumbarton where they were married in 1907. Her grandfather was 'Pottery Joe' who worked at the nearby Cumnock Pottery.

Cumnock Connections - Family Tree (tribalpages.com)

The New History of Cumnock - John Strawhorn - p91

Joe's Brig was named after Joe Hunter ('Pottery Joe') who for many years entertained the Heckler's meetings with his wit, campaigning for a bridge to replace the stepping stones at the Greenholm.

Joe’s Brig
      

On 17/7/1926 Martha Gildea Hunter's father Joseph sailed from Glasgow on the 'Caledonia', arriving in Philadelphia on 26/7/1926. His two oldest sons soon followed with James arriving in New York on 13/8/1928 and Joseph arriving on 2/9/1928. They were to join their father in Syracuse, which is in Onondaga County, New York. They were all reunited in May the following year when mother Martha and their siblings Alexander, Edward, Martha, Robert and Thomas arrived in New York aboard the 'Cameronia'. Another daughter Janet was born in New York in 1933.

Martha Gildea Hunter married Patrick J. Long and died 17/3/2010 in Syracuse, Onondaga, New York. Read more about Martha's life.

Martha 's Obituary

The Niagara Falls Reunions, which took place from 1955 onwards, were hugely popular for ex Cumnock folks. Did any of our members or their families ever attend them or perhaps have photographs they would like to share? We would love to see them.

Footballers

By Kay McMeekin

Footballers move around a lot.

A lot of local players went to Preston North End in Lancashire, England which was founded in 1880.

John Graham  payed for Preston North End in about 1890 and his brother William Graham played for Preston North End and Newcastle United

 Thomas McCall Smith  Thomas Hamilton also went to Preston North End in the 1920s and 1930s.  They all returned to their roots in Ayrshire.

David Reid McCulley 1895-1962 a grocer in Cumnock played for Ayr United but his professional career was cut short by an ankle injury.

Davy Wells from New Cumnock played for Auchinleck Talbott then Ayr United in 1970 aged 17.

a young Bill Shankly

Bill Shankly born in Glenbuck in 1913 he is still a household name!  A memorial in the old Glenbuck on the site of the Shankly house attracts Liverpool fans on pilgrimages from all over.

As a player: Cronberry Eglinton 1931-32,Carlisle United 1932-33,Preston North End 1933-49, Liverpool 1942 as guest and Scotland 1938-39 (5 caps)

As a manager: Carlisle United 1949-51, Grimsby Town 1951-54, Workington 1954-55, Huddersfield Town 1956-59, Liverpool 1 Dec 1959 - 12 Jul 1974

Bill died in Liverpool in 1981.

His brother James B Shankly played for Portsmouth,Sheffield United and Carlisle

John Shankly played for Glenbuck Cherrypickers, Greenock Morton, Carlisle United, Luton Town, Portsmouth, Alloa, Kings Park, Larne

David Thompson McCartney (26 December 1875 – 8 December 1949) was a Scottish professional footballer, best remembered for his time as a centre half in the Southern League with Northampton Town and Watford. He also played in the Football League for Glossop and Chelsea

He emigrated to Australia in 1910.

Andrew Johnstone McCall born Cumnock 1908 played for Cumnock Townhead Thistle, Ayr United, St johnstone in 1935 and Huddersfield in 1939 and after. a few months to Nottingham Forrest. He rejoined Ayr United in 1940. He played for Clyde then Dundee He was manager of Dundee 1958-9.

Ayr United, Andy is front 2nd from right

Eric Caldow - professional footballer and Scotland internationalist, was born 14 May 1934 and raised in Skerrington, Cumnock and attended Cumnock Academy. Eric first played for the Cumnock Academy Football Team at right-back. His first Junior Football Team was Muirkirk but he was soon signed by Glasgow Rangers and played for them until 1964.

Eric was capped for Scotland 40 times from 1957 to 1963. His first cap was on 6th April 1957 against England at Wembley in front of a crowd of 97,520 where Scotland lost 2-1. He played for Scotland on the 6th April 1963 against England at Wembley - where he broke his leg. 

Eric received a civic reception in 1961 because of his fame as a Scottish internationalist. He managed Cumnock Juniors for a short time in 1978.

After leaving Rangers Caldow then played for one season with Stirling Albion before moving south to become player-manager of Corby Town in 1967. He returned to his native Ayrshire to become manager of Junior side Hurlford United in 1970 and three years later was appointed manager of Scottish League side Stranraer. Caldow left Stair Park in 1975 and his last involvement with football was as a scout for Queens Park Rangers.

Caldow was inducted to the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2007. He died in 2019.

George Burley, born in Cumnock in 1956, had a distinguished career as a player and manager. He joined Ipswich Town in 1972. He made 18 appearances playing for Scotland and was the Scotland manager 2008-9. 

A relation of his Craig Burley born 1971 was also a successful footballer  playing for Chelsea, Celtic and Preston North End amongst others. He is now a sports pundit for an American TV channel EPSN.

Hadden family from Ireland to Ayrshire to USA

By Joanne Ferguson

A family history of 200 years from Ireland to Ayrshire to USA.

Track them on the Cumnock Connections tree Mary Jane Bruce later Hadden then Coulter

Bruces from Country Antrim in Ireland. They moved to Kilwinning in Ayrshire about 1840

Alexander Bruce was born in County Antrim, Ireland, about 1790.  He married Catherine Pollock.  They had five children: Alexander Bruce (1812-1860); Samuel Bruce (1816-1858); Martha Bruce (1820-??); Stewart Bruce (1820 -1893); and Hugh Bruce (1829-1870).

Alexander Bruce married Mary Dougherty.  They had three children: Mary Jane Bruce (1837-1918); John Bruce (1839-??); Martha Bruce (1842-1930); and Alexander Bruce (1849-1925).  After Mary Dougherty’s death (about 1850), Alexander married Janet Grier in 1851 in Kilwinning.  

Haddens in Cumnock, Ayrshire

John Hadden was also born in Ireland in 1839.  He was the son of John Hadden and Janet Jenkins. Little else is known about him in Ireland. He is listed as a miner and as a boarder at High Row in Lugar in 1861.  On June 12, 1863, he married Mary Jane Bruce in Auchinleck.  They had seven children: James Hadden (1864-1916); John Bruce Hadden (1865-1925); Mary Bruce Hadden (1866-1947); Jane (Jeannette) Hadden (1868-1958); Alexander Hadden (1870-1907); Samuel Hadden (1872-1913); and Martha Hadden (1874-1953).

On December 7, 1873, John Hadden died, leaving Mary with six children and nine months pregnant with their seventh child, Martha.

Coulters in Cumnock

Widowed Mary married William J. Coulter about 1875 in Cumnock, although no marriage certificate can be found.  They had four children: William Coulter (1876-1929); Andrew Coulter (1877-1939); Esther Black Coulter (1879-1930); and Bruce Lee Coulter (1882-1921).

Mills from Kilwinning to Scranton

Mary also had another son prior to her first marriage by an unknown partner. That son was Hugh Bruce (1860-??).  Hugh left Scotland with David and Margaret Mills, who had adopted him.  In the 1870 US census, Hugh is listed as Hugh Mills, living with Margaret and David in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and attending school.  Margaret Mills died in 1877 and David Mills died in 1884, both in Scranton.  There were no more traces of Hugh Bruce.

James, John, and Alexander Hadden had already left for Pennsylvania, although no immigration records can be found.

The Scots did not appear to be leaving the British Isles for religious reasons.  The Scots were the first group to immigrate to America primarily for economic opportunity.

Mary Jane Bruce Hadden Coulter boarded the Spain in Edinburgh and arrived in New York on February 17, 1887.  She was accompanied by the following children:  Jennette Hadden, Samuel Hadden, Martha Hadden, William Coulter, Andrew Coulter, Alice Coulter (Esther), and Bruce Coulter.  

Van Cootens from Demerara to Cumnock to Australia

by Roberta McGee

 Jane, known as Jean, McGlashan was born in Old Cumnock in 1798, the daughter of Alexander McGlashan and Abigail Patrick. When she was 20 years old she found herself pregnant, the father of her child being Hilbert Van Cooten, and she appeared before the Kirk Session on 23rd April 1818.

Kirk Session Minutes

Cumnock 23 April 1818

Constituted with prayer

Present - The Moderator and all the Elders

When Jean McGlashan in the village appeared voluntarily confessing she had brought forth a Child in fornication and accusing Hilbert Van Cooten lately in Cumnock now a medical student in Glasgow as the father of it from whom a letter of acknowledgement to the session was produced. The Session having considered the same agree to take her on discipline according to her request and she was therefore rebuked admonished to repentance and having paid a Guinea to the poor was absolved from the scandal.  Concluded with prayer.

The child, who was born 5th March 1818 in Old Cumnock to Jean McGlashan and Hilbert Van Cooten, was named Jean Van Cooten. Jean and Hilbert eventually married nearly three years later on 8th January 1821 at Gorbals, Glasgow.

cumnock connections family tree

Perhaps the reason that Hilbert was in Cumnock was that he met Jean's older brother Gilbert McGlashan who was a medical student at the same time. Gilbert was studying at Edinburgh and Hilbert at Glasgow.

(Thanks to Kay for finding this information)

So who was this medical student Hilbert Van Cooten who arrived in Cumnock and captured Jean McGlashan's heart?