Geordie Graham from Dalgig

 "Few men are better remembered. Black Geordie: George Graham of Dalgig" - John D. Ellis

by Roberta McGee

George 'Geordie' Graham, as he was known, was Afro-Caribbean and born between 1785 and 1790 in Grenada in the West Indies. His father had come to Glasgow as a coachman to one of the great West India merchants. He was accompanied by his wife and Geordie. Two daughters were mentioned later on, but, whether they were born in Grenada or Glasgow is uncertain. The family were, in all probability, the merchant's slaves and it is difficult to find their original names. The Abolition of Slavery Act was passed in 1807 by the British Parliament. The Act made it illegal to buy and sell enslaved people throughout the British Colonies. However, it did not end the use of enslaved labour across the British Empire. It wasn't until 1833, when the Slavery Abolition Act was passed, that abolition was wholly achieved.

The story goes that Geordie ran away and enlisted in the Royal Navy when he was a young lad and he remained there for many years. Later records show that George was a proficient drummer. The Royal Navy had ships' bands as did the Royal Marines, which operated under the authority of the Royal Navy, where drummers were more common.  

When he returned to Glasgow he found that both his father and mother were deceased. Two sisters, however, were still alive, but with these he had little correspondence.

Historian John D. Ellis says:

That a former soldier should descend into vagrancy was not uncommon; the end of the Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815) had seen thousands of British Army and Royal Navy veterans returned to "civvy street" at a time when Britain was a country in turmoil. Famine, unemployment, and civil unrest were rife. Veterans of battles like Trafalgar (1805) and Waterloo (1815) found their campaigns eulogised - whilst paradoxically they were left to fend for themselves (the "1824 Vagrancy Act" was, in part, passed as a response to former sailors and soldiers living on the streets or in make-shift camps).

So Geordie made the rural Ayrshire countryside his home, especially around Leadhills, New Cumnock and Old Cumnock. He was a vagrant, poorly clad, and he didn't appear to have any means to feed himself. He roamed alone during the day along the riverbanks and spent his nights under the shelter of the heat of one of the many pottery/brick kilns which were in active operation in the neighbourhood. Although he spoke English well he appeared to be unsociable and initially the villagers treated him with suspicion because of his ebony coloured skin.  However, they soon began to accept him. Three months later he disappeared, much to the puzzlement of the villagers, only to reappear the following summer, full of energy, to again roam the banks and channels of the rivers and he would sleep at the pottery/brick kilns and be supplied with food, usually by the local farmers.

He was reluctant to speak about his past life but was chatty about topical subjects which made him popular with the locals. He would disappear again without warning and then reappear for a three month spell. The villagers were puzzled over Geordie's odd behaviour but eventually his secret was discovered. 

Geordie was gathering pebbles from the channels in the rivers and streams sometimes extending his search to Carsphairn and Galston. These were not ordinary pebbles. They were jasper stones, a type of quartz, which came in many colours and patterns. He would use a large freestone at a nearby meal mill which would grind his pebbles into shape and, by applying emery afterwards, would produce a polish which made the stones more valuable. He would sell these semi-precious stones for as much as £15 each in nearby cities.

Scottish Red Jasper which is thought to increase strength, energy, stamina, focus and determination. It was known as "the warrior's stone" or "the stone of endurance" 

He also found employment where he could. He was in the service of Mr. Ferguson of Dinmurchie, Barr and for a while lived in Old Cumnock where he worked in the Cumnock Pottery.

Pottery Row - CHG Banks & Bankers, Shops & Inhabitants, Cumnock Chronicle & Jack Hill 1961

Leadhills Village 

The sale of the stones gave Geordie some stability and he eventually moved into a house of his own where he could spend the summer and the winter. He had a very fierce-looking bulldog, which was always by his side. It went by the name of 'Ready' which was the signal given by Royal Navy gun crews when they were prepared to fire. I'm surmising that the village he chose to settle in was Leadhills where there was a brass band. Geordie took a keen interest in it and would march alongside them. One day the drummer asked Geordie if he would like to use the drumsticks to beat the drum. Geordie replied that he would like to have the drum too. Hoping to have a laugh at Geordie's expense the drummer complied but was taken by surprise when Geordie expertly fitted himself out with the big drum. The leader asked Geordie which tune he would prefer. He replied  'the 4th Dragoon's March'. Geordie gave three taps and the band struck in. The tone was superior to anything they had heard before and was executed to perfection. 

Off they marched causing a sensation in the village. One of the onlookers asked Geordie where he had learned to beat the drum. His only answer was that he had paid for his learning. Choosing to play 'the 4th Dragoon's March' was perhaps a clue to one of the regiments Geordie had served in. 

Historian John D. Ellis says:

'The duty of an army drummer was to beat out the drum patterns issued by his commanders to communicate orders to soldiers.' and Geordie had displayed this skill. 

In 1832 there were celebrations in towns and cities across Scotland following the passing of the Reform Act. The Leadhills Brass Band were invited to perform. They walked from Leadhills Village to Sanquhar, which was about seven miles, to get there on time with 'Big Black Geordie from Dalgig beating the drum'. 

In July 1844 there was a festival in Ayr and the band were to play. Geordie loved bright colours and a local landowner presented him with a full suit of his native African dress to wear.

In 1841 George Graham is living at Dalgig Farm, New Cumnock and is employed as a manservant. The farmer is Ivie Campbell. He was a very kind man. Any tramp passing through, if he said his name was Campbell, was certain of porridge and milk. Hungry Irish travellers searching for work and a place to stay could always rest for a few days at Dalgig until they regained their strength.

Geordie's chosen surname was Graham. What his birth name was nobody seems to know. It's interesting to note that Ivie Campbell's brother-in-law, who was married to Ivie's sister Isabel, was William Graham from Marchburn Farm, New Cumnock. He was in the Dragoon Guards and was discharged in 1802. Geordie's chosen tune to play on the drums was 'the 4th Dragoon's March'. Did Geordie serve with William Graham or did Ivie hold a special affection for him because he was, like Ivie's brother-in-law, a veteran? Perhaps one of these reasons why George chose Graham as his surname. 

In 1851 Geordie is at Dalgig working as a farm labourer and in 1861 he is working there as a groom. 

Geordie took an active part in farm life and regularly accompanied the Campbells to their frequent shows.

Cumnock Chronicle 1902

Geordie died of cramp of the stomach, after one day, at Dalgig, New Cumnock on 2nd May 1868. The informant was Mr Ivie Campbell. Geordie was aged 78 years and single. His parents names were not given



Sources:

Irvine Times 22/5/1885

Lanarkshire Upper Ward Examiner 6/2/1886

Ayrshire Weekly News 26/2/1886

Black Soldiers and Edinburgh 1792-1848 by John D. Ellis

Historical Roots - "Few men are better remembered. Black Geordie:

                               George Graham of Dalgig, Ayrshire" by John D. Ellis

Scholarly to a high degree - The story of the Clark family

 Scholarly to a high degree - The story of the Clark family

by Roberta McGee

William Clark and Elizabeth Thomson were married at Ayr Road, Cumnock on 7/6/1858. William was a tailor/clothier, Elizabeth was a domestic servant and both were born in Cumnock. William was a great believer in education and for many years he was a member of the School Board. They had ten children all born in Cumnock. He impressed upon them the importance of education and they in turn grew up to be a credit to their parents. Their uncle James Thomson, brother of their mother Elizabeth, was also highly intelligent. He was born on 3/5/1845 in Cumnock and died of consumption on 3/8/1876, aged 31 years old, in Badenweiler, South Germany. He was described in his obituaries as "Cumnock's most distinguished son" and "scholarly to a high degree".

Marble tablet erected over the family pew
in the Established Church of Cumnock

 

William and Elizabeth's firstborn child Adam Clark was born on 19/12/1857 at Ayr Road, Cumnock. He showed great promise and became a lawyer's clerk. Tragically, he was only 19 years old when he died on 30/4/1877 at Barrhill Road, Cumnock of acute meningitis. 

Five of their children became doctors - William, James, George, John and Jeannie.

William Clark, who was born in 1860, took his BSc. and M.A. in one session at University and for a time taught at Dollar Academy before making a career change into medicine and graduating M.D. at Glasgow University. He then moved to a medical practice in Dundonald, Ayrshire.

His brother George Clark, who was born in 1871, was studying medicine at Glasgow University when his health broke down. In 1898 he decided to leave Scotland and emigrate to South Africa in the hope that the climate there would improve his health. William decided to give up his practice in Dundonald and accompany him. George's health did improve and he was able to continue his studies there. Four years later in 1902 George, again accompanied by his brother William, returned to Scotland where George passed his final exams at Glasgow University. The brothers then returned to South Africa.

In South Africa George was affectionately called Dr. George. He practised in the town of Lady Frere and in 1906 he moved to Tarkastad, which has one of the healthiest climates in the world, where he died on 11/1/1913. He left a widow and two children. An Appreciation which appeared in "The Queenstown Review" on 18/1/1913 quoted a line from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' to describe George -

"He was a man; take him for all in all, we shall not look upon his like again"

William continued to practise in South Africa but during WW1 he returned to London to take over his brother John's practice. After he retired he would visit South Africa regularly, sailing as ship's surgeon both ways. Dr. William, who never married, died on 29/2/1940 at 52 Airlie Street, Glasgow, the home of his sister Jessie.

Ministers (and their families) immigrating to the Dunedin area of New Zealand in the mid 1800's

 By Scott Daily

Through the years many have moved from East Ayrshire to New Zealand, quite a large number of these settled in the Otago region, especially in what became the city of Dunedin. To quote directly from Tearra, the “Encyclopedia of New Zealand” website , “With clear rivers and brisk frosts reminiscent of home, Otago was where a group of Free Church Scots founded their ‘new Edinburgh’, Dunedin, in 1848. They had high moral values, and a belief in hard work and the value of education. Today, clans and tartans, Burns night celebrations, and tossing the caber, are part of a lasting legacy." 

Established in 1845, the Otago Association was founded by the Free Church of Scotland to set up a colony in New Zealand. By the 1850’s over 12,000 people immigrated from the United Kingdom to the area around Dunedin. Among these immigrants were several ministers who were born in East Ayrshire.

Perhaps the best known of these was Thomas Burns, nephew of Robert Burns. Thomas was born in 1796 in Mauchline. After graduating from University of Edinburgh, with a degree in theology, he was ordained as a minister to the parish of Ballantrae, later transferring to Monkton, both in South Ayrshire. In 1843, during the Disruption of Church of Scotland, Burns left the established church and joined the Free Church of Scotland. 

In 1847 he, and his family (his wife, 5 daughters and one son) set sail for New Zealand on board the Philip Laing one of the first ships chartered by the Otago Association. For a time Burns functioned as the only minister for the area, later when other Free Church ministers arrived a Presbytery of Otago was formed, with Burns elected the first Moderator. Burns passed away in 1871, and is buried in Dunedin, where there is also a monument to him for his service to the community.

grave of Thomas Burns in Dunedin

Besides members of the Free Church, many other religious Scots immigrated to the area. Thomas Burns recorded 1,000 Presbyterians, 250 Anglicans, 61 independent church members, and 11 Catholics, living in Dunedin in 1856. 

Of special relevance to this page about Cumnock immigration is David Johnstone who was born in Old Cumnock in 1822, and went on to become a pastor in Dunedin.  Johnstone (sometimes spelled Johnston) had first served in the 1850's as pastor of an Indepedent church or chapel on Great Hamilton Street, Glasgow. In 1866 his wife, Jessie, passed away. By 1869 Johnstone had moved with his chilren to New Zealand, as he is recorded as serving as the pastor of the Congregational church located at the corner of Vine Street and Moray Place in Dundedin. Johnstone only served at the Moray Place church for a year before he began to hold services in the Oddfellows’ Hall George Street, before having a new Congregational church built on Leith Street and becoming its first pastor. see-congregationhistory 

Johnstone is recorded in various New Zealand census and electoral rolls as serving as clergyman in Dunedin for many years, evetually dying in 1896 still in Dunedin. A number of his at least 6 children married New Zealanders and stayed in the area with families of their own.

David Johnstone

One final example of a minister orginally from East Ayrshire is the Rev. James Kirkland, who was born in Stewarton in 1832.  Though the region of Otago was intially extremely Presbyerian, the discovery of gold in the area in the 1860's resulted in a gold rush with so many moving to the area from places such as Australia that soon there was a shortage of Presbyterian ministers, and so a call went out for more ministers. James Kirkland was one of those who answered the call. He and his family (wife Mary, and 3 children) moved first to Inch Clutha in 1863, where James served as the minister until 1872. After serving for a few years in Hokitika, James would be called to serve at West Taieri near Dunedin. He would remain the minister there for over 20 years. At least 3 more children were born to family in New Zealand, the notice of his death (pictured below) states that he had 9 children, one of the sons would also become a minister in the area. James was honoured for his long service to the Synod of Otago and Southland. His gravestone, in Dunedin, states he served as a minister in New Zealand for 39 years. 

Rev James Kirkland's grave, Dunedin

Notice of Rev Kirkland's death

The Doak family of Doaktown, New Brunswick, Canada

 By Elaine Corbett

The Doaktown museum of the Doak family

Doaktown Heritage site with photographs

Marion Wallace Cumnock Connections family tree link.

My 4 times great grandmother Marion Wallace was married twice.

Her first husband was Thomas Symington, and together they had nine children before his untimely death in 1802. They farmed at Whitehill, Ochiltree, and when Thomas Symington died, Marion carried on the farm alone until she remarried.

Her second husband, who is my 4 times great grandfather was James Smith, from Clowhernon (I think), with whom, fortunately for me, she had two more children.

The story of her daughter Mary Symington is one of travel, adventure, and some sadness with the family of her husband James Doak out in Canada.

James Soak and Mary were married at Stair in 1809. At this time Mary could have been living at Whitehill farm, and James at Roadinghead farm in Ochiltree. This clip from the OS maps shows the locations, later split by the construction of the railway line

James Doak, Mary, and three of their children embarked on the crossing to New Brunswick in 1820. Their youngest daughter Miriam (could that have been Marion after Mary’s mother?) was five years old and tragically, she died on the ship and was buried at sea. What a distressing beginning to their new life in Canada. Mary may well have been pregnant at the time with her third son, who was born in August of that year in Doaktown.

James, Mary and their family settled in Blissfield, a neighbouring parish to Doaktown where the rest of the family, who had travelled a couple of years earlier, had begun to establish their businesses.

The Shields sisters to sunny California

 by Roberta McGee

Samuel McColl Shields and Elizabeth Gray Dunsmore were married at Elbow Lane, Cumnock, on 29th August 1884. Samuel was an apprentice millwright at the time. They went on to have nine children, five boys and four girls. Six of the children were born in Elbow Lane, Cumnock. He served his time as an engineer in Drummond's Works in Ayr Road, Cumnock then he was employed at Lugar Works on the engineering staff and in 1899 he moved from Cumnock to Camlachie, Glasgow Barony, where he was employed with Blochairn Steel Works. A further three children were born in Camlachie. 

One of their daughters, Magdalene, died, aged seven years, in Cumnock. The three surviving daughters would later emigrate to California, USA, while the surviving boys seemed content to live in Scotland. Their 19 years old bugler son, Samuel was lost at Ypres in 1917 and 21 years old Willie, a recipient of the Military Medal, died of tuberculosis in 1921.

Cumnock Chronicle 1919

The first of their daughters to emigrate was Jane (Jean) McCartney Shields who was born in Elbow Lane, Cumnock in 1887.

Jean married James Alexander McClenaghan on 24/8/1906, born Glenanne, Co. Armagh, Ireland, at her family home at 932 Duke Street, Glasgow. He was a blacksmith and she was a provision saleswoman. They were both 19 years old.

James first emigrated alone to Vallejo, Sonoma County, California in 1909. He found work as a hired hand on a farm owned by Irishman David McClure. When WW1 was declared James travelled back to Glasgow and joined the Irish Guards. He fought throughout the war and was demobilized on 23rd March 1919. On 16th August 1919 James and Jean sailed out of Liverpool for New York on the "Carmania". They were accompanied by their daughters Elizabeth (Bessie) aged 12 years and Mary aged 10 years. 

In 1920 the family are living on a farm in Sonoma, California where James was employed as a farm labourer.