Freelands from Auchinleck to Fresno over 40 years

by Kay McMeekin

Many of the descendants of Irish-born Auchinleck resident an ironworks labourer,  William Freeland and his wife Jane Sillars emigrated and prospered in California.

First to go was son David Freeland 1862 -1935 in the 1880s. In the 1881 UK census he was a 19 year old mason. He married Jeannie Ryce in Salinas, California in 1889. Once in California he was a farmer in Madera in the 1910 census and in 1920 still in Madera he was a livery man at a livery stable. In 1930 census he was in Novato and a farmer.

In 1909 widowed daughter Jane/Jenny Murray emigrated with her children first to Madera, then Long Beach California

His older brother James Freeland followed quite a lot later with his with Mary Ann Cunningham. They arrived in Selma, Fresno California in 1894 with children William C and Marion. Son William Cunningham Freeland 1877- 1952 prospered:-

The cashier of the allied banks, the First National Bank and the Selma Savings Bank, of Selma, William C. Freeland, is known among his associates as a financier of ability and a man of unimpeachable integrity, possessed of force of character and good executive ability. Self-made, he has worked his way up from a clerkship to the highest place in the active operation of Selma's foremost financial institution.

While Selma claims him as one of her boys, he was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, March 28, 1877, and came to America with his parents, James and Mary A. (Cunningham) Freeland, when he was a lad ten years of age. His father, a blacksmith by trade, lived in Soquel, Santa Cruz County, from 1887 to 1890, and in the latter year came to Selma, where he died, in 1895. His mother is living in Selma and became the wife of the late John G. S. Arrants, of Selma.

William C. Freeland received his primary education in the schools of Scotland, completing it in the public schools of Santa Cruz County and Selma, graduating from the Selma high school with the class of 1895. He acquired bookkeeping in the high school and was afterwards with the Selma branch of the Kutner-Goldstein Company in the capacity of bookkeeper for a year and a half. A vacancy occurring in the clerkship of the First National Bank in 1897, he took the position and gradually worked himself up until in 1905 he became cashier. Of excellent judgment, and unusually swift and accurate as a cashier, he has held the position up to the present time with credit to himself and the bank.

In 1902, Mr. Freeland was united in marriage with Miss Joanna Heaton, daughter of Joseph and Margaret A. Heaton of Selma. He is the owner of one hundred acres two miles east of Selma which is planted to peaches, apricots, and Muscat and Thompson seedless grapes. A Presbyterian in his religious convictions, he is a member and chairman of the board of trustees of the church of that denomination at Selma. Fraternally he is prominent in Masonic circles. He is a member of the Blue Lodge Chapter in Selma and of the Commandery at Fresno. He is a Scottish Rite and Thirty-second Degree Mason, and a member of Islam Temple at San Francisco. He is also a member of the Selma Lodge of W. O. W., the largest lodge in Selma. For eight years Mr. Freeland was a member of the Board of Trustees of the City of Selma and for four years of that time was chairman of the board. For the past five years he has been City Treasurer. He and his good wife are highly respected in business, social and church circles in Selma.

In 1912  18 year old nephew William Sillars Freeland, son of Charles Freeland, sailed on the Lusitania to go to his uncle David in Madera.

In 1920 William 's sister Barbara 24, a stenographer,  came out on the Columbia.

In 1927 William's father Charles Freeland 63 his wife Margaret and other son John Morrison Freeland sailed to San Francisco from Manchester on the Pacific Reliance going to W S Freeland Bank of Italy Buildings Fresno They left behind a son Charles in Tassie Street, Shawlands.

 

John Lowther

 by Roberta McGee

John Lowther was born in 1889 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England. His father was Wilfred Lowther, a hawker, born in Bootle, Cumberland in 1866 to James and Eleanor Lowther (nee Burns), who were earthenware dealers. James came from a long line of Cumberland potters.

In 1881 Wilfred can be found in Kendal living with his sister Mary and her husband Joseph Miller. The Millers were a large travelling family of hawkers and horse dealers.

Read more about hawkers here Pedlars Tinkers and Hawkers - The Social Historian.

Cumnock Connections - Family Tree (tribalpages.com)

Wilfred married Elizabeth Moorehead in January 1888 at Cockermouth and their son John Lowther was born there in 1889. However, their marriage was short-lived because Wilfred died suddenly in April 1889, aged 22 years, at their house in St. Helen's Street, Cockermouth. So, at 21 years , Elizabeth was a widow. She moved, with her son, to Watchhill, Allhallows, Cumberland, to live with her widowed mother Betty Moorehead who had a grocer's shop there. 

By 1895 William Moorehead, Betty's son (Elizabeth's brother), was living in Old Cumnock and Betty, Elizabeth and John joined him there. William had been a coal miner in Allhallows but was now managing a lodging house in Elbow Lane, Cumnock. They did have connections in the area. Betty's brother was John Hall, a hawker, later swine dealer, who had married Jane Cunningham, the sister of Bob (Dishy) Watsons mother Christina Cunningham. The Halls had emigrated to Australia in 1887. 

On 31st December 1897 at Elbow Lane, Cumnock, Elizabeth married Hugh Walker.

Marriage Certificate:

Hugh Walker aged 30 years, hawker, bachelor, Lugar Street, Cumnock. Father: John Walker, coal miner Mother: Annie Walker ms McMillan deceased to Elizabeth Moorehead, aged 29 years, widow, Elbow Lane, Cumnock Father: John Moorehead, mason, deceased Mo: Elizabeth Moorhead ms Hall. Witnesses: William Moorehead and Hannah Hodgson.

In 1901 Betty Moorehead, John Lowther's grandmother, is managing the lodging house in Elbow Lane, Cumnock, assisting her 35 years old son William who is described as 'lodging house keeper'. There were 35 boarders. Her daughter, now Mrs Hugh Walker, is living in Townhead Street with her husband who is a china hawker, her son John Lowther aged 12 years, daughter Agnes Walker aged 3 years and son John Walker aged 8 months. So she had two sons named John, albeit with different surnames, carrying on the family tradition on both sides of the family it seems. 

Sadly Betty Died on 30th October 1903 at Elbow Lane, Cumnock.

Death Certificate:

Betty Moorehead, aged 67 years, widow of John MacKenzie Moorehead, hawker. Father: George Hall, horse dealer deceased Mother: Catherine Hall ms Lowther deceased. Cause of Death: Chronic Bright's Disease. Informant: Wm. Moorehead, son.

On 31st December 1914 John Lowther married Christine Watson, the sister of Bob (Dishy) Watson.

Marriage Certificate:

At 4 Minerva Street, Glasgow by Declaration in presence of Robert Watson, general dealer and Agnes Walker, spinster, John Lowther, aged 25 years, fish salesman, bachelor, 104 Townhead Street, Old Cumnock  Father: Wilfred Lowther, general hawker deceased Mother: Elizabeth Lowther now Walker ms Moorehead to Christina Watson, aged 24 years, Wood Street, Catrine Father: Robert Watson, horse dealer Mo: Christina Watson ms Cunningham.

John and Christina had three children together, Wilfred born 1916 Cumnock, Christina born 1917 Cumnock and Betty born 1919 Cumnock.

1918 proved to be a tragic year for John and his family.  There was an influenza epidemic in Cumnock and his young half-sister Annie Walker died on 8th July 1918 at Townhead Street. She was thirteen years old. Her death was followed by that of her sister Elizabeth Walker on 18th October 1918. She was sixteen years old. 

Two and a half years later John's wife Christina Cunningham Watson Lowther died on twenty sixth of January 1921 at 89 Townhead Street, Cumnock. She had suffered from Jacksonian epilepsy for eight years and died from heart failure. John was left with three small children to raise. Christina's sister Mary Ann Watson stepped in and took care of them while John worked as a fish salesman and at the end of the year John and Mary got married.

Marriage Certificate:

On 27th December 1921 at The County Buildings, Ayr by Declaration in presence of William Hodgson, fishmonger and Elizabeth Watson or Hodgson, both of 89 Townhead Street, Old Cumnock John Lowther, aged 37 years, fish salesman, widower, 89 Townhead Street, Old Cumnock  Father: Wilfred Lowther, horse dealer deceased Mother: Elizabeth Lowther ms Moorehead to Mary Watson aged 25 years, housekeeper, spinster, 89 Townhead Street, Old Cumnock Father: Robert Watson, china merchant Mother: Christina Watson ms Cunningham deceased.

John and Mary's son, Robert (Bobby) Watson Lowther was born in 1924 in Cumnock. 

John and Mary decided to emigrate to New Zealand and on 13th April 1926 they boarded the ship 'Mahona' at Liverpool and set sail for Auckland, New Zealand.

Passenger List - 13/4/1926 - Ship 'Mahona' - Liverpool to Auckland, New Zealand

John Lowther 33 fishmonger, Mrs John Lowther 29 wife, Wilfred Lowther 10, Christina Lowther 9, Betty Lowther 7, Robert Lowther 2 

89 Townhead Street, Old Cumnock, Ayrshire 

On 30th November 1927 their son John (Jack) Cunningham Watson Lowther was born in New Zealand. When Jack was in his twenties he visited Cumnock and fell in love with his cousin Christine Watson whose father was Bob Watson (Dishy). Jack and Christine were married in 1950 at Blythswood, Glasgow. They opened a fish and chip shop in her parents' house in Townhead Street but eventually Jack returned to New Zealand/Australia accompanied by his new wife. 

John Lowther's children with Christina Watson

1.     Wilfred Watson Lowther was born in 1916 in Old Cumnock and died 8/4/1985 at 

        141 Musselburgh Rise, Dunedin, New Zealand. He was 69 years old and a retired sales

        consultant. He married Agnes Sheila Brown on 28/7/1946 at St. Joseph's Cathedral.

        Dunedin.

2.    Christian (Christina) Cunningham Lowther was born in 1917 in Old Cumnock

       and died in New Zealand.

3.    Elizabeth (Betty) Moorehead Lowther was born in 1919 in Old Cumnock and died after

       1954 in New Zealand.  The 1954 Electoral Roll shows her living at 66 Harbour Terrace,

       North Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. She is a spinster and is living with her widowed

       mother Mary Lowther.

John Lowther's children with Mary Ann Watson

4.    Robert (Bobby) Watson Lowther was born in 1924 in Old Cumnock and died 4/6/1981 at

       Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Bob married Margaret Joyce Armstrong.

5.    John (Jack) Cunningham Watson Lowther was born 30/11/1927 in New Zealand and

       died 9/1/1991 in Queensland, Australia. He married Christine Watson in 1950 at Blythwood,                    Glasgow and they lived for a time in Townhead Street, Cumnock.  Christine is the daughter of               Robert Watson and Maggie McGee of Cumnock.

                                                             Brothers Bobby & Jack Lowther

John Lowther died 21st September 1946 in Dunedin, New Zealand. He was 57 years old. Mary, his wife, died 2nd February 1979 also in Dunedin, New Zealand. Mary was 82 years old. They are buried in Anderson's Bay Cemetery, Dunedin. A horse's head is etched on the gravestone, perhaps a nod to his traveller's background.  

John Lowther's journey through life took him from Cumberland to Cumnock and from Cumnock to Australia and New Zealand. He had experienced the joy of his children's births and the heartache of the death of his first wife and of his two young half-sisters in Cumnock. He found happiness again with his second marriage and courageously moved to the other side of the world to make better lives for his family. Being part of the travelling community and having relatives already in Australia and New Zealand would have helped the family settle in more easily.