Join in our Family History Chat–Thursday 10pm US eastern time

Our theme for the chat is “But what if I have few or no photos.. how do I scrap a layout?”

We will have lots of ideas on scrapbooking your family history, even if you have no photos at all of your ancestor.

Join us and receive this set of Metallic Style Family Group Sheet Titles free just for participating. No purchase required.

Join us at the DSP Chat room at 10pm Thursday August 9th ( US Eastern time) 

Free Printable Family Tree Fan Chart

If you are interested in Genealogy you might like to download this free printable Fan Chart style family tree.

You will need to be a member at DSP to view the freebies gallery ( but its free to join and its great fun!)

 

You can find the Fan chart here

An Indominable Spirit ( and a bit about the Salvation Army )

 

Today at speedscrap ( thats a challenge at DSP where we get an inspiration and scrap a layout based on it in a very short time) I completed this layout about my 3rd Great Grandmother Sarah Ann Abbot ( nee Allington)

This is another layout based on an Obituary.

I also have a story about how I came to identify her in this photo ( this is a part of a larger photo of 4 generations and I intend to scrap that photo in its entirety soon ) .

The other day when I was researching William Grant who I posted about yesterday, I came across the photo of him in the Cyclopedia of NZ – and immediately I knew I had a photo of the same man about the same time in his life- and it was this photo – he is also in  it with his wife Louisa , and then their daughter Annie Elizabeth with her husband William McClellan.

The only one of the previous generation still alive at that time must have been Louisa’s Mother – as William Grant arrived here on his own.

So.. here is Sarah Ann Abbott – a proud member of the Salvation Army.

In order to finish this layout I wanted to learn a little more about the Salvation Army history. I had no idea how deeply ingrained in the history of Oamaru that the Salvation Army were.

There is an article online from the Otago Daily Times which talks about the 125th anniversary of the Army in Oamaru from where I got my information.

It would seem the Abbotts must have joined the “Sallies” very early on in their history as the obituary mentions that she had been a member since” long ago”.

The most heart wrenching thing about this woman is the fact that according to the obituary she had to cope with the deaths of her husband and EIGHT of her children. ( Ive found the births of 12, Ive yet to research them all to find the causes of their demise.

Here is the journalling from the layout

Obituary- Mrs Abbott Oamaru
Death has again visited our little circle, and taken away one that will be very much missed. Mrs. Abbott has answered the cal, and is now safe in the arms of Jesus. She was an Army supporter of many years standing. Long ago, she, in company with her late husband, attended our meetings regularly, and helped on God’s work to the best of her ability, but unfortunately old age brought bodily affliction which prevented her from getting to the meetings during recent years. Mrs Abbott has had a very eventful life, but few have been called upon to pass through bereavement as often as our sister. Eight beloved children and her precious husband predeceased her. She was the happy possessor of an indomitable spirit, and repeatedly came through exceedingly painful afflictions, exhibiting a beautiful spirit of resignation to Go;s will and in spite of her many sorrows she was always ready to give her practical assistance where the need existed. Many homes have been brightened and many sad hearts cheered by her presence. The writer of of this very humble tribute has tender recollections of the kindly manner in which she assisted to alleviate the sufferings of one near and dear to him. Her last illness was of an exceptionally painful nature, but she displayed wonderful fortitude right throughout. Adjutant Brown and other comrades visited her very often, and assisted to bring a little blessing and help. She could always say very definitely that God never left her. Jesus was a very present help, and her bright testimony made it a decided pleasure to be in her presence. She passed peacefully away, surrounded by her loved ones, who had ministered so faithfully to their precious mother’s needs during her long illness. We will miss her cheery face, and her memory will be long cherished by a wide circle of relatives and friends. Our deepest sympathy is extended to the bereaved. The funeral was largely attended. Adjutant Brown conducted the service .- ERNEST AUSTIN
(From the War Cry, the Salvation Army weekly periodical)
The Abbott family must have been very early members of the Oamaru Salvation Army. The Army arrived in Oamaru in September 1882 trying to clean up” disorderly behaviour generated by a proliferation of bars and brothels, and were initially less than welcome additions to the community !The Salvation Army launched what it called its "opening attack" in Oamaru on September 2, 1883, but its methods of visiting bars, street preaching, singing and band-playing were not well received by hotel and bar owners.

William Grant–Builder

The last couple of days I’ve been researching my Great Great Grandfather William Grant.  He is the first of the Scottish side of my family that I have spent any time researching.

I still have lots of gaps in my research but what I know is that he was born in1852 in Fenwick, Ayrshire, Scotland to John Grant ( Limestone Miner) and Jean Love.

He was the 7th of 8 children that I’ve found so far, and it appears he emigrated to New Zealand between the ages of 20 and 24 when he married Louisa Abbot in Oamaru in the South Island .( I’m still hunting for some indication of what ship he arrived on and not having a lot of luck!!.

From what I’ve read he trained as a builder and was involved in building in Wellington before moving to Stoke Nelson.

I found his photo and an article about his building of the St Marys Orphanage in the 1906 Cyclopedia of New Zealand and decided this event warranted a layout.

Here is a transcript of the article which describes the Orphanage in great detail

St. Mary's Orphanage And Industrial School , Stoke, Nelson. This institution is charmingly situated amongst hills, with gigantic blue gums and fir trees in the background, and an unsurpassed view of the harbour and Mount Arthur in the distance. The building, which is one of the handsomest of its kind in New Zealand, is an admirable monament to the taste and talent of the architect, Mr. John S, Swan, of Wellington, and to the skill and workmanship of the Builder, Mr. William Grant, of Nelson. The style is slightly Romanesque; and the building, which is throughout of brick, on concrete foundations, has plaster facings, with five gables showing to the front, and is roofed with Marseilles tiles. The length of the building is 240 feet, depth 157 feet, and the average height of the rooms, of which there are thirty-five, is fifteen feet. Special attention has been paid to lighting, two wells having been placed in the centre for that purpose, and each room contains far more than the number of windows generally found in such institutions. To ensure perfect ventilation, Boyle's fan ventilators have been installed, and huge fireplaces have been built in the principal rooms to ensure the comfort of the inmates. There are three class rooms, each 22 feet 6 inches by 22 feet; a dining hall 43 feet 6 inches by 25 feet; two dormitories, 82 feet by 36 feet and 75 feet by 35 feet 9 inches, each containing 50 beds. Off these rooms there are dressing rooms, and a lavatory measuring 48 feet by 12 feet 6 inches, with a three-inch table running nearly the length of the room, with a pipe earrying running water, and a tap for each of the numerous bowls on either side of the table, A channel down the centre of the table carries away the water, and there are six large bath tubs with a supply of hot and cold water. The dressing room is fitted with lockers, wardrobes, and hanging presses. Over 257 feet of corridors with a width of 8 feet, run through the building, and in all the rooms and halls there is a five-feet dado. A little to the left of the centre of the building there is a chapel and sacristy, over which there is a bell tower, which rises to a height of about 60 feet from the ground. A beautiful memorial window has been placed in the chapel to perpetuate the name of the late Very Rev. Dean Mahoney. Thirteen concrete steps lead up to the main entrance, with a reception room on the right and an office on the left; and a beautiful arch spans the vestibule. To the rear and detached from the main building, there is further accommodation, which includes a hospital containing a ward 36 feet by 18 feet, the nurse's rooms, a Kitchen a bathroom, and a lavatory. All the bricks used in the creation of the Home were made in the kilns on the property, on which brickmaking has become an important industry. The hop fields connected with the Home have averaged as high as half-a-ton to the acre. The property is nearly 700 acres in extent, and has its own private reservoir. There are ninety-two boys at the school. The Rev. George Mahony is at the head of the institution, and is ably assisted by Mr. and Mrs. William Fitzgerald, and a staff of secular teachers.

 

 

 

William became Clerk of Works for Cooper and Co Construction Company and was tasked with building the new Post Office Tower for Nelson.

It was to be the cause of his demise. While trying to save a bricklayer from falling from scaffolding, William fell 15 feet hitting his head on the joists on the way down.

He survived the fall but died a few months later, the cause of death on the death certificate lists Verdict by Jury- Death by Pneumonia bought on through an accident at New Post Office Nelson.

That accident and his family life ( when he married his wife Louisa was just 16) certainly will be the focus of another layout very soon.

I’m hoping to discover a bit more about his arrival and his early days in New Zealand if I can first.

The Farrer/Farrar Mystery

This mystery is the one that got me interested in genealogy in the first place.
My 3x Great grandmother ( her will was the one in the layout I posted a couple of days ago) was Ellen Farrer . From what Ive researched her father was one Benjamin Farrer – Clock and Watchmaker from Pontefract Yorkshire.
Multiple members of my family have been told the story of how Ellen ( and thus we her decscendants)  were related to Frederick Willam Farrer,who was the Arch Bishop and Dean  of Canterbury , and then also to his grandson WW2  British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery .

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
Interestingly it wasn’t one of the Farrer family who told me of this connection. It was my great Grandfather Phillip Goodwin who was so proud of the connection through his wife , who was the granddaughter of the Ellen Farrer mentioned above.
I recall a family tree he drew in my childhood ( sadly this has long been lost) which tracked the path from Frederick Farrar to me. ( I did wonder how it was we had fallen quite so far down the Ecclesiastical Tree!) but I dont remember much from that family tree at all and I have no idea where the information came from. I have a vague recollection  he copied it from a family bible at some point.

Well now I’ve got involved in genealogy myself, one of my first missions was to find that connection between Ellen Farrer and Frederick William Farrar.
Sadly I haven’t found one iota of evidence to prove it.
It appears the Farrer family that Ellen is descended from had resided for generations in Pontefract and many of them were Watchmakers .
Benjamin, 1788- 1877 married Ellen Thompson ( which is likely why at least 3 of Ellen Farrer’s children carry the Thompson name as a middle name)
The 1841 and 1851 censuses have Benjamin listed as a Clock maker at the Beast Fair .
His father was John Farrer ( christened 1745), various horology interest websites list John as a Clock maker as well .
I haven’t managed to go back any further than John at this point.

The family tree of Frederick William Farrar is quite well established. On researching it one name popped out at me – that of his father Charles Pinhorn Farrar. I remember this name from the family tree my great grandfather had written for me. How, if there is no truth to the connection between the 2 families did my Great Grandfather know, back in the 1960s ,( well before the internet)  the details of Frederick Farrar’s family? – I recall he also had listed Maud Farrar, the daugther of Frederick William. I wish I could remember more…
As yet I can find absolutely no connection between the two families. – One thing is clear – more research is required if I’m to ever solve this mystery.

A Free Printable Fan Chart

Our first Family History themed chat is tonight ( 2nd August) at 10pm in the DSP Chat room .

 

Ive created this printable Fan Chart for all those who participate in the chat

 

Just come along and say hi, and I will send you a link to download this chart after the chat.

A Grave and a Will

When I visited Archives in Auckland last week, I was really excited to find a will handwritten by Ellen Middlebrook, my 3x Great Grandmother.

It was an old photo of her gravestone that got my interested in Genealogy in the first place, and I had not long before found her grave myself. It is still standing at Purewa Cemetery in Auckland, and beside her grave is that of one of her sons James Thompson Middlebrook.  From the cemetery plans it appears there was one other person buried in this family plot but no gravestone exists and there is no record of who it might be.

 

There are numerous challenges to create layouts for Family History Month at DSP and one of them was to do a scrapbook layout about a grave.

Im sure I will be doing more layouts of grave sites as I find more, but here is one I did today.

 

This is the last Will and testament of me Ellen Middlebrook Widow of the CIty of Auckland in the colony of New Zealand.. I give and bequeath to my children here- after mentioned. To my daugther Jane Thompson, the wife of Hector McRae the sum of fifty pounds sterling for her sole use and benefit, and to my sons Benjamin Middlebrook and John Middlebrook the sum of fifty pounds sterling and to my sons Samuel Middlebrook and James Thompson Middlebrook, the like sum of fifty pounds sterling held by them in promissary notes and to my daughter Elizabeth Hardy the wife of george Douglas Hardy the sum of fifty pounds sterling held by GD Hardy her husband on promissary note and the remainder of any monies possessed by me at the time of my death to be divided into six equal portions and given to my six children before named. And the piece of land belonging to me at Tawhio KatiKati to be sold on the decision of the majority of my children and the proceeds to be divided equally among my six children before named and George Douglas Hardy and John Middlebrook of Auckland to be executors of this my will . Signed by Me Ellen Middlebrook in the presence of us present at the same time who in their presence and in the presence of each other and subscribe our names as witnesses hereto. Withnes my hand this 27th of February 1892
Ellen Middlebrook
What a treasure to find the hand written will of my great great great Grandmother at Archives in Auckland. I wonder about the differences in the delivery of the money to the daugthers - clearly one daughters husband was not at all in favour!
Ellen Middlebrook’s grave still stands proudly at Purewa Cemetery
with her son James Thompson Middlebrook

I created this layout using my Ties to the Past Kit Plus