Dead end?

These are my paternal grandparents, Lydia and Charles Roberton at the door to the house that my father grew up in, just outside Balloch on Loch Lomond-side.

My father had always talked of his mother's great love for her church and the fact that she and her father, Robert Whittaker, had been instrumental in starting the church, St Mungo's Episcopal Church in Alexandria.

Last year I decided to see if I could find any further information on their involvement with the church. I had my grandmother's obituary and a service sheet from the church at the time of her death which talked of her devotion to the church, how she had travelled there on foot from Balloch, and how much she would be missed.

I wrote to the priest-in-charge, Reverend Sarah Gorton, telling her about my grandmother and her father and asked if there was any mention of them in church records. Reverend Gorton kindly wrote back to me with the bad news that the church records she held unfortunately did not go back that far. She suggested contacting the library in Alexandria which I did. Unfortunately they could find no records linking my grandmother and her father to the church either.

So at the moment, I'm a little stumped as to where else I could search for this information. I'm sure it's there, somewhere. I just don't know where that 'somewhere' could be. I suppose this is the problem when trying to fill in the gaps in the lives of ordinary people. There sometimes just aren't written records to draw from or if there are they take a lot of finding.

The other mystery I have regarding this side of the family is connected with this photograph (below).

I can clearly see my grandmother sat on the front row, left of centre, in the dark clothing. I think the man sat centrally and to her right is her father, Robert and that the woman sat to his right, is his wife, Jane, my great grandmother. I don't even know what this gathering of people signifies. Could it be to do with the church at Alexandria?

Some brain racking is in order while I work out what to do next.

Decisions, decisions...

I now have a decision to make. Do I concentrate on extending the branches of my family tree further back or do I look at building a richer picture of the lives of individuals in the tree?

There are certain individuals who interest me. I would love to learn more about Alfred Lockwood the musician. I'm also interested to find out more about both of my grandmothers, in particular Lydia's connection with St Mungo's in Alexandria.

I have a massive collection of documents and books which hold information on my family to go through, and a pile of photographs. All of these needs to be housed somewhere safe and in an environment that will not damage them.

My research is very much housebound, online or through the post. I have to fit it in around my family life and work. I'm sure I'm not alone in that situation.

I'll let you know what I decide.

Jane Watson Paterson

Jane was my great grandmother. She was born in 1841 in Irongray, Kircudbrightshire, Scotland. Her first marriage was to James Gordon with whom she had four children. After James' death in 1875, she married again, to Robert Whittaker, having one more child, my grandmother, Lydia.

My father wrote this about her:

According to the family bible, my grandmother was born on 29 October 1842 and on the 1891 census her place of birth is quoted as being Irongray, Kirkcudbrightshire.

Her parents were John and Lydia Paterson and he was the third of a family of eleven.

In the 1841 census for the Parish of Irongray, her parents were living at 37 Larbreck with four children, one from John Paterson's first marriage. In the 1851 census forthe same parish, the family had moved to 4 Brochmore Cottage and my grandmother, aged 8 years, was included in the census.

In the 1861 census for the Parish of Kells, Kirkcudbrightshire, the family was living at 7 Marchwell, New Galloway, Kirkcudbrightshire. As she was not included in the census for that address it can be assumed that she had left home by that date, probably to take up service somewhere.

On 23 December 1867, she gave birth to a daughter, Catherine at High Street, Dalbeatie. There was no father quoted on the birth certificate so it can be assumed that the child was illegitimate. Catherine was in fact my Auntie Katie. The surname Gordon was later added to Catherine's name and on 23rd May 1890 she married David Boyd at 183 Main Street, Bonhill and subsequently had six children, the eldest of which was Jane, better known as Jean who married William Bennie on 26 October 1918.

My grandmother married James Gordon, a ploughman, on 24 June 1870 at Midpark, Crossmichael, Kirkcudbrightshire, when she was 27 years of age. The marriage certificate states "After banns according to the form of the Church of Scotland".

I had difficulty when I visited Crossmichael in locating Midpark but an old resident advised me that it was a small settlement of houses near where the road to Lauriston crosses the Crossmichael to Castle Douglas road.

Her second child, John Patterson Gordon was born on 12 July 1870 at Creebridge, Minnigaff, Kirkcudbrightshire. I have a photograph of a man and woman on the back of which is written "John and Maggie". Is this John Patterson Gordon?

My grandmother had two further children who were born in Old Kilpatrick, Dunbartonshire, and who both died in infancy.

     James Hall Gordon born 14 December 1872 died 8 February 187?

     Margret Hall Gordon born 22 May 1875 died 17 March 1879

    (Also referred to as Margret Lydia in the bible.)

My grandmother's mother and father died at Old Kilpatrick, Dunbartonshire, in 1872 and 1873 respectively although why the family moved to that part of Scotland is a mystery.

Her husband, James Gordon died on 26th May 1875 according to the family bible but I have yet to find where he died. His death followed four days after the birth of their last child, so it must have been a traumatic time for my grandmother. 

In the 1881 census for the parish of Bonhill, Dunbartonshire I find the following entry for 27 Burns Street:

     Jane Gordon               Head          38     Printfield Worker

     Catherine Gordon        Daughter     12           "         "

     John Gordon               Son            10     Part time Printfield Worker

The age of 12 given for Catherine Gordon in the census does not agree with the date on her birth certificate of 23 December 1867.

Presumably my grandmother moved to Bonhill from Old Kilpatrick to obtain work in one of the many printworks that existed in the Vale of Leven area at that time, possibly the very factory in which she met the Englishman who was to become her second husband and my grandfather.

In the 1891 census for the Parish of Bonhill, Dunbartonshire my grandmother and her second husband, my grandfather, were living at 183 Main Street, Bonhill with the two remaining children from her first marriage and the daughter from her second marriage, Lydia Jane Whittaker, my mother.

What is known as the Vale of Leven is made up of Alexandria, Balloch, Bonhill, Jamestown and Renton. The main industry was bleaching introduced in 1768, to be replaced later by Turkey-red Dyeing of which the area had almost a world monopoly. However after the first world war it was hit with the general slump and many of the factories closed and my memory of them is of empty shells.

Documents

1. Marriage Certificate 1     James Gordon     24/6/1870

2. Marriage Certificate 2     See Robert Whittaker

3. Marriage Certificate        Catherine Patterson/David Boyd

4. Marriage Certificate        Jane Boyd/William Bennie

5. Birth Certificate             Catherine Patterson

6. Birth Certificate             John Patterson Gordon

Robert Whittaker

Robert was my grandmother's father. He was English, born in 1853 in Chorley, Lancashire. He married a widower, Jane Watson Paterson in 1885 in Bonhill, Dunbartonshire, Scotland.

I can trace his residence from census and other documents:

1853 - Chorley, Lancashire
1861 - Chorley, Lancashire
1871 - Chorley, Lancashire
1885 - Bonhill, Dunbartonshire
1885 - Alexandria, Dunbartonshire
1891 - Bonhill, Dunbartonshire
1901 - Bonhill, Dunbartonshire
1906 - Bonhill, Dunbartonshire
1918 - died in Bonhill, Dunbartonshire.

He worked in the print industry as back tinter for calico printer, print field hand, printfield engine keeper and printfield worker.

I assume that he moved to Scotland for work as there was increasing industry and jobs in Jamestown (where Bonhill is located) at the time.

I know that he and my grandmother, Lydia were involved in St Mungo's Episcopal Church in Alexandria and were both very religious people.

Thomas Roberton

Thomas was my great grandfather. I have no photographs of him. He was born in 1841 in Pollockshaws, Glasgow, Scotland. My father's notes included the following entry about Thomas.

I started with no knowledge whatsoever of my grandfather. I do not remember my father talking about him nor have I any photos of him.

The only source of information originally available to me was my father's birth certificate. This provided several items of interest:-

- my grandfather's name was Thomas Roberton and he was a blacksmith.

- my grandparents were married on 5 June 1874 in the parish of Meigle.

Their marriage certificate provided the following information:-

- Thomas Roberton's parents were,

       Thomas Roberton, clerk, deceased

       Janet Roberton, ms Taylor, deceased

- Thomas Roberton was a widower at the time of his marriage to Helen McIntosh. (Subsequently I obtained the certificate for his first marriage which was on 19th July to Agnes Abercrombie).

- The witnesses were James McIntosh and Annie McIntosh. Anne McIntosh appears in the 1881 census as sister in law to Thomas Roberton but this is the first time James McIntosh appears. Is he a brother in law?

- Thomas Roberton was a blacksmith and Helen McIntosh was a domestic servant.

- Thomas Roberton's usual address was recorded as 17 Levenbank Terrace, Jamestown.

From the IGI at Huddersfield I obtained the information that Thomas Roberton was born on 4 March 1841 at Renfrew/Eastwood and that his parents were Thomas and Janet (ms Taylor) Roberton.

This date of birth is in conflict with the age quoted in his two marriage certificates.

- In the certificate of his first marriage on 19th July 1870 his age is given as 25, but if he was born in 1841 he would have been 29 by this date.

- In the certificate for his second marriage on 5th June 1874 his age is given as 30 but if he was born in 1841 he would have been 33.

The 1881 census showed his living at 55 Levenbank Terrace, Jamestown in the parish of Bonhill, Dunbartonshire. His birthplacewas recorded as Renfrewshire, Pollockshaws. His age was quoted as 38 years but again if he was born in 1941 he would have been 40 at the time of the census. Also quoted in the census as living at the same address were:-

- Helen Roberton, wife, age 30, born Forfarshire, New Tyle

- Thomas, son, 5

- Henrietta, daughter, 4

- James L, son                  1

- Charles, son, x days (my father)

- Anne McIntosh,  sister-in-law

Levenbank Terrace was one of three terraces built by the owners of the textile mills as homes for their workers. When I was at primary school in Jamestown the three terraces had become almost representative of three different levels of class. Milton Terrace was at the lower level followed by Napierston Terrace while the 'better people' lived in Levenbank Terrace.

In the Alexandria cemetery the gravestone for the familly plot carries the following inscription:-

                 "In Memory of

                  Thomas Roberton

                  Died 31st July 1898 aged 57 years

                  His Wife

                  Helen McIntosh

                  Died 30th April 1927 aged 77 years

                  Their Daughter

                  Henrietta 

                  Wife of Hugh Paton

                  Died 12th February 1904 aged 27 years

                  Janet

                  2nd daughter of above

                  Thomas and Helen Roberton

                  Died 19th February 1966 aged 82 years

                  John Roberton

                  Died 4th June 1968 aged 81 years"

In a search of the 1851 census for the parish of Eastwood I found an entry for a Roberton with the head of the house a Thomas Roberton, a widower aged 45, with 2 sons and 2 daughters. The youngest son was a Thomas aged 10. This ties up with the age my grandfather would have been in 1851.

My grandfather had eight children (four sons and four daughters) and died on 31 July 1898 at the age of 57 years. He is buried in Alexandria cemetary.

His wife, Helen (nee McIntosh) lived a further 29 years after his death.

My paternal grandmother, Lydia Jane Roberton nee Whittaker

This was my father's mother, Lydia. From what my father said, she was a kindly, hard working, religious woman. Here's what he wrote about her.

My mother was born on 4th December 1885, the only child of Thomas and Jane Whittaker, in the parish of Bonhill in the county of Dunbartonshire.

 Her father was English and from stories she told me of visits to her relations in Bradford and Chorley, I know that she was very proud of her Englsh background. However, she seemed to drift apart from those aunts and cousins she talked about with affection and she never visited them to my knowledge after she was married.

Her mother was from Kircudbrightshire and was a widow when she married my grandfather.

The great love of my mother's life was her church, St  Mungo's Episcopal, Alexandria. This was known locally as the English church. When she was born, St Mungo's was not in existence and she was confirmed in St Augustine's, Dunbarton. She and her father were among the founder members of the church in Alexandria and she worked for it in almost every capacity. She was in the choir, she was a Sunday school teacher and I remember the armfuls of flowers that came from my father's garden when it was my mother's turn to "do the flowers". My father was brought up as a Presbyterian which is the established church of Scotland, but to please my mother he joined 'her' church and was confirmed into it.

My father was in regular employment and with the garden we were never short of fresh vegetables so there was always plenty of food in the Roberton household. This, added to the fact that my mother was a superb cook, meant that mealtimes were something to be looked forward to. 

First Beginnings

This was written by my father. 

I was born on 4th October 1922 at 16 The Crescent, Alexandria, Dunbartonshire. My parents were Charles and Lydia Jane Roberton. My mother's name was Whittaker, hence my middle name.

Alexandria is in the Vale of Leven which is situated between the town of Dumbarton and Loch Lomond. The vale takes its name from thefast flowing River Leven which flows from the fresh water Loch Lomond at Balloch and takes a very winding course until it flows into the River Clyde at Dumbarton.

I was born in a terraced house on the banks of the Leven near to where a road bridge called the Bonhill Bridge connected the parishes of Bonhill and Jamestown to Alexandria. This was probably an appropriate spot for me to spend my early years as my father was born in Jamestown and my mother in Bonhill.

As we left his house when I was only four years old, I have few clear memories of it and those I do recall are linked more to stories told and often retold by my father, than to actual memries of my own making. In particular, my father loved to recount the visit he had from a new sergeant of the local police nicknamed 'Chesty' who advised him that some lads had been seen removing railway sleepers from the nearby railway station and that my name had been given as one of those involved. As I was only three years old at the time the affair gave my father a great deal of amusement and no doubt caused the unfortuate sergeant a similar amount of embarrassment.

My only other source of information was from listening to the stories told at family get-togethers after we had left Alexandria. It was the practice in those days for close relations to visit each other periodically. There would be a high tea with boiled ham and a cake-stand full of home-made cakes and scones. After the meal we all sat in the 'front room' where the adults had a good old chinwag, the children being 'seen but not heard'.

 Our closest friends and relations were Willie and Jean Bennie and their children, Mary and Peter. Jean Bennie was in fact the daughter of my mother's stepsister althought they had been brought up as sisters.

At such a meeting, the two of them would go through the same routine of discussing all the local gossip, old and new, about the people they had known. At the end Willie Bennie would turn to my father and say "Well, Charlie, that's the Crescent put to rest 'til the next time".