Australian Local and Family History Bloggers. Family History Month August 2022. Part Three.

 

MONTHLY CHALLENGE

WEEK 2: Travel, Part Three — SCOTLAND

On our return to Scotland via the Stena line ferry, we delighted in a lovely blue day with only a small swell.

Stena line ferry from Cairnryan Scotland to Belfast Ireland

Landed feeling all ready and looking forward to commencing the Scottish Family Trail.

My ancestral names are McIntosh, Lumsden, Pearce, Gray, Clark/e, Cairns. A lot of miners and woollen mill workers who lived around the Border country and Edinburgh area.

Our first stop was the Dumbarton library, going through microfilms of old newspapers. Ventured out to follow up a burial, where Bob Hope the cemetery supervisor assisted. The only possible one, an unmarked grave, was listed as Pryce, not Pearce. His referral to the Burials Office in Clydebank brought us a positive answer. We travelled to the office and were shown an enormous ancient book, the original register of burials. And we could examine it there and then with no gloves! It didn't take long to find the entry where Richard Pearce paid 15 shillings for his wife's 'lair', the plot Bob had thought. 

We drove round photographing many relevant houses and buildings in the area.

Lawned gravesite for Richard Pearce's
wife and child, sadly no headstone

Arrived in Edinburgh and dutifully impressed by the imposing Castle above us. Then moved on to family towns —New Winton, Ormiston, EastHouses, Newbattle and eventually Peebles. In Peebles, I stood outside the house where my father was born. A very emotional experience. Sadly, no one was home to show us inside. 

Dad's first home, Peebles.

At St Ronan Wells, William Pearce my Gt Grandfather was the gardener and caretaker. There is now a museum there as well. Inside we found old Pearce cordial bottles on display, and information about the factory.

Early Lemonade bottle

Bottle crates carted on the horse drawn tray

Called at Innerleithen Local History office where the attendants joined in our search. Such a keen group dedicated to genealogy and community history. They talked about drinking Pearce's Lemonade as children on local picnics. I paid membership to their local Family History association to receive online newsletters when home. 

Window display at Borders Family History Society

Also met with a second cousin who still runs the Pearce drinks factory from the natural spring there, which my Great Grandfather set up in the 1870s.

My second cousin and his wife at the drinks factory

Wandered through the Innerleithen cemetery and paid respects to Pearce ancestors and relatives. 

My Gt Grandparents, James Finley Lumsden and Isabella McIntosh buried 
with daughters Ellen, Agnes, Mary and Euphemia
Cemetery Innerleithen.

From there we had a beautiful country drive through the Scottish border country on our way down to England which would be the final part of our family history trail.

You can now follow our continuing English trail in Part Four.

#52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks; Week 12 Prompt: ‘12’

Week 12 Prompt: ‘12’

For this prompt, I am writing about the 12^th grandchild of my GGGrandparents Richard PEARCE and Ann NYE.

He was: Winfred (Fred) Stuart PEARCE

and one of my paternal Great Uncles

Coincidentally Fred seemed to be attached to Number 12.

He was born on 12^thof the 12^th.

He married on the 12^th

and he died on the 12^th

^{-------------------------------------------}

Fred as a young man - date unknown

Fred PEARCE was born on 12 Dec 1871 in Innerleithen, Peeblesshire, Scotland as the sixth child of William (Will) PEARCE and Sarah CLARK.

Scotland Select Births & Baptisms 1564-1950

He had nine siblings, namely: 

Charles Albert, 

Francis George (Geordie)- my Grandfather, 

Frederick William, 

Edward (Ned)John, 

Mary Elizabeth, 

James (Joe) Arthur, 

Richard (Dick), 

Alice Annie (Elsie), 

and Joseph Henry (Harry). 

They certainly seemed to love using nicknames!

As a child, Fred lived with the family in Innerleithen, and along with the other children helped where they could in the soft drink factory run by their father, William Pearce.

Whilst a lot of his siblings as adults moved to other countries seeking work, Fred stayed in Innerleithen.  He ran a ‘chip shop’ there and delivered drinks for the family Lemonade factory

When he was 28, he married Margaret (Maggie) Jenkins LAMONT, daughter of Duncan and Grace LAMONT, on 12 Oct 1900 in Miller Street, Innerleithen. 

Fred and first wife Maggie with their children from left - 

Peggy, William, and Grace.

Fred and Maggie's children:

1.    William Clark PEARCE, 

born on 07 Feb 1901 in Galashiels, Selkirkshire. He died on 25 Dec 1962 in Peebles, Scotland.

2.  Grace Jane PEARCE, 

born in Jan 1903 in Galashiels. She died in 1986 in Galashiels, Scotland.

3.  Sarah Margaret (Peggy) PEARCE, 

born in 1905. She died in 1985 in Peebles, Scotland.

His wife Maggie died on 15 August 1921. 

Fred remarried his housekeeper - Mary Stobie STEVENSON around 1925 - unconfirmed. (Family myth says Mary only had one leg - also unconfirmed.)

They had two daughters:

1.   Winifred Agnes PEARCE, 

      born on 16 Apr 1924 in Nursing Home, Tweedgreen, Peebles.

 2. Alison Robertson PEARCE, 

      born on 13 Oct 1925 in Nursing Home, Tweedgreen, Peebles.

Fred was 54 when he died of Tuberculosis on 12 Mar 1926 in Innerleithen, his home town, leaving his second wife with two young babies.

 Scotland National Probate Index. 1926.