Category Archives: genealogy

The MacDonald-Robertson union…

Margaret MacDonald & John Robertson

If you noticed in my previous post on The Robertsons, my grandparents shared the same birthday… month and day anyway. They were both born on August 12th. Maybe grouse hunting has nothing to do with the moniker “The Glorious Twelfth”. Maybe it’s to do with John and Margaret. Not likely but it is a fun sort of fact.

The children were all born at Weets, Wardhouse by Insch (quite the address, eh?)

I’ll begin the oldest of John and Margaret’s children and work down to the youngest.

Thomas Robertson

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Thomas Robertson Sep 2, 1903-Sep 19, 1942

 

Thomas Robertson
Thomas Robertson Sep 2, 1903-Sep 19, 1942

Thomas was a Lance Corporal in the Canadian military and was killed in a motorcycle accident in British Columbia. He left a wife and an unborn child when he died.

William Robertson

William “Waddie” remained in Scotland his entire life and stayed in the area where he was born. He was born on Oct 7, 1904 and later on joined and served with the Gordon Highlanders during WWII. William died on Aug 9, 1977.

Benjamin Robertson

Benjamin was born on Nov 9, 1905 and came to Canada when he was 19 on the S.S. Montcalm bound for Winnipeg, Manitoba. The ship arrived in Quebec on May 3, 1926. Uncle Benji rode and raced motorcycles and won a number of championships. He died on Oct 22, 1990.

George Robertson

George was born on Jan 14, 1907. He was the oldest of the five Robertson children who were sent to the Orphan Homes of Scotland when it became too much for Grandpa Robertson (sometime between the time my grandmother died and 1917, he had a stroke) and children from his first marriage to cope. George came to Canada in 1922 on board the Cameronia and arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Mar 7th. He died on Apr 24, 1965 at his home in Moose Creek, Ontario.

Barbara Robertson

Barbara was born on Sep 10, 1908. She was the oldest of the two Robertson sisters sent to the Orphan Homes of Scotland. She sailed on the Letitia and arrived in Quebec on Jul 25, 1925. Despite the fact that she came to Canada the same year as her brother, Andrew, the children sailed in two parties. The boys were one group and they sailed earlier in the year when the seas would be rougher and the girls in the summer when weather would be more favourable. She was married across the river in Ogdensburg, New York and made her home in Brockville, Ontario. She died on Feb 21, 1990.

Andrew Knight Beattie Robertson

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Andrew Knight Beattie Robertson Dec 9, 1909-Jul 21, 1983

Until now, none of the children had middle names. Andrew was the first. And further back in the family history, there was an Andrew Knight Beattie. But I digress..

Andrew was born on Dec 9, 1909. He, too, was sent to the Orphan Homes of Scotland, coming to Canada in 1925 on board the Athenia. The ship arrived on April 4th. Andrew served in the military with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. He died at his home in Brockville, Ontario on Jul 21, 1983.

Christina Mcdonald Robertson

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Christina Mcdonald Robertson Mar 25, 1911-Apr 13, 1982

Christina “Chrissie” as she was known as, was born on Mar 25, 1911. Although she had been sent to the Orphan Homes of Scotland, she didn’t emigrate to Canada for health reasons. She had TB and although it wasn’t active or infectious, she was deemed unsuitable to make the voyage. After she became old enough to leave the homes, she was taken on in employment as a domestic servant for the Superintendent at the time, a Mr Douglas. Chrissie married in Glasgow and died in Dundee on Apr 13, 1982.

Peter Robertson

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Peter Robertson Jun 23, 1912-Apr 1, 1988

Peter was born on Jun 23, 1912. It was the ‘middle’ children who were to be sent off to the Orphan Homes of Scotland which meant, he should go, and my father being younger should have stayed at Weets. From what I’ve been told, the son from the first marriage who took over the farm liked Peter more than my father. Sad but true. But then, had my father not come to Canada, he wouldn’t have met my mother and I would be here to tell you this story…

Peter remained in Scotland and worked on farms around Weets and Insch. When he retired from farm work, he moved to nearby Huntly and died there on Apr 1, 1988.

Robert Anderson Robertson

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Robert Anderson Robertson Jul 30, 1913-Apr 29, 1969
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Robert and Chrissie at The Orphan Homes of Scotland in 1930 shortly before my father sailed

Robert (my father) was born on Jul 30, 1913. In the paragraph about Peter, I mention the events that lead to my dad coming to Canada rather than Uncle Peter. Normally, in the Orphan Homes of Scotland the boys and girls were houses in separate accommodations. Boys even had to make appointments to visit their sisters with the house mother and even then it was done outside under supervision.

My father sailed to Canada on the Letitia, arrived in Halifax on Apr 6, 1930. From there he came the rest of the way to Fairknowe Home in Brockville by train.

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1930 Boys Party on the steps of Fairknowe Home. My father is first left in the second row

On June 18, 1930, the same day that he received his first placement in Canada, his father died.

My father served with the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders during WWII. He worked at Phillips Cables (Phillips Plant as we know it) until shortly before his death (result of a workplace injury) on Apr 29, 1969.

Angus Mcdonald Robertson

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Angus Mcdonald Robertson Jan 7, 1915-Feb 1984

Angus was also known as “Donald” which led to much confusion when researching the family. I always thought they were two different people. He was born on Jan 7, 1915 and lost his mother to complications from the measles in December of that year. I know he served in the military and I’m guessing it was the Royal Navy, given his uniform.

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Peter, Robert, Chrissie & Angus at the latter’s wedding

Angus got married in uniform and his three siblings who were able to, attended. My father was able to get leave to attend. And doesn’t he look dashing in his kilt?

After his time in the military, Angus worked for a cooperative. He died in Feb 1984 (note to self – I must get the exact date).

The Cottages at The Orphan Homes of Scotland

Hardly what I would refer to as a cottage. These places are enormous! Not quite as big as a mansion, but they are definitely villas. In their day, they would have had six to seven bedrooms and housed up to twenty children. Boys had a house mother and father. The girls a house mother.

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My father and his brothers, George and Andrew, stayed here in Broadfield Home (Cottage 1)
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My father’s sisters, Barbara and Christina (Chrissie), stayed here in Leven Home (Cottage 13)

With all these aunts and uncles, I’ve got plenty of cousins… and would you believe I’ve not met all of them yet.

 

The Robertsons (real ones not fictional)

The Robertsons – My Robertsons not the fictional ones

I suppose in a way, they are all mine. After all, I did create the fictional Robertson family.

We’ll start with John Robertson, my grandfather. When he married my grandmother, he had already been married once before and had ten children!

Robertsons
John Robertson Aug 12, 1856 – June 18, 1930

John’s parents were John and Jane Robertson who made their home near Insch. She was a Robertson before she married my great-grandfather. Given that the surname was quite common in this part of Aberdeenshire in the 1800s, it’s not unusual that two people with the same surname got together.

Robertsons
The Robertson headstone in St Drostan’s Kirkyard in Insch

The inscription on the bottom of this stone is interesting – “not dead but sleeping”.

Grandpa Robertson’s first wife (Susan Christie) died in 1899. Two years later, he married my grandmother, Margaret MacDonald.

Robertsons
Margaret MacDonald (Aug 12, 1882-Dec 2, 1915)
Robertsons
John and Margaret’s marriage certificate

Margaret’s surname has been spelled MacDonald, Macdonald, McDonald, etc. You get the idea.

When they got married, Margaret had already had one child – a son.

Robertsons
Margaret’s death certificate

Ten children later,  Margaret passed away from the measles and pneumonia.

Robertsons
The Robertson headstone in the Old Kirkyard at Kennethmont

Grandpa Robertson is buried here along with his first wife, Susan Christie, and my grandmother, Margaret MacDonald.

The copies of the marriage certificates were obtained through the help of a genealogist who had been recommended to me but now, amateur sleuths can look up these documents and more at Scotland’s People.

 

Character ~ John Robertson from A Shadow in the Past

John Robertson – patriarch of the Robertsons

John Robertson played an important role in my debut novel, A Shadow in the Past. He was the grandfather of my hero, Robert (named after my father Robert Robertson and my uncle Andrew Robertson).

In order to make this chart even remotely readable, it had to be split into three sections. This first section starts with the patriarch himself and his wife and ends with his grandchildren, Robert being one of them.

John
descendants of John William Robertson

This second section begins with his great-grandchildren who were Margaret’s (Robert’s sister) children.

john
descendants of John William Robertson cont’d

This last chart ends with one 5th great-grandchild – Colin Cameron.

John
descendants of John William Robertson cont’d

Some of these characters were mentioned in the first book. Some (but not all) will be introduced in the second one – Shadows From Her Past.

These charts were created using Legacy genealogy software and the handy dandy snipping tool in Windows, which I have to say is as ‘handy as a pocket in a shirt’.

A Shadow in the Past Blurb:

When a contemporary teen is transported back through time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past…

Nineteen-year-old Sarah Shand finds herself thrust back into the past. There she struggles to keep her real identity from a society that finds her comments and ideas strange and her speech and actions forward, unlike Victorian women. When Sarah verbally confronts confining social practices, including arranged marriages, powerful enemies commit her to a lunatic asylum. After falling in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, Robert Robertson, she must decide whether to find her way back to her own time or to remain in the past with him.

I can’t share the blurb for Shadows From Her Past with you yet but when I can, you can read it here.

 

 

Character ~ Gordon Eadie from A Shadow in the Past

‘Auld’ Gordon Eadie

While he didn’t play a big role in A Shadow in the Past (two mentions in two paragraphs one one page in one chapter), his character was important to the story … and in more ways than one.

His forename, Gordon, latterly became part of the name of the farm Sarah was born and raised on – Gordonsfield.

Gordon
descendant chart for Gordon Eadie

And, as you can see from the descendant chart above, produced from Legacy, he was Sarah’s 3rd-great-grandfather. If you click on the chart, it will give you a larger image which is readable.

Not all of the characters appeared in A Shadow in the Past, nor will they all appear in the second book in the the series – Shadows From Her Past – but I needed to create a family for Sarah that included aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, and grandparents.

A Shadow in the Past Blurb:

When a contemporary teen is transported back through time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past…

Nineteen-year-old Sarah Shand finds herself thrust back into the past. There she struggles to keep her real identity from a society that finds her comments and ideas strange and her speech and actions forward, unlike Victorian women. When Sarah verbally confronts confining social practices, including arranged marriages, powerful enemies commit her to a lunatic asylum. After falling in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, Robert Robertson, she must decide whether to find her way back to her own time or to remain in the past with him.

I can’t share the blurb for Shadows From Her Past with you yet but when I can, you can read it here.

For more information on A Shadow in the Past and where you can purchase it, visit my website.