Abstinence Tour of Robert Marshall (1819-1891) – Journal Entry of 8th and 9th October 1839

8th October 1839

I took a walk through the city and observed in all corners Bills announcing my lecture, and adding "Mr. M. invites discussion".  In the evening I lectured to a very crowded assembly for about two hours.  Several names were added to the Society when the lecture was over.

9th October 1839

I spent a considerable part of the day in walking through the city.  I observed Bills had been printed and circulated for my lecture in the evening which was to be at a place of the name of Buxburn, about 3 or 4 miles distant to the north.  About 6 p.m. I went to the omnibus office, but it was closed(?) and as the meeting was advertised to take place at 7 o'clock there was no help for it but to hire a gig, which I did.  Mr. Morrison went along with me.  There was a large meeting in a grainery loft.  I lectured about 2 hours.  They are a kind but uncultured class here, so much so that they kept on their hats and bonnets during the whole of the lecture.  34 names were added, however, which is proof sufficient that the lectures tell on them.  I reached Aberdeen about half past ten.

Typed by Betty Kay 11th May 1996, from Dan Marshall`s notes of the original journal.  Permission to reprint granted by Morris Kay, 25 June, 2012.

©2013, copyright Alana Farrell

Fearless Females – May Faith Be With You

March 10^th – What role did religion play in your family?  How did your female ancestors practice their faith?  If they did not, why didn’t they?  Did you have any female ancestors who served their churches in some capacity?

In most of my research of my mother’s family, I have learned that they all belonged to the Presbyterian church, which is quite common in Scotland.    Somewhere along the lines though, they switched to the Church of England (Anglican).   On my father’s side, my paternal grandmother (Helen Devlin Farrell) was also Presbyterian whereas my paternal grandfather’s (Robert Farrell) family were all Church of Ireland (which is also Anglican).  Although they all had religious ceremonies at their weddings, I’m not sure how involved they were. However, I do know that my paternal grandparents were quite involved in their church.

My mother was baptized at St. Mary Magdalene's Anglican Church in Dundee, Scotland and took her Confirmation at St. Ninian’s Mission in Dundee.  Her first marriage was in St. Paul's Anglican Church in Balcarres, Saskatchewan, Canada which her second marriage was in St. George's Anglican Church in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, which is now closed.

 

My mom was very involved in our church, St. Barnabas Anglican Church in St. Lambert, Quebec.  She belonged to the Women’s Afternoon Guild, the Women’s Evening Guild and worked every year at the winter bazaar and the church rummage sale.  She passed on this willingness to serve to my sisters and I.  We all went to Sunday school, and sang in the Church choir.  I served as an Altar Girl, taught Sunday school and set up a children’s library.  Although my oldest sister and I are not as involved anymore, my other sister is still very involved in the same church.

©2013, copyright Alana Farrell

Fearless Females – A favourite Recipe

March 7^th – Share a favourite recipe from your mother or grandmother’s kitchen.  Why is this dish your favourite? If you don’t have one that’s been passed down, describe a favourite holiday or other meal you shared with your family.

The one recipe that I remember most was my mom’s fried chicken.  Actually, there really wasn’t a written recipe per se.  All she did was crush up a box of saltine crackers, dip the chicken drumsticks in a mixture of milk and egg, coat the chicken in the crackers and deep fry them.  I always hung around when she made this chicken because when she wasn’t looking I would pick out all the little fried chicken crumbs from the pan.  This wasn’t exactly the healthiest of foods, but it sure was good.  She always made her fried chicken to take on picnics to the beach or when we would go on a long train rides.  It was delicious served cold with potato salad.  Yum!

I’ve tried a few times to make her chicken but somehow it just didn’t taste the same.  I have since given up as I very rarely eat anything deep fried anymore but I sure do miss it.

©2013, copyright Alana Farrell

Fearless Females – How They Met

March 5^th – How did they meet?  You’ve documented marriages, now, go back a bit.  Do you know the story of how yours parents met?  Your grandparents?

My mom and dad lived on neighbouring farms in Balcarres, Saskatchewan.  It’s a small enough place where everyone knows everyone!  My dad was the second son and was six years older than my mom, however he was not my mom’s first choice!  She was actually dating my dad’s younger brother, Jack who was closer to her in age.  Times were tough on the farms during winter and so a lot of the young folks would go elsewhere to find work, often Toronto.  This is what Jack did one winter and while in Toronto he met someone else and dumped my mom!  I don’t know how long it was after that that my mom started dating my dad, but they did and they were married on August 15, 1953.

As I’ve written in a previous post, my mom’s parents (Robert Burn Marshall and Eliza Hamilton Burnett) were first cousins.  I’m not sure exactly when they first met but it couldn’t have been long after Robert’s first wife, Margaret died in 1914.  After Robert and Margaret’s youngest child died in 1902, they returned to Dundee from Glasgow.  Robert’s grandfather (another Robert Marshall) and Aunt and Uncle (Helen Marshall Burnett and John Burnett) were also living in Dundee.  Eliza was 17 yrs. old to his 43 yrs.  Their first child (my mom’s oldest sister) was born in Dec. 1915 and they finally married in July of 1917.

I’m not totally sure yet how my great grandfather, David Fenton Marshall met my great grandmother, Rachel Wyse Hume – all I have right now are my own assumptions.  In 1861 at the age of 14, David was boarding with an Aunt in Edinburgh and was working as a stationer’s apprentice.  Rachel’s father, Hugh Hume, was a bookbinder in Edinburgh.  It is entirely possible that 1) David was Hugh’s apprentice or 2) became acquainted with the Hume’s through that business.  David and Rachel did eventually meet and were married on August 12, 1870.  

My great-great grandparents (Robert Marshall and Ann Kynoch) met in 1839 during the time Robert was touring the North of Scotland preaching abstinence.  They met when Robert billeted with Ann’s family when he stopped in Elgin, Morayshire for one of his lectures.  When he was getting ready to leave, he couldn’t find his walking stick.  Ann’s mother loaned him an umbrella instead, claiming this would be a good reason for him to return (which he did).  I believe it was after this second visit that a romance blossomed between Robert and Ann and they began to correspond with each other and they were eventually married on September 26, 1841.

As for my paternal side, I haven’t yet uncovered the stories of how they all met.

©2013, copyright Alana Farrell

Fearless Females – Bells Will be Ringing (Wedding Bells that is)

March 4^th – Do you have marriage records for your grandparents or great-grandparents?  Write a post about where they were married and when.  Any family stories about the wedding day?  Post a photo too if you have one.

I have been fortunate in that I have found marriage records for all up to my great-great grandparents on both sides of my family, with the exception of my paternal grandparents.  This I have to say is due to the excellent records kept by Scotland’s People.  Even with the Irish side I have been lucky.  Although I don’t have the actual certificates or registrations for the Irish records, I do have transcripts.  I think this is in part due to the fact that my family comes from Northern Ireland and a lot of the BMD records were either kept at the church level or sent to the records office in Belfast and not Dublin.



My Maternal Great Great Grandparents Robert Marshall - Anne Kynock Marriage (1841)

My Maternal Great Grandparents David Fenton Marshall - Rachel Wyse Hume Marriage (1870)

My Maternal Grandparents Robert Burn Marshall - Eliza Hamilton Burnett Marriage (1917)

My Paternal Great Great Grandparents William Farrell - Eliza Peters Marriage (1856)

My Paternal Great Grandparents William Forbes Farrell - Elizabeth Jane Maze Marriage (1894)

My Parents Robert Allan Farrell - Rhonal MacDonald Marshall Marriage (1953)



My Mother and Stepfather Douglas Sinclair Kay - Rhonal MacDonald Farrell Marriage (1963)

My Parents on their wedding day (April 15, 1953)

My mother and Stepfather on their wedding day (December 21, 1963)

The only story that I have been told about was during my mother and step-father's wedding.  I have previously told this story and it can be found here.

©2013, copyright Alana Farrell

Fearless Females – What’s In a Name

March 3^rd – Do you share a first name with one of your female ancestors?  Perhaps you were named for your great-grandmother, or your name follows a particular naming pattern.  If not, then list the most unique or unusual female first name you’ve come across in your family tree.

Well, I have to say that I am unique in that I am the only person in all of my family tree, both maternal and paternal, to have my name.  When I was given the name Alana back in the beginning of the 1960’s, it was not very common and I used to always think it a strange name.  It stills amazes me when total strangers say how pretty my name is.  In fact, the lady in the cafeteria at work just complemented me on it!  Today however, Alana is a very common name. 

I have seen it spelled many ways, from Alana, Alanna, Allanna, Alannah.  My name was supposed to be spelled Alanna but my mother never doubled checked the spelling on my birth registration, which has it as Alana.  We actually only noticed the error when I had to get my first passport when I was 11 yrs old and had to send away for my birth certificate, but I and everyone else continued to spell it with two “N’s”.  It wasn’t until I had to get my Social Insurance Card and went for my driver’s licence, that I was forced to adopt the legal spelling.

And how did my parents choose this name, you ask?  Well, my mom always said that she had had a crush on the actor, Alan Ladd back in the 1950’s (have to admit, he was a handsome devil!)  In 1960, the movie “Guns of the Timberland” was released.  Alan Ladd’s daughter had a part in this movie and her name was, you guessed it, Alana!

I, on the other hand, like to tell people that I was named after my father, Allan.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

As for the most unique or unusual female first names I’ve come across in my family tree, I’ve so far found two.  One of my great great grandfather’s granddaughters was named Hughena, after her grandfather, Hugh.  The other unique name is my aunt’s name – Ludivina, but she goes by Vina.

©2013, copyright Alana Farrell

Fearless Females – En Vogue!

March 2^nd – Post a photo of one of your female ancestors.  Who is in the photo?  When was it taken?  Why did you select this photo?

This is a photo of my maternal grandmother, Eliza (Burnett) Marshall (behind the baby carriage) and her sister-in-law, Amelia (Grewer) Marshall – or Emile as she called.  Since my mother is the wee baby in this photo, this picture must have been taken in the Spring of 1933. 

I’ve always liked this picture for some reason.  It could be the style of clothes, which I love.  It could also be that this is the only picture of my grandmother where she is actually smiling!  Although I never met my grandmother, I have met my great Auntie Emile when I was 11 yrs. old.  She took a shine to me because she said that I reminded her of my mother when she was that age.

©2013, copyright Alana Farrell

Fearless Females – My Favourite Female Ancestor

March 1^st – Do you have a favourite female ancestor?  One you are drawn to or want to learn more about?  Write down some key facts you have already learned or what you would like to learn and outline your goals and potential sources you plan to check.

Although I have many female ancestors that I love researching (my mother being my all time favourite), I would have to say that the one that I have been drawn to most over the past year, is my paternal grandmother, Helen “Nellie” (Devlin) Farrell.  I was 18 yrs. old when my grandmother passed away, but maybe about 13 or 14 yrs. old the last time I saw her (she lived in Balcarres, Saskatchewan and I lived in Montreal, Quebec.)  After my father passed away and my mother re-married and we moved to Quebec, we didn’t get to see my grandparents that often while growing up.

Because we lived so far away, I didn’t know my grandmother very well (and of course, when I was younger, I really wasn’t into knowing “where I came from”).  A couple of years ago, I started researching my father’s side of the family.  I have a book about the history of Balcarres called "Furrows in Time, A History of Balcarres and District", which includes a brief write up of all the families that lived there, that was produced in 1987.  My Aunt Cathy (now deceased) provided a few details, but no dates or anything.  I contacted my last living Aunt on my father’s side (my father’s sister) for a bit of help.  She told me a few things about my grandmother, one in particular that quite surprised me and was kept secret from all the family until a good 10 years after my grandmother’s passing – she had a couple of children out of wedlock before immigrating to Canada, leaving these children behind (you can read about this conversation here).  I guess because I have a child and have never married, I felt I could somehow relate to her.

I’m not going to go into too much detail on my grandmother in this post as I want to eventually write a mini bio on her in another post.  However, some of the things that I have learned so far are:

• Her correct birth date and where she was born
• Her parents names
• I learned that she had 3 illegitimate children before she immigrated to Canada (one died at 4 months old)
• When she immigrated to Canada

Things that I still need to research are:

• The exact date of her marriage to my grandfather (Robert Farrell).  I have a fair idea based on when she immigrated and when their first child was born.
• Where exactly they were married (I have been told it was in Govan, Saskatchewan but I need to find proof of this)
• Name and birth/death dates on one of the children born in Scotland

@2013, copyright Alana Farrell

Fearless Females and Women’s History Month

March is National Women’s History Month in the United States and for the fourth year in a row, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist has created 31 blogging Prompts for each day of the month of March (please see here for further details) called Fearless Females.  I’m a few days late in joining in, but will start from the beginning and hopefully will be caught up by the end of the weekend.  I can’t promise to blog on each of the prompts, but will do as many as possible.

Just a side note from me as a Canadian, Women’s History Month in Canada is actually celebrated in October and was designated as such in 1992, with the highlight being Person’s Day on October 18^th.  October was selected because of the historical significance of the “Persons Case” decision of 1929, a landmark victory in the struggle of Canadian women for equality.

©2013, copyright Alana Farrell