Elizabeth (Ellen) (Wellwood) (Armstrong) Dickson

Posted on February 22, 2011 by archivecookie

In a previous chapter, I referred to this next child of Moses and Jane as Ellen (Elizabeth) Wellwood, because the first place I located her was on her marriage certificate to her second husband, where she gave her name as Ellen.  It soon became clear, though, that her real name was Elizabeth, not Ellen, and so from here on I’ll refer to her as Elizabeth (Ellen) instead of the other way around.  I also believe this must be the Betsy listed in Annie (Dougan) Brady’s journal as also explained in an earlier chapter.  So I won’t repeat any of those details here either (as they can easily be found in a site search) but will go on from there.

Elizabeth married her first husband Andrew Armstrong in either Ireland – likely somewhere in the Belfast area where she was born (according to her second marriage record) or in the Glasgow area of Scotland.  I have been unable to locate a marriage record in either location.  In the 1841 census, Elizabeth (Ellen) is 18 (which is incorrect, she would actually have been about 25 or 26 – see an earlier post) and her husband’s age is transcribed as 26.  Looking at the original, however, it appears his age was first written as 25 and then changed to 20, as the ages that year were rounded down.  It is easy to see how it could have been mis-transcribed as 26, but is evident from the original that he was between 20 and 25 years old in 1841.  Her marriage to Francis Dickson in 1855 states she had seven children, only 3 of which were still then living.  In the 1851 census, Elizabeth (Ellen) and her first husband Andrew are both listed as 38 and two daughters, Margaret age 2, and Elizabeth age 4, are living with them.  In the 1861 census, Elizabeth (Ellen) and her second husband are both listed as 44.  With them are several others, most with the last name Dickson – although the Margaret Dickson age 12 has to be Margaret Armstrong from Elizabeth (Ellen)’s first marriage.  The Francis Dickson age 4 is a child of her second marriage, having been born on June 4, 1857 in Bridgton, Glasgow.  That leaves Joseph, age 18 and Rebecca, age 13.  Finding Francis in the 1851 census proved to be a challenge.  I finally located him written up as Francis Dixson.  Of the five children he and his first wife Isabella had, 4 are living in 1851 (only 3 were listed as still living at the time of his second marriage to Elizabeth (Ellen) in 1855.  Those four children of Francis and Isabella are: Catherine age 10, Joseph age 8, Rebecca age 4, and Agnes age 17 months.  As Agnes does not appear in the 1861 census, she may have been the other Dickson child who died prior to Francis and Elizabeth (Ellen)’s marriage in 1855.  Catherine was born in Ireland, but the other 3 Dickson children were born in Glasgow.  So, the Joseph and Rebecca with Elizabeth (Ellen) and Francis in the 1861 census were indeed his children from his first marriage.  That leaves Elizabeth (Ellen)’s other five children.  Searching the Glasgow records of birth I was able to locate a Jane Armstrong, born on Jan. 13, 1845 whose parents were Andrew and Elizabeth Wellward (close enough).  She must have died prior to the 1851 census, but I could find no record.  I could also find no record of Elizabeth’s or Margaret’s birth even though their ages and places of birth are in the census records.  There may have been an older Armstong child who was still alive but not living at home, as there were supposedly 3 living in 1855, unless Jane was still alive and living elsewhere, in which case there were 4 others instead of three.  I can find no death records for any of Elizabeth (Ellen)’s other children – it’s likely they died in infancy in Ireland or Glasgow, though I could find no records for them – birth or death – in Glasgow.  I did find an Elisabeth Armstrong, daughter of Andrew, who died at age 3 years and 6 months on March 27, 1845 in Glasgow who might have been one of the children – Elizabeth, born the following year or so might have been named for her (often names were reused for subsequent children if the earlier child died).  I also found a Hugh who died in Glasgow in 1847 at one year old – but he would likely have had to be a twin to the second Elizabeth and there is no record of her birth.  There was also a Sarah Armstrong who died in late summer 1847 at 21 days old, but the only parent is listed simply as Mrs. Armstrong.  There is really no way to tell who the other four children of Elizabeth (Ellen) were (out of the seven born prior to her second marriage) – I can be certain only of Jane, Elizabeth, and Margaret, with the strong possibility of the earlier Elisabeth who died before Elizabeth was born.  I have very little information on Elizabeth, not much more on Margaret, and nothing further on Jane.  Elizabeth had a daughter named Margaret in Bridgeton on July 18, 1869 – her step-father Francis signed for the birth and Elizabeth was unmarried.  Little Margaret died on Feb. 19, 1872 in Bridgeton.  Elizabeth died on April 18, 1876 in Bridgeton having never married.  Elizabeth’s sister Margaret assumed her stepfather’s last name, and as Margaret Dickson she married Charles Hutcheson on Oct. 18, 1872 in High Church, Glasgow.  She died of childbed fever in Camlachie on Nov. 5, 1876 two days after having given birth to her daughter Margaret Dickson Hutcheson on Nov. 3, 1876.  They also had a previous child, a son named John DeLancy Hutcheson, born in Camlachie on Jan. 13, 1875 but who also died there on May 22, 1877.  Margaret Dickson Hutcheson married Francis Mellon on July 14, 1902 in St. Rollox, Glasgow.  I have no record of children she may have had with her husband.

Of the children Francis had with his first wife Isabella, I have located marriage records for both Joseph and Rebecca that give their mother’s maiden name as Dunlop.  I assume little Agnes died prior to the 1861 census, and I can find no record of Catherine after the 1851 census, neither marriage nor death.  I can also find no record of the name or date of birth or death of the fifth child of Francis and Isabella, though I suspect the birth was in Glasgow around 1845-6.  Joseph married and had at least 6 children, Rebecca married and had at least one child before she died at the age of 24 on March 4, 1883 in Bridgeton.

Elizabeth (Ellen) and Francis had only the one child together, as far as I can tell.  She would have been in her early 40’s when Francis Wellwood Dickson was born (hereafter referred to as Francis, Jr. even though he and his father do not share the same middle name – it’s just easier to keep all the Francis’ straight this way!).  Francis, Jr.’s birth record was signed by Matthew Wellwood, listed as his uncle!!!  This is the closest thing to proof that I have that Matthew was also a child of Moses and Jane, and was a sibling to Elizabeth (Ellen) and the others who came to Glasgow from Belfast, which would indeed have made him little Francis’ uncle.  Francis, Jr. married Ann McNeil on Dec. 31, 1878 in Gorbals.  Their only child was named Elizabeth and she was born in Blackfriars on July 11, 1879.  She died in Calton just prior to her first birthday, on June 30, 1879.  Ann, who had been born about 1860, died on June 21, 1882 in Blackfriars.  Francis, Jr. then married Isabella Dias on June 5, 1885 in Calton.  Isabella had been born in Calton on Aug. 23, 1864. Francis, Jr. and Isabella had 10 children together: Elizabeth, named for her paternal grandmother, was born in Calton on March 21, 1886; Margaret Stewart Dickson, born Oct. 24, 1887 in Calton; Isobel (or Isabella), born June 28, 1889 in Renfrew and died May 25, 1891 in Govan; Francis Maxwell Dickson, born March 22, 1891 in Govan; Joseph Dias Dickson, born Apr. 25, 1892 in Govan; Andrew Dias Dickson, born April 8, 1894 in Govan; Alexander Dickson, born Nov. 13, 1896 in Govan; William Buchanon Dickson, born Sept. 18, 1898 in Govan; James Leitch Dickson, born Jan. 20, 1900 in Govan; and Thomas Dickson, born June 16, 1902, also in Govan.  I have no further information for either the firstborn Elizabeth or for Joseph Dias Dickson, neither marriage nor death.

Margaret Stewart Dickson travelled to Toronto, Canada on board the CASSANDRA out of Glasgow, arriving on Feb 6, 1912 in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada.  On Feb. 5, 1914 Margaret married Frank Wilson Murchie in Toronto.  They had at least two children: Isabella Dias Murchie was born in Toronto on July 11, 1914 and a brother born in 1919 whose name I will withhold.  Isabella married and had at least two children, and died in Arizona on July 30, 2008.  Margaret died in Florida on Sept. 11, 1981.

Francis Maxwell Dickson married on Nov. 3, 1916 to Elizabeth Dawson Snaddon (or Sneddon) in Alloa, Clackmannan, Scotland.  They had at least one son, Francis Wellwood Dickson born in 1920 who died on Apr. 10, 1925 in Anderston, Glasgow.  Francis Maxwell Dickson died in Alloa on Dec. 8, 1950.  I have no date of death for his wife Elizabeth.

Andrew Dias Dickson married Jessie Williamson Brocas in Calton on Apr. 18, 1919 and they had at least 2 children.  Andrew died on May 9, 1960 in Edinburgh – his son Joseph signed his death record.  I have no further information on his wife.

Alexander married Agnes Kyle Lithgow in Rutherglen, Lanark on June 6, 1919.   It states on his marriage record that his father is deceased, and it appears as if his mother Isabel(la) remarried a man whose last name was Kemp.  I have no record of children for Alexander.  Alexander died in St. Andrews, Edinburg on Nov. 18, 1949 – his brother Thomas signed his death record – and his wife Agnes died in 1963, also in St. Andrews.

William Buchanon Dickson married twice – first to Jane Jamieson McDickon on Sept. 18, 1925 in New Cumnock, Ayreshire and second to Mary Cathleen Harper in St. Giles, Edinburgh in 1936.  I have no record of either wife’s death, or of children from either marriage.  William died in Leith, Midlothian in 1966.

James Leitch Dickson never married.  At the time of his death on July 6, 1924 in Govan, his parents were both listed as deceased, which was not true.  On his brother Alexander’s marriage in 1919, their father is listed as deceased, but their mother was still living.  The informant of James’ death was Audrey Dalrymple, listed as the occupier of 1301 Govan Rd. in Glasgow.  As far as I know, James had no children.

I have no record of marriage, children, or death for Thomas – I only know he must have died after 1949 (when he signed Alexander’s death record), most likely in the Edinburgh area.

Francis, Jr’s wife Isabella died in Govan on Dec. 26, 1952, but I have no record of Francis Wellwood Dickson’s death.  I know only that he died before the end of 1906, as at Alexander’s first marriage his father is listed as deceased, and his mother has remarried.  He may possibly be the Robert Francis Dickson who died in Edinburgh on Feb. 18, 1906 – he had children living in the area, so may have been visiting there – but given the sparse information (age around 50, no parents listed) it is impossible to be certain.  A search of the records locates Isabella’s remarriage on Dec. 31, 1906 to Thomas Kemp in Blythswood, Glasgow.  Isabella’s death record makes no mention of her second husband, but her address is listed as 1301 Govan Rd., Glasgow – the same address where James was living when he died, even though James’ death record at that time listed his mother as deceased!  Thomas Kemp died in Govanhill, Lanark on March 8, 1915.

Elizabeth (Ellen) died in the Barnhill Poorhouse on Aug. 6, 1888 of uterine cancer.  Her husband Francis put her there as he was unable to both care for her and work and she was unable to care for herself.  Elizabeth (Ellen)’s death record has caused no end of problems – her name is given as Isabella, who was Francis’ first wife. (Elizabeth (Ellen) also had a sister Isabella, who some have confused with Elizabeth (Ellen) and list as being married to Francis Dickson.  I can assure them my great-great-grandmother Isabella Wellwood was NEVER married to Francis Dickson!).  Her first husband is given as Hugh Armstrong, when it was Andrew Armstrong.  And her mother’s name is given as Elizabeth McDowell when it was Jane McDowall.  Francis signed his mark on the death record, indicating that he was likely also illiterate, and unable to read the errors in the record before he signed it.  He died in Govan on June 13, 1893.

© Deborah Ray and archivecookie.com, 2011.

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Samuel Moses Wellwood

Posted on January 27, 2011 by archivecookie

As there are so many Samuel Wellwoods in the family, I’m going to state right off that this is the chapter for the son of John Wellwood and his wife Margaret Grant Thompson.  Samuel Moses is fairly easy to trace until after 1911, at which point I have encountered several problems which I will address as I go.

First, I’d like to repeat that Samuel Moses was born on December 11, 1861 in Bridgeton, Glasgow.  The REASON this bears repeating is because his birth date is part of the problem.  But I’m not there yet, so…

Samuel Moses appears in the 1871 census living at 10 Bellgrove Street, Glasgow with his parents and siblings.  His age at that time is given as 9 years.  Perfect.  In the 1881 census, he is still living at home with parents and siblings – at 320 Duke Street, Dennistoun, Glasgow – aged 19 years, and working as a bank clerk.  Wonderful.  By the 1891 census his father has died and he is living with his mother and his sister Elizabeth at 22 Kenmure Street, Tradeston, Glasgow.  His age is 29 and he is still working as a bank clerk.  Fabulous!  In the 1901 census, Samuel Moses is living in his own home, his age is 39, and visiting him are his niece Margaret Brown Robertson (his brother George’s daughter) and her husband James, both age 31 (please note the edit in the chapter on John Wellwood for this revision to the original text!).  Samuel’s occupation is given as bank accountant – a definite step up.  So, it seems Samuel has led a fairly stable, unadventurous life, concentrating on his career and steadily moving up in his job responsibilities while maintaining strong family ties.  And he has managed this all without the help and devotion of a wife.  Pretty remarkable in that day and age.

In 1909, Samuel travelled to the United States, arriving in Boston, Ma. aboard the PARISIAN out of Glasgow on Sept. 27, 1909.  His sister Agnes’s husband Robert Ramsay was his contact there.  For the first time, his age is off – the passenger list gives his age as 45, when at this point he was actually 47.  He evidently travelled from there back across the Atlantic, as he can be found arriving once more in Boston on Sept. 9, 1911.  This time he travelled on the CALEDONIAN out of Manchester, England and his contact is listed as Mrs. Ramsay.  For the second time his age is off – the passenger list states he is only 41, when at this point he is actually 49.  If he had left the first time prior to the 1910 census, it would explain his not being found in that report, and he may have been travelling during the 1911 England census report (his ship sailed on Aug. 26, 1911), explaining his not being found there, either.  The 1911 Scotland census is not yet publically available.  Samuel’s nephew John was married, you will recall, in Winchester (north of Boston) on November 28, 1911, and it would be logical to assume Samuel was present (although he had missed his nephew Harold’s wedding in June 1911 which took place in Walpole, Ma., southwest of Boston).

I have extensively searched the 1920 census trying to find some record of Samuel’s whereabouts, but have been unsuccessful.  Considering his tendency toward job stability and his close feelings for family I feel it’s most likely he would be found working as an accountant in either the Boston area (where the his sister Agnes Ramsay’s family was), the New York area (his sister Elizabeth came to teach just outside New York City in Jersey City, New Jersey, you will recall), or near some large city most likely along the Eastern Coast of the U.S. – Samuel was definitely NOT a country boy, he liked living in or near a large city.  It’s also possible he returned once again to the Glasgow area, as his mother died in 1917 in Renfrew – however, this was during WWI and travel to Europe may not have been feasible or desirable.  He does not appear in any of the service records for any military of the U.S., Canada, or England (including Scotland) so it’s likely he either remained in the States after 1911 and found employment as an accountant or returned before the War years and remained in Europe.

Several years ago, I was contacted by a man who told me he was one of Samuel Moses Wellwood’s sons, that his father had married late in life to Jeanette Smith, and that they lived in Illinois for the 1930 census.  He also stated there existed a family Bible with genealogy information written within, but I have never seen a copy of it.

I then went looking for Samuel Wellwood in Illinois in the 1930 census, and I found Samuel M. Wellwood, married to Jeanette with children Janet E., twins John G. and James J., and Sheila M.  The children were all born in New York and were aged 6, 3, 3, and 2 respectively.  Jeanette was born in Pennsylvania and her age was given as 39.  Samuel’s age was given as 57!  He would actually have been 68 at this time.  His occupation was given as accountant for a social worker.  They were living in Oak Park, just outside Chicago, Illinois.  Everything – and I mean EVERYTHING – fit with what I expected to find for Samuel, John’s youngest son, EXCEPT his age.  But, then there was the matter of him lying about his age on both passenger records, shaving as much as 8 years off in one case.

So, I tried to look at it objectively.  Was this Samuel John’s son or could the son of Samuel that I was in contact with have been wrong about who his grandfather was?  After all, in at least one instance he had stated his Samuel’s father was Rev. John Wellwood, instead of Rev. John being Samuel Moses’ brother, another son of their father John, Sr..  So I checked EVERY other Samuel Wellwood I could find to see if it might have been one of them in Illinois instead.  There was really only one other possibility: the Samuel Wellwood born in Glasgow in 1874.  There was also a Samuel Wellwood born in Glasgow in 1875, but that Samuel died in a burn in Ayreshire in 1947.  It is not possible he was the one living in Illinois and raising a family there at the time of the 1930 census.  The Samuel Wellwood born in 1874 had married Margaret Turnbull and was living in Vancouver, B.C. at the time of the 1911 census there.  He was a bookkeeper (!) and had entered Canada in 1908.  I found his name on a passenger list in that year to verify this as correct.  His birth month was given as February on that census.  He and Margaret did not appear to have any children.  In 1930, he would have been 56.  I have no definitive information for him or for Margaret after 1920. In April 1920 Margaret left Vancouver and travelled to Seattle and then on to Montreal and then Scotland and back to renew her visa.  She returned to Canada in September 1920 and landed in Quebec, which is just north of New York State, stating her intention to rejoin her husband in Vancouver.  This is the last definitive record I could find for this Samuel or his wife Margaret.  She must have contacted Samuel to let him know she was back in Canada – did he ask her to remain there until he could meet her or did he let her return on her own after over five months apart?  When and where did she die?  This Samuel’s father was Samuel Wellwood (son of Moses and Jane) born in Ireland in about 1809 (see earlier post on birth dates).  So if the Illinois Wellwoods were descended from this Samuel they would still be gr-grandchildren of Moses and Jane.  I did find an index listing for the death of a Samuel Wellwood, age 56, in Penticton, B.C., Canada just east of Vancouver on March 19, 1930 but until I’m able to get a copy of the death certificate I can’t be sure this is the Samuel who was married to Margaret Turnbull (you will maybe appreciate by now how many records of vital statistics I’ve had to send for over the years!).  If I could find EITHER Samuel Moses, the son of John, OR Samuel Wellwood, the son of Samuel in the 1920 census it might help, but one might well have been in Canada and the other may have returned to Scotland.  Neither country has released its census records for 1921, as has the U.S.  As the Illinois children were all born in New York beginning in 1924 you would THINK I’d maybe find one of them there, but New York is a large state and the city of birth is not given.  And when I had the chance I had not remembered to ask the Illinois Samuel’s son.

At this point, I decided to see if I could find Jeanette Smith in 1920 and see if that might help, but that actually only created more confusion.  Knowing she was born at some point around 1890 in Pennsylvania I used that as my search criteria.  And this opened another can of worms.  You see, Jeanette’s marriage to Samuel was supposed to be her first, but one likely candidate in the 1920 census was a Jeanetta Holt who was married to Carl F. Smith – who was an accountant (!), which would give a common point of interest and explain how Samuel, whichever Samuel the Illinois Samuel was, could have met Jeanette, as both worked in the accounting field.  Carl was a year younger than his wife and had been born in Pennsylvania.  They were actually listed in the census twice – first on the 23-24 January living in a rented flat in Rochester, New York (about 50 miles from the Canadian border in upstate New York) and again two days later at her parents’ home in Philadelphia, Pa.  I was not able to locate them in the 1930 census, so don’t know if perhaps Carl died, as neither the N.Y. or the Pa. death records are online.  Another likely candidate was the Jane Smith age 29 lodging in Chicago and working as a bank stenographer.  This Jane was born in Pennsylvania about 1891, as she was age 29 in the census.  There is no indication of who her parents are from the census, though.  As a researcher, and not a direct descendant with access to the family Bible or children of the Illinois Samuel, I can’t be certain if either of these is the Illinois Samuel’s wife, or who her parents were.

My intuition, however, suggests that the death in Penticton was in fact Samuel’s Samuel who was married to Margaret Turnbull and that the Illinois Wellwood must then be John’s Samuel who lied about his age.  Further, I suspect that Jeanette is the bank stenographer and not the accountant’s wife.  But again, I can’t be sure from the information I have available.

So, this is why I put off writing the chapter about John’s son Samuel Moses.  I just don’t know what happened to him after 1911.  He could be the Illinois Samuel M. Wellwood, as his descendants believe.  Or that Samuel could be the son of Samuel born in 1874 who had lived in Canada and was married to Margaret Turnbull until at least 1920.  Which leaves me not knowing definitively what happened to John’s son Samuel.  And with the information I have at this moment, that’s the best I can do.

Edit Feb 16: I have received the copy of Samuel Wellwood’s death record from British Columbia that was copied, scanned, and sent to me by one of our readers who lives there.  That Samuel is indeed Samuel’s Samuel who was married to Margaret Turnbull – I will write up the particulars in the chapter to which he belongs to avoid confusion among the many Samuels.  It’s looking more and more like the Illinois Samuel is indeed Samuel Moses, the youngest child of John, Sr.  If any of our other readers have access to his marriage certificate, please consider scanning it for me!  And a VERY big thank you to E. Wellwood for the B.C. death certificate!  😉

Edit Dec. 30: I have now received a transcript of the Illinois Samuel’s death certificate in which his parents are indeed named as John Wellwood (Sr.) and Margaret Thompson, and his date of birth is correctly stated as 11 Dec 1861.  This confirms what I was told, although I would still like to get a copy of his and Jeanette’s marriage record…  😉

© Deborah Ray and archivecookie.com, 2011, 2012.

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