#15 - Ivy Leaves - a love note?

Not all of the post cards in this collection are photographs of places.  This one is rather a love note - at least with the words on the front - the written note is not at all indicative of a woman who, three years later would leave her life and family and travel to another continent to marry this man.

Written on November 12, 1909 the postcard is postmarked November 13 from Macduff to Jack in Nairn.  For those of you not familiar with Scottish geography, Macduff is located directly to the east of Banff:

On the back it reads: "Backhill Bruntyards 12/11/09 DJ I am just here for the week end but I am not getting very fine weather not at all good for footballers NS".  (Jack was big into soccer).

"Backhill Bruntyards" - this was, at this time, the home of Nellie's parents.  When he passed away in 1939, Mr. Alexander Milne Steele had been living at Ivy Cottage, Backhill of Bruntyards - he was 84.  He had moved to the small cottage after an accident left him unable to blacksmith any longer.  In 1939, the obituary stated that he had been living here for "over 30 years," implying they had moved there prior to 1909.

Before then, the Steele clan had lived for a couple of generations at Blairshinnoch.  Scotland's Places lists Blairshinnoch as "term pending" - meaning there is no definition on whether it was a farm, croft, etc.  However, in the 1861 census, the owner, Alexander Milne, is listed as a farmer of 260 acres; this is the main farm house he most likely built (but definitely lived in).

It's a beautiful stone building.  The age is unknown, but the upper story windows have recently been replaced.  

My Great-Great-Grandfather (Alexander Milne Steele - named after the his father's employer) inherited the blacksmith job from his father and lived in slightly more modest accommodations:

This small, one-storey shack with a loft was where Alexander and Helen Steele raised their 8 children.  I was lucky enough to visit when I was 17 in 1986.  I took a picture back then when some relatives took me to see it:

A lot has changed about his building since 1986.  The chimney has been moved, and it looks like the building may have been shortened on the right hand side.  So I had to take a closer look.  When you compare the stones on the left side of the building, you can see they are the same:

The blacksmith shop, located to the left in the pictures above, was more commodious than the house.  Here it is in full view with the little house to the left:

(Thank you Google Street View - what a wonderful research tool)

(thank you, www.googlemaps.ca)

Here's the family with Alexander Steele being middle rear (obviously), and Helen beside him to the left.  Nellie, as you can see, is bottom right.  My Great-Grandmother.  I can imagine that this picture was taken against the wall of the smithy that we see above (although I cannot prove it).

And here is a map of Blairshinnoch back in "the day":

Big, beautiful farm house ... itty bitty smithy 

Scotland's Places, Ordnance Survey Six-inch To The Mile, Banffshire, Sheet X.

(http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/record/nls/3074/ordnance-survey-six-inch-mile-banffshire-sheet-x/os6inch).

Why the move from a lucrative blacksmith where "Mr. Steele was one of the best known blacksmiths in these parts" to a small cottage on another landowners farm?  At some point prior to 1909 (and seemingly after 1897 - the photo above), Alexander Steele had been out shooting crows and the barrel of his gun burst.  He ended up losing his left thumb, which ended his career as a blacksmith.  So he took the holding of Backhill of Bruntyards which he worked as a farmer until 1927 or so.

As you can see below, Backhill of Bruntyards (towards the bottom right with a blue pin in it) is located to the southeast of MacDuff and Banff.  

Here is a map of it historically:

And here it is in relation to Bruntyards - which I assume was the main farm:

So there you have it - research led from a rather subdued love note to the locations of my Great-Great-Grandparents homes.

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#14 - Troup House Gamrie

This postcard has a photo of "Troup House, Gamrie" on the front of it.

Troup House is a Category B Historic Scotland Building that was listed as such in 1990.  According to the British Listed Buildings website, the building was constructed in 1897 and was designed by architect R.G. Wilson from Aberdeen.  They call it a 3-storey house, although I would maybe call it 2 1/2.

There seems, however, to have been a house there earlier (possibly the smaller buildings seen on the later maps below).  This map from 1822 clearly shows a Troup House in existence (thanks to the National Library of Scotland):

Troup House is now used as a specialist day and residential school for kids aged 8-16 who have emotional and social difficulties, including autistic spectrum disorders and behaviour issues.

As far as the rest of the building's history, I know only a little.  The house was apparently the seat of the Garden family who purchased the lands of Troup in the 17th century.  The family established Gardenstown in 1720 as a fishing port.  A service wing was demolished around the 1920s and replaced with a service court.

This was the back of the house - if you look in the aerial shot below, you'll see the three gable windows.

This is the south side or front of the building.  You'll see the large gable central to the building in the aerial shot as well as the small one and the chimneys.  If I didn't have the aerial view, I would not really believe these were the same building.

These map sections were found at Scotland's Places, thanks to a reader:

Gardenstown in relation to Troup House:

The back of the postcard reads "Kind regards, This would be a nice place to spend a week end.  Yrs etc. Lizzie Steele".  Lizzie was Nellie's older sister.  In 1901 she was a servant to the Melvin family in Banff.  Not sure what she was doing at this time (November, 1909), but she was likely still a servant. In 1912, she became ill while pregnant, and Nellie delayed her trip to Canada to take care of her.  Lizzie died on May 10, 1912.  When the baby was adopted out, Nellie came to Canada in October that year.  My Grandmother told me that the baby was named Peggy Black.

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#13 - The Seaforth Highlanders

This postcard is not really location-based, but shows the colours (flags) of the 6th (Morayshire) Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders.

The Seaforth Highlanders regiment was formed in 1881 with the amalgamation of the 72nd Highlanders (Duke of Albany's Own) and the 78th Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs) - names of both can be seen on the flags - and was located in Morayshire (or Elginshire) - where the community of Elgin is found (Elgin is where the McCurrachs lived before moving to Nairn).  The Seaforth Highlanders were combined with Jack's regiment, the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (written about previously here) to form the Queen's Own Highlanders in 1961, which in turn was combined with the Gordon Highlanders to form "The Highlanders" on September 17, 1994 (as an aside, the day I turned 26).

The 6th Battalion, from what I understand, was a reserve battalion - as Jack's regiment would also have been.

This postcard was sent October 27, 1909 from Burghead, Scotland.  Burghead is located to the northwest of Elgin and is in Morayshire, where this battalion was located.

The Postcard was sent to Jack McCurrach in Nairn and was from Sarah - a name we've seen on this other postcard.  It would seem that previous postcard was also sent from Burghead.  Here is the Burghead Post Office.  I can't imagine that it's changed much in 100 years:

Written on the back is: "Your photo was awfully good Jack.  Thanks very much for it.  You see my space is limited as I cannot write more.  Sarah"

I do wonder who Sarah was.  Was she a relative, or another sweetheart?  Was he trying to decide between his future wife (my great-grandmother, Nellie) and Sarah?  Maybe we'll find out at some point, but right now I don't know.  There are three Sarahs living in Burghead in the 1901 census who are around Jack's age.  Sarah Robertson is the daughter of Donald and Mary, Sarah Sandeson is the daughter of William and Isabella, and Sarah Stewart is the daughter of Alexander and Sarah.  We'll see if there is any clarification with future postcards.

You will also note that the postcard is referring to something that happened on September 18, 1909 ("... and presented to the Battalion in the Cooper Park, Elgin, on Saturday, the 18 September 1909 ...") - and it was sent only a little over a month later.  You can see by this postcard that this type of communication was used not only to pass personal messages, but in a way to pass along news.  This also indicates to me that there was probably a local photographer making postcards that were of local interest.

As an aside, Jack had his birth registered in the Parish of Rafford.  

His father, John, was listed as a farm servant and they lived at the Leys of Hillhead in Rafford.  Hillhead was a large farm on the property of the Earl of Moray (who still has farms and properties managed by Moray Estates).  Ley farming consisted of growing grain crops on pieces of land and letting it ley (lay) fallow at times.  

In 1901, the family lived in Elgin and John was a Railway Plate Layer.

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#12 - Tain's Tower

Sorry - the postcard posts are out of chronological order, but only by 30 minutes - the last postcard I wrote about was sent at 12:15PM, this one was sent at 11:45AM - both on October 21, 1909.  Both were also sent from the same man in Tain.  However, the last postcard was sent to Jack, this one was to his brother, William, who also lived at 9 Roseneath Terrace in Nairn.  And on the last postcard, the signature was not legible.  On this one we see the man's name is Andrew - it's definitely the same man as the writing is exactly the same.

Text on the card reads:  "Got back to the old place once again.  Hoping this will find out all well.  What do you think of our Tower     Your Old Chum Andrew".  The card itself was made by J. McCulloch and Co printers in Edinburgh, and it was part of the "Caledonia Series."

There were at least 5 adults living at 9 Roseneath Terrace at that time.  Susannah (the mother), Jack, William, and Bella (all siblings) are all living here according to the postcards we've seen so far.  Annie, the youngest daughter, seems to have been a domestic servant for someone, and she sent cards from Gourock and Dunoon which seem to lead to this conclusion.  John (father to Jack) was also living there.  Alexander (oldest son) had moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1907 and got married to Matilda Spencer later that year - so by the time this card was sent, he was gone.  By 1911, Jack, William, Alex, and Matilda, were all living in Vancouver. 

The front of the postcard shows the tower in Tain that is attached to the court building - if you look at the last postcard, the base of the tower can be seen on the left hand side.  The courthouse was built in 1849 with additions in 1873.  The tower itself, however, is "ancient" (no date found) with its bell being made in Holland in 1616 - it was formerly part of a prison.  If you look at the pictures, you can see the difference in the masonry between it and the rest of the building.  More information on the history of the town can be found here.

Like most places in these images, it looks rather the same today.

Nothing I'd rather be doing on a Thursday night than a little research!

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#11 - Tain

This postcard was sent from Tain.  Tain is located in the Highlands of Scotland, on the North Sea Coast, on Dornoch Firth.  I believe it is the northernmost community represented in this collection:

"The origin of the name "Tain" is uncertain and may be derived from the pre-Celtic name for the nearby River Tain. The origin of the town's Gaelic name is however quite clear: Baile Dubhthaich, meaning 'Duthac's town' after the saint of this name, also known as Duthus." (care of Wikipedia - the whole article is here).

Tain was granted royal charter in 1066, making it Scotland's oldest Royal Burgh (also from the Wikipedia article).  A large aerodrome was built here in the 1930s and was home to many airmen during WWII.

This post card was sent October 21, 1909 from Tain to Jack in Nairn - not too very far away, really - just across a peninsula and Moray Firth - I'm starting to understand where Colin Firth's name comes from).  The text reads:  "I got back once again + feeling alright what do you think of High St. Did not see J (?) yet but will write you when I do .  Remember me to all at home.  Your old cheer (chum?)" illegible signature.  

The mark WR&S is on this card as it was on numbers 2 and 7 as well.  I thought I wrote about them earlier, but I can't find that reference, so I may repeat myself.  WR&S (William Ritchie and Sons) was an Edinburgh firm that produced a lot of postcards at this time - all of these ones are the "Reliable Series."  They also put out albums of postcards for purchase.

The front of the card is of High Street in Tain.  Love to see the photos with the dresses, top hats, carriages, bicycles and such.  

Here's how Google Street View has it today:

Hasn't changed much, has it.

I want to go visit these places.

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#10 - Madeira and Burghead

Addressed to Mr. J. McCurrach (Jack) of 9 Roseneath Terrace, Nairn, this postcard is of the church in the town of Monte on the island of Madeira, but the postmark is from Burghead, Scotland.  I don't know if this person went to Madeira themselves, or if they got it somewhere else.  My suspicion is that the postoffice or store in Burghead sold a varied collection of postcards from various places.

The text written on the front of the postcard reads: "Dear J.  We were sorry we did not see you before we left Nairn the last day we were there.  I am so busy just now that I forgot it was my turn to send a post-card.  What miserable weather.  Sarah"

When I initially wrote this post, I did not know who Sarah was.  But from other postcards, I did find out.  Read more here.

From what Sarah wrote, it would seem that Jack (as well as his mother and other members of the family) was caught up in the craze of the day:  postcard writing.  Postcards offered an inexpensive way to communicate.  These were public messages, so personal details are rarely included on a postcard, but lots of other information can be gleaned, as you'll see if you read more of the posts on this blog (they are meant to be read in order starting from #1)

Obviously there were many more postcards from Sarah that no longer are in the collection.  I wonder how many went missing over the years.  And I'm so grateful that my great-grandparents and my grandmother held on to these ones.

Madeira, for those of you who don't know, is an island owned by Portugal, but it's actually closer to Africa - southeast of the Azores and about 400 km north of the Canary Islands.  The islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, Deseratas, and the Savage Islands, form an administrative autonomy that is part of the European Union.  Madeira was claimed by Portugal early in the 15th century and is considered the first territorial "discovery" in the Age of Discovery. (source)

The small village of Monte is located on the island of Madeira, and the Church of Nossa Sinhora Do Monte ("Our Lady of the Mountain" - the building pictured on the postcard) is a major tourist attraction. Built on the foundations of an old chapel, the church was constructed in 1741 and damaged by an earthquake in 1748. The island became and continues to be a destination for tourists with 1.4 million people currently visiting each year. But was Sarah one of them? I hope so.  Just because travelling is a wonderful thing to do. But I do doubt it. From what I've learned about Sarah, and simply because of her association with Jack (implying similar social status), I don't think she would have had the money to travel.

Burghead, where the card was postmarked, is a small town in the northeast of Scotland about 13 km north-west of Elgin.  In the process of building the town between 1804 and 1809, the remains of the largest known Pictish fort of its kind were partially destroyed.  The fort itself was destroyed during the Viking age and then nearly obliterated in the 19th century, but today, an active archaeology program is enlightening us about the earlier history of the area.

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#9 - St. Andrews Castle

The 9th postcard in the collection was sent to Mrs. McCurrach at 9 Roseneath Terrace in Nairn, Scotland, from someone who signed "M. McL" (or maybe it's "McJ", could be an "S", "I", or "P".  Damned early 20th century hand-writing!)

The postcard was sent from Nairn on August 10, 1909 at 9am - so it was sent to Susannah from someone in the same town.  It would be odd today to send a postcard across town, and it would probably take a week, but postcards were popular before the ubiquitous use of telephones (after WWI) because they were a way to mail a short note cheaply.  If you didn't have the time to walk over, postcards were one of the few alternatives.  Postcard popularity declined after around 1920, and I would guess it was because of the widespread accessibility of the telephone.

The back of the postcard reads:  "I shall send 3 pints currants on Tuesday with Baker.  Please call there for them. These are all I have to share now all well."  This was just the best way to send a quick, impersonal note in Nairn in 1909.

Black currants have been cultivated in Britain for the past 400-500 years - they are native plants that have grown there for a long time, though, and herbalists have known their benefits for far longer than that.  Black currants are a source of concentrated Vitamin C and are known to help cure scurvy.  During WWII, black currant syrup was provided to children as citrus fruits were hard to obtain.  My grandmother always put black currants in her scones and had a bush in her backyard in the Okanagan Valley (British Columbia).  Good way to ruin a scone, but if I grew up having to eat them, I think I might feel differently.

Communications like this postcard make me think of how little we would communicate if we had to consciously put a stamp on every e-mail or Facebook post - and how spoiled we are with our electronic communications in this day and age.

As you can see, the picture on the postcard is of the ruins of St. Andrews Castle - a 13th-century Medieval castle that served to house the bishops and archbishops of St. Andrews Cathedral.  There has been a castle at this location since 1189.  After the Reformation, the castle fell into disrepair, and the cathedral's structures mined for housing materials (I would think the castle's, too).

Located on the east coast of Scotland, south of Aberdeen and north of Edinburgh, St. Andrews is probably best known today for its golf course.  Here is a modern image of the Castle (thanks, Google Earth!!).  It hasn't changed a whole lot - as a heritage consultant, I'm glad to see the ivy growth has been taken off the structure on the left.

Here's the cathedral:

Location of St. Andrews in Scotland

Obviously M McL (?) had an extra postcard hanging around that she used for a short note.  Very interesting behaviour, actually.  I wonder if she collected them from the places she visited or just bought them at the local shop.

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#8 - Dunoon from the Pier

This postcard was sent from Annie McCurrach (my great-grandfather's sister) in Dunoon to her mother, Susanna at 9 Roseneath Terrace in Nairn, on August 7, 1909.

Dunoon, population around 4500, is located in the western portion of Scotland, west and north of Glasgow, across the water from Gourock, which was mentioned in this previous post.  It is the main resort on the Cowal Peninsula in the Argyll & The Isles region in western Scotland.

Dunoon Castle (because there's always a castle), the remains of which stand just behind and to the left of the photographer, was built in the 12th century and first recorded in the 13th.  It may have been built due to the Stewart's increasing influence in the area.  Surrendered to the English in 1333, an insurrection ensued and the Scots retook it.  By the 1400s, it was a royal castle and the Campbells were its hereditary keepers.

In 1544, the castle was captured by Matthew Stewart with military support from Henry the VIII, at which time Archibald Campbell, 4th Earl of Argyll, was driven out.  A violent feud between the Campbell and Lamont clans led to the Dunoon Massacre in 1646.  After the restoration, Dunoon was the residence of the the bishops of Argyll for a time.  in 1685, the castle was destroyed during the Earl of Argyll's rebellion against James VII and II (Wikipedia).

The castle hill in Dunoon

Dunoon remained a small village made up of mostly traditional Highland cottages until the early nineteenth century when steamers started to bring more people here.  The pier from which the postcard photo was taken was built in 1835 and is still there.  The town became a popular place for vacationers from Glasgow.  It has always been a defensive position for Scotland and I'm sure will continue to be so.  The Castle House Museum is one of the destinations for a history traveller.

Annie McCurach was on one of those holidays with her employers - she was a domestic servant, as you'll read below.  

The text of the postcard reads:  "Dear mother will you kindly tell me how you streach your shawels do you wash them or just damp them my lady is doing one and is wanting to no how to streach it.  we are having fouly weather here but to hot for working at least for fat people like me ta ta with love annie write soon."

A couple of conclusions come to mind - Annie had poor writing skills despite a good education system in Scotland, and she was what she considered fat.  I'm not sure what the standards were for that in her day in Scotland, though, and I have no photos of her, so I have no idea if she was truly overweight or just thought herself such.

I have recently started knitting, and now understand how important it is to properly block a piece after completing it.  Which leads me to be so grateful for the Internet.  I learned basic stitches when I was young, but the Internet allows us to learn whatever we want without having to rely on relatives or friends to teach us.  Aren't we lucky?

The Argyll hotel seen in the postcard can be found on Google Earth today: 

Good travel information can be found here:

I want to go stay at this hotel - in that top room above the sign - if it's a room.  But I'd like to avoid the "fouly" weather.

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#7 - Burns Walk Dumfries

Auld Lang Syne is a song we all sing (or at least hear) at the turn of the New Year.  The tune is rarely heard otherwise here in Canada, but when the first syllables are heard, memories of the ball dropping in New York, past house parties, and Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" flood into my head.  You would be hard pressed to find any adult in the commonwealth who does not know the tune - much like Happy Birthday.

"Auld Lang Syne" can be translated from Scots to English as "Old Long Since" - or, in the case of the song, as "for the sake of old times."  It started out a poem, written in 1788 by Robert Burns (Robbie to those who know him well 😁) and was set to the tune of a traditional Scottish song.

Burns lived a prolific but short life - 1759-1796 - and died when he was only 37.  Rumours abound about why he died so young, but a general consensus now seems to be that he died of bacterial endocarditis secondary to chronic rheumatic heart disease - probably because of having rheumatic fever as a child.  However, his lifestyle undoubtedly added to an earlier death.  He was quite a drinker (1) (he was an artist, and a Scot), and also a womanizer.  Weak heart, bacterial infection, unhealthy lifestyle ... it adds up.

Regarding children, the first known child of Burns' came from him impregnating his mother's servant, Elizabeth Paton (source).  Also named Elizabeth, the child lived with Burn's mother until Robert died in 1796 (source).  He, however, abandoned his mother's servant for a relationship with Jean Armour, his future wife, who became pregnant (with twins) in March, 1786.  Despite Burns declaring his marriage to Jean in writing, Jean's parents sent her away, and Burns himself lamented having abandoned the children in a letter written in 1786 addressed to Mr. Robert Aiken:  "... how should I meet the reproaches of those who stand to me in the dear relation of children, whom I deserted in the smiling innocency of helpless infancy?".  This feeling alone, the feelings of a father and his responsibility to his children, made him hesitate about going to Jamaica when it looked like his only option to make money and escape arrest under the hand of Jean's father (2).  A publication deal, the money from which made it possible for him to avoid arrest, allowed him to stay in his homeland and abandon plans to move to Jamaica to work on a sugar plantation.  He officially married and cohabited with Jean in 1788, though they had claimed marriage two years before.   She gave birth to a total of nine children, three of whom survived infancy (source).

Burns, regardless of his apparent social faux pas, was a beloved artist in Scotland.  He produced poetry in the Scots language which made it accessible to the general public.  He is widely considered the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide.  Every year on or near January 25, you can find a Burns supper somewhere to get your Scots on.

Burns lived his life in the southwest of Scotland (Alloway, Tarbolton, Mauchline, Dumfries), the last few years in Dumfries, the largest parish in Dumfriesshire in 1755 (with 4517 inhabitants - mostly Protestants) (source).  The numbers were likely very close to this 40 years later when he moved there.

This postcard is from Dumfries.

The front of this postcard reads:  "Burns Walk Dumfries (one of the fine rural walks in the district)."  Dumfries is located in the southwest of Scotland, about 75 miles south and slightly east of Glasgow.  The Burns Walk is along the river Nith and is still a recreational area (more information here).   The path is about 7.5 km and takes 2 to 2.5 hours.

An interesting side note, I have a copy of some The National Burns Vol.II - and it is at least 125 years old.  Here is the frontispiece:

The book contains his songs and his general correspondences from 1780 to 1796.  As well as the correspondences between himself and Agnes Maclehose.  The correspondences give an intimate look into Burns' psyche.  One gets the impression that he is depressed at times, manic at others.

The Burns Walk postcard was sent to Belle McCurrach at 9 Roseneath Terrace in Nairn (where she lived with her mother, father, sister and two brothers).

Text is hard to read - but I'll do my best:  "Dearest Belle.  Have had a lovely time.  Sorry it is nearly all past  Shall be with __________ train tomorrow (dumfries? something). Shall tell you all news.  trust you are well and not lonely.  Love Ettie" (I believe it is Ettie because she is mentioned in another postcard as having joined the "Sally's" [the Salvation Army]).

As an update:  thanks to blog reader, Carole Hastings, we have a full translation:  "Dear Bell Have had a lovely time Sorry its nearly all past Shall be with 4.07 train tomorrow (Tempus fugit) Shall tell you all news Trust you are well and not lonely love Ettie."

"Tempus fugit" is a new phrase to me.  According to Wikipedia, it was first expressed in Virgil's Georgics (written in 29 BC) as "fugit irreparable tempus" - translated as "it escapes, irretrievable time" - I like it.  I might have to incorporate the term into my lexicon.

The back shows it post-marked from Dumfries on July 25, 1909.

The postcard is published by J. Swan 63-67 High Street, Dumfries.  Thanks to the "Old Dumfries" group on Facebook, we have this wonderful ca. 1900 photograph showing J. Swan's storefront:

Here is where the store was located - there isn't a Google Streetview image of it, darn it:

One of my favourite lines of Robbert Burns' was written early on in his career and has always impressed me, perhaps because a famous play was named after it.  From his poem "To a Mouse", the line reads:  "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men / Gang aft agley" or "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry". Who can argue with that?

(1) The National Burns Vol II ca. 1894 - correspondences

(2) ibid p.113

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