Upper Level: September 2020

Sunday, September 20, 2020

James Findlay and Elizabeth Holland

James Findlay (3rd ggrand uncle)
Parents: Hugh Findlay and Lillias Cleland
Born 31 October 1802 Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland
Occupation: Coal Mining

Coal Miner

Association: 1873 Mason in Carlisle, Pennsylvania Today, that would be Carlisle Lodge 260. Here is a link to learn more about how it looks in modern times: http://carlisle260.org/ and https://carlislemeetingspace.com/gallery

Married Elizabeth Holland 27 Dec 1822 Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland

Sailed to New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1832
1848: Moved to Pittston, Pennsylvania

1850: moved to Nanticoke, Pennsylvania

1853: Took charge of the Lehigh zinc mines in Friedensville, Pennsylvania

Died 16 July 1877 Maple Grove, Fayette, Pennsylvania

James Findlay headstone. Note the
Mason's symbol at the top

Buried Huffs Union Church Cemetery, Huff, Berks, Pennsylvania
Sources
1860 US Census Durham, Bucks, Pennsylvania (age 58)

Book: History of Berks County, Pennsylvania page 1055 - part 1
Photo: from book about Berks County, page 1055 and then used My Heritage to enhance and colorize

Family Search
ancestry.com
Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/31644908/james-findlay

From book, "History of Berks, Pennsylvania" page 1055

From book, "History of Berks, Pennsylvania" page 1056

Elizabeth's headstone
Elizabeth Holland
Parents: John Holland and Elizabeth Armor
Born 19 March 1804 Kilmarnock, Ayr, Scotland
Died 3 Oct 1863 Durham, Pennsylvania

Buried 1863 Durham, Bucks, Pennsylvania
Sources
1860 US Census Durham, Bucks, Pennsylvania

Birth and parents: Scotland Births and Baptisms

Book: History of Berks County, Pennsylvania page 1056 - part 1

Family Search
ancestry.com

Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47439416/elizabeth-findlay

CHILDREN

(my 1st cousin's 4x's removed

and their children are

my 1st cousin's 5x's removed)

The first 4 children came with James and Elizabeth to Canada according to the book, History of Berks County, Pennsylvania. James was born six months later. Also according to the book: there were 9 children in all, 5 boys, 4 girls.

Another thing to watch out for: There was another James/Elizabeth combination that continues to get mixed up with this family. That Elizabeth's surname is BOWIE. One way you can tell if you have a child belonging to the other James/Elizabeth is the place they christened their children: Straiton, Ayrshire, Scotland.

Hugh Findlay
Born 12 July 1823 Riccarton, Ayr, Scotland
Married Rebecca McKay 17 April 1846 New Glasgow, Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada
Children: James, Daniel, John, Catherine, Hugh, Elizabeth, Lillias
Died 22 October 1902 Hopewell, Pictou, Nova Scotia
Buried Oct 1902 Hopewell, Pictou, Nova Scotia
Sources
1861 Canadian Census Hopewell, Pictou, Nova Scotia (5 males 3 females for a total family of 8)
1871 Canadian Census Hopewell, Pictou, Nova Scotia (age 47)
1881 Canadian Census Hopewell, Pictou, Nova Scotia (age 57)
1891 Canadian Census Hopewell, Pictou, Nova Scotia (age 67)
1901 Canadian Census Hopewell, Pictou, Nova Scotia (age 77)
Canadian Genealogy Index
Family Search
ancestry.com

John Findlay (can't find a source for him)

Born about 1825 Riccarton, Ayr, Scotland

Note: I've seen a birthdate given as 23 Nov 1826, but that belongs to a different John Findlay who remained in Scotland. Therefore, it can't be true because he would only have been 5 years old when his parents arrived in Canada - a fact verified by his brother, James's birth sources. I've been wondering if John and the unknown male Findlay are the same person. If so, it would leave a large gap between children.
Died
Buried
Sources
Family Search
ancestry.com

Unknown male Findlay (I put this child here because there was a gap and because the book claims 5 boys and 4 girls. However, it also mentions 4 children, not 5, came with James and Elizabeth from Scotland. I've never found anything on the unnamed boy. He might also have been born in 1838 in Canada, which would fill the other gap (between Lilly and Caroline) nicely. If you know, please share.

Born 1828 Riccarton, Ayr, Scotland
Died ?
Buried
Sources
Family Search
ancestry.com
Elizabeth Findlay
Born 26 Jun 1830 Scotland

Christened 22 August 1830 Auchinleck, Ayrshire, Scotland
Died
Buried
Sources
Birth and Christening: Scotland Births and Baptisms

Family Search
ancestry.com

Mary Findlay
Born January 1832 Riccarton, Ayr, Scotland

Note: In the 1860 US Census, the age (28) calculates the year of birth I give here. If true (and she wasn't trying to appear younger) it means she was born in January. This because James, her brother, who has official sources as to his birth, was born in November. The census is the only information I've found, so far, that gives her a birth year.
Occupation: Seamstress (1860)

Died
Buried
Sources
1860 US Census Durham, Bucks, Pennsylvania (claims age 28)

Note: her age is debatable

Family Search
ancestry.com

James's headstone

James Findlay Jr
Born 18 Nov 1832 New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada

Note: born 6 months after his parents reached Canada, so he is the first born in North America and, according to the book, he is the FIFTH child

Occupation: Contractor for Ore Mine (1910) For several years, he was the director of the First National Bank of Glen Rock, Pennyslvania,

Married Hester (Hettie) Ann Reinert 24 November 1863 Longswamp, Berks, Pennsylvania

Children: James III, John, William, Annie, Dora, Lilly, Susannah, Elizabeth, David, Harry, Alexander
Died 1 August 1911 Longswamp, Berks, Pennsylvania

COD: Pneumonia and chronic gastritis (inflamed stomach lining - perhaps an ulcer)
Buried 5 Aug 1911 Longswamp Church, Berks, Pennsylvania
Sources
1860 US Census Durham, Bucks, Pennsylvania (age 25)

1870 US Census Springfield, York, Pennsylvania (age 40)

1880 US Census Longswamp, Berks, Pennsylvania (age 47)

1900 US Census Longswamp, Berks, Pennsylvania (age 67)

1910 US Census Longswamp, Berks, Pennsylvania (age 77)

Death Certificate

Family Search
ancestry.com

Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69188903/james-findlay
David Findlay (did not find any official record)
Born 28 Sep 1834 New Glasgow, Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada
Died 1839
Buried
Sources
Family Search
ancestry.com

Lillie's headstone

Lillie Admiston Carcart Findlay
Born 4 October 1839 New Glasgow, Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada
Occupation: Domestic Servant (1860)

Married William Newton Bigley 9 March 1861 Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Lillie and William's marriage record

Children: Caroline, Elmer, Lavella, William, James, Lillie, John, Harvey, Harris

Died 9 Nov 1915 Durham, Bucks, Pennsylvania

COD: Mitral regurgitation (leaky heart valve), chronic nephritis (kidney failure)
Buried 12 Nov 1915 Durham Cemetery, Bucks, Pennsylvania
Sources
1860 US Census Durham, Bucks, Pennsylvania (age 20)

1870 US Census Longswamp, Berks, Pennsylvania (age 30)

1880 US Census Nockamixon, Pennsylvania (age 40)

1900 US Census Bethlehem, Northampton, Pennsylvania (age 60)

1910 US Census Bethlehem, Northampton, Pennsylvania (age 70, living with son Harris's family)

Marriage: Pennsylvania and New Jersey Church and Town Records

Death Certificate

Family Search
ancestry.com
Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11666395/lillie-a.c.-bigley

Caroline Findlay

Born 24 May 1842 New Glasgow, Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada

Never Married

No Children

Died 7 December 1860 Durham, Bucks, Pennsylvania

Buried Durham Cemetery, Durham, Bucks, Pennsylvania

Sources
1860 US Census Durham, Bucks, Pennsylvania (age 18)

Family Search
ancestry.com

Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47383031/caroline-findlay

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From a Funeral Program

When I come to the end of the road

And the sun has set for me

I want no rites in a gloom-filled room

Why cry for a soul set free?

Miss me a little - but not for too long

And not with your head bowed low

Remember the love that we once shared

Miss me, but let me go.

For this is a journey that we all must take

And each must go alone

It's all part of the Master's plan

A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick at heart

Go to the hills we know

And bury your sorrow among the trees

Miss me, but let me go.

The Line

Every minute someone leaves this world behind.
We are all in “the line” without knowing it.
We never know how many people are before us.
We can not move to the back of the line.
We can not step out of the line.
We can not avoid the line.

So while we wait in line -

Make moments count.
Make priorities.
Make the time.
Make your gifts known.
Make a nobody feel like a somebody.
Make your voice heard.
Make the small things big.
Make someone smile.
Make the change.
Make love.
Make up.
Make peace.
Make sure to tell your people they are loved.
Make sure to have no regrets.
Make sure you are ready.

I'm My Own Grandpa

Many, many years ago when I was 23,
I got married to a widow
who was as pretty as could be.
She had a grown up daughter
who had a hair of red.
My father fell in love with her
and soon the two were wed.
This made my dad my son-in-law
And changed my very life.
My daughter was my mother,
for she was my father's wife.
To complicate the matters worse,
although it brought me joy,
I soon became the father
of a bouncing baby boy.
My little baby then became a brother -in-law to dad
and so became my uncle though it made me very sad.
For if he was my uncle,
then that also made him brother to the widow's grown-up- daughter,
who of course, was my stepmother.
Father's wife then had a son,
who kept them on the run.
And he became my grandson, for he was my daughter's son.
My wife is now my mother's mother
and it makes me blue.
Because, although she is my wife,
she's my grandma too.
If my wife is my grandmother,
then I am her grandchild.
and every time I think of it,
it simply makes me wild.
For now I have become the strangest case you ever saw.
As the husband of my grandmother,
I am my own grandpa!

Quotes from the Prophets

President Gordon B Hinckley: "It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect upon the work of those who labored so hard and gained so little in this world, but out of whose dreams and early plans so well nurtured, has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries. Their tremendous example can become a compelling motivation for us all, for each of us is a pioneer in his own life."

President Spencer W Kimball: "I hope to see us dissolve the artificial boundary line we so often place between missionary work and temple and genealogical work, because it is the same great redemptive work!"

President Joseph Fielding Smith: " The responsibility on behalf of our kindred dead rests with equal force on all, according to our individual ability and opportunities...the greatest and grandest duty of all is to labor for the dead."

The Passing of the Pot (Chamber Pot)

As far back in childhood
As memory may go
One household vessel greets me
That wasn't made for show
Beneath the bed twas anchored
Where only few could see
But served the entire family
With equal privacy
Some called the critter Peggy
And some the thundermug
And others called it badger
A few called it jug
To bring it in at evening
Was bad enough no doubt
But heaven help the person
Who had to take it out
Our big one was enormous
And would accomodate
A watermelon party
Composed of six or eight
When nights were dark and rainy
It was a useful urn
On icy winter mornings
The cold rim seemed to burn
At times when things were rushing
And business extra good
Each took his turn a waiting
Or did the best he could
Sometimes when in a hurry
To our disgust and shame
We fumbled in the darkness
And slightly missed our aim
The special one for company
Was decorated well
But just the same it rendered
That old familiar smell
Today this modernism
Relieves me a lot
And only in my vision
I see that homely pot.
(author unknown)

Poem about ancestors

Though steep is the path I follow today,
The footprints of time will show me the way.
For many have traveled a smiliar road,
And carried an equal of heavier load.

No troubles I face are new to this earth,
That man has not faced from time of his birth.
The route has been charted and roads have been paved
By legions before me who were stalwart and brave.

Their steps never faltered nor courage grew dim,
For they trusted the Lord and let Him led them.
If my faith and my trust remain steadfast and true,
God will guide and protect me in all that I do.
- Dolores Karides

The Elusive Ancestor

I went searching for an ancestor.
I cannot find him still.
He moved around from place to place
and did not leave a will.
He married where a courthouse burned.
He mended all his fences.
He avoided any man who came to
take the US census

He always kept his luggage packed,
This man who had no fame,
and every 20 years or so,
This rascal changed his name.
No one else inthis world is
searching for this elusive man,
so I play "Gene-solitaire"
To find him, if I can!

I'm told he's buried in a plot,
with tombstone he was blessed;
but the weather took engravings,
and some vandals took the rest.
He died before the county clerks
were appointed to keep records
No family Bible has emerged -
In spite of all my efforts.

To top it off, this elusive ancestor
who has caused me many groans -
left me even one more challenge:
He brothed a lady,
by the name of "Jones"!
(Got this from a publication
put out by the DUP organization
that names the author: Merrell Kenworthy)

Poem: Heaven's Door

If I should go before you,

If life on earth were through;

I'll stop just inside Heaven's door,

and there I'll wait for you.

You've but to look 'cross star filled skies,

Past the moon and then beyond;

To know my leaving could never break,

This heart's undying bond.

And if you should go before me,

If your journey on earth were through;

You know I will be close behind,

I'll never be far from you.

Across the span of time and space,

This love will reach this far;

For you'll always carry a bit of my heart,

No matter where you are.

Allison Chambers Coxsey©1995 ~ All Rights Reserved

Which Shall It Be? by Adelaide Proctor

Which shall it be?

"Which shall it be? Which shall it be?
I looked at John and John looked at me,
And when I found that I must speak,
My voice seemed strangely low and weak:
˜Tell me again what Robert said,"
And then I, listening, bent my head.
This is his letter:˜I will give
A house and land while you shall live,
If, in return, from out your seven,
One child to me for aye is given."

I looked at John's old garments worn;
I thought of all that he had borne
Of poverty, and work, and care,
Which I, though willing, could not share;
I thought of seven young mouths to feed,
Of seven little children's need,
And then of this.

˜Come, John,said I,
We'll choose among them as they lie
Asleep. So, walking hand in hand,
Dear John and I surveyed our band:
First to the cradle lightly stepped,
Where Lilian, the baby, slept.
Softly the father stooped to lay
His rough hand down in a loving way,
When dream or whisper made her stir,
And huskily he said: ˜Not her!"

We stooped beside the trundle bed,
And one long ray of twilight shed
Athwart the boyish faces there,
In sleep so beautiful and fair;
I saw on James rough, red cheek
A tear undried. E'er John could speak,
He's but a baby, too," said I,
And kissed him as we hurried by.

Pale, patient, Robbie's angel face
Still in his sleep bore suffering's trace.
˜No, for a thousand crowns, not him!"
He whispered, while our eyes were dim.
Poor Dick! bad Dick! our wayward son”
Turbulent, restless, idle one”
Could he be spared?
Nay, He who gave
Bade us befriend him to the grave;
Only a mother's heart could be
Patient enough for such as he;
˜And so," said John, ˜I would not dare
To take him from her bedside prayer."

Then stole we softly up above,
And knelt by Mary, child of love;
˜Perhaps for her ˜twould better be,"
I said to John. Quite silently
He lifted up a curl that lay
Across her cheek in a wilful way,
And shook his head: ˜Nay, love, not thee,
The while my heart beat audibly.

Only one more, our eldest lad,
Trusty and truthful, good and glad,
So like his father. ˜No, John, no!
I cannot, will not, let him go."

And so we wrote, in courteous way,
We could not give one child away;
And afterward toil lighter seemed,
Thinking of that of which we dreamed,
Happy in truth that not one face
Was missed from its accustomed place;
Thankful to work for all the seven,
Trusting the rest to One in heaven."