John Chisholm Lambert

One of the things I really like about blogging is that I can write about whatever takes my fancy, whenever I feel like it! I don't need to worry about whether or not somebody's going to be interested (although, of course, it would be nice) or whether or not it's appropriate (I'm the only one who can decide what is or isn't appropriate). And it can all be so spontaneous! So here's something that's taken my fancy today.

I find it interesting to occasionally have a look and see where visitors are arriving on my blog from. Today's look produced some interesting results. Somebody had arrived at my blog via a search on the name of my great grandfather, John Chisholm Lambert - I wish they had stopped to say hello!

John Chisholm Lambert was born in Trinidad in 1857 and died in 1917 at Fenwick in Ayrshire. He was a minister in the United Presbyterian Church firstly at Stewarton in Ayrshire and then at Cathcart near Glasgow. Shortly before 1900, he was forced to retire from preaching as his voice failed, I think due to throat cancer. While staying on as Minister-Emeritus at Cathcart, he also became an author of Christian works with titles like "The Romance of Missionary Heroism" and the "Christian Workman". I have copies of some of his books.

John's father, George Lambert, was also a minister but spent some time in Trinidad with his wife, Jane Chisholm, and family as missionaries of the United Presbyterian Church. George and Jane both had family and roots in the area around Dalkeith, just south of Edinburgh.

Out of curiosity, I repeated the search on Google for John Chisholm Lambert and came up with some interesting results that I hadn't seen before.

I've seen many references to Dr John C. Lambert D.D. but didn't know where or when the Doctor of Divinity came from. My web search led me to this web page showing that it was an Honorary Doctor of Divinity awarded in 1906 by the University of Edinburgh. And I've even found images of a program from the graduation ceremony on 12th April 1906 here.

Sometime ago, while browsing around the library here at work, I found a copy of the memoirs of a Scottish minister named David King. Astoundingly, inside the front of the book I read the following inscription "To Mr George Wilson Chisholm from his affectionate nephew John Chisholm Lambert 25 Jan 1866", John Chisholm Lambert being my great grandfather and George Wilson Chisholm his mother's brother. I just about stormed the main library desk demanding to buy the book on the spot! Fortunately, following a less vociferous route, I was able to buy the book and it now sits on the shelf beside my great grandfather's own books.

Notes on some Dalkeith families, part 1

No stitchy news at the moment, so a bit of family history!

George Wilson m. Jean Walker
______________________________________________

Janet Mary Agnes Marion Isabella

Porteous Chisholm
descendants descendants

On 5th January 1799, in the parish of Gladsmuir, George Wilson, described as a Militiaman from Pencaitland married Jean Walker from Gladsmuir (5). The 1841 census suggests they were both born around 1772 – 1776 in locations outside Midlothian (2).The East Lothian location of the marriage might suggest similar East Lothian origins for both Jean and George.

In all, George and Jean had seven known children, five daughters who survived to adulthood, and two children who died in infancy (1). No record has been found of the births or baptisms of these children, but it is likely they were born in Dalkeith. Later family history suggests George and Jean may not have been members of the Established Church so any baptism may have taken place elsewhere and not been recorded in the parish register.

Jean Walker died, probably in Dalkeith, on 17 July 1841 and George Wilson on 30 June 1842 (1). They are buried in the New Burial Ground, Dalkeith with daughters Mary, Janet and Agnes, Agnes's husband, James Porteous, and their family.

George Wilson in his will (4) names four executors: George Gray, banker in Dalkeith, James Porteous Grocer, John Chisholm Tobacconist both in Dalkeith and Alexander Steel, Baker in Pathhead. Very usefully, George also described three of his exectors as his sons in law, James Porteous as the husband of daughter Agnes, John Chisholm as husband of Isabella, and Alexander Steel as husband of Marion (4). George Gray, a well known public figure in 19th century Dalkeith (3), must have been a family friend as he was to later generations of Wilson descendants.

George Wilson worked as a merchant, a draper, and possibly also a grocer and handloom weaver, and at least some of his drapery business appears to have been taken over by his daughter Janet following his death (6). Janet appears to have continued with the business until the 1860s (6) and died, in her 80s, in 1885 (1) having never married. Her 1885 death certificate describes her occupation as ‘Proprietor of Houses’. Janet was predeceased in 1843 by her sister Mary (1), aged around 30, who also died unmarried.

Marion Wilson married Alexander Steel (4), Baker in Pathhead on 27 June 1838 in Crichton/Dalkeith (7). They had one known child, Jane Walker Steel, baptised on 1 June 1845 (7). Jane Walker Steel died in Crichton parish on 10 Jul 1857. Marion Wilson died in Crichton in 1874 and Alexander Steel in 1891 in Edinburgh.

Entries in Edinburgh & Leith P.O. directories -

Name	Date range of entries	Occupation	Address
Wilson, Miss Janet	1850 - 61	draper	High street	Dalkeith
Steel, Alexander	1850 - 75	baker	Ford	Pathhead
Steel, Alexander	1875 - 91		Ford	Pathhead

References
1. Unpublished monumental inscriptions, Dalkeith New Burial Ground, held by the Scottish Genealogy Society -

George Wilson, merchant, Dalkeith 30/6/1842 wife Jean Walker 17/7/1841 dau. Mary 5/8/1843 dau. Janet 25/12/1885 2 children d. in inf. dau. Agnes 26/1/1869 and James Porteous her husband 26/6/1876 David K. Porteous, merchant 7/3/1890 60 yrs. Rev. Andrew M. Porteous, B.D., son of above David K. Porteous d. at Ikorofiong, Old Calabar 26/1/1892 34 yrs. buried there. Mary Melville, relict of David K. Porteous 21/5/1908 73 yrs. son George Wilson Porteous, merchant 6/1/1949 78 yrs. His wife Euphemia Mercer 28/4/1961 87 yrs.

2. 1841 census, Dalkeith

Dalkeith, Midlothian, 1841 census
Enumeration District: 7
Folio 7, Page 11
Address - High Street

Surname	First name	Sex	Age	Occupation	Where Born
WILSON	George	M	65	Draper	Outside Census County (1841)
WILSON	Jean	F	65		Outside Census County (1841)
WILSON	Janet	F	35		Midlothian
WILSON	Mary	F	25		Midlothian

Transcription from the FreeCEN project.
3. Alexander Mitchell, Political and Social Movements in Dalkeith from 1831-1882, privately published, 1882
4. Will and Inventory of George Wilson Merchant in Dalkeith, Edinburgh Sheriff Court Inventories, 19 Aug 1842.
5. Parish register for the parish of Gladsmuir.

WILSON GEORGE, Militiaman from the Parish of Pencaitland, and JEAN WALKER in this Parish, gave their names in order to be proclaimed to marriage 5th January 1799, and after being regularly proclaimed were married.

6. Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directories, 1850 – 1900, Edinburgh : printed by Ballantyne 1850 – 1864, printed by Ballantyne Roberts 1865 – 66, printed by Murray & Gibb 1867 – 1882, printed by Morrison & Gibb 1883 – 1900.
7. IGI online at www.familysearch.org

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

I love the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, it's a mine of information. Early in my research into my family history, I discovered their Debt of Honour Register and I've returned to it many times since then. Always I find it informative and absorbing, but sad as you can see the sheer number of casualties listed there.

To date, I know of 5 family members listed on the site - my grandfather, three great uncles and a cousin of my great grandfather. Each discovery in the CWGC database has led to a back story of which I was unaware and had not anticipated.

I always knew my grandfather, Alexander Colin Stewart, and his brother died in WW2. From the CWGC site, I learned he died as a civilian aboard the MV Henry Stanley. My mother had always said that he was travelling back to Singapore for his work at the time of his death (my grandparents lived in Singapore from 1930 to 1939). Now I know this isn't quite right. By December 1942, Singapore had fallen to the Japanese, so it's unlikely, to be heading there. So where was he going?

Looking on the CWGC site, I can also see the details of other casualties of the sinking of the MV Henry Stanley -

Ramsay Brown
Archibald Charles James Harry
John Charles Innes
Dennis Vincent Kelly
Stuart Low
John Morton
Noel Rushton Redfern


Before finding him on the CWGC site, I know very little about my grandfather's brother, John Henry Fraser Stewart. From the CWGC database, I learned that he was buried in Hong Kong, and a little searching on the internet led me to discover that he was a Japanese POW on Taiwan. It must have been a terrible experience.

On my father's side of the family, there are two brothers. William Fairlie Lambert died in 1916 and his brother George Lambert in 1917. George had just finished training for the ministry and there was a possibility that Willie would also follow this path. Many of their letters still survive and have been transcribed by the family. Their deaths had a profound impact on their family and they were very fondly remembered, stories of them being told to later generations.

Before starting my family history research, I was unaware of the existance of Alexander Charles Stewart. His father was a brother of my great grandfather, John Stewart, the brothers having been baptised in the parish of Caputh in Perthshire. While my ancestor John headed for south Lanarkshire, brother William trained as a Solicitor (possibly in Edinburgh) and settled in Turriff in Aberdeenshire. He married and had a son, Alexander Charles, before his wife died, presumably as the result of a miscarriage. However, it was only through finding the death of Alexander Charles Stewart in WW1, that I learned the story of his parents.

Behind the statistics, there is always a story - these are people, not just numbers and dates.

So, who do you know in the CWGC database?

Architect Ancestors

When I started this blog last year, I also wanted to blog about my family history. Unfortunately, my posts on this subject have been rather sporadic!

Last week I rediscovered the Dictionary of Scottish Architects and contacted them as there are a couple of my relatives included in there. I've been able to add to the information they have on my relatives and add another potential architect to the dictionary.

My architects are my great grandfather John Stewart who was born in Falkirk in 1876 and his sons John Henry Fraser Stewart and William Ferguson Stewart. John Stewart (senios)'s family came from the area of Logierait in Perthshire, particularly around Tullimet and Dalcapon.

John Stewart

Born: 26 Oct 1876, Falkirk
Died: 5 Nov 1945, Lanark

From 1893, John studied at Heriot Watt College and Edinburgh School of Art and served an apprenticeship under C.S. Johnston of St. Andrews Street, Edinburgh. By 1898, he had set up in practice as an Architect at 38 High Street, Lanark in partnership with a Mr Traill. As an Architect, he was involved with the construction of:

Glengonnar House (Abington) for Lord Colebrook of Crawford
A shooting lodge at Hyndfordlea, Lanark
Christ Church Hall, Lanark
Whitehouse, Lanark where John and his family later lived
Also alterations and restoration of Lamington House for Lord Lamington

John married Margaret Isabella Henry on 19 Aug 1903 in Turriff, Aberdeenshire. They had four children, 3 sons and a daughter. Two of the sons also became Architects, the third being a Civil Engineer.

On 12 May 1916, John joined the 4th (Reserve) Batallion (Territorial) of the Royal Scots Fusiliers with the rank of Captain and may previously have served with the Lanarkshire Yeomanry. He was promoted to Major on 19 July 1917. On 28 Dec 1916, John was sent to serve in France. He was awarded the Victory medal and Territorial Decoration for his services.

In 1920, John became the Architect for the Lanarkshire Educational Authority and from 1919 was involved with the construction of a number of schools in Lanarkshire, including Knowetop special school and St. Mary's School in Lanark. In particular, Drumpark special school, Coatbridge, was seen to be 'excellently planned and outstanding for it's mural decorations'. He was responsible for all schedule and surveying for work carried out by Lanarkshire County Council and was County Architect, based at 32 - 36 Albert Street, Motherwell. John was also Consultant Architect to the counties of Moray and Nairn.

In 1931 John became a Fellow of the Royal Institution of British Architects.
On 3rd June 1932, the following appeared in the London Gazette:

'Major John Stewart, MBE
The King has been graciously pleased, on the occasion of the celebrations ofHis Majesty's Birthday to give orders for the following promotions in, andappointments to, the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:-
To be members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order:-
Major John Stewart, T.D., F.R.I.B.A., Architect to Lanarkshire Education Authority'

John Henry Fraser Stewart

Born: 13 Dec 1904, Lanark, Lks
Died: 9th June 1945, Taiwan

Eldest son of John Stewart and Margaret Isabella Henry.

Fraser attended Lanark Grammar School before training as an Architect at Glasgow School of Architecture. In 1925, he set up in practice at 38 High Street, Lanark, where his father had previously been in practice. He also became a Licentiate of the Royal Institution of British Architects.

His work included St. Andrew's Church Hall, Carluke, Elgin County Buildings and Abington Hotel. He was particularly involved in the construction of school buildings, including Blackwood School, St. Mary's School, Lanark, and Lanark Grammar School.

In WW2, Fraser served as a Captain in the 155 (The Lanarkshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. He was taken prisoner by the Japanese, probably at the fall of Singapore in 1942 and was a POW on Taiwan, mainly held in the notorious Kinkaseki camp. After he fell ill in 1945, he was transferred to the Shirakawa camp where he died on the 9th June 1945. After the war ended, his body was recovered and he was reinterred at the Sai Wan War Cemetery on Hong Kong.

He left a widow and two daughters.

See:
Commonwealth War graves Commission
Never Forgotten - The Story of the Taiwan POW's

William Ferguson Stewart

Born: 2 Aug 1917, Lanark, Lks
Died: Around 1990

Youngest son of John Stewart and Margaret Isabella Henry.

I have little information on William. According to my mother, he was also an architect like his father and brother. He also served in WW2 in the Middle East. He married twice and lived at some point in Welwyn Garden City in England.

Eulogy for my Grandmother

This Eulogy was written by my father and read by him at Gran's funeral in March 2003. I've added a few comments in brackets.

Margaret Kirkwood Lambert was born on 18th November 1903. The youngest of five children of Rev John Chisholm Lambert and his wife Kate. Due to illness her Father had been forced to give up the ministry and by the time she was born the family had moved to Fenwick to live near her Mother’s brother, Jack, who was minister there.

As the youngest, she may have been spoilt by the others. As a child when I was unwell, my Mother would tell me of the games her two elder brothers, George and Willie, would play with her to keep her entertained when she was ill. She was very fond of her brothers so that it was a very painful time for her when they were killed in the 1st World War. Her Father also died at that time reducing the family to her Mother and two sisters, Katie and Elsie. They were a strong Christian family, heavily involved in church affairs, getting and giving support through the war years. I think my grandfather must have been a very remarkable man and a considerable influence on my Mother and the rest of the family for the way they survived such a difficult period. Mother’s greatest tribute to him was to have me named after him. Initially this was a nuisance to me – as a child I had great difficulty in spelling Chisholm correctly. Now I consider it an honour.

Once Mother had finished schooling she went to the College of Domestic Science in Glasgow. In those days ladies were trained to be housewives and mothers. Mother was an excellent cook and baker, though whether she learned the skill in College or at home where there were other excellent cooks I do not know.

Between the wars, Mother also went off on holiday to the South of France acting as companion to her aunt (I think this would be Aunt Peggy - Margaret Fairlie). So when I eventually took my family abroad it was only to find out that she had been there and done that long before me!

In 1929, after the death of her uncle Jack (Rev. John Kirkwood Fairlie), a young brash Glaswegian, George Allan, came to Fenwick and, despite rejecting him three times, Mother and he were eventually married in 1932. They moved to Port Glasgow and started bringing up their family of four. It was now another difficult time with the start of the 2nd World War and raising a family before the days of antibiotics gave much concern. During air raids, I have been told I would sit on the cellar steps going “Boom, Boom”, every time a bomb fell. The children were soon evacuated back to Fenwick to stay with their cousins but Mother and Father stayed and were involved in various supportive ways in the community.

In 1946, the family moved to Lanark. Father always considered himself extremely fortunate to be called to Cairns Church. In those days there was considerable competition for a vacant charge – changed days indeed! There was a lovely manse with a large garden and surrounding countryside which they greatly enjoyed.

How did Mother cope?
A family of four – three of them boys!
A large house which was always kept tidy, apart from Father’s study and darkroom.
A garden which she enjoyed and would have liked to spend more time in.
Heavily involved in church affairs and charitable works.

One of {my sister's) memories is of Mother in Lanark preparing for Guild meetings and hearing her pacing up and down, reading out loud a prayer or text, which she would use at the evening meeting. This was a duty she did not enjoy, but did admirably. Through Mother, (my wife) remembers being involved in Meals on Wheels and charity collections.

When ever we smelt cooking in the kitchen, we would ask Mother what visitors were expected. Lots of Committee meetings took place in the manse as well as all the other callers we had. When a church coffee morning was held a special request came to Mother – “Would she bake scones?” – they were renowned. No coffee morning was without them. The manse was a very welcoming place to all visitors. This applied to the family’s friends too. At one time George’s and my friends gathered every Sunday afternoon for cards in the lounge!

Father’s hobby was photography. Rather a messy hobby. Photographic prints frequently lying in the bath! Mother took this in her stride and took great pride in his achievements, proud of the lectures and pleasure the photographs gave people.

Having been brought up in the countryside, Mother enjoyed the outdoor life – she and Father started caravanning before the war and continued after the war. This enjoyment she has passed on to her family.

When Father retired in 1966, they moved to North Berwick and enjoyed 20 years of retirement making many friends. Theirs was a long and very happy marriage. Now they were being visited by the grandchildren. All holidays for the grandchildren involved some time at North Berwick. I know they all have very fond memories of their grandparents there. My family always remember Grandpa appearing at the caravan at Yellowcraig with a poke of fish and chips for them!

After Father’s death, Mother moved to Ponteland, first to Dunsgreen and then to Abbeyfield House. Again her very strong faith helped to carry her through sad events and cope with another upheaval in her life. Here she was close to (her daughter) and her family. Watching them growing up and being involved in some of their activities gave her a lot of pleasure.

Mother had a gift for getting on with people. She had many friends where ever she had stayed. When she arrived in Ponteland in 1986, she was over 80 and she made the effort to get to know people around her. She made and enjoyed strong friendships. She became part of the Church here but also joined the Methodist Guild where again she had a circle of friends. Many members of the congregation here have written expressing admiration for Mother, and I know that at church in Lanark on Sunday there will be many similar comments.

Abbeyfied House became her home. She had good friends there and we cannot thank the staff enough for their help and assistance to her. She also enjoyed pottering in the garden there, whether the Committee approved or not! She and Rita could always hide in the bushes if the Committee arrived unexpectedly.

For many Mothers age, it is said that they have outlived their contemporaries and friends. Mother had outlived her contemoraries but she was still making friends and was still looking forward. The last time I visited her at Abbeyfield, she was saying that it was time to reduce the photographs of grandchildren from her room and replace them with photos of great grandchildren. Photographs were important to her in her last years. She enjoyed looking through her albums, reliving her memories of her life and her family and updating with photographs of the next generation.

Throughout her long life, she had a very strong Christian faith and was a devout member of the church. She was an example to us all and a very very hard act to follow.

Today is really a celebration of a long happy fruitful journey. She did not quite make the 100th birthday – that would have been a celebration! But that does not matter, as a family we are very proud of her – we loved her dearly - she was a gracious and remarkable lady.

A little family history - Alexander Colin Stewart

My maternal grandfather was Alexander Colin Stewart, born in Lanark in the south of Scotland on 12 Apr 1908. He was the second son of John Stewart and Margaret Isabella Henry who were married in Turriff, Aberdeenshire, in August 1903.

Between 1913 and 1926, Colin attended Lanark Grammar School before studying at the Royal Technical College, Glasgow (now part of Strathclyde University). In 1931 he graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Civil Engineering. For the next 2 years he completed his apprenticeship under Mr J.T. Babtie. He then went to work for the Road Research Laboratory as an Assistant Engineer where his work mainly involved the use of concrete for roads. In 1934, he also became an Assocate Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

In Lanark on 10 July 1935 Colin married Gladys Farquhar. At the time, he was living at 12 Marion Road, Southsea, Hampshire and was working for the Admitralty. Gladys lived with her mother in Lanark and commuted to work in Glasgow.

In 1938, Colin was sent to work overseas and he and his wife went to live in Singapore where their son was born, returning to England in 1939. While in Singapore, Colin's work involved building bridges. After their return to the UK, the family lived for a time in Petersfield, Hampshire, but by mid 1942, Colin had been sent to work in Scotland and the family moved to 104 East King Street, Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire.

In August 1942 Colin and Gladys's daughter was born in Glasgow. However, not long after moving to Helensburgh, Colin was again posted overseas. On 28 November 1942, he boarded the MV Henry Stanley in Liverpool, en route for Freetown, South Africa, possibly on his way to the Singapore area.

By 1942, the Germans and Italians had virtually closed the Mediterranean to Allied shipping and all merchant ships went round the Cape of Good Hope. Any journey to Singapore would therefore have been via South Africa, round the Cape of Good Hope, then to Mombasa, Kenya, across the Indian Ocean to Colombo or Trincomalee in Sri Lanka and then through the Malacca Strait to the North of Sumatra. Refuelling and re-provisioning stops may have taken place in South Africa and Sri Lanka.

There is a slight paradox here as the Japanese captured Singapore in February 1942. It is unlikely that Colin would therefore have been heading Singapore itself after then, certainly not in December.

However, on 5th December, the Henry Stanley was torpedoed by a u-boat (U103) and sank fairly quickly. The crew and passengers took to the lifeboats, heading for the Azores. The u-boat later surfaced and took the Henry Stanley's captain prisoner. During the night, a gale blew up, accompanied by heavy snow squalls. The U-boat commander decided to pursue the lifeboats to see if they needed assistance. However, the submarine shipped a heavy sea which flooded her engine-room and the chase was abandoned. Nothing further was heard of the four lifeboats and their crews, and it was presumed that they lost their lives in the storm.