Last update 9 January, 2010
My great-grandmother Jessie was born on Brindy Hill, Premnay, Aberdeen, on the 9th of March, 1866. She was one of a pair of twins. Her brother was Alexander. Their birth was listed as illegitimate, the children of James Glennie and Ann Thom. Speaking to people from the area, illegitimate births were not all that uncommon. Her father, James Glennie was 22 when he married Mary Michie on the 31st of May, 1866 in Rothiemay, Banff. I'll speculate and say that since James looked like he was the designated heir of his maternal grandfather, James Duncan, I feel like it is possible they quickly married him off to someone more appropriate than 32 year old Ann. This is a view without evidence, and may possibly be good intuition, or may be just too many romance novels. Jessie's mother, Ann Thom, was never married, though she had a few children. According to older people from Premnay and Insch, it was not uncommon in the area for young women to remain unmarried, and have a number of children by different men. The fatehrs often acknowledged these children in church, though there may have been some coercion to acknowledge by the parish members. Like her own mother in her younger years, Ann mainly worked as a servant, according to various forms, as a domestic servant according to documents up to Jessie's birth. Later, on the census, she was listed first as a pauper, then later as an agricultural servant. This is partially a reflection of the treatment of women at the time. Scots society believed that women should be under the protection/direction of men, either a parent, or an employer who is a householder. Young unmarried women often became servants early, agricultural servants, domestic servants, general servants, or tradeswomen. It is the case that some cities banned women living alone or with other women, on the premise that they were probably prostitutes. The exception to this rule was for widows, particularly those who ran their own business. |
Another factor was that from the sixteenth century, most Scots either rented land, or worked for someone else. Ownership of most land resided with either the lords, or the church. Almost everyone else rented, although renters may have had a claim, a heritable "right to rent" in various situations. Wills often specifiec the kin rights, or "kindness" one had in a property, and that "kindness" could be sold or transferred. An excellent book on the topic is A Kindly Place: Living in Sixteenth Century Scotland by Margaret H.B. Sanderson.
While the book covers the sixteenth century, it still remained the case that there really were "lords of the land", and the parish records of Premnay in the nineteenth century talk about the lords displacing farmers so they could "improve" agricultural practices. In any case, it was the case that some farmers, like the Duncan/Glennie family, maintained a long tenure on a place, the Mains of Wardhouse, while many of the named locations, farms and crofts, saw a fairly large turnover of tenants. Landlords were reassessing the profitability of crofting, and the clearances in the highlands made clear that ordinary people had no real security, unless they had wealth. Further, during the time of Jessie Glennie's life, the railroads penetrated many areas of Scotland, and industrialisation saw a huge expansion in the Glasgow region, some looking for a better life, others who were simply refugees displaced from the land.
The crofters and small farmers had it far better than the itinerant workers, listed as servants of various sorts. Women in particular often followed the pattern of beginning to earn their room and board at a young age, typically by 11 or 12. By the time they were in their early twenties, women had often begun to have children, either in or out of wedlock. Those children may have been looked after by elder relatives, the child's grandmother, allowing the younger woman to work, and possibly make some real money. In this, I think my great grandmother was not atypical.
When John Fraser was born, Ann Thom lived at Southbogs in Leslie. Andrew Duggan Thom's birthplace was listed as Brindy Hill, where Ann returned from Culsamond where she had been working. The twins were born at Brindy Hill aslo, although Ann herself was living in Auchleven. I have wondered if there was a relative living there, or perhaps a midwife she favoured.
I think my speculation may have some ground in reality, since Brindy Hill is nearer Keig than Auchleven, The location of Jessie's birth is given as Brindy Hill, rather than the croft of Brindy. A correspondant from the area expressed disbelief that the birth occurred on the hillside at 3am, but could not explain the entry for location of birth. It struck me that it could have been meant near the hill, at some small dwelling, but not necessarily Brindy croft. Note that Southbogs is just north of Brindy Hill, closer to Leslie and Premnay than Brindy croft.
WHile I've found no firm evidence, I've considered the possibility that Ann's mother Margaret White was the Margaret who married William Adam, and the presence of graves of the Adams, including William Adam and Margaret, may conceivably mean that Ann's mother was in this area, to the south of Premnay.
I mention the possibility of a relative, but stress that I have no hard evidence of a relative in that area. I have not found any firm trace of Margaret White, nor of a marriage or death, and the possibility of her living nearby would satisfy my desire to know what became of her.
I am uncertain how long Jessie lived with her mother. In the 1871 census, Ann Thom at 35 is listed as living at Broadford in Premnay in her own dwelling with only one room with a window. Living with her are her three sons, John Frasier, then 15, Alexander Glennie, then 5, and George, then 11 months. Ann is listed as a pauper, former domestic servant. 5 year old Jessie is no-where to be found, and I have yet to find her in any other census in that year..
The 1881 census shows Jessie at 15 already gone from her home, living as a servant in the home of the Rosses in Kirkton. I believe Jessie's brother Alexander was in Old Machar. I think he died on the 2nd of Dec, 1955, and doesn't seem to have lived around Jessie beyond early childhood.
On June 8th, 1884, Jessie had a daughter, Jane Ann Gammack. Jessie was 18, the father was James Gammack, a farm labourer from Paradise, Daviot.
Jessie's second child was John Glennie. He was born on the 31st of December, 1885. Jessie is listed as being a dairymaid, Domicil Auchleven, but the birth is a report of birth out of the parish. The actual birth is listed as happening at the Riccartsbar Asylum, in Paisley. I'm unsure why Jessie was there/ Riccartsbar was an asylum attached to a hospital. He is also the only child of Jessie's who I have found no further record of. I have not been able to find any source for records from Riccartsbar Asylum itself.Jessie had a third child, another daughter, Jessie Smith. Jessie was born Dec 29th, 1988, in Auchleven, where Jessie Glennie is again listed as a domestic servant. The baby is listed as Jessie Smith Glennie, though most of her life, and on most of her papers, she was known as simply Jessie Smith. No father was listed, though the supposition is that it was some young man with the surname Smith.
Jane Gammack went on to University, and became a teacher in Glasgow. Jessie Smith remained in the Premnay/Insch area, and lived with or near her grandmother until Ann Thom's death. Both are buried in Premnay, and as far as I know, both remained unmarried and childless.
Some time between 1884 and 1891 Jessie moved out of the the Premnay region to Glasgow, leaving her two daughters with her mother. In the 1891 census of Cathcart, Refrewshire (SE of Glasgow proper), Jessie is listed as a domestic servant in the home of James McBride. Interestingly, there are two servants in the house. The other is Margaret McCansh, a young woman born in Falkirk, Stirlingshire. She fits the description of John's sister, and John's wife Catherine was listed as McCansh on her death certificate. I think this is likely to be the way Jessie and John met. John had already married Catherine Gardiner in 1885. In 1891 they were living in Falkirk with baby Margaret. They would return to Glasgow in the next 2 years, prior to the birth of William.
Jessie's life changed course after meeting John McAnsh. She would marry him and spend teh rest of her life with him, travelling to North America.
The sequence of events in the following few years appears to be this. In 1891, Jessie is living near Cathcart, south of Glasgow,, as the older of two servants. The younger is her future sister in law, Margaret McAnsh. John McAnsh is married, and George Eddie is in Hutchesontown, Glasgow with his family. Sometime in 1892, Jessie becomes pregnant to George Eddie. In 1893 she has a child, Annie Eddie, in Hutchesontown. XXX.
As noted above, many unmarried young women seem to be listed on Scottish documents as servants. Jessie was a servant, as was Margaret McAnsh. Catherine Gardiner was also listed as a servant on the 1881 census, before marrying John McAnsh.
The following section will be dealt with in more detail in on the page about Anna McAnsh's family.
In 1893, Jessie had a daughter Annie, to George Eddie. I'm not certain how she and George met. It is possible that they mey through the McAnshs. The 1881 census indicates that John McAnsh's family include Janet Wright, a married sister. In 1881, George Eddie was listed as a border with the Wrights. This may be coincidence, but equally may not be, given Jessie's connection with Margaret McAnsh at a time when John McAnsh was still married to Catherine.
In the same year that Annie was born, Catherine had William, also in Glasgow. In August, Catherine died, and in April, John and Jessie were married. Jessie had three more children to John: Catherine (Kate), Isabella (Belle), and Mary Ann. The last was born in 1901.
Some time prior to 1905, John left for Canada. He apparently moved initially to Hamilton, Ontario in what was probably a supported migration scheme. In 1905, Jessie and most of the children followed. Maggie was not with them. I'm not certain whether she went earlier with her father, or whether she came at a different time. There is a Maggie McAnsh listed on the Ellis Island list, sailing as a servant on one of the liners, and making landings over a couple of years.
Maggie married and lived in Canada. Other of the McAnsh's seem to have moved, first to New York, then to the area around Virginia and Washington DC, or in the case of William and Anna, down south to, respectively, Atlanta Georgia, and Ocalla, Florida.
As near as I can figure, Jessie Glennie McAnsh died about 1924. at the age of 58.
Her mother, Ann Thom, died in Auchleven, Premnay, Aberdeen on 28th of July, 1925, at the age of 91. Jessie Smith is listed as the witness and person who was with her. Jessie Smith died in Insch on Sept 7, 1975. Ann Thom lived to be 93. Jessie Smith lived to the age of 87. Good air in Aberdeen?
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