8^th SEPTEMBER

PATERNAL GREAT-GREAT-GREAT UNCLE DAVID

David Small was born on September 8, 1827, in Forgandenny, Perthshire.  He was the second of the 11 children born to and David Small and Margaret Niven.

It appears that initially David followed in his fathers footsteps and worked as an agricultural labourer as on the 1851 census he is one of six farm workers at Balmanno Bothy. By his marriage four years later however, he is a railway guard. Interestingly, one of the other labourers at the Bothy, James McFarlane, has also joined the railways by 1861. For the next 10 years at least, David works on the railways in Dundee.

It is most likely that David worked for the Edinburgh & Northern Railway Company as this ran from Buntisland (where David was living at the time of his marriage) through branch lines to Dundee and Perth. Established in 1845 this Company became part of the North British railway in 1862.

David married Jane Whittet at the Bridge of Earn near Dron on the 26^th December 1856. Jane was the eldest of 6 children of shoemaker, Charles Whittet who came from quite an interesting family. The surname is not particularly common & is concentrated around Dundee and Perth and the family were very active in the formation of the early Church of Scotland.

David and Jane lived for most of their married life in Dundee. They raised two sons and two daughters; first at 34 William Street and then after David left the railway they moved to 11 Baffin Street. David died of cancer here on 8^th December 1892.

MATERNAL GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDMOTHER MARY BROWN

Another birthday today is that of Mary Brown who was born in Stewarton Ayrshire on this day in 1818. Mary was the fourth of 8 children of Mathew Brown, a mason and his wife Mary King. On December 3 1836 Mary married Stewart Smith who was a local stone cutter. They had eight children in 19 years, their eldest being my G-G-G-Grandmother Janet Cochrane Smith.

PATERNAL AUNTIE MADGE & UNCLE HORACE

Today is also the wedding anniversary of my Dad’s eldest sister Margaret (Madge) and Horace Johnson who married in Stockton on Tees in 1928