I mentioned in my previous post that I’d like to know more about Arthur BUCHAN’s next marriage as their children are mentioned in Roy Buchan’s book ‘From Peterhead to Passchendaele’. He had married his first wife, Christian BUCHAN in 1857 who had died by the 1861 census.
Marriage of Arthur BUCHAN and Christian BUCHAN 1857
I located Arthur and his sons on the 1871 census who were now living with Arthur’s new wife, Mary and their new half siblings – Andrew, Mary and Elspet.
Arthur & sons with new family on 1871 census
A search of the IGI located a marriage between Arthur and Mary BRUCE in 1864 which I then downloaded. Strangely, Mary’s parents are not listed.
Marriage of Arthur BUCHAN and Mary BRUCE 1864
I would say there’s a whole new story there.A further search of the IGI uncovered the births of their children, Isabella and Peter. This Peter is ‘Uncle Peter’ who Roy refers to as “a shadowy figure who followed the family to New Zealand, arriving in about 1910”. Auntie Isa was also mentioned in letters written by Roy’s father and uncles during World War I. “a rotter who deserted his wife and children” (Buchan, R., From Peterhead to Passchendaele, 2003, p145).
I’m still reading Roy Buchan’s fabulous ‘From Peterhead to Passchendaele’ which has thrown up some more avenues of research but have been wondering about Jessie’s husband who was also a BUCHAN. John’s parents, Arthur and Christian BUCHAN sounded familiar but the same names do keep cropping up in these fishing villages. How closely related were they?
The first step was to download their marriage certificate to prove the parents of John.
Marriage of John BUCHAN and Jessie BUCHAN (8 Nov 1883 – 4 Port Henry Lane, Peterhead (bride’s home))
Then I located the family on the 1861 census. Christian was deceased and 2 of her sisters were living with Arthur – most likely helping with the 2 young children.
Arthur BUCHAN and his young sons, John and Arthur on the 1861 census at 21 West Row, St Combs
I suspected she died during childbirth but she actually died shortly before the census was taken of consumption and pneumonia.
Death of Christian BUCHAN – 2 Mar 1861
I then looked to the transcribed 1851 census. Christian and her sisters were there and again appeared in 1841 with their other siblings. Which I will soon look closer at as a study of the village of St Combs.
Roy lists other children of Arthur and Christian but mentions that he believes some are half brothers and sisters and therefore children of another union after Christian died. Before I look further into the BUCHAN – BUCHAN connection, I’d like to find out more about this second union.
I had mentioned in ‘Desperately Seeking John’ that there was one BUCHAN who didn’t emigrate to New Zealand on the Rimutaka with the rest of the family. In Roy Buchan’s book ‘From Peterhead to Passchendaele’ he mentions that “there is thought to be at least one other who stayed behind.”.
Feeling inspired, I wanted to find out more about Charles BUCHAN (junior) – ‘the one that stayed behind’. He had appeared on all the census records between 1871 and 1891 – odd that he didn’t go with them. I wondered why he had stayed and considered whether his descendants were still living in the Peterhead area?
I downloaded Charles’ birth certificate:
Birth Certificate of Charles BUCHAN born 27 November 1865
After a search of marriages on the IGI, I was unable to find a likely match so I checked deaths. I hoped this would give me the name of his wife if he had at all married. Unfortunately, he hadn’t.
Poor Charles died at 26 years of age in 1892 – about a year and a half before the family moved to New Zealand. He died from consumption of the lungs (phthisis pulmonaris). His father, Charles (b.1830), was present at his death and registered the event three days later.Now we know Charles had no option BUT to stay behind.
Death Certificate of Charles BUCHAN – Died 30 July 1892
Sometimes as genealogists we have to wait years for answers.
Waiting for the required records to become available.
Waiting for the chance to visit somewhere that may hold the key. Waiting for some kind of miracle.
But by some extraordinary stroke of luck, I didn’t have to wait long at all (or do much work) to find the answers to the puzzles I listed on my Emigrating to New Zealand post.
As I searched for more information on the Rimutaka (there were a few ships with this name), I came across The Northern CemeteryThe Northern Cemeterysite. This site, I’m told, “brings together information from many different research sources to offer you a unique view of one of New Zealand’s most interesting cemeteries”. On this site I found excerpts from the book “From Peterhead to Passchendaele” written by Roy Buchan, who also turns out to be one of my distant relatives.
It also contains the following transcribed monumental inscription for some members of this family buried in the Northern Cemetery, Dunedin:
Monumental Inscription
(1)
In memory of
CHARLES BUCHAN
1830 – 1910
and Wife
JANET BUCHAN
1830 – 1915
JESSIE RITCHIE BUCHAN
1888 – 1908
JOHN BUCHAN
1858 – 1926
and Wife
JESSIE BUCHAN
1860 – 1910
Arrived in NZ on ship Rimutaka, 1893
from Peterhead, Scotland
and lie buried here.
(2)
In loving memory of
ROSEMARY ANN BUCHAN
Died 5th June 1988
Aged 41 years.
(3)
In loving memory of
ANNIE ROSS BUCHAN
Dearly loved wife of ROBERT
And loved mother of
LORELEI, ROBIN and ROSEMARY
Died 22nd March 1972.
Also ROBERT BUCHAN
Died 4th January 1995
Aged 90 years.
“Keep a green bough in your heart,
And God will send you a singing bird.”
(4)
In loving memory of
Henry J.D. SCRYMGEOUR
Dearly loved husband of LORELEI
Loved father of ROSS, MURRAY & ALISTAIR
17-11-1926 – 6-1-1999
(5)
CHRISTINA BUCHAN
1894 – 1978
The information I found on this site allowed me to answer the questions I had on my Emigrating to New Zealand post :
* Which Jessie and John are recorded above Alex’s family and how do they link to my family?
Jessie is Alex’s sister and John Buchan is her husband – I would now like to find out if John’s family were closely connected to Jessie’s.
*What happened to Alex’s sister Jessie (is she the Jessie mentioned above) and brother Charles?
Jessie also travelled to New Zealand on the Rimutaka (see answer above). It appears Charles stayed in Scotland:
“Four of their children were: Peter (1858), Jessie (1860), Alexander (1862), and William (1872). These sailed with their parents to New Zealand, but there is thought to be at least one other who stayed behind”.
* Which Jessie Buchan is buried in the family grave with Charles and Jessie (born Janet RITCHIE)?
“Their daughter Jessie died at the age of twenty in 1908 of meningitis and is buried in the same plot with her mother, who died two years later in 1910”.
* Who is Master John? I’ve had no record of this person so far – is he Charles and Jessie’s son?
He is John & Jessie’s son, apparently just tagging along with his grandparents.
I also now have more family members to fit into the tree.
“From the Road to the Northern Cemetery” by George O’Brien found on Auckland Art Gallery
NOTE: I did find an error in this information, which should be a warning to all of us NOT to accept all that we’re given without question. It appears the author confused Janet/Jessie Buchan (1833) with her daughter Jessie Buchan (1860) when he writes that her maiden name was also Buchan. I have much evidence to prove that her maiden surname was RITCHIE.
Thank you to all the people involved in sharing the information I found on The Northern Cemetery site – it is VERY much appreciated.
