Post Script for Agnes Forbes Simpson Stewart Flynn..Artifacts and COUSINS!

Last Post on this blog left questions unanswered...so here is an update for you.



The first question I had posed was great-grandmother Agnes's middle name FORBES.

THANKS TO ANCESTRY.COM  for clues, and checking Scottish records it was
discovered that her Grandmother on her mother's side was AGNES FORBES!

She married ANDREW SIMPSON June 2, 1840.  Their 2nd daughter Jane
is our great - grandmother Agnes' mother.  Now that leaves more questions as
to the Forbes ancestry. The next blogpost will provide more details.


The second question I had posed comes from great-grandmother Agnes' journal
where she stated she visited her grandmother and grandfather's grave site
while she was in the Mauchline area.  There was no indication whether it was
her Simpson or her Stewart grandparents.

Thanks again to Ancestry.com and 1881 Census records, it was discovered that
the Simpson grandparents, Andrew and Agnes Forbes Simpson, had moved to
Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England.  In fact both are buried in West Derby,
Lancashire, England.

Therefore the grandparents Agnes' journal was referring to were the Stewart 
 grandparents.Grandparents James and Barbara D Stewart were found on the 
 1881 Scotland Census in Mauchline.  They resided at a Path-Head residence 
 living with their youngest son, William W. A. Stewart and his family.  
 They are both ages 71 at the time of the census, so although no death records
  have yet been located, we can assume they were buried in the Mauchline area.

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We are fortunate to have a few items that originally belonged to great-grandmother
 Agnes which I gladly share here with you.

Her journal, wicker rocking chair, photo album, framed embroidery linen,
framed photo of Agnes Forbes Simpson Stewart and some of the unnamed photos
taken in Barrow-in Furness from the photo album:

Journal of  the 1929 trip 

Agnes' wicker rocker

Front and back of photo album's velveteen cover 

enlarged front cover of photo album

Agnes' handiwork embroidery

original frame and glass colored photo of Agnes Forbes Simpson Stewart Flynn

Sisters?

A Mom?

A dad?

Brothers?

I've been curious about these studio card photos for 20 years and now that 

I have looked carefully at Agnes' journal, I am wondering if the children were her 

cousins and if great -grandmother Agnes visited them on her 1929 trip.

The biggest clue is these were all produced at the same studio, 

 in Barrow-In-Furness, England, and perhaps at the same time.  

Checking the family size of each of Jane Simpson's siblings, the only one

who had a family of seven children was her sister Agnes Ramsay who raised 

her children in Barrow.

The 1880 census of Barrow-In-Furness shows Andrew and Agnes Forbes Simpson 

listed as grocery store keepers. No idea what year they moved there, but it was

some time after 1864 when their youngest daughter Harriet was born in

Greenock,Scotland.

Their daughter, Agnes, married William McEwan Ramsay in 1876 He was a painter and decorator. According the the census records from 1861-1911, the family moved from Hartington Street, to Duke Street, to Abby Road, in Barrow-In-Furness.

By 1881 William had employed 22 men and 7 boys working for him.  He had a 

servant and Agnes' sister Marion living with them, possibly to help with the

four children. 

By the 1891 Census there were 6 children, a servant, and Agnes' sister Harriet.

The list of children and their ages on this census seem to match the studio cards.  

On the 1901 census, their last son, Victor Lord, is 4 years old.  

So I am assuming the photos were taken about 1886, before Victor was born. 

That year James was 19, William Simpson 16, and Albert 11.

Edith Forbes was 14, Agnes May 13, Emily 8, and Maud Simpson 6. 

Agnes Simpson Ramsay was 41 and William Ramsay was 45.  

The journal also mentions visiting a Mr. or Mrs. Ramsay's residence at

Grange-Over-Sands on June 6 1929, which is not far from Barrow.  

Cousins James and William had already immigrated to Canada by this time. 

Agnes, William and Victor had all  passed away before her visit.  So this home 

might have been Mary Ramsay's home as she  was separated from her husband,

cousin William Simpson Ramsay at the time. 

Journal pages mentions having tea on various days with Edith, Clara, Emily, Maud, 

Edith, Betty,  and Mrs. Ramsay. Further evidence in her journal on June 9, she 

records a picnic with names that match her cousins and their husbands found on 

census records around that time. 

I'm not sure who Lille and Billie are but they might be children of Emily and Jack.

Another photo from her album most likely is Victor Lord Ramsay.  His military records

show that at age 19, Victor joined the Military Service, the Royal Engineers, 

Regiment M2/192182, Battalion 57th Divisional Mechanical Transport

in 1916. Unfortunately, he died on February 9, 1919. 

Victor's father, William, added him to the large beautiful Celtic tombstone he had

prepared for his wife, Agnes Simpson Ramsay who passed away on

October 21, 1912.  Later William was buried there as well.  

On the reverse side of the monument, Harriet M Simpson's memory is

mentioned. Apparently she was also buried there.  Perhaps she never

married, but stayed with the Ramsay family for most of her adult life.  

The fact that Great-Grandmother Agnes started her 1929 trip at Barrow-In-Furness, 

and that she mentions Edith more than any other names in her journal, makes me 

think that she stayed with her cousin Edith as a home base for her trip.  

The 1911 Census mentions that Agnes and William  Ramsay had eight children at the time. 

What do you think? Do the photos match the Ramsay family data? 

More details next blog.......Agnes' other cousins!