Margaret Winter Born May 26th in Sibley Iowa

This is a document I have handwritten on lined paper with 1894 written on top left and right.  I think it is an biography of Margaret Winter by her mother. She titles it "Louisa Margaret Winter." 

Born May 26th 1894 in Sibley, Iowa on Saturday night about eleven o'clock.  Dr. H. Neil ...grandma Wright and nurse Barnes were there to attend to all of your needs.  Our first little daughter and our only little daughter great was our joy, especially your fathers, because you were a little girl baby.   You were a very sweet little baby, only weighed 9 lbs., a small baby compared with the three big brothers who preceded, you were a dear quiet lovely infant.  Malcolm could not say all of your name.  So he called you Easy, he had been out at uncle Joes with his aunt Jennie for a week.  James and Ray were at home and Hattie was there also.  

When you were six weeks old I had gone out for a few minutes when I returned you were not where I had left you.  Malcolm had lifted you and carried you across the room and laid you on bed.  I explained to him how dreadful it would have been had he happened to drop you,  he said he would never do that any more.

Your first visit was at your uncle Josephs, where your grandmother Wright and your aunt Jennie and uncle S. P. Wright all lived.  Your first tea party was at the Rev. Wests.  You were invited with your mother, you were much admired and kissed and passed from one dear lady to the other.  You were baptized in the Little Rock church by the Rev. Brintnell name Louisa Margaret, but I gave you in addition all of the names I had selected for my other daughters, you being the only one, must have them all as follows.  Elizabeth, Mary, Nancy, Kate, Emily, Caryl Louisa Margaret.  Your eyes were beautiful big brown eyes your hair was light and flaxen.  You always smiled at me and gave yourself a cute little shake whenever I looked at you from the time you were very young.  When you were six months we moved from Sibley onto a farm we had purchased out near Little Rock.  When you were three or four years old you imagined that Santa Claus must have a little boy and you called him Johnnie Claus.  You called the garden the "gadie" and was never happier than when among the flowers and growing things.  Miss Lela Green taught our school and boarded with us.  You were very fond of her, and she hung two cute little dolls, one on each end of the Christmas tree for you from Johnnie Claus.  Then you were surprised and happy.  And your brothers were convinced that there was a Johnnie Claus.  Miss Green allowed you to come to school every Friday afternoon that was when you were three years old.  You had your own little slate and pencil, and primer, so you started to school quite a baby did you not.  You could ride a horse when seven years old, yes and bring her in from the pasture which joined the house yard, the way you managed it, when her head was down as she cropped the grass you would jump up on her neck and as she lifted her head you slid down onto her back.  However your real study did not begin in school before you were past 5 years.  At 7 you were well up in the second reader your playmates were Jeannie and Gracie Virst.  You have had measles, whooping cough and chicken pox.  The songs you liked me to sing when you were quite small were Sleep baby sleep, and A dear little girl sat under a tree.  Sleep baby sleep.  Your cottage vale in deep clear white.  The little lamb in the green with fleece so soft and white.  Sleep baby Sleep.    Sleep baby sleep.  Your father is ---  He is the lamb of God in high.  Who for us all came down to die.  Sleep baby sleep.

[to be continued]                

Clan Murray Family History as Related to the Winter Family of Bovina

I have a handwritten document in cursive passed down in a scrapbook that is associated with my mother's aunt, Margaret Winter. The latest date in it is 1928.   The first part of it looks to be a copy of a genealogical account of the Murray clan history.  After that we get the following:


"Below is a copy of Murray Family Record taken from the family Bible brought by William Murray and his wife Jean Black Murray from the parish of Eskdalemeuir, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, to Bovina, Delaware County, New York about the year 1818.    - 

Robert Murray - Moffat, Scotland.  [This may be the name of the first owner of the Bible]

John Murray  born  Sep. 28, 1754
Margaret Murray "  Mch. 28, 1755
William Murray   "  Sep. 28, 1757
Jean Murray "  Feb. 27, 1760
Robert Murray  "  Nov. 2, 1762
Alexander Murray  "  Dec. 5  1765

We do not know which was the father of William Murray born in 1790 at Moffat, Scotland who married Jean Black. 

Children of William Murray and Jean Black Murray

Robert Murray  Born   1814 [crossed out]    Died ___
John Murray      "        ___                         "      ___
Jean Murray      "        ____                       "    Mch. 1, 1893
Rebecca Murray "      Feb. 3, 1827            "     Oct. 5, 1903
William Murray  "       Nov. 21, 1828          "     June 7, 1887
David Murray     "       Oct. 15, 1830          "     Mch. 6, 1905
Christia Murray   "      Mch. 17, 1832        "      May 14, 1868
Johanna Murray         1835                                          1879

Rebecca Murray married John Winter Dec. 31, 1846.  John Winter died July 7, 1869 at Bovina N.Y."  There are more descendents listed.  

I came across the following by a Mary Stockler in Murray Family Genealogical Forum July 18, 2007. 

"According to what I have found so far William Murray (b. 1790 or so in Eskdalmuir, Dumfriesshire, Scotland) and Jean Black (b. 1789 or so somewhere in Scotland) married, immigrated to the Delaware County, New York area in 1818, and had somewhere around 8 children, including William Murray Jr, a New York State Supreme Court Justice (my great-great-great-great grandfather)."


William Murray Jr. is mentioned in my document as "Justice of the Supreme Court of New York state from 1868 to 1884 retiring one year before his death on account of his illness." A book titled Courts and Lawyers of New York: A History, 1609-1925, Volume 1 by Alden Chester, Edwin Melvin Williams which records him as being a district attorney in the 6th district in 1850, a Judge in Delaware Conty in 1863, and a Justice of the Supreme Court in the 6th District in 1867.

The document also says that "David Murray was the first Minister of Education to Japan in 1872 also Professor of Mathematics at Rutgers College."  David Murray was quite a significant figure and has   a wikipedia page here.

My document also says that  "Christia Murray was a student of Mrs. Emma Wiilliard at Troy Female Seminary."  Emma Willard has an entry in Wikipedia:  "Emma Hart Willard (February 23, 1787 – April 15, 1870) was an American women's rights activist who dedicated her life to education. She worked in several schools and founded the first school for women’s higher education, the Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York. With the success of her school, Willard was able to travel across the country and abroad, to promote education for women. The Troy Female Seminary was named again the Emma Willard School in 1895 in her honor. " 

Christia Murray is given an few paragraphs entry in a free ebook Emma Willard and Her Pupils: Or, Fifty Years of Troy Female Seminary, 1822-1872  pg. 554.

In response to the Stockler post appears the following by Wayne Howell, GenSearch, July 19, 2007:  "This was work I did for a client back in 1998/99. The client has since died. However, I checked my records for that person and found this regarding the father of William Murray: W. Robert Murray, of Thorpland, Moffat, Dumfries, Scotland (no further information. Source: From Parish Moffat, County Dumfries, Scotland "Old Parochial Records", FHC, Salt Lake City. This information, at that time, was a dead end...and I did no more work for the client."  So it looks like the William Murray who was born in 1790 was son of W. Robert Murray of Moffat.

Jack's Oldest Radio Transmitter Skywriter Defiant 1941?

Today I donated Jack's (John Barnes Leddy) oldest radio transmitter to History San Jose.  This was in accord with his instructions before he died.  Here is a picture of the transmitter.  As you can see in the picture, it was a Skywriter Defiant high frequency communications receiver produced by Hallicrafters, Chicago.  The transmitter is described in this Radio-craft magazine from 1941

 

Mystery Photo Flooks Bakery, Pennsylvania?

In cleaning out my mother's (Jane Winter Leddy) apartment for her move to San Francisco I ran across this photograph in my dad's (Jack Leddy) collection.  He probably inherited it from his father Harold D. Leddy.  It looks like it might come from the Pennsylvania.  I earlier thought it might have come from Ireland, but some inquiries made that doubtful.   The only Flook's I can find is a meat market in Williamsport, PA, and this does not look like the images I am getting when I look at that.

James B. Eddie and the Congo Mission

Family legend was that James B. Eddie had contact with Stanley in Africa.  I found this report on the web which mentions Eddie and Stanley almost on the same page.  It is in the American Baptist 73rd Annual Report Proceedings of the Annual Meeting Held in Minneapolis, Minn  May 27.  Eddie was in England at the time of this report.

B O S TO N

MISSIONARY ROOMS , TREMONT TEMPLE

1887

Rand Auery Company, Printers, Boston

"THE CONGO MISSION .

The past year has been one of marked interest in the mission on the Congo. For several years much faithful and patient work had been done in acquiring the language, in translating hymns and portions of Scripture, and in preaching the gospel to the people as opportunity offered, but without large apparent results. In August, 1886, a remarkable movement manifested itself among the Congo people, who began to throw away their

fetich idols, and to profess the religion of Jesus Christ. The interest centred at Banza Manteke, where, in the course of a few weeks, one thousand and sixty-two professed themselves

followers of Christ; but the tide of feeling overflowed to other stations of our own mission, and to those of other missions.

The first Christian church in the Congo Free State was organized Nov. 21, 1886, at Banza Manteke, of forty-two members. The missionaries have been very cautious in

receiving candidates for baptism ; but, up to the last advices, ninety-seven had been baptized at four stations, and others will be received from month to month, as the brethren are able

to satisfy themselves that their faith is sufficiently intelligent to enable to adorn their profession as members of the body of Christ. There is an encouraging interest at all the stations; and especially at Banza Manteke the missionaries are tasked to their utmost in the work which presses upon them of training the Christians, teaching inquirers, and providing for the innumerable demands of the new work which has suddenly assumed such hopeful proportions.

The agreement adopted by the Baptist General Association of the Western States and Territories, and afterward ratified by the Executive Committee, and printed in the Missionary Magaz ine for December, 1886, provides that the association shall adopt its own measures for the collection of funds, appoint its missionaries, and select their fields of labor, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee; and also agrees that, “ at the earliest practicable moment, the association shall be represented in the Board of the Missionary Union, and also in the Advisory Committee at Chicago.” In pursuance of this

agreement, the two missionaries of the association have been placed on the list of the Missionary Union, and are now laboring at the station of Mukimvika, at the mouth of the

Congo. Great interest in the Congo Mission has been shown by the brethren of African descent, throughout the country; and much assistance in carrying on this interesting work may be expected from them, both in men and means. The charter of the steamer “ Henry Reed ” to the Congo Free State expired March 29 of this year. It is supposed that the steamer would take part in the transportation to the Upper Congo of Mr. Henry M. Stanley’s expedition for the relief of Emin Pacha, after which it will resume more directly evangelistic work. An association, called “ The Henry Reed Steamboat Company,” has been organized for the maintenance of the steamer and

its missionary work on the Upper Congo; by means of which has been collected, in the first three months of this year, mostly from the children in Sunday schools, $724.21.From the nature and exigencies of the work, frequent changes in the location of some of the missionaries are necessary; but the following is a list of the stations and missionaries at the last information : —

1. Mukimvika : Rev. T. E. S. Scholes, M.D., Rev. J. E. Ricketts.

2. Palabala : Rev. Joseph Clark and wife, Mrs. S. J. White, Mr. J. J. France (lay

assistant).

3. Banza Manteke: Rev. Henry Richards and wife, Rev. Edwin Small, M.D.

4. Mukimbungu : Rev. T. H. Hoste.

5. Lukunga : Rev. C. H. Harvey and wife, Mr. C. E. Ingham and wife.

6. Leopoldville: Rev. A. Billington, Rev. A. Sims, M.D., Mr. J. B. Murphy.

7. Equator Station: Rev. John McKittrick, Mr. F. M. Gerrish.

On the way to the Congo : Mr. J. H. Camp (engineer), Mr. J. M. Lewis, Miss Lina Faulkner, Miss Lenore Hamilton, Miss L. C. Flemming.

In England: Rev. P. Frederickson, Rev. Charles B. Glenesk, Rev. Charles B. Banks, Rev. James B. Eddie, Mr. Herbert Probert..."

Weatherforecat.com

More on James B. Eddie

I found an address for James B. Eddie in his hometown of Elgin, Scotland.  It is 10 Murdoch's Wynd.  This appears in Proceedings and Debates of the Church Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, Held at Edinburgh, May 1881, ed. Reverent John Thompson.  Edinburgh:  John Ballantyne and Co. 1881.

Another piece of information about James B. Eddie is found the the Crocker's San Francisco Director online: 

St. James' Mission (St. Paul's Parish). Location 
—Clement street, near Fifth avenue. James B. 
Eddie, Lay Reader. Sunday services, 7:30 p. m. only; 
Sunday School at 2:30 p. m. 

"Some Notes on Family History" memories from Margaret Leddy

I ran across these notes on family history which I wrote in pen probably in my early twenties or late teens...so probably in 1968-1972 (there is no actual date on the notes).  I believe I took these notes while interviewing my grandmother at her home during a visit to Costa Mesa.   "Margaret Leddy (my grandmother) remembers Uncle John and her father seated in the living room debating scripture.  At that time here father had become interested in Christian Science [her brother Hamish Leddy became a Christian Scientist].  Uncle John had converted to Catholicism after having introduced Catholic novelties into his Presbyterian church [I have posts on this on this site - his conversion was discussed nationally and there were even opposition pamphlets printed].  Margaret says that Uncle John converted twenty seven people to Catholicism on the boat over from Scotland [and] when he arrived in Altadena where the Edies were then living:  he also converted Margaret and her sisters.  The children had already been attending Catholic church services as they were much disillusioned with the Episcopal Church.  Margaret says that her rather resigned from the Church because of jealousies on the part of the Bishop [Salt Lake City...the issue was more complex as can be seen in my other posts on James Eddie].  However many of the parishioners supported them and when they moved to Altadena they were largely supported by contributions from the former parish.  Mr. Eddie became a real estate man at one point, and was fairly successful in this capacity."

In these notes I also described some photographs of Margaret's: "The young Hamish seems bright and self-possessed.  Margaret has an airy almost ethereal dreamy look.  Iona has bright wide-opened eyes even when young.  There is one picture of Iona with an Indian nurse, Merge Annie in 1898.  Another picture shows Hamish in the choir at St. Mark's Cathedral, Salt Lake City.  The daughters obviously adored their older brother who almost seems conceited in his photographs.  Another picture shows Hamish behind his mother on a horse in the Utah Mountains 1904-5.  This picture is notable for its recording of camp life.  Women wore white, boys wore sports-coats and caps, white laundry was hung on fences, the tents were large[ly] white (probably).  There is even a chair on a platform and a tin bucket.
      Hamish appears again and again,  In one picture 1906 at Uncle Charles' estate in Kirkconnel Scotland, he has on a white cap, striped shirt, and knickers.  This is a coy picture, no smile, the same self-confidence.  Another in 1894 is titled "Hamish and his framed picture of Gladstone."  The frame is an extremely simple affair made of four pieces of wood hammered together.  Hamish looks proud of his work:  is wearing a sailor's suit.  In the same year he is pictured with Nelie the horse in a buggy wearing a large hat.  Also in this collection is a picture of Hamish at graduation from Pasadena High School 1912 wearing a false white collar.
     There is a photograph of Elgin Scotland which is James B. Edie's birthplace.  Artifacts from Congo, Africa, are said to be in the museum there (as he was a missionary).  "His ideals were Stanley and Livingston."  The picture is quite large showing a farm in the foreground and a town with about five churches in the background.  Another picture shows Elgin Cahtedral West Towers with cemetery.  The cathedral is in ruins.
     Other pictures of note:  a charming picture of Margaret 1898, one of her mother Margaret."  The document cuts off there.  

The Elgin Museum still exists.  It's web site says "Elgin Museum is Scotland’s oldest independent museum.
The collections are housed in a Grade A listed building at the east end of the High Street. Here you will find objects displayed from all around the world, but especially from Moray, dating from before the dinosaurs to the present day.".