Help looking for Family Descendants of Lifeboatman James McBay Johnshaven

[ev]

that's ok 

barclay cargill born 1891 bervie kincardine(SP)
did he survive the disaster ? death showing in 1976 stonehaven born c1892

marriage for a barclay cargill to mary dickson 1916 benholm kincardine
mary possibly died 1917 montrose and barclay remarried in aberdeenshire

football team 1897(john mearns mcbay)-

http://www.johnshaven.com/index.asp?id=1&refID=10&refID2=13&refID3=18&contentID=18

i'll add to this post if i find anything else

ev

[foggyman]

Hi Ev,
The only member of the crew to die was James McBay plus two members of the ship "Fredensborg" who were in the overcrowded lifeboat.
Reards

[ev]

there was a james donaldson mcbay born 1882 benholm kincardine(SP)
if you are sure that james mearns mcbay died in 1920 then perhaps the 2
men have been confused 

ev

[foggyman]

Hi Ev,
Many thanks for coming back to me, I have problems retaining what I read and it is nice to be able post and very nice people help me.
You are right the James D died 1948 Gourdon. I have carefully read the article again and found another snippet that helps, the article quotes "Jean McBay was searching the grey waters for her husband Jim. Already they had lost their two sons, Jim and John aged 14 and 2 years. In the melee at the pier head it was difficult to make out who was still in the water. As panic reached fever pitch, Jean McBay heard her brother-in-law Alex. known as Cy Bey( was he the Alex.McBay the crew member?) give a shout. He had spotted Jim just beyond the the mouth of the harbour," unquote. As there were a lot of the villagers of Johnshaven watching the awful events and trying to throw ropes to the men in the water, it is not clear who the Alex.Mcbay is!. I now believe the James that died was James Mearns McBay b.1882,Johnshaven,Benholm and was married to Jane Mowatt (Jane/Jean again) date unknown. Jim McBay was washed ashore dead.
Once again many thanks for helping me with this as I have no one down hear in Surrey that is interested in family history.

[ev]

there are a few trees on rootsweb that would seem to confirm our thinking

http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=rivait&id=I17478

http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=laurelle&id=I17745

ev

[Johnner Kid]

Its amazing how childhood memories are awakened when events like these are discussed.
I remember John Bey, Cy Bey and Tammie Blues as old men.  (Cy is local Johnner vernacular for Alexander and the name McBay was always reduced to BEY which just happens to be the pre 1855 spelling on gravestones).  In my childhood the story of the disaster was still being talked of thirty years after the event. Eileen's Leopard article will no doubt resurrect it again.
Among my miscellany of Johnshaven stuff I have unearthed some short transcripts from newspapers of the time:

From the "Mearns Leader" dated 24th December 1920.
"JOHNSHAVEN LIFEBOAT DISASTER”
Three Men Drowned
A sad disaster befell the Johnshaven lifeboat James Marsh, on Tuesday afternoon at the entrance to the harbour on returning with the shipwrecked crew of nine, of the Danish three-masted barquentine, Fredensburg, when three of her company were lost by drowning.

From "Mearns Leader" dated 14th October 1921.
"LIFEBOAT CREW HONOURED"
….. the lifeboat, while negotiating the entrance to the harbour, capsized, thus resulting in the loss of three lives. Amongst those who perished was James McBay, Mid St. (cousin of John McBay, the coxswain) who succumbed within an arm's length of succour from the land, with his wife a spectator of the heartrending spectacle. Two members of the shipwrecked crew were also victims.
Captain Hoyer Millar [Danish Vice Consul at Montrose] said he was proud to be asked to perform the presentation.  [Twelve cups presented to crew of lifeboat]

Scotsman 16 August 1921:
"JOHNSHAVEN LIFEBOAT CREW HONOURED .
TWELVE SILVER CUPS FROM THE KING OF DENMARK.
The Board of Trade have received through the Foreign Office twelve silver cups, which have been awarded by His Majesty the King of Denmark to John McBay (coxswain), George McBay (second coxswain), Thomas Blues (No. 1 bowman), and James Dickson, Barclay Cargill , James D. McBay, Thomas Blues (No. 2), John Ritchie, John William Stephen, Alexander McBay, John Mearns McBay, and Robert Paton, members of the crew of the Johnshaven lifeboat James Marsh in recognition of their services in rescuing the crew of the schooner Fredensborg, of Korsor, which was wrecked in St Cyrus Bay on the 21st December 1920. A monetary award [50 guineas] has also been made to the widow of James McBay, ….

Also these photos taken by me in recent years the location of the disaster

[foggyman]

Hi Johnner Kid,
Many thanks for info. and photos.
You say you remember John Bey, Cy Bey and Tammie Blues as old men,
but do you know who there parents/wives/children were? I have some names as follows:-
Alex, McBay, b1880,died?, parents: Edward (sma ned) and Martha Alexander.
Alex.McBay.b1878,died 1963, wife Jane Lownie Watt, parents: John Mearns McBay b.1828 and Elizabeth Pert.
Another:
Alex. Mcbay b.1878, died ?, wife Isabella Taylor, parents: Edward (lang ned) McBay and Geogina Waiter.
Alex. McBay, b1879, died ?, parents: John Mearns Jnr. McBay and Christina Alexander.

John McBay, b 1894, died 1978?, wives Elizabeth Chalmers and Jessie Simpson, parents: William McBay and Susan Young McBay.
John McBay, b 1886, died 1971, parents: Logie McBay and Agnes Farquhar Donaldson.
John Mearns McBay, b 1877, died ?, wife Helen Mackie Blues, parents: John Mearns Jnr.McBay and Christina Alexander.

Thomas Duncan Blues, b 1871, died 1959,wife Isabella Soutar, parents: Thomas Blues and Jane Mackie. ( was he known as "Tam").
Thomas Blues, b 1899, died ?, Parents:Thomas Duncan Blues and Isabella Soutar ( was he known as "tam")
More to come, stopping for lunch after another marathon typing session for me.
I look forward to all comments.

[Johnner Kid]

Hi Foggyman,
Give me a bit of time, I'll do my best to sort out what I know. 
You need to know that I'm now obviously fairly long in the tooth.
The Johnsaven times I'm remembering were when I was hardly yet into my teenage years.
I had two particularly close McBay friends, Ian, gransdson of Cy and Toosh (don't ask me why she was called such a strange name).  Ian's family left the village.
My closest friend was Eddie son of Edward (who was the local butcher).
He and Eileen's brother Allan were close friends right through my early teens and even later when they were called up for National Service in the RAF and I had joined the M N and only returned occasionally to the village for holidays.

Cheers,
Cy Pitt (or just Pitny) - as I was known then

[Johnner Kid]

Hi Foggyman
It has taken me a week to sort out my accumulated notes on the Johnner Bysers.
I think they are now in shape that is readable by others.
I'll send you a file in pdf off list.

Your question re Thomas -- that would almost certainly be rendered as Tam or Tammie in the Johnner vernacular.  Nobody I knew ever got their proper name.  Hence McBay = Byser.
William = Wully or Wulty  : Alexander = sometimes Sandy but more often just Cy oe Elik.