Marble Quarry Grays (Portsoy)

[Forfarian]

Hello Jasmine, and hello again Stewart1.

'My' branch of the Marble Quarry Grays are actually Stewarts/Stuarts, descended from Ann Gray (1860-1940), daughter of Alexander Gray and Ann Grant who married my first cousin three times removed, James Stewart, in 1879.

I knew a bit about her son George Stuart (1895-1927) who died in Singapore, but not William George Gray.

However a quick search suggests that Ann had a younger brother named William George Gray, who was born in the parish of Fordyce on 7 January 1867. (Portsoy is in the parish of Fordyce). William, aged 4, is in the 1871 census with his parents and four siblings at Marble Quarries, and Alexander is described as a farmer.

The obvious place to look for more information about him is in the online digitised newspapers at http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/default.aspx

I did so and found a couple of articles which told me that George Grant Gray, who died suddenly in 1937 aged 39, was the son of the late Mr Gray, a Scotsman who was headmaster of St Anthony's School. George had a brother Horace and a brother William; the latter had died in a boxing match before 1937. George left a wife and several children.

There is an obituary of Mr W G Gray in the Straits Times of 20 November 1922, which pretty much confirms everything else.

So I think there's enough there to be sure that Jasmine and Stewart1 are related, though Jasmine is not related to me. ajg141 and sigismunda are also related to both Stewart1 and Jasmine but not to me (or to Fordyce as far as I know).

[Stewart 1]

Thank you again Forfarian.

[Fordyce]

Another snippet:
From the Straits Settlements Government Gazette, December 23, 1904:
"List of Qualified Jurors, Penang, 1904"
"William George Gray, schoolmaster, Anglo Chinese School; Burmah Road"
and
Shipping line:    Nederland Line Royal Dutch Mail
Master:    Hemmes
Name:    Horace Gerald Gray
Birth Date:    abt 1898
Birth Place:    Straits Settlements
Age:    34
Arrival Date:    8 Jun 1932
Port of Arrival:    San Francisco, California
Ship Name:    Shinyo Maru
Port of Departure:    Kobe, Japan
Last Residence:    Borneo
Accompanied by:    A E
Friend's Name:    A E Maclachlan

My line Gray line connects with Peter GEDDES & Jean GRAY who marr 1730 both of whose families had lived at Mains of Birkinbog, Fordyce since 1705 at least. The GRAY line goes back James & Jean GRAY born est 1650 probably still in Fordyce. I haven't gone through the many GRAY collateral lines to come forward in time to see if any meet the Alexander GRAY at Marble Quarry, who was born abt 1816 in Fordyce, prob s/o William GRAY & Margaret PHILP.

[Stewart 1]

The Gray family headstone semi legible in Portsoy Cemetery.Next to it is the Stuart  stone ie Anne Stuart /Stewart  nee Gray.Can I post photo on here?

[Forfarian]

Can I post photo on here?

Yes.

[Stewart 1]

Will try to take one this wkend and  see if I can manage to upload it.

[Forfarian]

Stewart1 has been out and taken some photographs of the Gray gravestones, and asked me to upload them here.

[Forfarian]

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