Gemmell Family Scotland to Canada Help Please

[Flickgirl]

Hi Everyone,

I am looking for ship records for the Gemmell family who emigrated to Brandon in Canada from Ayrshire in Scotland some time between 1901 and 1914.  The family consisted of:

Thomas Gemmell (born 1852 Glasgow, Lanarkshire)
Janet Gemmell nee Ferguson (born 1852 Dunlop, Ayrshire)
Ann Gemmell (born 1883 Glasgow, Lanarkshire)
Mary Bisset Gemmell (born 1885 Glasgow, Lanarkshire)
Margaret (F?) Gemmell (born 1888 Ayrshire)
James Ferguson Gemmell (born 1891 Stewarton, Ayrshire)
Janet Ferguson Gemmell (born 1892 Stewarton, Ayrshire)

I have the family on the 1901 census in Ayrshire and in the Henderson Directories at the Brandon library it says that Thomas Gemmell born 1852 was a book keeper for the gas company in Brandon in 1914.  Any help greatly appreciated.

Regards

Michelle

[cosmac]

Not what you're asking for but you can search the Brandon Cemetery online
http://www.brandon.ca/main.nsf/Pages+by+ID/428
Your can find the graves for
Thomas Gemmell d. 24 March 1918 at age 67 (the age is from Manitoba Vital Index website)
James Ferguson Gemmell b. 1891/03/11 d. at 42 1933/10/14 at Hamilton Ont
Janet Ferguson Gemmell b. 1893 Berth, Scotland d. 1978/05/13 at Brandon
Margaret Ferguson Gemmell b. 1888 Ayrshire d. 1974/12/21 Sunset Haven Nursing Home
Janet Gemmell Ferguson b. 1853/07/30 Dunlop, Scotland d. 1950/07/28 at Brandon age 96


Debbie

[Flickgirl]

Hi Debbie,

Thanks for that but we already have all the information from the Tombstone in the cemetery - it's been a great resource!

Regards

Michelle

[Jacquie in Canada]

Here is a link to the WWI attestation papers of James Ferguson Gemmell at Library and Archives Canada:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/06p1/
There are instructions at the link on how to order a copy of the file. The cost depends on the size of the file.

It looks like the family didn't arrive together. There is a Gemmell family that consisted of Thos (60, bookkeeper), Janet (59), Mary (27, typist) and Janet (20, domestic) who departed from Glasgow on 28 Feb 1913 on the Letitia and arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick on 12 Mar 1913. Their final destination is listed as Brandon. Unfortunately I can't find the incoming passenger list at LAC. The outgoing passenger list is at Find My Past.

Jacquie

[MaureeninNY]

A*try has them indexed as Gem*Hell  living at 2319 Princess. (1916 census)

Brandon! My home town.

Maureen

[Flickgirl]

Hi Maureen,

Thanks for the information; I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I just can't find that record on A**y.  Is it on the 1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta?

Regards

Michelle

[Flickgirl]

It looks like the family didn't arrive together. There is a Gemmell family that consisted of Thos (60, bookkeeper), Janet (59), Mary (27, typist) and Janet (20, domestic) who departed from Glasgow on 28 Feb 1913 on the Letitia and arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick on 12 Mar 1913. Their final destination is listed as Brandon. Unfortunately I can't find the incoming passenger list at LAC. The outgoing passenger list is at Find My Past.

Jacquie

Hi Jacquie,

Thanks very much for that - it's good to finally have a year that they arrived in at least.  Is findmypast the only place to get this record? (I don't have a subscription there but do have one at A!)  I'm assuming it would be the incoming passenger list that would have the most information though anyway.  I've never had to look for Canadian passenger lists before - are they similar to US ones in that people have to give the name of a contact in the country and name of next of kin back in the UK?  It's a shame if that's lost.

I'm surprised that James Ferguson Gemmell and Margaret Gemmell seem to have come seperately - we already have the attestation papers for James from 1916 but thanks for going to the trouble of getting the link for me anyway.  Perhaps James came over first - hmm always more questions thrown up!

Regards

Michelle

[MaureeninNY]

Hi Michelle,
 Yes,it's on that census. Do a search for Janet F Gem*   . It should pop up OK.
 They're also listed on the incoming passengers as PENNELL-in case you're looking.

Maureen

[Jacquie in Canada]

The passenger list is available at Ancestry so I'm not sure why it isn't at LAC. The family is listed as Pennnell (with 3 "n") in the index at Ancestry and when you see the actual image you will see that it does look like that.

Jacquie