William Smith

[SWH1]

Hi and this is my 1st post on here,
 im trying to trace a William Smith of Aberdeen, he lived i believe in Union st around 1913. He was an artist and worked as a clerk with the Scottish Womens Hospitals during 1914-1915. I am researching the works of the Scottish Womens Hospitals and i know he went on what was known as the great Serbian retreat.

many thanks alan

[GR2]

The Aberdeen Post Office Directories are available on-line at the National Library of Scotland website. I had a quick look at the one for 1911-12 and, amongst others at 259 Union Street, are Douglas Strachan, artist, Wm. Smith junior, artist, and Allan Sutherland, artist.

[GR2]

The "Dictionary of Scottish Painters 1600-1960" mentions a William Smith, born Aberdeen, painter of landscapes in the Highlands in oil and watercolour, who died in 1941.

"British Artists 1880-1940" mentions a William Smith who exhibited 1889-1919. His address was Edinburgh in 1889 and Aberdeen in 1896.

Neither of these may be your man. Worth contacting Aberdeen Public Libraries or the Art Gallery there.

Looking in the Aberdeen Post Office Directory for 1910-11, it makes it clear that 259 Union Street must have been a studio leased by a group of artists (Wm. Smith still there). This time it gives the home addresses of the various artists. William's is 21 Brighton Place. When you look the street up in the directory, 21 Brighton Place is occupied by Wm. Smith (Bonaccord Press). That sounds like your William's father.

[ev]

Hi and welcome , Alan

Adding a bit of background -

http://scottishwomenshospitals.co.uk/

ev

[SWH1]

Hello, many thanks GR2, that sounds as if it could be him.

thanks Ev  for putting my web site up i was not sure if that was allowed. I found around 30 women who joined the SWH during ww1 from Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Really pleased as my gran was from Finzean. I will maybe get the names together and post them some time.  But for now am trying to find out about William as he had a real adventure in 1914-1915.

kind regards Alan

[SWH1]

Hi, just wondering if anyone had ant update on William, am really looking for more information on family background, he really had a very interesting life and i would like to find out more, did he marry? kids etc. He was a painter right enough.

regards Alan   

[ED2005]

Hello. I don't know if there's any connection here but...
My ancestor was Arthur Smith (b1814-d1882) marine artist and glazier from Aberdeen and son of William Smith (painter and glazier) and Elizabeth Bannerman. He lived the last years of his life at 13 Commerce Street, Aberdeen. In his Will he mentions a brother - William Smith.
I found a press cutting about a book of verse called Hame Spun Rhymes by a James Smith of 13 Commerce Street. Apparently the book was published by Bon Accord Press which was owned by a William Smith.
I know there is a William Smith (the artist) and also William Smith (compositor and owner of Bon Accord Press) and I wondered if either of these could be connected to James Smith and Arthur Smith.

[Forfarian]

SWH1, have you got a copy of the 1911 census listing for William Smith at 21 Brighton Street? It seems to me that that is the key to the whole thing. It will tell you his age and birthplace, and his marital status, and the names, ages and birthplaces of his wife and children, if any. This should lead you to his marriage certificate and hence to the names of his parents.

According to the CD-ROM transcription of the 1881 census Arthur Smith, 66, widower, painter and glazier, born Aberdeen, is at 13 Commerce Street, Aberdeen with unmarried daughter Jane, 38.

FreeCen http://www.freecen.org.uk/cgi/search.pl lists Arthur Smith, 36, at 25 James Street with wife Helen, 20 and children Elizabeth, 14; Jean, 8; and William, 5, plus brother-in-law William Forbes, 12. Clearly, if Helen's age is correct, she cannot be the mother of the children, so it looks as if Arthur must have been married and widowed twice.

The community indexed IGI at lists the baptism on 26 June 1835 of Elizabeth Bannerman Smith, and on 29 August 1837 of Isobel Paul Smith, daughters of Arthur Smith and Martha Farquharson; and the baptism on 1 September 1814 or Arthur Smith, son of William Smith and Elizabeth Bannerman.

The 1841 census lists Arthur Smith, 26, painter, at Yeats Lane, with Isabella, 25, Elizabeth, 5 and Isabella, 3. So I now wonder if Arthur was married (and widowed) three times, first to Martha Farquharson, then to Isabella, then to Helen Forbes?

ED2005, have you got a copy of Arthur's death certificate? This should confirm, or not, the full names of his wives.

The 1881 census lists at 3 Findlays Court, Aberdeen William Smith, 48, printer compositor, born Skene, with wife and family. This looks like the family of William Smith and Margaret Hendry, married in Aberdeen on 31 December 1859.

At 24 Rose Street is William Smith, 40, printer manager, born Aberdeen, with wife and family. This is the family of William Smith and Mary Ann Duncan, married in Aberdeen on 28 December 1864.

Both of these Williams are far too young to be sons of William Smith and Elizabeth Bannerman, whose 13 children (Elizabeth 1795; James and William 1797; Alexander 1799; John 1801; Jean 1803; Mary 1805; Thoms 1807; Isabel 1810; Hannah 1812; Arthur 1814; William 1817; Margaret 1819) were all born between 1795 and 1819, and the one born in Skene looks unlikely. However the one born in Aberdeen in 1840/1841 could be a grandson.

[ED2005]

Thanks for this... there is A LOT of information there for me to go through. I do know that Arthur Smith was indeed married 3 times. Apparently the third one was rumoured to have taken place in France as it was illegal to marry a sister at that time. I don't know if there's a way I can find this out for certain.
I'm now not so sure (thanks to your info) that neither William Smith the artist nor William the compositor are related to Arthur. I need to do a big more digging to see who James Smith of 13 Commerce Street is. It could just be a co-incidence, but I think there's more to this.