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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Derry (Londonderry) => Topic started by: betty53 on Saturday 29 November 08 16:20 GMT (UK)
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Would anyone be able to help with the details of the death of Dr Robertson from the Roe Valley Hospital Limavady and the whereabouts of her burial?
Regars
Betty
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Could this be her?:
Dr. K. O. Robertson - her second name was Octavia because she was the 8th in the family - was recognized by everyone and the town was saddened when she was killed by being thrown from her horse." - from Limavady and the Roe Valley by T. H. Mullin (1983)
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Betty,
Aghadowey is correct about the manner of death and I think that the year is about 1935. This could be confirmed by ploughing through the microfilms of the Coleraine Constitution which I believe are available in Limavady Library
Regards
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Dear Aghadowey & Kingskerswell
Yes - correct lady and time - thank you both. Any idea of which churchyard she might be buried in?
Regards
Betty
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Betty,
Unfortunately, no. Hence my suggestion of the Constitution. I am certain that this lady would have had a long obituary. I have a couple of other "pots boiling" at the moment but if you give me time I will do the "ploughing"
Regards
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Agree that there should be an obituary for her in the local papers which unfortunately aren't indexed. Coleraine Library has Northern Constitution and Coleraine Chronicle for that period.
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Thank you both.
Regards
Betty
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The Times, 14 Nov.1935: ROBERTSON.- On Nov. 12, 1935, accidentally killed, Katherine Octavia Robertson, M.D., of Main Street, Limavady, aged 44 years. Funeral private.
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Very well done Aghadowey - does The Times have online archives - any mention of the church? Is there a possibility it might have been Christ Church Limavady? I helped run a Reminisence night there last Thursday (27th Nov) and got asked this question by a BBC researcher - could not give an answer.
Regards
Betty
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Have no idea where she was buried. I gave the full details of the death notice from the Times. As the funeral was private the place of interment was not listed. However, the local newspaper might have published details of the funeral, wreaths, mourners, etc. so it would certainly be worth checking.
Times Online: http://archive.timesonline.co.uk/tol/archive/
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Dear Aghadowey
found it - very many thanks.
Regards
Betty
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Christchurch Graveyard, Limavady [PRONI D/3672/4]
ROBERTSON
Elizabeth, wife of Robert B 26 June 1851
D 12 July 1922. Their youngest dau Kathrine Octavia
B 21 April 1892 D 12 Nov 1935
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Dear Gortinanima
I got a photograph of the grave today. Very many thanks.
To all of you who helped me with this thread - so many thanks for this, the details will get published next year by the BBC Storyfinders as they help commemmorate the closure of the Roe Valley hospital in Limavady. The Workhouse work will go on however!
Good joined up research folks, shows how good you all are - I appreciate your help.
Regards
Betty
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I am most interested in this discussion, as Katherine O. Robertson was my grandmother's youngest sister. (Actually, the Octavia was for the fact that she was the eighth girl, not the eighth child; there were four boys.) I was happy to be able to visit the hospital in 2009 and to see the portrait of my great-aunt, thanks to the kindness of my cab driver. I think she was buried in Drumachose Cemetery, if that makes sense, and it most likely would have been Church of Ireland.
I wonder if someone might be able to tell me where I might obtain a copy of T. H. Mullen's Limavady and the Roe Valley. I've seen it on Amazon, but for about $120.00 Canadian -- rather steep for me!
Regards to all,
Joan Robb
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Katherine O. Robertson & her mother are listed on a headstone at Christ Church, Limavady- details posted reply #11.
I might have a copy of Limavady and the Roe Valley for sale. Sorry to be a bit vague about it but have sorted through hundreds of my books lately deciding which ones to be sold and can't remember if I put it in the 'for sale' boxes or not. Will have a look later.
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Hi,
As Aghadowey said the headstone is in Christchurch which is the Church of Ireland church for the parish of Drumachose. There is also a Presbyterian church in the town which is known as Drumachose Prebyterian Church.
Regards
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Hi,
The book, Limavady and the Roe Valley, gives a brief resume of the prominent families of Limavady. This is a short extract entitled Robertson/Ritter.
" Jane Alexander, sister of S.M. Alexander of Roe Park, married 1850 E.F.C. Ritter, while another sister Anna married 1857 Alfred Stanton M.P. E.F.C. Ritter and his wife, Jane, had a son John E. Ritter (who married his full cousin Elizabeth Stanton and had family Stanton, John, Leslie and Alfred) and a daughter Elizabeth who married a Scotsman Robert A. Robertson and had a large family. Those remembered for their local connections were Miss Dorothy Robertson of Dogleap House and Dr. K.O. Robertson of the local hospital."
Regards
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Thank you! I am blown away by how quickly and helpfully you replied, aghadowey and kingskerswell! aghadowey, I would be so very appreciative if you found the book and were willing to sell it me for a reasonable price (i. e., not 60 + pounds!) and of course I would pay any postage and other costs. Your area (I presume?) is quite magical, and was for my extended family (mother's generation especially, as for my grandmother's) a favourite place to visit and hike, explore, and enjoy the peaceful country.
My great aunt Dorothy loved her dairy farm and at one stage my own grandmother Grace Robertson, whose post-secondary education was cut short to care for her grandmother Jane Alexander Ritter at the Dog Leap, was possibly going to stay there to help run it. She came to Canada and studied dairy farming at the Guelph Agricultural College (now University) in Ontario, Canada at the turn of the last century but married a Coleraine (and Ballymoney) man, Cyril Benson, and lived very modestly on a farm in Nova Scotia, where she raised her children and made very good friends. (Thus we are Canadians.) Another of the Robertson sisters, Muriel, worked for decades at the Lister Institute as a protozoologist, and did ground-breaking work regarding sleeping sickness and trichomonas. The family think that EFC Ritter and Robert Andrew Robertson brought a great love of learning and inquiring spirit into the family (Alexanders). It was lovely to see the Roe Valley Country Park, including land that once was handed down from Sir Thomas Philips. I hope you will excuse my ramblings. It is fun to put some reality and context to stories I heard growing up. Thank you for your replies. Joan Robb
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Joan,
Many thanks for your reply. I enjoyed reading it. A further snippet which may be of interest. I believe that one of the Robertson daughters was the driving force in having the workhouse in Limavady converted to a hospital about 1933 and Dr. Robertson was the first surgeon but was only allowed to perform basic operations because of the level of male chauvinism in those days. My mother was employed as a midwife there on her return from a stint of nursing in Newfoundland in 1938 and that was where she met my father. Thus it is highly likely that the actions of your forebears were instrumental in my birth.
Regards
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Kingskerswell,
Continuing in the same vein, I was born in the Roe Valley Hospital in September '45. Maybe your mother was in attendance? :)
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Drumalief,
No, my parents married in 1941 and my mother became a farmer's wife in Ballyness. However I was also born in the Roe Valley hospital in 1942, my brother was born there a year later and my sister in July 1945.
Regards
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There is a lovely photograph of her in the Workhouse Museum in Limavady kingskerswell and i saw it a few years ago
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Dear Joan,
I am currently researching Muriel Robertson, who I believe from reading your post was a relative of yours. I am a Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow and I work on the parasite Trypanosoma brucei, for which Muriel described the life cycle. We are holding a symposium on 8th Jan next year to consider the contributions of three great scientists from Glasgow: Robert Leiper, William Leishman and Muriel Robertson (see http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/glasgow-encounters-with-tropical-disease-tickets-18603376199), and I have (as a fellow female parasitologist working on T. brucei) been asked to talk about Muriel Robertson. I am keen not only to showcase her remarkable work (both on T. brucei and the many other organisms she researched), but also to try to bring her alive as a person, and wonder whether you might have any stories or photos you would be willing to share.
Best regards,
Tansy Hammarton
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I am most interested in your post reference Dorothy and Katherine Robertson. Dorothy was also MY great aunt and I spent many happy days at the Dogleap. I was brought up in Limavady and am sitting with another cousin, looking through old Robertson photographs. My grandmother was Noni, one of the youngest Robertson children. She married an Aubrey Lane.
The last of the 21 first cousins died last year ( my father was one of them ).
Who was your connection to the family??
Look forward to hearing from you....
Penny
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Also to the lady researching MUriel Robertson. I do have photographs and information about her. Still trying to sort a lot of family information but could provide something if it is not too late for you.
Penny Croutear
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I am most interested in this discussion, as Katherine O. Robertson was my grandmother's youngest sister. (Actually, the Octavia was for the fact that she was the eighth girl, not the eighth child; there were four boys.) I was happy to be able to visit the hospital in 2009 and to see the portrait of my great-aunt, thanks to the kindness of my cab driver. I think she was buried in Drumachose Cemetery, if that makes sense, and it most likely would have been Church of Ireland.
I wonder if someone might be able to tell me where I might obtain a copy of T. H. Mullen's Limavady and the Roe Valley. I've seen it on Amazon, but for about $120.00 Canadian -- rather steep for me!
Regards to all,
Joan Robb
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I am most interested in this discussion, as Katherine O. Robertson was my grandmother's youngest sister. (Actually, the Octavia was for the fact that she was the eighth girl, not the eighth child; there were four boys.) I was happy to be able to visit the hospital in 2009 and to see the portrait of my great-aunt, thanks to the kindness of my cab driver. I think she was buried in Drumachose Cemetery, if that makes sense, and it most likely would have been Church of Ireland.
I wonder if someone might be able to tell me where I might obtain a copy of T. H. Mullen's Limavady and the Roe Valley. I've seen it on Amazon, but for about $120.00 Canadian -- rather steep for me!
Regards to all,
Joan Robb
To Joan Robb
My grandmother was also one of the sisters of Katherine and Dorothy. I have a photograph of all 12 brothers and sisters and would love to chat to you via private email. We are cousins !! I lived in Limavady until I was 18 and have been back several times each year to visit my mother. My father was the son of Gertrude Llona Robertson.
Don't wish to put my email on here but look for Penny Croutear on Facebook ( lives in Devizes ) and message me there.
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Dear Penny,
Just seen your post. It would be great to chat about Muriel, and to see your photos - I'm currently writing up an article about her (to be submitted in the next few weeks), so any extra information you can give me would be fantastic. My contact details can be found here: http://www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/iii/staff/tansyhammarton/ Please send me an email!
Best wishes,
Tansy
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To Joan Robb
My grandmother was a sister to Grace Robertson, your grandmother.
I knew Dorothy, Jane and Muriel Robertson as a child and spent many days at their home The Dogleap. I would love to get in touch privately re family
Penny Croutear..not sure how to get u my email privately.
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To Joan Robb. Please contact me on (*). We are cousins. Your grandmother and mine were sisters. I lived in Limavady as a child and know the Dogleap well. MUriel, Jane and Dorothy Robertson all lived there when I was a child. My grandmother was Gertrude , known as Noni, and lived nearby. Would love to get in touch. Penny
My father was Max Lane, son of Gertrude, one of the .12 Robertsons
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