REID - Maxwelltown/Dumfries

[tongariro]

I have managed to successfully trace my father's family back to a James Reid (shoemaker b.abt 1781) and his wife Janet Clark (b.abt 1791) in Maxwelltown.  I have traced their son Thomas (1838 - my line) and their daughter, Agnes (1824) but I cannot trace their other children.  Though not desperately important, curiosity drives me to ask if anyone out there may have information to hand on the other children without going to much trouble:-

Margary Birnie Reid (1820), Angus  (1826), Jean (1829), Helen (1831), and John (1836).

Thank you

[mosstrooper]

You appear to have listed all the family with the exception of Agnes 27th Aug 1824 Troqueer. Which is where Maxwelltown was situated.

[tongariro]

Thank you for your reply.  I think I phrased my query a little obscurely.  I was really wondering if anyone knew of the subsequent history of the children (except Thomas and Agnes) - whether they married and had their own families etc.  I have been unable to trace them through Ancestry or Scotlands People so maybe there is no subsequent record of them except a 'possible' for Angus in 1851.  Thanks again for your response. 

[mosstrooper]

I am curious about your nome de plume "Tongariro" my uncle John was on board a ship called Socony which collided with the Tongariro during WW2 Atlantic convoys.

[tongariro]

Hi.  You are on the right line.  Tongariro was the name of a ship I worked on the 1970's - one of 4 sisters built in 1966 - Tongariro, Taupo, Tekoa and Westmorland, of the New Zealand Shipping Co - became part of the P&O Group.

The wartime Tongariro would have been the same shipping company.  Tongariro is the name of a volcano and also national park on the south island of New Zealand.

Socony may have been in the fleet of Socony Mobil Oil Co. Ltd which had a fleet of 10 tankers in 1964 (Part of the Mobil Oil group).  One of their ships was called "Socony Vacuum"! (built in 1954)

[mosstrooper]

Here are all the Reid names from 1841 Maxwelltown Census.

Reid - Agnes,  35      Mill Road 1
Reid - Angus,  15      Colledge Street W8
Reid - Elizabeth, 2    Mill Road 1
Reid - Helen, 10       Colledge Street W8
Reid - Isabella, 7     Mill Road 1
Reid - James, Flesher J'man  Red Lion Street 1
Reid - James, Farmer, Scotland   Mill Road 1
Reid - James, 60, Shoemaker (your man)  Colledge Street W8
Reid - James, 13, Scotland         Mill Road 1
Reid - Jane, 50                   Colledge Street W8
Reid - Janet, 9,         Mill Road 1
Reid - John, 2,          Red Lion Street 1
Reid - John, 6,          Colledge Street W8
Reid - Mary, 29         Red Lion Street 1
Reid - Mary, 8 months  Mill Road 1
Reid - Susan, 5             Mill Road 1
Reid - Thomas, 3,          Colledge Street,
Reid - William, 9,           Red Lion Street 1.

You will notice they are all staying at 3 addresses.
Also where Scotland follows a persons name, it means that person was not born in this parish of Maxwelltown.

I noticed that there were other people living at Mill Road 1 address.


Atlantic Convoy HX 148 departed Halifax Sep 4th. 1941 The Socony in Station 24, was rammed by the Tongariro in Station 25 and sank on Sept. 9th. with the loss of two lives, my uncle John Reynolds died.             

[tongariro]

Thank you for your trouble.  Interesting to see whole "tribe" together like that.  I had only listed the Colledge Street family before.  I'll poke around a bit with the other names and see what I can turn up.

Sad about you Uncle.  Convoys were excellent for their purpose but created hazards of their own - like the collision you mention.  Torpedoes were deadly but errors in zig-zagging and bad weather were very dangerous too.
I lay a wreath for the men and women of the Merchant Navy on each Remembrance Day, so your Uncle is included in that thought.  As they say -"We Will Remember Them"!