Help looking for Family Descendants of Lifeboatman James McBay Johnshaven

[thehammies13]

Foggyman-
I think I replied to this posting AGES ago!  Just found some of my notes tonight.  Anything else may have been in emails from my cousin.

You have -   
John Mearns McBay, b 1877, died ?, wife Helen Mackie Blues, parents: John Mearns Jnr.McBay and Christina Alexander 

I have -
John Mearns Mcbay(b1877)  m Helen Mackie Blues 24.10.1902
They had a son - John Mearns McBay  b 18.11.1909
Helen Mackie Blues died 4.1.1910

John Mearns McBay (b1877) then married Mary Cargill (widow of George Milne) 21.10 1921 at Gourdon.   I don't think they had any children, but Mary Cargill had two daughters - one married my uncle.  My cousin remembers John Mearns McBay, her 'Deddy' - that's Gourdon/Gurden speak for grandfather!

[Johnner Kid]

I have -
John Mearns Mcbay(b1877)  m Helen Mackie Blues 24.10.1902
They had a son - John Mearns McBay  b 18.11.1909
Helen Mackie Blues died 4.1.1910
John Mearns McBay (b1877) then married Mary Cargill (widow of George Milne) 21.10 1921 at Gourdon.   I don't think they had any children,  .....

Thanks for that, I'm now clearer on the various John Mearns McBAY lines.
Here are the earlier ones.

[foggyman]

Hi All,
Alexander McBay b. c1705 Ireland???, married Janet Anderson 19 Sept 1727 Broadhyth,Rathven, Banffs. Scotland. Both died in Broadhyth, Alex d. 1765 and Janet d.1775, they had eight children:- Jean b. 19 Sept 1727, James b.31 Aug 1729, Alexander b.27 Aug 1732, William b.1737, d.1737, b/d not recorded, William b.15 Jan 1738, Elspet b.15 May 1741, and twins Anna and Robert b.29 Dec 1745, all born in the parish of Rathven,Banffs.
The stories handed down through the McBay line that I have been told is that two McBay men came from the sea and married two local Blues girls(cousins???).
I have a theory that the two McBay men may have been Father James b. 1729 and his son John b. 1754 Broadhyth in a previous marriage in Rathven on 30 Sept 1752 to Margaret Smith b. c1735 and died c1768. James and Margaret had four children two may not have survived and his son John b. 1754 and daughter Janet b. 1762 came  to Saint Cyrus,Kincs together.
This is my theory based on all the evidence I have collected.
I look forward to any comments.

[Johnner Kid]

[quote The stories handed down through the McBay line that I have been told is that two McBay men came from the sea and married two local Blues girls(cousins???).
I have a theory that the two McBay men may have been Father James b. 1729 and his son John b. 1754 Broadhyth in a previous marriage in Rathven on 30 Sept 1752 to Margaret Smith b. c1735 and died c1768.......This is my theory based on all the evidence I have collected.
I look forward to any comments.
quote]
My comment is that Foggyman has proposed a much better theory than the notion I had.
I simplistically assumed that two brothers had married two local sisters and established families in the fishing community of Miltonhaven in St Cyrus Parish just a few miles south of Johnshaven.  I now happily abandon that notion.
There is evidence in the Old Statistical Account that Miltonhaven was destroyed by a winter storm and the McBey survivors moved their families to Johnshaven where they had relatives.

[bluesy60]

Hi Johnner Kid,
Many thanks for info. and photos.
You say you remember John Bey, Cy Bey and Tammie Blues as old men,
but do you know who there parents/wives/children were? I have some names as follows:-
Alex, McBay, b1880,died?, parents: Edward (sma ned) and Martha Alexander.
Alex.McBay.b1878,died 1963, wife Jane Lownie Watt, parents: John Mearns McBay b.1828 and Elizabeth Pert.
Another:
Alex. Mcbay b.1878, died ?, wife Isabella Taylor, parents: Edward (lang ned) McBay and Geogina Waiter.
Alex. McBay, b1879, died ?, parents: John Mearns Jnr. McBay and Christina Alexander.

John McBay, b 1894, died 1978?, wives Elizabeth Chalmers and Jessie Simpson, parents: William McBay and Susan Young McBay.
John McBay, b 1886, died 1971, parents: Logie McBay and Agnes Farquhar Donaldson.
John Mearns McBay, b 1877, died ?, wife Helen Mackie Blues, parents: John Mearns Jnr.McBay and Christina Alexander.

Thomas Duncan Blues, b 1871, died 1959,wife Isabella Soutar, parents: Thomas Blues and Jane Mackie. ( was he known as "Tam").
Thomas Blues, b 1899, died ?, Parents:Thomas Duncan Blues and Isabella Soutar ( was he known as "tam")
More to come, stopping for lunch after another marathon typing session for me.
I look forward to all comments.

Hi There my name is Kenny Blues, Thomas Blues b1899  (died in the late seventies) was my Grandad  he was also awarded the BEM for his part in the rescue of passengers when his ship the "LONDON" was in a collision in thick fog . Thomas Blues b 1871 "Diddy Tam" was my great grandfather.He was awarded one of the twelve cups from Denmark which I have in my possession.

[bluesy60]

Hi Johnner Kid,
Many thanks for info. and photos.
You say you remember John Bey, Cy Bey and Tammie Blues as old men,
but do you know who there parents/wives/children were? I have some names as follows:-
Alex, McBay, b1880,died?, parents: Edward (sma ned) and Martha Alexander.
Alex.McBay.b1878,died 1963, wife Jane Lownie Watt, parents: John Mearns McBay b.1828 and Elizabeth Pert.
Another:
Alex. Mcbay b.1878, died ?, wife Isabella Taylor, parents: Edward (lang ned) McBay and Geogina Waiter.
Alex. McBay, b1879, died ?, parents: John Mearns Jnr. McBay and Christina Alexander.

John McBay, b 1894, died 1978?, wives Elizabeth Chalmers and Jessie Simpson, parents: William McBay and Susan Young McBay.
John McBay, b 1886, died 1971, parents: Logie McBay and Agnes Farquhar Donaldson.
John Mearns McBay, b 1877, died ?, wife Helen Mackie Blues, parents: John Mearns Jnr.McBay and Christina Alexander.

Thomas Duncan Blues, b 1871, died 1959,wife Isabella Soutar, parents: Thomas Blues and Jane Mackie. ( was he known as "Tam").
Thomas Blues, b 1899, died ?, Parents:Thomas Duncan Blues and Isabella Soutar ( was he known as "tam")
More to come, stopping for lunch after another marathon typing session for me.
I look forward to all comments.

Hi There my name is Kenny Blues, Thomas Blues b1899  (died in the late seventies) was my Grandad  he was also awarded the BEM for his part in the rescue of passengers when his ship the "LONDON" was in a collision in thick fog . Thomas Blues b 1871 "Diddy Tam" was my great grandfather.He was awarded one of the twelve cups from Denmark as was my Grandad which I have in my possession. An interesting fact about Diddy Tam was that while attending to his fishing boat in Montrose Basin he was strafed by a german Heinkel and had a good portion of his side shot out. He had to wear a special brace on his side thereafter

[foggyman]

Hi Blues60,
Thomas Blues B.1899 is my 3c2r and our common ancestor is Alexander McBay/Christian Ritchie. I have a lot of information on our early ancestors if you are interested. My Line is Thomas McBay b.7 Dec 1811(3x Grt.G/F) m. Martha Davidson 1835,Garvoc,St.Cyrus,Kincs. they had four children, John(2xGrt. G/F) b1835 Mariner m. Carherine McKenzie 4th. Qtr. 1857 Sunderland Co.Durham, England. They had four children, John(William)(Grt.Grandfather) m. Ann Jane(Elizabeth)Finch, 15 June 1880, Sunderland, Co Durham, they had four children, Martha(Grandmother) m? Alexander Wyllie,a marr. not proven.
Your John Blues b. 1788 marr. my Elizabeth McBay(4xGrt.Aunt) 5 May 1837 they had six children.
My Thomas McBay b.1811 was a Master Mariner and mastered several ships. He died in Peterhead Harbour,Scotland, under suspicious circumstances and was found in the water apparently crushed between moored boats on 22 Oct 1870 aged 58 and was buried under the name of James McBey in the grave of his friend.

[bluesy60]

Its amazing how childhood memories are awakened when events like these are discussed.
I remember John Bey, Cy Bey and Tammie Blues as old men.  (Cy is local Johnner vernacular for Alexander and the name McBay was always reduced to BEY which just happens to be the pre 1855 spelling on gravestones).  In my childhood the story of the disaster was still being talked of thirty years after the event. Eileen's Leopard article will no doubt resurrect it again.
Among my miscellany of Johnshaven stuff I have unearthed some short transcripts from newspapers of the time:

From the "Mearns Leader" dated 24th December 1920.
"JOHNSHAVEN LIFEBOAT DISASTER”
Three Men Drowned
A sad disaster befell the Johnshaven lifeboat James Marsh, on Tuesday afternoon at the entrance to the harbour on returning with the shipwrecked crew of nine, of the Danish three-masted barquentine, Fredensburg, when three of her company were lost by drowning.

From "Mearns Leader" dated 14th October 1921.
"LIFEBOAT CREW HONOURED"
….. the lifeboat, while negotiating the entrance to the harbour, capsized, thus resulting in the loss of three lives. Amongst those who perished was James McBay, Mid St. (cousin of John McBay, the coxswain) who succumbed within an arm's length of succour from the land, with his wife a spectator of the heartrending spectacle. Two members of the shipwrecked crew were also victims.
Captain Hoyer Millar [Danish Vice Consul at Montrose] said he was proud to be asked to perform the presentation.  [Twelve cups presented to crew of lifeboat]

Scotsman 16 August 1921:
"JOHNSHAVEN LIFEBOAT CREW HONOURED .
TWELVE SILVER CUPS FROM THE KING OF DENMARK.
The Board of Trade have received through the Foreign Office twelve silver cups, which have been awarded by His Majesty the King of Denmark to John McBay (coxswain), George McBay (second coxswain), Thomas Blues (No. 1 bowman), and James Dickson, Barclay Cargill , James D. McBay, Thomas Blues (No. 2), John Ritchie, John William Stephen, Alexander McBay, John Mearns McBay, and Robert Paton, members of the crew of the Johnshaven lifeboat James Marsh in recognition of their services in rescuing the crew of the schooner Fredensborg, of Korsor, which was wrecked in St Cyrus Bay on the 21st December 1920. A monetary award [50 guineas] has also been made to the widow of James McBay, ….

Also these photos taken by me in recent years the location of the disaster


Hi There my name is Kenny Blues, Thomas Blues b1899  (died in the late seventies) was my Grandad  he was also awarded the BEM for his part in the rescue of passengers when his ship the "LONDON" was in a collision in thick fog . Thomas Blues b 1871 "Diddy Tam" was my great grandfather.He was awarded one of the twelve cups from Denmark as was my Grandad which I have in my possession. An interesting fact about Diddy Tam was that while attending to his fishing boat in Montrose Basin he was strafed by a german Heinkel and had a good portion of his side shot out. He had to wear a special brace on his side thereafter

[Johnner Kid]

Hi Kenny,
Don't think I can send you a PM yet -- you need to post a couple more times before that feature opens for you.
The article about the lifeboat disaster in Leopard magazine was written by a friend of mine, Eileen Townsend.  The photograph of the crew on the title page of the article list two men by the name of Thomas Blues.  They would be your great grandfather and grandfather.  I remember an old man called Tammie Blues who lived in the cottage near the end of the harbour dock.  I also remember a Dod Blues (in non-Johnner speak that would be George of course).  In my middle teens I actually bought a BSA Bantam motor bike off George.
As I said, Eileen is a friend, would you like me ask her for the source of the photograph she used in the article she wrote?

Cheers,
Sy