Hi Siobhan,
Jane's eldest daughter, Maggie, dob 4th Jan 1903, married Sammy Frazer. Their second child, Anne Jane was my Mum.
Michael's first wife was baptised on 4th October 1854 in Downpatrick, and died on 4th Jan 1891.Their last child, John, was born on 9th Jan 1889. Maggie had a sister, Jane, baptised on 1st July 1859. It may well be that she named her own daughter after her sister, Jane. There is also a record of a Mary Ann Nichol, Father: Robert Nichol, Mother: Mary (as Maggie and Jane), being baptised on 12th Sept 1859. It is noted as an "Adult Baptism".
Michael worked on the railway with your 2xGt. Granda McAleer and may well have met your Gt. Gran through him. In 1911 he was working as a General Labourer and living in the Saint Rollox Home For Men - Common Lodging House, in the Townhead Burgh of Glasgow.
Maggie and Archie married on 1st Jan 1920. I well remember Aunt Maggie and Uncle Archie. They would come to Derry to visit my Granny Maggie. They were lovely people. Archie was always smiling and jolly and incredibly kind and patient with all us kids. They would always bring a big bag of fruit, which was big stuff back then. The last time I saw your Granny was one miserable, wet afternoon in Barry's Amusements, Portrush, in the summer of 70/71.
Robert, 5ft. 7 3/4 inches, 133 lbs, grey eyes, light brown hair, fresh complexion, first enlisted on 28th December 1897, Service No. 5805. He used Jane's date of birth as he was too young to enlist, and saw service in South Africa and India.
He went to Glasgow on discharge. By 1911 he's working for Glasgow Corporation as a "Tramway Car Motorman", and living as a boarder in Apartment 162, 20 Newland Street, in the Partick area of Glasgow.
With the advent of WWI he re-enlisted, Service No. 13133, as a Corporal, and was greatly responsible for the training of the new recruits, and is referred to in a book on the Seventh Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. They were known as "THE FIGHTING SEVENTH". The Battalion strength was 32 Officers and 995 other ranks, 1,027 in total. In March 1918, days before his death, Bob was photographed with the other 21 surviving members of the original 1,027 men who landed in France in Feb 1916. Going on those figures alone means that Bob had a 1 in 50 chance of surviving that far. When you take into account the number of replacements that came through the Battalion, it would not be unreasonable to estimate that the survival rate for the two years was 1 in 1,000! During that time Bob was twice wounded in action and rose to the rank of RSM.
The only account I have of Bob's death comes from my Granny Maggie when I was maybe four or five. She told me that he went up out of the trench and was blown to "smithereens" (her expression), and only his baton was found.
He was recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal but never received it.
His daughter, Margaret Jane (Greta), born 78 Duke Street, Derry, 30th June 1917 and Baptised 1st Jan 0 (possibly 1st July?). Her daughter, Cathy Ryan, lives or lived in London. I don't have an address for her.
My Granny Maggie and Bob's widow corresponded for the rest of her life. Granny always called her Bridget or Aunt Bridget.
Robert and Jane's brother John, 5ft. 9 1/2 inches, 161 lbs, grey eyes, fair hair, fresh complexion, a Fireman, enlisted in the Royal Garrison Artillery at Devonport on 26th Aug 1914, Service No. 48186, showing Jane as his next of kin and was instructed to report to the Citadel, Plymouth. The next entry in his record is "Absconded". Major Sharp wrote to Jane on 10th Dec 1914, asking for details of his Regiment. Jane replied on 14th that he was serving on the HMS Arethusa. The Arethusa was the name ship of the Arethusa class light cruisers and took part in the North Sea Battle of Heligoland Bight on 28th August 1918. John obviously wrote to Jane and most probably got the ship's name from newspaper reports of the battle. I found a John Dolan sailing from Glasgow to New York, but can't find the note of it. He may have gone to say goodbye to Mick. Mum never heard any mention of John.
To date I can find no reference to Patrick.
Your Granny Maggie's sister, Elizabeth Catherine (Lizzie), married Dan O'Hagan on 7th Feb 1921. Dan was a widower with three children, Dan, Nan and Betty. He and Lizzie had four children, Philomena, Frankie, Maureen and Paddy. At one time (1924) they lived in Portstewart and later in Duke Street opposite Jane and James. We would go over to Aunt Lizzie's to watch the Orange bands on 12th August. We would sit upstairs, and she would give us lemonade, cake and biscuits. She was a lovely woman, always smiling.
Jane died 18th April 1955. I was born on 16th Mar 1954 and clearly remember her. She suffered with arthritis. I distinctly remember being carried into her bedroom. She was in bed with a cage under the bedclothes to keep them off her legs. Mum put me in her arms, and she nursed me. She chatted away and smiled and laughed at me. I remember it as though it was yesterday. James died in the summer of 1953.
I hope you find this helpful. If you let have your address I'll send you copies of everything I have, or what you want out of it. Let me know what you think of it.
Best regards for now, cousin,
Joe.
