Gavin Greenshields (1821-1890) was my great-great grandfather. His daughter Helen Watson Greenshields emigrated to the states (South Dakota)with her husband David Graham (1854-1942) and gave birth to my grandfather, Maynard David Graham.
The linked article from the Journal of Horticulture and Practical Gardener[/i] (21 Jan.1892) makes him sound like quite a character: a former blacksmith turned grocer, horticulturalist, fisherman, and self-educated man. I know that he built a house called Thornbank and that two of his daughters, Jessie and Jane, ran the grocery after him. His youngest son John Christie died young at age 26, and both he and his older brother George Watson Greenshields worked for the railroad. Another son James Thomas became a schoolteacher, went to South Africa, and became a schoolmaster at Fountainhall, Stow, where he died. His son Gavin was apparently a farmer in the area until the 1940s.
I would love to see a photo of the house, any photos that anyone might have of the family, or any other information about Gavin, his wife, and children would be appreciated. (An obituary of Gavin Greenshields, for instance, bears references to Robert Browning--but I have not found the exact source of that obit.)
I am also wondering if any Greenshields still reside in the Broughton area.
Thanks for any and all help.
Laura Zlogar
River Falls, Wisconsin, USA