Death date for Captain James Phillip Stewart

[RedMystic]

Happy Easter Sunday Chatters.

I'm helping a friend with his family tree & have hit a brick wall.

I'm trying to find the death date and story for Captain James Stewart (b1863, St Nicholas Aberdeenshire) who apparently (oral history) died at sea. (I'll call him James II.)

He married in Shanghai, China in 1897 to May Margaret Brodhurst. Several related family lines were merchant seamen / captains involved in the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) & Boxer Rebellion (1900-01) so James II may also have had similar reason for being in that part of the world.

James II & May took their baby son, James Stewart b1898 (James III), to England, likely to meet his father, James Stewart (James I) who died in Aberdeenshire 5 Jan 1902. James II, with wife & baby James III, is noted as captain & gentleman in 1901 passenger manifest London to Australia. That is my last conclusive identification of him.

His wife, May Margaret Brodhurst, married Francis D'Aquilar or Frank Burton sometime before 1917 when Francis completed WWI attestation papers in England. She died in 1960 using the surname Stewart-Burton. Her son, Jame III, also used that surname.

Any help finding the death date & any information of the ship under his command, and/or his career for James Phillip Stewart, b1863 would be most appreciated.

[maddys52]

A posiibility? Death of Captain James Stewart of Aberdeen, drowned in the wreck of the Tridonia in 1916

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page16706967

[maddys52]

Actually, probably not as I see in British newspapers an account of this James STEWART's funeral which includes mentions of sons Hector and Alexander.

[RedMystic]

Thanks very much for the lookup maddys52. I was just heading off to look for the name of his wife, but you have addressed the matter by finding the names of sons.

It was a good lead, none the less.  Your effort is much appreciated.

[maddys52]

Another possibility, though possibly again a coincidence of names (and I can't see a death). James STEWART Captain of the Vimeira, noted in a few newspaper items as being the "winner" of a race across the ocean from Sydney to Falmouth in 1907 between the Vimeira and the Port Jackson. He is described as being from Stonehaven.

[RedMystic]

Thank you. I'll look into that one to see if I can figure out his wife's name, but suspect it's not the same fellow.

The James Stewart I'm looking for was baptized at Saint Nicholas, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. That's 15 miles from Stonehaven.

Darn that VERY common name.

I really appreciate the help. 

[maddys52]

No worries! - I'll keep looking 

[AMBLY]

When May Margaret's father John Campbell Brodhurst died 13 Sep 1913 in Shanghai, there was an obituary published….

In the last paragraph of the obituary it referred to his being survived by "a wife and a daughter, the latter being Mrs F D Burton"

So James Stewart was deceased, and his widow had remarried, before 13 Sep 1913.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/119389753/john-campbell-brodhurst

Cheers
AMBLY

[RedMystic]

That's brilliant Ambly. Thank you.

I'm heading off to bed. I'll get back to working with you in the morning.