tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post8788135018469808540..comments2023-11-26T09:58:42.772-08:00Comments on Roots'n'Leaves: Sepia Saturday, 2013 August 3: McPherson from Dundee to New York CityJoanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07948553013206247354noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-54870720956447885952013-08-12T20:03:59.514-07:002013-08-12T20:03:59.514-07:00Maria's father was william Burns, a bellhanger...Maria's father was william Burns, a bellhanger. With a name like William Burns inScotland further research was difficul.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-24521828232209368262013-08-12T19:12:09.133-07:002013-08-12T19:12:09.133-07:00All I know is that her father was William, a bellh...All I know is that her father was William, a bellhanger. Such a distinctive name for research purposes !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-27073333606200165382013-08-05T08:47:06.104-07:002013-08-05T08:47:06.104-07:00Ah, and you had a Maria Burns from Dundee, and I ,...Ah, and you had a Maria Burns from Dundee, and I , a Mary Burns from Dundee. Now, is your Maria by any chance related to the Jabez Burns, the well known Baptist & Temperance minister?<br /><br />As a honemoon cruise, I think it lacked something. In later years, they told their children that they arrived on the New York shores with only a handful of dried peas tucked in James' pocket.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07948553013206247354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-45903666069685106812013-08-05T08:41:40.177-07:002013-08-05T08:41:40.177-07:00I was thought that I might have been too obtuse ab...I was thought that I might have been too obtuse about the port to port element of the story. I have always like both pictures for how they played in the story, but the New York harbor from Brooklyn Heights always caught my imagination more. Seemed so bustling and burgeoning with life and activity-- rather like their new life in America. Thanks for reading and always appreciate your comments.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07948553013206247354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-34680398816968691752013-08-05T06:00:33.886-07:002013-08-05T06:00:33.886-07:00So the trip was their hoineymoon. I am so thankfu...So the trip was their hoineymoon. I am so thankful for all my ancestors who made a similar emigrant trip, including a housemaid who came to Australia from Dundee in the 1850s - Maria Burns. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-91240186958904275982013-08-05T02:10:17.562-07:002013-08-05T02:10:17.562-07:00Emigration is still an adventure, even nowadays.
...Emigration is still an adventure, even nowadays. <br />I dare not imagine too much their conditions. <br />You've provided enough details here, <br />and a great spin on the theme, <br />from port to port!! <br />:)~ <br />HUGZBruno Lalibertéhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09607511642101907283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-25502101261725554512013-08-04T18:54:53.451-07:002013-08-04T18:54:53.451-07:00Thanks for the kind words, Deb. Those old folks o...Thanks for the kind words, Deb. Those old folks of mine were indeed courageous, but then maybe the horrid conditions in the flax mills made them more so.<br /><br />You are right, Dundee is of the marmalade fame. <br /><br />According to Wikipedia, there have been marmalade recipes dating back to the 16th Century, however it is the Keiller recipe purportedly invented in 1797 that was mass produced which everyone associates with Dundee -- and can still be purchased.<br /><br />Actually Dundee has been known for the 3 Js, jute, jam (marmalade) & journalism. Jute mills of the late 19th century took the place of the flax mills of my great grandparents time. The "journalism" stems from the publishing firm DC Thomson & Co., which was founded in the city in 1905 and remains the largest employer after the health and leisure industries. The firm publishes a variety of newspapers, children's comics and magazines, including The Sunday Post, The Courier, Shout and children's publications, The Beano and The Dandy. Don't you just love Wikipedia? Makes all sound so smart.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07948553013206247354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-1946340453203016072013-08-04T14:30:17.766-07:002013-08-04T14:30:17.766-07:00I would not have survived the trip over here, Joan...I would not have survived the trip over here, Joan...seriously! The thought of it fills me with dread -- how did these people gather the courage to do it? And is this Dundee the same of the marmalade people? Great stuff...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11658880722411505714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-62387346269291863232013-08-04T11:28:29.585-07:002013-08-04T11:28:29.585-07:00Thanks. I am glad you enjoyed the post. The pict...Thanks. I am glad you enjoyed the post. The pictures of the harbors of Dundee and NYC have always had an allure for me. So different than now -- I often wonder what James and Mary would think about those two harbors of today.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07948553013206247354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-61587112716474885422013-08-04T11:26:00.564-07:002013-08-04T11:26:00.564-07:00thanks. They were tough, but I think staying in D...thanks. They were tough, but I think staying in Dundee and the flax mills would have been more difficult -- the average life span in Dundee of that time was a mere 36 years, where as James P lived to be 83 years old and Mary, 88.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07948553013206247354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-71807249311275887872013-08-04T11:22:54.722-07:002013-08-04T11:22:54.722-07:00The decision might have been easier than one might...The decision might have been easier than one might think. James P's mother died shortly before they emigrated and his father died before he was born. Mary's family (brother and mother) came to America a year or so later. And it appears that they had many friends that came to America before and after the young McPherson couple. I think that was fairly typical in the immigration ways.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07948553013206247354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-77513818908696632452013-08-04T11:19:13.145-07:002013-08-04T11:19:13.145-07:00sounds like your students have a very innovative t...sounds like your students have a very innovative teacher -- that;s what makes learning so much fun.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07948553013206247354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-26648644426269347922013-08-04T11:01:11.016-07:002013-08-04T11:01:11.016-07:00Great post and love your pictures. I am always com...Great post and love your pictures. I am always coming across these long voyages in my postcard and real photo research, and I am always amazed that people set out on these big life-changing adventures. Thanks for sharing :)Carte Postalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09446577869959352229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-13019740486409620942013-08-04T08:59:01.578-07:002013-08-04T08:59:01.578-07:00I have done a history section for students strippi...I have done a history section for students stripping away everything they take for granted in order for them to really grasp how different life was "back then". It's a real eye opener! When the girls hear they can't take a bath every day, they are horrified. The boys, not so much haha.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-4218472883289140702013-08-03T22:57:43.309-07:002013-08-03T22:57:43.309-07:00That is a great story. How awful it must have been...That is a great story. How awful it must have been. They must have been a tough couple to cope with the horrible voyage. The painting of Dundee is a great match with the prompt.diane bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12002292118984909883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-66679744554740877832013-08-03T20:54:38.569-07:002013-08-03T20:54:38.569-07:00It must have been a tough decision because they wo...It must have been a tough decision because they would not have seen 'home' again. Boobookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01395043246338753023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-76134449052946460282013-08-03T17:28:20.592-07:002013-08-03T17:28:20.592-07:00Thank you, Jackie. You write a pretty mean post y...Thank you, Jackie. You write a pretty mean post yourself (that's a good thing, you know)Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07948553013206247354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-49025353828983616522013-08-03T17:10:50.441-07:002013-08-03T17:10:50.441-07:00You write so well, I'll look forward to readin...You write so well, I'll look forward to reading your book one day :)Jackie van Bergenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14108390437411946657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-87840016760374867282013-08-03T09:02:15.045-07:002013-08-03T09:02:15.045-07:00Thank you, Bob, for the encouraging words. I alwa...Thank you, Bob, for the encouraging words. I always just thought I wrote for fun -- and so my family doesn't forget from whence they come (well that is, if any of them ever read my stuff.) Thanks again, perhaps I'll look for a suitable magazine or journal.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07948553013206247354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-24701385101007012612013-08-03T05:19:28.989-07:002013-08-03T05:19:28.989-07:00This is a story so well told it should be publishe...This is a story so well told it should be published if you can find a suitable magazine. Your picture selection was perfect.Bob Scotneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00662958579705940009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-45570259799807604802013-08-02T19:58:36.747-07:002013-08-02T19:58:36.747-07:00I chose the pictures of Dundee and New York Harbor...I chose the pictures of Dundee and New York Harbors because it felt like the scenes that my great great grandparents must have known. Glad that you enjoyed them as well. Thanks for reading and the nice words.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07948553013206247354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-35861409760097798322013-08-02T19:39:57.917-07:002013-08-02T19:39:57.917-07:00I do love those old paintings depicting how it was...I do love those old paintings depicting how it was....I seem to remember having a fondness for Dundee marmalade...must investigate...can't imagine you could grow oranges in Dundee. And what Alan and Sharon said too. Well done.Alex Dawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05083753053051713061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-69162985217992698112013-08-02T14:21:42.413-07:002013-08-02T14:21:42.413-07:00I don't know if the painting makes Dundee look...I don't know if the painting makes Dundee look idyllic or not -- never been there, but hope to this next year. I sort of like the picture as, to me, it had a wistful quality -- and I thought J.P and Mary might have felt that too. On the other hand, I am sure they were glad to leave the flax mills and the squalor behind them. Glad you found the piece interesting.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07948553013206247354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-15308942091882124902013-08-02T13:49:44.121-07:002013-08-02T13:49:44.121-07:00It is amazing how they were willing to brave all s...It is amazing how they were willing to brave all sorts of dangers to come to America. I always hope that I too am made of that sterner stuff --- but my tests have never been so severe. Thanks for reading and commenting.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07948553013206247354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435542545096646350.post-57269206268805733992013-08-02T13:47:29.283-07:002013-08-02T13:47:29.283-07:00Thanks, Sharon. I took a road trip half way acros...Thanks, Sharon. I took a road trip half way across the country --- loosely following the way my great great grand parents followed the Oregon Trail, and the way that my grandfather brought his family out to California. Renewed respect for their bravery, tenacity, and endurance. Definitely hard to believe in these days of airconditioned cars and motels, with clean bedding, tv and wifi awaiting our arrival. LOLJoanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07948553013206247354noreply@blogger.com