Euphemia Jack passed away from influenza and acute pneumonia at Kirkcaldy Hospital one hundred and six years ago today, on October 28, at the age of 63. The day before her death, she had buried three of her daughters who had succumbed to the same illness. It is likely that she contracted the Spanish flu while caring for her daughters and her entire household. I am not completely certain, but I believe she is buried in Dysart Cemetery, possibly alongside her daughters.
The Scottish statutory registers of births, marriages, and deaths have been in existence since 1855. I could not find any records for Euphemia, which suggests she may have been born before that year. Her mother was Janet Duncan, and while Alexander Keddie was identified as her father, there was some uncertainty regarding his paternity.In the 1861 Census, Euphemia, aged 6, lived on Main Street in Gallatown with her maternal grandmother, Jean, as well as Janet and William McLean, who was likely a cousin. At that time, Euphemia was attending school.
A decade later, Euphemia, now 16 years old, had left school and was working as a linen weaver. Her mother had married coal miner David Cook, and the family lived at 84 Napier Place in Gallatown. By this time, their family had expanded to include Euphemia’s half-brothers William Duncan (likely born out of wedlock), Andrew, and James, along with her half-sister Maryann.
On December 17, 1877, at 22, Euphemia married coal miner David Jack in Gallatown. The couple welcomed their first child, David Jr., the following year. By 1881, the Jack family lived at 43 Dubbyside Street in Markinch. At that time, their second child and first daughter, Janet, and a second son named William had been born. Euphemia’s half-brother, William, also boarded in their home.
By 1891, the couple had welcomed five more children into their family: Isabella (Bella), Euphemia Jr., Christina, Alexander, and Charlotte. They had left Markinch and were now residing at 40 Carlow Place, Scoonie, Leven. By 1901, their large family grew even larger with the addition of daughters Johan and Georgina. The family moved again, this time to 111 Overton Road, Gallatown. Euphemia would relocate one final time, settling at Glen Cottage, 198 Rosslyn Street, Gallatown. By 1911, a significant portion of their family still lived at home.
Euphemia faced the heartbreaking loss of three daughters before passing away herself the day after their funeral. Her obituary was published in the Fife Free Press on November 2nd. On the same page, the family expressed their gratitude for the letters and floral tributes they received in response to their daughters’ deaths—an ironic twist in this tragically sad story.
In the 1921 Census, we find that David had moved from Glen Cottage to 33 Oswald Road, where he lived with three of his adult children and his beloved granddaughter, Jane. Tragically, he passed away in Kirkcaldy Hospital on August 28, 1927, at the age of seventy-two. The original death certificate indicated “Lysol poisoning” as the cause, a detail that the Procurator Fiscal later classified as suicide. Sadly, like Euphemia, David’s death was overshadowed by sorrow and heartache.
Sources: Ancestry, British Newspaper Archive, Scotland’s People
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