The Shaw family headstone is easily missed among the ornate monuments to Dundee’s industrial magnates in the Western Cemetery. So is the tragic story of Jane Shaw and her family. Young Jane died from influenza and broncho-pneumonia at 31 Seafield Road, Dundee, on January 31 1919, aged only four. She was the third of theContinue reading “Remembering Jane Dickson Clark Shaw”
Category Archives: Scotland
Remembering Marguerite Robertson
The Western Cemetery in Dundee is an impressive site. Situated on a hillside overlooking the River Tay, it is the resting place for many Dundonians who gained significant wealth from the city’s textile and manufacturing industries. Their graves are marked by elaborate monuments. In contrast, the grave of Marguerite Robertson is more modest. She isContinue reading “Remembering Marguerite Robertson”
Remembering James Paul
James succumbed to pneumonia on November 8th 1918, after suffering influenza for a week. He was forty-three years old. He rests in a familial lair in Cupar Cemetery. The grave is by a new headstone, likely placed following his daughter-in-law’s passing a decade ago. James was born in Little Dunkeld, Perthshire, on October 21st 1875.Continue reading “Remembering James Paul”
Remembering Mary Stewart
Dundurn Churchyard is located east of St Fillians, in the attractive River Earn valley, close to the foot of the Pictish Hill Fort. It contains the ruin of the 17th-century Stewart of Ardvorlich Mausoleum, a local aristocratic family whose ancestral home is nearby at the foot of Ben Vorlich. Mary Stewart’s remains are also amongContinue reading “Remembering Mary Stewart”
Remembering William Nicoll Foote
The Armistice, signed on November 11, 1918, would have been received with mixed emotions. Some would have undoubtedly celebrated the war’s end and looked to the future with hope and optimism. For the families of the millions who perished, the Armistice was merely another signpost on their long road of grief and sorrow. The sameContinue reading “Remembering William Nicoll Foote”
Remembering the Watson Family
Linlithgow is a former royal burgh known for its impressive palace, which is the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots. I have passed the town cemetery on the train countless times, but I recently made my first visit and found the grave of the Watson family. The headstone is modest compared to the resting placesContinue reading “Remembering the Watson Family”
Remembering Jane McPheat
The Spanish influenza devastated the east coast of the USA during its outbreak. Cities like New York and Philadelphia suffered significantly, with entire households succumbing to the virus. Mortuaries overflowed with unburied dead, and church bells tolled continuously for the deceased. The situations in Corona, located in the New York borough of Queens, and BlackfordContinue reading “Remembering Jane McPheat”
Remembering Euphemia Jack
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 fluContinue reading “Remembering Euphemia Jack”
Remembering the Jack Sisters
Since I commenced my search for the Spanish flu dead, all too often, I have encountered instances where multiple members of one family succumbed to Spanish flu. The Jack Sisters of Dysart are my most recent. The railway line between Perth and Edinburgh passes Dysart Cemetery. I never noticed this until I paid for myContinue reading “Remembering the Jack Sisters”
Remembering Mary McKechnie
The Lecropt Kirk is a beautiful neo-Gothic church located on the edge of Bridge of Allan. From the churchyard, visitors can enjoy stunning views across the Forth Valley towards Abbey Craig, the Wallace Monument, Stirling City, and the Campsie Fells. Mary McKechnie is laid to rest in a family plot in the churchyard. She tragicallyContinue reading “Remembering Mary McKechnie”
Broken Columns 