Digging up your roots .....

[Russell]

Having been invited to contribute an interesting family tale to the Digging Up Your Roots programme I was rather disappointed when my participation consisted of being told the very facts which I had already given them.
I feel that it may be of interest to folks on here since it is about ‘Scots emigrant makes good’

My Great Aunt Marion Morton was born in Edinburgh in 1876; second child in a family of seven. First her mother, Henrietta MacKenzie died in 1890, then in 1894 her father, Alexander McBean Morton died leaving the family in the care of the oldest sister Jeannie. She too died of T.B., in 1903. Her youngest sister Henrietta, had died as a child in 1888.
Brother Alex (b 1882) joined the Army as did my grandfather George Russell Morton (b 1883).

Marion decided that she would emigrate to Canada, the land of opportunity, taking her sister Euphemia (b 1877) and brother John (b 1879) with her.
Where the money for the trip came from I have yet to discover. Likewise where they sailed from, and to, is not clear but they made it to Canada and made their way to Berlin – now called Kitchener.
By 1909 she had moved, with Jack(John) to New York and had found herself a job as nanny to a wealthy family. The Farnhams. The father, Paulding Farnham, worked for Tiffanys and his wife Sally, was a sculptress. I have a photograph of Marion with a young Johnny Farnham at her knee and a later photo complete with collie dog called Sandy McNab.
When the Farnhams marriage broke up in 1915 Marion stayed on in the household for several years (A wise move as Wall Street was going through a severe wobble at the time).
By 1928 Marion had moved to another family and was nanny/governess to the first of Irvine Berlin’s daughters – Mary Ellin. She looked after her as a toddler then continued to care for the next daughter who came along. They seemed to spend a lot of time at Southampton, Long Island as there are several photos taken there. She also travelled out to California with the Berlin family and one photo shows Marion with the chauffeur’s wife and two other members of staff standing next to a stone on which is written ‘Devil’s toys from Hells Acres’. Despite the heat the ladies are all resplendent in dropped waist frocks and cloche hats!
By 1934 she was working with the Van S Merle-Smith family. The father of this family was later to play an important diplomatic role in the war in the Pacific.
Eventually she retired to her house in Woodside, Long Island and died there in 1942 at the age of 66. Worn out no doubt by a lifetime looking after other people’s children.
Why tell this story ?
Well Marion kept in touch with her relatives which explains why I have so many photographs of her and her various charges. I know of her life all along the way but I have been unable to find any documentary evidence of her life in America.
My mother was out in the States in 1929/30 and is included in the photos taken at the Berlin’s house before she herself went on to be governess to the Fahnestock family.
I have pages from Marion’s Commonplace Book which she kept in place of a diary so I have facts recorded in her own hand - but all this does not answer questions like:
When did she actually emigrate?
Did she take out citizenship?
Where is she buried ?
What happened to Jack who went to New York with her?
Where exactly did she live? The photo only shows the actual house she owned.
As a youngster, when I was told some of the stories about her I took them with a pinch of salt reckoning that they were hyperbole. Now with the wonders of the Internet I have been able to piece together other parts of the story and realise that I was given facts - not fanciful exaggerations.
BUT ! I still need some answers.

Russell

[SarahND]

Okay, Russell. Just say the word...
Got her in 1930 in Hollywood, as a "child nurse", comes in line just after the butler and the maid, and before the cook. The page is a little mixed up, so rather than guess whose household it is, I will let you figure it out
All the best,
Sarah

[DavidWW]

....much snipped ............
When did she actually emigrate?
Did she take out citizenship?
Where is she buried ?
What happened to Jack who went to New York with her?
Where exactly did she live? The photo only shows the actual house she owned. ....snipped.........Russell

Now, had Josh and I had those questions passed on to us to us, we could have probably have made a good try at answering them.

When did she actually emigrate?

Not a question put to us !! I'm unsure on the existence of passenger lists at Canadian ports, but there are extensive Canadian/USA border-crossing records (Ancestry), plus, later this year, www.ancestorsonboard.com should have outgoing passenger lists, the BT27/28 series, that should help.


Did she take out citizenship?

Check the relevant records, - not straightforward as the exact process varied from state to state; along with checking her nationality in the 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 censuses. Have a Google for guidance, or have a look at Cyndi's List on www.cyndislist.com .


Where is she buried ?

Get a copy of her death certificate, and see what's stated in terms of address, then get a local researcher to see what they can find in terms of funeral parlour records, cems and crems material. (We weren't even told that you knew her year of death , only that she had died "by 1942" )


What happened to Jack who went to New York with her?

Censuses again.


Where exactly did she live?

Censuses again, plus take advice on whether there are property records that could help.


How am I doing , and that's on my own, without Josh

David

PS If I was clearly annoyed over the treatment of your query in my reply earlier today to your PM, I'm spitting bricks now
dww

[JustJean]

Hi Russell

Very happy to see you decided to share your story in your own fashion.

Best wishes
Jean

[Russell]

Hi Sarah

Service with a smile or two

Was Jack MacKenzie listed as the chauffeur by any chance.

My mother never told me it was Hollywood but I should have guessed . The maestro was out there arranging for a musical.

Could I have some names pretty please (ingratiating ) They might trigger a few more memories in my mothers brain.I don't know how she remembers details about things that happened over 70 years ago.

Russell

[SarahND]

Check your email

[Russell]

Will everyone excuse the elephantine thunderings while I do a wee dance.
Sarah has just e-mailed me the 1930 census entry - from Hollywood no less

I have learned more on TS in half an hour than in the past year of searching.

Yipeee

Russell

[Russell]

Thanks David

Youre suggestions were exactly those I hoped would have come out 'on air' so that others could benefit too.

I was not sure where to start with the American records.
Looks like the plastic will take a bashing again - and it hasn't recovered yet from the OPR onslaught.

Russell

[mal]

Russell

I have just had a quick look in 1901 census Canada but did not find Marion Morton.

However I was luckier in the US 1910 census. She is with the Farnhams in North Hempstead, Nassau, New York as a child's nurse named Marian. Her year of immigration is 1907.

Malcolm

[Russell]

Hi Malcolm

Welcome to TalkingScot and an especially warm welcome from me.

Thank you for that info. Another piece of the jigsaw slides into place.
The immigration date will be especially useful as it narrows down the time slot for passenger lists arriving in Canada. I have looked at between 50 and 60 ships passenger lists so far but had only reached 1905.

This is indeed my lucky night.

Russell