Information about Agnes Tennant Ritchie

[mek126]

Hello everyone,

I am a 'newbie' to genealogy and this forum but I am hoping someone in the group can help me find out what happened to by paternal grandfather's first wife, Agnes Tennant Ritchie. My Dad is pretty closed mouth about his family so I can't approach him for some help.

Here's what I have been able to find out so far using information from the Scotlandpeople and the Ancestry.ca website:

Agnes Tennant Ritchie]was born 21 Jul 1887, Lanarkshire, Scotland (I found her birth record). Her father was Lawrence Ritchie (born abt 1863, Dalserf) and her mother was Mary Hamilton McDonald (born abt 1865, Lesmahagow). Her siblings were John, Arthur McDonald, Lawrence, David and Janet. I can find her and her family in the 1891 Scotland census (residing in Dalserf). In the 1911 Scotland census I believe her to be a servant in the Thomas W. and Lucy Watson household (residence Neilsland House in Hamilton, Lanarkshire). She married by grandfather, Peter Kerr on 26 Feb 1915 in Dalserf (I found the marriage record). I know she had two daughters, my aunts Catherine and Mary, somewhere between 1916 and 1920. I am still trying to track down my aunts borth records (amazing how many Mary and Catherine Kerrs there are !!) but believe I have found their birth records.. Catherine, born 1916 and Mary Hamilton, born 1920, in Lochee, Dundee City, Angus--I have requested these records. I know my grandfather remarried in 1923 (I have the marriage record) and he is listed as a 'widower'. My grandfather, Peter Kerr, was born abt 1885 in Longforgan, Perthshire and married his second wife, Catherine Gilbert Ogilvie (my paternal grandmother) on 2 Apr 1923 in Forfar, Angus. I was able to find my grandfather's death record and his first wife, Agnes Tennant Ritchie is listed along with my grandmother (Catherine GIlbert Ogilvie). I have been unsuccessful finding the death record for Agnes Tennant Ritchie... if she died prior to the 2nd marriage it would be between 1920 (birth of her second daughter) and 1923 when my grandfather married for the second time. In searching the Statutory death registers I have tried various combinations of last names from her parents and husband (Kerr, Ritchie, McDonald, Hamilton) without success. I have even considered the possibility that she may have exited the marriage and lived to a ripe old age or left the country (to Canada, US or Australia/NZ)--but still have been unable to find her.

Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Moira

[SarahND]

Hello Moira and
No idea if this could be your Agnes, but I found the following death in England:

Name: Agnes T Kerr
Birth Date: abt 1888
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1920
Age at Death: 32
Registration district: Alnwick
Inferred County: Northumberland
Volume: 10b
Page: 577

Any family connection with Northumberland that you know of? I agree that there is no obvious death in Scotland.

All the best,
Sarah

[mek126]

Wow ... Sarah you rock...it sounds like it may be her. I will investigate this result further .

Thanks so much,
Moira

[Rich K]

Hi Moira
I don’t know if you are still looking for information about Agnes Tennant Ritchie (Kerr) but if you are I can provide you with some.
Firstly I think you are my cousin. I am Mary Kerr’s son Richard. My sisters are June and Irene.
Can I ask if your Dad and Mum are still alive. Sadly but not unexpectedly all our aunts and uncles and parents have passed away. I can provide dates etc if you like.
I only started researching my family tree last year so I am a bit behind you.
Regarding my grandmother Agnes Tennant Ritchie she sadly died through ill health on 13/6/1920.
My mum Mary was born 27/6/1916 and died 30/8/1995 and my aunt Catherine was born 15/9/1918 and died 28/11/2001.
It is of course possible that you already have this information and if you do I apologise for repeating it.
If you wish further information regarding your other cousins
- Evelyn, Sheila and Iain then please let me know and I will happily provide you with all the details.
Hope this finds you well along with all your family.

All the best

Richard

[SarahND]

Hello Richard and a warm

It has been many years since Moira last signed into the forum (2013) but perhaps, with some luck, she has kept her same email address and will be informed of your post. It sounds as though you and she would have much to share!

Best wishes,

Sarah

[catpaw5]

Hi Richard (Rich)

Sorry for the delay in responding to your post--I had to re-establish my membership with this website.

What a welcome surprise..it is so great to virtually meet you!!

You are correct, we are first cousins. My Dad, William (Bill) Kerr and your mother, Mary Hamilton McDonald Kerr (named after her maternal grandmother, Mary Hamilton McDonald)) are step-siblings or half-sister and brother--whichever you prefer. My dad and my mother, Elsie Agnes Kelman Stewart (known as 'Nan') have both passed. My Dad unfortunately succumbed to COVID when he was placed in a long-term care facility following a fall at home on Feb 4, 2021 at 94 years-of-age a week before COVID vaccines started being administered and my mother, Nan, passed on Oct 4, 2023 from complications from pneumonia again, in a long-term care facility. She had celebrated her 98th birthday on Sep 17th. They resided in Winnipeg, Manitoba for the entirety of their lives.

The letters my Dad wrote to his sisters and mother, while they were alive, kept my older sister, Linda, little brother, Brian and I, well-acquainted with our Scottish cousins--you, the twins, June and Irene, Iain, Sheila and Evelyn. For a time photos and Christmas gifts (the kid's puzzle/activity books and scratchy wool sweaters from Marks and Spencers were two of my favorites) were sent from both sides of the family. I came across my Dad's shoebox filled with these photos after he passed--something I continue to sort through to this day.

Like you, I decided to research my family history and started my search in Nov 2010, using the Ancestry.ca website. I continue to research my family --the ongoing access to new records keeps me motivated to find out more. My family tree on this website is called 'Kerr-Ogilvie-Stewart-Singer Family Tree' and if you are interested I can designate you as a 'guest' and you can see what I have discovered. I just need your email address.

The TalkingScot website did help me resolve the wall I encountered in discovering the fate of our paternal grandfather, Peter Kerr's, first wife, Agnes Tennant Ritchie. It was ultimately a sad discovery and speaks volumes about the times in which they were both living and the family stories that were sometimes concocted to hide the truth given prevailing prejudices and social stigmas. Anyways, I will leave it for you to discover on your own.

I will end with just a little about myself. I am currently residing in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where I have lived for 32 years. I am a failed retiree. I tried in Oct 2023 but it didn't take very well. I am currently working on a locum basis as a Veterinary Diagnostic Clinical Pathologist in the Department of Veterinary Pathology at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM). I was a practicing veterinarian in Winnipeg before pursuing a masters degree in Veterinary Clinical Pathology. I am currently mentoring senior veterinary students and graduate students studying veterinary clinical pathology (a subspecialty within veterinary medicine). I never married and am quite content with my choice to remain single. I am learning French in my advanced years (68-years-old in Sep of this year). I continue to paint (watercolors and acrylics), draw and knit. I go cross-country skiing when the weather is not too brutal--currently -27 degrees Celsius with wind-chill. Canadians love to talk about the weather especially those that live on the Prairies. I take my 5-year-old Cairn terrier, Olive for her twice-daily walks around the neighborhood-- I only know Prairie winters and we both dress appropriately for the outdoor conditions.

I think I am done for now and look forward to our next communication.

Your 1st cousin,
Moira

FYI and just in case,
My email address is: moira.kerr@usask.ca
Cell phone # : 1-306-371-1317.