George Garrett Douglas

[scottchpl]

I am looking for information about my Great Grandfather, George Garrett Douglas. I know he died in 1939 in Aberdeenshire and about his service during WWI. I also know most everything up until the birth of my Grandfather in 1900. It's the time he was in Aberdeen that I know nothing about him. He left my Great Grandmother around 1904 and left Dundee and went north. I also found a daughter of his that would be my Grandfathers sister. Someone my mother didn't even know existed. My mom was told all along that her Grandfather was dead. She was surprised when I told her he lived until 1939. George has a Paula Thomson and Jean Matheson listed as his previous and current wife on his death certificate. No mention of Agnes Muckersie, my Great Grandmother. He even tried to not mention her in his military records until they discovered the marriage certificate for George and Agnes. I'm hoping to find pictures or anything else related to this man.

[JustJean]

Wow...This is a tough one isn't it? George Garret was quite the character!!! I'm still scratching my head over him and I'm sure you've had a great time trying to keep on his trail! It sounds like you've found most of the easily available goods on him but I'm not 100 percent certain you've found the death of his "wife" with mn of Thomson. I'm not finding a Paula anywhere but there is a Mary Jane DOUGLAS mn THOMSON who dies in 1919 in Newhills at age 53. She is listed as a wife of George and the informant is her brother. From what you're hinting at in the post and from what I can gather from his military record and now this DC I'm a little confused about the birth of Mary Agnes DOUGLAS in 1904 Aberdeen. Are you thinking the real mother is this Mary Jane THOMSON and she is only posing as the legally married wife of George??

Best wishes
Jean

[scottchpl]

Thank you for the good information. I don't understand the name changes though. Perhaps to protect the innocent? I did find a Jean Douglas who died in Aberdeen <after 1958> at the age of 58. If it was her then she would have been 21 around 1939. It's the only Jean I can find in the area. My mother said that no one ever talked about her Grandfather and that he was dead. The daughter Mary Agnes has to be with someone else. Perhaps George's sister, Mary Agnes, got herself pregnant and to save her embarrassment he claimed to be her husband. Then perhaps he went on to raise the daughter with Mary Jane, aka Paula. It would explain why my Great Grandmother only raised my Grandfather, Robert. I followed the daughter to Canada then to Detroit Michigan USA in 1929 and then lose her there. She did list her father George Garrett Douglas as her nearest living relative in the country of origin.
My Great Grandmother never remarried and listed George as her husband on her death certificate.

<date of death edited as it is well after our cut off date of 1958. LesleyB>

[JustJean]

As you can imagine I've been picking away at this one. Not much to report other than I'm quite sure I have sussed out the family of the Mary Jane THOMSON whose death records her as wife to your George DOUGLAS. She was born in 1858 in Tullynessle Aberdeenshire to William THomson a farm servant/ploughman and his wife Ann mn WILSON. THey had a significantly large family over the course of their marriage which I've found recorded as 1849 in Marnoch Banffshire. They moved around a bit but many births are recorded in Marnoch. Little brother Alexander didn't arrive until 1871 but I've found him living in Newhills marrying in Woodside in 1893. Finding this year of birth for Mary Jane and not finding any offical record of marriage for her to anyone makes me wonder if she is the mother of the Mary Agnes born in 1904. She would have been something like 45 or 46 years old then. Her brother Alexander got her age a wee bit underestimated on her DC.

What really stumps me about all this is why George listed the births of two other children on his military record. THe names look like Lilly b. 5-4-1896, (Something?) Violet b. 17-4-1901, and Mary/May b 27-10-1904. We know that May/Mary's DOB needs adjusting but the year is right. What was he trying to prove with the other two names???? He didn't even list your Robert so I think he was really trying to avoid some serious court and prison activity. I'm not a bit surprised he was never mentioned in the household of your grandfather.

Anyway I was trying to establish some family for Mary Agnes other than the Douglas side of things and can now confirm she had aunts, uncles, and cousins around. Nevertheless it appears that she might have lived in the same house or at least area as her father George until she left Scotland.

I've got no good leads on or new info about the 2nd (truly 3rd) sort of wife named Jean yet.

Best wishes
Jean

[scottchpl]

Thank you so much for your time and information. I believe there is a faint note to the side of Lilly and Violet, in the military record, that says Servants. Not sure why they are listed as children other than perhaps that is the same as listing dependents? In the 1901 census, George has a Mary and a Lily as boarders. Lily is a scholar and Mary is a married housekeeper. George is also listed as married. George's Grandfather is also an elusive one. But that's another post. ;-)

[JustJean]

OMG thank you!! I've been too blind to find George in 1901 and this has him and Mary together. This is the goldmine census:

Name: Mary Greig
Age: 38
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1863
Relationship: Boarder
Gender: Female
Where born: Tullynessle, Abedrenshire
Registration Number: 168/2
Registration district: St Machar
Civil parish: Aberdeen Rosemount
County: Aberdeenshire
Address: 15 Ann St
Occupation: Housekeeper
Household Members: Name Age
George Douglas 26 Hotel Waiter
Mary Greig 38 Housekeeper
Lily Greig 7 b. ENGLAND
Christina Greig 1 b. 39 Ann St, Aberdeen

the birth of wee Christina:

1899 GREIG CHRISTINA VIOLE F ST MACHAR ABERDEEN CITY/ABERDEEN 168/02 1904

except her name is truly recorded as Christina Violet DOUGLAS Greig. Mary is the informant and is married to Robert Greig a baker journeyman and they married 18 AUg 1896 in Old Machar. And here is that marriage except Robert is a steam crane man here and is a widower!

1896 GREIG ROBERT THOMPSON MARY JANE ABERDEEN OLD MACHAR ABERDEEN CITY/ABERDEEN 168/02 0259

Oddly enough in 1901 there is also what looks to be Robert and Mary in DUNOON...with a 1 yr old son named Sydney born in Beith!!! Need to have a deeper look at this one. Did Mary leave Robert and take up with George or Robert leave Mary and take up with another Mary? And who is Sydney? So far I'm not finding a birth under G*rg for him so maybe he's under some other name. The names of the wee girls certainly tie to the military record of George so I'm convinced this is the right Lily and 'Violet' that he has named along with Mary born 1904. Just who the mother of Lily is and was she truly born in Newcastle England remains to be seen!!! Certainly it was prior to the marriage to Robert Greig so not counting on him to be the father....or maybe he is the father and Mary is only her step mother.....sighh.....so many questions!!!!!!

Will keep chipping away..

Jean

[scottchpl]

Ol' Georgie was a naughty boy it seems. In the 1901 census they are both listed as married but not to each other. Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive.
This is the fun in searching family history. It's like being a detective without the legal aspect. Thank you for your time in this. That's good information you've found.
George was a Sgt. Major in the Army. There was an inquiry as to his marriage status for Separation allowance. In his military records he puts his marriage to Mary being in Nov 1894, 3 years before his official marriage to Agnes. The records do show the correction also but not what may have become of all that. My mother's mn is Agnes Muckersie Douglas, by the way.
My Grandfather Robert also fought in WWI but was in the Tank Corps. Too bad the two of them never met up. At least not to my knowledge.
I did find a Jeanie Matheson who was in Aberdeen. She was born around 1888. If Mary Jane, aka Paula, died in 1919 then Jeanie would be old enough to marry. Only speculation of course.
I'll keep digging also.
Cheers,
Scott

[Helen]

I am so pleased to find a descendant of George G. Douglas-my husband is the grandson of Lily Greig (daughter of Mary Jane Thomson & Robert Greig, though Lily's son never knew that they were married). And I don't think George was the only naughty one in this whole circle!

The family stories are that Mary Jane Thomson had Lily in Newcastle (true, though I don't know why, also Robert's father was in the Newcastle area in 1911 ), and that her father was Robert Greig, a baker, though they never married (they did actually marry in 1896). It was known that Mary Jane's family came from Marnoch. Mary was known as Poll, which explains the name Paula on George's death certificate.

The stories also state/the inference is that George G. Douglas & Mary J. Thomson married (I've never found that marriage, nor Robert Greig's death certificate nor sign of divorce) and that Lily had 2 half-sisters-known as Cis and Maisie. (That would be Christina Violet Douglas Greig, so maybe she wasn't Robert's daughter like the birth cert said, and Mary Douglas born 1904) George was known to be a messing officer in the army, and was supposed to have served in the Boer War as well as WWI. He and Poll worked together in hotels-he as waiter or maitre d' and she as cook. He later had an ice cream shop in Aberdeen. My husband also has memeories of being told that George & Mary/Poll were living in Edinburgh at somestage.

Regarding Maisie and Cis, it was known that Maisie had married a butcher with a name like Conon (?sp) and was living in Detroit, and that Cis married an oil manager who worked for Shell. They may have lived in Philadelphia. One had come back to Scotland on holiday and visited Lily-I think it must have been Cis if Maisie died in 1929. I don't believe either of them had children.

I would be delighted to share information with you, though I doubt we'll ever get to the bottom of it all

Helen

ETA just realised Maise was in Detroit in 1929, not died in 1929, but I still think it was Cis that visisted as she was supposed to be quite well off

[scottchpl]

Thank you for the information.
I'm not sure what to make of it all. Very convoluted. Mary Agnes Douglas (born 1904), the birth certificate lists the mother as Mary Agnes Douglas (Muckersie). Agnes was never known as Mary Agnes (going back to her birth certificate) and she being my Mom's Grandmother knew nothing of a Mary Agnes Douglas. She would have been my Grandfather's sister but he didn't have a sister, at least not that he ever knew about. I can't imagine in those days the father getting custody of a daughter, so I'm not sure where all that leads to. Mystery mom. I'm hoping the new 1911 census may shed some light on some of this.

Scott

[Helen]

Hi Scott,

what a story! I am hoping to get a bit more info from the 1911 census as well, though I doubt it'll get us any further!

There are so many people/marriages involded in this family, it is mindboggling. George & his marriage/s, Lily & her marriage/s (pus two previous children) Robert Greig & his previous marriage. I think there is 8 adults involved altogether.

Have sent you a PM.

helen