Missing GG-Granny!

[Garth]

Hi Niamh,
I read interest your reference to the Dean Bank Institute, and your interest in finding out about the lives of the girls who passed through the Institution.

My g.g.grandmother, Jane Crombie DUNN (nee FLOCKHART) emigrated to New Zealand in 1875 on the ship 'Aldergrove, with 3 boys. Of course I have quite a lot of their life here in NZ.

I was searching for Jane's parents etc. and found them in the 1851 Census living at Stone Fort, Burntisland, Fifeshire - James FLOCKHART, Euphemia (wife), and Jane (dau. age 4).
1861 Census has Jane FLOCKHART in the Dean Bank Institute, age 14. Eventually I discovered that in 1854, Euphemia died 16 Oct 1854, Edinburgh, and the James died 8 days later, 16 Oct 1854, both of Cholera. I don't know of any relatives, so have to presume that Jane (age 7) would have been placed in care......in 1861 at the Dean Bank Institution with about 20 other young women. The Matron at this time was Ellen WHITEFORD, age 30, b. Peebles.
In 1867, Jane married George DUNN, in Edinburgh; and in 1875 they emigrated to New Zealand.

I mention the Matron's name because George and Jane DUNN named their first daughter after her, which leads me to believe that Jane's experience in the Dean Bank Institution was not all bad, and that she must have felt some attachment to the Matron to name her first daughter after her. George and Jane went on to complete a family of 13 children, Jane dying on 13 Apr 1926, age 79 years, in Dunedin, Otago, NZ

Thank you for your excellent description of Dean Bank, I had very little before this. And I hope my g.g.grandmother's experience goes a little way to add to life there.

Regards,

Garth