Dunoon help needed

Fiona C · Post by **Fiona C** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:05 am

Hi Anne

Thanks for the info about Kilmun cemetery. The bus stops at Kilmun pier - I have got the times from the bus company's website; it is the Ardentinny bus which stops there. I might end up and phone the council and pay the £14-80 for the info, if I can't find the info in the Mitchell when I go there. Like you say it would save a lot of trouble! It is possible it isn't Kilmun, but is Dunoon and I missed them when I looked there last year. They actually lived in Sandbank. £14-80 seemed like a lot to probably just look something up either in a book or on the computer! As I said - they did it free for me in Inverness and Glasgow. In fact at Lambhill in Glasgow someone even arranged to meet me and take me to the grave I was looking for and didn't charge a penny! I had quite a lot of relatives in that area at one time - my Grandad was born there. They were there from around the 1860s until the 1920s.

A couple of years ago I went to Sandbank to see where they lived and found the family home. Last year when I was there I was walking through Dunoon and saw it (or at least the ground floor of it turned into a flat) for sale in an estate agent's window! I went in and got the particulars but, tempting though it was. restrained myself from buying it! I could imagine my husband's reaction if I went back home saying I had bought a house for my family history!

I live in Salisbury but have been a few times recently to the new records office in Chippenham. My husband's family are all local to Salisbury and I have been researching them and also doing some research into the history of the church I go to. If you have any connections in Salisbury or nearby I would be happy to take photos etc for you.

Thanks agin for the local info. Here's hoping I find them.

Fiona

Post by **AnneM** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:16 pm

Hi Fiona

Hope you find them. Kilmun seems likely for Sandbank people. That's where all my family come from and where I lived for the first 18 years or so. What names do you have in Sandbank? They were clearly there at the same time as most of mine who had all reached Sandbank by the beginning of C20. Do you know what church they belonged to. I have some notes of baptisms, marriages and deaths from the United Free Church at about that time (not anyone else's copyright).

One interesting thing my mother told me is that the archivist at Argyll and Bute Council has some old records from Sandbank Primary School. He is based in Lochgilphead and the previous one who recently retired was very helpful so I hope the current one is too.

I was not in Salisbury this time when down South but have been on the last couple of occasions. Many of my husband's ancestors come from around there and a couple of his relatives (not direct ancestors) in the C18 and C19 were organists in Salisbury Cathedral. We were lucky to find a really nice little wall plaque commemorating the sister of his 3 x great grandfather in Amesbury Church, where the church warden was immensely helpful. Sadly the little baby whose memorial it was died at only a few weeks old. Thank you very much for the offer of photos. It's very kind of you.

It's a shame that Argyll and Bute charge so much for a look up. Perhaps it's because they're a hard pressed rural authority rather than a city one with lots of resources and staff or maybe they're just grippy!!

I think it's a shame you did not buy the flat. You would have had such a good base for your Scottish researches. However husbands can be a bit unreasonable about impulse buys in the tens of thousands. Not sure why mind you.

Let me know if you think I can help with any Sandbank info. I remember the boat yards etc myself and have a book about Sandbank between the wars which is not brilliant but has some reasonable info.

All the best with your search.

Anne

PS I have a copy of the Journals of the Composer and Musician John Marsh who was in Salisbury in the C18. It has a lot of references to churches in Salisbury and particularly to their music. If you don't have/have access to that book and your church dates from that far back let me know and I'll check it for mentions of the church.

Fiona C · Post by **Fiona C** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 1:28 pm

Hi Anne

Thanks again for the info on Sandbank & Kilmun. I have a few names for Sandbank. The main name I am looking for is Dick. My Gt Grandfather and his brother both moved there. My Gt Grandfather, James, married and had a son but eventually moved to Clydebank. His brother stayed for the rest of his life. married and had a large family, many of whom also married locals and stayed. He had a joinery business employing several people including some of his sons. One of his daughters married a Robert McNish and they too stayed in Sandbank and had at least three children.

When James & John Dick's mother was widowed, she also moved there with two other unmarried sons.

The other names from Sandbank are Thomson and Angus. My Gt Grandfather married an Angus daughter and there were several brothers & sisters. Their mother, however had been widowed & remarried to George Thomson and they had two more children. Both she and George died in Sandbank. It was their house I saw up for sale!

They appear to have mostly married in either the Church of Scotland or the Free Church, so if you do find anything with any of those names I would be grateful.

What a coincidence that you should have a Salisbury connection. How very interesting that your husband's relatives were organists at the Cathedral. My daughter has played the Cathedral Organ at an event for local organists a few years ago (she plays the organ at our Church). As I said, if there is anything local I can do for you do let me know. The Church I have been researching is actually the United Reformed Church in Salisbury. It was previously Congregational and formerly there were three Chapels in the city, two of which were Independent - Scots Lane and Endless Street and an earlier one which was Presbyterian in Salt Lane. I have become really engrossed in the researches as there were all kinds of things happening, such as "violent scenes at Church meetings" and the appointment of an 18 year old Minister, which caused a large number of the congregation to leave!

Thanks again for your help Anne. I'll let you know how I get on!

Fiona

Post by **AnneM** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:21 pm

Hi again Fiona

I've found some entries for your McNish family and will pm you with the details. I don't have any other Dick records.

I knew some people called Dick when I was younger. One was my dentist. He had a rather eccentric Aunt whose first name escapes me just now but because of her strong CND connections she was always known as Auntie Polaris (only pronounced the same if you are a Scot). I wonder if they are any connection to yours.

Anne

Post by **AnneM** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:18 pm

Just a little addition. In the book I was thinking of which is actually called Sandbank, War and Peace there seems to be 2 references to the Dick Family.

Firstly in describing the houses opposite Ardnadam Pier in 1914 it states:

"There was Benvue the parish church manse, home to the Rev Mason; Heatherbloom, home to the joiner John Dick and his wife Betsy"

Later, talking about the period immediately following WW2 it states:

"Perhaps because the war had ended, there were several retirements for well known village men. Robert Dick of Dunedin sold his joinery and building business to Houston Burns...."

Anne

Just one more item which may be of interest to you if you have church organists in the family. Referring to 1922 and a new minister of the UF Church:

"He inherited a lively UFC whose activities included Friday evening meetings of a 'Band of Hope' , led in the 1920s and 30s by a Miss Telfer. The weekly meetings were well attended by young people and included the singing of hymns accompanied by Mrs Dick, whose husband was the Church organist at the Sunday services."

To my knowledge there was also a more recent organist among the family too.

"

Fiona C · Post by **Fiona C** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 10:03 am

Hi Anne

Thanks so much for all those bits of information you have passed on. Some I had and some were new to me. The family at Heatherbloom was that of my Gt Grandfather's brother, who had lots of children. He was the one with the joinery business, who stayed on in Sandbank. That was very interesting info about the organist!

Well, I went to Kilmun when I was up in Scotland last week. I had been to the Mitchell and consulted the MI book for Kilmun, but didn't find anything promising. However I thought I would go anyway. I caught the bus from Dunoon - it stopped quite near the Church. I roamed around the churchyard for ages but unfortunately did not find any trace of anyone who sounded likely! So I think I will have to bite the bullet and pay the charge required by Argyll Council if I want to know where they are buried! However I enjoyed my trip round to Kilmun. It's a lovely church in a beautiful spot. Sandbank itself appears to be having a regeneration - the Marina has been developed quite a lot and there seemed to be a lot of new houses being built there.

Thanks again for your help and "local knowledge". Don't forget, if you ever want any photos, info etc from Salisbury then please ask.

Best wishes

Fiona

Post by **HeatherH** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 4:49 am

Hi all,
Did anyone manage to get the picture. if not let me know .
HeatherH

Post by **AnneM** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 5:56 pm

Hi Heather

I did not get the picture because was not sure where to look for the grave or to ask a family member to look. Dunoon Cemetery is a big place.

Anne

crayspond · Post by **crayspond** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:01 pm

This post is not to anyone in particular, but my gt grandmother died in Dunoon in 1943. My mother who is in her 80s told me that because it was during the war years for some reason she was buried in a cemetery in Rhu or Row. I have only just been told of this so haven't had a chance to prove it.
I just thought it might help anyone who can't find the person in the Dunoon cemetery round about that time.

Ailsa

Post by **AnneM** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 7:06 pm

Just browsing in rootschat and saw that the original poster got someone to snap the gravestone fairly quickly. That was very kind of that person but it would have been decent of the original poster to have let us know.

Anne