James McCunn Jr (I45259)
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| Født | 19 februar 1851  24 Glasgow Scotland |
| Faders død | 5 marts 1862 (Alder 11) James McCunn Sr (I45439) (Alder ca 36) - [Slægtsrelation] |
| Ægteskab | 14 maj 1874 (Alder 23) Ella Albina Benedict - [Vis familie (F19593)]
Waupaca, WI |
| Moders død | 14 december 1901 (Alder 50) Janet Niven (I45440) (Alder 75) - [Slægtsrelation] |
| Død | 3 marts 1946 (Alder 95) Allenville Cty, WI |
| Sidst ændret | 31 januar 2007 - 14:24:17 Sidst opdateret af: dcoplien |
Noter
 Note |
Memoir Of Grandpa James McCunn R R #1 Box 7 Waupaca Wisconsin Feb 24th 1937 I have just passed my 86th birthday and with some timidity I take up my pen to put in writting a retrospective view of the past, because I am just a plain old Farmer and not used to work of this sort. But as it's a request from those I love. I am going to do it to the best of my recollections. I was born in the city of Glasgow, Scotland in the year of our Lord 1851 on the 19 day of February, in a house in Bucchanan Street, I never knew what number. My Father was a carpenter by trade and took up his residence there to be near the shop he worked in, but soon afterwards removed to the south side of the River Clyde to a district called Tradeston and there he rented a store room at the corner of Center Street and Commerce Street and stocked it with groceries. Mother to attend the store while he worked at his trade. They also rented three rooms upstairs in the same building for living rooms. Some people are fortunate enough to be brought up in a home where the view from their window is beautiful with flowers, feilds and forrests. But when I looked out of our back window it was to see a dirty back yard full of carts a long horse barn and a pig pen in one corner. They belonged to a man by the name of Alexander Gibbs a contracter who took jobs hauling freight through the city. For the balance of the years that I lived in Glasgow that yard became very attractive for me. It was there during our liesure hours that we played ball and marbles and other games. There was a pump there also which the carters used to water their horses and some times they left a hose on it and in that event we were sure to make use of it to squirt water all over each other. The rudiments of my education I got in the Gorbels Youths school near our home, later I was sent to the St. Enochs school on the north side of the river. Mr. Sims was Principal. About half a mile beyond was another school, St. Andrews. I think it was a Catholic school and during the winter, we used to go part way to meet that crew and engage in a battle with snow balls. Sometimes we got licked and again we would beat them. Then they began to pack ice in their snow balls and one of our boys got a bad cut in his brow. Well we played a little too long that day and were late for the afternoon class. Mr. Sims came in behind us and remarked that we had all been over to fight the St. Andrews boys and came home to get our fingers warmed then he lined us up in a row told us to hold out our hand, pulled out his braided strap and gave each 6 welts with it and when he came to the small boy with the cut on his brow he said, and here is a little fellow thats got the St. Andrew's Cross branded on his forehead, so we will be lienent with him if he will promise to keep away from there in the future. And the promise was given promptly. There is another thing I must mention in connection with that incident. There was a boy at that time attending the St. Andrews school whose name was Tommy Lipton, and I think he must have been in that crowd, I know his people lived in Bridge Street at that time and owned a little store there, so it was somewhat of a surprise to me long after I came to America to hear that he had been Knighted by the King of England as Sir Thomas Lipton, and in addition to being the head of a great chain of stores. He was also a great Sportsman. He spent a great deal of money building Yachts hoping to win the cup from the American Yachtsmen, but failed. Still he always took it good naturedly and went home to build another and try again until death took him and put a stop to it all. My first impressions of going to church. My parents were members of the established Church of Scotland and we were quite regular in attendance at the Kingston Church.Our pew was up in the gallery second seat from the front, Rev Robbert Pollock was Pastor. The pulpit was high about on a level with the gallery, so from our pew we had a good view of all the parts of the church. We had a choir to lead the singing, and it was all very nice and strange to me. The Beadle ascended to the pulpit first with the Bible. Then the Minester dressed with a long surplice and wide sleves and a white chocker went up, then my excitement was arroused and I wanted to know all about why he had on that long black dress. Mother gave me a little shake and told me I must keep quiet. After the first Psalm was sung followed by a long prayer, I grew restless, and Mother let me look over the front of the gallery at the people below. Such a variety of hats as the ladies had on. All shapes and sizes covered with flowers and feathers, and such galaxy of mens heads. Some black some brown, grey, white, red and quite a sprinkling of bald heads. The sermon was long and I not understanding a word of it leaned my head down on the book board and went to sleep. But alas I was not allowed even that privelege, long snoring was taboo there. Mother gave me another shake and set me upright, and gave me a peppermint candy to keep me quiet. There was other little boys there and girls too, but we were all so closely guarded, that we didn't have a chance to peep. But it finally came to an end and we got out into the sunshine again and I felt like a stalled calf getting it's first run in the pasture. In the course of time there was six of us children, three boys and three girls, myself being the oldest. Two of them died in infancy, Mary and Dougald, then when the other little girl was born they called her Mary in place of the one that died. Next to her was Catherine then John the youngest. Mother's maiden name was Janet Niven, Grandpa and Grandma Niven lived on the north side of the river in the west end. Great Grandma Kirkwood was still living then, she passed away at the age of 90 and was blind a year or two before. Grandpa Niven worked in the machine shop and was accidently killed there, he passed away in his 63rd year. Mother had five brothers and two sisters, John, William, James, Walter and Andrew. Her sisters were Mary and Jane. Walter was a file grinder by trade and the grindstone he was using was a large one and run by a steam engine. While at work one day it flew all to pieces and killed him instantly. I think he was 22 years old when he died. The rest all came to America and settled here except Uncle James and Aunt Jane. Uncle Andrew is 94 and still living. Aunt Jane is living also or was when we heard from them last summer. Now I must tell you about my Father's people who lived in Gourock, about 20 miles from Glasgow on the sea shore. Each summer during school vacation, I was sent down there for the good of my health and I surely did enjoy it. So I'll give you a description of the place, it's people and it's customs. There was much excitement in the house when the day was settled that we were going down to Grandma McCunns. New clothes had to be made, and old ones washed and patched then packed in the grip, and when all was ready, Father would take the girls in one hand and my hand with the other and so we marched down to the Jamaica Street bridge and just across and to the left side the steamer was waiting, all steamed up and ready to go, crowded with people bent on a like errand. The reason that Mother didn't go was because one or the other had to stay at home and run the shop. A scream from the steam pipe in front of the big funnel was the warning that we were about to start. The gang plank was pulled ashore, the big paddles began to revolve and we were off. Such sights as we saw then, we sailed down through a forrest of masts, ships on each side of the Clyde two or three tier deep along the docks for a mile or more. Ships from all parts of the world, flags of all nations flying from their mast heads, then came the ship building yards where they built big ships. The same yards where the Queen Mary was built, about a year ago. Our first stop was at Renfrew, where we took on more passengers. Next at Dunbarton Castle, we didn't go in to the pier, but a ferry boat brought out the passengers if there was any. The castle is built on a steep ragged bosaltic rock, rising to the hight of 560 feet. Our next stop was at Greenock, a good big town, famous for its sugar refining works, ship building and good harbors and docks. A few miles more and we round the Battery Point and come into full view of Gourock Bay, and in a short time land at the pier, then a walk back along the Bay about a mile and we are at Grandma's house, Aunt Mary and Grandma at the door to welcome us. My father got only one day off so he had to leave on the four O'Clock boat on the return trip. I had my new suit stripped off, and my old duds put on and was free to go out and play on the sea shore. For the most part, Gourock was a summer resort, many people came from the city to spend the summer. Furnished rooms could be had cheap and provisions were no higher than in the city, so it was usually crowded during the summer. It had several good hotels, restaurants and a lot of grocerie stores. The town was built all along the shore and the buildings most all of stone and slate roofing. But grandma's had a thatch roof of straw, it was a rented house, and belonged to Major Darroch, who owned a large estate back of the town. There was no work to be had there except in the rope factory, or the quarry where the rock was used mostly for paving the streets of Glasgow. They were carted down to the pier dumped into a scow and towed up to the city by a tugboat. A few of the natives made their living by fishing, and many more by sailing the pleasure yachts and a few by renting rowboats by the hour. There was also two or three boat builders, mostly for row boats, there was lots of saloons selling spiritous liquors but only two or three churches to care for the spiritual man. They had a Bellman also his job was to do the advertizing for any one who had anything to sell. For instance if some of the fisherman caught a lot of herring, he would go through the town, stop before every house ring his bell, and call out. "A boat newly arrived at the quay with fresh herring twelve for a sixpense" so all who wanted herring would trek down to the quay and the men sitting in the boat with a ball of twine and a long needle, would string you up a dozen fish in a hurry, and they usually sold them all, for those salt water herring were very good. Twelve would weigh about 5 lbs. Grandma's garden was back of the house. I think it was 60 feet wide by 200 feet back, a row of currant and gooseberry bushes grew near the back end the full width of the lot, back of that a grass plot to bleach clothes on also a little summer house to sit in and keep garden tools. All the rest was planted to vegetables, the bulk of which was potatoes. They never had very much manure to put on it but Uncle Peter always wheeled up a lot of sea weeds, from the shore when the tide was out and it seemed to do a lot of good and made things grow. Grandmas Mother was still living when I was down there in 1858. Her name was Keller. Great Grandma Keller in her younger days kept a hotel, near the boat landing, there was 24 rooms in it, but at this time she lived near Grandma McCunn and a hired girl to look after her. She passed away at the age of 90 while I was with them. My Grandpa McCunn I never saw, he was drowned on Gourock Bay before I was born. I never learned the exact circumstances but Mother said that he was climbing aboard his yacht from a row boat and fell, striking his head on the gunwale and went down while unconsious, he was an expert swimmer, he was a pilot on the river. They trawled for the body next day and found it. He was buried in the Gourock cemetry. The family consisted of three boys and four girls. James, Dougald, Peter, girls were Aggie, Janet, Mary and Catherine. Uncle Dougald went on a voyage to India and was drowned in the Indian ocean, so I never met him either. The folks said he was tall and his hair was red, and like his father a good seaman. Uncle Peter was married but Aunt Ann had no children, they lived hapily in their home in Gourock, but often it was lonesome for her, as Uncle was used to being gone on long voyages, sometimes a whole year, he outlived her many years, and died in the sailors home at a good old age. Aunt Katie died shortly before Great Grandma Keller of consumption (TB) Aunt Mary married a seaman (I have forgotten his name) but they lived only a short time together. He was so bad tempered and quarlesome they parted. She lived with Grandma ever after. Aunt Janet married an English man, a soldier in the regular army. His regiment was sent to India during the mutiny there and she went along with him. His name was Charles Lamb. He was in many engagements there during the Sepoy mutiny, and came out without any serious hurt. That was in 1857. Before that time he was engaged in the Crimean war in Russia 1854. They had 7 children, 4 boys and 3 girls, two of them were born in India, on their return to England, they were stationed on the Island of Jersey a few years. He got his discharge from the army I think in 1862 and they all came back to Gourock to live. Aunt Aggie or Agnes, married a ship carpenter named William Nicolson. Their home was in Partic, two or three miles west of Glasgow on the north side. |
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Familie med forældre - [Vis familie (F19660)] |
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Familie med Ella Albina Benedict - [Vis familie (F19593)] |
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