SIB FOLK NEWSISSUE No 48 December 2008 NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY guizer jarl kol kalison and his squad take to the streeets of kirkwall Photomontage John Sinclair. © 2 NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY Issue No 48 December 2008 ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY NEWSLETTER Issue No 48 December 2008 CONTENTS FRONT COVER The return of the vikings PAGE 2 From From the Chair PAGE 3 Tumbledown the chair No 6 PAGES 4 & 5 We enjoyed our first SIB Folk News PAGES 6 & 7 Our President, Nan Scott became an octogenarian at the end of September. It was The Goldminer from Graemsay great that the Society could say “Happy Birthday Nan” and celebrate the occasion with her. Unfortunately I was out of the Orkney at the time and so missed the “doo” PAGES 8 & 9 Update on Sclater but I welcome the tremendous efforts that Nan puts in to sustain the Orkney Family the Draper History Society that she so dearly loves. She continues to be a driving force and on PAGES 10 & 11 behalf of the Society we wish her “all the best” for the next decade in her memorable Captain Robertson, Victorian Mariner life. The Society’s winter programme got off to a nostalgic start with Neil Leask who PAGES 12 & 13 The Day the took us back to the “Bygone” years with his fascinating collection of Orkney Vikings came to memorabilia and artefacts. What a start it was to our winter programme of talks. town Since then we had another nostalgic reminisce at our November meeting when PAGE 14 Richard Shearer undertook a family history perspective on “150 years of William Where are John Isbister's Shearer’s”. Extra chairs had to be found to respond to the numbers attending and Ancestors? the audience were not disappointed. Through humour and a chronological series of PAGE 15 slides he held everyone captive with his presentation. James Taylor from Bewan The Society continues to grow its membership with over 2000 members worldwide. We hope that as we get nearer to the next New Year more of our members who have PAGES 16, 17 & 18 Charles William settled outwith their homeland will want to come and visit during 2009 which is Davidson, Scotland’s Year of Homecoming. The Society will not be organising any specific Master Mariner events during the Homecoming Year as our efforts and our best response is to ensure PAGES 18 & 19 that any home-comers can always have full access to our services at the Orkney An evening with Nan Scott Library and Archive during the whole year. If our overseas members are intending to visit, and wish to access services, please give advance warning so that any PAGE 20 Brick walls necessary research can be done in advance. Demolished Once again another year has come and gone. As we say goodbye to 2008 and recall PAGE 21 all the good times and those sad times that are all part of one’s journey through Recognise anybody? life let us ensure that we all continue our efforts to research and record our family history – not just for our own benefit but for the good of future generations that have PAGE 22 US Passport stemmed from Orcadian roots. Applications Alan Clouston PAGE 23 Skara Brae Timeline PAGE 24 Membership details Issue No. 48 December 2008 NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY 3 By Alan Clouston – Member No 339 Did your ancestors live in the cottage called ‘Point’? For this edition of the ‘Tumbledown’ feature I have moved to the Smoogro area of Orphir. Down along the shoreline of Scapa Flow, its doorstep within a few feet of the water lies a small cottage called ‘Point’. In recent years, a new house has been built alongside with the original cottage being completely restored and re-named ‘Old Point” The size of the accommodation is reflected in the household numbers in the census records as from 1851 onwards. RESIDENTS OF POINT 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 John Hay (head) 32 - - - - - Ann Hay (wife 32 - - - - - William Borwick - 75 86 - - - Peggy Borwick (wife) - 69 - - - - Jean Borwick (daughter) - 33 49 - - - John Flett (grandson) - 4 14 - - - Halcro Smith (head) - - - 82 - - Barbara Smith (wife)) - - - 77 85 - Ann Smith (daughter) - - - 44 53 63 Jane Smith (daughter - - - 33 - - Margaret Smith (wife’s sister) - - - - 89 - The Smith family hailed from the islands of Fara(y) and Cava lying in Scapa Flow between the Hoy, Flotta and Orphir coastlines. Halcro Smith was born in Fara and Barbara Smith came from Cava. They married on Hogmanay night 1824 and lived in Cava, moving to Orphir priort to the 1881 census. It would be interesting to hear from other families from any of the other smaller islands. Did you have any relatives that came from Cava or Fara? Have you a ‘Tumbledown’ story to tell or questions to ask. Contact [email protected]. 4 NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY Issue No. 48 December 2008 We enjoyed our first SIB Folk News . So we thought we would tell you about our recent holiday in Orkney and how we became members of the Orkney Family History Society. Mima and I had intended to holiday in Orkney for some years, and finally got down to it this summer, July / Au- gust. I had visited the islands on several occasions as I used Harold and Mima Noble to work for Occidental and was well acquainted with the Flotta Terminal , the Jen Trader that was the supply vessel We joined the Society there and then and were soon sailing out of Peterhead, and the old workboat we used to to leave, armed with details of Norman’s birthplace on cross between Kirkwall and Flotta. Hoy. The beautiful catamaran that now ferries workers is some- A couple of days later, we were stopped for the night at thing else. What a beauty! the car park of the church hall near Longhope. There hap- The weather for our fortnight in the motorhome could pened to be a church sale in the evening and I went in and not have been better and the friendliness of the Orcadians bought a few things. While chatting to a gentleman, I said could not be faulted. that I knew a Cromarty from Hoy, out in South Africa. The While we lived in South Africa, our best friends were gentleman said, “speak to Alice Seater there, I am sure Edith and Nor- she visited Cromartys in South Africa some years ago”. man Cromarty. You’ve guessed it Alice had visited Norman and Edith Norman was and their daughter, Norma, and was able to direct us to from Orkney Norman’s birthplace and also to his grandfather’s croft while Edith about a quarter of a mile up the road. was a Greig We were able to take photos of the places, find the from Inverallo- family grave stones in the cemetery close by and even chy, Aberdeen- to find the stone of their good friends the Malcolmsons shire. right next to the war memorial. When in K i r k w a l l one day, we stopped at the Library to give it the once over and no- ticed that the Family History Society had an office upstairs, and that it operated between 2 and 4.30 on a Thursday. As it was Thursday and the office opened in fifteen min- utes, we decided that we would try to trace Norman’s roots. From the phone book, the librarian provided us with a copy of the Cromartys currently in Orkney and we went upstairs to the family History Society. What a great team of friendly and helpful volunteers you have. The computer was fired up and in no time at all, we had a trace taken from the 1901 and then the 1891 census. Issue No. 48 December 2008 NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY 5 Orkney Connections In our June issue Robert Whitton listed a number of instances where the name Orkney occurred throughout the world, Peter Leith suggests that many place names also have an Orkney connection and suggests Germiston for starters. GERMISTON South Africa This is a city in the province of Gauteng, nine miles (14km) south east of Johannesburg. The area was to become the world’s biggest goldfield after John Jack from Scotland and his partner August Simmer, from Germany, sank the first deep mine there in 1846. On land adjoining the area a township was laid out and John Jack called it Germiston after the village near Glasgow where he was born. GERMISTON Glasgow The village where John Jack was born grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution to form a vital part of Glasgow’s locomotive industry. With the There are Cromar- demise of the steam engine it was redeveloped primarily as a housing tys in Canada who scheme of low and high-rise properties. are members of the Society and I will GERMISTON Stenness be getting in touch with them, as Nor- man lived in Canada before going on to South Africa. Norman was also a great piper and even travelled to Canada from South Africa to judge pip- A peaceful and pleasant spot which has seen little in the way of changes ing competitions. over the years. Possibly the most exciting event in the area was Orkney’s All in all Orkney last battle in 1529 at Summersdale, complete with witch and an was a great holiday for us and we will cer- appearance by the long dead St Magnus. Curiously enough Peter tells me tainly be returning in the near future.