Leith

Leith shenanigans

First Post in a while, it’s been a funny ol time.

Anyway, Don got back in touch and then Marilyn and so the last few days have been spent trying to square the various circles in the Leith tree, and with some success. It’s certainly a lot tidier but the ultimate aim of definitely tying my 3xgreat grandfather, Archibald (1829-1878), to his putative siblings Andrew, Samuel and John has not been fully realised. Civil records for that time just don’t exist.

An interesting aside concerns Achibald’s children, specifically the two daughters he appears to have had called Mary. Both survived to adulthood, both got married, both seem to be his daughter. Interesting conundrum.

Leiths

I really need to sort out the Leiths.

and the Leitches.

and Leeches.

But it’s a bit daunting. Snatches of information and too many people with the same name and, of course, all the inherent problems with Irish records.

There are lots of good trees leading up to the early 19th century, but once you get to Ballymena and its environs the picture starts to break up and we get several Johns who may or may not be the same person, several instances of same name siblings, possible multiple marriages, Archibalds clearly in the wrong place, and it all gets into a bit of a mess.

A brush with minor royalty

Much as I am vehemently against inherited privilege, my great-grandfather, John Leith, would have been chuffed to receive this gift from the then Governor-General of the Union of South Africa (the Earl of Athlone and husband of Princess Alice, granddaughter of Queen Victoria), on his retirement from the railways.

pencil

As the following letter shows, John was in charge of the train that the Governor-General often used to travel around the country on his frequent ceremonial tours.

letter

Interesting aside

It’s now almost certain that my dad’s grandfather and my mum’s grandfather were both involved in the Relief of Ladysmith during the Boer War. It’s also true that mum’s same grandfather and dad’s other grandfather were both involved in South Africa’s WW1 campaign in what is now Namibia.

We know they never met in a family setting, perhaps they did in wartime.