Peter Harris & Isabella Russell
of Bathgate, West Lothian
Peter Harris was born in Hamilton, Lanarkshire in 1801. He was 19 when he married Isabella Russell in Hamilton on the 11th of June 1820. He was a coal miner.
They remained in Hamilton during the early days of their marriage and had several children, however in the late 1830's they moved to Bathgate, West Lothian where Peter had secured work at Collinshield Colliery. Their children were:
1. Thomas Harris born on the 26th of June 1822 in Hamilton, Lanarkshire.
2. Ann Harris born on the 22nd of August 1824 in Hamilton, Lanarkshire.
3. John Harris born on the 29th of July 1827 in Hamilton, Lanarkshire.
4. Mark Harris born in 1834 in Hamilton, Lanarkshire.
5. Isabella Harris born in 1835 in Hamilton, Lanarkshire.
In 1842 Mr R F Franks was asked to launch an investigation on behalf of the Children's Employment Commission on the East of Scotland District. He was tasked with visiting each colliery and interviewing workers in a bid to understand the conditions they were working under. When he reached Collinshield he interviewed the owner of the colliery as well as some members of the Harris family. Mr Henry Moore, colliery owner was able to give the following information:
"I am in partnership with Mr. Moore, a farmer, near by, in the Collinshield Coal-works, and we employ about 40 men, women and children at present; we consider the number employed few, as the work is limited at this season.
The roads are railed in our pits, and the ventilation produced by the two shafts - the shaft up which the coals are drawn, and that which the people descend by stairs. The coal-seam is three feet high, and the roads are the same height. The carts contain 2 to 3 cwt. Of coal, which children and young persons draw on the railed roads. Females did not work in mines at this part till lately, as some years since the men agreed amongst themselves to allow no females to labour below; but time and the want of assistance has caused many to neglect the regulations. Masters in this part never advised or interfered with any moral regulations made by the colliers; but must admit that females and young children could be dispensed with; their exclusion now might cause the coal to rise. I am quite aware that there is a very strong feeling hereabouts against employing females and children, but as they work below at the pleasure of parents how is it to be prevented ?
Mr Franks made his own notes - 'The mines in this part are all badly managed, ill-ventilated and the consequence is that colliers rove much, and are speedily afflicted with bad breath'
Mr Franks then spoke with young Ann Harris (born 1824)
Ann Harris, 15 years old, putter: Works 10 to 12 hours daily; has done so about four months; never was at coal-work before, and heartily hates it; could get no other profitable work or would not have gone down. “It is no woman's work, nor is it good for anybody; am obliged to do the work, as father houks [hews] the coal below.”
His notes - 'Reads pretty well; very ill informed; the cottage was most filthy, and the few seats and household necessaries were of the most wretched description. The houses are in a complete morass, and it was with difficulty that I could jump from one to the other.'
He then interviewed Peter Harris
Peter Harris, collier (hews coal):
'I am about 40 years of age and have, within the last 3, taken to hew coals, as I hope that it would be more profitable than my old trade, which was that of a candle-maker. The work is very hard, and from bad air and limitation of output, rendered uncertain. I can hew two tons per day, the quantity usually sent up by experienced workmen who hew in the narrow seams in these parts; I am rather disappointed, as I thought the work would have been more profitable; it is with difficulty that I can get average wage of 2s. 6d. a-day, after paying oil and tools'
The result of the report was the subsequent 1842 Act to prohibit the Employment of Women and Girls in Mines and Collieries, to regulate the Employment of Boys, and make Provisions for the Safety of Persons working therein.
Isabella Harris (nee Russell) died in Bathgate between 1841 & 1845. Her death was not registered.
Peter remarried in Bathgate in 1845. His new wife was Ann Tait. Ann was already twice widowed. Her first husband, George Flemming she'd married in Bathgate in 1834. Her second husband William Thomson she'd married in Bathgate in 1838.They had two sons together before his death. Alexander Thomson born 1840 and Robert Thomson born 1841.
On the 1851 Scottish Census Peter is living with his new wife Ann and his two stepsons Alexander & Robert at 128 South Bridge Street, Bathgate, West Lothian.
Peter died on the 2nd of August 1856 in Bathgate after a long period of heart disease. He was 55 years old. He was buried in the New Churchyard, Bathgate. Ann died in Bathgate in 1885, aged 83 from natural causes.
Collinshield Colliery closed for good in 1866.
Children of Peter Harris and Isabella Russell were:
1. Thomas Harris born on the 26th of June 1822 in Hamilton, Lanarkshire. He married Elizabeth (Eliza) Fleming on the 6th of August 1843 in Bathgate. Eliza was born in Bathgate in 1824, the daughter of local weavers James Fleming and Agnes McPherson. Thomas had followed in his father's footsteps and was a coal miner at Collinshield Colliery. Although Thomas and Eliza were married in Bathgate, they lived in Clarkston, Glasgow for a short time before eventually returning to Bathgate to settle. They had nine children, one child, Mark died in infancy, however the eight others survived and are all in the family group photograph below. The five surviving boys all followed in their father’s footsteps and became coal miners.
26 July 1822 Thomas Harris Baptism
Thomas Harris & Elizabeth Harris (nee Fleming)
Thomas Harris & Elizabeth Harris (nee Fleming) wedding 6th August 1843
Their children were:
- Peter Fleming Harris born in Clarkston, Glasgow on the 5th of July 1844. Peter married Davina Nimmo in Bathgate on the 31st of December 1869. The couple settled at Engine Street, Bathgate and had thirteen children:
- Thomas Harris born on the 21st of September 1870 at Engine Street, Bathgate. He married Agnes Chalmers in Bathgate on the 26th of January 1894. He was a 23 year old coal miner and she was a 20 year old domestic servant - The daughter of James Chalmers and Janet Smail, living at 22 Cochrane Street, Bathgate.
Their children were :
- Janet Harris born on the 8th of November 1894 in Armadale, Bathgate. She married Peter Shields on the 7th of November 1917 in Bathgate and they had one son, Alexander Shields, born in Bathgate in 1923. In the mid 1920's around 18,500 Scots were moving to the USA annually. Janet, Peter and Alexander immigrated to the USA on the 31st of August 1929 onboard 'The Antonia' travelling from Greenock to Quebec, Canada. They settled in Cleveland, Ohio.
Peter Shields died in Cleveland, Ohio on the 22nd of October 1946. He was 54 years old. Janet died on the 4th of July 1984 at Willoughby, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. She was 89 years old.
- Peter Harris born on the 14th of September 1896 in Bathgate. He married Margaret Boyd Meek in Bridgend, Bathgate on the 7th of April 1922. He was a 25 year old coal miner living at 33 Southbridge Street, Bathgate. She was a 23 year old shop assistant, the daughter of William Meek and Margaret Buchanan. They had two sons, Thomas Harris born 1923 and William Meek Harris born in 1925.
Peter Harris died in Bathgate on the 16th of November 1964. Margaret Harris (nee Meek) died in Bathgate on the 14th of February 1976.
- James Chalmers Harris born on the 13th of November 1898 in Bathgate. He was a miner in Armadale and left Scotland onboard the 'Cameronian' on the 29th of January 1927, travelling first to New York and then on to Cleveland, Ohio.
- Davina Harris born on the 2nd of February 1900 in Armadale, Bathgate. She followed her siblings over to the Ohio, USA. Leaving Glasgow on the 21st of September 1929 onboard the 'Cameronian' .
- Agnes Chalmers Harris born in August 1903 in Armadale, Bathgate. Agnes was a hosiery worker in Armadale. She left Scotland at the age of 24 on the 10th of May 1929 and travelled from Glasgow onboard the 'California' to New York, USA. She was enroute to meet her siblings in Ohio.
- Thomas Harris born on the 6th of July 1908 in Armadale, Bathgate. He married Jessie Brown in Cleveland, Ohio on the 23rd of July 1931. He died at Mayfield Heights, Cuyahoga, Ohio, USA on the 11th of September 1977.
- Margaret Harris born on the 4th of November 1871 in Bathgate. She married James Gordon in Armadale, West Lothian on the 30th of November 1898.
Engine Street, Bathgate
Margaret and James' children were:
- John Gordon born in Armadale on the 29th of July 1898.
- Davina Gordon born in Armadale on the 23rd of August 1899. She died as an infant on the 9th of March 1900
- James Gordon born in Armadale on the 21st of January 1901. (Twin to Peter) He died as an infant on the 6th of February 1901.
- Peter Gordon born in Armadale on the 21st of January 1901. (Twin to James)
- Margaret Gordon born in Armadale on the 1st of March 1902
- Elizabeth Harris born on the 8th of October 1874 in Bathgate. She died as an infant on the 8th of October 1874.
- John Harris born on the 7th of January 1875 in Bathgate. He married Ann Gordon in Armadale on the 30th of December 1897. He was a coal miner and they lived at Heatherbank Cottages, North Street, Armadale
John and Ann had several children:
- Peter Harris born in Armadale on the 14th of May 1899. He died in 1951.
- John Gordon Harris born in Armadale in 1901. He married Helen Beggie Binning on the 1st of January 1925 in Bathgate.
- Thomas Harris born in Armadale on the 30th of December 1902
- Margaret Dickson Harris born in Armadale on the 17th of July 1905. She died the same year.
- Davina Nimmo Harris born in Armadale on the 8th of July 1908
- Annie Gordon Harris born in Bathgate on the 10th of January 1911. She married coal miner Anthony Bothwell at 369 High Street, Edinburgh on the 26th of October 1932. The marriage was a short one as Anthony died of bronchogenic carcinoma, aged 37 years on the 14th of August 1936 at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh.
- Peter Harris born on the 17th of March 1877 in Bathgate.
Peter married Mary Brady Forgie on the 1st of July 1900 at Avonbridge, Slamannan, Stirling. They had eight children:
- Peter Harris born on the 3rd of June 1900 at Mill Road, Arrmadale, West Lothian. He was married twice. First to Jeanie Duncan Paul on the 14th of June 1924 (She died in 1932) and then secondly to Alexandrina Duff Johnston in Bridgeton, Glasgow in 1936. Peter died at Falkirk Royal Infirmary on the 1st of May 1951 from acute liver failure. His father signed his death certificate.
- Henry Harris was born on the 28th of May 1901 in Armadale. He died 2 days later.
- Grace Forgie Harris was born on the 17th of May 1902 in Armadale. She married Hugh Ferguson Wallace in Knox, Indiana, USA. They had only one daughter Mary Wallace born in 1927 in Indiana. Mary went on to marry Wallace (Wally) Busch and they had 3 son's John, Wallace and Thomas.
Grace and Hugh moved to Chicago, Illinois where Hugh died in 1972. Grace died in 1974. Mary Busch (nee Wallace) died in 1991 and her husband Wally died in Seminole, Florida on the 4th of March 2009. He was a U.S. Army Korean War Veteran and a retired firefighter for the Chicago Fire Department.
- Thomas Harris born in 1904
- William Forgie Harris born the 12th of July 1907 at Muiravonside, Stirling. He was a coal miner and married Annie Clark Gardiner in Muiravonside on the 1st of April 1932.
- Alexander Forgie Harris was born the 7th of February 1910. He died as an infant on the 17th of July 1911.
- Mary Forgie Harris was born on the 13th of March 1915 at Muiravonside, Stirling. She married John Little in Armadale in 1949.
- Hope Forgie Harris was born on the 13th of June 1918 at Muiravonside, Stirling. She died as an infant in 1920.
- Davina Nimmo Harris born on the 19th of March 1879 in Bathgate.
Davina married Robert Jardine in Armadale on the 27th of March 1903. In 1906 Robert Immigrated from Scotland to the USA (he would return regularly) and Davina officially made the move three years later in 1909. She travelled onboard the 'Carmania' from Liverpool to New York. Davina and Robert had five children:
- John Jardine born in Armadale on the 3rd of October 1903. He died in New York, USA on the 14th of January 1974.
- Davina Nimmo Jardine born in Armadale on the 12th of May 1908. She married James Edgar Barcus. Davina died in Mahoning, Ohio, USA on the 20th of June 2000 and James died on the 4th of December 2001. They are both buried in Grandview Cemetery, Sebring, Ohio, United States.
- Robert Jardine born on the 10th of April 1912 in Pennsylvania, USA. He died on the 30th of March 1998 in Columbiana, Ohio, USA
- Margaret Jardine was born in 1915 in Pennsylvania, USA
- Mary Jardine was born in Ohio, USA in 1922
- Agnes Harris born on the 3rd of August 1880 in Bathgate. She died on the 6th of September 1880.
- Mark Harris born on the 9th of October 1881 in Bathgate
Mark married Janet Fife in Armadale in 1903. They immigrated to the USA on the 4th of June 1904 onboard the 'Laurentian' from Glasgow to New York and settled in Brent, Lawrence, Pennsylvania.
They had two children:
- Peter Harris born on the 29th of March 1904 in Armadale, Scotland. He married Fannie Mathieson. They had one son Thomas Harris born in Pennsylvania, USA in 1927.
- Katherine Harris born in 1906. She died in 1914
- Mary Harris born on the 12th of July 1883 in Bathgate. She married John Williamson in Armadale on the 31st of December 1901. She was 18 years old and a domestic servant. John was a 20 year old coal miner, the son of James Williamson and Ann Wyper.
Mary Harris
Mary and John had several children. They immigrated from Scotland in 1906, firstly to Nova Scotia, Canada and then to join Mary's brother Mark in Mercer, Pennsylvania. The children were:
- James Williamson born on the 29th of September 1902 in Armadale. He married Earla Viola Reeher on the 12th of June 1924 in Pennsylvania. They had 3 sons:
- Eugene Arthur Williamson born the 19th of April 1926. He died at Leesburg, Mercer, Pennsylvania on the 17th of July 1950.
- Kenneth R Williamson was born at Mercer County, Pennsylvania, on the 13th of July 1929. He died one day later.
- Earl Donald Williamson born on the 2nd of April 1934. He died on the 27th of June 2001.
Earla Williamson died in 1961. James Williamson died in Grove City, Mercer on the 19th of October 1981.
Earla Williamson
Eugene Williamson
Earl Williamson
- Davina Williamson born on the 21st of August 1904 in Nova Scotia, Canada. She married Ivan Roy Lightner on the 10th of October 1924. Davina died on the 19th of September 1982 in New Bedford, Lawrence, Pennsylvania.
- Peter Williamson born on the 24th of February 1906 in Mercer, Pennsylvania. He married Emma Bernice Buxton on the 28th of June 1928.
- Ann Williamson born on the 24th of April 1909 in Mercer, Pennsylvania. She married William Audley Morris in Austintown, Ohio on the 20th of April 1929. They had six children:
- Donald Dale Morris born the 2nd of March 1936 in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, USA. He died on the 3rd of January 1938. He was 41 years old.
- Ronald Marion Morris born the 2nd of March 1936 in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, USA (Twin of Donald)
- Edward Dean “Eddie” Morris born the 2nd of March 1936 in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, USA. He married Elizabeth Ann Lloyd.
- William “Bud” Morris. He married Carabelle Scott.
- Howard Thomas Morris
- Elizabeth (Betty) Joan Morris
William Morris
Ann Williamson
Donald Dale Morris
Ronald Morris
Eddie Morris
- John W. Williamson born on the 9th of May 1913 in Mercer. He married Mary Florence Brophy Jenkins.
- David Thomas Williamson born on the 25th of May 1919 in Grove City , Mercer. He married Julia Kluska on the 17th of January 1950. He was a graduate of Wilson High School in Youngstown and was a U.S. Army veteran, helping to build bridges and serving as a personal driver to General George S. Patton Jr. and his staff during World War II. He worked for Truscon and LTV Steel for 42 years, retiring as a crane operator in 1980. David was a member of Living Word Church, and enjoyed woodworking, gardening, fishing and travel. Julia was a graduate of Rayen High School, was a homemaker, and worked as a server for various local restaurants. She also worked at the General Electric Lamp Plant in Youngstown, for the S&H Green Stamp store, and was an owner/operator with her husband of Dave's Mill Stop.
David Williamson died on the 29th of May 2012. Julia Williamson (nee Kluska) died on the 23rd of August 2013
- Mary Elizabeth Williamson born in Grove City on the 4th of November 1924. She died 7 days later on the 11th of November 1924.
John Williamson was 45 when he died at Mine Buhl No.5, Sharon Coal Limestone, Mercer, Pennsylvania, USA. He was killed in an accident when he fell from a roof. His wife Mary Williamson (nee Harris) died in Grove City, Mercer on the 30th of December 1961. She was 78 years old.
- David Harris born on the 13th of June 1885 in Bathgate. He died aged 9 years on the 26th of December 1894.
- Isabella Harris born on the 13th of June 1885 in Bathgate. She died as an infant on the 12th of February 1886.
- James Nimmo Harris born on the 11th of June 1887 in Bathgate. He lived in Armadale his whole life. He married Margaret (Maggie) Todd in Armadale in 1908.
James Williamson
They had eight children:
- Peter Nimmo Harris was born in Armadale on the 17th of November 1909. He married Marion Ritchie Shaw at The Miners Welfare, Armadale on the 11th of July 1942.
- Joseph Nimmo Harris was born in Armadale on the 1st of March 1911. He married Eliza McColl at the Methodist Church, Armadale on the 4th of June 1937.
- Thomas Nimmo Harris was born in Armadale on the 1st of March 1911 (Twin to Joseph) He married Davina Paul at The Manse, Muiravonside on the 31st of December 1936. They had one known daughter Davina Nimmo Harris born in 1942.
- James Harris was born in Armadale on the 5th of August 1913
- Margaret Nimmo Harris was born in Armadale on the 4th of September 1914
- Davina Nimmo Harris was born in Armadale on the 23rd of October 1915. She married Walter Shaw in Clydebank on the 27th of December 1935.
- John Nimmo Harris was born in Armadale on the 15th of May 1919. He married Catherine Ferguson McQueen on the 24th of June 1939 at The West Church, Armadale.
- Mark Nimmo Harris was born in Armadale in 1921. He married Margaret Richards at the Town Hall, Armadale on the 20th of November 1942.
- Joseph Harris born on the 22nd of November 1889 in Bathgate. He married Margaret McColl. Like so many of his brothers and sisters, Joseph immigrated to Mercer, Pennsylvania, USA
Peter Fleming Harris died at Heatherbank Cottage, Armadale on the 4th of April 1905. He was 60 years old and suffering from pneumonia. Davina Harris (nee Nimmo) died in Bathgate in the 2nd of November 1930. She was 81. They are both buried at Paulville Cemetery, Bathgate, Section K Lair 41
- Agnes Harris born in Bathgate in 1847. She married Thomas Brown in Bathgate on the 31st of December 1867.
Agnes Harris & Thomas Brown
They had ten children:
- Elizabeth Brown born in Edinburgh on the 7th of November 1868. She married William Kidd Walker in Bathgate in 1897. They had two children :
- Robert Walker born in Uphall, West Lothian, Scotland on the 22 July 1898
- Agnes Harris Brown Walker born in Uphall, West Lothian, Scotland on the 15th of December 1900
Elizabeth Walker (nee brown) died on the 20th of March 1934, aged 65 years, in Lasswade, Mid Lothian
- Thomas Brown born in Bathgate on the 11th of June 1870. He married Janet Chalmers in Edinburgh on the 19th of September 1893. He was a bricklayer, she was a domestic servant.
Thomas died, aged 44, on the 18th of January 1914 at the Poorhouse, Thornton, Markinch Parish, Glenrothes, Fife from heart disease. He's listed as a widower, Janet's death certificate has not been found.
Thomas Brown 1871 - 1914
- Susan Brown born in Edinburgh on the 4th of July 1872. She married James Timpenny Drinnan at the West Port Hotel Linlithgow West Lothian on the 29th of July 1903. The marriage was a short one. James died on the 22nd of July 1906 from Bright's Disease/Kidney Disease. He was 41 years old. Susan died in Cannongate, Edinburgh on the 7th of March 1955.
- Isabella Brown born in Edinburgh on the 24th of November 1874. She married James Ferguson on the 17th of April 1900. They had two children:
- James Ferguson born in Edinburgh in 1903
- Agnes Ferguson born in Edinburgh in 1904
James Ferguson Snr died on the 13th of August 1956 in Carstairs, Lanarkshire. Isabella Ferguson (nee Brown died on the 29th of January 1962 in Carstairs.
- James Brown born in Edinburgh on the 17th of February 1877
He married Mary Laidlaw in Newington, Midlothian, Scotland on the 17th of July 1896. They had 9 Children:
- Thomas Brown born in Newington, Edinburgh on the 26th of March 1897. He married Maggie Cleghorn at 7 Royal Circus, St Andrews, Edinburgh on the 12th of November 1917. He was a 20 year old private in the Queen's Own 5th Cameron Highlanders, she was a 19 year old tailoress, the daughter of Peter Cleghorn and Agnes Reid.
- David Brown born in Newington, Edinburgh on the 30th of December 1898
- Agnes Harris Brown born in Newington, Edinburgh on the 16th of July 1901
- William Brown born in Newington, Edinburgh in 1903
- Mary Hamilton Brown born in Newington, Edinburgh on the 24th of May 1905. She married Henry John McShean on the 8th of March 1929 in St Giles, Edinburgh. The marriage lasted just under ten years when Henry died suddenly of appendicitis. He died at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh on the 22nd of January 1938. He was 32 years old. Usual address was 63 Albion Road, Edinburgh. This is now the site of Hibernian Football Club Grounds. Mary died on the 8th of September 1988.
- James Brown born in Newington, Edinburgh on the 10th of October 1907.He died as an infant aged two years on the 22nd of March 1910.
- Andrew Fleming Brown born in Newington, Edinburgh on the 1st of September 1909. He died at Edenhall Hospital Inveresk, Midlothian on the 26th of January 1950 aged 40 years.
- Alexander Brown born in Newington, Edinburgh on the 30th of December 1910. He died in Edinburgh on the 9th of August 1960.
- John Brown born in Newington, Edinburgh on the 24th of May 1913. He died in Uphall, West Lothian on the 28th of February 1991.
- Margaret Addison Brown born in Edinburgh on the 18th of April 1879. She married Robert Renton on the 8th of August 1902. They had one son:
- William Renton born on the 4th of December 1902.
- Andrew Fleming Brown born in Edinburgh on the 1st of June 1881. He married Anne Johnston on the 7th of June 1907. He was a 26 year old tile layer and she was a 23 year old book folder, the daughter of Robert Johnston and Elizabeth Westwater. They had two children:
- Thomas Brown born in Edinburgh on the 17th of September 1908 - He died aged 3 on the 31st of December 1911.
- Elizabeth Westwater Johnston Brown born in Edinburgh on the 20th of February 1912. She married James Thorburn in Edinburgh on the 4th of September 1937. Elizabeth died in Chelmsford, Essex on the 18th of July 2005.
Andrew Fleming Brown died on the 23rd of July 1918. He was 37 years old and died in Flanders Field, France during WW1. His wife Anne Brown (nee Johnston) died on the 1st of December 1948 in Edinburgh.
- Agnes Love Brown born in Edinburgh on the 31st of August 1883. She immigrated to the USA and married John Black on the 14th of June 1904 in Portland, Oregon, USA. Little is known about their live. They did not have any children. Agnes died in Portland, Oregon on the 7th of October 1971.
- Helen Brown born in Edinburgh on the 21st of December 1885
- Mary Brown born in Edinburgh in 1888. She married James Borthwick Gillespie in St Giles, Edinburgh on the 19th of July 1912.
Agnes Brown (nee Harris) died in Newington, Midlothian, Scotland on the 6th of December 1909. Thomas Brown died at Seafield, Blackburn, Linlithgowshire on the 4th of May 1915. He was 69.
- James Harris born in Bathgate in 1849. He married Mary Arthur on the 29th of January 1871
They had ten children:
- Thomas Harris born in Bathgate on the 22nd of November 1871. He married Janet McKinley McGowan in Glasgow City on the 21st of April 1899. They had three children:
- Catherine McGowan Harris was born in Old Cumnock, Ayrshire, Scotland on the 14th of April 1900
- Mary Arthur Harris was born in Bathgate, Linlithgow, Scotland on the 13th of November 1901
- James McGowan Harris was born in Bathgate, Linlithgow, Scotland on the 11th of April 1909
Thomas Harris died in Portobello, Edinburgh on the 25th of June 1933. His wife, Janet Harris (nee McGowan) died in Armadale, West Lothian, Scotland on the 18th of January 1951.
- Susan Harris born in Bathgate on the 14th of December 1873. She married John Rankin in Bathgate on the 13th of October 1893. They had three children:
- Mary Rankin born in Armadale, West Lothian on the 1st of February 1985
- James Rankin born in Armadale, West Lothian in 1896
- Christina Rankin born in Armadale, West Lothian in 1900
- Alexander Harris born in Bathgate on the 10th of March 1876. He died as an infant on the 23rd of February 1879
- James Harris born in Bathgate on the 26th of March 1878. He married Margaret Scott in Bathgate on the 30th of June 1899.
They had three children:
- James Harris born on the 30th of September 1900
- Margaret Orr Scott Harris born at Fettes Place, Mill Road, Bathgate on the 6th of March 1903
- Alexander Scott Harris born on the 8th of September 1908
- William Arthur Harris born in Bathgate on the 16th of May 1880. He married Mary Orr Scott in Bathgate on the 31st of December 1903.
- Peter Harris born in Bathgate in 1883. He married Ann Scott in Bathgate on the 14th of April 1904.
They had four children:
- Margaret Orr Harris born the 10th of February 1909 - She died on the same day.
- Mary Arthur Harris born in Bathgate on the 22nd of May 1910
- Annie Scott Harris born in Bathgate on the 1st of February 1912
- Elizabeth Fleming Harris born in Bathgate on the 4th of March 1914
- Arthur Harris born in Bathgate on the 28th of September 1885. He married Margaret Smith at the United Free Church, Armadale on the 31st of December 1907.
They had two children:
- John Smith Harris born in Bathgate on the 30th of November 1911
- Elizabeth Haldane Harris born in Bathgate on the 10th of November 1912. She married James Louden at 13 Wallace Road, Bathgate on the 3rd of March 1933.
- Lizzie Fleming Harris born in Bathgate on the 3rd of March 1888. She married William Chalmers in Bathgate on the 27th of February 1914.
They had three children:
- James Chalmers born in Bathgate on the 19th of December 1915
- Arthur Chalmers born in Bathgate on the 15th of December 1921
- William Chalmers born in Bathgate
- Mary Arthur Harris born in Bathgate in 1890. She married Alexander Buchan in Bathgate on the 12th of November 1915
- John Harris born in Bathgate on the 12th of July 1893. He died on the 13th of September 1897. He was 4 years old.
James Harris died on the 25th of April 1925 aged 76. Mary Harris (nee Arthur) died on the 30th of September 1930
- Isabella Harris born in Bathgate in 1852 was the fourth child of Thomas and Elizabeth Harris. Her family moved initially to Russell’s Row, Armadale, then to North Bridge Street, Bathgate a few years after that. In 1871 she is in employment as a general servant to Mrs. Eddie and her daughter in Main Street, Whitburn. Her marriage to Andrew Fleming took place in Bathgate on 31st December 1873 and shortly thereafter they resided in Paul’s Property in Whitburn Road, Bathgate, along with some other members of Isabella’s extended family. This included the family of her cousin, Thomas Harris, also her uncle, John Harris with his family, as shown in the 1881 census and a few doors along from them, Andrew Fleming’s mother and great Uncle James Arthur were residing. Sometime in the next few years they were to have Isabella’s niece, Susan Brown staying with them. By 1881 young Susan Brown, then aged eight, was residing with James Arthur as a boarder. I suspect that Susan may have been put under the care of her Aunt Isabella (Harris) Fleming and for whatever reason she had ended up eventually staying with James Arthur. It could be that the accommodation that Andrew and Isabella were renting in Paul’s Property was too small - the 1881 census shows it as only having one room with a window. Susan subsequently may have been placed in the care of Andrew Fleming’s mother, Margaret Addison, who resided with her uncle James and Susan was to remain there after Margaret’s death in 1879.
Isabella moved several times with Andrew as he took up building jobs around the country, eventually moving to Linlithgow when he was appointed head of bricklaying with the Linlithgow Oil Company, initially living at Kingscavil just outside the town, moving then to the High Street in Linlithgow and finally to the West Port Hotel when Andrew secured the lease in 1893.
On the death of Andrew Fleming in 1901 the hotel lease and business were subsequently passed to Isabella, as were all the properties he owned in Bathgate. The Hotel would remain a popular and thriving business under Isabella’s tenure. As well as employing Susan Brown, she also hired another of her niece, Margaret Harris, to work in the hotel.
Isabella Fleming was to marry for a second time to the noted solicitor and Linlithgow Town Clerk, James Russell, in Dunoon on 6th September 1905. It was around about this time that she passed the lease and business of the West Port Hotel to her niece, Susan.
After their marriage, James and Isabella were to reside at his home at 51 High Street, Linlithgow. She was to live a life of comparative leisure as the wife of a prominent lawyer and they travelled widely in Britain as well as occasionally abroad. They were considered to be the most travelled couple of the time in Linlithgow. The Channel Islands, Devon and the north of Scotland were among their favourite haunts in Britain - it was of note that they were sojourning in Gibraltar at the outbreak of the Great War. She was also widely known in the county for her generosity and support of charitable causes. During the First World War, Isabella was significantly involved as an active member of the Women’s Committee in charge of the Garment Fund, a charity that provided help for members of the armed forces and their families.
Isabella died on Christmas Eve 1921; the funeral took place the following Tuesday afternoon and was attended by a large number of persons representing all sections of the wider community of Linlithgow.
- Thomas Harris born in Bathgate in 1854. He married Isabella Arthur in Bathgate on 29th December 1876.
They had six children :
- Thomas Harris born in Bathgate on the 2nd of November 1877. He married Janet Thomson in Armadale on the 31st of December 1901. Janet was the daughter of James Thomson and Anne Fleming.
They had two daughters and two sons:
- Annie Fleming Harris born in Bathgate on the 18th of June 1903. She died aged 9 years from Ptomaine Poisoning/Food Poisoning at Belleville, Bridgend, Bathgate on the 16th of March 1913.
- Isabella Arthur Harris born in Bathgate on the 24th of September 1910. She died aged 2 years from Scarlet Fever at Belleville, Bridgend, Bathgate on the 24th of March 1913.
- Thomas Harris born in Bathgate on the 9th of February 1916, He married Agnes Smith Whitefield in Armadale on the 7th of October 1937.
- James Harris born in Bathgate on the 17th of November 1922
- William Harris born in Bathgate in 1879. He died as an infant on the 22nd of February 1880.
- Margaret Harris born in Bathgate in 1884. She married James Mowat Hossack in Bathgate on the 31st of December 1908. They immigrated to New Zealand in 1921.
They had four sons:
- James Hossack born in Bathgate in 1910
- Thomas Harris Hossack born in Bathgate in 1910 (Twin to James)
- William Hossack born in Bathgate in 1913. He was killed in action serving with the New Zealand Infantry in Crete on the 2nd of May 1941. he was 28 years old. He is buried at Suda Bay War Cemetery.
- Peter Hossack born in Bathgate on the 10th of December 1914.
- Peter Harris born in Bathgate in 1890
- Isabella Harris born in Bathgate in 1893. She married David Thomson in Bathgate in 1914.
They had four children:
- Isabel Arthur Thomson born in Bathgate on the 12th of July 1914. She married Thomas Young Erskine
- Margaret Thomson
- Elizabeth Thomson
- Robert Thomson
- Elizabeth Harris born in Bathgate in 1898
Thomas Harris died in Bathgate on the 4th of October 1920. He was 66 years old. Isabella Harris (nee Arthur) suffered from heart failure and died at 66 Stuart Terrace, Bathgate on the 21st of April 1938. She was 80 years old.
- John Harris born in Glasgow on the 16th of December 1856. He married Mary Arnott on 14th August 1885 in Addiewell. Although they did not have children of their own they did adopt two boys by the name of McGill who were relations of Mary.
- William McGill born in Bathgate in 1876
- John McGill born in Bathgate in 1877
John Harris died in Bathgate on the 4th of September 1938 from heart failure. Mary Harris (nee Arnott) died at 94 Glasgow Road, Bathgate on the 21st of November 1943. She was 79 and died of a brain haemorrhage.
- Elizabeth Harris born in Armadale, West Lothian on the 16th of August 1859. Elizabeth married Thomas Hume Fraser on 29th June 1883 in Bathgate and they had six children.
- Elizabeth Fraser born in Edinburgh on the 11th of April 1884. She married Alfred Davidson on the 30th of June 1911
- Helen Fraser born in Edinburgh on the 7th of September 1886. She married Andrew Bisset Napier on the 16th of July 1914.
They had one son:
- Thomas Hume Fraser Napier born in Glasgow on the 10th of August 1920.
- Thomas Hume Fraser born in Edinburgh on the 18th of July 1888. He married Rose Norton in Bathgate on the 22nd of July 1910. They immigrated to the USA in 1914 and settled in Leetonia, Columbiana, Ohio
They had eight children:
- Elizabeth Fraser born in Bathgate on the 25th of May 1911
- Helen Fraser born in Bathgate on the 18th of November 1913. She died the year later.
- Thomas Hume Fraser born in Mercer, Pennsylvania, on the 2nd of April 1915
- Catherine Fraser born in Pennsylvania, USA on the 25th of December 1916. She died as an infant in 1917.
- Norman Fraser born in Pennsylvania, USA on the 18th of January 1918. He died the same year.
- John Kenneth Fraser born in Pennsylvania, USA on the 21st of December 1919
- George Paul Fraser born in Washingtonville, Columbiana, Ohio, United States on the 30th of July 1922
- Rose Alma Fraser born in Leetonia, Columbiana, Ohio, on the 12th of July 1924. She died, aged 6 months, in January 1925.
- Peter Harris Fraser born in Edinburgh on the 25th of December 1890. He married Rachel Johnston on the 31st of August 1917. They had two children and then immigrated to the USA. Settling in Cleveland, Ohio.
- Agnes Johnston Fraser born on the 25th of August 1918
- Thomas Hume Fraser born on the 22nd of February 1920. He married Louise C Schutt on the 21st of June 1941 in Cutahoga, Ohio, USA
- Daniel Ritchie Fraser born in Edinburgh on the 13th of August 1892. He married Elspeth Alston at 49 High Street Linlithgow on the 8th of May 1923.
- James Harris Fraser born in Edinburgh on the 9th of May 1896. He married Catherine Fyfe. They had one son:
- Thomas Hume Fraser born in Bathgate on the 26th of May 1920. He married Dinah Dorothy Strickland in Larbert, Scotland in 1948.
Back Row L to R : Peter Harris Fraser, Daniel Ritchie Fraser, Thomas Hume Fraser, James Harris Fraser
Front Row L to R : Helen Fraser, Elizabeth Fraser (nee Harris) Elisabeth Fraser
Thomas Hume Fraser died at Craiglockhart Poorhouse, Edinburgh on the 31st of August 1918. Elizabeth died on the 7th of April 1929 aged 69 at 23 Maverick Street, Dennistoun, Glasgow. She had stomach cancer.
- Mark Harris born in Bathgate on the 29th of May 1862. He died as an infant of the 17th of February 1863 from complications of teething.
- Alexander Harris born in Bathgate on the 27th of August 1864. He married Grace Shields on 11th September 1891 in Bathgate and they had seven children:
Alexander Harris with wife Grace Harris (nee Shields)
Their children were:
- Grace Harris born in Bathgate on the 30th of January 1892. She married Joseph Hislop Thomson in Bathgate on the 20th of September 1912.
- Elizabeth Harris born in Bathgate on the 6th of May 1894
- Thomas Harris born in Bathgate on the 23rd of October 1896. He married Mary Brown Drummond Downie in Armadale on the 1st of January 1925.
- Esther Harris born in Bathgate on the 23rd of October 1898. She married William Tonnie Jackson in Bathagte on the 20th of September 1922.
- John Harris born in Bathgate on the 6th of January 1901. He married Helen Milligan.
- Alexander Harris born in Bathgate on the 3rd of October 1904
- William Harris born in Bathgate on 1906. He died on the 10th of December 1907 in Bathgate aged one year.
Alexander Harris died at 36 Drumcross Road, Bathgate, West Lothian on the 31st of August 1942. Grace Harris (nee Shields) died at the same address on the 2nd of December 1946.
Thomas Harris died at 31 Main Street, Bathgate on the 22nd of November 1880. He was 58 years old and suffering from chronic pneumonia. Eliza Harris (nee Fleming) died in bathgate on the 27th of July 1896 from old age. She was 72.
2. Ann Harris born on the 22nd of August 1824 in Hamilton, Lanarkshire. As per the 1841 census she's living at Collinshield Colliery, Bathgate. As previously notes above she was interviewed by R F Franks in 1942 when she was 18 and working down the coal mine. She married James Ellis on the 24th of October 1847 in Bathgate. They had three children:
- Elizabeth Ellis born in Bathgate in 1849. Elizabeth married Robert Watson on the 27th of april 1871. She lived on Main Street, Bathgate at the time. Their children were:
- Annie Harris Watson born in Bathgate on the 22nd of March 1872
- Margaret Smart Watson born in Bathgate on the 20th June 1873
- Andrew Watson born in Bathgate in 1875
- Isabella Watson born in Bathgate in 1877
- James Ellis Watson in Bathgate in 1881
- Mary Watson born in Bathgate in 1883
- Mark Watson born in Bathgate in 1887
- Grace Watson born in Bathgate in 1889
- Janet Watson born in Bathgate in 1893
- James Ellis born in Bathgate on the 23rd of December 1856. On the 1881 Census James is living with his sister Elizabeth and her family at 16 Mount Pleasant, Bathgate, Armadale. He's 23 and an Iron Miner. He married Grace Cunningham on the 31st of December 1889 at 22 Mount Pleasant, Bathgate
- Peter Ellis born in Bathgate on the 23rd of December 1860. He died the following year in 1861.
3. John Harris born on the 29th of July 1827 in Hamilton, Lanarkshire.He married Janet Tait in New Monkland, Lanarkshire in May 1846. He signed his father's death certificate in 1856. Eventually John and Janet settled in Edinburgh - A short walk from Haymarket Rail Station. They had three children:
- Isabella Harris born 1860. She married John Chapman in Uphall, West Lothian in 1883.
- Janet (Jessie) Harris born 1861. She died aged 13 at 17 Clarence Street, Edinburgh from Consumption on the 17th of March 1875.
- John Harris born the 7th of June 1865. He first married Jane Bremner in Uphall, West Lothian on the 1st of October 1886. They had three children together before Jane's untimely death.
- John Harris born in Uphall, West Lothian in 1888
- Elizabeth Harris born in Uphall, West Lothian in 1890
- Janet Tait Harris born in Uphall, West Lothian in 1892
Jane Harris (nee Bremner died on the 13th of May 1892 at 240 Mid Street, Uphall. She was 24 years old. Her death certificate states meningitis as the cause. John Harris remarried. He married Mary Gilbert Ramsay at St George, Edinburgh in 1894. John signed his father's death certificate in 1896. He was living at 12 Downfield Place, Edinburgh
John and Mary Harris had one known child together:
- Thomas Ramsay Harris
John Harris died at The Eastern General Hospital, Leith on the 26th of November 1937. His Usual Residence was 8 Downfield Place, Edinburgh.
4. Mark Harris born in 1834 in Hamilton, Lanarkshire.
5. Isabella Harris born in 1835 in Hamilton, Lanarkshire. Isabella married James Gardner in Bathgate, West Lothian on the 28th of June 1859. James was born in 1837 and was a hairdresser to trade.
They had one son:
- David Gardner born in Bathgate in 1859. He married Charlotte Elizabeth Quinn in Armadale in 1881. He was a shoemaker. She was born in Ireland but her family had moved to Bathgate.
They had three children:
- Hannah Hardy Gardner born at Marjoribanks Street, Bathgate on the 29th of November 1882.
- Isabella Harris Gardner born at 101 East Main Street, Armadale, Bathgate on the 13th of December 1886
- David James Gardner born the 18th of June 1891 in Bathgate.He never married and died at the age of 64 at 153 Morningside Drive, Edinburgh on the 5th of January 1956 from a cerebral thrombosis. His usual address was Academy Street, Bathgate. It would appear that none of the siblings married and all three of them remained together and lived together until each of them died.
Charlotte Gardner (nee Quinn) died on the 7th of November 1927 in Bathgate. David Gardner died in Bathgate on the 24th of August 1945.
James Gardner died on the 19th of February 1898 in Bathgate, he was 61 years old. Isabella Gardner (nee Harris) died on the 14th of August 1909 at 31 North Bridge Street, Bathgate from heart failure. She was 74 years old.
Despite the sheer size of the Harris Clan, they all remained incredibly close. Living descendants of the family use the above photo as a point of reference. The photograph was part of a collection of old photographs in an album which belonged to a great aunt of a third cousin of Stuart Thomson, the grandson of Grace Harris. Through various websites she had appealed for help to try and identify some of the people who had gathered for this photograph on what appeared to be quite a momentous occasion. She only knew the names of the couple seated centre front - Agnes (Harris) and Thomas Brown who were her great grand parents. Within a year there were half a dozen of third and fourth cousins, all descendants of this Harris family, searching their archives to try and put names to faces. Initial results were promising and some lively email correspondence was to follow. Soon they could put names to about a quarter of these people, mainly derived from photographs they each had in our own family archives.
The family group photograph was taken at the rear of the block of properties on South Bridge Street, Bathgate where the washing can be seen drying in the aerial photograph opposite.
In 1904 these properties were owned by Isabella (Harris) Fleming later Russell, and shortly afterwards they were passed on to her niece Susan (Brown) Drinnan. Over the years a good number of Harris or Harris related families lived in these houses and at the time the family group photograph was taken there were several ‘Harris’ families in residence here. They have tentatively fixed a date for the family photograph of 1904 to early 1905. It would have to have been taken before April 1905 when Peter Harris died, but probably only within about a year prior to his death if we consider the ages of some of the younger family members we have identified in this photograph.
