New England Sawmillers in Scotland
The Images are courtesy of https://www.actonhistoricalsociety.org/ww1-sawmill-unit.html Also check out Records No 4778 – 4789 or under ‘Groups’ the ‘American sawmillers in Scotland 1917’.
There is no information on this image of five well dressed men from the New England Sawmill Units. One can imagine that this is their day off on Sunday and that they could be visiting a church or have been invited to a family home. Or is one of them getting married! This does not appear to be men from Sawmilling Unit No 3 as this appears to be a different location and none of the men are definitely recognised in other photographs of that group.
Several of the New England men made contact with local ladies and there is a note in the archives that some wives returned to America at the end of the timber production contract in June 1918.
Does anyone recognise the men or does anyone know of local people in the Ardgay area who married members of the sawmill teams?
Download Large Version (385kB)
Groups: American sawmillers in Scotland 1917, Groups of people
2 Comments
On the 2nd November 1917 Randall Floyd Sessions Lumberman staying at the “American Sawmill, Creich” married Georgina Ross of Oldton Ardgay. Georgina lived two houses away from the Betsy Munro Ross mentioned above in 1901.
Clarence and Betsy who were married in June 1918 were witnesses at the marriage of Randall and Christina
Randall was also from Maine, & left 16 June 1917 after receiving his passport on 13 June 1917.
Georgina applied for a USA passport at Dundee 24th May 1918. Floyd and Christina arrived in New York 25 June 1918, ended up back in Rumford Maine. Christina died in 1959 aged 64 and Randall in 1949 aged 54 Comment left on 08 December 2020 at 23:48 by Ross
On 9th March 1918 Lumberman Bernard Nichols married Christina Macpherson.
Christina was from Lubconich west of Croick but in 1918 was staying at Corvost, Strathcarron, just past where the sawmill was. Bernard Nichols was also staying at Corvost at the time of their marriage.
Bernard was from Jackman, Maine. Christina applied for a USA passport in June 1918 at London, and they must have moved back to Maine as their first child was born there in 1920. Bernard died in 1972 aged 75. Christina died in 1964 aged 74
On 7th June 1918 Betsy Munro Ross of Oldton Ardgay married Clarence Channing Abbott, a Lumberman staying in Strathcarron, Ardgay. Clarence was from Oxford county, Maine. Clarence joined the US army 10 days after his marriage, where he served as a sergeant in the 20th Engineers and demobbed 27th June 1919
Betsy’s USA passport application was received in August 1919 and they arrived back in Maine later that year. Betsy died in 1980 aged 90, Clarence in 1943 aged 52.
https://www.northern-times.co.uk/news/from-our-march-23-2018-edition-136353/
PERHAPS the most interesting of the recent Highland-American marriages was that of Miss C. Macpherson, daughter of Mrs Macpherson, Strathcarron, Ardgay, to Mr Bernard Nichols, of the New England lumber contingent. The function was held in the Y.M.C.A. Hut at the bridegroom’s unit and his popularity drew an enthusiastic party of his fellow workmen to give him a hearty send-off.
Comment left on 08 December 2020 at 12:01 by Ross