John Hay Goodlet Auld by unknown [Photo]

Photo details:

Title John Hay Goodlet Auld by unknown Date unknown Collection Georgina Auld nee Muir photo album Digital ID apc-000006 Photo Type Photo Stock Size 110 x 160 mm Stock Thickness Stock Colour White Stock Edges Straight Stock Corners Square Image Size 81 x 130 mm Technology Gelatin Silver Features Full bleed Front Imprint None Back Imprint None

Front face

Front face:

John Hay Goodlet Auld by unknown (front face)
[Auld Photograph Collection apc-000006]

Larger version on Flickr

Photo appears to have originally been framed. Slight silvering / mirroring around the edges of the photo. There is no photographers imprint on the front face.

Written on the page in the album where this photograph was placed is the following identification text:

John Hay Goodlet Auld (born 1874 died 1964)
Presbyterian minister

John Hay Goodlet Auld was the eldest child of Reverend John Auld and Georgina Muir.

Rear face:

Although the photo has been stuck into the album, there is no imprint on the rear face, hence there is no dateable evidence provided.

Mrs John Auld (Georgina Muir) by Bara [Cabinet card]

Photo details:

Title Mrs John Auld (Georgina Muir) by Bara Date 1893 Collection Georgina Auld nee Muir photo album Digital ID apc-000003 Photo Type Cabinet card Mount Size 107 x 166 mm Mount Thickness 1 mm Mount Colour Cream Mount Edges Straight, gold gilt Mount Corners Round Image Size 102 x 148 mm Technology Albumen Features Vignette Front Imprint Logo and text Back Imprint Medium sized, text and artwork

Front face Rear face

Front face:

Mrs John Auld (Georgina Muir) by Bara (front face)
[Auld Photograph Collection apc-000003-s1]

Larger version on Flickr

Bara
AYR, N.B. (N.B. denoting North Britain)

Written on the page in the album where this photograph was placed is the following identification text and year:

Mrs John Auld (Georgina), mother of J H G Auld (1893)

Rear face:

Mrs John Auld (Georgina Muir) by Bara (front face)
[Auld Photograph Collection apc-000003-s2]

Larger version on Flickr

Imprint on rear face is medium sized and includes both text and artwork. Inscription of the text reads as:

13389 (written in pencil on the top left)
12 (written in pencil on the top right)
UNDER
DISTINGUISHED
PATRONAGE
Bara
AYR.
ALL NEGATIVES KEPT. COPIES CAN BE HAD.
ENLARGEMENTS
PLAIN IN OIL, WATER COLOR, OR CRAYONS
MINIATURES ON IVORY &c. &c. 

The number(s) written at the top of the cabinet card in pencil most likely represent the negative number of the photo in case a duplicate needed to be reordered from the photographer.

Unknown female by Metcalfe & Glaister [carte de visite]

Photo details:

Title unknown female by Metcalfe & Glaister Date 1875 Collection Georgina Auld nee Muir photo album Digital ID apc-000106 Photo Type Carte de visite Mount Size 62 x 102 mm Mount Thickness 0.630 mm Mount Colour Natural Mount Edges Straight Mount Corners Square Image Size 58 x 90 mm Technology Albumen Features Front Imprint None Back Imprint Medium sized, text and artwork

Front face Rear face

Front face:

unknown female by Metcalfe & Glaister (front face)
[Auld Photograph Collection apc-000106-s1]

Larger version on Flickr

There is no imprint on the front face.

Although the individual female depicted in the photograph is unknown, there are several potential candidates for who it may be.

The first and most likely candidate, in my opinion, would be James Muir's first wife Elizabeth nee Coutts. As identified in the post titled Trove Tuesday : The family of James Muir, James and Elizabeth were married 15 December 1874, the year prior to when this photograph is believed to have been taken (based on the rear imprint information - see below). Combine this information with the previously identified photo of James Muir by Metcalfe & Glaister [Carte de visite], which was taken by the same photographers around the same time period.

It is also known that Georgina Auld nee Muir & James Muir's sister, Christina Muir, was also living in Brisbane, although to date it is not known when Christina arrived in Australia.

Rear face:

unknown female by Metcalfe & Glaister (rear face)
[Auld Photograph Collection apc-000106-s2]

Larger version on Flickr

Imprint on rear face is medium sized and includes both text and artwork. Inscription of the text reads as:

METCALFE & GLAISTER.
PHOTOGRAPHIC
ARTISTS.
[small print]WATSON & CO:LITH:
QUEEN ST BRISBANE.
Late
J.WATSON, 

See Trove Tuesday : Metcalfe & Glaister [Photographers] for more information on Metcalfe & Glaister and their photographic studio in Queen Street, Brisbane. As discussed in that post, the documentary evidence based solely on the information provided on the back imprint dates the photo to 1875.

Trove Tuesday : Identifying James Muir

Last week the resources of Trove were utilised to help build a family profile of James Muir (see Trove Tuesday : The family of James Muir). This week I will go one better and explain how a newspaper article helped identify one of the carte de visite photographs contained in the Georgina Auld nee Muir album that is currently being scanned.

Obituary notice for James Muir

From the results seen last week whilst searching the newspapers, it was noticed that when James Muir's name was mentioned, reference was also being made to his father John Muir and to where his father lived - in Gatehead, Ayrshire, Scotland. With this in mind, a search was performed using "James Muir Gatehead Ayrshire Scotland". The results were rather surprising and helped identify several additional siblings of James Muir who had also immigrated to both Australia (Brisbane specifically) as well as New Zealand. Of particular note was an obituary notice for James Muir that was published in several newspapers. Below is a copy of the obituary that appeared in The Brisbane Courier on 7 July 1916:

Source: PERSONAL. (1916, July 7). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 11. Retrieved June 3, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20133427

From reading the obituary, readers will pick up on several possible avenues for potential research. The item that stood out for me was the mention that James Muir was a founder of the Queensland Bowling Association.

Queensland Bowling Association

A quick search on the Internet found a breakdown of the history of Bowls Australia. According to the information provided on the site, the first Brisbane Bowls Club was formed in 1878 and they played on a green in the Botanic Gardens. The club subsequently became the Booroodabin Bowls Club with the Queensland Association being formed in 1903.

To see if any further details could be found, the all knowing oracle of historic Australian printed media 'Trove' was consulted. The question we asked the oracle was "James Muir Queensland bowling" and the oracle Trove referenced the following full page article that appeared in The Brisbane Courier in 1904:

Source: [No heading]. (1904, February 6). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 12. Retrieved June 3, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page1546481

Several articles appear on the page and detail James Muir's involvement with bowling. One such article on An Ancient and Honourable Game, details Muir playing on the lawns of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens as a pioneer of bowling in Queensland in 1878, to being the first President of the Queensland Bowling Association in May 1881.

A photo of James Muir as printed in 1904

On the same page appear fourteen photos of individuals connected with bowling in Queensland. One of these photos is of James Muir, President of the Queensland Association. The closeup of the photo follows:

Source: BOWLING IN QUEENSLAND. (1904, February 6). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 12. Retrieved June 3, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19264300

Comparing the photo of James Muir taken in 1904 with the photos in the Georgina Auld nee Muir album, a match was made with one of the photographs of an unknown male taken circa 1875 in Brisbane. There is a time difference of nearly thirty years between the two images but the similarities can be seen.

Unknown male (possibly James Muir) by Metcalfe & Glaister (front face) [Auld Photograph Collection apc-000105-s1]

Readers will note the name written in ball point pen on the front face as 'Edgar Collingbourne'. Unfortunately there are several photographs in the album which have been written on and from research undertaken to date, it appears the names are fictional and do not correspond to any family members that have been uncovered to date. The names are all in the same handwriting and one possible scenario is that the carte de visite photographs were used in some sort of game. Other photographs with these type of names have been matched against other identifiable photos and hence the reasoning that they are fictional.

What do you think?

Trove Tuesday : The family of James Muir

This week I have been continuing the quest to identify photographs contained in the Georgina Auld nee Muir album. Several carte de visite photographs in the album were taken by photographers located in Brisbane and it is the Muir's from Queensland that today's post is concentrated around.

Marriage of James Muir and Kathrin Gray Coutts

Searching the archived newspapers on Trove for a Muir family related to Georgina Muir, resulted in a marriage notice printed in The Brisbane Courier in 1884. The clue was a reference to Georgina's father, [the late] John Muir, who was a Colliery Manager who lived in Gatehead, Ayrshire, Scotland. Gatehead being located within the Parish of Kilmaurs and is approximately 3.5 miles (or 5.6 kilometers) from Kilmarnock.

This particular marriage was between James Muir (youngest son of John Muir) and Kathrin Gray Coutts (daughter of Donald Coutts) and occurred on 15 September 1884. The marriage notice reads as follows:

Source: Family Notices. (1884, September 16). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 1. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3434153

Confirming James Muir as a brother to Georgina

From previous research undertaken, I knew that Georgina Muir did have a brother named James and that their father was John Muir. Research also confirmed that James Muir was the youngest son of John Muir and Elizabeth Miller. A quick search of the online Queensland BDM registers for a death for James Muir (index number 1916/B23755) also confirmed both parents names in full.

Two Muir / Coutts marriages

An additional search for a marriage index number between MUIR and COUTTS came back with two results for our James Muir. The marriage previously identified with Kathrin Gray Coutts in 1884 was listed (index number 1884/B009137) as was another marriage in 1874 to Elizabeth Coutts (index number 1874/B004577).

Marriage of James Muir and Elizabeth Coutts

An additional search in Trove confirmed the details located in the registers. This first marriage occurred on 15 December 1874 between James Muir (youngest son of John Muir) and Kathrin Gray Coutts older sister, Elizabeth Coutts (eldest daughter of Donald Coutts). Again reference is made to James' father John Muir from Ayrshire Scotland. The notice appeared as follows:

Source: Family Notices. (1874, December 16). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 2. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1392469

The family of James Muir

Looking for Muir births with a Coutts mother in the Queensland birth indexes, we find eleven children. Four children with Elizabeth (first wife of James), and seven children with Kathrin Gray (second wife of James). The children and their birth year/reference numbers are:

Children of James Muir and Elizabeth Coutts

• 1876/B20863 - John Donald Coutts
• 1877/B22664 - James
• 1879/B24813 - Hugh Dalrymple Coutts
• 1881/B28157 - William Thomas Miller

Children of James Muir and Kathrin Gray Coutts

• 1885/B34298 - Donald Coutts
• 1886/C8033 - Elizebeth Wilhelmina
• 1888/C9124 - Oswald
• 1888/C9125 - Walter Gray
• 1889/C9760 - Kathrine Georgina
• 1891/C4419 - Christina Janet
• 1895/B55875 - Agnes

Interestingly, based on the consecutive numbers, it appears that in 1888 James and Kathrin had twin boys, Oswald and Walter. This detail is confirmed with a birth notice that appeared in The Queenslander:

Source: Family Notices. (1888, February 25). The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), p. 281. Retrieved May 28, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19930654

Trove Tuesday: Obituary for Georgina Auld

Following on from my previous (5 April) Trove Tuesday post on the Obituary for Rev. John Auld, today  I want to concentrate on John Auld's wife Georgina. The reasoning being that I am in possession of an old photograph album that was donated to me back in October last year. I have given several talks over the last couple of years on Digitial Preservation & Scanning and Identifying and Preserving your Family Photographs and am currently working on digitising this unique Auld family album to share with fellow researchers. More information will be forthcoming, as well as a series of posts relating to digitial preservation in general, so stay tuned...but back to today's Trove find...

Born 1844 in Kilmaurs (AYR, SCT) to parents John Muir and Elizabeth Millar, Georgina Muir married Reverend John Auld (son of John Auld and Janet Thomson) on 18 August 1873 in Kilmanock (AYR, SCT). John and Georgina immigrated to Sydney (NSW, AUS) shortly after their marriage. Georgina survived her husband of twenty nine years by a further ten years, passing away at the residence of her son, the Reverend John Hay Goodlet Auld in Nowra (NSW, AUS).

A search on Trove reveals the following obituary:

Source: OBITUARY. (1923, February 20). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 10. Retrieved March 24, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16045572

...a transcript of the obituary reads:

OBITUARY.
MRS. GEORGINA AULD.

The funeral of Mrs. Georgina Auld, widow of the late Rev. J. Auld, moved from St. Stephens Church, Phillip-strcet, yesterday, to Rookwood Cemetery, after a service had been conducted by Revs. Alexander Clarke, J. C. McDonald, and John Macaulay.
There were amongst those present the Rev. J. H. S. Auld, B.A., Messrs. David T., Robert, and J. Muir Auld (sons of the deceased), Mrs. F. H. Greaves, of Wollstonecraft (daughter), the Rev. John Ferguson, the Rev. A. Thain Anderson, the Rev. John Edwards, the Rev. A. Doig, the Rev. W. A. S. Anderson, Mesdames J. H. G. Auld, D. T. Auld, and Robert Auld (daughters-in-law), Messrs. Robert Auld and Alvah Auld (nephews), Mrs. Robert Auld (sis- ter-in-law), and Dr. R. S. McKinnon.

Interestingly Georgina's obituary gives a full account of both surviving and past members of the family unit. Further searching reveals that Georgina died at her sons residence at The Manse in Nowra...more evidence for the database.

Source: Family Notices. (1923, February 19). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 8. Retrieved March 26, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16035855

Trove Tuesday - Obituary for Rev. John Auld

Are you researching your own family history and ever wondered how newspapers could assist you in your research. Newspaper obituaries for one are a fantastic resource which can help flesh out your ancestors history, getting you out of the standard birth, marriage and death details that we all collect.

With the wealth of resources that is now available on Trove and new material constantly being added, this Trove Tuesday I will be looking at an obituary that can be found in the Digitised Australian Newspapers section of Trove.

Born 12 April 1842 in Stevenston (AYR, SCT) to parents John Auld and Janet Thomson, John Auld was the second born of ten children. The 1861 Scottish Census lists John as working as an enginer locomotive, but this early predilection was not to be his future calling. By 1873 Reverend John Auld had graduated with an MA from the University of Edinburgh, married Georgina Muir (daughter of John Muir and Elizabeth Millar) on 18 August 1873 at Langlands Brae, Kilmarnock (AYR, SCT), before immigrating to Sydney (NSW, AUS) in December, onboard the Christina & Thompson as passengers in saloon.

After spending a career dedicated to the Presbyterian church, Rev. John Auld passed away 14 August 1912 in Mosman (NSW, AUS). His obituary appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald the following day and reads as follows:

DEATH OF REV. JOHN AULD. 

The death took place at Mosman yesterday of the Rev. John Auld, M.A., who was widely known in the State owing to his prominent connection with the Presbyterian Church. He was a native of Ayrshire, Scotland, and had reached his 70th birthday. In 1873 he took his M.A. degree at the Edinburgh University, and also received his license as a preacher for the Free Presbytery of Edinburgh. In the same year he married Miss Georgina Muir, of Kilmarnock, and set sail for New South Wales. Mr. Auld was the first of three ministers who were sent for by the Church Extension Committee of the Presbyterian Church in this State on the foundation of a provision made by the late Joseph Paxton. Shortly after his arrival, through his success as a preacher, he received competing calls from Wollongong and Dobroyde. He chose the latter, and settled in the charge in 1874. The district having been divided in two he chose the Ashfield portion, and removed to the Liverpool-road church, where he remained for 32 years-till 1906. Two years later he settled at Auburn, but after three years' service he became ill, and he retired to a home at Mosman, there to end his days. For many years he was clerk of the Sydney Presbytery, and in 1888 he was appointed Moderator, the highest office in his Church. The family consists of Rev. J. H. S. Auld, M.A., of Muswellbrook; Mr. David T. Auld, of Scott, Henderson, and Co.; Mr. Robert Auld, of J. J. Weeks, Ltd.; Mr. J. Muir Auld, the well-known artist and Mrs. F. H,Greaves, wife of Mr. F. H. Greaves, a Sydney solicitor. Mrs. Auld also survives. 

Source: DEATH OF REV. JOHN AULD. (1912, August 15). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 5. Retrieved March 3, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15347990

Apart from the fabulous information relating to the church service of Rev. John Auld, what this particular obituary does do is give some invaluable insights into his family. Not only does it list all surviving members of his immediate family, it gives us clues for his daughters marriage as well as occupations of all sons and son-in-law. So, instead of thinking of a newspaper obituary as the last word on your ancestor, think of it as a potential starting point for additional research.

Time permitting I hope to give you regular entries for Trove Tuesday - enjoy.