Robertson Girls
Ida Kathleen, Dorothy Elizabeth and Faraday Robertson
My grandmother Ida Kathleen Robertson was born on the 11th June 1902 at 27 Abbott's Park Road, East Ham, London. She was the second of five girls, Dorothy the eldest, Eva, Faraday (who was named after her fathers ship) and May.
Dorothy Robertson
Ida Kathleen's mother, Ada Gregory was born 26 August 1871 at New Woodhouses, Whitchurch, Salop to John Gregory a farm labourer and Elizabeth Gregory formerly Roberts (Census showing rest of the family). Ada had been married before to Ernest Stafford Hayward at Hackney Parish church, London on 6th March 1893. Ernest Stafford Hayward went to work on the ill fated ship "Drummond Castle" as a steward. At the time Ada was expecting their second child. Claude Ernest Tom Hayward had been their first child, born 27 June 1893 at 2 Marquess Road, Islington, London. She was staying with Ernest's family when the Drummond Castle on 16 June 1896 hit a rock and sank off the coast of Ushant, France in 3 minutes. All passengers and crew went down with the ship and there were only 3 survivors. The disaster made front page news for days and as Ada was in the advanced stages of pregnancy the news was kept from her - her sister in laws hid the newspapers so that she would not find out about her husband's death. All the crew on the ship later received a medal (I don't know what it looks like or where it is today). Ada later delivered a daughter, Cecilia Hayward safely.
Ida Kathleen Robertson
Ada was now a widow with two small children. What she did until she met and married Robert George Robertson I do not know, but, on the 17th December 1898 at West Ham registry office they were married. Robert George or George as he was known came from a long line of seafarers. At the time of marrying Ada, George worked as a ships Stewart on the "Faraday", a ship used to lay transatlantic cable.
Ada Gregory Robert George Robertson
Postcard from George re the Mexican Cable expedition on the Faraday 1905
George sent home lots of postcards and took a lot of pictures. There are two albums surviving, one of his trips around South America and the second, his trip to the USA. I have been told that the bay window at Abbott's Park Road where they lived was turned into an aviary and George would bring back exotic birds for his family and on one occasion a small monkey that wreaked havoc in the house - when washing was pegged out the monkey would be caught un-pegging it. George also had the reputation of being able to cook and on his return would cook wonderful meals for the family. In 1915 on the 20th July (aged 46) George had a heart attack whilst in a tobacconist shop in East Ham. The tobacconist tried to call a cab to get George to hospital but most refused thinking he was drunk. He died in hospital later and was laid to rest in the front sitting room at Abbots Park Road before being buried in Woodgrange Cemetery, unfortunately today the cemetery has been sectioned off and the plot where is was buried dug up. As a private cemetery his family have no rights, his headstone and grave is now lost.
Ada was once again widowed. She was very much in love with George and now had 5 daughters to care for. She missed George greatly and on 26th May 1916 (aged 44) she passed away, her family said of a broken heart. On the death certificate the informant is listed as Edith Robertson (daughter) an added daughter who no one knows of!
This now left the five girls without parents so Dorothy and Ida stayed in the home with Cecilia and Claude who had returned to help with their mothers affairs, while somewhere had to be found for the 3 remaining girls Eva, Faraday and May. Eva and May were sent to the Red Maids School in Bristol and Dorothy would go down and visit them when she could. Eva hated it there. Faraday went to one of the Gregory aunts but after eighteen months begged to come home and returned to Abbotts Road. Later she worked in an office until she was old enough to start nursing.
As to what later happened in the life's of the Robertson girls, Dorothy married and had one daughter, Ida Katherine married and had four children, May married Stan Purnell in Melbourne around 1947 and lived in Australia but did not have any children. As to Eva and Faraday I would love to know what happened to them, along with the mystery daughter Edith.
Faraday Robertson
Robert George Robertson's parents were Robert Burt and Mary Ann Robertson formerly Dixon. They had married on 31 October 1864 at Christ Church, St George in the East. He had one brother named Alexander Thomas Robertson christened at St Dunstan, Stepney in 1840.
Robert Burt Robertson and Mary Ann Dixon
Robert Burt born 13 April 1840 at 8 Bower Street, Stepney worked as a Master Mariner on several ships. They had 3 children, Henry Stephen born 4 July 1867 at 38 New Street, Robert George born 23 June 1869 at 78 Cannon Street Road, St George in the East and, Elizabeth born 13 November 1878 in George Lane, South Woodford, London. Robert Burt's ships certificate sheds some clues to his journeys but what I found was that that he had entries on his record of drinking. I was surprised as his photo doesn't show a man that had a drink problem. I later found out that Mary Ann had died of cancer at the age of 38 at Chelsea Cancer Hospital in November 1880 and is buried in Bow Cemetery, which is when I believe his drinking started. He died three years later at 173 Bute Street, Cardiff aged 43 from apoplexy induced by excessive drinking. This left his three children to be cared for by their maternal grandmother Jane Dixon. (Robert Burt's Will)
Henry Stephen, Robert George and Elizabeth are found on the 1891 Census as living at Albert Road, Woodford, Essex with their grandmother Jane Dixon. Henry went on to work as a railway clerk and lived in Coventry marrying Selina Elizabeth Slater a dressmaker on 13 April 1900 at Gallowtree Gate Chapel, Leicester. He out-lived her, dying after falling down some council steps on 24 February 1947 aged 79. Elizabeth or Bobbie as she was known worked as a nanny. In 1917 she was living at 1 Cross Park, Hartley, Plymouth, Devon
Elizabeth Robertson (Bobbie)
Their grandparents on one side were Jane and Stephen Dixon who was a butcher and, Alexander and Elizabeth Ann Robertson formerly Anderson, Alexander being a Master Mariner.
Alexander Robertson Elizabeth Ann Robertson
(painted by T M Fox Miniature Painter 2 Bedford Place, Commercial Road, London East June 15 1843)
