The Scottish American History Club meets in North Riverside, Illinois, on the first Saturday of each month, except July, August and December. We meet in Heritage Hall of the Scottish Home which also contains the Scottish American Museum. On site, we maintain a library and several years ago purchased "Scots in Michigan" by Alan T. Forrester. He writes about the traditions of naming and says the following:
The first son was named after the father’s father.
The second son was named after the mother’s father.
The third son was named after the father.
The fourth son was named after the father’s eldest brother.
The first daughter was named after the mother’s mother.
The second daughter was named after the father’s mother.
The third daughter was named after the mother.
The fourth daughter was named after the mother’s eldest sister.
“Official middle names were not always given, but when they were, they were typically the mother’s maiden name or another surname honoring grandparents, other relatives, or close friends.”
Friday, May 14, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Miscellaneous Comments About The Scottish Home In North Riverside, ILlinois
August 3, 1923 - “Through the influence of Mr. Allen H. Stewart of 30 N. Michigan Ave., Mrs. T. C. Butz of Highland Park, has presented a fine thoroughbred English bull dog to the Scottish Home. The dog is from the Strathway Kennels owned by Mr. Stewart in Highland Park, Illinois.
November 17, 1923 - Mrs. Isabella Hope, a resident of the Scottish Old People’s Home for twenty years, celebrated her 84th birthday. Mrs. Hope was admitted to the Home on Bryant Ave. in July 1905, and came with 14 others to the new home in Riverside in November 1910. She is the only one of that number now living.
March 30, 1925 - A Zenith radio was given to the Home by Charles E. Bradley of the Asmus Bradley Company at 208 W. Monroe Street, Chicago, IL. Installation amounted to $60.00 and the radio is “fully equipped with a loud speaker and the old people spend many pleasant hours listening in.”
October 1979 - The Scottish Home owned a 1962 checker cab used to transport residents. It was replaced by a 12-passenger bus purchased from Ray Madden Ford in Downers Grove, Illinois. The cost was $9,000.00 and the money came from the Edmund McGibbon Recreational Fund. Mr. McGibbon was president of the Society in 1960.
November 20, 1984 - The new addition to the Scottish Home named “The Shetlands” was dedication at the Fall meeting of the Society. President R. Bruce Graham presided, Rev. Wayland McGlathery gave the invocation. Lois McCullagh, chairperson of the fund-raising committee, gave a short review of the new building. Peter Georgeson read the poem “The Shetlands” written by John Sinclair who was a relative of Mr. Georgeson’s grandfather. The poem was framed and now hangs in the Shetlands addition.
November 17, 1923 - Mrs. Isabella Hope, a resident of the Scottish Old People’s Home for twenty years, celebrated her 84th birthday. Mrs. Hope was admitted to the Home on Bryant Ave. in July 1905, and came with 14 others to the new home in Riverside in November 1910. She is the only one of that number now living.
March 30, 1925 - A Zenith radio was given to the Home by Charles E. Bradley of the Asmus Bradley Company at 208 W. Monroe Street, Chicago, IL. Installation amounted to $60.00 and the radio is “fully equipped with a loud speaker and the old people spend many pleasant hours listening in.”
October 1979 - The Scottish Home owned a 1962 checker cab used to transport residents. It was replaced by a 12-passenger bus purchased from Ray Madden Ford in Downers Grove, Illinois. The cost was $9,000.00 and the money came from the Edmund McGibbon Recreational Fund. Mr. McGibbon was president of the Society in 1960.
November 20, 1984 - The new addition to the Scottish Home named “The Shetlands” was dedication at the Fall meeting of the Society. President R. Bruce Graham presided, Rev. Wayland McGlathery gave the invocation. Lois McCullagh, chairperson of the fund-raising committee, gave a short review of the new building. Peter Georgeson read the poem “The Shetlands” written by John Sinclair who was a relative of Mr. Georgeson’s grandfather. The poem was framed and now hangs in the Shetlands addition.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Other Scottish Home, Cleveland, Ohio, 1919
We have known for quite some time that another Scottish Home existed somewhere in the United States. Now as a result of the scanning program and the Internet, we have some answers. A letter has been found from C. E. Duerr, secretary, of the St. Andrew’s Scottish Benevolent Society, in Cleveland, Ohio, asking questions about the operation about the Scottish Home in Riverside, Il. It seems that Mrs. Cummings, the Superintendent, knew a lady who wanted to apply as the matron of their home and thus a series of letters back and forth. We do not have all the letters but we can get some understanding of the other Scottish Home, both from the letters and now the Internet. It was called the Scottish Old Folks Home and was “designed to house older natives of Scotland and their families.” The capacity was around thirty, but as of April 5, 1930, they had only nine residents. When it was learned that the matron also did the cooking, Mrs. Cummings felt that her friend would not be interested in the job.
The Scottish Old Folks Home was located in Cleveland, Ohio, at 1835 North Park Boulevard in a Georgian house of 19 rooms. The house was originally built in 1903 as the home of Bishop John Patrick Farrelly of the Catholic Diocese. We do not know when the St. Andrew’s Scottish Benevolent Society of Cleveland purchased the home and it is unclear if the Society still exists. It appears that the Scottish Old Folks Home began operating in 1919 and continued into the 1940's. An article on the Internet states, “In the 1940's the house was operated as the Scottish Old Folks home under the direction Matron Harriet Hepburn.” After that it was owned by the Rose Institute, and then by various individual owners.” In 1998 the home was on the Heights Heritage Tour and contained “classic contemporary furnishings by Charles Rennie Mackintosh." “The house has been total remodeled and restored to its original conditions with many additions.” The present owner is not identified.
In 1930, the president of the St. Andrew’s Scottish Benevolent Society was John J. MacEwen with William Peters and Ringland Andrews serving as vice presidents. Hector Fraser was the treasurer. Members of the Board of Trustees were: Frank Crockett, D. C. Noble, George Y. Farmer, William T. Angus, Alex Dunbar, B. C. Campbell, William Young and C. E. Duerr. The Society met the first Friday of each month at the Pythiuan Temple 919 Huron Road, Cleveland, Ohio. Additional information about the Benevolent Society, or the individuals mentioned would be greatly appreciated.
The Scottish Old Folks Home was located in Cleveland, Ohio, at 1835 North Park Boulevard in a Georgian house of 19 rooms. The house was originally built in 1903 as the home of Bishop John Patrick Farrelly of the Catholic Diocese. We do not know when the St. Andrew’s Scottish Benevolent Society of Cleveland purchased the home and it is unclear if the Society still exists. It appears that the Scottish Old Folks Home began operating in 1919 and continued into the 1940's. An article on the Internet states, “In the 1940's the house was operated as the Scottish Old Folks home under the direction Matron Harriet Hepburn.” After that it was owned by the Rose Institute, and then by various individual owners.” In 1998 the home was on the Heights Heritage Tour and contained “classic contemporary furnishings by Charles Rennie Mackintosh." “The house has been total remodeled and restored to its original conditions with many additions.” The present owner is not identified.
In 1930, the president of the St. Andrew’s Scottish Benevolent Society was John J. MacEwen with William Peters and Ringland Andrews serving as vice presidents. Hector Fraser was the treasurer. Members of the Board of Trustees were: Frank Crockett, D. C. Noble, George Y. Farmer, William T. Angus, Alex Dunbar, B. C. Campbell, William Young and C. E. Duerr. The Society met the first Friday of each month at the Pythiuan Temple 919 Huron Road, Cleveland, Ohio. Additional information about the Benevolent Society, or the individuals mentioned would be greatly appreciated.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Highland Games in 1896, Held in Elgin, Illinois. 2010 Games Held in Oak Brook, IL on June 18 & 19
“The clans of Scotland will make merry today at Trout Park, near Elgin. Scotland’s day will be celebrated there by all the Scottish societies in the city, and part of the proceeds will be given to the Old People’s Home of the Illinois St. Andrew’s Society. The famous games of Scotland and America will be participated in by the best athletes. Famous champions will enter for the great tug-of-war, and bicycle races for men and women will take place on an excellent track. An excellent dancing pavilion has been provided and will be supplied with music by a band of fifteen pieces. A platform, 20X40 feet, especially built for this occasion on top of the highest peak, and viewed from a grand stand capable of holding thousands of people, will give everyone an exceptional opportunity of witnessing a fine exhibition of dancing, in which 500 Highland lassies in full Highland costume will take part. Four bands will supply music for the merrymakers, and twenty of the finest pipers in the land will enter the contest for bagpipe music. All the crack cadet companies of the city have already entered to contest for the $500 cup, offered by the societies. The Black Watch Forty-second Highlanders, in full Highland costume, will appear for the first time in public and act as guard of honor for the great occasion. Three hundred prominent Illinois Scottish-Americans will act as a Reception committee. The procession will start from the Lake-front for the Wells street depot at 8:30 A.M.” There follows a list of the twelve organizations in the procession, including “Women of Societies in Carriages.” The Chicago and Northwestern railroad ran special trains every half hour from the Wells and Kinzie street depot. William Gardner, president of the Illinois St. Andrew’s Society was also the president of the Central Council of Scottish Societies of Chicago that sponsored the event.
Chicago Daily Tribune
August 1, 1896
Chicago Daily Tribune
August 1, 1896
Friday, May 7, 2010
Ethel Forgan Booth Dodge - Her story dedicated to all Women Who Have Served and Suffered.
Ethel Forgan was the daughter of David and Agnes Forgan. Her father was born in St. Andrew’s Scotland, and was the president of the National City Bank of Chicago. Ethel Forgan and two other young ladies volunteered for duty in France during World War I to help the wounded. They would be supervised by Mrs. Benjamin Lathrop. All three were “excellent motorists.”
Ethel Forgan left for New York accompanied by her parents on February 3, 1918. The two Farwell sisters were accompanied to New York by their mother, Mrs. Grace Farwell. On February 22, 1918, the Chicago Daily Tribune reported that the “three had arrived in Paris and were engaged in work of the American Fund for the French wounded.”
Ethel Forgan and Vernon Booth were more than friends. Vernon was already in France and was a member of the Lafayette Flying Corps. He was a nephew of Mrs. P. A. Valentine and a cousin of P.D. Armour III, John Lester Armour and Patrick Valentine, Jr. Vernon Booth had enlisted in the French Aviation Corp in 1917, after being rejected by the American Air Force. (You have to wonder if he knew Kenneth McLeish and if she knew Priscilla Murdock.) He was a graduate of Harvard and in 1918 was about 24 years of age.
On April 27, 1918, Ethel Forgan and Vernon Booth were married in the Church re de Berri, in Paris. The took a 12 day honeymoon trip to Cannes. On their return Chauncey McCormick “entertained the couple in a wedding breakfast, at which were present Miss Mary Withers, Miss Sara Farwell, Miss Ruby McCormick and Richard Danielson.”
Lieutenant Booth was a war hero. He shot down three German aircraft and on June 25, 1918, while flying over enemy territory, was attacked by German war planes. His plane was set on fire but that fire was extinguished as his plane fell. A “poisoned bullet” shattered his leg, but he was able to land his plane in “no man’s land.” “He had the presence of mind, despite severe burns, to extinguish the fire and land between the lines forty yards from the enemy trenches. He set fire to his plane and regained the French lines through a heavy barrage of machine gun fire.”
Lt. Booth was taken to the Scotch Woman’s Hospital north-east of Paris where he remained until he died. At his side was his bride, Ethel Forgan Booth. A single cablegram brought the message to Mr. & Mrs. David Forgan, who lived at 1112 Greenwood Blvd., Evanston, Illinois. It simply said “Vernon died today.”
He was buried at Royaumont-Asnieres-sur-Oise, France. He was decorated with the Medaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre with Palm and the Legion d’Honneur. Like Priscilla Murdock, Ethel Forgan Booth did not marry again for ten years. On December 26, 1929, she married Philip Lyndon Dodge of New York City. After the wedding they lived at 111 East 88th Street.
This story dedicated to all women who have served and suffered.
Ethel Forgan left for New York accompanied by her parents on February 3, 1918. The two Farwell sisters were accompanied to New York by their mother, Mrs. Grace Farwell. On February 22, 1918, the Chicago Daily Tribune reported that the “three had arrived in Paris and were engaged in work of the American Fund for the French wounded.”
Ethel Forgan and Vernon Booth were more than friends. Vernon was already in France and was a member of the Lafayette Flying Corps. He was a nephew of Mrs. P. A. Valentine and a cousin of P.D. Armour III, John Lester Armour and Patrick Valentine, Jr. Vernon Booth had enlisted in the French Aviation Corp in 1917, after being rejected by the American Air Force. (You have to wonder if he knew Kenneth McLeish and if she knew Priscilla Murdock.) He was a graduate of Harvard and in 1918 was about 24 years of age.
On April 27, 1918, Ethel Forgan and Vernon Booth were married in the Church re de Berri, in Paris. The took a 12 day honeymoon trip to Cannes. On their return Chauncey McCormick “entertained the couple in a wedding breakfast, at which were present Miss Mary Withers, Miss Sara Farwell, Miss Ruby McCormick and Richard Danielson.”
Lieutenant Booth was a war hero. He shot down three German aircraft and on June 25, 1918, while flying over enemy territory, was attacked by German war planes. His plane was set on fire but that fire was extinguished as his plane fell. A “poisoned bullet” shattered his leg, but he was able to land his plane in “no man’s land.” “He had the presence of mind, despite severe burns, to extinguish the fire and land between the lines forty yards from the enemy trenches. He set fire to his plane and regained the French lines through a heavy barrage of machine gun fire.”
Lt. Booth was taken to the Scotch Woman’s Hospital north-east of Paris where he remained until he died. At his side was his bride, Ethel Forgan Booth. A single cablegram brought the message to Mr. & Mrs. David Forgan, who lived at 1112 Greenwood Blvd., Evanston, Illinois. It simply said “Vernon died today.”
He was buried at Royaumont-Asnieres-sur-Oise, France. He was decorated with the Medaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre with Palm and the Legion d’Honneur. Like Priscilla Murdock, Ethel Forgan Booth did not marry again for ten years. On December 26, 1929, she married Philip Lyndon Dodge of New York City. After the wedding they lived at 111 East 88th Street.
This story dedicated to all women who have served and suffered.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Anna Mary Robertson (Grandma Moses) 1860-1961. A Tribute To All Mothers and Women everywhere
Anna Mary Robertson was born September 7, 1860, in Greenwich, New York. Her paternal great-grandfather was Archibald Robertson, who was born in Scotland in 1748 and came to America in 1770. Her maternal great-grandfather, John Shonan, was also born in Scotland. Her father was a farmer and suppressed his artistic talent because of his all-consuming work on the farm.
Anna was one of 10 children and lived in a time when girls received little in the way of an education. She was hired as a domestic when she was 12 and married Thomas S. Moses when she was 17. They had 10 children, five of whom died at birth. “Busy farming and raising a family, Anna Mary had little time for painting until well past retirement age." Her husband died in 1927 and she continued running the farm.
Giving up a career in embroidery because of arthritis, she turned to painting. A collector saw one of her painting in a drug store window in 1938 and she became an immediate success. She exhibited her work throughout Europe and Japan. She was a prolific painter and demand for her work never abated during her lifetime. “Her art dramatized the simple rural life of America’s youth.” Over three decades, she painted some 3,600 canvasses.
She was honored by three American presidents. President Kennedy eulogized her as “a beloved figure in American life” when she was 101. A postage stamp was issued in her honor in 1969. “A British critic once said ‘She is clearly an artist with qualities identical with genius.’”
Grandma Moses died December 13, 1961. She is a member of the Scottish American Hall of Fame located in North Riverside, Illinois.
(Posted in honor of all mothers and women everywhere.)
Anna was one of 10 children and lived in a time when girls received little in the way of an education. She was hired as a domestic when she was 12 and married Thomas S. Moses when she was 17. They had 10 children, five of whom died at birth. “Busy farming and raising a family, Anna Mary had little time for painting until well past retirement age." Her husband died in 1927 and she continued running the farm.
Giving up a career in embroidery because of arthritis, she turned to painting. A collector saw one of her painting in a drug store window in 1938 and she became an immediate success. She exhibited her work throughout Europe and Japan. She was a prolific painter and demand for her work never abated during her lifetime. “Her art dramatized the simple rural life of America’s youth.” Over three decades, she painted some 3,600 canvasses.
She was honored by three American presidents. President Kennedy eulogized her as “a beloved figure in American life” when she was 101. A postage stamp was issued in her honor in 1969. “A British critic once said ‘She is clearly an artist with qualities identical with genius.’”
Grandma Moses died December 13, 1961. She is a member of the Scottish American Hall of Fame located in North Riverside, Illinois.
(Posted in honor of all mothers and women everywhere.)
Monday, May 3, 2010
Mrs. Robert (Elizabeth) Ballantine, a Leader Among Scottish Women in The Early 1900s.
Around the turn of the 20th century, the leader of Scottish women in Chicago was Mrs. Robert Ballantine. In spite of her public role, we have little information about her life. Most of the time, she is referred to as Mrs. Robert Ballantine. A newspaper article published April 20, 1909, may give us a first name of Elizabeth.
The Women’s Auxiliary of the St. Andrew’s Society and the Illinois Daughters of Scotia were helping raise money for a new Scottish Home in Riverside, Illinois. They were sponsoring an event at Library Hall in Austin. (Austin is now part of the City of Chicago, but apparently was once its own town.) “The affair is under the direction Mrs. Elizabeth Ballantine, president of the auxiliary.” Jimmy Shepherd, announced as “Chicago’s Harry Lauder”, Margaret Flaws Hunter and Kate Campbell Saunders, will give recitations. Two little girls: Bessie Dewar and Bella Sellars will dance. In the museum, we have the pipes once played by Jimmy Shepherd.
The first Scottish Home was located at 43 Bryant Avenue, near the Douglas Monument. The exact location is now covered by a large, low income, housing complex. The newspaper article continued: “It is proposed to acquire a country place in the vicinity of Chicago to accommodate from forty to fifty." The property obtained is the present location of the Scottish Home in North Riverside, Illinois.
Mrs. Robert Ballantine was instrumental in completing the statue of Robert Burns in Garfield Park. The sculptor, W. Grant Stevenson, of Edinburgh, Scotland, would not finish the statue until he had been paid in full and fund-raising efforts were slow. Mrs. Ballantine made a trip to Scotland and visited with Grant Stevenson and arranged for payments to be made. The first payment was sent on May 12, 1904, and one year later the statue and panels were successfully cast.
On the Society page of the Chicago Daily Tribune, dated Sept. 21, 1895. You can find this note: “Mr. & Mrs. Robert Ballantine, No.283 North Oakley avenue, celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of their wedding last night. Mr. And Mrs. Ballantine received their friends in Washington Hall, corner of Washington and Ogden avenue. A large gathering was present.”
A diligent search has not given us any more information about her husband and no obituary can be found for either. We are still looking. Ballantine is a common name in Chicago Scottish history, but we owe a debt of gratitude to Mrs. Ballantine and it would be good to know more of her life. Any help would be appreciated.
The Women’s Auxiliary of the St. Andrew’s Society and the Illinois Daughters of Scotia were helping raise money for a new Scottish Home in Riverside, Illinois. They were sponsoring an event at Library Hall in Austin. (Austin is now part of the City of Chicago, but apparently was once its own town.) “The affair is under the direction Mrs. Elizabeth Ballantine, president of the auxiliary.” Jimmy Shepherd, announced as “Chicago’s Harry Lauder”, Margaret Flaws Hunter and Kate Campbell Saunders, will give recitations. Two little girls: Bessie Dewar and Bella Sellars will dance. In the museum, we have the pipes once played by Jimmy Shepherd.
The first Scottish Home was located at 43 Bryant Avenue, near the Douglas Monument. The exact location is now covered by a large, low income, housing complex. The newspaper article continued: “It is proposed to acquire a country place in the vicinity of Chicago to accommodate from forty to fifty." The property obtained is the present location of the Scottish Home in North Riverside, Illinois.
Mrs. Robert Ballantine was instrumental in completing the statue of Robert Burns in Garfield Park. The sculptor, W. Grant Stevenson, of Edinburgh, Scotland, would not finish the statue until he had been paid in full and fund-raising efforts were slow. Mrs. Ballantine made a trip to Scotland and visited with Grant Stevenson and arranged for payments to be made. The first payment was sent on May 12, 1904, and one year later the statue and panels were successfully cast.
On the Society page of the Chicago Daily Tribune, dated Sept. 21, 1895. You can find this note: “Mr. & Mrs. Robert Ballantine, No.283 North Oakley avenue, celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of their wedding last night. Mr. And Mrs. Ballantine received their friends in Washington Hall, corner of Washington and Ogden avenue. A large gathering was present.”
A diligent search has not given us any more information about her husband and no obituary can be found for either. We are still looking. Ballantine is a common name in Chicago Scottish history, but we owe a debt of gratitude to Mrs. Ballantine and it would be good to know more of her life. Any help would be appreciated.
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