China .....

[Lizzie]

I have been searching for James George who left Aberdeen for China late 1870's. His wife, the sister of Thomas Blake Glover is in 1881 census living with her mother and two children sixteen and fourteen.
I found the grave of his wife, Martha Ann in Nagasaki Japan, where she had gone later to join Thomas and her other brothers. None of her children are found there, or James.
I now wonder how one would get to China from Aberdeen or what other Port. I have been in touch with Alexander McKay who wrote the book 'Scottish Samurai' he told me he searched all over for James and came up blank.

Lizzie

[DavidWW]

I have been searching for James George who left Aberdeen for China late 1870's. His wife, the sister of Thomas Blake Glover is in 1881 census living with her mother and two children sixteen and fourteen.
I found the grave of his wife, Martha Ann in Nagasaki Japan, where she had gone later to join Thomas and her other brothers. None of her children are found there, or James.
I now wonder how one would get to China from Aberdeen or what other Port. I have been in touch with Alexander McKay who wrote the book 'Scottish Samurai' he told me he searched all over for James and came up blank.

Lizzie

Hi Lizzie

Aye weel maybe he should have asked an expert Scottish genealogist, as about 15 secs searching for a GEORGE/GLOVER marriage on scotlandspeople.gov.uk produced the 1861 marriage of James GEORGE and Martha Ann GLOVER in Old Machar, a parish just to the north of Aberdeen City, but don't spend any credits on duplicating this search yourself yet, as, most frustratingly, the image doesn't match the index details.

I've submitted a contact form to ScotlandsPeople reporting this error, and should receive the correct image in a few days, - it looks like an indexing error as the number of the record in the image matches that in the index, but it's the wrong folk, - i.e. the correct record will be a different number in the Old Machar marriage register.

GEORGE is not that uncommon a surname in Scotland. From IGI there are 4 births of a James in the period 1835 +/- 10 years in Aberdeenshire, - that's assuming that James was born in Aberdeenshire. He could have been from elsewhere, and met his future wife when at Aberdeen University..........

But we'll have to patient until SoL/GROS come up with the correct image.

Davie

[Lizzie]

Thanks Davie,
James was born 26 Jan. 1835 Keith, Banff. The Glover's and George's were in business together I think. I have the will of Thomas B Glover (senior) and he took out two 500 pound life insurances on James. I tried to find the two Companies without success so far.

Lizzie

[Jean Jeanie]

Please let me know the name(s) of the assurance companies. My husband worked in insurance all his life and may know the names of the companies who took over from the original ones.
Jean

[Lizzie]

Thank you Jean, here is exactly what is written in the will -

Northern Assurance Co. Number 9788

the other - Edinburgh Life Assurance - Number 8876

each for 500 pounds sterling.

These are valued @ thirty five shares of the North of Scotland Banking Co. @ 13 pounds two and sixpence.


Lizzie

[DavidWW]

Thanks Davie,
James was born 26 Jan. 1835 Keith, Banff. The Glover's and George's were in business together I think. I have the will of Thomas B Glover (senior) and he took out two 500 pound life insurances on James. I tried to find the two Companies without success so far.

Lizzie

Lizzie

That was the date of his christening!. He was born 09 JAN 1835, parents Charles GEORGE and Jessie MCINTOSH. (Info from IGI.)

Davie

[Jean Jeanie]

Northern Assurance Company was taken over by the Norwich Union.

Edinburgh Life Assurance Company was taken over by the Commercial Union.

Commercial Union and General Accident Assurance merge and become CGU.

Then Aviva take over the Norwich Union and the CGU.

Your point of contact is now somewhere in the grand operation of Aviva.

It was so much easier years ago when Insurance Companies were smaller and had their own identities.

Good Luck

Jean

[DavidWW]

Forgot to add that James' recorded siblings were:

Father: Charles George, Mother: Jessie Mcintosh

CHARLES GEORGE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Birth: 02 JAN 1832
CHARLES GEORGE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 15 JAN 1832 Keith, Banff, Scotland

WILLIAM GEORGE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Birth: 05 FEB 1833
WILLIAM GEORGE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 18 FEB 1833 Keith, Banff, Scotland

JANET GEORGE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 14 APR 1837
JANET GEORGE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Christening: 19 APR 1837 Keith, Banff, Scotland

ANN ELIZABETH MARY GEORGE - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 13 OCT 1840 Old Machar, Aberdeen, Scotland

Note the apparant move of the family by 1840 to Old Machar .........

One at least of the above died in Scotland.

Davie

[StewL]

Hello Lizzie

They might have taken a slow boat

Seriously.
By the sound of it, your long losts, being businessmen, may have gone to Japan via China, during the Meiji Period (1868 to 1912), which opened up Japan to Western business and industry. When Japan realised that in order to become a major player in the world, they had to modernise. This included adopting western style industry, a move away from the mainly farming society which was present at the time.
They also introduced compulsory education, at first adopting the French system, then the German.
Heavy industry was introduced, and the textile business became one of the largest industries, although also one of the most dangerous.
After 1912, Japan reverted to its isolationist and militarist policy, and the rest is history as we know it.

Here is a link to some resources in Japan, I havent fully searched it, but it may have some usefull images.

http://oldphoto.lb.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/unive/

According to the site, the old "gaijin" foreigner cemetary, is still there.

Your long losts who died there may be included in the overseas returns, but they would not be registered in Japan itself, they did not register foreign births, marriages or deaths until very recently.
I also have no idea on when actual b.m.d's commenced in Japan for nationals, but as I said, your 'gaijins' would not be registered anyway.

[Lizzie]

Davie I just found your extended post re. George's.

The William there was the ggrandfather I have been looking for the past years. Found him through yet another George Will! So much information there.
William died in Melbourne Australia 1860. No wonder could not find him in any census to date. Sent for the death certificate, sadly for so much money there is hardly any information except he had been in Australia 3 1/2 years. They had his age as 26 but from his birth certificate he would have been 31. No Hospital records and no address where he may have been living for those years.

Lizzie