Jack Ritchie 1929 – 2011
(John Winter Ritchie)

The Society is very sorry to announce the death of Jack Ritchie, one of its volunteers, on 17th October 2011, after a few years of poor health.
  Jack was born in Aberdeen on 4th September 1929, the third child of Alexander Farquharson Ritchie and Agnes Jane Bremner.  His parents were keen to educate their children to their full potential, and although family resources became more straitened, all three eventually attended university.  Jack’s older brother Murdoch became an outstanding micro-biologist in the USA and his sister Stella became a maths teacher.
  Jack attended Aberdeen University after National Service in the RAF.  During his National Service, he had two particular close friends, one of average height and the other very tall.  Jack, of course, was neither of these, and he was fond of relating that, before marching into a pub, the three would align themselves in ascending order so that the barman would see one body and three heads!
  After University Jack entered the electronic communications industry and worked for a while in Basildon and then East Kilbride.  He took up a position as a Mathematics Lecturer at Napier College (later University), Edinburgh, in the latter 1960s, where he was considered by his students to be encouraging and inspirational; in fact, at one point he was lecturing his own son during his own university education.  He retained throughout his life a deep love of pure mathematics.  Another volunteer recalls that he and the late Prof. Gordon Nicoll suddenly one day began a long discussion about Infinity, leaving everyone else behind from around halfway through the first sentence.
  He joined the SGS in the early 1990s and was soon recruited as a volunteer, and many visitors benefited from his enthusiasm and willingness to help.  What some of them didn’t realise was that he had the ability to keep a straight face too.  Also, some members may not know that for a couple of years, Jack single-handedly applied stamps to envelopes and posted out the Journals, as well as being Joint Sales Secretary with John Stevenson.
  Another voluntary activity was with the Seagull Trust at Ratho, taking people with learning difficulties on its canal cruises, despite his own fear of water.  He enjoyed this immensely for about 12 years, and he would also devise arithmetical puzzles for them.
  The Society extends its sympathies to Jack’s son Ewan, daughter-in-law Lori and grandsons Daniel and Cameron.

 

  

DONALD WHYTE, JP, FHG, FSG(Hon.)  1924 - 2010

It is with great sadness that we have to report the death of our Vice-President Donald Whyte, JP, FHG, FSG (Hon.), peacefully, on April 23rd, 2010.  Donald was one of the founding members of the Scottish Genealogy Society and devoted much of his life to the study and development of Scottish Family History.  He would readily recount, in the traditional manner, “I am Donald, son of John, son of Donald, son of John, son of...”

Donald held many posts within the Society: Librarian 1964-1966; Deputy Chairman 1960-1962; Chairman 1974-1983; Vice-President 1983-2010.  In addition to these posts, he was willing to travel the country promoting the Society and lecturing on family history to many interested parties.  One instance of his work for the Society was when Matthew Stirling left his substantial library of Scottish books to the Society.  Donald, at a day’s notice, hired a van, drove to London, loaded up the books and brought them to our premises then in Union Street.  The Stirling Collection forms an important part of the Society’s Library and we are indebted to the generosity of both Donald and Matthew.

As part of his work to promote Family History in Scotland, Donald wrote one of the first books on how to undertake family history research in Scotland: Introducing … Scottish Genealogical Research.  This book was relatively inexpensive and a great success, running to 5 editions.  Donald financed this book himself but generously gave the profits to the Society.

Donald also undertook a great deal of research over many years to produce other works of outstanding use to the family historian:  Dictionary of Emigrants to the U.S.A. in two volumes; Dictionary of emigrants to Canada before Confederation in three volumes; Clock and Watchmakers of Scotland 1453-1900, and a subject close to his heart, Scottish gypsies and other travellers: a short history.  A glance at his oeuvre in the catalogue of the National Library of Scotland shows no fewer than 71 publications listed.  In addition to these works he wrote many articles for the burgeoning number of family history journals and other learned journals.  A collection of his papers is also deposited at the National Library.

One of his lasting monuments was being the catalyst in the formation of another six Scottish Family History Societies:  Glasgow & West of Scotland F.H.S. (1977); Aberdeen & North-East Scotland F.H.S. (1978); Tay Valley F.H.S. (1980); Highland F.H.S. (1981); Borders F.H.S. (1985) and Dumfries & Galloway F.H.S. (1987). At the time of his death he was President or Honorary Vice-President of several of these societies.

Donald was born at Newtongrange on 13th March 1924.  Due to family illness, he left school early and followed his family’s footsteps into farming.  He worked hard and well, winning trophies for his ploughing prowess.  The family moved to Kirkliston, where he married, settled down and raised a family.  (Obviously no family outing was complete without an exploration of a kirkyard!)  Later he worked as a coalman and as a lorry-driver before becoming a professional family history researcher, which resulted in his helping to found A.S.G.R.A. in 1981.  Latterly he worked as a security officer at Edinburgh Airport, where the shift patterns allowed him to continue his research and to communicate with thousands of correspondents world-wide.  He was always willing to help and support those interested in Scottish family history and to give them the benefits of his experience.

He devoted energy into local matters also, writing Kirkliston: a parish history, published 1991.  He served as an Independent local Councillor and helped to reinstate the Kirkliston Gala Day in 1950.

At the funeral service in Kirkliston Parish Church, after an affectionate address by his grandson Christopher remembering the value of times shared and favourite poems (such as the famous line from To A Louse), the Rev. Maggie Lane spoke warmly of Donald’s life, his devotion to his family which formed the heart of his life, his hard work, his passion for history, his community involvement, his sense of fairness and justice and his giving attitude, concluding that his was “a good story”.  As the coffin left the kirk for committal into the neighbouring cemetery, the organist played a delicate rendition of Mull of Kintyre, to reflect Donald’s links to that area. 

Ay! Lay me in Kirkliston

For it’s there I was God’s guest...

An’ I’ll rest by the folk I used to ken

In the streets o’ the Templar’s Toon.

(From Temple Liston by Dr Isobel Wylie Hutchison.)

Predeceased by his wife Mary (in 1997), Donald is survived by his 3 daughters, 8 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren, to whom the Society extends its sincere condolences.

Contributed by several members

 

 

Marjorie A. Stewart, F.S.A. Scot.

Members will be saddened to hear that we received news of the death of Marjorie A. Stewart on Friday 23 October 2009.

 Marjorie was a keen family historian, and when she settled in Aberdour she quickly discovered the Scottish Genealogy Society.  In February 1989 Marjorie was elected a member of the Council and was immediately included in the team that sought out new premises for the Society Library when we had to leave Union Street later that year.  In February 1992 Marjorie was elected the Society’s Librarian.  She organised the rapidly expanding library in a very efficient way and oversaw a great expansion in the library holdings.  She was instrumental in extending the opening hours of the library, always willing to travel from Fife and spend the whole day on duty until a team of volunteers came forward and were able to run the library on that day by themselves.  However, Marjory was always on the end of a telephone if any help or advice was required.

In the year 2000 Marjorie stepped down as Librarian, but kept up a correspondence with many family historians she had helped over the years.

A fellow volunteer, John Stevenson, remembers –

                It didn't take me long to find a common bond with Marjorie as we had both served in the Merchant Navy.

                She worked for Union Castle Line that operated a fleet of passenger liners and freighters between Europe and South Africa and was employed in various capacities looking after the welfare of passenger's children while on a voyage.

                In the best traditions of the Merchant Navy she enjoyed "swinging the lamp" by recalling her experiences at sea and always maintained she never drank a gin & tonic until "the sun was over the yard arm"!

                I will remember her with some affection

Although many current members of the Scottish Genealogy Society did not have the pleasure of meeting or corresponding with Marjorie Stewart, they owe her a great debt of gratitude as she was a hard-working and faithful servant of the Scottish Genealogy Society and helped to build the wonderful Library and Family History Centre we now possess.

D. Richard Torrance

Marjorie asked her brother John to invite the SGS to accept any books from her personal library which might fill gaps in its own.  Thus a Library Team visited her home a couple of days after the funeral and selected some volumes which will be accessioned in due course.  The Society extends both its condolences to her brother on his loss and its thanks for taking time to fulfil Marjorie’s wishes for the benefit of our collective knowledge.

 

 

Ainslie Sanderson Crawford, M.B., Ch.B., D.P.H, M.D., F.R.C.A.

We are sorry to report the death on 31st July 2009 of one of the well-known figures at the Society, Dr. Ainslie Crawford, aged 95 years.  After retirement from his medical career Ainslie took a great interest in his family history, researching the Crawford, Ainslie, Sanderson and Buchanan families.  He was a helper at the Library each Wednesday morning and his quiet, efficient manner endeared him to the Wednesday team of helpers, as well as to the members he was always so willing to help.

Ainslie was born on 24th June 1914 just before the outbreak of the First World War.  He was educated at George Watson’s College and Edinburgh University, graduating as a Doctor of Medicine at the age of 22.  He went on to gain his Diploma in Public Health before being called up for military service.  He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps, attached to the Gloucestershire Hussars.  By the time he left the army he had attained the rank of Major.  During his army service he met Jack Buchanan, who introduced him to his sister Kathleen.  Ainslie and Kathleen were married in 1944.

After the war he worked at the Rush Green Hospital in Essex where he specialised in anaesthetics.  After a number of posts in the south he returned to Edinburgh as Consultant Anaesthetist at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.  He was responsible, with his team, for developing the Chest Injuries Intensive Care Unit.  This work was responsible for a dramatic improvement in the number of patients recovering from serious chest injuries.  He retired in May 1979 and, as he said, was the last anaesthetist to put patients to sleep by dropping chloroform on a face mask.

 Ainslie had a long and eventful life and he will be missed by his many friends.  His wife Kathleen, after a long period of ill health, died in 1987.  He leaves two sons and three grandsons.

Contributed by Peter Worling

Other members have added that Ainslie was responsible for a vast amount of unsung work for the Society, especially in the organisation of the Library.  For example, he drew diagrams and sorted out – and maintained – the correct order of our very many microfiches.  He took particular pleasure in the tuition of new volunteers in the wealth of our holdings and also in listening to the family histories of members and visitors, offering advice where he could.  When he could no longer manage to travel by bus, he refused to retire from volunteering, but would take a taxi to and from the Library, to be welcomed by everyone who enjoyed his company, his conversation, his humour, his sharp mind and memory and his interest in almost everything.  He had an exhaustive knowledge of Edinburgh, often consulted, and enjoyed attending concerts.  Many of us feel that he died far too young!