Friday, September 16, 2011
Paul O'Brien Twigg B1824 in Shantung Road Cemetery Book
Through Google Books I found a slim volume, "Shantung Road Cemetery, Shanghai" by E. Eliiston which contains a bit of information about my 2nd great-grandfather who was the sexton there. Two of his children, Catherine Ann Twigg, who died September 25th 1863 at the age of 2 months and Henry Edward Twigg who died September 26th 1863 at the age of 4 years. There was a cholera epidemic that year so that seem likely to be the cause. Paul Twigg was paid 100 Shanghai taels per year and was himself buried in Pahsienjao cemetery. Below are the relevant excerpts from that book.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Ann (James) Twigg, J.W.H John, Paul O'Brien Twigg 1824 and Percy Howard Twigg
Now that I know that "the Directory and Chronicle for China..." exists, I've done some looking for other editions of it to see what I can find there. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find any of the issues later than 1900 online but a few of the items I have found in others are interesting.
This is from the issue for 1874 which has a listing for my 2nd great-grandmother. It lists her as "Mrs. P.O'B. Twigg, Undertaker, Shanghai". Her Maiden name was Ann James. She and her husband Paul were undertakers and he was sexton of the Shantung Road Cemetery in Shanghai. He died 2 years before this in 1872 after filling an amazing amount of living into 48 years and she lived another 26 years until 1898 at age 70.
The Directory and Chronicle for China... 1874
And the last for this post is a listing for
This next has another listing for my grandfather's father, J.W.H. John in the same job as a few years earlier but lists him as "absent". This was the same year that my grandfather's younger brother Philip Bruce was born so I would speculate that they went back to England for his birth as many children born in China did not survive long.
The Directory and Chronicle for China... 1899
The third excerpt, another page from 1899, still has great-grandfather Twigg working for McTavish and Lehmann (which was in the Hongkew Medical Hall building) but the interesting bit in this one is the listing right above his which is for his brother P. H. (Percy Howard) Twigg as a clerk for the Associated Wharf Company in Shanghai. Looks like he would have been 38 at the time and was living in England 2 years later.
The Directory and Chronicle for China... 1899
By the way, here is the page that the photo on the last page came from. In the details it says that MacTavish and Lehmann's was in the Hongkew Medical Hall.
This is from the issue for 1874 which has a listing for my 2nd great-grandmother. It lists her as "Mrs. P.O'B. Twigg, Undertaker, Shanghai". Her Maiden name was Ann James. She and her husband Paul were undertakers and he was sexton of the Shantung Road Cemetery in Shanghai. He died 2 years before this in 1872 after filling an amazing amount of living into 48 years and she lived another 26 years until 1898 at age 70.
The Directory and Chronicle for China... 1874
And the last for this post is a listing for
This next has another listing for my grandfather's father, J.W.H. John in the same job as a few years earlier but lists him as "absent". This was the same year that my grandfather's younger brother Philip Bruce was born so I would speculate that they went back to England for his birth as many children born in China did not survive long.
The Directory and Chronicle for China... 1899
The third excerpt, another page from 1899, still has great-grandfather Twigg working for McTavish and Lehmann (which was in the Hongkew Medical Hall building) but the interesting bit in this one is the listing right above his which is for his brother P. H. (Percy Howard) Twigg as a clerk for the Associated Wharf Company in Shanghai. Looks like he would have been 38 at the time and was living in England 2 years later.
The Directory and Chronicle for China... 1899
By the way, here is the page that the photo on the last page came from. In the details it says that MacTavish and Lehmann's was in the Hongkew Medical Hall.
Paul O'Brien Twigg, 1868 and John William Havelock John in Google Books
While doing Google searches on various versions of my ancestors names and places they lived, I came across these two interesting hits on Google Books. The first one is an announcement of my great-grandparents wedding in "Chemist and druggist, the newsweekly for pharmacy" (Great-grandpa was a chemist).
I think the second one might have a broader interest for anyone who has European ancestors who lived in Asia or the Pacific as it appears to include a large list of such people including their job title and location. I found it on a search for "Twigg Chefoo".
It includes a listing for "Twigg, P.O'B., Assistant, Hongkew Medical Hall, Shanghai." Apparently McTavish and Lehman, the chemists he worked for before he got his own license where in that building.
It also has a listing "John, J.W.H., proof reader, Maritime Customs Printing Office, Shanghai" (My mother's father's father, John William Havelock John).
Chemist and Druggist Weekly
The Directory and Chronicle for China, Japan, Corea...
Below is a picture of McTavish and Lehman. I have often wondered if the figure in the upstairs window could be my Great-Grandfather.
Oh yes, I also see some Duffs and Watsons in this list. Apparently the Duffs were friends and/or neighbors of Grandpa John's family and Dr. Watson and his family were friends of my Mother's family but I have yet to figure out which of the Duffs and Watsons listed here those might be.
The wedding announcement from 1897 says: "Twigg--Jessup Clark--On October 28, at H.R.M's Consulate-General, Shanghai, China, by Sir Nicholas J. Hannen, and afterwards at the Shanghai Free Christian Church, by Rev. S. Dyer, Paul O'Brien Twigg, Chemist and druggist, to Ellen Adelaide Jessup-Clark."
I think the second one might have a broader interest for anyone who has European ancestors who lived in Asia or the Pacific as it appears to include a large list of such people including their job title and location. I found it on a search for "Twigg Chefoo".
It includes a listing for "Twigg, P.O'B., Assistant, Hongkew Medical Hall, Shanghai." Apparently McTavish and Lehman, the chemists he worked for before he got his own license where in that building.
It also has a listing "John, J.W.H., proof reader, Maritime Customs Printing Office, Shanghai" (My mother's father's father, John William Havelock John).
Chemist and Druggist Weekly
The Directory and Chronicle for China, Japan, Corea...
Below is a picture of McTavish and Lehman. I have often wondered if the figure in the upstairs window could be my Great-Grandfather.
Oh yes, I also see some Duffs and Watsons in this list. Apparently the Duffs were friends and/or neighbors of Grandpa John's family and Dr. Watson and his family were friends of my Mother's family but I have yet to figure out which of the Duffs and Watsons listed here those might be.
The wedding announcement from 1897 says: "Twigg--Jessup Clark--On October 28, at H.R.M's Consulate-General, Shanghai, China, by Sir Nicholas J. Hannen, and afterwards at the Shanghai Free Christian Church, by Rev. S. Dyer, Paul O'Brien Twigg, Chemist and druggist, to Ellen Adelaide Jessup-Clark."
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Paul O'Brien Twigg, Born 1824
One of the sons of the Paul Twigg I wrote about in my last post was Paul O'Brien Twigg, my 2nd great-grandfather.
When he was a young man, Paul O'Brien Twigg ran off and joined the military. Because he did not have any money to buy a commission and become an officer, he joined as an enlisted man. He knew that his father would not allow him to remain an enlisted man and would pull him back to Dublin if he could find him so he enlisted under an assumed name, Edward Hammill.
We have records of his marriage to my 2nd great-grandmother, Ann James under that assumed name while he was in India with the military. One of the curious things about the certificate is that he listed his status as "widowed" but I had always assumed that all of the information on it including this was made up since his name, his father's name and his date of birth as listed on the marriage certificate were all fictitious.
The book I am currently reading, "Who Do You Think You Are" by Megan Smolenyak, reminded me that, as well as their main genealogical site, familysearch.org, the Mormon church also has two other sites with different information: pilot.familysearch.org and beta.familysearch.org .
Browsing on those last night I found a record for what might be a previous marriage of his!
This record lists an Edward Hammill as having married one Elizabeth Robertson in Meerut, Bengal, India in 1852.
Of course it is always possible that it is a different Edward Hammill. But it does not seem from what I have seen that there were many or any other Edward Hammills in India at that time, his father is listed as George Hammill in both of them and his birth date is listed as 1824 so I think there is a good possibility that it is the same Edward Hammill.
Of course, if this is indeed the same person, that brings many other questions to my mind. Another record shows that Elizabeth died in 1854. What did she die of? Did they have any children? Did those children survive? I seem to recall that another record I found a while back indicated that Edward Hammill had a son who died at two years old. Was that a son from the first marriage or the second? Elizabeth Robertson's father is listed as Matthew Campbell. Why is his last name different from hers? Where did either of the women come from? How long did they live in India before they married Edward Hammill (AKA Paul O'Brien Twigg)?
Ah, here is the record I found a while back. It is a record of a son being born to the wife of Edward Hammill in 1858 so I guess that would have to be to Ann James.
http://search.fibis.org/frontis/bin/aps_detail.php?id=876706
When he was a young man, Paul O'Brien Twigg ran off and joined the military. Because he did not have any money to buy a commission and become an officer, he joined as an enlisted man. He knew that his father would not allow him to remain an enlisted man and would pull him back to Dublin if he could find him so he enlisted under an assumed name, Edward Hammill.
We have records of his marriage to my 2nd great-grandmother, Ann James under that assumed name while he was in India with the military. One of the curious things about the certificate is that he listed his status as "widowed" but I had always assumed that all of the information on it including this was made up since his name, his father's name and his date of birth as listed on the marriage certificate were all fictitious.
The book I am currently reading, "Who Do You Think You Are" by Megan Smolenyak, reminded me that, as well as their main genealogical site, familysearch.org, the Mormon church also has two other sites with different information: pilot.familysearch.org and beta.familysearch.org .
Browsing on those last night I found a record for what might be a previous marriage of his!
This record lists an Edward Hammill as having married one Elizabeth Robertson in Meerut, Bengal, India in 1852.
Of course it is always possible that it is a different Edward Hammill. But it does not seem from what I have seen that there were many or any other Edward Hammills in India at that time, his father is listed as George Hammill in both of them and his birth date is listed as 1824 so I think there is a good possibility that it is the same Edward Hammill.
Of course, if this is indeed the same person, that brings many other questions to my mind. Another record shows that Elizabeth died in 1854. What did she die of? Did they have any children? Did those children survive? I seem to recall that another record I found a while back indicated that Edward Hammill had a son who died at two years old. Was that a son from the first marriage or the second? Elizabeth Robertson's father is listed as Matthew Campbell. Why is his last name different from hers? Where did either of the women come from? How long did they live in India before they married Edward Hammill (AKA Paul O'Brien Twigg)?
Ah, here is the record I found a while back. It is a record of a son being born to the wife of Edward Hammill in 1858 so I guess that would have to be to Ann James.
http://search.fibis.org/frontis/bin/aps_detail.php?id=876706
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Paul Twigg a little earlier in life
"In 1814, Anna Heegaard became involved with an Irishman, Paul Twigg. He had come out to the islands from Dublin in the year 1810, at the age of 28. He had gone into business in Christiansted and was quite successful. Dahlerup, the Danish sea Captain and historian, who knew Twigg, described him "as a very sociable and jovial man who loved to entertain."
Evidently unmarried, Twigg looked around for a good housekeeper and hostess to help him with his household duties and his numerous parties. Anna had been recommended to him as having the necessary qualifications. After meeting Miss Heegaard and being pleasantly impressed, Twigg invited her to join his household and to take over.
Whatever the relationship with Twigg was, it could not have been too binding, for it is recorded that from 1816-1820, Anna Heegaard lived with her mother, Susanna Uytendahl, in Susanna's house in Compagnigade, Christiansted."
From a history of St. Croix
Evidently unmarried, Twigg looked around for a good housekeeper and hostess to help him with his household duties and his numerous parties. Anna had been recommended to him as having the necessary qualifications. After meeting Miss Heegaard and being pleasantly impressed, Twigg invited her to join his household and to take over.
Whatever the relationship with Twigg was, it could not have been too binding, for it is recorded that from 1816-1820, Anna Heegaard lived with her mother, Susanna Uytendahl, in Susanna's house in Compagnigade, Christiansted."
From a history of St. Croix
Paul Twigg, Born 1782, and Joseph Robinson Pim
My Mother was Dorothy Ann Myvanwy (John) Horn. Her mother was May (O'Brien Twigg) John. Grandma May's father and grandfather were both named Paul O'Brien Twigg and her great-grandfather was Paul Twigg (esquire), a lawyer and investor from Dublin Ireland.
Lately I have been following up on some clues about my third great-grandfather Twigg and here is some of what I have found, including some that I have managed to piece together in the last two days.
Apparently Paul Twigg, as well as being a lawyer, invested in several businesses which funded the first steam ships, first for ships traveling between Ireland and England and then traveling between England and America. The principal partner in both of these companies (and I assume a personal friend of Paul Twigg) was Joseph Robinson Pim. This explains something that I found out a little while ago, that one of Paul Twigg's children had the middle name "Robinson" and another had the middle name "Pim" (Charles Robinson Twigg and Joseph Pim Twigg).
Records for the baptisms of these children can be found at http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie .
The company which built ships to go between Ireland and England was "The Saint George Packet Steam Company" as you can see in this Journal
of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society. The company with ships going to America was "The British and American Steam Navigation Company" as noted here in A chronological history of the origin and development of steam navigation
By George Henry Preble, John Lipton Lochhead.
According to the latter book, the "Sirius" built by this company was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic.
Lately I have been following up on some clues about my third great-grandfather Twigg and here is some of what I have found, including some that I have managed to piece together in the last two days.
Apparently Paul Twigg, as well as being a lawyer, invested in several businesses which funded the first steam ships, first for ships traveling between Ireland and England and then traveling between England and America. The principal partner in both of these companies (and I assume a personal friend of Paul Twigg) was Joseph Robinson Pim. This explains something that I found out a little while ago, that one of Paul Twigg's children had the middle name "Robinson" and another had the middle name "Pim" (Charles Robinson Twigg and Joseph Pim Twigg).
Records for the baptisms of these children can be found at http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie .
The company which built ships to go between Ireland and England was "The Saint George Packet Steam Company" as you can see in this Journal
of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society. The company with ships going to America was "The British and American Steam Navigation Company" as noted here in A chronological history of the origin and development of steam navigation
By George Henry Preble, John Lipton Lochhead.
According to the latter book, the "Sirius" built by this company was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic.
Friday, August 5, 2011
My Ancestors' Surnames
I'll be posting here information that I find out about my ancestors as well some of my as yet unproven speculations about them (I'll note which items are fact and which are speculation) as well as various things I learn about how to do genealogical research in general and some of the technology I find which may be helpful in researching and sharing family history materials.
The surnames of my direct ancestors that I know so far and am researching are: Horn, Singer, Rosner, Fischbein, John, Twigg, Jessup, Richards, Dinbete, Williams, Thomas, James, Clark, Humphrys, and, (unverified) Kennedy, Betty, Irvine, Thompson and Bridge.
The surnames of my direct ancestors that I know so far and am researching are: Horn, Singer, Rosner, Fischbein, John, Twigg, Jessup, Richards, Dinbete, Williams, Thomas, James, Clark, Humphrys, and, (unverified) Kennedy, Betty, Irvine, Thompson and Bridge.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)