FAMILY HISTORY

It’s a most important part of you.

If you can, learn everything about it.

Embrace it for all it is, good and/or bad.

Simple as that. 

It’s where you come from.  It shapes who you are.

Hey, do you know where you come from?

I do – a little bit ... thanks to some family members doing some research and publishing a book – The Bairds of Winton.   I appreciate the work involved, and I absolutely love the result.  I refer to it often.

Reality is, both my mum and dad died too young and, whilst we talked about family history in a loose way, I realise we had nothing locked in written form, just vague memories and verbal stories handed down through the years. 

I knew there were Scottish and English roots – just like many New Zealanders.  
I am a 6th generation New Zealander.  My kids are 7th generation.  That's about as "old" as you can be as a Kiwi these days (unless you have a kid when you're a kid).
As I learnt more about my ancestry, mainly through this book, I became more and more intrigued.  Thank you Elizabeth Waddington and Susan Maclean for putting together this book that has intrigued me from the moment I received it (about ten years ago!)

GLASGOW:  I’ve been to many places in this world, but I have never been to Glasgow.  This is the city of my ancestors, on my father’s side of the family.  As I’ve said, The Bairds of Winton, published in 2005, makes for fascinating reading, taking in sea voyages, early pioneering days in the South Island, privilege and hardship, a strong medical focus and some scandal thrown in!

Here’s an overview – read further if you are interested …

My great-great-great-grandfather, William Baird, lived in Crosshill, near where the athletics at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014 took place.  He was a collier, like his father.  William’s son, my great-great-grandfather, James Baird, was born in Lanarkshire, near Glasgow.  James was a theological student and decided to take up an appointment offered by the Presbytery of Otago.  A condition of his appointment was that he should be married before he sailed.  So, in 1870, aged 31, he married Elizabeth Stephen (27), daughter of a Glaswegian architect and, less than a month later, the couple set sail for New Zealand on board the “Robert Henderson”, a small Aberdonian clipper.

Elizabeth, a teacher, taught children on board the ship to read, several of whom died on the journey.  

Rev. James Baird’s diaries of this journey make for intriguing and rather harrowing reading – storms, illness, death, catching a shark off the back of the boat (and eating it), trying to spend as much time on poop deck as possible rather than being cooped up in a cabin, oppressive heat, regular worship, and even almost colliding with another ship, coming within 20 yards of it.  

Not to mention a good deal of shenanigans that the more immodest young girls apparently got up to.  It also seems the behaviour of the ‘reprehensible’ doctor on board the ship was less than admirable.  Diary excerpts read: “ ... it is pretty clear that he has little respect for himself and cares as little how he annoys other people.  They seem to put little confidence in his skill.  His conduct is most reprehensible.  He does not know his place.  He is often lying about the poop and elsewhere in almost every conceivable posture hugging and kissing the young women.”  It seems the doctor smoked and drank and was often “vulgarly indecently familiar with the girls”.

But, Rev. James’ diary states that he believes he was just doing as the Captain and Mate were doing, and the whole three were playing into each others’ hands.   Hmm, what’s a reverend to do!?!?  Make notes in the diary.  Siphon through the mind. Ignore in public.  Not the best thing to have to deal with, I’m sure.

There is much detail about the ship itself, various passengers and the more seemly goings-on, in addition to the Reverend’s observations regarding the debauchery and dubious conduct on board.  What must the good Reverend have thought!?  He does however, assure his diary that no one should suppose, for a minute, even though so many things were disagreeable, that he and his wife were unhappy on the voyage.  Tumultuous times, regardless of this entry, I’m sure.

Upon arrival in NZ, they spent eight years in the young North Otago settlement of Hampden, adjusting to the realities (horrors!?) of pioneering life.  They had five children there, before moving to the parish of Winton.  There they spent 22 years, with Rev. James out and about in the community with horse and buggy, in all weathers.  Elizabeth was very active in a variety of community organisations, throughout her whole life, and took a leading part in Temperance, social and mission work.  She held executive positions on many related bodies.  Obituaries and tributes pay respect to "a small quiet modest woman, a natural leader and speaker, with a warm sympathy for people and a rapport which invited confidences.  Her compassion, wisdom and tact made her genuinely loved."  What a nice great-great-grandmother to have!  And one of the original working mums I do declare.  (Not sure about the temperance thing though!)

During their time in Winton, three more children came along, one of whom (a twin) died at four weeks.  Of the remaining seven children, five travelled over to Glasgow to study medicine – including two of the girls who went unchaperoned, and with their parents’ blessing, in 1889.  This was very unusual at that time, sisters off alone to the other side of the world to become doctors.  

They were, in fact, among the earliest women medical students at Glasgow University.  All five Baird children qualified and returned to practice medicine in New Zealand, mostly as GPS.  Two served in WWI, receiving medals of honour.  Their various letters home, from Glasgow University, travels about Europe and the Front are full of respect and insight, and reveal gentle, kind and learned souls. One son was not only a very respected and well-liked doctor, but also a talented cricketer and golfer. One of the daughters, Helen - also married to a doctor and practised obstetrics and anaesthesia in Masterton.   The other daughter, Agnes, practised in Invercargill and Wanaka until her early death.  

Bruce Baird, the youngest child who also became a doctor, worked during WWI in the 24^th General Hospital and gained an MC at the Battle of Loos.  His letters home, published in the book, are some of the most poignant and incredible epistles I have ever read – astounding.  I so wish I could have met him.

The eldest of these eight children was my great-grandmother, Jessie. Being the oldest, and with her mother usually busy out in the community, her job was to care for the house and help bring up her siblings.  As the first-born, going to Glasgow was not part of Jessie’s life’s equation, her role was to help with all the other children.  Rather than begrudge or resent this reality, instead she spent her days reading, riding and partying, going on picnics and to concerts, attending church and teaching Sunday school, baking, sewing, creating, caring for her invalid aunt and visiting friends all around the area.  The domestic burdens of washing, ironing and cleaning feature regularly in her diary but these chores didn’t seem to be too burdensome for her.  One entry does mention doing a fortnight’s washing after a couple of weeks of very wet weather.  “I don’t remember ever seeing such quantities of mud about.”  The word “Wet” crops up a lot.

Mostly the diaries are full of pleasant escapades and interesting observations, sometimes referring to local rogues who came to her father for help and commenting on the “do-good” work her mother got up to.  The overall tone is jovial, and a sense of humour shines through.  There is a lot of support for her siblings as they headed off to Glasgow.  There is never any complaining or resentment.

Overall, it seems she lived a rather refined life and had time to smell the roses.  She married Peter Blyth, a blacksmith, remained in Winton, had five children of her own (one of them being my grandfather) and lived till the ripe old age of 91.

Actually, she died the year I was born.  I wish I had known more about her way before I knew of her. 

It’s interesting because this book was published after my dad died in 1993.  Dad was a doctor, a well-respected Auckland GP, but I’m really not sure he had any idea that medicine ran so intrinsically through the family, as this information had not been uncovered or compiled when he was alive.

There are fascinating diary entries by all those who went to study in Glasgow and, indeed, accounts of various surgical procedures, howling patients, and fainting medical students.  Other accounts are of first cousins marrying, over several generations - and there’s lots more ...!

So - that’s a quick family history on my paternal side, harking back to Glasgow.  I’ve been to Edinburgh, but never got to Glasgow (I wasn’t aware of a family connection when I was in Scotland).  One day, I’m sure I will make an expedition to my roots.

Prior to all this, another relative Helen Stephen Cowie, did some genealogical research and discovered the following family tree, which leads directly to Elizabeth Stephen (my great-great-grandmother.

The earliest known ancestor, dating back to the Middle Ages, was Eaten the Noisy.  A little later came Torphin the Skull-Splitter (apparently having richly earned his title), Sigurd the Stout and Brusee of Brucius, a prolific landowner who died in 1033.  On through many different males called Robert de Bruis (aren't most Kiwis related to Robert the Bruce?)  We then come to Helen Bruce, also known as the Lady of Kinnaird (having inherited the property in 1711).  Then there comes William Bruce who had a daughter called Mary who married Robert Stephen who married Elizabeth MacLean (architect) whose daughter, Elizabeth Stephen (my g-g-g), married James Baird (the above good Reverend) and set sail for New Zealand.

So this line of research goes all the way back to the Middle Ages, in the time of King Alfred the Great (late 800s), right through to the present day.  Fascinating.

If you can find out your own family history, do it!  Do not delay.

The Roads Lead Here - mixed media on canvas (A family tree leads everywhere!)