One of the delights of making contact with distant cousins is uncovering new information about the family, sightings of photographs of relatives never before seen, and copies of correspondence which reveal something about the personalities of the writers who have since departed, particularly if distant from the memory of more recent family members.
Such was the case with these two letters from two McAnally brothers. Both examples are courtesy of distant cousin Meagan from New York city.
The first is from John McAnally, my paternal grandmother’s father, writing from his parents’ home in Dalry, Ayrshire, to his sister Anna in New York, to convey to her the news of the death of their youngest sister, Catherine (Kate). She died on 27th February 1906, aged 33.
56 North Street, Dalry
March 3, 06
My dear sister,
I am in the habit of writing to Mamie but on this occasion I think it right to address the letter to you. As you see by the enclosed card sister Kate died on Feb 27th. Heart disease was the cause of death. She had been troubled with it for some considerable time but had only been seriously ill for a little over a week. She has left four little ones behind her the oldest a boy of seven and the youngest a girl of a little over two years. The poor things whole trouble was the future of her children but for that she was quite prepared to die – I am quite confident she is now in the presence of her saviour — she was a fond sister — a good daughter and an exemplary wife. It is a hard blow to the old folks. The more so as she was the only one who was always with them. Robina is very much upset – they were firm friends long before they were more nearly related. All of us were with her before she died and Robina and I held her hand till the very end – God help us all – we do not know how pitifully weak and helpless we are until we are placed in such a position – You dear sister will know how to sympathize with those most deeply affected as you are still smarting under your own great trouble. There is only one course of comfort at such a time and I pray that none of us may ever fail to turn there now and at all times. Give our united love to Mamie, Rose and the boys and accept same for yourself from all of us – Tell Mamie to write me soon and believe me always
Your affectionate Brother
John McAnally
This is touching to read even 109 years later!
Catherine (Kate) McAnally, courtesy of Meagan, New York
The sister John is writing to is Anna McAnally, the eldest child in the family of Daniel McAnally and Catherine Mooney and the only child born in Ahoghill, County Antrim, in Ireland before the family moved to Dalry, Ayrshire in Scotland. Anna had married Alexander Donelin in Dalry in 1875 and sometime between 1879 and 1881 they migrated to the U.S.A. At the time they left Scotland, John would have been around 12 years of age. The ‘Mamie’ who he more usually writes to, is the nickname for Anna’s daughter, Mary, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1882.
Kate McAnally was the youngest daughter and third youngest child of ten children, born to Daniel and Catherine between 1856 and 1878. By 1906 when she died, many of her siblings had dispersed to other parts of the world, hence John’s phrase that ‘It is a hard blow to the old folks‘ – his parents – who would have relied on her. The four eldest children, Anna, Sarah, Bridget and James migrated to the United States. John and his family were living in Glasgow. Next brother Daniel had migrated to Australia in 1890. Hugh and his family were also in Glasgow. The second youngest, Charles, had migrated to the U.S.A., leaving the youngest Alexander, who was living in Glasgow with his newly established family.
John refers to ‘Robina’ in the letter – his wife and my great grandmother, Robina Kerr. She, John and Hugh McAnally and their families were to migrate to Australia in 1913. Robina was part of the family group that established a farm in Jimbour on the Darling Downs and later lived at Imbil in the Mary Valley, with daughter Margaret (Peggy) and her family.
John in his letter also extends sympathy to his sister Anna who had lost her husband Alexander seven months before. His letter refers to Mamie, Rose and the ‘boys’ (John and Daniel), Anna’s surviving children.
Kate McAnally had married James Gallagher in 1899 and the four children that she left were James, Catherine, Hugh and Helen, born 1903. It appears that James remarried and the evidence is that Helen at least went on to marry (twice) and have eleven children.
The second letter was written 17 years later, in 1923. It is from Hugh McAnally, writing from his farm, Onslow, in Jimbour on the Darling Downs, to respond to the letter he’d received from Mary (Mamie) announcing the death of her mother, Anna.
Onslow, Jimbour Oct 4/23
My dear niece
We have your letter and sorrow with you in the loss of your mother. Thanks for writing to us. It is some consolation to know that her end was peaceful. She would be 67 years of age. Death has been very busy amongst us of late. Father, John, Alex and now your mother. You have the sympathy of all of us and we pray that strength will be given you to bear your afflictions.
I was a very little boy when your mother left us but I quite remember her when she paid us a visit with one of the boys, I think John. And you say your aunt Sarah was with you. I have never had any communication with her. I had a visit from her husband in Glasgow. Charlie I hear about sometimes.
We came out here nearly eleven years ago and engaged in farming. I have 1700 acres dairying, lamb raising and wheat growing.
I do not know if Peggie has given you a summary of our family. You should have a photo of us all taken just before we left home. I gave Father one each for your mother, Sarah, Bridget and Charles. We have six of our family, Esther, Kate, Maggie, Dan, Mary and Ena. Maggie died in Glasgow.
Esther is married and has had a family of six. She lost a little one too. Kate is 23, not too strong, went through an operation for appendicitis a year ago. Dan 19 a hefty lad at present sheep shearing. Mary just on 17 should have been a boy and Ena the baby rides four miles to school daily.
I don’t know if you have heard of the McKinleys our cousins and Dan came out to this country some twenty years ago. I had a letter from his wife telling me of his death. She had seen my photo in the press and enquiring found my address.
If you have any communication with Sarah and Charles give them our love. Also your brothers and sisters. Please write again and give us all the news.
Your loving aunt and uncle
Hugh and Mary McAnally
Hugh’s letter covers a number of recent family events – Death has been very busy amongst us of late. He refers to the death of
- his father Daniel who died on 6 January 1923 in Dalry, aged approx. 84 (Hugh’s mother Catherine had died in 1909),
- John, his brother, my great grandfather, who died on 20th February 1922 at ‘Ryeside’ Jimbour aged 54,
- his youngest brother Alexander, who died on 26 March 1923 in Glasgow, aged 44 and
- his eldest sister Anna, who died in the Bronx, New York on 9th February 1923 aged 66.
Hugh mentions his other siblings Sarah, Bridget and Charlie who live in the U.S., but there is no reference to his other brother James, who also migrated to the U.S. This may be because, as is suspected by my consortium of cousins, he died in Seattle, Washington in 1899, aged 34.
Hugh’s reference to Dan McKinley (or McKinlay) is in relation to cousins on his mother’s side. Catherine Mooney’s sister Agnes married John McKinlay and they had ten children, six born in Ireland and four in Dalry after the family moved there sometime between 1861 and 1864. The youngest son was Dan.
Dan, his wife Agnes McGoogan and two sons migrated to Queensland, arriving in Townsville in June 1899. The family settled largely in Ayr, but were located in Nymbool, a now deserted mining area near Mount Garnet on the tablelands west of Innisfail, when Daniel died on 17 May 1923, aged 55.
His wife Agnes would have seen Hugh McAnally’s photo in a newspaper because of his position in various agricultural bodies representing primary producers. His obituary in 1927 states:
During the life of the Farmers’ Union he was an active official, and was keen in the organisation of the Union. Later he transferred his energies to the L.P.A., and was secretary of the local branch. At one time he was a member of the Western District Agricultural Council, and was also a member of the Wheat Board. In 1923 he contested the Dalby seat in the interests of the Government, but was defeated. (Brisbane Courier 27 June 1927)
His defeat was in spite of a rather partisan support from the paper, The Worker:
HUGH McANALLY (Dalby) Farmer Labor candidate, resident of Jimbour, in Dalby district, for many years. One of the organisers of the primary producers under the Labor Government’s scheme. Representative of Dalby district on Wheat Board, Keenly interested in all local and public matters. Sound, logical reasoner, whose speeches are bound to carry weight with all sensible electors, and particularly with farmers, against the verbal froth of solicitor Vowles. (The Worker Brisbane 26/4/1923)
Daniel McAnally and wife Catherine Mooney, photo courtesy of Meagan, New York
John McAnally and wife Robina Kerr, photo courtesy Florence McGahan
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