A life in letters:Anderson, Alexander (c1868-1946) and Anderson, Mary (née Marshall) (c1869-1927)

My mother’s maternal grandparents and my great-grandparents. Alexander Anderson’s parents were Thomas Anderson (‘Iron Moulder’) and Anne Anderson (née Livingston). Mary Marshall’s parents were William Marshall (‘Watchman at iron works’) who had died by the time of Alexander and Mary’s wedding, and Jane Marshall (née Pettigrew)

Alexander (‘Steel Smelter’) and Mary (‘Domestic Servant’) were married in 7th July 1892 at the Y.M.C.A. Hall, Graham, Street Airdrie. The address of both was given as 9 Mason’s Land, Lock Street, Coatbridge. They must have been co-habiting at least since the birth of my grandmother Jane (Jean or Jeanie) Marshall Anderson in December the previous year as she was born at this address.

The wedding took place ‘according to the forms of the Free Church of Scotland’ and was conducted by the Revd William Reid of the Airdrie Free Church. Witnesses were Thomas Anderson and Kate McCutcheon.

By the time of the 1901 Census, Alexander and Mary were living at 26, Post Office Row, Calderbank, Airdrie, where (according to their answer to the question appended to the Census) they had two rooms with one or more windows. Jeanie was 9: she had been joined by Thomas (7), William (5), Annie (3) and Alexander (1).  A decade later, the 1911 Census records that the family were living at the house which Alexander Anderson had built, Annieslea, South Carlisle Road, Airdrie.  Jeanie (19). Thomas (‘Steelworker’, 17), William (‘Plumber’, 15) and Alexander (11) were still living, but Annie must have died in the intervening years – which gives a poignancy to the choice of name for the new house. Since 1901 Mary (9), Susan (8), Nellie (4), John (4), Matthew (3) and David (1) had joined the family.

Mary Anderson died at the age of 58 on 6th October 1927 at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Cause of death was given as ‘Pernicious Anaemia and Asthma.’

Three years later, Alexander Anderson remarried. His wedding to a maternity nurse, Agnes Campbell Neilson was declared at 21 Hope Street, Glasgow on 17th July 1930, in the presence of John Scobie of Hilden, Carlisle Road, Airdrie, and John Raeside, 11 (or 13 – the second digit is hard to read) Victoria Place, Airdrie.  Agnes was the daughter of David Neilson (“Coalmaster”) who was dead by 1927 and Janet Neilson (née Hattrick) who were married in Old Monkland in 1875.  Agnes Neilson’s address was given as Hilden, Carlisle Road, Airdrie, the address of one of the witnesses, John Scobie.

(Up until 1939 in Scotland, it was possible to contract what was known as an ‘irregular’ marriage by declaration in the presence of witnesses – a precursor of civil registration of marriage. The 21 Hope Street address appears in many ‘marriages by declaration’ of the period – it may have been a solicitor’s office.)

Alexander Anderson died at Annieslea of bowel cancer on 23nd April 1946 at 5.35pm. His death was registered by his son Alexander L. Anderson, who was living at Maryville, Bridge of Weir Road, Kilbarchan.  His second wife Agnes died less than a year later at 6pm on 15th February 1947 in Stirling Street, Airdrie from Cardiac Failure – the implication is that she collapsed in the street.

Alexander seems to have been a man of enterprise, building not only both Annieslea and an adjacent house, but also the row of flats in Clark Street which bear his initials, and in which my mother and her sister were brought up. There’s a reference on the internet to him subscribing to Airdrie: a historical sketch by James Knox (1921)