Chapter 2

The Christie/Taylor Marriage

The Christie Family

Around the year 1840 William Christie, a weaver, married Margaret Budge and William Payne, a spirit merchant, married Margaret Phillips. The Christies produced a son, James, who became a butcher and the Paynes a daughter Sarah. James and Sarah, our great grandparents married in 1861 and produced five children, the youngest being our grandfather Robert Christie born in 1870 in Cambuslang near Glasgow. Robert and his brother William were the butchers in that generation, but Robert also was a cattle judge and buyer as well as a commercial traveller. His cattle interests took him as far away as Argentina.

The Taylor Family

Around 1840 two other marriages occurred. George Taylor, a ship’s carpenter, married Christina Wood and George Slight, a labourer, married Jane Wood. The Slights and the Woods originated in the Orkney Islands. The two couples produced Peter Taylor, a plumber, and Jane Slight who married in 1862 a produced five children, the youngest being our grandmother Annie born in Mid Calder near Edinburgh in 1871. Grandmother’s older sister Christina, Auntie Teen, will have a very close relationship with the family.

The Christie/Taylor Union

Annie was a school teacher when she met Robert Christie. They were married in Pumpherston near Edinburgh in 1893 and produced eight children, James, Peter, Robert (our father) in 1987, Annie (Nettie), Ada, Thomas, Frederick, and Christina. The family always lived in the Glasgow area. James and Peter were born in Cambuslang where their father had a butcher shop and the rest born in the Partick area in residences on Dumbarton Road, Thornwood Drive, and Crow Road.

Neighbours of the Christies at both Thornwood Drive and Crow Road were the Armour family. But before you meet the Armours, a little more about Auntie Teen and her husband George Fardell. Uncle George was the beadle of the church and in charge of the graveyard. One day while the Fardells were visiting the Christies, Grandmother happened to mention that she would be needing a new wedding band as hers was worn through. Uncle George promptly said, “No need for buying a ring, Annie, I’ve one for you. I found it in the churchyard.” The ring fitted Grandmother perfectly and she wore it to her dying day. A few years ago Aunt Netty was cleaning out some of Grandmother’s possessions and gave me a set of her jelly spoons and Sister Ann, namesake to both Grandmother and Aunt Nettie, the wedding ring. At the time my wedding ring had broken, so I started to negotiate an exchange of gifts with Ann with such logical reasoning as I needed a ring and the ring was too big for Ann but fitted me perfectly. Ann still wasn’t buying the exchange idea until Sister Janet sidled up to her and said, “You know the history of the right, don’t you, how Uncle George found it in the churchyard when we was the gravedigger. But don’t worry, Ann, there wasn’t a finger bone in the ring when he found it!” That convinced squeamish Ann that the trade was in her best interest. The ring is still on my finger.

Now you may turn the page and meet the Armour family.