Ray Christmas wrote: >Hi William, >Could you please write me how you access Libindx. I have not heard of it >before. > >Kind regards, >Ray Christmas, New Zealand. >Searching for information on the movements of William Harvey, g-grandfather, >born Gamrie 1845. In his 14th year, he disappeared.(maybe banished from >home by his step-mother) I do not know whether he left Scotland in that year >or stayed on in a workhouse or some other institution, somewhere in the >British Isles. > Certainly not a "workhouse" in Gamrie or anywhere else locally - there weren't any! Some parishes had, or shared, or subscribed to a limited number of places in, a "Poorhouse", but I don't think Gamrie did. The great majority of Poor Relief was supplied as "outdoor relief", that is, the applicant received cash or kind to support him or her while remaining "in the community". But in any case, it is pretty unlikely that, aged 14, he would have qualified for any form of support, even if he had been thrown out by his wicked step-mother. A 14-year-old was considered old enough to earn his own living. And that is most likely what he did. Most farms depended on workers who signed at a "Feein' Fair" for 6 months at a time, and there was a great degree of "churn", with workers (particularly younger ones with no dependants) moving every Whitsun and Martinmas, looking for a better berth. And he might well have done so while remaining on the best of terms with his stepmother! >He may have joined ship's crew, or stowed away on a Ship >bound for any one of America, Australia or New Zealand (although in the >latter case he took his time getting here at age 23 ! ! !) >He changed his name en-route to MacDuff. > > If he changed his name, how do you know it was the same person? Gavin Bell

Dear Gavin, I haven,t time just now at 8.45am to explain how I arrived at this set of conclusions through diligent research involving 3 or 4 trips th King St in Aberdeen on holidays to UK. I will do so tonight and I would be most grateful if you could help me further with information as you have just done. Kind regards, Ray C. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gavin Bell" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2008 11:54 PM Subject: Re: [MORAY] Which community? > Ray Christmas wrote: > >>Hi William, >>Could you please write me how you access Libindx. I have not heard of it >>before. >> >>Kind regards, >>Ray Christmas, New Zealand. >>Searching for information on the movements of William Harvey, >>g-grandfather, >>born Gamrie 1845. In his 14th year, he disappeared.(maybe banished from >>home by his step-mother) I do not know whether he left Scotland in that >>year >>or stayed on in a workhouse or some other institution, somewhere in the >>British Isles. >> > > Certainly not a "workhouse" in Gamrie or anywhere else locally - there > weren't any! Some parishes had, or shared, or subscribed to a limited > number of places in, a "Poorhouse", but I don't think Gamrie did. The > great majority of Poor Relief was supplied as "outdoor relief", that is, > the applicant received cash or kind to support him or her while > remaining "in the community". > > But in any case, it is pretty unlikely that, aged 14, he would have > qualified for any form of support, even if he had been thrown out by his > wicked step-mother. A 14-year-old was considered old enough to earn his > own living. > > And that is most likely what he did. Most farms depended on workers who > signed at a "Feein' Fair" for 6 months at a time, and there was a great > degree of "churn", with workers (particularly younger ones with no > dependants) moving every Whitsun and Martinmas, looking for a better > berth. And he might well have done so while remaining on the best of > terms with his stepmother! > >>He may have joined ship's crew, or stowed away on a Ship >>bound for any one of America, Australia or New Zealand (although in the >>latter case he took his time getting here at age 23 ! ! !) >>He changed his name en-route to MacDuff. >> >> > > If he changed his name, how do you know it was the same person? > > > Gavin Bell > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.0/1344 - Release Date: 3/26/2008 > 8:52 AM > >