Janet Stoddart 1831 - 1918

Janet Stoddart (1831 - 1918)

Janet Stoddart (also known as Jessie) was born in 1832/1833 in Gladsmuir to Christina Smith and David or John Stoddart. We are unable to find baptismal records for Janet, nor can we find any references in Kirk Session, however there are two Sheriff Court Paternity Case Records - one in 1830 and one in 1834 between Christian Smith of Macmerry and David Stoddart/Stodhart, Collier, Blindwells. On Janets marriage certificate her father is recorded as David (overseer of mines), where as it is John (miner) on her death certificate . There are a two potential candidates for Janets father, they are:

• David Bowman Stoddard - he was born in 1803 the son of John Bowman Stoddard and Martha Miller. We know from the 1841 census records that he was a coal miner - living in Inveresk, Midlothian. We are unsure as to his location around the time of Janets birth, but we do know that he married Violet Hood in May 1831. He also found the Mormon Religion and moved the family to the US in 1849 - again first to St Louis Missouri and then on across the Plains to Utah where he died at Cedar Creek in 1851
• John Miller Stoddard - he was born in 1795 the son of John Bowman Stoddard and Martha Miller. We know from the 1841 census records that he was a coal miner - living in Newbattle, Midlothian at that point, but a family historian notes that he was working at Penston around 1834. It should be noted that he was married at this time - to Janet Kerr - had they had 7 living children. He later - sometime around 1844 - found the Mormon Religion the family moved the US in 1848 - first to St Louis Missouri Iand then on across the Plains to Utah in 1851 where he died at Cedar Creek in 1854

In 1841 Jessie is shown as being 10 and living in Macmerry, Gladsmuir with her mother Christian Smith (40) – a coal labourer – and another female Christian Falconer (15) – who we know from later records was her sister. Christian most likely worked at the Penston Mine in Macmerry, which was owned by Deans and Moore, Inveresk, Musselburgh. The mine produced Household, Manufacturing and Steam Coal and its  manager was Ralph Moore. We know from records that in 1836 the coal mines in Gladsmuir (which include both Blindmills and Penston) employed 50 colliers, 30 women and 36 boys.

In 1851 Jessie is recorded as working as a house servant at Gateport an estate in Haddington to the Vert family, where she is recorded as a House Servant. Given the fact that the family were weavers, it is most likely that she was not their servant, but rather a boarder, working for a . Her movements during the following years are uncertain, but some time around 1855 her path crossed that of William Hardie who was at the time in farm service at Hind in Traprain.

On 12 February 1855 Jessie gave birth to William Stoddard - he is recorded as illegitimate and William Hardie is recorded as his father. Some time later in 1855 she submits to the Sheriff Court Process for paternity support. 22 months later, on 30 Dec 1857 she married William Hardie in the Free Church Manse, Ratho, Midlothian. The marriage was presided over by Hiram Watson (Minister of the Free Church, Ratho & Kirknewton). The marriage was witnessed by Andrew Jackson and Elizabeth Thomson.

On the marriage certificate Jessie is noted as living in Macmerry, where she is likely to have returned to live with her mother when she fell pregnant. The couple obviously continued to see each other because at the time of their marriage she was pregnant with their second child who was born 6 months later. On the marriage certificate Jessie's age is given as 25 which is consistent with census records. The other interesting fact is that Christian's surname is recorded as STODDART with SMITH as her maiden name, which raises a question about why she was disguising her marital status.

Jessie and William relocated to Gladsmuir where the remaining seven children were born:

• William Hardie - Born 12 February 1855, Gladsmuir, East Lothian. Died 1 May 1918.
• Christina Hardie - Born 18 June 1858, Gladsmuir, East Lothian.
• Euphemia Hardie(died as an infant) - Born 5 February 1860, Gladsmuir, East Lothian
• Euphemia Hardie - Born 9 October 1861. Died 2 February 1948
• Janet Hardie - Born 2 October 1863, Gladsmuir, East Lothian. Married John Alexander 25 September 1885
• David Hardie - Born 4 March 1866, Gladsmuir, East Lothian. Died 29 August 1918
• John Stoddard Hardie - Born 10 June 1869, Gladsmuir, East Lothian. Died 3 March 1939.
• George E Hardie - Born 3 November 1871, Gladsmuir, East Lothian. Married Joan Kitching Died 17 April 1945.

At the time of Euphemia's death in 1860, the family was living at Hoping Mains, Gladsmuir. In 1871 when George was born, the family was living in Penston and they were still there in 1875 when Williams mother Euphemia dies.

The family's two eldest children - William and Christina - emigrated to Australia around 1877, with the balance of the family following in 1879. They travelled aboard the 'Oakland', which departed from Greenock near Glasgow on 19th Jun 1879 and arrived in Adelaide, South Australia on 23 September 1879 after a voyage of 96 days. There were 7 births and 4 deaths and a total of 417 persons were landed. From comments on the report of the passage, it appears that the voyage was quite rough. The ships doctor reported

"General health of the adults was good. Most of the children were healthy after measles. The principal disease was measles, there having been over 60 cases on the voyage. It commenced in the single women's quarters on June 25th - 6 days out. It prevailed principally among the children in the married compartment, especially after passing the Cape. I attributed it's spread prinicipally to the crowded state of the compartment, the hospital being uninhabitable and the bad weather necessitating the people to stay below without sufficient ventilation"

The family stayed in South Australia for several years before moving over 3000km to Maryborough QLD, and then on to the town of Howard, an old coal mining town, where coal was discovered in 1886. The exact time when the family moved is unknown, but it happened some time after 1881, but before 1885 (when their daughter Janet married in Maryborough) The family stayed in Howard until about 1904 when they moved another 300km from the Wide Bay Area to Ipswich, Queensland (40km from Brisbane) where they lived at Borehole Estate near Bundamba.

From 1908 both Jessie and her husband William recieved the Old Age Pension of 26 pounds per annum (10 shillings per week). At the time they were living at in a house on Borehole Estate. Criteria for receipt of the pension were quite strict, and apart from being over 65 they had to have lived in QLD for at least 20 years, of good moral character, having net capital value of property not exceeding 260 pounds (however the pension was simply reduced if the capital value criteria was exceeded)

In 1910 William & Jessie were visited by their granddaughter. At the time, they were over 80, but described as "a splendid old couple and still in good health, living by themselves in a comfortable house close to where their eldest son had a coal mine, of which he was the manager as well as owner." Borehole Estate held a number of houses, and as well as William & Jessie, their sons, William, John and George lived on the property with their families.

Jessie's date of death is recorded as died on 2 Sept 1917 and she is buried at Ipswich Cemetary

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