| I am writing to you because of
an internet search of "Wilson, pipes,
and Scotland". My wifes father was
Allan Kenneth Wilson, and his father Allan
Wilson, a world renown tenor. Allan and his
wife Winifred Mima Fletcher were both born
in Glasgow, she born in 1887, and he in
1888. I have a document entitled Along
the Winding Forth and Clyde Canal A
Foundry Tale, stirred by the Story in "The
Iron Dale". It is written by John
Wilson Senior (a retired Cast Iron Pipe
Foundryman in Glasgow) in the year 1960. Allan's father was Matthew Wilson.
One of Matthew's brothers was Ebenezer
Wilson and Matthew's other brother was John
Wilson Senior and the
brother's father is described (nameless) as
a "farmer who entered Springbank Foundry
about 1870, and soon became foreman over
blacksmiths and fitters". The nameless
father's younger brother was in charge of the
office staff.
John Wilson Senior entered the
Despatch Department of Springbank Foundry at the
age of 12 in 1883, having achieved the
"Fifth Standard" in education and
having ended his school career.
The Springbank foundry closed,
and the firm moved to Stockton on Tees.
John Wilson Senior changed to John Shaw and
Company, Maryhill Ironworks in 1890 where he
worked between the foreman of the Foundries
and the office staff working for a Mr. Thomas
Campbell.
The Bridgeton Foundry in
Glasgow, East was managed by John Brand (a cousin
of John Wilson's Father, approx age about 70) and
William Patterson (related to John Brand) about
1905. John Wilson was offered the Foundry
at that time because of his family connections,
and employed his younger brother by two years,
Matthew, as an equal partner in the
Foundry. Business flourished, and then came
the war and the Bridgeton Foundry was put to work
to manufacture mild steel water pipes for the
trenches, with quick disconnect fittings to
enable the forces to advance or retreat without
sacrificing their water lines. Another
younger brother of John Wilson Senior by ten
years "suffered all the drudgery of the
business in the factory and foundry and still
shares in the cares of the present" written
in 1960.
In 1956 John Wilson Junior,
Allan Wilson's brother wrote from Bridgeton
Foundry, Fordneuk Street, Glasgow, and another
brother Ebe (Ebenezer) (wife Rita) wrote of his
latest Grandson, Simon Dunsmuir Wilson Scott from
"Redbrae", Bothwell, Scotland.
Perhaps Ebe has two daughters, Helen and
Nancy.
Some of John Wilson's and wife
Mary's family were his five boys, Norman, John,
James, Martin, David. He wrote from
Ledcamerock, Kilwinning in 1954 to his nephew
Allan Kenneth Wilson here in British Columbia,
Canada. He also talked of another business
partner, an Alan Wilson in London at that
time. Alan (in London) and his wife and
daughter were accompanying John, Mary and four of
the five boys on a winter ski trip to
Switzerland.
With this information perhaps
you will be able to help me find related Wilsons
in Scotland, perhaps you may even be one
yourselves.
If this finds you bewildered,
could you perhaps forward it to other Wilson's
that you may know, or to the Foundry
perhaps. We are really hoping to
re-establish contact with Allan's relatives.
My burning interest in
genealogy has prompted me to go through recently
found letters, papers, photographs and documents
resulting in my quest to trace Wilson's and their
offspring.
Thankyou for your time and
patience, Mike Dodds and Carole Kaiser (Allan
Kenneth Wilson's daughter)
Posted - April 2003
|
Mike Dodds |