The Abercrombie Family Of St Ninian's, Stirling
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Archibald was born on 7 April 1833 in Gorbals, Glasgow and baptised there on 28 April 1833. He became a plumber. Archibald married Janet SMILLIE on 2 Dec 1855 at 2 Sandyford Place, Gorbals, Glasgow. Note that in most of the subsequent records Archibald and his family have changed the spelling of their surname to ABERCROMBY. Note also that Janet's surname is often mis-spelled as SMELLIE.
 Marriage of Archibald ABERCROMBY to Janet SMILLIE in 1855. |
Archibald and Janet had 4 children. The births of all four are recorded, Joan and Archibald are in the 1861 census but only Robert is in the 1871 census.There is a death record for William in 1863 but not for the others.
| Name | Birth | Death |
|---|---|---|
| Joan Smillie | 5 May 1857 | before 1871 |
| Archibald | 9 June 1859 | before 1871 |
| William Smellie | 1861 | 1863 |
| Robert Clifford | 30 May 1864 |
In 1861 Archibald and Janet were living with her parents at 5 King St, Glasgow together with their two small children.
 1861 census for Archibald ABERCROMBY and family at 5 King St, Glasgow. |
In 1871 Janet and her son Robert (born 30 May 1864) were still with her mother Joan SMILLIE at 36 McAslin St, Glasgow. Janet is listed as "married" but Archibald and the two older children Joan and Archibald are not in the census records. In fact Archibald and the two children vanish from all of the records after 1864. There are no census, marriage or death records for them in Scotland. See below for what might have happened to them.
 1864 birth for Robert ABERCROMBY. Archibald is the father and was present at the registration. |
 1871 census for Janet ABERCROMBY and family at Glasgow. |
In the 1881 census Janet and son Robert were living at 5 Gloucester St, Tradeston. Janet was a white seam sewer and a widow and Robert was a fancy goods warehouseman. In 1891 they were at 67 Pollok St, Kinning Park. Janet was still a white seam sewer but was unemployed. In 1901 and 1911 Janet was still living with her son Robert (see below under Robert).
 1881 census for Janet and son Robert ABERCROMBY at 5 Gloucester St, Glasgow. |
Janet ABERCROMBY/SMILLIE died at 3 Bolton Dr, Glasgow on 4 October 1912.
 Death of Janet ABERCROMBY/SMILLIE in 1912 at Glasgow. |
What happened to Archibald and the two children?
After the 1861 census Archibald and two of the children (Joan and Archbald) vanished from Scotland. There are no death records for them, so where did they go? We know Archibald was in Glasgow on 30 May 1864 for the birth of his son Robert Clifford. The next record we can find is for an Archibald ABERCROMBIE in the 1875 census of New York. The censu tells us Archibald was born in Scotland in 1832 and he was a "plummer". He had a "wife", Kate born in New York, and two children Julia and Archibald, born in Scotland in 1857 and 1859 respectively. These details match in almost all respects, so it is highly likely that this is our Archibald.
 1875 New York census for an Archibald ABERCROMBIE and two children, all born in Scotland. |
However, I cannot find Archibald or the children in the New York immigration records. I wonder if they travelled under an assumed name or did not arrive in New York.
We can track Archibald the plumber and his two children using trade directories and the censuses. The first records are in 1875 for the census and a directory which tells us Archibald was living at 109 Fitzhugh St, New York. In the 1877 and 1878 directories we have Archibald and Archibald junior working as plumbers out of 63 Exchange St and living at 51 Adams St. In 1879 they had moved to 34 East Main with residence at 20 Adams St.
 1877 directory for an Archibald ABERCROMBIE in New York. |
Around 1879-1880 Archibald (senior) and Kate left New York. Children Archibald Jnr and Julia remained in New York. Note the 1880 directory helpfully recorded that Archibald had "removed from city".
 1880 census for Archibald ABERCROMBIE jnr and Julia boarding at 7 Clinton Place, New York. |
 1880 directory for Archibald recording his removal from New York. |
 1881 directory for Archibald and Julia boarding at 7 Clinton Place, New York. |
By 1883 Archibald and Julia had moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. They first lived at 29 Washington Ave N, then 1022 Hennepin Ave, later moving residence to 2927 Park Ave. In the 1897 directory the address was now 11n 7th. In 1899 the business had become A. Abercrombie & Co. and their residence was 912½ 5th Av s., this address continuing through to 1902.
 1883 directory for Archibald. |
 1887 directory for Archibald. |
 1895 Minnesota census for Archibald ABERCROMBIE at 2927 Park Ave, Minneapolis. |
 1897 directory for Archibald. |
 1899 directory for Archibald. |
In the 1905 directory Archibald and Kate had again "removed", this time to Spokane, Washington where they remained for the rest of their lives. The business was now the "New York Plumbing Co. and their home was 2004 Monroe St (north?). The last directory entry for Archibald was 1907; he would have been aged 74.
 1907 directory for Archibald, now living in Spokane, Washington. |
Archibald ABERCROMBIE died in Spokane, Washington on 23 April 1907 of a sudden heart attack. He is buried at Fairmount Memorial Park, Spokane.
 Newspaper story for Archibald ABERCROMBIE: Spokane Review 24 April 1907. |
 Headstone for Archibald ABERCROMBIE and his wife Kate at Fairmount Park, Spokane. |
After Archibald's death Kate remained in Spokane. She worked as a seamstress at the Deaconess Hospital until at least 1913. In the 1910 census she was a lodger at 715 4th Ave, Spokane, which is part of Deaconess Hospital. Later in 1910 the hospital held a party for her 60th birthday. Kate died in Spokane on 5 January 1917. She is buried with Archibald (whom she probably never actually married) at Fairmount Park, Spokane.
 1908 directory for Kate living in Spokane, Washington. |
 1910 Spokane census for Kate ABERCROMBIE in Spokane. |
 Kate's birthday in 1910. Spokesman Review 17 November 1910. |
 1912 directory for Kate living in Spokane, Washington. |
 1913 directory for Kate in Spokane, Washington. |
 Obituary for Kate BIRMINGHAM/ABERCROMBIE. Spokesman Review 7 January 1917. |
What became of Archibald jnr and Julia? Archibald moved to Chicago, as there is an 1889 and 1891 directory entry for an Archibald, plumber, at 4237 Portland Ave, later at 179 Milwaukee Ave. His father's newspaper obituary in 1907 also refers to a child in Chicago. After that he vanishes. He may have married there and had a child - Archibald Jnr (Jnr?) who became an accountant and who died in 1921. Julia also vanishes after the 1880 census and 1881 directory, although her father's obituary refers to her in New York in 1907. She would have been aged about 23 at that time. I cannot find a marriage for her. There is a Julia S. AUSTIN in the 1910 census, living in Haverhill, Essex Massachusetts, born Scotland about 1860 and who arrived in USA in 1870. She married Benjamin F. AUSTIN in 1881. The facts fit but couild be circumstantial.
The Children of Archibald ABERCROMBIE and Janet SMILLIE
Robert Clifford ABERCROMBY
Robert Clifford ABERCROMBY was born 30 May 1894 in Glasgow. He became a plumber. He lived with his mother until she died in 1912. In the mid-1890s Robert made the acquaintance of the widow Agnes LYTZEN (née LAWRIE) and her children. Records suggest Agnes became the housekeeper for Janet and her son. Agnes had been married to Hans Christian LYTZEN (a master mariner, born Aarhus, Denmark on 23 March 1845) but he had died on 23 July 1893 at Govan, Glasgow. Agnes was soon living with Robert and in 1895 they had a daughter Janet ABERCROMBY and in 1897 a son William Smellie ABERCROMBY (who died of Dipteria on 19 Nov 1904). It was not until 1900 that they married in Edinburgh. They then had another son, Robert Clifford ABERCROMBY in 1901.
 Birth of Janet ABERCROMBIE to Agnes LTYZEN/LAWRIE/ABERCROMBIE in 1895 at Glasgow. |
 Birth of William ABERCROMBIE to Agnes LTYZEN/LAWRIE/ABERCROMBIE in 1897 at Glasgow. |
 Marriage of Robert ABERCROMBIE to Agnes LTYZEN/LAWRIE in 1900 at Edinburgh. |
 1901 census for Robert ABERCROMBIE and family at 184 Dumbarton Rd, Kelvin, Glasgow, Glasgow. |
 Birth of Robert ABERCROMBIE to Agnes ABERCROMBIE in 1901 at Glasgow. |
 Death of William ABERCROMBIE in 1904 at Glasgow. |
By 1911 Robert and family (still including his mother) were living at 3 Bolton Dr, Cathgart. Robert was now a traveller for the International Correspondence Schools Ltd. Robert's mother Janet (SMILLIE) died at 3 Bolton Dr on 4 October 1912.
 1911 census for Robert ABERCROMBY and family at 3 Bolton Drive, Glasgow. |
After 1911 the family is difficult to find in the records. We know that Robert LYTZEN, Agnes' son emigrated to the USA. He was on the SS Caledonia departing Glasgow on 23 September 1911 He was a textile worker and he gave his British contact as Mrs A. ABERCROMBIE of 3 Bolton Dr, Glasgow. However he gave his home address as Holyoke, Massachusetts. The 1930 census records he arrived in the USA in 1906. He married Margaret O'NEIL in 1914 and died in 1963.
Return to James ABERCROMBIE page
Return to Archibald on the James ABERCROMBIE page
19 March 2021