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Alexander McEwan Meiklejohn
(1893-1956)
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Alexander McEwan Meiklejohn
was born 21st October 1893 at 51 Bickerstith Street, Stockton-on-Tees, and
died 8th December 1956 at 9 Achilles Avenue, Dunedin, New Zealand. He was buried on the 11th December 1956 at Andersons
Bay Cemetery, Dunedin.
(Otherwise,
Alexander Miller Meiklejohn born in Alva in 1898.)
He married Isabella Betts 8th June 1917 at 51A Greenfield Street, Alloa.
She was the daughter of Robert Betts and Janet Hepburn;
born 21st April 1896 in 2 Greenfield Street, Alloa, and died 12th May 1986 in Bellsdyke, Larbert.
Isabella outlived Sandy and his other
wives!
See Census
In 1917, Alex (Sandy as he was known by the family) was a mill worker and lived with his
aunt at 10 Union Street, Tillicoultry. In 1920 he was a shipyard worker. He did
a disappearing act about 1920 but the family knew that he had gone to
New Zealand. It would seem this information was kept from his deserted wife and
child because she divorced him in 1931, 'whereabouts unknown'. Isabella never
re-married and died from bronco pneumonia, amongst other things. In 1917 she
was a mill worker and lived at 51A Greenfield Street, Alloa. When she died in
1986 she was living at 62 Mitchell Crescent, Alloa.
Children of Alexander Meiklejohn and Isabella Betts are:
Janet Hepburn Meiklejohn was born on the 19th April
1918 at 51a Greenfield Street, Alloa and died on the 16th February 1987 at 62
Mitchell Crescent, Alloa. Janet never married and died without issue so far as
is known. She was legally entitled to her father's estate.
Robert Betts Meiklejohn was born on the 5th April
1920 at 51A Greenfield Street, Alloa and died on the 16th August 1920 at 51A
Greenfield Street, Alloa. He died from meningitis.
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BIGAMIST! -
found out
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The marriage to
Isabella Betts was indeed a legal marriage, however, he married Winifred
Philomena Lawrence on 24th November 1928 in the Register Office,
Christchurch, New Zealand. This marriage was bigamous. He was
still legally married to Isabella until she was granted a divorce in 1931. This
means that he was never really married to Winifred in New Zealand. Winifred was
the daughter of Christopher John Alexander Lawrence (Bridge Contractor) and
Philomena O'Hanlon. Winifred was born in 1909 at Blenheim, New Zealand.
Alexander was a
wool sorter which is in keeping with one of his occupations back in Scotland. He
also gives his age as 30 but he was, in fact, 35; and place of birth as Alva,
Scotland. The family were brought up in Tillicoultry, only 2 miles from Alva but
it might have been the case that Sandy was brought up in Alva by the Stewarts as
his father's sister would not have had the financial wherewithall to keep them
all together. He has given his name as Alexander Miller Meiklejohn but I don't
have a problem with this. His middle name was actually McEwan as was his
father's but there was a Miller connection and his father's middle name was
given incorrectly on his own death certificate. He probably didn't know or had
forgotten his mother's maiden name and gives it as Stewart. Again the Alva
Stewarts are connected through the McEwan line.
He said he was a
bachelor. This is an outright lie but the rest of the information is either as
much as he knew or lies but with a sprinkle of truth in them. Both he and
Winifred were residing in Christchurch when they married.
At the time of
his death, he was a labourer and lived at 9 Achilles Avenue, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Children of Alexander Meiklejohn and Winifred Laurence are:
Richard Alexander Meiklejohn,
born 25th October 1929, died 8th January 1997.
He married Maureen Joy Strawbridge in 1953 and has a family.
Alva Shirley Meiklejohn,
born 5th November 1932, died 26th December
1996. She married Alben James Galway in 1957.
Ronald Leonard Meiklejohn,
born 10th August 1934, died 27th October 2001.
He married Mary Dorothy Cissie Evans in 1955 and they divorced in
1977.
Joy Winifred Meiklejohn
(or Free), born 15th October 1935, died 29th
July 1950 at Canterbury, New Zealand
Olive Meiklejohn (or
Free) She married Edwin Lawrence Bade in 1956
Clarence Free Meiklejohn.
He married and had a family.
Kathleen Myrtle Free
Meiklejohn. Married with a family.
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Another Marriage!
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Sandy was still
legally married to Isabella until she was granted a divorce in 1931 but that
didn't stop him! He married Eliza Thompson on the 24th December 1948
at the Register Office, Dunedin, New Zealand. She had been previously married
and was widowed on the 10th September 1942. She had been born in Scotland about
1884, daughter of James Stewart and Mary Fraser. The family were all found on
censuses from 1881 to 1901 so Eliza was in Scotland in 1901.
Sandy was listed
as divorced and the decree absolute was 23rd November 1945. Eliza was
64 so much older than him. His age is 50 but he was really 55 so the age gap was
not quite so large. It also looks as though Eliza was, in fact, born nearer 1888
so the age difference was 5 years and not the 10 it looks like.
The divorce given
on this marriage certificate is obviously to that between him and Winifred
Lawrence. It was unnecessary as they were not legally married. He had obviously
continued the deception! However, he was now legally free to marry as his
divorce from Isabella Betts had taken place in 1931. Due to Eliza's age, there
wont be any children unless there was anything going on long before they
married!!!!
I don't know if
Sandy ever knew that his real wife had divorced him in 1931. Perhaps my
grandmother wrote and told him if they were still in touch by then. Of course if
he never did know, then he was marrying bigamously again as far as he would be
aware. Naughty, naughty!
A
big thanks
to Bev in New Zealand, for her help with this. |
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Winifred
Winifred married Clarence
Oliver Free in 1945. He was born, 14th July 1903 and died in
1989.
They had Carol Janet Free
in 1946 and Noel Robert Free in 1948.
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Alva Shirley Meiklejohn
Alva Shirley Meiklejohn married Alben James
Galway. They lived at 31 Curletts Road, Christchurch, New Zealand. They moved
from there to the countryside just outside Christchurch, to a place called
Springston. Alben had been
previously married to Alice Patricia Walters in 1941.
Shirley and Alben could have divorced in 1974
which would possibly explain why they are buried where they are.
Alben was buried on the 23 March 1983 at
Prebbleton cemetery. Shirley was buried on the 30 December 1996 at
Ashburton Cemetery, Canterbury. I originally thougtht that Alben could
have been buried with his first wife. Shirley is buried with her brother
Ronald. |
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Contact
Date this page was last edited:
15 January, 2011 |
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