MORE ON THE ANDERSON FAMILY AND VERY MUCH A PEEBLES CONNECTION

My great grandfather, Frank Anderson, was the youngest of 6 children born to James Anderson (a shepherd) and Jane Elliot. Walter, the eldest, was born in Lochgilphead, Thomas and John were born in Morven, Argyllshire, the twins William and Cameron born in Elliotsfield, Cavers, Roxburghshire and Frank was born at Whitefield in Yarrow. Shepherds certainly moved about quite a bit back in those days!

I was recently looking again at this (maternal) Anderson line and my grandpa's family specifically. My grandpa being the first son of the above-mentioned Frank Anderson, and was born in Yarrow on Christmas Day in 1905, just over the hill from where I live in Peebles. (For more information on the Andersons generally, please see my blogpost of February 2018 "The Anderson Family In The Scottish Borders").

Given the number of uncles my grandpa had (5 uncles, no aunts), he had a fair number of cousins, and it was this aspect of my family line I thought I would look into further. His father, and all his uncles, were shepherds in the Scottish Borders, but because I now live in Peebles, the thought of looking for potential Peebles residents, or at least those living in the Peebles area back then was quite attractive.

Back to James Anderson, Frank's father, and based on where his sons were born, he moved jobs fairly frequently. Although born in Ettrick in 1832, by 1858 he was in Eskdalemuir, followed by Lochgilphead, Morven, Cavers, and by 1876 he was in Yarrow, where Frank was born. in 1881, he was in Innerwick, East Lothian; 1891 he was in Caddonfoot, Selkirkshire and by 1901 he was in Peeblesshire, in a cottage at Bonnington Farm. With him and his wife, Jane, was their grandson, James, aged 4. (This would be the son of Cameron Anderson (4th born son in 1872), whose (apparent) only child was born in March 1897 and whose wife, Catherine Henry, had died the following year).

The other known connection to Bonnington Farm is William Elliot Anderson (twin to Cameron and also 4th born son in 1872) and who lived at Bonnington Farm at the time of his marriage to Mary Bell in January 1903.

This photo of Bonnington Farm was taken in 2017.

Walter Anderson (first born son in 1867) is nowhere to be seen in the 1901 Census, but he marries a Maggie Beattie Elliot in March 1905 at The Manse in Peebles. Both were resident at the time at Newby, Peebles. Walter a shepherd and Maggie an assistant housekeeper. Their three children were all born in Peebles, James in 1906; Janet in 1909 and Walter in 1911. Janet and Walter were both born at Waddenshope near Peebles (a farm I believe which no longer exists). In the 1911 Census, Walter and his family, and his brother Thomas, were all living at Waddenshope.

This is a photograph of Waddenshope Burn, near Peebles (taken in 2009). This area is adjacent to Bonnington Farm.

The foregoing Janet Anderson married an Andrew Geddes in Traquair Church in 1929, with Janet living at Highland Shiel, Traquair at the time of her marriage and Andrew living at Kailzie Mains Cottages (Kailzie being located south east of Peebles and midway to Traquair).

Thomas Anderson (second born son in 1868) was at Waddenshope in 1911, but by the time he married Mary Ann Holton in 1918, he lived at Upper Newby, Peebles, as did Mary. Thomas was a shepherd and aged 49 and Mary was a housekeeper, aged 27. They had two children, both born at Upper Newby - Jane E. in 1918 and James in 1920. Jane married a David Lind Anderson in 1939 at Blackhouse in Yarrow (where she lived at the time). David was a shepherd who was working at Allangillfoot, Eskdalemuir and aged 19 when he got married.

The above photo is of Upper Newby Farm (from 2019), which is located in the Glensax area, just south of Peebles itself.

And that about sums up all I currently know about the Andersons and the Peebles area. More than I had first thought. Of the six sons of James Anderson, three worked and lived in very close proximity to Peebles, whilst the other three all worked in the Borders, including Yarrow, just over the hill from Peebles. This latter three included my great grandfather, Frank, with John JE and Cameron also missing out. The latter two are seen in the 1911 Census living with their mother at The Yett, Hownam, near Kelso and not far from the English border.