The McHardy Family of Corryhoul Website
Photographs - other family members
Who Am I ? - Jean, christened Jane, was the second child of James McHardy and Mary Coutts of Burnside of Corryhoul. She was the great grand-daughter of John McHardy and Margaret Dauney of Easter Corryhoul. She was sister to my great grandfather Alexander, Piper Jimmy, and Annie Keir (nee McHardy) whose photographs also appears in this section.
The Glennie Family at Averonbank in Alford
Take me back to Corgarff Gravestones
Effie (Euphemia), Annie (Annabella), Jane McHardy,
Mary, Jimmie, Alexander Glennie, Gordon, Nell (Helen).
Jean was born away from Corgarff on the 14th of March 1859 at Fintry, Aberdeenshire. Likewise her younger sister Annie was also born there. Her father had taken up a post as gamekeeper to Lord Sempil. They later returned to Burnside in Corgarff where younger brothers Jimmy and Charlie were born.
Jean married Alexander Glennie at Burnside, Corgarff, on 31/12/1892. Alexander is listed as a Carpenter Journeyman and his address is given as Mill of Glenkindie, Parish of Towie. His parents were Alexander Glennie, Farmer and Isabella Glennie (nee Gordon), both still living. The Rev. William Watt, Minister of Strathdon, married the couple.
On the 1901 Census the family are living at Wardhouse Cottage in the Parish of Kennethmont +/- 1866. Their cottage has 3 rooms with one or more windows. The Census states that Alexander was born in the Parish of Kildrummy. Alexander is listed also listed as an "Employer". The children are as follows: Mary is 7 and listed as a scholar; Alexander Gordon is 3; Isabella is 2; Euphemia and Helen are both 8 months. The census shows Mary was born in Corgarff and the later children were all born in Kennethmont Parish.
From the 1901 Census and the gravestone inscription below we know that Jean and Alexander had at least the following children: Mary +/- 1894; Alexander Gordon +/- 1898 died 08/03/1929 aged 31 years; Isabella +/- 1899 (presumably listed as Annie in the photograph above); Euphemia and Helen +/- 1901; James Charles +/- 1903 killed 13/03/1926. The gravestone also lists the death of an infant son called James.
A number of tragedies befell Jean during her long life. She was left to look after her children alone when Alexander died on the 6th of June 1909. Her son James Charles was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1926. Her decedents tell how she would let out the house in the picture above and moved the family into her late husbands workshop behind it. At the time of Alexander's death Jane had only kale from the garden to feed her family, and that is what they ate. Eventually she made her way back to the glen with her children. However, some of them were regularly in Corgarff prior to their father's death as is shown by the school register. They would be sent to stay with their grandparents at Burnside. From these school records it would appear that the family had also been in Insch at some point. Some of the children also appear to have returned to Alford around 1908. Young Gordon is listed as leaving Corgarff School for Knocklea School further down the glen in 1910. It was here at Annie lived in a cottage next to the former school when my father remembers her as a young boy.
Jean outlived her siblings to a ripe old age, she died at Delhandy in Corgarff on the 27th March 1955 aged 96 years. It was she who told my own father about the family's whisky distilling heritage. You can read about this on this website at the page called Corryhoul and the McHardy Family Page 2. Jean also kept notebook a record of the marriages, births and deaths of those connected with the glen from the 1920's.
Here is the inscription from the family gravestone in Corgarff Cemetery. "Alexander Glennie of Averon bank Alford who died 6th June 1909 aged 43 years and his son James McHardy died in infancy, his son James Charles killed 13th March 1926 aged 23 years, his son Alexander Gordon died 8th March 1929 aged 31 years, his daughter Mary Jane died 1st March 1955 aged 61 years. His wife Jane McHardy died at Delhandy 27th March 1955 aged 96 years"
In this photograph one can see the likeness with her older brother Alexander.
With much thanks to Lucy Walker of Ellon (great granddaughter of Jane), and Lucy's auntie Isobel for the photographs.