Also, since some of James' descendants have lived for several generations in the same area, there are several family stories about the extended family that get passed down and passed around. My family did not talk about James and Ann, but they did relate stories about his daughter Ann, and we knew or knew of several other lines of descendancy. I am also indebted to two sources for personal stories about James and Ann. The first I have mentioned in many of the separate articles on the Orr family. It is the book "Ancestry of W. M Richards and A. Elizabeth "Betsey" Gwinner" by Mary Beth Dunhaupt Figgins, published by lulu.com in 2013 available on the Nook reader from Barnes & Noble. For the rest of this article we will abbreviate references to it as [Figgins, 2013]. I also have a copy of a typed open letter written by Hyla (Trimmell) Bacon to "Descendants of Annie Orr, Nathan Ware, Elizabeth Johnson, and Reuben Farlow Busby." dated April 1981 which will be abbreviated [Bacon, 1981].
As to his birth date, [Figgins, 2013] says it best, "There is some confusion as to the date. According to his obituary he was born on 20 Jun 1831, a relative in Scotland gives the date as 7 Jan 1832, while another relative says 7 June 1832." June and January are easily mixed up (abbreviated Jun and Jan) in handwritten records. If I were to choose I would say 20 Jun 1832 but it is only an educated guess His age is given as 8 in the 1841 Scotland Census (census date June 6) which is the earliest official record of his age.
1851 - Transitions
There are three clips from history regarding James Orr in the year 1851. We will present all three items and then try to work up a reasonable explanation that pulls them all together. First up is a 1851 Census record that is likely a reference to our James as a servant on a farm called "Park." |
Figure 01: 1851 Scotland Census, East Kilbride Parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
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Figure 02: Scotland Old Parish Marriage Records, East Kilbride Parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland
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The third item is a birth record for James' and Ann's first child Isabella. Here, it has been split in two parts and enhanced with column headings for easier display purposes.
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Figure 03: 1851 Scotland Old Parish Birth Records, East Kilbride Parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
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Figure 01 shows the most likely entry for James. That page shows him living on the 160-acre "Park" farm which was about 1.5 miles south of Hurlawcrook. One should note that James' birth place is listed as "Old Monkland" which was adjacent to "New Monkland" where Airdrie and Drumbathie were located. The line between the two parishes lies somewhere between Airdrie and Coatbridge. Since those cities are only about 3 miles apart, one could easily be in Old Monkland but be considered in the Airdrie area.
A clip of the most likely 1851 Census entry for Ann Aitkenhead is shown below in Figure 04. The page shows her as working as a house servant on a 113-acre farm occupied by John Morton.
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Figure 04: 1851 Scotland Census, East Kilbride Parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
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The farm shown in Figure 04 looks like "Esperhill", but I believe it to be "Arpohill." The Ordnance Survey Name Book of 1858-1861 confirms Arpohill was occupied by John Morton. Arpohill is about 1/2 mile south of the Park farm where James Orr was working -- very convenient for the young couple in love.
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Figure 05: Map Index to the Ordnance Survey of Lanarkshire, pub ca. 1885 (annotated)
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This situation, James working at one farm and Ann working at another farm house close by, is the basis for evaluating the marriage record in Figure 02. I believe this record is of the marriage banns being announced. The actual marriage date is somewhat in dispute. The marriage banns has a date of 7 Jul 1851. The birth record of three of their children (John, James and Mary) give "1851 June Kilbride" as their parents marriage date and location. Lastly, Ann's obituary in the Howard Citizen (shown later) claims a marriage date of 20 Jan 1849 as the marriage date.
There can be several conjectures about the 'real' date.
- The dates (of 7 Jul and 20 Jan) look suspiciously like those of James' possible birth dates (7 Jan, 20 Jun, 7 Jun) so perhaps the marriage and birth dates were mixed up at some point.
- The marriage banns were often not the date of the marriage ceremony, however the banns usually preceeded the ceremony.
- The impending birth of Isabelle (which took place on 15 July) may have lead to a desire to officially recognize the marriage.
- There may have been local customs of 'irregular' marriage that offered alternatives to officially recorded marriage ceremonies. Below is information (and misinformation) on such customs.
Historical handfasting
The custom of handfasting is often assumed to have its origins in ancient, pre-Christian times, although there is little concrete evidence of this. More is known about the custom as it existed in the Middle Ages.
In medieval times, handfasting represented the betrothal (or engagement to be married) of the intended couple, not the actual marriage itself.
The romanticisation of handfasting
In the late 18th Century a combination of rumour, misreporting and romanticisation led to the belief that handfasting had historically been a trial marriage lasting a year and a day, but which had by then fallen out of use. This myth became even more widely spread after Sir Walter Scott used the imagery in his novel The Monastery (1820). The belief may have formed around the custom of couples meeting at large annual gatherings and taking the opportunity at the next annual gathering to marry or part.
The Marriage (Scotland) Act 1939 and the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006
'Marriage by consent' stopped being legally recognised in most of Europe during the Reformation in the early 16th Century. However, in Scotland, 'irregular' marriages continued to be legally recognised right up until the Marriage (Scotland) Act of 1939. Before 1939 handfastings which took place in lieu of a church wedding were legally recognised as weddings resulting in marriage. Even after 1939 marriage 'by cohabitation with habit and repute' was legally recognised until the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006 was passed. -- from bbc.co.uk website.
Hard Work and Hard Times - Life in Scotland
After a great deal of searching, I have not uncovered any newspaper article that mentions James or his family in any way while they lived in Scotland. Perhaps this is a good thing in that most reports on blue-collar working men occurred only if they died in an industrial accident, were badly injured or were in trouble with the law. Apparently James avoided these events so that what we know about the family is from census, birth and death records and county directories of the time. The following table will give some sense of where the family lived and James' occupations. All locations were in Lanarkshire, Scotland.| Date | Event | Location | James' Occupation |
| 1851 | 1851 Census (James) | Park, East Kilbride | Farm Servant |
| 1851 | 1851 Census (Ann) | Arpohill, East Kilbride | Farm House Servant |
| 15 Jul 1851 | Birth of dau. Isabelle | HurlawCrook, East Kilbride | not given |
| 14 Sep 1855 | Birth of dau. Ann | 11 Commonside St., Airdrie | Carter |
| 15 May 1857 | Birth of son John(1) | 51 North St., Airdrie | Pitheadman |
| 17 Feb 1858 | Death of dau. Magdalen | Grahamshill | Pitheadman |
| 24 Aug 1859 | Birth of son James(1) | Grahamshill | Pitheadman |
| 28 Aug 1859 | Death of son James(1) | Grahamshill | Pitheadman |
| 18 Mar 1860 | Death of son John(1) | Drumbathie | Pitheadman |
| 1861 | 1861 Census | Drumbathie Rd Farm | Farmer of 45 acres |
| 23 Aug 1862 | Birth of son James(2) | Drumbathie | Pitheadman |
| 1862 | 1862 Directory | Drumbathie Farm | not given (implied farmer) |
| 7 Dec 1864 | Birth of son John(2) | Drumbathie Farm | Pitheadman |
| 19 Jan 1867 | Birth of dau. Mary | Aitcheson Street, Airdrie | Pitheadman |
| 1868 | 1868 Directory | Drumbathie Farm | not given (implied farmer) |
A Ptiheadman had a broad definition. The simplest definition is the most obvious one, he was a "man" who worked at the "head" of the mine or "pit" (i.e. the top of the mine shaft). This meant that he worked above ground. "The Mining Institute of Scotland -- Transactions, Vol. X. -1888-89", page 99-101 outlines many aspects of the job. The Pitheadman's stated responsibilities included that the he shall:
- work for the Manger, Under-manager or Overman (I.e. he was a salaried employee for the company)
- oversee the activity at the top of the mining shaft (including all persons and ore coming up and going down the shaft)
- periodically check equipment and machinery for proper operational condition
- periodically perform safety checks such as whether material could fall into the shaft and report or relay reports of safety concerns from the miners.
- lock up and secure the premises at the end of the shift or day
- in the absence of a "Weigher", fill that roll. This included weighing the extracted ore which determined how much the miners got paid, and making proper deductions for extraneous stone and debris.
While living at Drumbathie, and perhaps at Grahamshill, he and his family were also involved with farming activities.
From the job description I gather he was a hard worker and reliable supervisor and it was a way to provide for his growing family. As we have seen the first child, Isabella was born on 15 July 1851. I have seen some give her full name as Isabella Smith Orr, after her maternal grandmother. In my family she was always referred to as "Belle".
Sometime around 1852, a second child was born named Magdalen, likely named for her paternal grandmother.
On 14 Sep 1855 at 9 pm a third daughter Ann was born. I was always told that her full name was Ann Aitkenhead Orr, after her mother's maiden name. After she immigrated to the U.S. she "wished to seem completely 'American', so added an 'i' to her name" and "was always known as Annie." [Bacon, 1981]. Calling her "Annie" was common in my family as well. Later in many newspapers in the Elk County, Kansas area she was referred to a Anna.
Ann was born at 11 Commonside St. on the north side of Airdrie. The following photo shows Commonside St. probably in the early 1900s.
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Figure 06: Commonside Street, Airdrie, Scotland; from Scottish Mining Website (scottishmining.co.uk)
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On 15 May 1857, James' and Ann's first son was born. Following tradition they named him John after his paternal grandfather. The address given for his birth was 51 North Street in Airdrie. There does not appear to be a "North" Street in Airdrie at the time. Perhaps North Bridge was meant it was a southward continuation of Commonside St.
With four children, the family was growing fast, and in late 1857 or early 1858 the family moved to Grahamshill, a farm near the old homeplace of Drumbathie where James' parents still lived. Although close to family, this would turn out to be a location filled with sorrow. On 17 Feb 1858, five-year-old daughter Magdalen died of "Hooping Cough and Hydrocephalus." On a typical week in March of 1857, 72 children died of whooping-cough in London alone. Today the average in all of England and Wales is less than 10 deaths per year.
On 24 Aug 1859 another son was born named James, after his father no doubt. The joy at Grahamshill was shortlived. Four days later on the 28th he (son James) passed away of "Congenital Deformity." In a strange coincidence about 30 years later (1885), his sister Ann would give birth to a son, name him James, and he would die only a few days later. I was told that he too died of some sort of congenital deformity.
Finally on 18 March 1860 son John died of "Inflamation of Lungs" at Drumbathie. Perhaps the family had moved from Grahamshill by then.
At this point only Isabella and Ann remained. Perhaps the situation made James and Ann more sensitive to the health of their children. The following story about their daughter Ann is taken from [Bacon, 1981]
Annie was small for her age as a child -- never more than 4' 10" as an adult, Her parents repeatedly despaired aloud that they doubted they could "raise their wee one alive" and tried to improve her growth by sending her to the highlands every summer to work in the fresh air for strangers as a milk maiden. She related stories of these summers when she felt abandoned for as long as she lived.... and chuckled at the age of ninty that her parents worried for no reason about her health because she "outlived all the others" by many years.
It is only conjecture on my part, but it is possible that she was not sent all the way north to the highlands and was not with strangers. About 1867, when Ann would have been 12-years-old, her uncle Thomas Orr, started farming about 7 miles northeast of Airdrie at Limerigg so this could have been a more reasonable choice. Thomas and his wife Mary had no children so she would still have been quite lonely. I have no reason to dispute the story though.
According to their death records, all three children who died in childbirth -- Magdalen, John and James -- were buried in the Broomknoll Churchyard in Airdrie as well as their grandfather John Orr who died in 1859. No markers exist confirming these graves and the church yard has been paved over. See the post about John Orr (1786-1859) for more on the story of these burials.
The 1861 Census shows the family living at Drumbathie. James, Ann, Isabella and Ann are living at one house and James' mother and brother (Madaline and Richard) are living in another house but both are listed as being at Drumbathie.
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Figure 07: 1861 Scotland Census, New Monkland Parish, Lanarkshire; Drumbathy Farm and House
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The next few years would see the family grow. First, two more sons were born at Drumbathie and the names of the two who had just passed were reattached. James was born on 23 Aug 1862. Later in life his name would be styled James Alexander, but his birth record just says James. On 7 Dec 1864 John was born. Later in his life his name would be styled John C. Orr. On both birth records, James (the father) is said to be a Pitheadman.
On 19 Jan 1867, daughter Mary was born. The birth record gives an address of 61 Aitcheson Street, Airdrie. Aitcheson (or Aitchison) is on the west side of Airdrie and is a westward extension of High Street. The address is where the birth occurred and not necessarily where the family lived, but it would be somewhat rare if it wasn't. An 1868 county directory lists James Orr living at Drumbathie, but that information could be stale.
Going to America - 1870
By the late 1860s James' siblings were far flung. Peter (and perhaps Matthew) was in the U.S., John and Margaret were in Australia, but they all kept in touch via letters. In particular it seems that Peter gave rather glowing reports of the economic conditions in the New World. [Bacon, 1981] states that reports from America came in saying that "money grew on trees." In my family I was told that correspondence stated that prosperity abounded and that "they threw milk and other food out the back door" because they had so much of it. A new life in the U.S. would be a tempting offer to someone struggling to feed his family in the tough economic times of the Scottish industrial corridor. To sweeten the pot, Peter and wife Agnes came to Scotland for a visit and perhaps with the express purpose of accompanying the family on their voyage to America. However it unfolded, in the spring of 1870 the James Orr family decided to leave Scotland for The States. As far as I know none of them ever returned even to visit their native land.Likely they would have seen advertisements like the following.
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Figure 08: Glasgow Daily Herald, 5 Apr 1870, page 8, col 6.
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The Columbia had been launched on its maiden voyage about four years earlier on 10 Sep 1866. According to norway-heritage.com, it is described as a "Clipper stem, one funnel, three masts (ship -rigged for sail), iron construction, single screw and a speed of 10 knots. There was accommodation for 80-cabin and 540-3rd-class passengers." Its dimensions were about 285 feet long and 33.5 feet wide. By modern comparison, a Boeing 747-400 aircraft is about 230 feet long and a little over 20 feet wide. Figure 09 below shows a Currier and Ives portrait of the ship. The configuration was fairly typical of the passenger ships of that time. It was meant to be propelled by steam power, but in the event that the propulsion systems failed, it was fully capable of being sailed.
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Figure 09: Artwork by Currier & Ives, ©️National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
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In command of the Columbia was Captain James Dumbreck. His Master's Certificates files from the National Maritime Museum in London show he had been working on board ships since at least May 1852 when he was about 15 (he was born in 1837 in Glasgow). He had been granted his Master's license on 10 Feb 1862. He had been sailing for Anchor Line since at least 1865 but had only been captain of the Columbia since November 1869.
Captain Dumbreck had had some difficulty on the previous trip into Glasgow from New York as we can see in this story.
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Figure 10: Greenock Advertiser, Tue 26 Apr 1870, pg 2 col 4
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While getting the luggage on board on 29 Apr, another accident occured.
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Figure 11: Greenock Telegraph and Clyde Shipping Gazette, 30 Apr 1870, page 3
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Boarding along with James and family were James' brothers Peter and Matthew and Peter's wife Agnes. James was probably 38 years old, and wife Ann was 39 and 6-7 months pregnant. The children ranged from Isabella, who was nearly 19 down to Mary who would have been 3. We know who boarded the ship from the passenger list filed at the end of the voyage.
The voyage itself seems to have been a typical one for an immigrant ship in the Anchor Line. It started out on the 29th
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Figure 12: Greenock Telegraph and Clyde Shipping Gazette, 30 Apr 1870, page 3
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In Figure 08 above, it seems our travelers had paid six guineas a person for steerage accommodations. According to a handbook for travelers of that time, half-fare was charged for children under 12. James' family then had four at full-fare and three at half-fare for a total of 33 guineas. As a pitheadman, James probably only made about a guinea a week, so this represented close to 8-months wages.
For this substantial sum the travelers would receive passage to New York and all of the amenities of the Anchor Line steerage service which were quite meager. According to the "Handbook For Immigrants to the United States" prepared by the American Social Science Association in 1871, this would include meals which "generally consists of fresh bread, tea or coffee, and gruel, if wished, for breakfast and supper, and beef or pork, soup, fish, and potatoes, for dinner." The only other thing provided was essentially the right to find a crowded spot in the lower deck(s) in which to try to live for 10-14 days. Single women and families were usually placed in separate areas. "On the Anchor Line, nationalities are kept apart when in sufficient number." (This was probably not necessary in that most of the passengers on this trip were from the British Isles.) "Passengers must provide themselves, in all cases, with mattress, bedding, plate, mug, knife, fork, spoon, and water can."
The Handbook goes on to warn that the immigrant should have "one or more stout boxes [filled] with substantial clothing, including boots and shoes, part for winter, part for summer wear, all costing much more in the United States than in Europe." The individual ship companies had rules about having access to clothing during the voyage. Immigrants were also warned about the effects of the "change of diet" at sea and that the "choice of acquaintances among the passengers should be very cautious, especially on the part of women."
I have read several accounts of ocean crossings at the time and they report experiencing various levels of cuisine, sanitation and safety on such voyages. All report cramped and dark conditions below deck, food being doled out with a bare minimum of civility and a constant wariness of the other passengers and sometimes the crew members. Seasickness was rampant. Going to the upper deck for fresh air and sunlight was possible (when conditions allowed) but as many sought this refuge, it was crowded as well.
I only have a couple of personal stories from the voyage passed down through Ann (the daughter).
Annie was nearly lost overboard during the boat trip. Travelling conditions in the boat's hull were crowded and untended. Seasick immigrants were usually unable to clean up after one another, and those able to do so spent days on deck. During a moment of nausea, Annie leaned too far over the ocean and would have fallen overboard had a sailor not grasped her skirt and pulled her back on deck. -- [Bacon, 1981]
I remember my mom retelling a story that Ann and Belle were on deck one day and a young man, wishing to impress Belle, a 19-year-old Scottish lass, showed her an apple. Fresh fruit was a real treat on the ship and after catching her eye, he tossed it to her. There may be more to this story. The ship's passenger list for this voyage of the Columbia shows a fellow passenger to be John Snedden born about 1843. Belle married John G Snedden (born 24 Jun 1842) in 1872 in Jasper Co., MO. I suspect the two John Snedden's were one and the same person and I tend to thin the "young man" was her future husband.
Although the voyage was relatively uneventful, the ship's passenger list shows the following three events were logged.
- 3rd May 1870, Isabella Wilson Steerage Passenger and wife of James Montgomery, Miner, was safely delivered of a Male Child at 4:30 am today -- both mother and child doing well.
- 10th May 1870, William Ford, Shoemaker, Steerage Passenger Aged 38 years died at 0:30 am today - Cause of death - "Meningitis."
- 12th May 1870, Mary Donaldson, wife of James Ford, ?? was delivered of a still born child at 10 pm today -- mother doing well.
I don't have any stories directly relating to the Orr family arrival at New York, so we will tell the story with some reported facts and some educated guesses. There was regular processing of inbound ships and their immigrant passengers. The set of events would have been that the ship would come around the south side of Long Island and would anchored briefly off Sandy Hook, New Jersey to take on one of the Sandy Hook Pilots who were authorized to pilot ocean-going vessels into the waterways around New York. The Columbia was reported as having "arrived out" on 14 May.
Also it is likely at about this point that another visitor arrived to inspect the health of the crew and passengers of the ship. The following excerpt describes the process.
The cabin passengers are gathered together aft, divided off by a rope stretched across from side to side, while the forward deck is black with the mass of steerage passengers.
A few minutes later the latter are passing in single file before the Health Officer, those who forget to uncover their heads being quickly reminded of the fact by the energetic ... ship's officers. Each one holds up his green ticket, which furnishes evidence of his vaccination by the ship's surgeon, and which he will also need on some of the emigrant trains going West. -- "Barriers Against Invisible Foes", by Frank Linstow White, from Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, Vol XXXIII, No. 6, June 1892
This health check took place in an area about six miles south of the city in an area called quarantine since they would be held under quarantine indefinitely if necessary. The Columbia seemed to have passed health inspection with no problems detected
With the health inspector still on board to oversee compliance with the law prohibiting communications between ship and shore before landing, the Sandy Hook Pilot would guide the to ship through the lower bay, the upper bay and finally up the mouth of the Hudson river (sometimes refered to as the 'north river' to the Anchor Line's dock at Pier 20. This pier no longer exists, but was located very near the future location of a well known landmark -- the World Trade Center. Below is a picture of Pier 20 from 1866. It is clipped from a stereoscopic picture.
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Figure 13: Clip from "East River Pier 20, New York, N.Y.", The Library Company, Philadelphia, ca. 1866
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Nor did the well-known immigrant facility at Ellis Island exist at this time (it opened on January 1, 1892.) The Orr's were probably processed through facilities at Castle Garden. For the week of May 14, 1870, there were over 10,000 immigrants processed there. Below is the weeks published report.
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Figure 14: New York Times, 15 May 1870, page 6, col 4
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Typically the ship discharged the cabin passengers via a gangplank on the dock side of the boat but the steerage passengers were discharged on the water side of the boat onto a waiting vessel. These would then ferry them to Castle Garden which was located in lower Manhattan in an area known as The Battery (so named for the artillery batteries that were stationed there in earlier times.)
After an examination of the luggage, it is checked, and the passengers with their luggage are transferred to the barges and tugs, and landed at the Castle Garden pier. On landing, the passengers are examined by a medical officer, to discover if any sick have passed the health authorities at quarantine ... and likewise to select all subject to special bonds under the law, as blind persons, cripples, lunatics, and any others who are likely to become a future charge. This examination being ended, the immigrants are directed into the Rotunda, a circular space with separate compartments for English-speaking and other nationalities, to the Registering Department, where the names, nationality, former place of residence and intended destinations of the immigrants, with other particulars are taken down.
The passengers are then directed to the Agents of the Railroad Companies, from whom they can procure tickets to all parts of the United States and Canada, without the risk of fraud or extortion to which they are subjected outside the Depot. In the mean while, the baggage and luggage are stored in the baggage room. A brass ticket, with any letter of the alphabet from A to F inclusive, and a number from 1 to 600, is delivered to the immigrant on landing, and a duplicate fastened on his piece of baggage. The trunk or box is then placed in the baggage room. ... When the immigrant produces his ticket, a baggageman at once goes to the bin indicated by the letter and number on the ticket, and delivers the baggage required. The immigrants destined inland, on delivery of their check, take their baggage to the weigher's scales. After having been weighed and paid for, it is sent free of charge to the depot of the railroad.... -- "Handbook for Immigrants to the United States", prepared by the American Social Science Association, Boston, 1871, pages 10-11
Castle Garden had been brought into existence so that access by travel company agents could be controlled and monitored and swindlers and other criminal types could not access the newly arrived immigrants. I have read at least one account, though, that some of this processing could be avoided. With Peter and Agnes to guide them it is possible some or all of this process might not have happened to the James Orr family. They knew where they were headed, spoke English, and had someone to guide them. At some point they headed west for Missouri, probably by train. There were probably a number of train routes they could have taken to get them into the state of Missouri. I believe there was a train available through Springfield, but not one to Carthage. It is quite possible a stage was taken over the last segment of the trip.
Missouri - 1870-1872
Sometime probably in late May of 1870 the Orr families arrived in Jasper County, Missouri. The recent travelers are all listed in the U.S. Census excerpts below. It indicates James and family were living in a separate house. |
Figure 15: 1870 US Census, Jasper Twp, Jasper Co., MO, Peter Orr and James Orr families.
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Despite the picture of the bountiful land that encouraged them to immigrate to the U.S., I was always told that daughter Ann reported that times were difficult in that first winter. She reportedly said they almost starved and she didn't know where all that milk had gone to once they arrived.
The family did not stay in Missouri long, but in 1872, the following happy event happened.
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Figure 16: Carthage Banner, 4 Apr 1872, page 2, col 6
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Elk County, Kansas
About 1873, according to James' and Ann's obituaries, the family moved to Elk County, Kansas.Census and other records show that James farmed in Paw Paw Township for the rest of his life
There are some stories, perhaps apocryphal, passed down about these early years in Kansas. These are quoted from an internet site salmond.info [filed under "Anne Aitkenhead (I7346)"]. [Figgins, 2013] attributes them to a March 1979 letter from Margaret Ware Shafer to Jean Ware.
Great Grandmother Orr (Ann Aitkenhead) was a large woman and they tell of her being able to butcher a hog and carry it on her shoulders. They lived on Indian Creek near Cave Springs and it was a trail that Indians constantly travelled. THey stopped at their cabin to help themselves to food and whatever else they wanted. One day Grandma's brother John (Orr) then about 5 picked up the old Indian's gun, (he had set down to hunt for tobacco in the house) The old Indian began to scream and yell "it's totted, it's totted, (meaning loaded). One day they found the freshly butchered pork in the shed and after Great Grandma (Ann Aitkenhead) Orr had told them she had no meat. They turned around and said "white squaw lie, plenty hoggy meat" to which Great Grandma replied "no lie, man's meat, no woman's meat" but they took it anyway. Another time Grandma (Annie Orr) Ware told of the long string of Indians marching in single file by their cabin, one squaw dropped out, went beside the shed, had her baby and fell into line without missing a step.
At Drumbathie in Scotland, James had farmed about 45 acres (1861 Scotland Census) of rented land. If Kansas had anything to offer in the 1870s it was land, so he quickly became the owner of much more land. Although not as prosperous as his brother Peter in Missouri, he built it into a sizable estate. The following table shows information from the Agricultural Census.
Source Description Products Animals
| Source | Description | Products | Animals |
| 1875 KS Census |
160
acres
80
acres under fence
25 rods (>400 ft.)
stone fence |
corn,
oats, castor beans, cotton
100 lbs. butter |
1
horse, 1 mule
2
milch cows, 2 other
25 swine |
| 1880 US Census |
160
acres
75
acres cultivated
85 acres unimproved |
beans,
corn, potatos
400
lbs. butter
75 doz eggs |
4
horses
8
milch cows, 58 other
6
swine
24 chickens |
| 1885 KS Census |
560
acres
530 acres under fence |
millet,
corn, hay (prairie grass)
500 lbs. butter |
6
horses, 3 mules
7
milch cows, 86 other
12 swine |
| 1895 KS Census |
490
acres
90
acres cultivated
100 rods (1650 ft.) stone
fence |
corn,
oats, millet
100
lbs. butter sold
$100 eggs sold |
13
horses
6
milch cows, 25 other
30 hogs |
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Figure 17: The Howard Courant, 3 Mar 1881, page 3, col 5
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Figure 18: Historical Atlas of Elk County Kansas, Davy Map and Atlas Co., Chicago, IL, 1885
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Figure 19: The Citizen (Howard, KS), 9 Sep 1908, pg 3, col 5
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James was not only a farmer but it seems he was skilled as a stonemason. The following article would appear to refer to James. (Note: I believe the word "tearms" below is a misprint and meant "teams" as in "teams of horses.")
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Figure 20: The Citizen (Howard, KS), 18 Sep 1878, page 3, col 1
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In 1894, the following news item appeared.
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Figure 21: The Citizen (Howard, KS), 23 Nov 1894, Page 4, col 3
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A few years later James' brother Alexander Orr paid James a visit. See the article on Alexander for more on this brief trip.
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Figure 22: The Severyite (Severy, Kansas) 5 Nov 1897
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- As has been mentioned, Belle married John Snedden in Missouri in 1872 and they soon moved to Boone Co., IA.
- Annie eloped with Nathan Edward Ware of VIrginia about 1873. They lived in the Cave Springs area and began a family. In 1890 he returned to Virginia to visit his mother and never returned leaving Annie to raise the family in Kansas on her own.
- Mary married John William Richards in 1885. They farmed in a number of places in Elk, Greenwood and Wilson Counties.
- James, attended college and became a teacher and popular orator. He married Cora Grimes and got his law degree at the University of Kansas 1894 and became a successful lawyer and judge in Colorado Springs, CO.
- John married Eva Daniels in 1894. He farmed most of his life in Paw Paw Township, Elk Co., KS.
- Agnes married Minor Thomas in 1895. Minor shot and killed a man in Parsons in 1917. He was found "not guilty by reason of insanity" and sent to the criminally insane ward of the State Penitentiary in Lansing, KS. Agnes lived in Elkhart, KS. for many years.
James Orr died in 1904. His probate file (Greenwood Co., KS, file #1300) is quite large at 104 pages. I am sure a careful investigation of that might reveal much more about James, but that will have to wait for someone else. His son James, a lawyer, as one of the administrators of his estate. This could explain the volume of paperwork. One piece caught my eye, however. There are several typed pages of court testimony validating the will. The judge briefly questioned son James as to his father's mental state in the last few days of his life.
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Figure 23: Probate Court Records, Greenwood Co., Kansas, Case # 1300.
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Obituaries
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Figure 24: Howard (KS) Courant, 21 Oct 1904, page 5, col 4.
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Figure 25: The Severyite (Severy, KS), 20 Oct 1904, page 8, col 3
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Figure 26: The Citizen (Howard, KS), 22 May 1918, page 1, col 1
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