Jane Orr (1830-1863)

Based on her research for her book Ancestry of W. M. Richards and A. Elizabeth "Betsey" Gwinner', Mary Beth Dunhaupt Figgins cites some correspondence stating Jane's birth date as 29 September 1830.  Most other evidence would support this as a reasonable date.  Jane is sometimes rendered "Jean" and in the 1841 Scotland Census the name looks a lot like "Lean", but I believe it is a script "J" not an "L".
Jane left few nuggets with which to illustrate her life.  She was born, married, had children and died in less than 35 years.  As a 'economically challenged' woman in the mid-1800s she was virtually invisible to society so little personal information has survived her.  Also, even her family didn't seem to rate much mention outside of the statutory birth/marriage/death records and so this will perhaps be a shorter post than most.
As with her siblings, Jane was born in or near Airdrie.  She is listed with her birth family in the 1851 Census at 20 years old and, like her mother, was a staymaker by trade.  Perhaps she and her mother worked together, but there is no indication one way or the other.

Marriage to William Condie

Figure 1: Old Parish Marriage Records, New Monkland Parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland , May 1853

As can be seen above, the banns for the marriage of William Condie and Jane Orr were announced on the 2nd Sabbath of May 1853 for which 3 shillings 6 pence was collected.  Banns were usually announced prior to the marriage ceremony as a way of publicly expressing the couple's intent and inviting rebuttals.  The 2nd Sabbath would have been 8 May 1853.  They were "both" residents of New Monkland Parish (which covered the area around Airdrie).  Although born in Rutherglen Parish, a short distance southeast of Glasgow, William had lived on London St., in Airdrie since at least 1841 according to census records.  He is also shown to be an hatter apprentice in 1851.

The Growing Family Around Airdrie

Perhaps William had not found much work as a hatter, so it is as an iron miner that he is employed at the birth of his first child.  On 21 Nov 1853, John Orr Condie was born to William and Jane while they lived at Grahamshill.  Grahamshill was less than a half-mile east-southeast of Drumbathie.  At the time there was an ironstone mine directly across the road to the west of Grahamshill so it is possible that William worked there, although there are other possible mines in the area.

Figure 2: Scotland Birth Registrations; William Condie; 4 Sep 1855, New Monkland, Lanarkshire

On 4 September 1855, their second child, William, was born.  The family was still living at Grahamshill and William was still mining iron.  One interesting tidbit from the birth record as seen in Figure 2 is that the couple had been married at Drumbathie, but other than confirming the year of 1853, a date for the actual ceremony is not indicated.
A third son, Thomas, was born at 117 Graham St. in Airdrie on 26 Jul 1857.  His father was still working as an iron miner.  Thomas' life was short.  On 15 Jun 1858, he passed away at 5 Johnston St. in Airdrie of pneumonia.  He was buried in the Broomknoll Churchyard.  (See the post on John Orr -- 1786-1859 for more information on Orr-related burials in the Broomknoll Churchyard)
The family was still on Johnston St. when son Robert was born on 26 Mar 1859.  His father William was mining coal at this time.

The Family Moves to Kilsyth

Between 1859 and 1861, the family decided to move out of the Airdrie area and on 28 Mar 1861 after having four sons, William and Jane finally had a daughter.  Madeline Bird Condie was born on Drumtrocher St. in Kilsyth, Stirlingshire, about 10 miles north of Airdrie (the 1861 Census shows them at 46 Drumtrocher St.)

Figure 3: Scotland Birth Registrations; Madeline Bird Condie; 28 Mar 1861, Kilsyth, Stirlingshire

Not only was there a change in residence, but there seems to have been a change in occupation as well.  The 1861 Census shows William as a coal miner, but Madeline's birth record (see Figure 3) shows him as a hatter.  There are no 'hatters' listed in Kilsyth in the 1861 Census so perhaps there was a need for one.   In all but one case, he continues to list hatter as his occupation for the rest of his life.  This record also indicates that William and Jane were married on 3 Jun 1853 about a month after the banns were announced in the parish church. 
Jane was listed as a staymaker in the 1861 Census.  I don't believe there was another staymaker in Kilsyth, though the weaving industry was a big part of the town's economy at that time.  Kilsyth population was about 5800 that year, compared to almost 13000 in Airdrie. 
It was in Kilsyth that Jane passed away.  According to her death record, she died on the morning of 21 Oct 1863 at Backbrae, Kilsyth.  She died of Tetanus from which she had suffered for 7 days.  Backbrae is not pinpointed on any map I've seen, but "Back Brae" is described in the Ordnance Survey Name Book 1858-61 (Stirlingshire Volume 16 -- OS1/32/16/68) as
"A well known name applying to the whole of the houses, from the one extremity of the slope, on the west of the trace, to the other."
I don't know precisely know how to interpret this statement, but on contemporary maps there is a Backbrae St. running along the west side of Kilsyth adjacent to Garrel Burn.  Looking at newspaper articles mentioning Backbrae, the statement probably meant a series of houses on or near that street.

William's Life After Jane's Death

William lived in at least 10 different addresses from his marriage to Jane in 1853 to his death in 1888, so it is unsurprising that he moved again after Jane's death.  This time he took up residence in Glasgow.  On 18 Aug 1864 he lost his namesake son William to "effusion of brain."  Specifically "effusion" refers to "an abnormal collection of fluid within a cavity."  Since no more information is given, we are left to guess what the cause was.  It could have been a head injury, a viral infection such as meningitis or a host of other maladies. 
At William Jr.'s  death the family was living at 49 Cavendish St.,Glasgow.  The family still lived there a year later when on 30 Nov 1866, William married Ann McMinn.  The marriage record shows her to be a 26-year-old domestic servant (William was 31) and a 'spinster' (i.e. not previously married).  On 5 Aug 1867 they had their first child and named him William.  So yes, there is William the father, William his son by Jane who died in 1864 and William the son by Ann born in 1867.
This second William Jr. was born at 56 York St. in the Hutchesontown section of Glasgow.  56 York St. was the residence that Ann had given when she married William so perhaps they moved into her place after they wed.  The family lived there for several years and three more children were born there -- James on 10 Dec 1868, George Paterson on 2 May 1870 and  John on 30 Dec 1871.
Also while living there, William lost his oldest son John on 5 July 1871.

Figure 4: Glasgow Daily Herald, Fri, 7 July 1871, pg 5, col 8.

I have found no record of the circumstances of the accident.  The death record adds that he was employed as a "Railway Brakeman", that he died "immediately after the accident" of "internal injuries" and that it took place at "the Coal Depot [at?] Gushetfaulds".  If I read the old maps correctly, this was only a few hundred yards from the address on Cavendish St., where the family lived when they first moved to Glasgow. 

As with his first wife, Ann had given birth to four boys, and in more history repeating itself, the fifth child was a girl.  On 16 Nov 1873 Ann gave birth to Margaret McMinn Condie at Brewsterford in Bothwell Parish.  Brewsterford was a small group of houses on the North Calder about 1.5 miles southwest of Airdrie.  However, the joy of the birth of a daughter was quickly followed by sadness.  Just after midnight on 23 Nov, Ann passed away of "child-bed fever" which was probably a postpartum infection of some kind. 

William was present at the death of his wife according to the record, and as can be seen in Figure 6, his occupation was "Roadsman in Coalpit, Late Hatter (Journeyman)".  Perhaps he was having trouble making ends meet in Glasgow as a journeyman hatter and tried his hand once again in the coal mines near Airdrie.

Figure 5: Scot.  Death Record; Anne Condie, 23 Nov 1873, Holytown District, Lanarkshire

The following item adds another piece to the story.

Figure 6: Scot. Birth Registrations; Margaret McMinn Condie, 16 Nov 1873, Holytown Dist., Lanarkshire

Squeezed in the margin of Margaret's birth record (see Figure 6)  there is a reference to an "Alteration of Child's Name" on Apr 6, 1874 and for the rest of her life Margaret's name was to be Ann McMinn Condie in memorial to her mother.  However her life was short.   On 20 Apr 1877 she died at the age of 3 years, 5 months of "Bronchitis" at 462 South York St.  William was once again in Glasgow and once again listed as a journeyman hatter. 

William's Final Years

The 1881 Census shows William at 1 Anderson St., in the Kinning Park section of Glasgow.  In the 1885 Valuation Rolls he is shown at 234 Pollokshaws Rd., in Glasgow and it is there he died on 9 Nov 1888.  The cause of death is listed as "Chronic Bronchitis" which he had reportedly had for 17 years.  Perhaps this was attributable to his work in the mines. 
The family left little mark on the world, but that was probably typical of the lower working class of that era.  William saw the death of both his wives and 4 of his 10 children before he passed.  A fifth child (George Paterson) would die five months after him.

Richard Orr (1845-1890)

Richard Orr was the last child born to John and Magdalene (Bird) Orr. He never married nor had any known children.  His census records always show him living with family or boarding so he probably never had a home of his own.  I can find no mention of him in newspapers.  He only lived at most about 45 years (his death record list him at 40 years of age.)  But his life was quite unique and troubled.
In her book  Ancestry of W. M. Richards and A. Elizabeth "Betsey" Gwinner, Mary Beth Dunhaupt Figgins cites some correspondence giving his birth date ad 26 May 1845.  She also offers other possible birth years as well but since this is the only source giving a day and month, I will take this as the most likely date.  It should probably be noted that almost none of the items concerning Richard point to that year.  Here is a table of sources which give his age and the date of each source and the extrapolated year of birth assuming he was born on 26 May of some year.

Source	Date of Source	Age	Extrapolated Year of Birth
1851 Census	30 Mar 1851	3	1847
1861 Census	07 Apr 1861	15	1845
1871 Census	02 Apr 1871	24	1846
Gartnavel Admissions	27 Feb 1874	30	1843
1881 Census	03 Apr 1881	32	1848
Death Record	16 Feb 1890	40	1849

While the exact date may be in question there is little doubt he was born at Drumbathie, near Airdrie, Lanarkshire.  He shows up in the 1851 Scotland Census as shown in the clip below.

Figure 1: 1851 Scotland Census, Drumbathey House, Burgh of Airdrie, New Monkland, Lanarkshire.

Richard's age appears to be "3" despite the extraneous markings on the page.  However he also is listed as "Scholar" which would indicate he is in school -- an odd thing for a 3-year-old, but perhaps I don't understand the use of the word or the educational system at the time.

Early years

In the 1861 Census, Richard's brother James and family are living at "Drumbathy Rd. Farm" and (in a adjacent census entry) Richard is living with his mother Madeline in "Drumbathy Rd. House".  It would seem that they all lived at Drumbathie but that there were two separate residences.  James was farming the land (about 45 acres) and his house is marked as having one room "with one or more windows."  Madeline's and Richard's house has two such rooms.  The average number of such rooms in a Lanarkshire residence was 6.3 and was 4.3 for all of Scotland.
Also in 1861 Richard's occupation is given as "Draper (Apprentice)".  A draper was probably a dealer in cloth, although it could apply to those who made cloth.  The weaving industry was prominent in the Airdrie area.  I have no information if he worked for one of the drapers in town (there were several) or perhaps he worked with his mother who was listed as a "Staymaker" (i.e. maker of corsets.)

Figure 2: 1871 Scotland Census, 15 Montgomery Pl., South Leith Parish, Edinburgh Scotland.

The 1871 Census (see partial image in Figure 2) finds Richard lodging at 15 Montgomery Place in South Leith Parish of Edinburgh.  I have found a Montgomery Street in South Leith in the time period and assume that Montgomery Place was nearby.  This is within a mile of where his brother Alexander was enumerated in the same census. The entry for Richard raises several issues with little resolution to any of them.

• His occupation is listed as "Student" but no indication of what or where he was studying.
• There are several households listed at the same address.  I don't know if these were in separate buildings or it was some sort of apartment building.
• He is listed as a "Lodger" with the only other person in the household, Helen Higgie, who is listed as the head of the household.
• He and Helen are both listed as married (ditto marks in that column) but it is obvious they are not married to each other for he would be listed as "Head" or "Husband" instead of "Lodger".  Since no other source lists him as married, I believe the census taker is in error for Richard's entry
• Other research indicates Helen Higgie was probably the second wife of Samuel Higgie, a "Traveller" in the cork business.  A traveller was similar to modern-day sales representatives, or traveling salesman.  This probably explains Samuel's absence although other explanations are possible.  I find no connection between the Higgies and the Orrs

Although the entry raises more questions than it answers, I believe it is the right Richard Orr (it lists his birthplace as Airdrie for instance).  It also serves as the closest indication that he ever lived "on his own."

A Troubled Mind

That Richard had trouble in life becomes obvious with the next record of his life.  He was admitted to the Royal Lunatic Asylum at Gartnavel (in Glasgow).  It would appear that at the time Richard was back in the Airdrie area living with his mother.  The admission paperwork (see Figure 3) lists the address for both of them as "Reevies Land Flowerhill, Airdrie".  Drumbathie Road turns into Flowerhill St as it proceeds toward town.  There was a family of Archibald Revie who was a cotton weaver living at 65 Flowerhill St. (1861 Scotland Census) and kept a shop at 71 Flowerhill St. (Slaters, Directory of Scotland, 1878).  This leads me to believe they were living on the lands of the Revie family on Flowerhill St. in Airdrie.  This is less than a mile from the old home place, Drumbathie, which was then occupied by his sister Madeline Armour and family.

Figure 3: Wellcome Library Archives, Records of Gartnavel Royal Hospital, Reference: HB13/7/81

Two certificates (i.e. affidavits) from qualified medical personnel were required by law to admit a patient of "unsound mind".  They were both filed from examinations taken at the "Burgh Police Office" at Airdrie and declare him to be a pauper and thus the hospital bills will be charged to the Lanarkshire Government.  The observations provided are from two general practitioners -- Patrick Rankin and James Paterson -- with additional observations from Captain Sinclair and Lieutenant Nelson.
Rankin observes that he has a "Peculiar expression", is "incoherent" and that he imagines "that he is controlled by some power that continually annoys him and plans to injure him."  Sinclair says he is "of a peculiar religious turn of mind."  Paterson apparently knew Richard.  Here is a clip of his observations.

Figure 4: Wellcome Library Archives, Records of Gartnavel Royal Hospital, Reference HB13/7/81

Transcription: Morose silince -- would neither speak nor in the least recognise me though he well knew me -- Previous Knowledge  Peculiar expression of countenance.

Richard was kept at Gartnavel Asylum from 27 Feb 1874 until 5 Feb 1875.  The Surgeon's  Reports continue to describe him as "morbidly suspicious", "taciturn and morose", continually reading and writing  "letters that are not quite coherent".   He frequently "writes letter[s] complaining of secret agencies, which he styles 'low organic powers', acting upon him."
Although his dismissal was termed "Relieved" I don't know that he had improved. The only dismissal statuses recorded are "Recovered", "Relieved" or "Died" and he certainly doesn't fit the other two possibilities.  The last entry in his case file is recorded 22 Dec 1874.

Figure 5: Wellcome Library Archives, Records of Gartnavel Royal Hospital, Reference HB13/7/81

"His brother" mentioned in Figure 5 is likely Alexander who lived in Edinburgh.  There was only one other brother living in country (Thomas) and there is nothing to suggest they maintained much of a connection.  It was certainly in Edinburgh that Richard lived out the rest of his life.  On 19 Sep 1878 he was admitted to the Royal Asylum in Edinburgh (aka Morningside) still suffering from delusions and paranoia.  It seems oddly coincidental that this was only nine days after his sister, Madeline, had entered the Bothwell Private Asylum.  Richard's residence is given as "8 North Pitt St." which is the address of Alexander's shop at the time as given in this ad from March.

Figure 6: The Scotsman; 29 Mar 1878; pg 3

Physically his entrance documents describe him as "thin"," tall and sallow" (he weighed 147.5 lbs. and he was 5' 10") with black hair and grey eyes.  He had been brought in by the Sheriff Substitute of the county with the required two Medical Certificates attesting to his mental issues.  One certificate states "His mind is deranged, chiefly on the subjects of religion and dress" and that his brother stated that he "is incapable of taking care of himself."  The second Certificate corroborates his sad state and elaborates that his brother says "he is very extravagant in his notions and conduct - e.g., he set for Syria without means or assistance."   His patient records say he "Wishes to go away to find employment as an agricultural labourer, and mixes that up in an absurd manner with some idea of preaching."  Indeed his entrance document lists his occupation as "missionary" despite the fact other documents show him as a general laborer or clerk.
On 22 Sep his patient record entry notes that he is "taking his food well, and sleeping fairly well", but notes that he is still suffering from delusions.  It also notes that "he spends a great portion of his time in drawing squares, circles, etc. on paper, and putting down figures, as if making abstruse calculations and when asked why he does so, will not answer the question, or says that these are his property."
On 1 Dec the entry says in part, "No change mentally.  Has now the parole of the grounds, and so far has not abused his liberties in any way."  That would not last long as the last two entries in his record show.

Figure 7: Lothian Health Services Archive: LHB7/51/32/p2; Patient Records for Richard Orr.

Transcription: Dec 15, [1878]: Escaped when on Parole; Jan 12, 1879: 28 days having elapsed since his Escape he was this day discharged.   Not Improved

Richard shows up in the 1881 Scotland Census at the home of Alexander at 8 North Pitt St. in Edinburgh.  Also living with them is their mother Magdaline at age 77.  The census indicates that Richard is a "General Labourer" and that Alexander employees 6 men and 2 women, but doesn't say that Richard worked for his brother.

Richard's Death

As to what happened to Richard in the 1880s, I would speculate that he continued to live and work in Edinburgh where his brother and mother could look after him.  I have not exhaustively searched to determine that he was not admitted to an asylum again at some point.  Much of what I know is from Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh records where Richard was admitted on 14 Feb 1890 and passed away two days later.  There were several causes of death listed in his death records and his post mortem report including acute Bright's disease, acute oedema of lungs, pleuritic effusion, hypotrophy of heart.  He had been living at 44 Pitt St. as was his brother Alexander who reported Richard's occupation as "Commercial Clerk".
I know nothing of his burial.  I am told that there might be undertaker records at the Scottish Business Archive at the University of Glasgow, but I have not probed this source.  The undertaker was Moir & Co. of Edinburgh.