Who was Norman?

This is a photograph of Norman McLaren's mother Jane Cross Wilson Smith ( known as Jeannie,centre front) and 6 of  her 7 siblings. My grandfather James Parker Smith is on the right in the back row.The photo was taken in 1901 at Little Earnock, a farm near  Hamilton shortly after the death of her parents Thomas, a tennant farmer, in 1896 and Jeannie Cross Parker, his wife, in 1897. The youngest son Abe was only 9. All eight of them moved to Perthshire in 1902 .(the farm in Hamilton has now gone, giving way to property development and a street called Earnock Way!)

A relative of the Cross family married Elizabeth Burns, a cousin of Robert Burns, our Scottish bard! They lived in Canada.

John McLaren of Hamilton (born 1805) ran a painting and decorating shop in the town which was taken over by his sons, James, David, John and William (Norman's father)
Jeannie must have known William before she moved to Perthshire and although he was in London in 1902 (when she went to Perthshire), somehow they got back together and married in 1905.

I did not know my grandfather, James, as he dies when my father was very young. As a result we did not have close contact with the McLaren family when I was growing up. I feel that women are more likely to keep in touch with their own family than their husbands...tho I am curious to know how the young Mary (my Grandmother) coped with three children alone with her own family so far away in Norfolk.

                                                      The McLaren family
                                             Jeannie Jack Sheena Norman and William

Her sister in law Jeannie McLaren also had three children by now   seen above.

For Mary (nee Cartwright) life must have been hard with three young children on her own.the eldest Ivy was born just three years after Norman,in 1917 but suffered from thyroid problems in her early life which affected her mental development. She was a georgeous child, but must have been difficult. I remember her innate musical ability...she could not read or write anything legible or understandable, but she could play by ear the most difficult tunes. My father was born in 1920 and his brother Aubrey a few years later.Ivy was the only one from memeory who was at all musical
Norman also played piano...and my own son Finn has learned piano mostly by ear...although he has now developed his music theory to a high level.

The Smith family

Tom Mary Robert John

Abe Jessie James Jeannie

It seems from gathered descriptions that William, Norman's father was an intelligent man... I do not know much about Jeannie except that there are many comments about her dress and she certainly she was very pretty when she was young. Her sister Jessie a spinster , came to live with them and by all accounts was a bit of a tyrant,selfish and not very helpful. In this photo she is in the front row second from.left...she certainly looks quite formidable! the sixth  sibling Tom is also in this photo.