Roots, shoots and stories

 My mum, Helen Young Anderson, and dad, John McAra, got married on the 17th of October 1940 at 17 Netherton Road, Wishaw, Helen's parents' house and her home at that time. This was, of course, during World War 2. John, being a civil engineer, was in a 'reserved occupation' and as such was exempt from military service. However, at the time of their marriage, John was working away from his hometown of Cleland, Lanarkshire and living in 'digs' in Hayes, Middlesex. Helen joined him there after their marriage. After the war ended they returned to Wishaw. Marriage certificate of John and Helen The photo below shows the wedding party - bride and groom, best man and bridesmaid. The best man was John's brother, George McAra and the bridesmaid was Helen's younger sister Ann Anderson. When you think of weddings taking place in wartime, you don't imagine the wedding party being dressed up. But as you can see, they all were very smartly dressed. Note the men even...

 My grandfather John Anderson had a variety of jobs throughout his lifetime as had his father, David. David had started off his working life as a miner and ended it as a fish merchant, but along the way he had been a pony driver and a carting contractor. It is the latter profession that he ended up having in common with his son John, though John had started out as a tinsmith and ended up as a tinsmith! In both the 1891 and 1901 censuses, John is described as a tinsmith apprentice. However by the time of his first child's birth in 1909, he is a carting contractor, like his father before him. A carting contractor seems to have been a delivery man, using a horse and cart to deliver or move goods about the town. Unfortunately I have no idea what sorts of goods he moved.  Early local 'motor'   Source: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/pictures-people-places-wishaw-during-4923110 However by 1911 he has moved up  and 'modernised'. John now describes hi...

 John Bradfute was born in 1763 at Dunsyre in South Lanarkshire, the second son of the Church of Scotland minister, the Rev. James Bradfute, and grandson of my 5 x great grandfather, also Rev. James Bradfute (1680-1758). As a second son, it is unlikely that John was going to follow his father, grandfather and great grandfather before him into the ministry. His elder brother, James, indeed did so, becoming an ordained priest in the Church of England in 1786. James had been a Deacon at Rose Castle in Cumbria before becoming a priest at Auckland Castle in County Durham. John, however, chose a different path.  At the age of 18, John became apprenticed to Edinburgh printer, Alexander Kincaid. Nine years later, he was taken as a partner into the printing and bookseller business by his mother's brother, John Bell (also son of a minister). John Bell had himself once been at apprentice to Kincaid, but had started up in business by himself in 1771. So it was in 1789 that John Bradfute b...