An Ulster Saga or The Watt-McCrossan Dynasty

The Watt-McCrossan Dynasty of Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, Canada, Australia and elsewhere

Introduction

 

Some four years ago (as of late 2016), I decided to research my maternal family, which I have referred to as the Watt-McCrossan dynasty, in honour of the family’s patriarch and matriarch, namely, Thomas Watt and Jane Ann McCrossan,. As a consequence, I found myself in contact with my Australian second cousin Ron Watt. Born Albert Ronald Watt in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, much of the information that follows, specifically with regard to Ireland, proceeds from Ron, as, spurred by my curiosity, he set about researching our mutual dynasty, which, since 1850 has flourished in the Anglosphere far beyond Ireland’s Ulster province, to wit, in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and possibly also elsewhere. Subsequent to my being in touch with Ron, he contacted my much cherished first cousin Catherine Ede of Toronto, whom I know as Cath, who supplied much of the information which went on to constitute the section, The Watts of Canada. Additionally, Ron received considerable help from other members of the Watt-McCrossan clan, including Bette Agnew and Deb Varley, both descendants of my great uncle William James Watt.

 

Thomas Watt the Carpenter

 

In generations past, it was apparently the tradition for the father of any given family to name one of his sons after himself, and so the Watt dynasty produced Thomas the farmer, Thomas the carpenter, and Thomas the boot and shoe maker.

 Little is known of Thomas the farmer other than he produced three sons, William, James and Thomas, the latter being Ron’s and my mutual great grandfather, to whom we now turn.

 My maternal great-grandfather Thomas Watt was the patriarch of an Ulster family by the name of Watt, the name Watt being of probable Scottish origin, and affiliated to the Scottish Clan Buchanan, while allegedly being a sept, or subdivision, of Clan Forbes.

 He was born in 1805 at a time what is known today as Northern Ireland was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in Bearney, a small town situated between Sion Mills and Strabane on the eastern side of the River Mourne and the old Strabane Road in County Tyrone, which is the easternmost county of the modern day country of Northern Ireland, bordering onto Donegal, which like Tyrone, is part of the bifurcated province of Ulster.

 A carpenter by trade, he died in 1899, possibly at the residence of his son in the town land of Lisnamulligan, County Donegal, which is today part of the Republic of Ireland, and is reputed to have been laid to rest in Leckpatrick Old Graveyard, about two miles from Strabane, and just outside the hamlet of Ballygorry at the junction of Ballyheather and Victoria Road. He is buried in an unmarked grave between two yew trees in the centre of the cemetery along side his wife Jane Ann.

 He was a lifelong Presbyterian, and a member as such of the 1st Donagheady Presbyterian Church, occupying pew number 69, as was the custom in those days.

 Thomas was twice married, firstly prior to 1850, and from this union, my eldest maternal great-uncle, John Watt was born, although the date is unknown, and John is believed to have emigrated to an unknown country, so nothing is known about him, while his mother is assumed to have died very young.

 Secondly, on the 1st of June 1850 (in the 2cnd Donagheady Presbyterian Church), he wed my maternal great-grandmother Jane Ann McCrossan, the matriarch of the Watt family who, born in Ireland in 1821, lived the last years of her long life in Castlefin, County Donegal. She died on the 14th of October 1905 aged 84, and was buried alongside her husband three days later at 11 am in Leckpatrick Old Burial Ground.

 As a child, she had been adopted by her grandparents, whose surname was Buchanan, making them part of Clan Buchanan, allegedly founded by Anselan o’ Kyan, one of the sons of the legendary Kings of Ulster. The Buchanans were farmers from Tivney in the tiny townland of Killyclooney, whose present population is just 768, although there’s no evidence they ever actually lived there. The townland system being of Gaelic origin, and predating the Norman invasion, while the names of most townlands are Irish Gaelic, even while some are of Norman origin.

 They had four sons, all of whom are, or rather were, great uncles of mine with the exception of my grandfather James Watt, their first son having been born William Watt possibly in Glasgow, a city which has long enjoyed links with Ulster and Ulster folk. What is certain is he ended up in the great industrial heart of the Scottish Lowlands, where he found work as a gravedigger, ultimately marrying Christina Dennison, and adopting four children.

 The second, more of whom below, was born Thomas Watt in the townland of Donaghedy, situated on the Strabane to Londonderry Road about five miles outside of Strabane itself.

 The third youngest son, my maternal grandfather, was born James Watt in February 1864. A carpenter by trade, as a young man, he left Ulster for Glasgow, Scotland, where he married my maternal grandmother Elizabeth Hazeldine of Springburn, Glasgow, at Springburn Salvation Army Citadel in October 1896.

 The fourth and youngest son, my youngest maternal great uncle, was born Robert Watt on the 25th of November 1866 . He married Rebecca Pollock, who, born into a farming family in Ballymagorry on the 21st of April 1874, would go on to reside at Killynaught, Artigarvan just outside of Strabane, dying on her birthday in 1942, some quarter of a century after her husband, who departed this earth on the 29th of August 1920 in Castlefin, County Donegal.

 Unusually, Jane Ann McCrossan’s sister Marsha also married into the Watt dynasty by wedding my great uncle James, Thomas’ brother, also a widower, and they had twin sons, William and John, born on the 30th of November 1866.

 

Thomas Watt the Shoemaker

 

While next to nothing is known of William Watt, there is a fair amount of information concerning his younger brother, the aforesaid Thomas, who according to Ron, spent much of his life in Castlederg, where he served his apprenticeship, possibly as a cobbler, in a place of business by the name of Scotts Shoes, close by to the Methodist Church, which stands to this day, ultimately starting his own business, and where he died on the 17th of August 1941, and where he was buried.

 He married twice, and his first wife Elizabeth McCrea allegedly died in childbirth, while his second, Jane Craig, whom Ron knew as Granny Watt, told Ron that each evening after having closed his shop for the day, Thomas, a deeply religious man, would retire to his room to read on Christian matters.

 Sunday was a day of rest given over to churchgoing, with both the morning and evening services being attended, while much of the rest of the day was devoted to Bible study, and during the week, he’d often discuss Sunday’s sermon with his customers.

 The five children of Thomas and first wife Elizabeth, all first cousins of mine once removed, include William James Watt, who, born at Milltown, Castlederg on the 5th of October 1886, had come to Castlederg around 1876 to serve his indenture to the boot and shoe trade.

 He went to Canada around 1910, allegedly after having completed a year at university in Belfast, marrying Elizabeth Craig, possibly of Ballyfolliard, Castlederg, on the 29th of July 1912 in Macleod, Alberta. She died in Burnaby, Vancouver, in 1963, three years after her husband, who died, also in Burnaby, on the 21st of December 1960.

 Their second son, Robert McCrea Watt, was born in 1889 in the city of Londonderry, dying of tuberculosis as a very young man while training to be a teacher at Malborough College in Dublin.

 Their third son, Thomas ‘Tom’ Watt, born 27 May 1891, worked as a shop assistant before serving with the Royal Enniskillen Fusiliers during the Great War. He was wounded in June or July 1917, and spent time in hospital in France with serious gunshot wounds to his right hand, which resulted in his wearing a glove to cover his wounds. Ultimately he moved to Newtownards Road, Belfast, where he established a shoe shop. He died on the 20th of August 1966, and is buried with his wife, who died two years later on the 14th of November 1968, in Clady cemetery.

 Following the death of Elizabeth, Thomas Watt married Jane Craig - a seamstress or dressmaker by trade - on the 24th of December 1900 in the Presbyterian Church, Sion Mills. They had six children, all first cousins of mine once removed.

 Their first child was born Margaret Watt on the 29th of November 1902. She married George Berkely Sloan of Rockwood, Castlederg, principal of Erganagh Primary School. George died in 1960, while Margaret outlived him by over four decades, dying at eight in the evening on the 27th of June 2004, aged 101.

 Their second, Jane (Jean) Watt, was born on the 22cnd - or 2cnd - of November 1906. She married William Chales Gailey Hamilton (1903-1979), a pharmacist, who although born in Castlederg, later moved to Tandragee, and finally to Crumlin Road, Belfast. She died aged 98 on the 31st of May 2005

 Their third, Samuel Rutherford Watt, was born in 1909, going on to marry Margaret Elizabeth Brooks (known as Aunt Daisy) from Cottown near Raphoe in County Donegal, whom he met at a church dance, before serving as a Presbyterian minister in Carrigallen, County Leitrim, and Clontibret, County Monaghan, before retiring to Bangor, County Down. He died on the 7th of January 2003; while Daisy followed him on the 1st of November 2006. They had no children.

 Their fourth, Albert Edwin Watt, was born on the 15th of December 1911. He married Mary Maud Elliott of Enniskillen, in 1936, at Rossory Church of Ireland. She had been born just two days before her husband on the 13th of December 1911. She died in Omagh Hospital of kidney failure on the 2cnd of March 1955, and is buried in Castlederg. Her husband outlived her by nearly 36 years, and is buried in the family grave, also in Castlederg.

 Their fifth, John Robert Watt, known as Jack, was born on the 23rd of January 1915. He married Doris Miller (born on the 23rd of November 1919) from Cavan Bellaghy, County Armagh, on the 27th of July 1949.

 Jack Watt served as a Presbyterian minister in Tartaraghan near Portadown, Burt, County Donegal, and Dadoney/Glenelly, County Tyrone. When he retired from the ministry, he lived in Badoney before moving to Ballyclare.

 Ron has precious memories of his Uncle Jack, and the happy days they spent together. For Ron, many a happy hour was spent playing cricket with Jack, and his cousin Edwin at Edganagh, where Edwin lived, and many a ball lost in Charlie Huey’s field when a sixer was driven over Edwin’s hedge. How fondly he remembers the carefree days at Carrigallen, where they fished together, or the times spent at Clare helping to cut the corn and hay at Orr’s Farm. Those memories will never fade for Ron.

 The first son of Albert and Maud Watt, and my eldest second cousin from this line of descent, Thomas John Watt, was born on the 14th of July 1939 in Belfast. He went on to marry Christina Thompson of Kilmore Drunquin, County Tyrone, and they had two sons, both second cousins of mine once removed, Stephen, a doctor, presently based in New York, and Peter, who teaches in the UK.

 Their second, my second eldest second cousin from this line of descent is Ron Watt, without whom the written history of the Watt-McCrossan dynasty would not have come into being.

 Albert Ronald Watt, was born in Londonderry on the 27th of November 1942, and baptised the following 14th of February 1943. He married Susan Dorothy Lear (born Reading, England, on the 12th of September 1948) in the Congregational Church of Gordon, New South Wales, on the 4th of October 1969. They were separated on the 6th of July 1999, going on to divorce on the 3rd of December 2001.

 Ron and Susan had two sons, both second cousins of mine once removed, namely, Craig Lindsay, born at the Adventist Hospital, Wahroonga, on the 3rd of July 1973, and Darren Stuart, born in the same hospital on the 11th of June 1975.

 Craig married Michelle Roberta Dennehy at Long Reef, Sydney, on the 28th of May 2005. Two children followed, Riley James, and Jake Albert, both born like their father at the Adventist Hospital, Wahroonga, and both second cousins of mine twice removed from this line of descent.

 Darren married Michaela Murer on the 4th of March 2012, in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. Their son Beau Marlin was born 4.11pm on the 26th of April 2013 at Gosford Hospital.

 Ron’s second marriage, to Margaret Elizabeth Kennedy, took place on the 12th of September 2004, at Thornleigh, NSW.

 The third son of Albert and Maud Watt, Herbert Watt, was born in Castlederg on the 28th of June 1946. Herbie, as he was known, married Margaret Clarke (born on the 21st September 1948) of the town land of Lislaird, although another report has her from Castlederg, at Killeter Parish Church in July 1973. They have two sons, Andrew, who works as a schoolteacher in Newcastle, England, and William, a manager residing in Belfast.

 Their fourth, my youngest second cousin from this line of descent, David Watt, was born in Castlederg on the 18th of July 1950. He married Daphne Verner, a high school teacher by profession (born on the 7th of October 1952) from the town land of Coolgreaghy, Castelderg, on the 27th of December 1977. They have one son, my second cousin once removed Simon Watt, who, born on the 10th of February 1983, works in London as a biologist and science communicator.

 

The Watts of County Donegal

 

As detailed earlier, Thomas Watt, patriarch of the Watt family had four sons, the youngest of which, my great uncle Robert Watt, had been born on the 25th of November 1866 in Altrest, north east of Ballymagorry, where his father had moved between 1850 and 1859 possibly in search of work.

 He ultimately moved from County Tyrone to Donegal, which has been part of the Republic of Ireland since Northern Ireland seceded from the Irish Free State in 1922, ultimately settling in Castlefin, in the Finn Valley County, Donegal, about six miles from Castlederg.

At the time, he was about 30 years old, while his wife was about 25. Born Rebecca Pollock, she hailed from Ballymagorry, her father, a grocer named John Pollock, having been born around 1849. Their many children, all first cousins of mine once removed, are alleged to have included Annie Fulton Watt, Jennie Buchanan Watt, Robert Mitchell Watt, Thomas McCrea Watt, James Hazeldine Watt, Christina Denniston Watt, Rebecca Elizabeth Watt, Maud Ellis Watt, Wilomena Watt, and Victor Watt.

 There is a census from 1901, the 1901 Ireland Census for the occupants of House 4 in Lisnamulligan (Cloghard), Donegal featuring the following: a) Watt Robert 30 Male Head of Family Presbyterian b) Watt Rebbecca (sic) 25 Female Wife Presbyterian c) Watt Annie Futton 6 Female Daughter Presbyterian d) Watt Jennie Buchanan 4 Female Daughter Presbyterian e) Watt Robt Mitchell 1 Male Son Presbyterian f) Watt Thomas 98 Male Father Presbyterian g) Watt Jane Ann 70 Female Mother Presbyterian.

  Annie Fulton (or Futton) Watt was born on the 5th of September 1894. She married Richard Blair of Carryadoey, Castlefin, and had children, although how many is uncertain, even while one of her daughters is known to be Mrs Beth Blackburn of Raphoe. She died aged 105 on the 2cnd of August 2000.

 Jennie Buchanan Watt was born on the 21st of April 1896. She married Richard Dennison of Killygordon, Donegal. She died on the 3rd of December 1961.

 Thomas McCrea Watt was born on the 27th of January 1898. He married Isabel Harper. He died on the 2cnd of March 1989.

 Robert Mitchell Watt was born on the 5th of December 1899. He married Ethel Plenderleith. He died on the 11th of October 1980.

 James Hazeldine Watt was born on the 6th of February 1902. He married Laura Rountree, a schoolteacher from County Monaghan. He died on the 29th of July 1962.

 Christina Dennison Watt, known as Tina, was born on the 13th of October 1903. She married William Alexander Adair. She died on the 8th of November 1966.

 William Andrew Smith Watt was born on the 27th of August 1907, and died on the 29th of March 1908 either as a result of having come into contact with scalding water, or after having fallen into an open hearth fire.

 Rebecca Elizabeth Watt, known as Ruby, was born on the 30th of September 1905. She worked for a time in the United States before returning to Belfast to live with her sisters Annie and Wilhemina, never having married.

 Maud Ellis Watt was born on the 17th of July 1909. She married J. Cairns of Sion Mills, but died aged only 23 on the 9th of September 1933, leaving a child of five months old, Miriam, who is believed to be resident - as of 2016 - in Banbridge in County Down.

 Wilhemina Mabel Watt, known as Billie, was born on the 13th of November 1911. She married George Black of Belfast. She died on the 8th of April 2000.

 Andrew Victor Watt was born on the 14th of July 1908. He married Vera Patchett. He died on the 11th of January 2000.

 Ron knew James Hazeldine Watt, known as Hazel, very well. Ron’s father would take him down to see Hazel in his home town of Lisnamulligan on his bicycle; and at Easter, Ron, together with Hazel’s children, would start a fire in the orchard, and boil eggs for an Easter feast. Ron can still recall the interior of Hazel’s house very vividly, with the large Aga stove in the kitchen, and the lounge areas, and all the barns and outbuildings of the farm.

 Hazel had married Laura Rountree, a schoolteacher from County Monaghan. Both she and Hazel were devout Chistians. Many a Sunday evening, Hazel would take Ron and his Uncle Jack to services in the surrounding area, which meant he had not get back to Castelderg until about 10pm.

 Also, Ron met McCrea Watt a few times, but didn’t know him well. He kept a caravan at Rossnowlagh, a seaside village on the southern coast of County Donegal, where Uncle Jack would spend his summer holidays. Both McCrea and Hazel were good badminton players, and the same goes for Ron’s father Edwin, who played competitively. This particular skill was passed on to David Watt, who was a player of some renown in Northern Ireland, and Donegal.

  Hazel died of cancer shortly after Ron left home in April/May 1961, having had four children with Laura, namely, Olive, Norman, Herbert and Jack Watt, all second cousins of mine, all born in Castlederg.

 

The Watts of Canada

 

As mentioned previously, one of the sons of Thomas Watt and Jane Ann McCrossan was my maternal grandfather James Watt, born 1864, and a carpenter like his father.

 Jim went to Glasgow in search of work where he met and married my grandmother, Elizabeth Hazeldine - born in Glasgow on the 8th of October 1872 to Robert Hazeldine and Isabella Ross Bell - in the Springburn Salvation Army Citadel on the 2cnd of October 1896. The family returned to Northern Ireland before leaving for Canada around 1908. Their children, my maternal uncles and aunts, were as follows:

 Annie Isabella Watt, born in Glasgow on the 16th February 1898. Isa, as she was known, married John Fraser Morrison, known as Fraser, on the 12th of April 1927 in Vancouver, BC. Fraser had been born in St Anns, Nova Scotia, on the 12th of April 1927. He died on the 5th of January 1965 aged 66; while Isa passed in February 1995. They had four children, my first cousins Catherine Jean Morrison, Margaret Beth Morrison, Marion F. Morrison and Donald F. Morrison.

 Catherine was born on the 14th of January 1928 in Fernie, British Columbia; she married Bruce Halsey (born on the 22cnd of January 1928 in Winnipeg) in Toronto on the 12th of August 1955.  They had the following children, all first cousins of mine, once removed:

 David Bruce Halsey, born on the 27th of September 1956, who married Jay Halsey.

 Gordon John Halsey, born on the 19th of November 1957, who married Kate Halsey, née Gordon.

 Joanne Elizabeth Halsey, born on the 2cnd of April 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, who married Andrew Leslie West of Sheffield, England, on the 8th of December 1990. Andy and Joanne have four daughters, all first cousins of mine twice removed.

 Margaret was born on the 29th of May 1929 in Vancouver; she married Gordon Bramwell Kerr (born on the 4th of August 1921 in Edmonton) in Toronto on the 20th of August 1957. She passed away on the 14th of May 1991 in Vancouver, while Gordon followed her on the 2cnd of December 2003, in London, Ontario. They had the following children, all first cousins of mine once removed:

 Barbara Ann Kerr, born on the 24th of September 1959 in Toronto. She married Carmen Noble Hubley, born on the 30th of April 1959 in Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia.  

 Kenneth Fraser Kerr, born on the 3rd of April 1962 in Port Arthur, Ontario. He married Nancy Elizabeth Burditt (born on the 9th of November 1964 in Fort Eerie, Ontario) on the 29th of June 1985.

 Marion was born on the 8th of November 1930 in Vancouver; she married James Muir in September 1952, and had three children with him, again all first cousins of mine once removed, namely, Robert J. Muir, born 1955, Donna Muir, born 1956, and Beverley Muir, born 1961. Marion passed away on the 31st of December 2010.

 Don was born in November 1939 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

 Robert Watt, born in Toronto on the 16th of February 1898. Bob married Frances Maud Neill (born the daughter of William Maxwell Neill and Louisa Marion Powley on the 11th of July 1901) on the 15th of June 1927 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He passed in Toronto on the 8th of March 1990.

 Bob and Frances had two daughters, both first cousins of mine, Catherine Watt, and Marian Jean Watt. Cath was born on the 21st of May 1928 in Winnipeg; she married Charles William Ede (born in 1924 in Kelowna, BC), son of Lancelot Ede and Alma Evelina Casler on the 9th of September 1950 in Toronto; Charlie passed in Toronto on the 22cnd of November 2007. Marian was born on the 6th of April 1935 in Toronto; she married Carlos Junior Braund (born on the 9th of August 1933 in Peterborough, Ontario), son of Mendell Ralph Carlos Braund and Ivy Annie Beer on the 11th of September 1954 in Toronto; Carlos passed in Brantford, Ontario on the 3rd of April 2002.

 Charlie and Cath had the following children, all first cousins of mine once removed:

 Robert Charles Ede was born on the 1st of June 1953 in Toronto. He married Keum Ra Son (born in Korea on the 26th of February 1951) on the 27th of October 2006 in Markham, Ontario. They had two daughters, both first cousins of mine twice removed, namely, Elizabeth May Strachan, born on the 9th of November 1977, and Amanda Jane Strachan, born on the 25th of June 1985 in Toronto. Elizabeth married James Robert Mullins (born on the 19th of April 1977 in Halifax, Nova Scotia) in Holguin, Cuba, on the 19th of May 2005, and they had four daughters, all first cousins of mine three times removed, namely, Vivian Leigh Mullins, born on the 19th of July 2003 in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Leia Eve Mullins, born on the 3rd of February 2006 in Newmarket, Ontario, Ivy Faye Mullins, born on the 3rd of October 2007 in Newmarket, Ontario, and Scarlett Dawn Mullins, born on the 11th of June 2009 in Newmarket, Ontario,

 Brian Victor Ede was born on the 28th of March 1957 in Toronto. He married Brenda Elizabeth Prince, (born, the daughter of Donald William Prince and Thelma Beryl Verge, in Toronto on the 27th of April 1957) on the 2cnd of May 1980. They had the following children, both first cousins of mine twice removed, namely, Elizabeth Doreen Ede, born on the 5th of February 1981 in Toronto and Elliott-Davis William Ede, born on the 4th of September 1982, also in Toronto.

 Carole Patricia Ede was born on the 11th of February 1959 in Toronto. She married Duncan Scott Cameron (born on the 29th of March 1956, also in Toronto) on the 15th of August 1987. They had a son, my first cousin twice removed, James Scott Cameron, born on the 10th of October 1989 in Toronto.

Carlos and Marion Braund had the following children, also all first cousins of mine once removed:

 Roger Carl Braund was born on the 31st of December 1956 in Peterborough, Ontario. He married Yolanda Murillo (born on the 9th of April 1954 in Cali, Columbia) on the 18th of July 1997 in Toronto.

 Lauren Julie Braund was born on the 10th of November 1958 in Peterborough, Ontario. She married Grant Willen Effer (born on the 16th of October 1959 in Sudbury, Ontario) on the 25th of August 1959, in Toronto. They had the following children, all first cousins of mine twice removed, namely, Leanne Catherine Effer, born on the 6th of May 1985 in London, Ontario, and Scott Daniel Effer, born on the 6th of April 1989, also in London. Leanne has three children, all first cousins of mine, three times removed, namely, Jonathan Michael Scott Irvine, born on the 6th of September 2003, Nathan William Gregory Irvine, born on the 24th of March 2005, and Rebecca Tasin Crystal Effer, born on the 2cnd of October 2010, all in Kitchener, Ontario.

 Andrew Braund was born on the 21st of April in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He married Joan Pitcher on the 14th of October 1996, and they had the following children, all first cousins of mine twice removed, namely, Cooper Andrew Braund, born on the 23rd of June 1997 in Mississauga General Hopsital, Mississauga, Ontario, and Lee Christian Carlos Braund, born in Brantford, born on the 11th of July 2000, passing away on the 29th of June 2002.

 Janice Marian Braund was born on the 27th of November 1965 in Halifax. She married Joaquin Carlos David Rocha Vilaca (born on the 25th of February 1963 in Brantford, Ontario) on the 12th of October 1991, in Brantford. They had two daughters, both first cousins of mine twice removed, namely, Nicole Lynn Vilaca, born on the 7th of October 1993 in Brantford, and Vincent Carlos Vilaca, born on the 15th of March 1995, also in Brantford.

Elizabeth Watt, born in Glasgow in 1902. Elizabeth died on the 10th of December 1904 as the result of an accident at home.

 James Hazeldine Watt, born in Glasgow on the 17th of March 1905. Jim married Ella Miriam Beulah Hoddinott (born - the daughter of Thomas Henry Hoddinott and Florence Hollett - on the 29th of June 1906, in Orillia, Simcoe, Ontario) on the 6th of June 1934. Beulah passed on the 21st of November 1982 in Sarnia, Ontario; while Jim passed, also in Sarnia, on the 24th of January 1995.

 Jim and Beulah had two children, my first cousins Thomas Donald James Watt, born on the 5th of January 1937 in Brandon, Manitoba, and Elisabeth Joan Watt, also born in Brandon, on the 7th of March 1938. Thomas married Carol Ann Legg (born - the daughter of Douglas Frederick Legg and Shirley Towle - on the 18th of October 1940 in London, Ontario) on the 31st of December 1960 in Sarnia. While Elizabeth married John Thomas Parmeter (born in East Lansing, Michigan, on the 16th of February 1940) on the 15th of September 1971, in East Lansing. I can remember my mother telling me when I was a teenager, and a long-time Americophile, of those family members of mine from Lansing, and how happy it made me feel to think that I was related to Americans.

 Thomas and Carol had the following children, all first cousins of mine once removed:

 Jeffrey Donald Watt was born on the 5th of August 1965 in Sarnia, Ontario. He married Jacqui Adams, and they had two children, both first cousins of mine twice removed, namely, LilliJane Watt, born in 2000 and Emerson Watt, born in 2008.

 Jennifer Watt was born on the 25th of July 1969 in Boston, Massachusetts. She married Michael Sheskey, and they had the following children, all first cousins of mine twice removed, namely, Hannah Sheskey, born in 1999, William Sheskey, born in 2001, and Michael Sheskey, born in 2003.

 James Douglas Watt was born on the 10th of March 1962 in Sarnia. He married Beth Mossy, and they had the following children, all first cousins of min, twice removed, namely, Nolan Edward Watt, born on the 18th of March 1999 in Houston, Texas, Alexandra Lyons Watt, born on the 1st of November 1991 in Los Angeles, California, Griffen James Watt, born on the 22cnd of September in Houston, Texas, and Baker Douglas Watt, born on the 31st of December 1997 in Denver, Colorado.

 Catherine Booth Watt, born in Drummurphy, Ireland, on the 12th of September 1907. Cathy married Reginald George Mills (born - the son of Thomas William Ephraim and Eliza Mills, née Tichner - on the 20th of November 1908 in Lethbridge, Alberta) on the 23rd of October 1933 in Vancouver. She and Reg had one son, my first cousin, Kenneth Reginald Mills, born on the 3rd of July 1936 in Vancouver; he married Carolyn Pindred (born on the 8th of December 1942) on the 8th of December 1964, also in Vancouver.

 Ken and Carolyn had two children, both first cousins of mine once removed, namely, David Kenneth Mills, born in 1965, and Sharilyn Catherine Mills, born in 1969.

 My mother was born Angela Jean Elizabeth Watt on the 13th of November 1915 in Brandon, Manitoba, the only child of James and Elizabeth Watt to have been born in Canada. Angela would go on to become a successful singer, being ultimately inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame as a Pioneer. She married Patrick Clancy Halling in June 1949 in Kensington, London, and had two sons, Carl Robert, born on the 7th of October 1955, and Dane James, born on the 2cnd of May 1958, both in London. She passed away in Kingston-upon-Thames, London, on the 4th of June 2017.

 Turning now to a second Canadian branch, it might be recalled that my great uncle Thomas Watt’s first wife Elizabeth McCrea gave birth to a son, my first cousin once removed, William James Watt, in Castlederg on the 5th of October 1886. On the 31st of May 1912, he sailed from Liverpool to Canada on the Empress of Ireland in the company of his father Thomas, docking in Montreal on the 8th of June 1912, whereupon they travelled by rail to Macleod in Alberta.

 Upon his arrival in Canada, he joined the Orange Order, and his sash is still in the possession of his descendants according to one of these, Emma Varley. He was also a member of the Royal Black Institution, also known as the Royal Black Preceptory. His granddaughter, and my second cousin once removed, Bette Agnew recently sent Ron a copy of the order of service for his funeral, which provided details of his lodge number, which was either 3246, or 5246 (Royal Oak Branch). According to my mother, my own grandfather James Watt was a member of the Orange Order in his younger days, playing fife as such in a marching band; although it’s my understanding that having become affiliated with the Salvation Army, he cut all ties with the kind of Protestantism he’d once so fervidly embraced.

 On the 29th of July 1912, he married Elizabeth Craig, known as Lizzie. Initially, they lived on 12th Street in Macleod, where William worked as a switchman for the Canadian Pacific Railway for a salary of 800 dollars a year. He suffered severe injuries after having been crushed between a train and a wall, and at one stage, there was a very real danger he’d lose an arm. However, according to his descendant Deb Varley, he returned to Ireland for surgery, and so his arm was saved.

 Their first daughter Lola Buchanan Watt, my second cousin from this line of descent, was born in Macleod on the 19th of April 1915, only seven months or so before my own mother was born in Brandon, Manitoba. She died of diphtheria some ten years later on the 13th of July 1925, her father evidently taking his daughter’s death very hard, as he felt he could have done more for her. She is buried in Ocean View Cemetery, Burnaby.

 Sometime between 1917 and 1919, William and his family moved from Macleod, where their second daughter and only son, my second cousins Margaret Kathleen and Thomas Alexander McCrea Watt, were born, to British Columbia. Initially they lived in North Vancouver, where their third daughter Sarah Jane Elizabeth Watt was born, before settling on the corner of Barker and Bond Streets in Burnaby. He’d soon be joined in the Vancouver area by his brother, and my maternal grandfather, James, together with his family.

 William James worked for the Toronto Dominion Bank, from which he ultimately retired. They were known affectionately by their grandchildren as Grandpa and Grandma “Chickens”, as they kept hens in their back yard. Their final resting place is believed to be the Valley Cemetery, Vancouver.

 Margaret Kathleen Watt was born on the 11th of June 1917.  She married Gill McLauhlin, with whom she had two daughters, both second cousins of mine once removed, namely, Elizabeth, known as Bette, and Marilyn. Bette’s first marriage was to Bill Miller, and they had a son, Keith, who is my second cousin twice removed through this line of descent. Keith has two children, Justin and Melissa, with his wife Dawn, née Ruecker, and one, Jasmin, with his partner Diane Nobert. Keith’s second marriage was to Anna, née Jaszenovits, all Keith’s children being second cousins of mine three times removed.

 Bette’s second marriage was to George Agnew, and she and George have one daughter, my second cousin twice removed Laurisa, known as Rese, who has two children, Braedon and Kathryn, known as Kate, with her husband Fabian Tong, Rese’s children being my second cousins three times removed.

 Marilyn married Bob Vanstone, who is now deceased, and with whom she had two children, my second cousins twice removed, Jason and Julianne, the latter ultimately marrying Walter Tracsuk, with whom she has a daughter, Belle, who is my second cousin three times removed.

 Thomas Alexander McCrea Watt was born on the 10th of May 1919. Tom married Yvonne Wrench, and they lived in Penticton in the Okanagan Valley, BC. Tom was a chemist, and a man of very high ethics and principles according to Ron. He was an elder in the Presbyterian Church, and a president of Rotary International.

 Tom and Yvonne had three children, all second cousins of mine once removed, namely, Judith, born 1949, Lynda, born 1951, and Diane, born 1952.

 Lynda had three children in her turn, all second cousins of mine twice removed, namely, Sarah, Sonya, Sandra and Lyle.

 Diane has one son, Jeff, through her marriage to her first husband Francis Weskett, an exchange student at the University of Queensland, and two from her marriage to her second husband Lloyd Gillis, who was born in Nova Scotia, namely, Laurel, who works as a chartered accountant in Vancouver, and Chris. All are second cousins of mine twice removed.

 Jeff has one child, Jenya, from his relationship with his first partner Julie, and three from his relationship with his second partner Janey, namely, Payton, Brooke and Lyn Francis Weskett, all being second cousins of mine three times removed.

 Sarah Jane Elizabeth Watt was born on the 31st of December 1921 in the family home in North Vancouver, and she grew up in Burnaby. She married the artist Peter Varley, son of Frederick Horsman Varley of the Canadian Group of Seven artists, on the 24th of February 1944, and they had two children, both second cousins of mine once removed, namely, Orian, who resides in the UK, and Chris.

 After separating from Peter in 1964, Betty returned to Vancouver, where she acquired a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of British Columbia, going on to teach grade one at K.B. Woodward Elementary in Surrey, B.C. until her retirement in 1984. A grandmother, and great-grandmother, she passed away in Toronto on the 26th of April 2012.

 

Conclusion:

 

The Watt-McCrossan dynasty doesn’t end with the present generation, being needless to say, destined to continue, unless none of the latter elect to have children, which is about as likely as the world coming to an end as I pen this conclusion. And so, as I prepare to finalise this history of the distaff side of my beloved family, I would like to thank its patriarch, Thomas, and matriarch, Jane Ann, for enabling its - and indeed my - existence in the first place. To Thomas and Jane, even while we may never meet, either in this world or the next, thank you.