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Albert STUART (b 1888)

Albert Stuart was born at 1:00 p.m. on 10 May 1888 at 72 Well Road in the Kelvin district of Glasgow. His father reported the event on 25 May. Albert was his parents' eighth child and fourth son. He may have been named after his father's younger brother.

Albert appeared at home with his parents at 20 Raeberry Street in both the 1891 Census and the 1901 Census. In 1901, he was still in school.

For years, Albert presented the greatest puzzle of any member of his family. He is one of the few members of the family for whom no personal recollection or photograph has survived. There are, however, two items in the effects of his brother John that are almost certainly Albert's work. The first is a letter to John written in 1906 from his parents' home at 29 Well Road. The second is a hand-painted Christmas card to his sister-in-law Mary Higgins Stuart possibly in 1909.

The letter from Christmas 1906 is positively brimming with news of the Stuart family. Albert, who would have been 18 at the time, was working, apparently training in a local store.

I am getting on very well in Todd's & getting plenty of work to do. ... I am looking forward to the New Year because I have to get a shift in Todd's. I have to get 3 months in each department to learn up the prices and then get sent on the road, along with one of the head travelers, so if this is not a chance, I don't know what will be."

[The 1927 Glasgow Directory lists Todd's Fruit Stores, wholesale and retail fruit, flower and vegetable merchants. The firm had two stores, one at 51 St. Enoch Square and the other at 464 Dunbarton Road. This may well be the Todd's that employed Albert twenty years earlier in 1906.]

Albert also wrote about his mother who was away from home, recovering from an illness.

Mother ... [is] out again and is working away in Bridge of Allan and getting 12 shillings a week also her board and Lod[g]ings and the best of Attention at that. It[']s not much but it [is] a great deal better than nothing and the fresh air should wear away the look of Duke St from her face.

And he wrote about his sister, Mary, who had recently started work as a dressmaker.

Mary has got a job in Rattrays in the dressmaking department so that is another good omen owing to Father knowing the manager.

And he wrote also about his younger brother, Freddy, who was probably still in school at the time.

I am sitting here watching Freddy at the punchball I erected in the kitchen door. It would make you laugh to see him, his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his shirt sleeves rolled up, displaying his massive muscles (Liar). Well it is a fine thing for building up a chap's body & Arms and that is what Freddy badly needed

Albert enclosed two handkerchiefs with his Christmas letter, one from Mary and one from Susan. He apologized to his brother for failing to send him a gift.

You will have to excuse me not sending you anything for your Christmas as you will know that Father never did allow very much for pocket money[. M]ost of mine is spent in car fares up & down for my dinner[. W]ell, better luck next time.

The card from a later Christmas includes a printed Christmas poem decorated on the front and two inside pages with purple flowers and green leaves. The note is addressed to Mrs. Stuart and signed by Albert. There is a note on the back of the card that reads This card was hand-painted by myself. What do you think of it, eh?

In his 21st year, Albert left his family and sailed from Glasgow for Canada. His name appears in the passenger list for the ship Parisian arriving in Halifax, Nova Scotia from Glasgow on 7 May 1910, only days shy of his 22nd birthday. The manifest gave his age as 21, his occupation as warehouseman and his religion as Presbyterian. Albert's destination was given as Toronto, Ontario and there was a note that said to brother who has been in Canada 8 yrs. The brother was William.

Albert's name appeared in the 1911 Census of Canada living at 206 Waverly Road, Toronto, with his brother William, his wife Isabella and their first daughter Ruby. Albert's occupation was listed as upholsterer. He was also listed in the Toronto City Directory in 1912 as a driver residing at 59 Kippendavie Avenue. In 1913 and 1914 he appears as a laborer residing at 79 Kippendavie Avenue in Toronto. Each of these addresses was only blocks from Kew Gardens and Beaches Park on the shore of Lake Ontario well to the east of downtown Toronto.

Albert died at Toronto General Hospital on 7 Jul 1914. The cause of death was cancer. He had been ill only eight weeks. His occupation was given as brassworker. He was 25 and single.

Sources:

1888 Birth Registration for Albert Stuart (b 1888): Citation: The National Records of Scotland. 1888/Births/644/9/731. Content: The Registry of Births for the District of Kelvin, Burgh of Glasgow [Lanarkshire] shows that Albert Stuart, male, [was born] 1888 May 10, 1h 0m pm at 72 Well Road. Father: William Stuart, Commercial Traveller. Mother: Mary Stuart m.s. McHardie. Married: 1874 Jun 25, Glasgow Signed: William Stuart, Father, present. [Registered:] 1888 May 25th at Glasgow.

1891 Scotland Census, Household of William Stewart (b 1852): Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1891/Census/644/9/87/0/2/002. Content: The 1891 Scotland Census of Barony, Kelvinside, Glasgow (Lanarkshire) on 05 Apr 1891 shows a flat (shcedule 10) at 20 Raeberry Street with a household composed of (1) William Stewart, head of household, married, male, age 38, a self-employed commercial traveller, born in Barrhead, Renfrewshire, (2) Mary Stewart, wife, married, female, age 35, born in Glasgow, (3) Helen Stewart, daughter, female age 15, employed shop girl (hardware), born in Glasgow, (4) Isabella Stewart, daughter, female age 13, scholar, born in Glasgow, (5) William Stewart, son, male, age 11, scholar, born in Glasgow, (6) John Stewart, son, male age 8, scholar, born in Glasgow, (7) Susan Stewart, daughter, female, age 6, scholar, born in Glasgow, (7) Mary Stewart, daughte, female, age 5 years, scholar, born in Glasgow, (8) Albert Stewart, son,male, age 3, born in Glasgow, (9) Victoria Stewart, daughter, female, age 6 mos, born in Glasgow.

1901 Scotland Census, Household of William Stewart (b 1852): Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1901/Census/644/9/84/11. Content: The 1901 Scotland Census of Barony, Kelvinside, Glasgow (Lanarkshire) Scotland on 31 Mar 1901 shows a flat of 3 rooms at 20 Raeberry Street with a household composed of (1) William Stewart, head, married, age 49, hardware merchant, employer, born Renfrewshire, (2) Helen Stewart, daughter, single, age 26, hardware assistant, worker, born Lanarkshire, Glasgow, (3) Isabella Stewart, daughter, single, age 22, hardware assistant, worker, born Lanarkshire, Glasgow, (4) William Stewart, son, single, age 20, Picture Frame Maker, worker, born Lanarkshire, Glasgow, (5) John Stewart, son, single, age 18, Pastry Baker, worker, born Lanarkshire, Glasgow, (6) Susan Stewart, daughter, single, age 16, in school, born Lanarkshire, Glasgow, (7) Mary Stewart, daughter, single, age 15, in school, born Lanarkshire, Glasgow, (8) Albert Stewart, son, single, age 12, in school, born Lanarkshire, Glasgow, (9) Victoria Stewart, daughter, single, age 10, in school, born Lanarkshire, Glasgow, (10) Alfred Stewart, son, single, age 8, in school, born Lanarkshire, Glasgow.

Todd's Fruit Stores. An entry appears in the 1927 Glasgow Directory, page 678, referencing "wholesale and retail fruit, flower, and vegetable merchants at 51 St Enoch Sq and 464 Dumbarton Road, Partick."

Albert's 1906 letter and 1910 Christmas card. Both items are in the author's possession.

1910 Passenger Manifest listing Albert Stewart (b 1888): Citation: Ancestry.com. Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Content: A 1910 passenger manifest for SS Parisian, departing Glasgow, Scotland and arriving in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 07 May 1910 includes a listing for Albert Stewart, male, age 21, single, has never been in Canada before, born Scotland, destination Toronto, Ont, warehouseman in Scotland, proposes to be warehouseman in Canada, to brother who has worked in Canada 8 years, Presbyterian.

1911 Canada Census, Household of William Stuart (b 1880): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1911 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Year: 1911; Census Place: Ward 1, York South, Ontario. Page 41, Family No: 422. Content: The 1911 Census of Canada of Toronto (Ontario) on 11 Jun 1911 shows home (409/424) at 206 ?Waverly? Road with household composed of (1) William Stewart, head, male, age 28, born May 1883, born in Scotland, immigrated in 1902, Canadian, Presbyterian, picture ?framer?, (2) Isabella Stewart, female, wife, age 25, born in Nov 1885, born in Scotland, immigrated 1908, Canadian, Presbyterian, no occupation, (3) Ruby Stewart, female, daughter, born Aug 1910, born Canada, age 10 months, (4) Albert Stewart, male, brother, born, May 1888, age 23, born Scotland, Canadian, Presbyterian, upholsterer.

Occupation information in the years between Albert's arrival in Canada and his death is taken from the author's transcription of 1912, 1913 and 1914 editions of the Toronto City Directory found in the Archives of Ontario, Toronto. In the 1912 edition his surname is spelled Stuart. In 1913 and 1914 it is spelled Stewart.

1914 death registration for Albert Stuart (b 1888): Citation: Ancestry.com. Ontario, Canada, Deaths and Deaths Overseas, 1869-1948 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Content: A 1914 death registration in the County of York, Division of Toronto, [Ontario, Canada], entry 3497, shows that Albert Stuart, male, age 25, died on 06 Jul 1914 at the Toronto General Hospital. He was born in Scotland, single, a brassworker, father William Stuart, mother Mary McHardy, cause of death: carcinoma of rectum (8 wks), immediate cause: toxemia.