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Mary Little STUART (b 1862)

Mary Little was the glue that held the ever growing and scattered Stuart family together. She never married and lived to take care of her parents in their declining years. She corresponded with every branch of the family. In the fall of 1923, she made a grand tour of Canada and the United States, listing in the ship manifest her brother Albert's address in Jersey City, NJ as her destination. She not only caught up with the New Jersey Stuarts (brothers Alfred and Albert) but also managed to visit her older brother William's sons William (in Toronto, Ontario) and John's widow Mary (in Rochester, NY). A letter dated 27 Feb 1924 from her older brother William Stuart (b 1852) to his daughter-in-law Mary Higgins Stuart reads I have received a letter from your Aunt Mary and she tells me she has been staying with you [in Rochester] for a few days. I have not come across a descendant of this family living in the 21st century--Scotland, Canada, New Zealand, the United States--that did not have correspondence from Aunt Mary. When I met Stuart cousins in Auckland, New Zealand in 2015, they provided me with pictures and post cards from Aunt Mary. The description of her provided by the ship manifest for her travel to the United States in 1923 says she had a fresh complexion, brown hair, and grey eyes. She also declared that she could read and write. There is no question about the latter.

Mary was born at 64 Maitland Street in Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Scotland on 18 Apr 1862, her parent's sixth child and third daughter. Her family was living in quarters provided the family by her father's job as a police constable. Her oldest sister, Janet, took the name of both her father's mother and her mother's mother. Her sister Isabella was named after her mother. Mary was probably named after her mother Isabella's sister Mary Little. The name Mary did not come from her father's siblings.

Mary was living with her parents at the time of the censuses of 1871, 1881, 1891, and 1901. In 1871, the household was living at 62 Stewart Street and Mary was in school. In 1881, still at the same address, Mary was working as a warehouse girl. In 1891, she had moved with her parents to 26 Russell Street in Rothesay, Bute and was working as a dressmaker. In 1901, still in Rothesay, she was designated head of household and a housekeeper for her now widowed father William, age 76. Her father died later that decade, in 1908. I am confident that she lived on in Rothesay until her death, but I have been unable to find her in Rothesay in either the 1911 or 1921 censuses.

Mary died on 15 February 1955 at the Robertson Stewart Hospital in Rothesay. The cause of death was recorded as chronic cardiovascular degeneration. Her ususal address at the time was given as 21 Gallowgate, Rothesay. She left her estate valued at just under 230 pounds to an acquaintance, James Duncan McKenzie. She was buried in the High Kirk Cemetery in a lair purchased by her father when her mother died in 1893. Ironically, given her close connection with so many members of her family, it was an acquaintance who filed the report of her death and was named as the executor of her estate.

Sources and Notes:

1871 Scotland Census, Household of William Stuart (b c1826): Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1871/Census/644/7/59/3. [Note: The surname on this record has been entered into the index as Stevert.] Content: The 1871 Scotland Census of Milton District, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, 62 Stewart Street on 02 Apr 1871 shows a household composed of (1) William Stuart, head, married, male, age 45, police constable, born Paisley, Renfrewshire (sic), (2) Isabella Stuart, wife, married, female, age 43, born Barrhead, Renfrewshire. (3) Janet Stuart, daughter, unmarried, female, age 21, machinest, born Barrhead, Renfrewshire, (4) William Stuart, son, unmarried, male, age 18, flesher, born Barrhead, Renfrewshire, (5) John Stuart, son, unmarried, male, age 14, brassfounder's apprentice, born Glasgow, Lanarkshire, (6) Albert Stuart, son, unmarried, male, age 12, scholar, born Glasgow, Lanarkshire, (7) Mary Stuart, daughter, unmarried, female, age 11, scholar, born Glasgow, Lanarkshire, (8) Alfred Stuart, son, male, age 7, scholar, born Glasgow, Lanarkshire, (9) James Stuart, son, male, age 5, scholar, born Glasgow, Lanarkshire.

1881 Scotland Census, Household of William Stuart (b c1826): Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1881/Census/644/8/60/3.. Content: The 1881 Scotland Census of Milton, Glasgow (Lanarkshire) on 03 Apr 1881 shows a home at 62 Stewart Street with a household composed of (1) Wm Stuart, male, married, head of household, age 55, day constable, born in Renfrewshire, (2) Isabella Stuart, female, married, age 54, wife, [no occupation], born in Renfrewshire, (3) Wm Stuart, male, married, age 29, son, day constable, born in Renfrewshire, (4) Albert Stuart, son, male, age 22, unmarried, umbrella maker, born in Glasgow, (5) Mary Stuart, daughter, female, age 18, warehouse girl, born in Glasgow, (6) Alfred Stuart, son, male, age 16, umbrella maker, born in Glasgow, (7) James Stuart, son, male, age 14, telegraph messenger, born in Glasgow.

1891 Scotland Census, Household of William Stuart (b 1826): Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1891/Census/558/13/9. Content: The 1891 Scotland Census of Rothesay, Bute, 26 Russell Street, on 05 Apr 1891 shows a household composed of (1) William Stuart, head, married, male, age 66, retired police officer, born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, (2) Isabella Stuart, wife, married, female, age 64, born in Barrhead, Renfrewshire, (3) Mary Stuart, daughter, unmarried, female age 28, a self-employed dressmaker, born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, (4) Alfred Stuart, son, unmarried, male, age 26, seaman, born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire.

1901 Scotland Census, Household of Mary Little Stewart (b 1862): Citation: The National Records of Scotland, 1901/Census/558/11/22. Content: The 1901 Scotland Census of Rothesay, Bute, 26 Russell Street, on 31 Mar 1901, shows a flat (schedule 119) of three rooms with a household composed of (1) Mary Little Stewart, head, single, age 29 [sic], housekeeper, [Born] Lanarkshire, Glasgow, and (2) William Stewart, father, widower, age 76, Retired Policeman, [Born] Renfrewshire, Paisley.

1911 Census of Scotland: The National Records of Scotland. 1911/Census/558/19/6. The record referenced is NOT Mary Little Stuart. The record shows a Mary Stewart at 55 Chrichton Road, a boarding house keeper, born in Kingarth, Bute. I have no idea where Mary Little Stuart was at the time of the censuses in 1911 or 1921.

1923 Passenger List, S.S. Samaria arriving from Glasgow on 23 Oct 1923.: Citation: Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1963 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006. Content: A 1923 passenger manifest shows that Mary Stuart, 58, female, single, not employed, can read, speaks English, can write, British, Scotch, last permanent residence is Rothesay, Scotland. Her nearest relative is her borther, William Stuart, 24 Simpson Street, Glasgow. Her destination is Jersey City, NJ. She has never been in the US before. She is visiting her brother, Albert Stuart, 581 Communipaw Ave, Jersey City, NJ. She expects to stay six months. She has fresh complexion, brown hair, grey eyes. She was born in Renfrew[shire], Scotland.

1955 Death Registration for Mary Little STUART (b 1862): Citation: The National Records of Scotland. 1955/Deaths/558/28. Content: The 1955 registry of deaths for the district of Rothesay in the county of Bute states that Mary Little Stuart, female, single, age 92 years, died on 1955 February 15th, 8h 30m am at Robertson Stewart Hospital, Rothesay. Her ususal residence was 21 Gallowgate, Rothesay. Father: William Stuart, Police Officer (deceased). Mother: Isabella Stuart m.s. Little (deceased). Cause of death: chronic cardiovascular degeneration, many years. Informant: J D Mackenzie, acquaintance, 75 Barone Road, Rothesay. Recorded 1955, Feb 16th at Rothesay.

1955 Estate inventories of Mary Little Stuart (b 1862): Citation: The National Records of Scotland. Confirmations and Inventories, 1955. Content: Confirmations and Inventories, 1955 records the following entry: STUART, Mary Little, 21 Gallowgate, Rothesay died 15 February 1955 at Rothesay, testate. Confirmation Rothesay, 26 February to James Duncan McKenzie, Headmaster, 75 Barone Road, Rothesay, Executor nominate. Will dated 29 August 1952. Recorded Rothesay 26 February. Estate GBP229:19:11.