The Scottish American History Club Newsletter
April 2011
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The McGilvray Family
This
story begins with the birth of John Duff McGilvray in
October, 1847, in the Parish of Inverarity, Scotland. He
married Marion Beaton on the April 8, 1870. They would
have 12 children, five being born in Chicago, Illinois.
The McGilvray Clan, including the mother, Jessie Duff
McGilvray, emigrated to America in 1870 finally going to
Chicago. (The mother had been widowed in 1861.) Two of
the boys, John Duff (23) and William B. (18), worked as
stone cutters. There is some difference of opinion as to
when the family arrived in Chicago. One source says they
came in 1873 after the fire. Another source says they
were here to view the Great Fire.
Regardless of
when they arrived, there was plenty of work after the
Great Chicago Fire. Both John and William worked on the
new Customs House which was located at the south-west
corner of Dearborn and Monroe. The government sued the
contractors for payroll padding and charging for
supplies not used in the construction. Both John and
William were called to testify. I could not find out how
the trial ended, but we all know such things
never
happen in Chicago.
John also became an attaché of the
Illinois legislature for two sessions, helping draft a
law to protect coal miners that became a model for
several other states. This is interesting in view of our
July history tour to Coal City and Braidwood.
After living in Chicago for seven years, the family
moved west to Denver, Colorado. They settled in three
households. In one house-hold was John Duff McGilvray
with Marion Beaton, his wife, and five children. Their
son William B. and his wife, Margaret Wilson, was in an
another household and daughter Margaret and husband,
Henry Sturrock, in the third.
John
Duff became a stone contractor in Denver and organized
his company as “John D. McGilvray and Company.” His
partners were his brother, James Scott, and a friend,
Robert W. Findlay. Their company built the Denver City
Hall, the upper story of the Denver Court House, the old
Post office, the Windsor Hotel, the Barth block, St.
Leo’s church and North High school and “other big office
structures.” In 1893, John D. built a castle-like home
at 10th
Avenue and Corona Street. In 1880, John D. was elected
alderman from the 11th
ward. He also served on the Board of Supervisors and
through his efforts helped in the purchase of City Park.
He was a member of the Caledonian society and was
“largely responsible for the erection of the Robert
Burns statue in City Park.”
Sometime in 1892, John Duff McGilvray,
his wife Marion and now eight children moved to
California. (Their oldest son William, born in Chicago,
would die in San Francisco at the age of 22 on October
15, 1894.) John D. then purchased the McLennan Granite
Company and formed a new company. It was located east of
San Francisco in Raymond, California. John was not only
a builder but an innovator of architectural standards.
Two of his
buildings,
the Emporium
and
the Flood building, survived the great earthquake
in 1906 with very little damage. Having built one
monument to Robert Burns in Denver, he set about to
raise money for another in San Francisco. It was
dedicated in 1908.
In 1898, he was hired by Mrs. Stanford to
build a new University. The family moved to the campus
and lived in the Escondite Cottage. He built the
Memorial Church, the Outer Quad and many other buildings
on the campus. He died March 24, 1916 in Palo Alto,
California and his wife, Marion Beaton, died May 10,1935
also in Palo Alto. It had been a long but profitable
journey from Scotland to California.
All of the
sons were involved in the company and upon the death of
his father, John Duff McGilvray, Jr. became the
President of the firm. This company built some of San
Francisco’s best known buildings, including: the City
Hall, the Civic Auditorium, the Public Library, the
State Building, the St. Francis Hotel, the Emporium, and
the Flood Building.
John
D. McGilvray, Jr. married Dottie Mira Sewell in 1895.
They lived in a house designed by John known as the Sea
Cliff house. The house was “far ahead of its time with
open floor plans, sweeping vistas, a three-car garage
and amenities in every room.” He died at home, June 16,
1955. His wife, Dottie Mira Sewell died June 21, 1946.”
The house still exists.
Early in his career John Duff, Jr.,
“became a Master Mason and member of both the Ancient
and Accepted Scottish Rite and of the Knights Templar.
He became an honored 33rd
degree Mason and Knight of the Red Cross of Constantine.
He was
potentate of Islam Temple of the Shrine in 1917-19.”
“The mark of a man’s greatness is
his ability to have compassion for those less
fortunate.” He felt it his duty to provide protection
and medical care for handicapped children. John, (Uncle
Jack) Duff McGilvray II was on the original board of
governors of Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children.
Under his leadership, the San Francisco Shriners
Hospital became one of the best. He toured the country,
consulting experts on the very latest in equipment and
hospital techniques.
He was a building consultant for all 17
Shriner Hospitals. They are located in Shreveport, Twin
Cities, Honolulu, San Francisco, Portland, St. Louis,
Philadelphia, Spokane, Salt Lake City, Montreal,
Springfield, Chicago, Winnipeg, Lexington, Greenville,
Mexico City and Los Angeles. He provided the
cornerstones and attended the ground-breaking ceremonies
for each of the 17 hospitals.
The
Shriners Children’s Hospital at Oak Park and Belden
avenues in Chicago was dedicated September 26, 1926.
“Only those whose parents cannot pay for treatment will
be accepted.” A photograph in the
Chicago Daily Tribune
shows Chicago-born John D. McGilvray Jr., speaking at
the dedication.
I
am sure there is much more, but what an amazing
story of one Scottish family.
Pictured above: 1.
John Duff
McGilvray and Marion Beaton,
Denver Post, March 25, 1916
2.
Robert Burns Statue, Denver, Colorado
3. Sea Cliff, San Francisco,
California
4. Shriner's Children's
Hospital, Chicago, Illinois
Cline Gift to the Scottish-American Heritage Museum
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Cline attended the April
meeting of the History Club. They live in Naperville and
Mr. Cline is an attorney. They brought with them two
historical gifts to the museum.
Kay Cline’s
father, John Kennedy, was born in 1908 in Dundonald,
near Kilmarnock. In 1926, he emigrated to the United
States at the age of 17 and he came alone. He settled in
Gary, Indiana, where he worked for U.S. Steel. In 1933,
John Kennedy married Elizabeth Wardrop. Her parents were
born in Scotland. They lived in Gary for the rest of their lives.
There were
many soccer teams in Gary of different nationalities in
the 1930s and her dad played on the Scottish team. He
was the goalie. He was also involved with Clan McNeil
and twice was elected Clan Chief. Her mother was active
in the Daughters of Scotia, Lady McNeil lodge and once
served as the Chief Daughter.
Kay Cline donated
to the museum the Rampant Lion flag that belonged to
Clan McNeil. She remembers seeing the flag many times
growing up because she was a Highland dancer and often
danced at their meetings accompanied by Pipe Major
Robert Sims. The flag attached to its pole with stand
and finial has been placed in the north-east corner of
Heritage Hall.
The second item is the framed
charter of Clan McNeil. It measures 16x24 and is in a
very unusual sheet metal frame. The charter was issued
by the Order of Scottish Clans and is dated December 18,
1909. Twenty names are listed on the charter who may
have been the charter members. It is signed by John
Buchanan, Loyal Deputy, and Peter Kerr, Royal Secretary.
It is a beautiful and unusual document which we are
pleased to have in Heritage Hall.
The Cline’s
gift reminds us all of the importance of the Scottish
saying,
"Cuimhnich air
na daoine o'n d'thainig thu" -
Remember the men from whom you have come.
First Presbyterian Church Kirkin’ Painting
On
February 12, 2011, my family was invited to the “Kirkin’
O’ the Tartans Supper Club” at the First Presbyterian
Church in Wheaton, Illinois.
A large group was treated to a dinner menu of
roast beef with potatoes and vegetables, carrot cake,
coffee and imported Scottish teas.
The Master of Ceremonies was Tom Boynton and our
escort for the evening was Mr. & Mrs. Greg Drinan.
The Pastor, Rev. Paul J. Kirbas gave the blessing
and Jim McCallum was the piper for the evening.
Peter Wilkie recited some Scottish songs and
poetry. I gave a short talk about the influence of the
Scottish Presbyterians in forming our country. Greg
Drinan gave a talk about “Watts Hymnal, the Black
Regiment and the American Revolution.” After dinner, the
group was entertained by the Thistle and Heather
Highland Dancers, led by Nancy Strolle.
On the
cover of the program was a picture of a piper drawn by
Anita Brechtel, a member of the church and also a
well-know artist in the Western suburbs. Two weeks
later, Mary and I were invited back to the church to
receive this beautiful color painting of the program
picture. I will have the painting at the next meeting of
the History Club on May 14.
Pictured above:
1.
Mr. and Mrs. Greg Drinan, Wayne and Mary Ellen Rethford
and Anita Brechtel, Artist.
May and June History Meetings
In spite of a change of date and the cold weather
a good group attended the May meeting. The program
consisted of a PowerPoint presentation covering the
years 1855 - 1865. Seven different men served in the
role of president during those ten years. One man served
three terms. One of them lived at 622 Dearborn and was
shot by a burglar. Another had his wife committed and
George Anderson testified at the trial. Having spent his
fortune, this ex-president of the Society seems to have
disappeared. One of them died suddenly, leaving a large
estate and no will. Three served honorably in the Civil
War and one was a general. The Illinois Saint Andrew
Society made several important decisions during these
years and those were discussed as well. The program
began at 10 a.m. as usual and after the presentation
everyone enjoyed a birthday cake.
The meeting in
June will be held on June 4, 2011. Our speaker is
Michele Micetich who is the Curator of the Coal City
Museum. She is an expert on the Scots who lived in Coal
City and the surrounding area, She will help explain why
so many Scottish coal miners came to the area, who they
were and what they accomplished. If you plan to take the
History Tour in July, this presentation will be very
important.
Please visit our web site at www.chicagoscots.net for
additional information or changes as they may occur.
July History Tour
The annual history tour this year is scheduled
for July 16.
We plan to leave from the Scottish Home and drive to
Coal City. There we will enjoy a box lunch in the park
and tour the Coal City Museum.
It is in a one-room school house, filled with
items, records and picture of a time gone by. After
this, we will drive to Braidwood, Illinois, tour the
town and visit the cemetery. If time permits, we will
drive past the Braidwood Nuclear Facility. It is not
unlike the one in Japan that is currently in the news.
Also, if time permits, we will drive through the Abraham
Lincoln Military Cemetery.
The
exact schedule and costs will be announced
later. Watch the History Club web site at
www.chicagoscots.net.
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