For those wishing to visit the grave, head along the path to the right of St. Michael’s church, towards the Robert Burns Mausoleum. Carry on the path to the left of the Mausoleum, and continue to the plot of graves behind St. Michael’s Church. The grave is on the right hand side of the plot, if you have your back to the church. It is some ways down; if memory serves, it is at least halfway down the plot. There are two trees of considerable height, standing opposite one another. The tree housing the gravestone of James Townsend and Margaret Kay, is next to the grave of “Donald, son of John Mitchell, baker Annan” who died in 1872. Happy hunting!
Biography of Margaret Smith Kay, and family members:
Born in about 1803, Margaret Smith Kay lived a life which is remarkable in its highlights of boldness and adventure, as well as striking in its sorrows. The daughter of Hugh Smith, Margaret got married at around the age of 18, on 4 March 1821 at Greyfriars Church in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. Just a few weeks prior to the wedding, her new husband, the young clerk Peter Kay, a native of Edinburgh and son of shoemaker William Kay and Catherine Mowat, had enlisted as a soldier with the Honourable East India Company. On 5 May 1821, only a day after reaching their two month mark as husband and wife, they boarded the good ship Duke of Wellington, and embarked on the ambitious and lengthy journey half-way across the world, to India.
Eight months after setting sail for foreign shores, Margaret brought forth the couple’s first child, a daughter they named Catherine Mowat Kay, born at St. Thomas Mount, Madras, India in January of 1822. Two more children soon followed: a daughter Margaret in April of 1824, and a son Peter in November of 1826, with both children being christened at Saint Andrews, Madras, India.
Tragically, Margaret and Peter suffered the loss of their little girl Margaret, just days before her fourth birthday, on 4 April 1828 in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India. Soon afterwards, Peter Kay, who had then attained the rank of sergeant, left off soldiering and the bereaved family returned to their homeland, arriving in Scotland in 1829, after a life-defining absence of eight years. How odd it may have seemed to Margaret, to once again set her foot upon a landscape so familiar, yet feel her heart beating within an internal landscape so altered and expanded by her eight years of travels, toils, triumphs and tears.
But the river of life ever rushes forward, and whatever Margaret’s reflections or inner feelings may have been upon her return to Edinburgh, it is apparent that her physical energy was fully engaged in building life anew. In November of 1829, she and Peter were blessed with another daughter, their first child born on Scottish soil. They named their little one Margaret, but enjoyed the solace of her presence in their family circle but a brief season: about 13 months later, on 19 December 1830, her young life was exhausted and extinguished by a bout of whooping cough.
And here a hush falls upon the life record of Margaret Smith Kay, with no clear indication of her abode or activities for some time. In 1853, her daughter Catherine M. Kay got married to journeyman shoemaker James Townsend of Dumfries, at Greenside Parish Church in Edinburgh. Was Margaret present at the wedding?
She and her husband Peter Kay parted company; that much is clear. Whether that separation occurred despite their intense years of shared joys and sorrows, or because of it, is a question that can only be answered by those long slumbering in the grave. In the 1861 census, retired soldier Peter Kay is recorded as living in the Cannongate area of Edinburgh with another wife: a woman by the name of Janet Leishman. Janet and Peter die within days of one another in January of 1863, of bronchitis and paralysis, respectively. But where was Margaret Smith?
She was in Dumfries, apparently. For there she lies buried in St. Michael’s churchyard, having parted the veil on 11 September 1871, at the age of 68. Margaret’s daughter, Catherine M. Kay Townsend, and her young family were also resident in Dumfries at the time. It is pleasant to think that perhaps Catherine and Margaret drew strength from one another, and Margaret may have had the joy of grandchildren to brighten her days along the last stretch of her life’s winding path.
Certainly, her granddaughter and namesake, Margaret Townsend, followed in her footsteps. She too, boldly crossed an ocean just weeks after marrying, and gave birth to her first child in the distant land of America. The descendants of Margaret Smith and Peter Kay have now traversed the globe from Abu Dhabi to Aberystwyth, Tokyo to Tampere, and Heaton Norris to Houston. Margaret Smith’s brave step into the unknown back in 1821 has sown a powerful legacy indeed, one that is still bearing fruit and growing.
Family of Margaret Smith Kay:
Father: Hugh Smith, presumably of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. At the time of Margaret Smith Kay’s death in 1871, Hugh Smith was noted as “deceased” on her death record.
Husband: Peter Kay, born about 1799-1801 in St. Cuthbert’s parish of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, the son of William Kay, a shoemaker by trade, and Catherine Mowat, both of Edinburgh. He was a soldier for the East India Company in Madras, India from 1821 - 1829. He and Margaret apparently separated at some point before 1861, and he finished out his last days with another wife, Janet Leishman, at his side. He died in January of 1863 in Edinburgh.
Children: Catherine Mowat Kay was born 17 January 1822 in St. Thomas Mount, Madras, India. She arrived in Scotland with her parents in 1829, her first acquaintance with her ancestral homeland being made at the age of seven. She married journeyman shoemaker James Townsend of Dumfries on 6 May 1853, at Greenside Parish Church in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. For the next two decades, she continued her life as she began it; in travelling and setting up home anew every few years. From 1853 to 1871, her life’s paper trail leads us a merry dance from Edinburgh to Glasgow to Rochdale in Lancashire, England, then back to Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dumfries. Within the space of 7 weeks in the autumn of 1871, her family suffered the heartache of a double loss: the death of her mother Margaret Smith Kay in September, and the death of her husband James Townsend in October. Soon afterwards, Catherine moved her family to Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, where she remained for the rest of her life. Three of her children emigrated to the U.S.A. and settled in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, but her eldest son William Townsend married a local girl and put down deep roots in Lancashire. Catherine died in Mossley, Lancashire, England on 7 February 1901 at the age of 79.
Margaret Kay’s brief time upon the earth began on 7 April 1824 in Madras, India and ended just shy of her fourth birthday on 4 April 1828 in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Peter Kay, the namesake of his father Peter, was born in November of 1826 in Madras, India. It is presumed that he settled in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland along with his parents after their return to their homeland in 1829. Currently, little else is known about his life.
Margaret Kay, the Second. The Kay family’s second daughter Margaret was like a flaming comet, lighting up their night sky for only one brilliant but unforgettable moment. The first of Margaret and Peter’s children to be born in Scotland, she arrived in November of 1829, but was carried away in death just a little over a year later, on 19 December 1830 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.
Written by Auralie Jones, a 5th great-granddaughter of Margaret Smith Kay, through Margaret’s daughter Catherine Mowat Kay Townsend.
Mention of this grave is made in the following book, which can be found in the library of the public research centre of the Dumfries and Galloway Family History Society:
“The list of husbands deceased, together with, in many instances, their departed children, comprises the following:...James Townsend, shoemaker, died 28th October 1871, aged 47, with Margaret Kay, his mother-in-law, died 11th September 1871, aged 68;…"
Source:
Memorial of St. Michael’s: The Old Parish Churchyard of Dumfries. By William McDowall; Published Edinburgh, Adam and Black, 1876. Pages 412-413.
Biography of Margaret Smith Kay, and family members:
Born in about 1803, Margaret Smith Kay lived a life which is remarkable in its highlights of boldness and adventure, as well as striking in its sorrows. The daughter of Hugh Smith, Margaret got married at around the age of 18, on 4 March 1821 at Greyfriars Church in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. Just a few weeks prior to the wedding, her new husband, the young clerk Peter Kay, a native of Edinburgh and son of shoemaker William Kay and Catherine Mowat, had enlisted as a soldier with the Honourable East India Company. On 5 May 1821, only a day after reaching their two month mark as husband and wife, they boarded the good ship Duke of Wellington, and embarked on the ambitious and lengthy journey half-way across the world, to India.
Eight months after setting sail for foreign shores, Margaret brought forth the couple’s first child, a daughter they named Catherine Mowat Kay, born at St. Thomas Mount, Madras, India in January of 1822. Two more children soon followed: a daughter Margaret in April of 1824, and a son Peter in November of 1826, with both children being christened at Saint Andrews, Madras, India.
Tragically, Margaret and Peter suffered the loss of their little girl Margaret, just days before her fourth birthday, on 4 April 1828 in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India. Soon afterwards, Peter Kay, who had then attained the rank of sergeant, left off soldiering and the bereaved family returned to their homeland, arriving in Scotland in 1829, after a life-defining absence of eight years. How odd it may have seemed to Margaret, to once again set her foot upon a landscape so familiar, yet feel her heart beating within an internal landscape so altered and expanded by her eight years of travels, toils, triumphs and tears.
But the river of life ever rushes forward, and whatever Margaret’s reflections or inner feelings may have been upon her return to Edinburgh, it is apparent that her physical energy was fully engaged in building life anew. In November of 1829, she and Peter were blessed with another daughter, their first child born on Scottish soil. They named their little one Margaret, but enjoyed the solace of her presence in their family circle but a brief season: about 13 months later, on 19 December 1830, her young life was exhausted and extinguished by a bout of whooping cough.
And here a hush falls upon the life record of Margaret Smith Kay, with no clear indication of her abode or activities for some time. In 1853, her daughter Catherine M. Kay got married to journeyman shoemaker James Townsend of Dumfries, at Greenside Parish Church in Edinburgh. Was Margaret present at the wedding?
She and her husband Peter Kay parted company; that much is clear. Whether that separation occurred despite their intense years of shared joys and sorrows, or because of it, is a question that can only be answered by those long slumbering in the grave. In the 1861 census, retired soldier Peter Kay is recorded as living in the Cannongate area of Edinburgh with another wife: a woman by the name of Janet Leishman. Janet and Peter die within days of one another in January of 1863, of bronchitis and paralysis, respectively. But where was Margaret Smith?
She was in Dumfries, apparently. For there she lies buried in St. Michael’s churchyard, having parted the veil on 11 September 1871, at the age of 68. Margaret’s daughter, Catherine M. Kay Townsend, and her young family were also resident in Dumfries at the time. It is pleasant to think that perhaps Catherine and Margaret drew strength from one another, and Margaret may have had the joy of grandchildren to brighten her days along the last stretch of her life’s winding path.
Certainly, her granddaughter and namesake, Margaret Townsend, followed in her footsteps. She too, boldly crossed an ocean just weeks after marrying, and gave birth to her first child in the distant land of America. The descendants of Margaret Smith and Peter Kay have now traversed the globe from Abu Dhabi to Aberystwyth, Tokyo to Tampere, and Heaton Norris to Houston. Margaret Smith’s brave step into the unknown back in 1821 has sown a powerful legacy indeed, one that is still bearing fruit and growing.
Family of Margaret Smith Kay:
Father: Hugh Smith, presumably of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. At the time of Margaret Smith Kay’s death in 1871, Hugh Smith was noted as “deceased” on her death record.
Husband: Peter Kay, born about 1799-1801 in St. Cuthbert’s parish of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, the son of William Kay, a shoemaker by trade, and Catherine Mowat, both of Edinburgh. He was a soldier for the East India Company in Madras, India from 1821 - 1829. He and Margaret apparently separated at some point before 1861, and he finished out his last days with another wife, Janet Leishman, at his side. He died in January of 1863 in Edinburgh.
Children: Catherine Mowat Kay was born 17 January 1822 in St. Thomas Mount, Madras, India. She arrived in Scotland with her parents in 1829, her first acquaintance with her ancestral homeland being made at the age of seven. She married journeyman shoemaker James Townsend of Dumfries on 6 May 1853, at Greenside Parish Church in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. For the next two decades, she continued her life as she began it; in travelling and setting up home anew every few years. From 1853 to 1871, her life’s paper trail leads us a merry dance from Edinburgh to Glasgow to Rochdale in Lancashire, England, then back to Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dumfries. Within the space of 7 weeks in the autumn of 1871, her family suffered the heartache of a double loss: the death of her mother Margaret Smith Kay in September, and the death of her husband James Townsend in October. Soon afterwards, Catherine moved her family to Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, where she remained for the rest of her life. Three of her children emigrated to the U.S.A. and settled in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, but her eldest son William Townsend married a local girl and put down deep roots in Lancashire. Catherine died in Mossley, Lancashire, England on 7 February 1901 at the age of 79.
Margaret Kay’s brief time upon the earth began on 7 April 1824 in Madras, India and ended just shy of her fourth birthday on 4 April 1828 in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Peter Kay, the namesake of his father Peter, was born in November of 1826 in Madras, India. It is presumed that he settled in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland along with his parents after their return to their homeland in 1829. Currently, little else is known about his life.
Margaret Kay, the Second. The Kay family’s second daughter Margaret was like a flaming comet, lighting up their night sky for only one brilliant but unforgettable moment. The first of Margaret and Peter’s children to be born in Scotland, she arrived in November of 1829, but was carried away in death just a little over a year later, on 19 December 1830 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.
Written by Auralie Jones, a 5th great-granddaughter of Margaret Smith Kay, through Margaret’s daughter Catherine Mowat Kay Townsend.
Mention of this grave is made in the following book, which can be found in the library of the public research centre of the Dumfries and Galloway Family History Society:
“The list of husbands deceased, together with, in many instances, their departed children, comprises the following:...James Townsend, shoemaker, died 28th October 1871, aged 47, with Margaret Kay, his mother-in-law, died 11th September 1871, aged 68;…"
Source:
Memorial of St. Michael’s: The Old Parish Churchyard of Dumfries. By William McDowall; Published Edinburgh, Adam and Black, 1876. Pages 412-413.
For those wishing to visit the grave, head along the path to the right of St. Michael’s church, towards the Robert Burns Mausoleum. Carry on the path to the left of the Mausoleum, and continue to the plot of graves behind St. Michael’s Church. The grave is on the right hand side of the plot, if you have your back to the church. It is some ways down; if memory serves, it is at least halfway down the plot. There are two trees of considerable height, standing opposite one another. The tree housing the gravestone of James Townsend and Margaret Kay, is next to the grave of “Donald, son of John Mitchell, baker Annan” who died in 1872. Happy hunting!
Biography of Margaret Smith Kay, and family members:
Born in about 1803, Margaret Smith Kay lived a life which is remarkable in its highlights of boldness and adventure, as well as striking in its sorrows. The daughter of Hugh Smith, Margaret got married at around the age of 18, on 4 March 1821 at Greyfriars Church in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. Just a few weeks prior to the wedding, her new husband, the young clerk Peter Kay, a native of Edinburgh and son of shoemaker William Kay and Catherine Mowat, had enlisted as a soldier with the Honourable East India Company. On 5 May 1821, only a day after reaching their two month mark as husband and wife, they boarded the good ship Duke of Wellington, and embarked on the ambitious and lengthy journey half-way across the world, to India.
Eight months after setting sail for foreign shores, Margaret brought forth the couple’s first child, a daughter they named Catherine Mowat Kay, born at St. Thomas Mount, Madras, India in January of 1822. Two more children soon followed: a daughter Margaret in April of 1824, and a son Peter in November of 1826, with both children being christened at Saint Andrews, Madras, India.
Tragically, Margaret and Peter suffered the loss of their little girl Margaret, just days before her fourth birthday, on 4 April 1828 in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India. Soon afterwards, Peter Kay, who had then attained the rank of sergeant, left off soldiering and the bereaved family returned to their homeland, arriving in Scotland in 1829, after a life-defining absence of eight years. How odd it may have seemed to Margaret, to once again set her foot upon a landscape so familiar, yet feel her heart beating within an internal landscape so altered and expanded by her eight years of travels, toils, triumphs and tears.
But the river of life ever rushes forward, and whatever Margaret’s reflections or inner feelings may have been upon her return to Edinburgh, it is apparent that her physical energy was fully engaged in building life anew. In November of 1829, she and Peter were blessed with another daughter, their first child born on Scottish soil. They named their little one Margaret, but enjoyed the solace of her presence in their family circle but a brief season: about 13 months later, on 19 December 1830, her young life was exhausted and extinguished by a bout of whooping cough.
And here a hush falls upon the life record of Margaret Smith Kay, with no clear indication of her abode or activities for some time. In 1853, her daughter Catherine M. Kay got married to journeyman shoemaker James Townsend of Dumfries, at Greenside Parish Church in Edinburgh. Was Margaret present at the wedding?
She and her husband Peter Kay parted company; that much is clear. Whether that separation occurred despite their intense years of shared joys and sorrows, or because of it, is a question that can only be answered by those long slumbering in the grave. In the 1861 census, retired soldier Peter Kay is recorded as living in the Cannongate area of Edinburgh with another wife: a woman by the name of Janet Leishman. Janet and Peter die within days of one another in January of 1863, of bronchitis and paralysis, respectively. But where was Margaret Smith?
She was in Dumfries, apparently. For there she lies buried in St. Michael’s churchyard, having parted the veil on 11 September 1871, at the age of 68. Margaret’s daughter, Catherine M. Kay Townsend, and her young family were also resident in Dumfries at the time. It is pleasant to think that perhaps Catherine and Margaret drew strength from one another, and Margaret may have had the joy of grandchildren to brighten her days along the last stretch of her life’s winding path.
Certainly, her granddaughter and namesake, Margaret Townsend, followed in her footsteps. She too, boldly crossed an ocean just weeks after marrying, and gave birth to her first child in the distant land of America. The descendants of Margaret Smith and Peter Kay have now traversed the globe from Abu Dhabi to Aberystwyth, Tokyo to Tampere, and Heaton Norris to Houston. Margaret Smith’s brave step into the unknown back in 1821 has sown a powerful legacy indeed, one that is still bearing fruit and growing.
Family of Margaret Smith Kay:
Father: Hugh Smith, presumably of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. At the time of Margaret Smith Kay’s death in 1871, Hugh Smith was noted as “deceased” on her death record.
Husband: Peter Kay, born about 1799-1801 in St. Cuthbert’s parish of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, the son of William Kay, a shoemaker by trade, and Catherine Mowat, both of Edinburgh. He was a soldier for the East India Company in Madras, India from 1821 - 1829. He and Margaret apparently separated at some point before 1861, and he finished out his last days with another wife, Janet Leishman, at his side. He died in January of 1863 in Edinburgh.
Children: Catherine Mowat Kay was born 17 January 1822 in St. Thomas Mount, Madras, India. She arrived in Scotland with her parents in 1829, her first acquaintance with her ancestral homeland being made at the age of seven. She married journeyman shoemaker James Townsend of Dumfries on 6 May 1853, at Greenside Parish Church in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. For the next two decades, she continued her life as she began it; in travelling and setting up home anew every few years. From 1853 to 1871, her life’s paper trail leads us a merry dance from Edinburgh to Glasgow to Rochdale in Lancashire, England, then back to Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dumfries. Within the space of 7 weeks in the autumn of 1871, her family suffered the heartache of a double loss: the death of her mother Margaret Smith Kay in September, and the death of her husband James Townsend in October. Soon afterwards, Catherine moved her family to Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, where she remained for the rest of her life. Three of her children emigrated to the U.S.A. and settled in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, but her eldest son William Townsend married a local girl and put down deep roots in Lancashire. Catherine died in Mossley, Lancashire, England on 7 February 1901 at the age of 79.
Margaret Kay’s brief time upon the earth began on 7 April 1824 in Madras, India and ended just shy of her fourth birthday on 4 April 1828 in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Peter Kay, the namesake of his father Peter, was born in November of 1826 in Madras, India. It is presumed that he settled in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland along with his parents after their return to their homeland in 1829. Currently, little else is known about his life.
Margaret Kay, the Second. The Kay family’s second daughter Margaret was like a flaming comet, lighting up their night sky for only one brilliant but unforgettable moment. The first of Margaret and Peter’s children to be born in Scotland, she arrived in November of 1829, but was carried away in death just a little over a year later, on 19 December 1830 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.
Written by Auralie Jones, a 5th great-granddaughter of Margaret Smith Kay, through Margaret’s daughter Catherine Mowat Kay Townsend.
Mention of this grave is made in the following book, which can be found in the library of the public research centre of the Dumfries and Galloway Family History Society:
“The list of husbands deceased, together with, in many instances, their departed children, comprises the following:...James Townsend, shoemaker, died 28th October 1871, aged 47, with Margaret Kay, his mother-in-law, died 11th September 1871, aged 68;…"
Source:
Memorial of St. Michael’s: The Old Parish Churchyard of Dumfries. By William McDowall; Published Edinburgh, Adam and Black, 1876. Pages 412-413.
Biography of Margaret Smith Kay, and family members:
Born in about 1803, Margaret Smith Kay lived a life which is remarkable in its highlights of boldness and adventure, as well as striking in its sorrows. The daughter of Hugh Smith, Margaret got married at around the age of 18, on 4 March 1821 at Greyfriars Church in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. Just a few weeks prior to the wedding, her new husband, the young clerk Peter Kay, a native of Edinburgh and son of shoemaker William Kay and Catherine Mowat, had enlisted as a soldier with the Honourable East India Company. On 5 May 1821, only a day after reaching their two month mark as husband and wife, they boarded the good ship Duke of Wellington, and embarked on the ambitious and lengthy journey half-way across the world, to India.
Eight months after setting sail for foreign shores, Margaret brought forth the couple’s first child, a daughter they named Catherine Mowat Kay, born at St. Thomas Mount, Madras, India in January of 1822. Two more children soon followed: a daughter Margaret in April of 1824, and a son Peter in November of 1826, with both children being christened at Saint Andrews, Madras, India.
Tragically, Margaret and Peter suffered the loss of their little girl Margaret, just days before her fourth birthday, on 4 April 1828 in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India. Soon afterwards, Peter Kay, who had then attained the rank of sergeant, left off soldiering and the bereaved family returned to their homeland, arriving in Scotland in 1829, after a life-defining absence of eight years. How odd it may have seemed to Margaret, to once again set her foot upon a landscape so familiar, yet feel her heart beating within an internal landscape so altered and expanded by her eight years of travels, toils, triumphs and tears.
But the river of life ever rushes forward, and whatever Margaret’s reflections or inner feelings may have been upon her return to Edinburgh, it is apparent that her physical energy was fully engaged in building life anew. In November of 1829, she and Peter were blessed with another daughter, their first child born on Scottish soil. They named their little one Margaret, but enjoyed the solace of her presence in their family circle but a brief season: about 13 months later, on 19 December 1830, her young life was exhausted and extinguished by a bout of whooping cough.
And here a hush falls upon the life record of Margaret Smith Kay, with no clear indication of her abode or activities for some time. In 1853, her daughter Catherine M. Kay got married to journeyman shoemaker James Townsend of Dumfries, at Greenside Parish Church in Edinburgh. Was Margaret present at the wedding?
She and her husband Peter Kay parted company; that much is clear. Whether that separation occurred despite their intense years of shared joys and sorrows, or because of it, is a question that can only be answered by those long slumbering in the grave. In the 1861 census, retired soldier Peter Kay is recorded as living in the Cannongate area of Edinburgh with another wife: a woman by the name of Janet Leishman. Janet and Peter die within days of one another in January of 1863, of bronchitis and paralysis, respectively. But where was Margaret Smith?
She was in Dumfries, apparently. For there she lies buried in St. Michael’s churchyard, having parted the veil on 11 September 1871, at the age of 68. Margaret’s daughter, Catherine M. Kay Townsend, and her young family were also resident in Dumfries at the time. It is pleasant to think that perhaps Catherine and Margaret drew strength from one another, and Margaret may have had the joy of grandchildren to brighten her days along the last stretch of her life’s winding path.
Certainly, her granddaughter and namesake, Margaret Townsend, followed in her footsteps. She too, boldly crossed an ocean just weeks after marrying, and gave birth to her first child in the distant land of America. The descendants of Margaret Smith and Peter Kay have now traversed the globe from Abu Dhabi to Aberystwyth, Tokyo to Tampere, and Heaton Norris to Houston. Margaret Smith’s brave step into the unknown back in 1821 has sown a powerful legacy indeed, one that is still bearing fruit and growing.
Family of Margaret Smith Kay:
Father: Hugh Smith, presumably of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. At the time of Margaret Smith Kay’s death in 1871, Hugh Smith was noted as “deceased” on her death record.
Husband: Peter Kay, born about 1799-1801 in St. Cuthbert’s parish of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, the son of William Kay, a shoemaker by trade, and Catherine Mowat, both of Edinburgh. He was a soldier for the East India Company in Madras, India from 1821 - 1829. He and Margaret apparently separated at some point before 1861, and he finished out his last days with another wife, Janet Leishman, at his side. He died in January of 1863 in Edinburgh.
Children: Catherine Mowat Kay was born 17 January 1822 in St. Thomas Mount, Madras, India. She arrived in Scotland with her parents in 1829, her first acquaintance with her ancestral homeland being made at the age of seven. She married journeyman shoemaker James Townsend of Dumfries on 6 May 1853, at Greenside Parish Church in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. For the next two decades, she continued her life as she began it; in travelling and setting up home anew every few years. From 1853 to 1871, her life’s paper trail leads us a merry dance from Edinburgh to Glasgow to Rochdale in Lancashire, England, then back to Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dumfries. Within the space of 7 weeks in the autumn of 1871, her family suffered the heartache of a double loss: the death of her mother Margaret Smith Kay in September, and the death of her husband James Townsend in October. Soon afterwards, Catherine moved her family to Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, where she remained for the rest of her life. Three of her children emigrated to the U.S.A. and settled in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, but her eldest son William Townsend married a local girl and put down deep roots in Lancashire. Catherine died in Mossley, Lancashire, England on 7 February 1901 at the age of 79.
Margaret Kay’s brief time upon the earth began on 7 April 1824 in Madras, India and ended just shy of her fourth birthday on 4 April 1828 in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Peter Kay, the namesake of his father Peter, was born in November of 1826 in Madras, India. It is presumed that he settled in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland along with his parents after their return to their homeland in 1829. Currently, little else is known about his life.
Margaret Kay, the Second. The Kay family’s second daughter Margaret was like a flaming comet, lighting up their night sky for only one brilliant but unforgettable moment. The first of Margaret and Peter’s children to be born in Scotland, she arrived in November of 1829, but was carried away in death just a little over a year later, on 19 December 1830 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.
Written by Auralie Jones, a 5th great-granddaughter of Margaret Smith Kay, through Margaret’s daughter Catherine Mowat Kay Townsend.
Mention of this grave is made in the following book, which can be found in the library of the public research centre of the Dumfries and Galloway Family History Society:
“The list of husbands deceased, together with, in many instances, their departed children, comprises the following:...James Townsend, shoemaker, died 28th October 1871, aged 47, with Margaret Kay, his mother-in-law, died 11th September 1871, aged 68;…"
Source:
Memorial of St. Michael’s: The Old Parish Churchyard of Dumfries. By William McDowall; Published Edinburgh, Adam and Black, 1876. Pages 412-413.
Inscription
"In memory of James Townsend, who died 28th October 1871, aged 47 years, Also Margaret Kay, mother- in-law of the above, who died 11th Septr 1871, aged 68 years".
Gravesite Details
At the time these photos were taken, in July of 2017, the headstone was completely concealed within the branches of a large tree.
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