‘My Favourite Photograph’

 

When I became the caretaker of the Paton/Lennox photographs, I was thrilled at the opportunity to begin restoring and identifying the intriguing faces captured in these images—from World War I soldiers to joyful family snapshots.

One photograph that particularly caught my attention was that of Isabella. I found myself eager to uncover more about her. Who was this stern-looking woman, and what kind of life had she experienced?

Isabella Gibson was born in 1840 to William Gibson and Jean Miller in Stirlingshire, Scotland, and she holds the distinction of being my great-great-paternal grandmother. As the fourth of six daughters, I felt a surge of excitement when I stumbled upon a carte de visite photograph featuring all six sisters, which I dated to around 1855 and subsequently restored digitally. 

In 1860, Isabella officially married quarryman Alexander Paton. By that time, they had already welcomed their first child, James Gibson Paton, born in 1858 when Isabella was just 18 years old. The couple went on to have ten more children, with all but two sons surviving to adulthood.

The emotions that arise while sifting through Scottish newspapers can be profound, especially when uncovering hints that a marriage may not have been a happy one. My first encounter with domestic violence in my family history came when I discovered an article from the Stirling Observer dated 1864, detailing Alexander's assault on his wife. The very next year, Isabella was charged with behaving in a disorderly manner. 

The most poignant article in the 'Stirling Observer' on June 24, 1875, detailed the heartbreaking death of Alexander at Dunmore Quarry. At just thirty-five years old, Isabella found herself a widow, tasked with the daunting challenge of raising nine children, the youngest of whom was merely five months old.

Six years later, the 1881 Scotland Census revealed that Isabella was living with eight children: seven of Alexander’s and her daughter, Lilias. By the time of the 1891 Census, the household had changed to include four children and a grandson. In 1901, at the age of sixty, Isabella was living with two daughters and two grandchildren.

Isabella’s son, Alexander, lost his wife, Helen Duncan, in 1907, when their two sons, William and James (my grandfather), were still young. The 1911 Census indicates that Isabella was living with Alexander and the boys in Inverkeithing, Dunfermline.

Isabella refused to let her age hinder her visiting family. In July 1916, while visiting her son William in Hill of Beath, Fife, she suffered a fall that resulted in a fractured femur. Tragically, she later passed away from cardiac failure.

I believe my great-great-grandmother was a remarkable woman who faced numerous challenges with resilience, holding her family together through both difficult times and moments of joy. I deeply wish I could have met her.

Sources:  Find My Past, Scotland's People