Who Do You Think You Are - Kevin Clifton 22nd June

[kiterunner]

On BBC1 at 9 p.m. and repeated next Wednesday at 11:50 p.m.

[Margaret in Burton]

Nodded off so will rewatch tomorrow. Nothing to do with the content but a really bad nights sleep the night before.

[Olde Crone]

Ooh, I REALLY enjoyed that! I thought he was going to get on my nerves but he was so interested in an intelligent way that I put up with him, lol. What an incredible story.

OC

[ElizabethHerts]

That was different! I really enjoyed it and found Kevin far less irritating than I thought I would. I wonder where all the later documents were found?

[kiterunner]

Kevin Clifton and his sister grew up in Grimsby, where their parents still live. Kevin's maternal grandparents also came from Grimsby, and one of his great-grandparents was a fisherman there. Kevin went to see his parents, who showed him a photo of his paternal grandparents Ernest Edward Clifton (Eddie) and Margaret (Peggy) dancing. Eddie's birth certificate showed that his parents were Ernest Walter Clifton, a cabinet maker, and Grace Emily nee Drewett. Grace's birth certificate showed that she was born in Tottenham on the 23rd Nov 1906, the daughter of William Edward Drewett, a house painter, and Emma Grace Elizabeth nee Russell. There was a photo of Emma taken in the 1950's. Kevin's father told him that there was a family story that two brothers emigrated from Scotland to Hudson Bay in Canada and that one of them married a Native American woman named Matooski.

Kevin went to the local library to do some family history research on the computer and found the 1911 census entry for William and Emma and their children. Emma's birthplace was shown as British Columbia, Canada. On the 1891 Canadian census, Emma was in an orphanage in Victoria City, British Columbia. Kevin went there and met the communications manager of the organisation which used to run the orphanage, who showed him the admittance register entries dated March 1890 for Emma, aged 7, and her siblings John Henry Russell, aged 5, and Harriet Elizabeth Russell, aged 4 1/2. The register showed that they were discharged in Aug 1891, removed by their father.

Kevin was shown the marriage certificate dated Jan 1882 of Emma's parents, John Joshua Russell, aged 40, a cab driver, and Grace Gorridge, aged 16. There was a photo of them with Emma and John Henry. Kevin then met a genealogist and newspaper editor who had found some articles in the newspaper archive which showed why the children were in the orphanage. John Joshua Russell had brought a divorce action against his wife, claiming infidelity on her part. He denied hitting her, running after her with an axe, and beating her, but he did admit to giving her a black eye. She didn't testify. The jury found her guilty of adultery and a divorce was granted, but John Joshua was ordered to support the children and to pay 500 dollars into court to support Grace. An article from the following year said that Grace had travelled to San Francisco with a man called Thompson who had run off with all her money. No further record of her had been found. There was a story that she died in Washington State, but the genealogist / newspaper editor had not found evidence to prove this.

Kevin went to the Catholic church and met a genealogist who showed him Grace's baptism record in the church register, dated 3 Aug 1867. She was born on the 24 Dec 1865 and her parents were Elvey Gorridge and Grace McTavish. Their marriage certificate gave Elvey's name as Alfred, and Grace's as Grace Dodd, widow, and it said that Grace was born at York Factory, aka Fort York, on the Hudson Bay, her parents being John George McTavish and Nancy. Kevin flew to York Factory by helicopter, and met a local historian who told him that the Hudson's Bay Company traded in furs, and that York Factory was the industry's most important trading post at one time, with John George McTavish being the chief factor between 1821 and 1828. Grace's baptism record dated 7 Sep 1828 said that her parents were John George McTavish and "a half-breed woman".

Kevin was shown a photograph of Nancy, who was also known as Matooski and was a Chippewa. He was then shown a marriage record from Edinburgh, dated 22 Feb 1830, which showed that John George McTavish married Catherine Aitken Turner while on leave. The historian explained that it was not unusual for male employees of the Hudson's Bay Company to take a "country wife" in Canada and then to marry again back home. Kevin was shown a letter sent to John George six months later from a fort near Winnipeg, saying that Matooski was now living up to her name (which meant "object of pity") and criticising John George for leaving her after 17 years and 7 children together. The place where the letter was sent from no longer exists, but Kevin went to Fort Garry, where Nancy / Matooski also spent some time. A local historian showed Kevin a French marriage certificate which said that "Ann McKenzie" (i.e. Nancy / Matooski) married Pierre Leblanc. The historian explained that there was a common process called "turning off", by which a man leaving a "country wife" would find another man to take her on and would leave them a dowry. There was also a letter ordering Pierre to go to British Columbia, with or without his new family. The historian said that he did take his family with him, on a 3 1/2 month river trip, but there was a shipwreck on the way and 12 out of 26 people died, including Pierre and three of the children. Matooski and one child survived. Kevin was shown the will of Nancy Leblanc of Vancouver Island, in which she left £800 to be divided between her three surviving daughters, Mary, Margaret, and Grace.

[kiterunner]

I thought it was very interesting but could have done without Kevin saying "my great great great great great grandparents" so many times! I know there is an episode next week, but I am wondering whether there will be a mid-series break after that because of Wimbledon. Otherwise we will have to expect episodes to start at random times or move to BBC2 with no notice.

[Ann from Sussex]

Oh I really enjoyed that one, one of the best ever I think, not only because it was a terrific story but because it was backed up with so many original documents. I also liked Kevin's approach too, just enough emotion but also an intelligent interpretation of what he was being shown.
I did go back and rewatch it this morning because I was wondering how Matooski became Anne McKenzie who married Pierre LeBlanc but when you pause the picture and read the whole of the marriage document it says Anne was the daughter of Robert McKenzie and an "Indian woman" so I suppose if you add that to her subsequent history plus the way that she was referred to on Grace's baptism record it does make sense to draw that conclusion. A really,really good programme!
Edit to say: I've also just remembered that the historian said McTavish provided "Anne Mc Kenzie/Matooski with a dowry so there is the real proof. This business known as "turning off" was glossed over somewhat I thought. In reality it meant they treated their "country wife" as just a possession to be passed around at will.

[Olde Crone]

Ann, I agree that they treated their country wives as a possession, but at that time, ALL wives were treated as a possession. Two things struck me about that - the fact that his colleagues felt he had treated her badly and the fact that there was a custom in place to make sure the wives and children were taken care of. The men could so easily have just abandoned them. From the little I've read, these women could not go back to their own families.

I was also impressed that Kevin did not attempt to make excuses for the behaviour of his various great grandfathers and was immediately and obviously upset by it.

Yes, definitely one of the best over all the years.

OC

[Ann from Sussex]

The fact that McTavish's colleagues were moved to write that letter must have meant that originally he hadn't bothered to make arrangements for Matooski and the children. It was written in 1830 and the following year she married LeBlanc so perhaps the letter prompted McTavish to pay the dowry and either he or the "friends" talked about in the letter arranged the marriage. I wonder what had happened to her British father by that time? Presumably if he were still alive he wasn't considered responsible for her in any way. I am glad to have been a 20th century daughter and wife!

[Olde Crone]

I desperately wanted to know what happened to the other children. We know three daughters survived, what happened to them? Did they ever have any contact with their father? How could he not be interested in them, if not. So many questions, I wouldn't have been able to leave it there!

OC