Catherine Lees was born in Carnwath, Scotland in 1871 to John Lees and Catherine Martin who both were from Ireland. Her father was actually John O'Neil, but later selected the surname of Lees in the mid 1850's after leaving (probably County Monaghan, Ireland) for Scotland. He left during the great potato famine and settled near the coal mining camps to raise his growing family in Scotland. John married Catherine Martin in 1857 in Glasgow, under the O'Neill name at St. Mungo's Cathedral. He chose the Lees surname to escape some trouble he encountered as a poor teenager, as well as Irish-Catholic, persecution. He hoped this would help his family to blend in with the Scottish culture. The surname of Lees was the name of a man he highly respected, James Lees, who is listed as his father on his death certificate but John was basically adopted into their family. John and Catherine had seven children, Matthew, Rose Ann, John, James, Mary O'Neil, Catherine and Peter. Their mother, Catherine Martin, died on January 1, 1874 after the birth of Peter, in December 1873.
Catherine married in Glasgow to Thomas Patrick Ward in 1890. They had three children: Thomas Patrick, Catherine Martin, and Margaret Mary. Thomas was a cattle drover, driving them to Australia. When he returned to Glasgow, he was diagnosed with Pemphigus Vulgaris, an Auto-Immune disease that caused lesions on the skin, however, infection would set in. He died on January 12, 1895 before the birth of Margaret. Catherine worked at Mann and Byers Company in Glasgow but was not able to care for her two eldest, young, children and a newborn. She kept the youngest and her sister-in-law, Agnes, Peter's wife, helped care for Margaret. Tom and Katie were placed in two different Catholic Orphanages, the second was called Smyllum, in Glasgow and housed about 1,000 orphans. It was built to resemble a castle and it can be found on Google. And it was here that Tom, or Uncle Scotty, (as we grew to call him), learned to sign as it was also an orphanage for the deaf. Uncle Scotty told me at the age of 89, he could still remember how to sing and sign "God Bless America" as it was taught to him while living there. He did a darn good job of signing and singing to me and I wish I had a film of that one, however, I do have it on tape. Scotty and Katie were in Smyllum there about 7 years...
Catherine met Dublineer, Arthur Jackson, in Glasgow as he is living there with his family in 1901 as seen on the country census. In April of 1905 they pooled their money and first, Arthur left for Butte, Montana as it was a growing Irish mining community. It became known as "Irish Butte". Butte had several mines, especially copper mines that drew thousands of workers from the British Isles. It was the custom for the men to first secure a job and home and later send for the family. As soon as Catherine arrived with her three children in September 1905, they married. They traveled on board the S. S. Numidian.
Catherine and Arthur went on to have four children, in Butte, however, Catherine died in childbirth with her 8th child, Kathryn Cecilia Jackson, otherwise known as Dollie..
It is a sad tale of struggle and hardship as they survived the times of the copper mines, World War I, the Spanish Influenza and all that followed. Daughter Rose, died in Portland while living with George and Hettie Iveson, after the death of both parents, from Encephalitis Lethargica. This was the aftermath of the Spanish Flu, and it was better known as "Sleepy Sickness." She was just 13 years old. (See the movie "Awakenings" with Robin Williams. This was a true story about the same disorder.)
In Scotland:
Her parents were John (O'Neill) Lees, and Catherine Martin.
She married Thomas Patrick Ward in 1890 and they had three children: Thomas Patrick, Catherine Martin and Margaret Mary.
In Butte, Montana, USA:
She married Arthur Frederick Jackson and they had four children:
Rose, John, Mary Emily (Mollie), and Kathryn Cecilia (Dollie).
Catherine is buried together with her young daughter Margaret Mary "Rita" Atkinson. Rita's 3 little babies are buried nearby. Catherine's husband, Arthur, is buried just one space over.
Catherine married in Glasgow to Thomas Patrick Ward in 1890. They had three children: Thomas Patrick, Catherine Martin, and Margaret Mary. Thomas was a cattle drover, driving them to Australia. When he returned to Glasgow, he was diagnosed with Pemphigus Vulgaris, an Auto-Immune disease that caused lesions on the skin, however, infection would set in. He died on January 12, 1895 before the birth of Margaret. Catherine worked at Mann and Byers Company in Glasgow but was not able to care for her two eldest, young, children and a newborn. She kept the youngest and her sister-in-law, Agnes, Peter's wife, helped care for Margaret. Tom and Katie were placed in two different Catholic Orphanages, the second was called Smyllum, in Glasgow and housed about 1,000 orphans. It was built to resemble a castle and it can be found on Google. And it was here that Tom, or Uncle Scotty, (as we grew to call him), learned to sign as it was also an orphanage for the deaf. Uncle Scotty told me at the age of 89, he could still remember how to sing and sign "God Bless America" as it was taught to him while living there. He did a darn good job of signing and singing to me and I wish I had a film of that one, however, I do have it on tape. Scotty and Katie were in Smyllum there about 7 years...
Catherine met Dublineer, Arthur Jackson, in Glasgow as he is living there with his family in 1901 as seen on the country census. In April of 1905 they pooled their money and first, Arthur left for Butte, Montana as it was a growing Irish mining community. It became known as "Irish Butte". Butte had several mines, especially copper mines that drew thousands of workers from the British Isles. It was the custom for the men to first secure a job and home and later send for the family. As soon as Catherine arrived with her three children in September 1905, they married. They traveled on board the S. S. Numidian.
Catherine and Arthur went on to have four children, in Butte, however, Catherine died in childbirth with her 8th child, Kathryn Cecilia Jackson, otherwise known as Dollie..
It is a sad tale of struggle and hardship as they survived the times of the copper mines, World War I, the Spanish Influenza and all that followed. Daughter Rose, died in Portland while living with George and Hettie Iveson, after the death of both parents, from Encephalitis Lethargica. This was the aftermath of the Spanish Flu, and it was better known as "Sleepy Sickness." She was just 13 years old. (See the movie "Awakenings" with Robin Williams. This was a true story about the same disorder.)
In Scotland:
Her parents were John (O'Neill) Lees, and Catherine Martin.
She married Thomas Patrick Ward in 1890 and they had three children: Thomas Patrick, Catherine Martin and Margaret Mary.
In Butte, Montana, USA:
She married Arthur Frederick Jackson and they had four children:
Rose, John, Mary Emily (Mollie), and Kathryn Cecilia (Dollie).
Catherine is buried together with her young daughter Margaret Mary "Rita" Atkinson. Rita's 3 little babies are buried nearby. Catherine's husband, Arthur, is buried just one space over.
Catherine Lees was born in Carnwath, Scotland in 1871 to John Lees and Catherine Martin who both were from Ireland. Her father was actually John O'Neil, but later selected the surname of Lees in the mid 1850's after leaving (probably County Monaghan, Ireland) for Scotland. He left during the great potato famine and settled near the coal mining camps to raise his growing family in Scotland. John married Catherine Martin in 1857 in Glasgow, under the O'Neill name at St. Mungo's Cathedral. He chose the Lees surname to escape some trouble he encountered as a poor teenager, as well as Irish-Catholic, persecution. He hoped this would help his family to blend in with the Scottish culture. The surname of Lees was the name of a man he highly respected, James Lees, who is listed as his father on his death certificate but John was basically adopted into their family. John and Catherine had seven children, Matthew, Rose Ann, John, James, Mary O'Neil, Catherine and Peter. Their mother, Catherine Martin, died on January 1, 1874 after the birth of Peter, in December 1873.
Catherine married in Glasgow to Thomas Patrick Ward in 1890. They had three children: Thomas Patrick, Catherine Martin, and Margaret Mary. Thomas was a cattle drover, driving them to Australia. When he returned to Glasgow, he was diagnosed with Pemphigus Vulgaris, an Auto-Immune disease that caused lesions on the skin, however, infection would set in. He died on January 12, 1895 before the birth of Margaret. Catherine worked at Mann and Byers Company in Glasgow but was not able to care for her two eldest, young, children and a newborn. She kept the youngest and her sister-in-law, Agnes, Peter's wife, helped care for Margaret. Tom and Katie were placed in two different Catholic Orphanages, the second was called Smyllum, in Glasgow and housed about 1,000 orphans. It was built to resemble a castle and it can be found on Google. And it was here that Tom, or Uncle Scotty, (as we grew to call him), learned to sign as it was also an orphanage for the deaf. Uncle Scotty told me at the age of 89, he could still remember how to sing and sign "God Bless America" as it was taught to him while living there. He did a darn good job of signing and singing to me and I wish I had a film of that one, however, I do have it on tape. Scotty and Katie were in Smyllum there about 7 years...
Catherine met Dublineer, Arthur Jackson, in Glasgow as he is living there with his family in 1901 as seen on the country census. In April of 1905 they pooled their money and first, Arthur left for Butte, Montana as it was a growing Irish mining community. It became known as "Irish Butte". Butte had several mines, especially copper mines that drew thousands of workers from the British Isles. It was the custom for the men to first secure a job and home and later send for the family. As soon as Catherine arrived with her three children in September 1905, they married. They traveled on board the S. S. Numidian.
Catherine and Arthur went on to have four children, in Butte, however, Catherine died in childbirth with her 8th child, Kathryn Cecilia Jackson, otherwise known as Dollie..
It is a sad tale of struggle and hardship as they survived the times of the copper mines, World War I, the Spanish Influenza and all that followed. Daughter Rose, died in Portland while living with George and Hettie Iveson, after the death of both parents, from Encephalitis Lethargica. This was the aftermath of the Spanish Flu, and it was better known as "Sleepy Sickness." She was just 13 years old. (See the movie "Awakenings" with Robin Williams. This was a true story about the same disorder.)
In Scotland:
Her parents were John (O'Neill) Lees, and Catherine Martin.
She married Thomas Patrick Ward in 1890 and they had three children: Thomas Patrick, Catherine Martin and Margaret Mary.
In Butte, Montana, USA:
She married Arthur Frederick Jackson and they had four children:
Rose, John, Mary Emily (Mollie), and Kathryn Cecilia (Dollie).
Catherine is buried together with her young daughter Margaret Mary "Rita" Atkinson. Rita's 3 little babies are buried nearby. Catherine's husband, Arthur, is buried just one space over.
Catherine married in Glasgow to Thomas Patrick Ward in 1890. They had three children: Thomas Patrick, Catherine Martin, and Margaret Mary. Thomas was a cattle drover, driving them to Australia. When he returned to Glasgow, he was diagnosed with Pemphigus Vulgaris, an Auto-Immune disease that caused lesions on the skin, however, infection would set in. He died on January 12, 1895 before the birth of Margaret. Catherine worked at Mann and Byers Company in Glasgow but was not able to care for her two eldest, young, children and a newborn. She kept the youngest and her sister-in-law, Agnes, Peter's wife, helped care for Margaret. Tom and Katie were placed in two different Catholic Orphanages, the second was called Smyllum, in Glasgow and housed about 1,000 orphans. It was built to resemble a castle and it can be found on Google. And it was here that Tom, or Uncle Scotty, (as we grew to call him), learned to sign as it was also an orphanage for the deaf. Uncle Scotty told me at the age of 89, he could still remember how to sing and sign "God Bless America" as it was taught to him while living there. He did a darn good job of signing and singing to me and I wish I had a film of that one, however, I do have it on tape. Scotty and Katie were in Smyllum there about 7 years...
Catherine met Dublineer, Arthur Jackson, in Glasgow as he is living there with his family in 1901 as seen on the country census. In April of 1905 they pooled their money and first, Arthur left for Butte, Montana as it was a growing Irish mining community. It became known as "Irish Butte". Butte had several mines, especially copper mines that drew thousands of workers from the British Isles. It was the custom for the men to first secure a job and home and later send for the family. As soon as Catherine arrived with her three children in September 1905, they married. They traveled on board the S. S. Numidian.
Catherine and Arthur went on to have four children, in Butte, however, Catherine died in childbirth with her 8th child, Kathryn Cecilia Jackson, otherwise known as Dollie..
It is a sad tale of struggle and hardship as they survived the times of the copper mines, World War I, the Spanish Influenza and all that followed. Daughter Rose, died in Portland while living with George and Hettie Iveson, after the death of both parents, from Encephalitis Lethargica. This was the aftermath of the Spanish Flu, and it was better known as "Sleepy Sickness." She was just 13 years old. (See the movie "Awakenings" with Robin Williams. This was a true story about the same disorder.)
In Scotland:
Her parents were John (O'Neill) Lees, and Catherine Martin.
She married Thomas Patrick Ward in 1890 and they had three children: Thomas Patrick, Catherine Martin and Margaret Mary.
In Butte, Montana, USA:
She married Arthur Frederick Jackson and they had four children:
Rose, John, Mary Emily (Mollie), and Kathryn Cecilia (Dollie).
Catherine is buried together with her young daughter Margaret Mary "Rita" Atkinson. Rita's 3 little babies are buried nearby. Catherine's husband, Arthur, is buried just one space over.
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