Mary Jane, Avesta, and Lancie Scott in 1880 from an original tin type

The Scott family in 1910: Ida, David, Albert, Mary Jane, Ona, Avesta, Mary Etta

Children of Avesta and Mary Jane Scott, taken in Des Moines, 1894: Ona, 9, Ida, 3, Mary Etta, 12, Albert, 6

born: 19 Apr 1857, Kirkpatrick Fleming Parish,Dumfriesshire,Scotland

died: 20 Jan 1919, North English,Iowa Co.,Iowa

bur.: 21 Jan 1919, North English,Iowa Co.,Iowa, at IOOF Cemetery

spouse: Avesta Franklin SCOTT

marr: 15 Dec 1878, Keokuk Co.,Iowa

born: 24 May 1855, Indiana

died: 8 Sep 1926, North English,Iowa Co.,Iowa

bur.: North English,Iowa Co.,Iowa, at IOOF Cemetery

occu: insurance and real-estate salesman

Children:

Lancie Guthro SCOTT

Mary Etta SCOTT

Ona Bertha SCOTT

Albert Alvin SCOTT

Ida Louisa SCOTT

David Avesta SCOTT

                      |--------Peter GILCRASS (1755 - 1820, Scotland)
                      |
           |---------John J. GILCHRIST (1803, Scotland - 1878, Iowa)
           |          |
           |          |--------Jannet JARDEN (1752 - 1804, Scotland)
           |
  |------Peter GILCHRIST (1823, Scotland - 1878, Iowa)
  |        |
  |        |          |--------John ROME ( - )
  |        |          |
  |        |---------Margaret ROME (1794, Scotland - 1857, Scotland)
  |                   |
  |                   |--------Jean RAE ( - )
  |
Mary Jane GILCHRIST (1857, Scotland - 1919, Iowa)
  |
  |                   |--------
  |                   |
  |        |---------William JOHNSTONE ( - )
  |        |          |
  |        |          |--------
  |        |
  |------Mary JOHNSTONE (1821, Scotland - 1866, Scotland)
           |
           |          |--------John WELSH ( - 1877)
           |          |
           |---------Catherine WELSH (England - 1877, Scotland)
                      |
                      |--------Mary MOFFAT ( - 1877)

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Mary Jane's name is recorded simply as Jane on her birth record in Scotland. However, she's always referred to as Mary Jane in Iowa. This sort of name switch is pretty common among her Gilchrist family. In Mary Jane's case, her daughter Ida gave this explanation, ``Mother went by the name of Jane in Scotland, but after she arrived here her Uncle David and Aunt Fannie called her Mary because of her mother. Then she got the name Mary Jane. All of her life from then on she was called Mary.''

Mary Jane came to US with her father and siblings in 1870. She spent her 13th birthday at sea on the way here. Her granddaughter Ruth (Morrison) Seiwert says that Mary Jane told later of how long the voyage was and it just depended on how the wind was blowing.

Also according to Ruth, the Morrison kids visited a lot with Mary Jane and Avesta. Ruth remembers that Mary Jane would come out to their place and knit for hours. Ruth had a straight chair they brought over from Scotland. Ruth gave it to one of her grandchildren when Ruth moved to town.

According to a letter written by her daughter Ida in 1978,

Our mother wouldn't allow nick names. She had the flu in the fall of 1919 and couldn't get strength back -- grieved her self till the end because she couldn't help with the [Morrison] children after Etta's passing.

Sources for this individual: @S96@ @S97@ @S98@ @S1735@