Theme: Random

I have a distantly related great aunt who died aged 13 “of natural causes” in 1906. She was one of 5 children born to George Johnston and Jessie Yuille of St. Rollox, Glasgow. Only two of them survived to full adulthood. She had an interesting name – at a time when middle names were still fairly rare.

Her name was Catherine McFarlane McGavin Johnston. She is interred with her Great Grandfather Charles and her parents in Charles’ huge lair in Glasgow’s Southern Necropolis.

Why all the names?

Catherine’s paternal grandmother was Isabella McFarlane 1819-1857.

Catherine’s father’s sister, her aunt Catherine Johnston 1840-1863, married David McGavin.

One of this Aunt Catherine’s daughters was Isabella McFarlane McGavin 1866-1890 who died aged 24. Perhaps Catherine McFarlane McGavin Johnston, born 3 years later, was named in her memory.

To compound the sad story, Catherine’s elder brother George 1891-1891 had died two years earlier aged 8 months, and her father died 3 months after her.