1896 Ness’s Low Blantyre School

Blantyre Project reader Susan Dunsmuir sent this photo over to me. She wrote, “the little boy seated first row far right with the mismatched button is my grandfather David Dunsmuir. The story goes that the long face he has is because the photo was postponed a day and his mum wouldn’t let him wear his good suit again.“

With pupils transferring from Blantyre Village works school in 1875 to the “new” Low Blantyre Stonefield Primary, (more commonly Ness’s wee school), this photo dating from around 1896 is likely taken at Ness’s school, Glasgow Road.

Susan went on to say , “I believe my grandfather was born in 1890 and he looks about 6 -7 years old here. So I estimate the photo is mid 1890’s. No later than 1900. I don’t know anything else about where. But my grandfather was born in Shuttle Row & emigrated to the U.S. in 1920 to work as a coal miner in Pennsylvania. He later settled in Newark, NJ with his wife Annie & two small children (my dad). He lived to be 95. His nickname was Daw. But I’m sure that was common for that profession.“