1957 William Gardner & Son, William Lightbody
Pictured from left to right in 1957. Blantyre men, William Gardner, William Lightbody Gardner (snr) and William L Gardner son of first left. Each of these men lived in Blantyre.
This looks like a Studio photo. Did you know the Gardner or Lightbody family? Can you tell us more about these men, who look so proud to be in this photo.
Hi Colin,
I am one of Bob Gardner’s grandsons. He was one of your fathers brothers. It has been interesting to find out about the family history. One of Bob’s sons also William Lightbody Gardner passed away last year at the age of 86, he live in Strathaven, Lanarkshire
Hi Bob,
Lovely to hear from you.
Sorry to hear of the passing away of William.
I think your side may be from my grandpa’s side as my dad I am sure only had the two brothers mentioned.
In one of the last conversations I had with my dad we talked about the Lightbody connection. He corrected my pronunciation saying it was “Laybury”. They lived at Stonefield Crescent.
We all have very fond memories of Blantyre. Although I said Grandpa was stern (they were religious and observed strict adherence to their church) my brother reminds me that they were in fact very kind and caring people and we were well looked after. The people of Blantyre were a close community and everyone knew everyone.
Hi Colin,
Thanks for your response, much appreciated.
From the research I have done so far on Ancestry.com I have been able to ascertain the following:
William Gardner (born 1841) Married Janet Lightbody (born 1843) in 1868. William was originally from Cambusnethan, Wishaw and Janet from Carluke.
They had a son William Lightbody Gardner (born in 1877) and who married Elizabeth Hastie Todd (born 1877) in 1901. They lived in 184 Auchinraith Road, High Blantyre at the time of Elizabeth’s death in 1929.
William and Elizabeth had a number of children, including:
William (1902–)
Elizabeth (1904–)
Janet (1906–)
David (1907–)
Thomas (1909–)
Robert Todd (1910–1974) – My Grandfather
James
John
I’m not sure if this ties in with any of your records or understanding. I also know that William Lightbody Gardner was listed as a Baker.
Hope this helps and I would be interested in hearing of any other information you have.
Kind regards
Bob
William Gardner (first left) is my grandfather, who I remember very well although he died when I was little. He was austere but kind. William on the right “Willy” is my uncle – I never met him or his family but they emigrated to the USA and I believe he was a test driver for an American car manufacturer. Missing in the photo are two other younger sons, David (my father, a baker) and Archibald “Archie”, both no longer alive. I think there was also a daughter but we were not a very close family and I rarely met them. I never met my great grandfather but I remember my dad telling me that there was a Lightbody connection. I have very fond memories of Blantyre as a child. I am the youngest of David’s five sons – all thankfully still alive. Thank you to whoever posted the photo!
Hello Colin, my name is Jean Bartley my maiden name was Gardner. I am the daughter of William L. and Jean Gardner who emigrated to the USA. My parents came here when my oldest brother Samuel was a year old in 1952. My daughter saw this site and sent me the link so I could hopefully reconnect with some of my family over in Scotland. Do you keep in touch with Uncle Archie’s family? The last time I was in Scotland with my Dad and Mom was 1987. My Dad was a test driver and trainer for General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford,MI. Milford Michigan was the town we were raised in.My Dad passed away in July of 2011 at the age of 84. My Mom Jean(maiden name Aitkenhead) passed away the next year in September 2012. I have two brothers Samuel William Gardner (71)and William Lightbody Gardner (69). We had a sister who died when she was 11, in 1975. Her name was Cindy Mary Gardner. Mary was after our Grandmother Mary Gardner. I hope we can reconnect.
Hello, Jean. Wonderful to hear from you. Rosalind Clarke, Archie’s daughter, is in touch with Kevin and on Facebook. She lives in Hamilton. We haven’t had contact with Kenneth for many years. Although our dad was not a very close father to us we knew how proud he was of his brother as he mentioned him frequently and I remember also the dark shadow the passing of Cindy cast over the family. Sadly, two of our brothers, Trevor (62) and Ian (58) passed away recently. I’m actually here (Canterbury) at the moment with Kevin, who’s also on Facebook (Kevin Gardner, Portsmouth). And our other brother, Malcolm, went back home yesterday. It would be lovely to reconnect and also Kevin would like to know more about our grandmother as although she was alive when he was born in 1956 she passed away before he met her. If you message Kevin on Facebook we can share contact details.
I am researching Aitkenheads in Blantyre/EastKilbride/Avondale/Glassford and I’ve been wondering about this Jean Aitkenhead for a while. After much head-scratching, I think I have worked it out.
Jean was born at 35 Hunthill Road, Blantyre, Lanarkshire, on 16 June 1929, and her birth certificate says that her parents, Samuel Aitkenhead and Jean Wylie, were married in Windsor, Ontario, on 25 October 1926.
In the 1911 census are John Aitkenhead (1854-1918) and his second wife Mary Courtney (born 1883, daughter of Samuel Courtney and Helen Kerr), and among others Samuel Concannon, stepson, aged 3. John and Mary were married on 7 July 1910, and on her marriage certificate she is described as Mary Concannon, widow.
Edward Concannon, telephone wiresman, and his wife Mary Courtney had a son, Samuel Courtney Concannon, born 22 June 1907 at 62 Percy Street, Larkhall. According to Samuel’s birth certificate Edward Concannon and Mary Courtney were married in London on 5 July 1904.
After John Aitkenhead’s death, Mary Courtney or Concannon or Aitkenhead married George Wilson in 1920. In 1921 George and Mary were living in Blantyre with his stepchildren including Samuel Aitkenhead, 14.
So I reckon that Samuel Aitkenhead is the one born Samuel Courtney Concannon.
I have yet to find the records of the marriage of Edward Concannon and Mary Courtney, or of the deaths of any of the family apart from John Aitkenhead and a child who died in early childhood.
Hello Ann, Jean Aitkenhead born 16 June 1929 was my Mother. Are you related to my Mothers family.