Say “hi!” and let us know what you think of the website! Visitors from all over the world, please feel free to scroll down to the bottom of this page and leave me a little message. I hope you’re enjoying the Blantyre Project website and the book and I’m only too happy to investigate something or ancestry in Blantyre for you. I’d also like to hear from people who have stories, memories, or photos of anything Blantyre related. Who knows, your comments may just end up in one of our many planned books over the next couple of decades.
Thank you so much for all your hard work and dedication, I so much enjoy all the stories and history, it’s a step back in time.
Thanks for ur help, keep up everything ur posting, love it c
i lost my dad john morrison from blantyre 20 years ago and have now found a paper cutting about the 1877 mining disaster my grannys maiden name was mcanulty so i am now trying to piece bits together so glad i found this little site
Stumbled on your website, love it. Grew up in the prefabs at the Industrial Estate, went to High Blantyre Primary and Hamilton Academy. Started my working life at the long gone Blantyre Engineering.
Bolted to Australia in 1981, nice to see the old photos and read the old stories of my old hometown.
Through DNA testing, I have reason to believe that my Morrisons came from the Blantyre area. I would encourage Morrisons interested in genealogy to contact FTDNA (Family Tree DNA) and request a test kit to submit a DNA sample. This will be matched with Morrisons found in the Clan Morrison of North America DNA Project. This can be accessed through http://www.geneticousins.com. There are hundreds of Morrisons listed and many groups of those who match others similarly. My group is Group C and one participant has solid paperwork evidence of being from Blantyre and area.
Thank you. I will post this on Social Media and forward you the summary by email. Good luck with this, i know several Morrison families in Blantyre.
my granny was agnes morrison my dad was john morrison from blantyre trying to find any relatives left
also my grannys maiden name was mcanulty
hi just came across your web page while doing a family search no matter where you go in this world there is always a connection to blantyre when i read about the lady blantyre to bermuda i thought my aunt mary sweeney would have been the first from blantyre to arrive on that beautifull island she was there from 1954/58 working at goverment house she went on to meet many famous people while there not bad for a gril from bairds rows i also have a photo of my gran who was on the first ladys committee of blantyre miners welfare which i will post later mary falco
Thank you very much Paul for this wonderful resource. I find your articles compelling, well researched and admire the effort put in to actually investigate stories. Your passion comes across in your words every time. The mark of a historian is to get out and keep researching. Don’t ever become “a mailbox”. The late Jimmy Cornfield finally has somebody worthy to continue his wonderful legacy.
Hi Paul. Well just bought a copy of your brilliant book, unfortunately, i can’t get a chance to read it. As soon as i came home, the kids ran off with it. The quietest i’ve seen them in ages. They’re both fascinated, lol.
My mums just sent me a copy of your book and I cant wait to read it,plus really looking forward to seeing the photographs you will be posting. Thank you
Brilliant researching mate,, keep them coming
Thanks to my Scottish second cousin Robert G. Black for alerting me to this page!!!!! Amazeballs! Thank you so much too, to the organizer for getting all this special and precious information flowing. Keep up the good work.
Love the site, my dad’s family comes from Blantyre…
A big thank you to Paul Veverka . The Blantyre Project . A Journey in Time-Volume 1. It was a remarkable book to have read, Being born and bred in Blantyre (My ain wee toon) brought the past into the present.Outstanding work Paul, and i am looking forward to Volume 2.My book is now tucked away safely for my Grand children, and Great Grand children to read when they decide to read of Blantyre’s history.
Paul – your project is a great resource!
Love the stories. Thanks for sharing
I have to say what a wonderful site you have, it’s superb!
Hello
My name is Mary Peat , my family was from Blantyre, lived on Glasgow Rd, I came to America in 1952- WE LIVED ON Glasgow Rd- is the park still there- great memories.
Hi Mary. The park is still there, although nowhere near as beautiful as it was then.
thank you so much kind of you to answer
Hi Paul
I have just read about your book in the Hamilton Advertiser and look forward to receiving the copy I have purchased from Amazon. Like you I share a love of Blantyre, having been brought up there and taught at Auchinraith Primary and David Livingstone Memorial Primary over the past 40 years. Looking at the website I was particularly pleased to see the picture of Anderson Church and it was through that aspect of my life that we knew the Duncan family very well. As a young teenager I remember thinking how romantic it was how your mum and dad met and we were all looking forward to Janet coming back to Blantyre with Jo! Your mum arranged for me to have a pen pal in Prague but I ended up marrying a Londoner! I will have a look through my old photographs and if there are any different from already in you book I will get them to you in hope that there can be a Volume 2.
Moira Monk
Paul- I picked up a copy of your book at the Christmas light switch-on on Sunday. I am sorry I did not get chance to have a word with you. It is a really interesting exercise. I was going to mention the book in my Hamilton Advertiser column next week. It would be good to get a photo to go along with the article. If that would be helpful to you, please let me know and we can arrange to meet. I think it work very well as a schools project. Give me a shout when you are starting to think about this.
James Kelly
MSP for Rutherglen
Dear Paul
I am delighted to say that I received my copy of your book this morning.
Page 126 Figure 75, in the 1920s my grandparents David & Christina Henderson and my granny’s brother and his wife John and Jean Cook, lived in Shuttle Row. The latter pair actually lived in what is now considered to be the Livingstone’s kitchen (living area) in the Livingstone museum! The revered grandparents lived next door.
I left High Blantyre 1960 when I joined the army so apart from visits home to family of which there are many I haven’t lived there since, BUT I am very proud of my home and bore the pants off people telling them about it. I was born in 20 Muir street High Blantyre.
Paul – Thanks your book arrived yesterday. I bought it for my mother who was born and brought up in Blantyre. It looks great and I am sure she will love reading about the history and hopefully will bring back some happy memories. Thanks.
Stuart
playing all the games in beech place in the 70s with names i shall no mention but the best on was getting called handy by a girl as we was play kiss cuddle or tortuer the lassie will remain nameless good time in beech place
“I used to put doggy-doo in a paper bag, and light it on a doorstep, chap the door and watch as they stood on it to put it out. I also tied a piece of string to a bottle, placed it on a fence and tied the other end to a street light and wait till someone walked through it. Also tied a piece of string to a letter-box and hide holding the other end rattle the letter-box and using the string to see how many times they will answer the door.
“We spent the summer jumping in there- early 80’s, and we were sick for days. Turned out there was a rotten carcus of a cow in the water further up stream. All clean fun”
“Blantyre High School around 1975. Music class with Mr Easton, (aka Calimero) a very strict teacher. Teacher begins playing piano for sing-a-long. (anyone not singing is given the belt) Normally when some poor git was caught, he would point them out and go straight into Chopin’s funeral march-two of the best. On this occasion he kept playing the tune, pointed the boy out (it was always a boy) as the boy walked over to the piano he was summoned to put out his hands and was then given a whacking whilst the teacher was still playing the piano one handed”