John Walls Gibson

BMDB data

     John Walls Gibson was born in 1891 in Edinburgh, MLN, SCT, (?was 28th Oct in birthday book, this one or father? Certainly didn't appear in 1891 census, taken April).³
     John Walls Gibson married Margaret Beattie Michie, daughter of James Michie and Jane Alexander Christie, on 8 Jul 1922 in St John's Manse, Hawick, ROX, SCT, Cert reads: John Walls Gibson, 31, bachelor, quantity surveyor, usu. resid. 11 Briarbank Tce, Edinburgh, s/o John Walls Gibson and Beatrice Thomson Wight, mar. Margaret Beattie Michie, 27, spinster, chemist shop assistant, usu. res. 1 Wilton Hill, Hawick, d/o James Michie, tweed manufacturer and Jane Alexander Christie, on Jul 8, 1922 at St John's Manse (C of S), Hawick.^4,5
     John Walls Gibson died on 5 Jun 1964 at Walton Cottage, Dolphinton, LKS, SCT; cert. reads: John Walls Gibson surveyor, married to Margaret Michie, aged 73, s/o John Walls Gibson, clerk of works, and Beatrice Thomson m.s. Wight both dec. Inf. W. Gibson (nephew), 48 Sloan Street, Edinburgh (wonder which of John's brother's "W" is a son of?).^6,7

Census/Where lived/Occupations

     The census of 31 Mar 1901 showed Andrew, John and Walter and their sister Helen in the household of their parents John and Beatrice Gibson at 11 Briar Bank Tce, St Michael, Edinburgh, MLN, SCT, enumerated as GIBSON: John, head, mar, ?46?, clerk of works, worker, b Dunfermline, FIF, wife, Beatrice, 45, b Maxton, ROX. Sons: Andrew, 17, scholar & assistant in mechanical engineers workshop; Walter Wight, 15, scholar; John Walls, 10, scholar; Dtr: Helen Robertson L, 9, scholar, all children b . Edin. House 4 rooms with one or more windows.³
     John Walls Gibson was given as a quantity surveyor on his marriage cert in Jul 1922 of 11 Briarbank Tce, Edinburgh, MLN, SCT, (address is that of parents in 1901 - ?still living at home?).⁴
     He was believed to have worked for British Aluminium Industries, although this may be a mistaken assumption from the photographs taken at Loch Leven, SCT.⁵ By 1935 Jack was involved in the demolition and reconstruction of Arisaig House, INV, SCT, after the fire (dated as 1935 from web searches). Snap annotated on back "Arisaig House N W Highlands. One of my jobs re-construction after fire. There was nothing but the shell left which also had to be demolished."⁵ He lived in 1940 at 3 Afton Tce, Granton, Edinburgh, MLN, SCT.⁸

Wills/bequests

     Andrew Gibson, Walter Wight Gibson, John Walls Gibson and Helen Robertson Sinton Gibson were named as beneficiaries in the 1940 will of their aunt Catherine Gibson in Edinburgh, MLN, SCT.⁸

All the other info

     John Walls Gibson witnessed the marriage of his cousin Alice Wight to Alexander Pryde Stein on 8 Apr 1911 at 35 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, MLN, SCT.^9,10,11
     Helen, Andrew, John and Walter are shown in a photo of Beatrice and John taken cir. 1913 in Edinburgh, MLN, SCT, ; (year guessed: Andrew and Walter not in uniform, so presumably prior to WWI; 1913 puts Helen at age 21, which looks about right - poss. her 21st? R S Webster was certainly a photographer in Edinburgh at this period).² John was a witness to the marriage of his sister Frances Grant to Walter Wight Gibson on 21 Feb 1919 at St Davids United Free Ch, Lower Largo, FIF, SCT.¹²
     John was the informant for the death of his father John Walls Gibson on 11 Apr 1923 in the Dist. of Morningside, Edinburgh, MLN, SCT.¹³
     John Walls Gibson and Amelia Jane Henderson are related as 1st cousins. They appear to have been in contact around 1935 (subsequent info found that his mother died in 1935 which may account for this date) , as a packet of photos in Amelia Harbour nee Henderson's effects were from "your cousin Jack Gibson" and included the Arisaig House fire.⁵ John Walls Gibson attended the funeral service of Catherine Gibson in 1940.¹⁴
     The packet of snaps c 1935 from Jack to his cousin Amelia in NZ is the last evidence I have of contact between the Scottish and NZ branches of the Wight family of Walter and Helen (nee Sinton). All the children except their daughter Helen, my great grandmother, remained in Scotland. Helen emigrated from Maxton in Roxburghshire in 1875, I would love to hear from any relatives.⁵