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Baillie Rust
2063 A photographic portrait of Baillie John Rust (1853-1919). He was the son of John Rust and Margaret Henderson. His father founded the well-known timber merchants John Rust & Son in 1845.
John Rust junior was an architect and local politician. He served his architectural apprenticeship with John Russell McKenzie before going into business for himself with offices on Union Street, latterly number 224.
Rust was highly active in local life. He was elected to the Council in 1886 representing the Rubislaw Ward. He was re-elected in 1889 and promoted to the position of Third Ballie in 1890.
On the death of the incumbent, William Smith, Rust was a successful applicant for the post of city architect. On his appointment in March 1892 he retired his place on the Council. He served as city architect until his death in 1919.
Along with Sir Alexander Lyon and John Morgan, the builder, Rust was considered a moving spirit in the local government regime known as the "Young Party".
His Aberdeen Journal obituary highlights his involvement in the Beach Bathing Station scheme and the Union Terrace improvements. Also that he was a justice of the peace for Aberdeen City and Kincardineshire.
Moreover he was a significant property owner and was involved in local political, civic, military and church groups.
He died suddenly while on his way to work from his residence of Hawkshill, Milltimber. He was buried in Nellfield Cemetery. His Aberdeen Journal obituary can be found in the issue for 12th September 1919, page 6.
An entry for John Rust can be found in the Dictionary of Scottish Architects here G. W. Morgan Portrait
2145 This portrait of a smartly dressed young man was taken by G. W. Morgan (1855-1909). The photo features the ornate furniture and painted background that was the convention of the time. On the rear of the postcard photograph is printed "For further copies apply Elite Studios, 5 Market St, Aberdeen." This dates the image as between 1897 and 1907 when the business was trading under this name at the Market Street premises. Morgan and his brother William also operated photographic studios at 3 Bridge Place, 393 Union Street, and two in Aboyne and Ballater.
Morgan was the son of a blacksmith from the village of Clatt, called John Morgan. Born in 1855, George trained as a druggist in Aberdeen before leaving for California where he worked as a photographer. He returned to the city in 1880 and became the principal photographic assistant to Mr Dinnie of Bridge Place. The premises in Market Street were his first studio after going into business with his brother. He lived at Westfield Terrace.
In the coming years Morgan established a reputation in the city as an excellent photographer and businessman. He was described in his Aberdeen Daily Journal obituary as "A thorough artist in every sense of the word. Mr Morgan was remarkably successful in developing the very extensive business, and it was largely owning to his efforts that the firm attained its well deserved renown for the excellence of its portraiture and scenic work, all of which reach a high degree of artistic merit."
In 1909, Morgan died aged 54 in quite unusual circumstances. On the night of 25th June he was travelling with Mr J. B. Davidson, a solicitor and business associate, to London on the Caledonian sleeper train. All was well up to Stirling when the two men went to sleep. Davidson was awoken in the night by the wind blowing into their compartment and with Morgan nowhere to be seen. After a thorough search of the train and much telegraphic inquiries it was determined that Morgan had fallen from the train and died just south of Carstairs. The exact conditions of his death are unknown but it was believed that he woke in the night and groggy with sleep used the wrong door.
In addition to photography Morgan was a very accomplished violinist and acted as choirmaster for Ferryhill Parish Church for many years. He and his wife had 12 children. 446 and 448 Union Street
2615 This photograph of Union Street was taken in 1936 and shows the premises of John Raffan, shoe fitting specialists, at 446 and Dugan & Mitchell, clothiers, at 448 Union Street.
James Dugan and Duncan Mitchell entered into partnership around 1919. Mitchell had previously been in the former's employment as a cutter.
Dugan had worked as a tailor on his own account since about 1907 in premises in Bon Accord Street, Rose Street and 443 Union Street. Prior to this he was a commercial traveller representing two local tailoring firms; Messers Milne and Low and Messers Kenneth McLean and Sons.
He became a well respected figure in the tailoring and clothing trade in Aberdeen and the North East. He was the son of a china merchant in George Street called Hugh Dugan. James was married and had a daughter. He died suddenly at his residence at Glen-Shiel, Bieldside on 10th May 1927.
Duncan Mitchell was a native of Largs, Ayrshire and served his apprenticeship in Glasgow. He was a keen golfer and was a member of the Deeside Golf Club. He died aged 73 after a short illness in January 1955.
John Raffan died on Sunday 10th June 1906 after suffering an apoplectic seizure in his Union Steet shop the preceding Friday. He was 52 years old at the time of his death. He was born in the parish of Ordiquhill and his father was a shoemaker named James Raffan.
He served his apprenticeship in Portsoy with a draper called James Guthrie before coming to Aberdeen. He worked with Messers J. & A. Gibb and Mr James Saint, warehousemen and silk mercers, prior to starting his own business as a boot and shoe merchant in Market Street and then Union Street.
Beyond his business, Raffan was deeply involved in religious and philanthropic work. He was a force in the establishment of Union Grove Baptist Church and was connected to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, as a life member, the Aberdeen Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, the Seabank Home, and Stronach's Close Mission. He was married and had a daughter and two sons.
Above the shop fronts is a sign for Imperial Typewriters. The buildings in this photograph were across the road, just west, from the Capitol Cinema. They are still visible today. In more recent times they have been occupied by general food shops such as the Co-operative and Costcutters. S.S. Intaba
2702 A postcard showing the launch of the steamship Intaba on 6th September 1910. The ship was constructed by Hall, Russell & Company at their York Street yards for John T. Rennie, Son and Company of Aberdeen and London. The launch was watched by a crowd of thousands.
The Intaba was the largest vessel built in Aberdeen at the time. It was 387 feet in length and weighted 4,832 tons. It was designed to transport passengers and cargo, initially between London and the province of Natal in the Union of South Africa. It could accommodate 70 first class passengers and 60 in second class. The ship's name means mountain in Zulu.
The Intaba and passenger liners like it were fundamental to continuing the British colonisation of southern Africa following the Second Boer War (1899-1902). In May 1910 the British Government had unified its existing and newly acquired regional colonies into the Union of South Africa.
The Intaba went on to have a long and varied career, including working trade and pilgrimage routes. It sailed for 43 years, under various names and owners, and in many different parts of the world, before its eventual demolition in Belgium in 1953.
The Aberdeen Built Ships website (link here) gives considerable detail on the ship's history and states that it was renamed twice; as the Waitomo in 1916 and the Englestan in 1927.
Correspondent Ed Fowler notes that the new ship is being maneuvered primarily by two steam paddle tugs, one on either side, and that a smaller screw steamer tug is also in attendance. He suggests one of the paddle tugs may by the Fairweather. It was built by Richard Stobbs, North Sheilds, in 1871 and was stranded in the entrance to Aberdeen Harbour in 1912. Bowman & Webster, Cork Manufacturers
164 A receipt from Bowman & Webster, Cork Manufacturers & Bottle Merchants. The document dating from 21st April, 1916 features illustrations of the premises at 8 & 10 South Constitution Street and lists other offices in Dundee and Sevilla, Spain. The receipt is for the purchase of beer corks by the Douglas Arms Hotel in Banchory.
The business of Bowman & Webster had a long history in the City of Aberdeen. It was initially a partnership between Thomas Bowman and Fred Webster. The partnership was dissolved in 1901, with Bowman leaving, but the company retained its original name throughout its history.
Thomas Bowman died suddenly, aged between 40 and 50, on 28th August 1905 and his obituary can be read in the next day's Aberdeen Journal. Like his father and grandfather he had joined the army and served in North India with the Gordon Highlanders.
Fred Webster and his son ran the business after the departure of Bowman. A descendant of the family has been touch and explained that both had troubled lives and died relatively young. The business was then taken over by John Webster, Fred's brother, in 1925.
The obituary of Fred Webster can be read in the Press & Journal of 25th June 1924. In addition to describing his successful business and work in Spain, the article describes him as follows:
"A man of genial disposition, Mr Webster was exceedingly popular with all who knew him. He was a keen bowler and a member of the Northern Bowling Club. For many years Mr Webster was a well-known pigeon fancier and breeder, and won prizes all over the country, including Crystal Palace, and his services were often in request as a judge."
Before taking over the business, John and his wife had spent twenty years living and working in Canada. Fred willed the company to a daughter of John's called Evelyn. John successfully ran the business as its Managing Director until his death on 8th November 1961, aged 78. He was a life-long member of the Thistle Swimming Club and lived at 122 Desswood Place.
John's son, Edwin John Webster, then ran the business until it closed down in the later 20th century. The growing influence of large brewers made business and survival more difficult for local companies involved in the licensed trade.
Edwin John Webster died, aged 78, on 30th September 1990.
Many thanks to Michael John Webster (from Angus), son of Edwin, for providing us with additional information about the family and business. Treasure 73: Jamieson's Dictionary of the Scottish Language, 1895
275 Our treasure for the month of September looks at the person responsible for collating the first dictionary of the Scottish language. Born in Glasgow in 1759, John Jamieson was the son of a Scottish minister. Following his father's path, Jamieson studied theology and became pastor of a congregation at Forfar, Angus in 1781.
Alongside his ecclesiastical work, Jamieson developed a passionate interest in the development and study of language - philology. In Forfar, Jamieson briefly met Grimur Thorkelin, the National Archivist of Denmark who was in Britain researching the links between Danish and English. Thorkelin's chief legacy was the transcription and publication of the epic medieval poem, Beowulf.
From conversation with Thorklein, Jamieson set himself upon the task of recording those words he felt were exclusive to Scotland. It would be twenty years before his lifetime's work, The Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language would be published.
Subsequent revisions, amendments and abridgements refined Jamieson's original work - refuting some claims of Gothic origin, and proposing others. Our treasure is one of the revised editions of Jamieson's original work - a later edition from 1895.
View the Treasures from our Collection interactive exhibition on the touchscreen in Central, Airyhall, Tillydrone and Mastrick libraries to find out more about John Jamieson and his work.
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