The Disappearance of Margaret Harley Freeman

It may seem odd having a 20th century brickwall, but for one of our members, the disappearance of her maternal grandmother, Margaret Harley Paterson m.s. Freeman, has remained a family mystery for decades. 

Margaret Harley Freeman was born in Glasgow, Scotland on the 7th September 1909 (1), the daughter of Hector Freeman (born 1877 in Tynemouth, Durham England; died 1951 in Glasgow) (2) and Margaret Harley (born 14 Apr 1879 in Dunfermline, Fife Scotland; died in Glasgow in 1915) (3). Margaret Harley Freeman had two older siblings; Edward Dockray Freeman, born 1901 (4) and Minto Gibson Freeman, born 1903 (5). While there is a long gap between Minto and Margaret, there is no evidence of other children born to Hector and Margaret during that time. See below chart with FamilySearch family tree identity numbers.

The 1911 Scotland census shows the family living at 457 Gairbraid Street in the Maryhill district of Glasgow (6). Many other families lived at this address, indicating that this house was a Glasgow tenement; a house divided into small family units. The five Freemans lived in a two-roomed unit, which was typical for blue-collar workers and their families at the time. The census shows Hector as a machineman in the shipbuilding industry.

Margaret’s mother (Margaret Harley) died of acute pneumonia when Margaret was only 6 (3b). At that time, the family were living at 7 Ruchill Street, Glasgow (another tenement building), and Margaret died at home according to her death registration. 

The family broke up after Margaret Snr’s death. The 1921 Scotland census shows Margaret Harley Freeman living with her maternal grandfather, David Harley and his family at 1060 Maryhill Road, Glasgow (7). 5 people (David, a locomotive driver, his wife Minto, two of their adult children, William (Bill) and Minto, and granddaughter Margaret) lived in this 3-roomed tenement unit.

The 1921 Scotland census also shows Hector and daughter Minto still living at 7 Ruchill Street (8). Edward Dockray Freeman could not be found in the 1921 Scotland census. In fact, the last document showing his residence was the 1911 census record, and his life after that is another family mystery.

On the 30th December 1927, the 18-year old Margaret married 25-year old Edward Paterson (9). In the marriage registration, Margaret Harley Freeman’s address was 1060 Maryhill Road (the same as in 1921) and Edward’s address was 511 Hathaway Street. According to Google maps, these two addresses are 2 minutes apart by foot. Between 1928 and 1933, Edward and Margaret had 4 children. 2 boys, 2 girls

The crux of the story was that Edward Paterson was a cruel husband. Regrettably, spousal abuse was  widespread in Scotland at the time, and Edward was a particularly bad example of that culture. The  exact year is unclear; perhaps it was 1936 – but Margaret disappeared, leaving her husband and four children.  Murder or suicide with no body found are possibilities, of course, but family stories indicate that Margaret ran away from her cruel husband to start a new life.

Living descendants of Margaret’s sister Minto are convinced that Margaret made her way to the US, but no passenger records have been found to date. Margaret would have been close to her aunt, Minto Gibson Harley. Minto and brother Bill (as well as widowed sister Jane) emigrated to the US. Minto gave Margaret’s name as her contact in the UK on arrival in the US on 22 Sep 1930 (10). On that sailing, she was accompanied by her widowed father David Harley and brother Bill. David and Minto were immigrating while Bill was returning to the US after emigrating in 1927 (11). Perhaps the senior Harley and his three children, Bill, Minto and Jane, assisted Margaret in traveling to the US a few years later.

Margaret also had aunts and uncles on her paternal side that had emigrated.

John McMorland and Margaret Freeman (red square) emigrated to Flint, Michigan (12), while Robert Crichton and Christina Freeman (blue square) emigrated to Canada (13). David Harley’s brother Alexander and wife Rosina Gibson had emigrated to Erie, Pennsylvania (14). So, all three families and destinations represent places that Margaret Harley Freeman could have traveled to, IF she emigrated to the North America.

There is DNA evidence that suggests that Edward Paterson was not the biological father of Margaret Harley Freeman’s youngest child. So perhaps Margaret had a lover with whom she ran off!

Margaret Harley Freeman’s aunt, Jane Harley (1881-1960), married John Gillespie in Glasgow in 1910 (15). They had one child named John in 1911, but that child only survived a year (16) and Jane’s husband died in 1913 (17). But while Jane has no documented descendants, there is, however, some DNA evidence that indicates that Jane may have had an out-of-wedlock child several years earlier. That child has a living descendants (DNA match). Jane’s siblings Bill and Minto remained unmarried and there are no known descendants of either. Both are buried in adjoining graves in Beaverdale Memorial Park, New Haven, Connecticut.

Living descendants of Aminto Freeman have said that Aminto’s father Hector Freeman did emigrate to the US in the 1920s, but so far, no records have been found to support this. He is shown in Glasgow in the 1921 census (6) and again in Glasgow electoral records from 1931-1950 (18) . During that 19 year period,  he is shown living with daughter Aminto and her family. He died in Glasgow in 1951 (6).

Edward Paterson obtained a divorce from Margaret Harley Freeman in 1962 (19). Margaret is shown as “address unknown”.

Finally, as mentioned earlier, Margaret’s brother, Edward Dockray Freeman also ‘disappeared’, but in this case, it is the lack of documentation of his life that gives rise to that mystery. There is DNA evidence that possibly links him to living descendants in Swindon in Wiltshire UK, but until evidence is obtained that places him in the right place at the right time, that link remains tentative.

The Genealogy Association of Colleyville member who is Margaret Harley Freeman’s granddaughter would love to hear from anyone that has any additional information on family members mentioned in this article. Please write to colleyvillegenealogy@gmail.com

Sources

1.       Birth: Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland; 7 Sep 1909; Margaret Harley FREEMAN; 644/14 869; image downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

2.       a. Birth: Tynmouth, Durham, England; April-May-June 1877; Hector FREEMAN; image downloaded from www.freebmd.com

b. Death: Possilpark, Glasgow, Scotland; 13 Feb 1951; Hector FREEMAN; 644/11 140; image downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

3.   a. Birth: Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland; 14 Apr 1879; Margaret HARLEY; 424/; image downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

b. Death: Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland; 11 Apr 1915; Margaret HARLEY; 644/14 146; image downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

4.       a. Birth: Milton, Glasgow, Scotland; 19 Mar 1901; Edward Dockray FREEMAN; 644/8 451; image downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

5.       a. Birth: Milton, Glasgow, Scotland; 31 Aug 1903; Aminto Gibson FREEMAN; 644/8 1224; image downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

b. Death: Martha St., Glasgow, Scotland; 1975; Aminto Fletcher m.s. FREEMAN; record downloaded from https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/record-results/51335665364e49b0b76ac5

6.       1911 Scotland Census, Kelvinside, Glasgow Scotland. Hector FREEMAN (head); Census 644/14 14/9; image downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk.

7.       1921 Scotland Census, Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland. David HARLEY (head); Census 644/14 14/15 image downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk.

8.       1921 Scotland Census, Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland. Hector FREEMAN (head); Census 644/14 19/11). image downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk.

9.       Marriage: Kelvin, Glasgow; 30 Dec 1927; Edward PATERSON and Margaret Harley FREEMAN; 644/13 4; image downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

10.   a. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957, image downloaded from: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7488/images/NYT715_4833-0059?pId=2012882077. Entries for David Harley 22 Sept 1930 and Minto Harley 22 Sept 1930.

b. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957, image downloaded from: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7488/images/NYT715_4833-0083?pId=2012882077. Entry for William G Harley 22 Sept 1930

11.   New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957, image downloaded from: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7488/images/NYT715_4121-0540?pId=2039867711. Entry for William G Harley 5 Sept 1927

12.   1930 United States Federal Census; image downloaded from: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6224/images/4607721_00000A?pId=14026118. Entry for John McMorland born abt. 1870 in Scotland, residing in Flint, Michigan, USA. Entry for Margaret McMorland born about 1875 in England, residing in Flint, Michigan, USA.

13.  1911 Census of Canada; image downloaded from: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8947/images/e084_e002099866?pId=2369793. Entry for Robert Criechton age 27. Born in Scotland, residing in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. Entry for Christina Criechton, age 27. Born in Scotland, residing in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada

14.   1900 United States Federal Census; image downloaded from: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7602/images/4115087_00706?pId=46649725. Entry for Alexander Harley age 44. Born in Scotland and residing in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA. Entry for Rosina Harly age 39. Born in Scotland and residing in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA.

15.   Marriage: Kelvin, Glasgow, Scotland; 31 October 1910 John GILLESPIE and Jane HARLEY; 644/13 312; image downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

16.   Death: West District of Greenoch, Renfrewshire, Scotland; 25 April 1912; John GILLESPIE; 564/2 287; image downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

17.   Death: West District of Greenoch, Renfrewshire, Scotland; 23 July 1913; John GILLESPIE; 564/2 427; image downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

18.   a. Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, Electoral Registers, 1857-1962. Image downloaded from: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61020/images/42513_19321933w25-00631?pId=17125559; Entry for Hector Freeman in 1933, residing at 53 Chapel Street, Glasgow.

b. Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, Electoral Registers, 1857-1962. Image downloaded from: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/9031301:61020?ssrc=pt&tid=163595884&pid=322129943045; Entry for Hector Freeman in 1940, residing at 53 Chapel Street, Glasgow.

c. Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, Electoral Registers, 1857-1962. Image downloaded from: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61020/images/42513_1950w14_24-00415?pId=24339476; Entry for Hector Freeman in 1950, residing at 783 Bilsland Drive, N.W., Glasgow.

19.   Register of Correct Entries: Kelvin, Glasgow, Scotland. 25 Oct 1963. Edward PATERSON and Margaret Harley FREEMAN. 644/ 07 010 131. Divorce granted; image downloaded from www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk