Mary Logan Steele

Bill, love the old photos on your site “Auld Blantyre”. My GG Grandfather, David Logan died in Hunthill Road in 1911.

He took over a pub from his son in law, my G Grandfather Joseph Steele after his untimely death in 1907. The family believe the pub to have been in Blantyre somewhere.

My GG Grandfather’s death cert records that he was a Spirit Merchant and died at “Orchardhead”, Hunthill Road, Blantyre. Do you have any knowledge of an “Orchardhead?” Was it a pub?

For some reason trying to find the name of the pub has become something of a vendetta for me, any help would be truly appreciated. My old Aunt, now living in Australia, says that they just called the pub Steele’s Pub, but that would have been many years later as she was not born until approx 1930.

This is Mary Logan Steele (1884 approx) who, along with her husband Joseph Steele (12th Jan 1874), were Landlords of a Pub in High Blantyre and lived at Orchardhead, Hunthill Road.

The pub was referred to as Steele’s Pub.

Joseph is listed in the 1891 Census as a 17 year old Paper-Maker, and listed in the 1901 Census as a Spirit Merchant.

In 1901 he is living on his own at 255 Forrest Street.

They were married on 25th April 1906. They had two sons, Norman Patrick Steele and Joseph Young Steele who died aboard the S.S. Empire Mica which was a British, Merchant, Oil Tanker that was torpedoed off the Florida coast in 1942.

Joseph died on 12th March 1907, aged 33.

Mary died on 22nd January 1929, aged 45.

After Joseph’s death, Mary married a Ferguson and they had a boy named Alex.

Before her marriage to Joseph, Mary was a domestic servant.

Many thanks,

Gordon Steele

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Mary Dodd (my Classmate at Calder Street) wrote: Just having a look at the Blantyre site and noticed your query.
“Orchardhead” was and is still is a house. The actual address is 16 Huntill Road. My family (Kay & Owens) lived from about 1935, I and 2 sisters were born there. The house is still standing and owned I believe by a Mr. Stewart. It’s on the old map of High Blantyre. Hope this is some help to you.

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Hi Gordon,

Your GG Grandfather, David Logan was born on 4th September 1856 in Blantyre according to Scotlandspeople. He was the son of David Logan, a millworker at Blantyre Works and Margaret Cullen, who lived at 10 Middle Row, Blantyre Works in 1861. He had five elder brothers and sisters. By 1881, at the age of 25, he moved to Glasgow with his mother, living at 120 McLellan Street, at which time he was employed as an Engineer.

Five years later, 1886, he moved back to Blantyre and is noted as being a spirit dealer having acquired premises from the estate of Alexander Sherriff at Kirkton Cross. The former pub known to have existed from at least the mid 1800’s, which was somewhat dilapidated was most probably demolished and rebuilt in approximately 1891, which is now known as ‘The Cornerstone’.

As you said, Mary Logan was listed as being a domestic servant and most likely assisted her father in the running of the pub. When she married Joseph Steele in 1906, they became landlords of the pub. After Joseph died in 1907, your GG Grandfather, David Logan, then 50 years old, had to step back in to run the pub with his daughter, which he did until his death at Orchardhead, Hunthill in 1911, aged 55. The pub was then inherited by your G Grandmother, Mary Steele (nee Logan).

Here is great photo of Kirkton Cross facing towards Auchinraith, taken around 1891, showing the Station Cafe and on the left, The Victoria Bar. Owned by the Logan family and then the Steele family (Mary Steele, daughter of David Logan) and then Mrs Gilmurray, known as Val’s and later Carrigan’s and at the time of writing, The Cornerstone.

A note on Orchardhead.

Orchardhead was an area in Kirkton with up to 22 houses, bordering School Lane, Hunthill Road and Park Crescent.

Only one cottage remains now at Orchardhead, formerly 16 Hunthill Road, where my   classmate Mary Dodd was born and lived with her parents and two sisters. The family   home since 1935 and now the home of Mr Stewart. although at the time, 1886, it   belonged to a William Dixon and not the Logan family. So, your ancestors lived in the   area of Orchardhead but not at number 16 Hunthill Road as photographed, but was   probably a similar build.

I hope the above information helps,

Bill

Sources: Scotlandspeople, FreeCen and Britishnewspaperarchives

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