When Jane and Ian initially suggested to Bill how we thought we were related via DNA, Bill was very sceptical, Ian recalls that he thought Bill was slightly “hostile” to our suggestion, he told Ian to prove it with records!
Proving it with records was something Jane and Ian knew they could never do, it appears that Matthew Lee / Joseph Leigh Hunter went to some lengths to try to ensure no one would ever work out the truth. Jane’s father was upset when Jane suggested to her father, who we thought his grandfather really was – Joseph remarked “He was an honourable man”. Jane and Ian suspect that their grandfather Thomas knew the truth, as he kept all the old photographs, though he never shared this information with his sons, Joseph and Robert.
Jane once remarked, “The secret would never have been discovered, except for two nosey great-grandchildren and DNA”.
It appears that Bill has in his possession a different photograph of the lady in the chair; it is definitely the same lady, both Jane and Ian have seen it, though we have been requested not to share it, as it was one of Bill’s late mother’s prized photographs of her grandmother Catherine Walton.
On 3rd October, 2021 Bill drove from his home in Moray, Scotland to visit Joseph, Jane and her husband Tom were present, a photograph of these two second cousins was taken, each holding up their photographs of Catherine Walton, again we can’t share this, a request we are honouring.
At this meeting Jane says her father Joseph told Bill “someone related to Old Joe came and talked to the miners in Bathgate, political labour figure” Jane thinks this might have been John (‘Jack’) Edward Gilliland, who was married to Ada Isabel Lee 15 Feb 1879 – 01 Mar 1950, Ada was a younger sister to Matthew Lee.
Here is a website with a little more information on Jack Gilliland – https://weaturbulenttimes.wordpress.com/2018/05/19/john-jack-edward-gilliland-co-and-champion-for-welfare-rights/ – this provides some details as to why ‘Jack’ didn’t go to prison for being a conscientious objector, during the time of World War I.
The website weaturbulenttimes.wordpress.com doesn’t go into the full details of who family friend Arthur Henderson was, more details can be found here on wikipedia as to who Arthur was.
John Edward Gilliland and his wife Ada were grandparents to Bill. Ada’s relationship to Jane and Ian is great-grandaunt. Jack & Ada Gilliland were among the chief mourners at Mrs Catherine Leigh / Lee funeral.
