John Heeps

Other Events:

• _UID: 713DE383977A46CC931CED3946023327AEA0
• Emigration: 1856, Polmont, Stirlingshire, Scotland
• Immigration: 1856, Victoria, Australia
• Residence: 13 Jul 1915, Town Hall, Brunswick, Victoria, Australia
• Occupation: 1900-1920; Hallkeeper at Brunswick Town Hall.

Notes:

John worked as a Hallkeeper and held this job for the first two decades of the 1900's. He did his job in an officous and efficient way, and as he wore a uniform, like most people who wore uniforms in thsoe days, he considered himself a type of policeman and acted accordingly.
On saturday afternoons he acted as timekeeper for the Brunswick football club.
His photo appears in the Illustrted Brunswick dated 1897 page 2 and 1909 page 18

Buried:
PLOTMethodist L 648

John married Susan Flower on 30 Dec 1884 in Victoria, Australia. Susan (daughter of John Flower and Margaret Breen) was born in 1858 in Polmont, West Lothian, Scotland; died on 28 Dec 1902 in Brunswick, Victoria, Australia; was buried in Melbourne General Cemetery, Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. John William Heeps was born in 1886 in Brunswick, Victoria, Australia; died on 2 Feb 1965; was buried in Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, Matraville, Randwick City, New South Wales, Australia.
2. Elsie May Heeps was born in 1888 in Brunswick, Victoria, Australia; died in 1920 in Victoria, Australia.
3. Emily Susan Heeps was born in 1890 in Brunswick, Victoria, Australia; died in 1890 in Brunswick, Victoria, Australia; was buried in V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial, Fromelles, Dept du Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France.
4. Elton Sydney Heeps was born in 1892 in Brunswick, Victoria, Australia; died on 19 Jul 1916 in France; was buried in V.C. CORNER AUSTRALIAN CEMETERY MEMORIAL, FROMELLES.

Other Events:

• Occupation: quarry owner
• _UID: 8B05FD08F1A14C26A17B54BF90326CE9DF6D
• Residence: 1841, Grangepans, Bo'ness, West Lothian, Scotland
• Occupation: 1851; coal miner
• Residence: 1851, Canal Row, Polmont, Stirlingshire, Scotland
• Emigration: 1856, Polmont, Stirlingshire, Scotland
• Immigration: 1856, Victoria, Australia
• Occupation: 1856; Quarryman
• Occupation: 1903; quarryman
• Residence: 1904, 4 Nicholas St, Brunswick, Australia

Notes:

Name: John Heaps
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 13 Oct 1829
Baptism Date: 20 May 1830
Baptism Place: Carriden, West Lothian, Scotland
Father: John Heaps
Mother: ELizabeth Aitken
FHL Film Number: 1066626
Reference ID: - 2:17ZJ7GS

John's baptism certificate states, "John Heaps and Elizabeth Aitken had a natural child born the 13th Oct 1829 and baptised the 20th May last 1830 named John."

John worked as a quarryman then emgrated from Polmont, West Lothian to Brunswick, Australia in 1856
John owned quarries in Brunswick until the land boom about 1900, when the bank the held all his savings went broke and he lost all his money.

Burial notes : Brunswick Medium Newspaper December 5 1908
The remains of Mr John Heeps Snr, a resident of Brunswick for over 50 years, were inferred in the Melbourne Cemetery on Saturday last. The Rev Mr Thompson conducted the service at the grave. A special feature at the funeral procession was that four of the deceased great grandchildren efficiated as poll bearers while all together 10 great children attended the service and 88 grandchildren. The funeral arrangements were in the hands of Jones Brothers of Brunswick.

Buried:
Plot - MGC-WES-Comp-D-No-42

John married Elizabeth Simpson on 3 Feb 1849 in Polmont, Stirlingshire, Scotland. Elizabeth (daughter of David Simpson and Elizabeth Leishman) was born on 16 Aug 1828 in Polmont, Stirlingshire, Scotland; was christened on 21 Apr 1834; died on 14 Jun 1904 in 14 Nicholas St, Brunswick, Australia; was buried on 17 Jun 1904 in Carlton North, Melbourne City, Victoria, Australia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: FE013CE0C348450697F480B7227704D3A37A
• Residence: 1841, Polmont, Stirlingshire, Scotland
• Residence: 1851, Canal Row, Polmont, Stirlingshire, Scotland
• Emigration: 1856, Polmont, Stirlingshire, Scotland
• Immigration: 1856, Victoria, Australia
• Residence: 1903, 4 Nicholas St, Brunswick, Australia

Notes:

Buried:
PLOTMGC-WES-Comp-D-No-42

Notes:

Married:
Name: John Heaps
Gender: Male
Marriage Date:3 Feb 1849
Marriage Place: Polmont,Stirling,Scotland
Spouse: Elizabeth Simpson
FHL Film Number: 1041955

Name: Elizabeth Simpson
Gender: Female
Marriage Date:3 Feb 1849
Marriage Place: Polmont,Stirling,Scotland
Spouse: John Heaps
FHL Film Number: 1041955

Other Events:

• _UID: F3CBD3AE061746C4B0B02636F65043DC87C6
• Occupation: 24 Jan 1880; Grocer

Notes:

Name: John Heaps
Gender: Male
Baptism Date: 12 May 1811
Baptism Place: Carnwath, Lanark, Scotland
Father: Robert Heaps
Mother: ELizabeth Frew
FHL Film Number: 1042971
Reference ID: 2:16JR4XQ

Son John's baptism certificate it states, "John Heaps and Elizabeth Aitken had a natural child born the 13th Oct 1829 and baptised the 20th May last 1830 named John."

John later married Jean Torbet

John married Elizabeth Aitken. Elizabeth (daughter of Matthew Aitken and Agnes Thompson) was born on 26 Jun 1810 in Bridgeness, Carriden, West Lothian, Scotland; was christened on 1 Jul 1810 in Carriden, Bo'Ness, West Lothian, Scotland; died on 6 Aug 1878 in Cowdenhill, Carriden, Bo'ness, West Lothian, Scotland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 1C1133B5ED9445D0BE0640D73604071DE410
• Occupation: 1841, Bo'Ness, West Lothian, Scotland; Tambourer
• Residence: 1841, Grangepans, Bo'ness, West Lothian, Scotland
• Residence: 1851, Bridgeness, Carriden, Bo'ness, West Lothian, Scotland
• Residence: 1861, Carriden, Bo'Ness, West Lothian, Scotland
• Residence: 1871, Carriden, Bo'Ness, West Lothian, Scotland

Notes:

Name: Elizabeth Aitken
Gender: Female
Birth Date: 26 Jun 1810
Baptism Date: 1 Jul 1810
Baptism Place: Carriden, West Lothian, Scotland
Father: Matthew Aitken
Mother: Agnes Thomson
FHL Film Number: 1066627 Reference ID: 2:17H3DJT

She was not married to John Heaps. On the baptism certificate of their son John it states "John Heaps & Elizabeth Aitken had a natural child born the 13th Oct 1829 and baptised the 20th May last 1830 named John."
It is also possible, actually more than probable, she never married Alexander Rankin Nimmo either.
In 1841 she is residing with her mother, sister, John Heaps aged 11, Alexander Nimmo aged 1 and Alexander Nimmo aged 24. Indicating she was not married as there was no name change.
On her Death Certificate it shows her as Elizabeth Aitken, SINGLE., informant was Alexander Nimmo, landlord.
Yet on Alexander Rankin Nimmo death cert as WIDOWER of Elizabeth Aitken

Other Events:

• _UID: 71FE24C28D844118ABA585890DCBEC6849E9

David married Elizabeth Leishman. Elizabeth and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 385056916AAD4966BBC115F2BDA0968530F4
• Residence: 1841, Polmont, Stirlingshire, Scotland
• Residence: 1851, Canal Row, Polmont, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Other Events:

• _UID: FA1875D50C704928BB171FCC6E6979B80EAD

Robert married Elizabeth Frew. Elizabeth and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 0BCA882D8A664C1EA7C4E312B6AF21E6B06C

Other Events:

• _UID: CCA5DB679F434C43B7286DB6F4482A820EB2
• Occupation: 6 Aug 1878; labourer (deceased)

Matthew married Agnes Thompson. Agnes (daughter of William Thomson and Agnes Samuel) was born in 1775 in Carriden, Bo'Ness, West Lothian, Scotland; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• _UID: 85012B9FDC0C45F789A34A775697CD213CA5
• Occupation: 1841; Salt Carrier
• Residence: 1841, Grangepans, Bo'ness, West Lothian, Scotland
• Story: 18 Nov 2020; Roger Heeps to Terry Stewart (email)

Notes:

Story:
Agnes Thompson was born in 1775 in Carriden. Her father was from Boness and her mother from Kirklston near Edinburgh. Agnes had one older brother who was also born in Carriden in 1783.

Matthew Aitken was born in 1776, also in Carriden and lived there with his 4 sisters until at least 1789.

It is likely Agnes and Matthew lived in the Carriden area till they met and married in 1803 (no record) when they were 28 and 29. After marrying Matthew and Agnes lived in the area till at least 1810. They had 2 sons and a daughter. It is not known where they lived between 1810 and 1836.

At some point Matthew moved to Silvermine Farm where he died in 1836. The Aitkens family lived in the rolling countryside of West Lothian abutting the parishes of Torphichen and Bathgate. The family were the occupants of Silvermine farm, as tenants of the Marquis of Linlithgow, as early as 1613 and until the tenancy was relinquished by one of the brothers in 1884. Silvermine farm is east of Torpichen (Matthew's brother Robert Aitken reported the 'Silvermine Farm' name in 1855-59 government survey). Matthew's brother Robert was a man of substance, a tenant farmer on the Marquis of Linlithgow's estate and a lime merchant with property in the market town of Bathgate. From at least the middle 1700's the Aitkens worshipped and were buried at the local town of Torphichen. Robert's grandson was William Maxwell Aitkens (b1879-d1964) who later became 'Press Barron' Lord Beaverbrook.

After 1836, Agnes probably moved to Grangepans where she was a salt carrier (age 70). Her daughters Alison (30) and Elizabeth (25) were Tambourers (lace makers). There is also a Janet Aitken at the same residence.