Orkney Image Library

Near sure the buildings are Greenquoy, the gable behind him is the hoose. The gable in front was steadings that ran alongside the main road, and the other building fits wi' Greenquoy, so would be fairly sure its Sandy o' Greenquoy. I do mind him , and it does look like him. Thats the site o' the new school now.

Again this is before my time therefore I can't identify the man but I took one look at this picture and thought - "Greenquoy" - this is how I remember it, in the passing, from the road. If it is - some of the trees which were at the bottom of the yard are now part of the play area at North Walls School.

I remember Sandy Barnett and do not think it is him, or the buildings at the Lythes. There is a group photo of Sandy as part of the Longhope Lifeboat crew taken 13 years before the above one. picture #10060

I'm trying to connect Sandy to my family tree, if this is Sandy (Alexander) JOHNSTON...anyone know much about Sandy (Sandy o' Greenquoy) or his family?
thnaks

Richard Johnston

Thanks. Glad to have a positive identification. My father used to talk about how, on rainy days when the wind was blowing from the wrong airt, the teacher would send for Sandy o' Greenquoy (was he also called Alec?) to stick a windleen (bundle of straw) in the air vent to stop rain coming in on the pupils. That was in the old school (mid 1860s build). The only other thing I know about Sandy Johnston was that he had been a herdie boy in Rackwick. Would be very interested to know more about him, was he North Walls orginally?

I remember Engieer Bob teling a story about a Beast killing at "Greenquoy", much ale had been made before the big event (in case they got dry wae the wark you see) well James o Greenquoy had maybe made an early start tae the ale and him being the the crack shot,was to deliver the final blow tae this beast.

James missed the animal and blew the leg aff the barn mill!!.

Did I get the name wrong or was there indeed a James at Greenquoy?.

John,

The Sandy (Alex) Johnston we speak of had a son named James... he emigrated to Canada with his brother, John Alec around 1923. When did your story take place?

Danny Ritch was brought up wi the folk at Greenquoy, but don't know the connection .. anybody know?

Jane, I have a feeling that Jock Johnston o' Doon ' troo was related somehow to the Greenquoy Johnstons, Mrs MacKinnon from Boathouse was also a Johnston, and think she was a sister of Jock o' doon troo, do they crop up in your searches in any way.. and Richard are they coming up in your searce for ancestors, John I never heard a James mentioned, but that doesn't mean there wasn't, might have been a long time back...

Mrs MacKinnon had a brother who lived in the Muirs, before Sam & Rennie Johnston (I don't know if they were the same Johnstons' but I've a feeling not), they had a daughter, Molly (Phimister) who I remember well. They all moved to Caithness in my momory span.

Richard, The Alec Johnston of Greenquay was not the same person as the Alec from Brims. Alec from Brims had the two sons John Alec and Jim, who went to Canada.

PS: Just remembered that the Muirs' Johnston I referred to as Mrs MacKinnon's brother was Tom Johnston.

Hi Jimmy

thanks for your comments..I'm still trying to identify a few of the persons you mentioned here.
I don't have or can't properly identify Jock Johnston o' Doon ' ..so, not sure where he fits into our Johnston tree yet.

I also, unfortunately don't seem to know who Mrs MacKinnon is or how she is connected. Do you have a first name for her?

thanks

Richard

PS (back to Sandy) does anyone know how long Sandy (Alec) Johnston was living at Greenquoy. I have some information of him at Touriehouse (born and married there...)

For Fred

thanks..I was confusing the two Alec Johnstons (Sandy)

Do you know where this Alec fits in?

My mother thinks Mrs MacKinnon (Isabella by any chance?) was indeed a sister of Jock (Johnston) o Doonthro. She also says that Sandy o Greenquoy "ended his days" at Doonthro which suggests a link too. From a rummage on the Orkney Family History Society 1911 census, there's Alexander Johnston,ploughman, aged 27, working for the Sutherlands at North Seatter (another name for Greenquoy or merged crofts?) Probably our Sandy. At Doonthro are James and Eliza Johnston, both born Walls, married 29 years, eight children in total and three sons at home including a 9 year old John (so born around 1901/2). Does this fit with Jock o' Doonthro's age for anyone who knew him? If that's the correct family, then they seem to have been at Eastbister, South Walls in 1891 and with Eliza a daughter of Ralph Taylor of the same place. James probably came from Aithsdale (looking at 1881 census)

Danny Ritch - my mother does not know the connection but Jess (Jessie Sutherland I think) at Greenquoy was a kindly person who looked after a few. Never charged for eggs and milk either when my father was sent over for ingredients for cookery lessons at the school.

No Richard, I do not know where the Greenquoy Johnstons fit in, although they are related I think. As a matter of fact, I only became aware of the fact that there were Johnstons in Greenquoy quite recently. I always thought that they were Ritch's. My father never talked much about relatives.

I think you have done great work there Jane, Jock would have fitted in with the era you mention , being near about my dad's age, and it was Isabella, his sister,that lived at Boathouse, I have memory of old Sandy going down the field below the school to move beasts, he had an old dog , with a length of heavy chain on its collar then a long length of rope on the chain, he used to roar orders to the dog and off it would go, when it reached the end o' the rope he would roar again and yank the rope, that was our entertainment at playtime all lined up at the wall watching...

Bue am I glad I wizna born a Johnston!! They are more complicated than the Royal Family!!.

Well, the Johnston family connection for Sandy still eludes me.

Regarding Jane, research post, I do have a Ralph TAYLOR who was with Isabella JOHNSTON, but no children attributed to them. Isabella had 4 children from what I believe to be a previous relationship (Christina, Isabella, Aderina and George -(pic No: 23331))

I don't currently have a Alec, James and Eliza, or a John Johnston that match the birth dates for Jane's census info...

They appeared to have lived with all my and Fred's Johnston family ancestors..hopefully, a few more details might sort it out.

Richard, the Isabella Johnston who married Ralph Taylor in later life was a sister of Alec Johnston of Brims and lived at the Wyng Longhope.
As a child, she lived at the Haven and as a young woman at Brimsness. Her son George went to Canada, but I do not know what happened to the other three. I met George's son briefly about 12years ago, but at the time , knew nothing of his family history.

Blue bloods are always a complicated lot John.

Richard, if you have a Donald Johnston (born 1810a/20a Brims probably) who married a Margaret Robertson/Robson in your tree that may be the link to these Johnstons. Donald and Margaret seem to be the parents of James, father of Sandy o' Greenquoy. I strongly suspect that they were also the parents of Ann Sutherland, Greenquoy/North Seatter, mother of Jess and her brother Thomas, the employer of Sandy in 1911. Warning:I have only looked at secondary sources so this may be wrong. Beginning to tie myself in knots too!

And James and Eliza(beth) Johnston did have a son Thomas - thus the Tom Johnston in the Muirs.

Thanks Jane, for all your research, and Fred for steering me back on course!

I think (hope) I have it sorted out now....

Ive added to James (son of Donald and Margaret Robson), with a marriage and their children, Alex, Isabella, Thomas and John.
It would be nice to have the rest of James and Eliza's children (8) found as well.

Sandy and his family were indeed a "lost branch" of the bigger tree I have so far.

Danny Ritch was the Nephew of Jess and Thomas Sutherland of Greenquoy.

Jess and Thomas had an older sister named Ann whose parents were William Sutherland and Ann Johnston (of Aithsdale). She married Donald S. Ritch (of Rackwick) and had 5 children. They were living on Cava when she died shortly after Danny was born. Danny's father died when he was 9 and I imagine he came to live with his Grandmother and Aunt back at Greenquoy.

Danny's only Sister is my Grandmother

Danny Ritch was the Nephew of Jess and Thomas Sutherland of Greenquoy.

Jess and Thomas had an older sister named Ann whose parents were William Sutherland and Ann Johnston (of Aithsdale). She married Donald S. Ritch (of Rackwick) and had 5 children. They were living on Cava when she died shortly after Danny was born. Danny's father died when he was 9 and I imagine he came to live with his Grandmother and Aunt back at Greenquoy.

Danny's only Sister is my Grandmother