Born - Abt 1848 - Aberdour, Fife Scotland
Died - 12 October 1885, Auchtertool Fife Scotland

Ann was born in Crossgates, Fife. Crossgates was a village on the border of Dunfermline and Dalgetty parishes within Fife. Inhabited chiefly by colliers, it is surrounded at near distances by extensive coal mines; adjoins lines of mineral railway, communicating with St David’s harbour on Inverkeithing Bay. Crossgates was part of Dalgetty in 1848 when Ann was born. By 1861 Crossgates was no longer part of Dalgetty but part of Dunfermline.

In the 1861 census Ann was a scholar (aged 12), this is a picture of the school Ann would have attended, however it is unclear how long she attended school for as she could not read and write. We know this as she wrote an x, for her signature on her marriage certificate in 1867 – It was not compulsory for children to go to school until 1872.

After Ann and John were married they went to live at Donibristle, Aberdour and John worked at the colliery. By 1881 Ann had given birth to John, Janet, James, Andrew, Thomas and David and they were living at Woodside, Aberdour. A quick google search tells me that the Woodside Hotel in Aberdour was built in 1881 so I would put a guess as this is the area they lived in, as it is on the high street it wouldn’t have been far from her husband’s family who also lived in the high street at this time.

Ann gave birth to another 2 children before she died in 1885 after having Pneumonia for 8 days, it was her son that signed the death certificate – he was only 16/17 years old at the time. Why wouldn’t it be her husband? As They are working in the Little Raith Colliery, Auchtertool at the time was it so he didn’t have to take time off work?

Ann wasn’t the only one of her siblings to die young. Her Brother Andrew died in 1887 aged only 21 to Brights disease (now known as Kidney Disease). Her brother Thomas died in the Donibristle disaster in 1901 aged 54. link below for further information – it’s a tragic read http://www.scottishmining.co.uk/86.html.

What I found fascinating when researching Ann’s eldest son John was that when he died in 1926 he left a will and that is states he left his estate valuing £1615 (£78,125 in today’s money) to his son John – A Spirit Merchant!! If you look back to Ann’s son, Thomas Rattray Leitch, he had the Steamboat Tavern in 1926 and her other son James had the East Dock bar. If you know Methil you will know how close all these bars are and they were owned by Leitch’s!!

Out of her other children we already know Janet emigrated to Canada, Andrew was a spirit merchant like my great great grandfather (Thomas Rattray Leitch) – He run the East dock Bar which was the next bar along Methil High Street from the Steamboat Tavern.

Her son James also lived in Methil, he was a coal miner and lived until 70 years old. His son (another John Leitch) lived in Simon Crescent in 1944! Along the road from William and Jeannie Rae! He died at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh of Heart Failure. Her daughter Ann lived until 1950 aged 67 but also died at the Royal infirmary due to Heart Failure.

David only lived until 18 years old, he died of Hepatic Catarrh of the Stomach (1 month), acute congestion of liver. He was living at 90 West High Street Buckhaven! The same town I grew up in, as did my Great Gran and it turns out many other’s in the story.

Her son Ebenezer was her youngest, born in 1885 and therefore of Enlistment age of the WW1 – he was also a prisoner of war and survived! His cousin, her mother’s sister’s son, who also enlisted died in France in 1916.

Father – James Rattray

Mother – Margaret Campbell

Husband – 8. John Leitch (1849-1906)

Son – 4. Thomas Rattray Leitch (1878-1945)