The branch of the Howie family is finally starting to leaf out and I am getting somewhere with the entire genealogy tree to currently include over 1,400 family members. I am now able to go back five generations on the Howie side crossing the Atlantic Ocean to Aberdeen Scotland.
Some of the family surnames have been fairly easy and quick. Not so with the Howie family. The pieces started to come together this week. As I explained in an earlier post, I had a dream about a newspaper article that was an obituary for Jane Howie, but that was all I knew. Well earlier this week my mother June Howie came forward with another clue to help me along. She remembered hearing about the Mayo farm, an orange grove in Compton California and the names Mayo and Somfelde came to her memory. My research into this took me all week as I didn't have much more than the above to go on. Myself, I also remembered hearing about a cousin Annie.
So to get from me to Jane Howie and back to Mabel Somfelde I will make this explanation quick.
I am the son of Donald James Howie (1927-2005) and I have no children. My father Donald was a printer and was the son of William Rider Howie (1882-1965) also a printer. Donald had four children by his wife June M. (Mellen) Howie (Living). William Rider Howie was the only child of William George Howie (1856-1895), merchant, and his wife Helen D. (Rider) Howie (1857-1927). William George Howie was the son of James Howie (1821-1891), farmer, and his wife Annie C. (Stewart) Howie (1823-1913) William had six siblings. James Howie Sr. (1799-1880) a farmer, was married to Jane (Ross) Howie ( 1796-1869). I also have some information of a yet to be identified Alexander Howie who lived to be 78 years old. Possible dates could be (1823-1901) he lived in Aberdeen Scotland and was a Carpenter, and active memeber of The Friendly Society. Just a side note, there is also an intersting court case in Aberdeen Scotland, Howie v Rust. William Howie the treasurer of The Friendly Society was sent to jail. Someday I will make the connection to the Howie's of Aberdeen. I have also located information on a William Horace Howie (1825-1892) farmer, second son of James Howie sr.
William married Martha Ann McMillen (1841-1907). They married March 10, 1860. William was thirty-five years old and sixteen years her senior. Together they had eight children in Stansted, Quebec, Canada. However, later in life they each sought their fortunes in the silver and gold mines of Colorado. A story for another day.
Now back to California. Mabel M. Mayo (1912-1986) was married to Peter Somfelde and she was the daughter of Thomas Clay Mayo (1884-) a farmer, and his wife Flora L Howie (1885-1966). Mabel had one sibling, an older sister named Marjorie Mayo (1911-1958). Flora L. Howie was the daughter of James Alexander Howie (1855-1926) and his wife Clara Elnett Hand (1856-1919). Flora was the third of four children born to James Alexander. Flora had a sister, "Annie" (Cousin I mentioned above) and two brothers Leverette Howie (1879-1961) and Robert Maitland Howie (1890 -1926). More to come later on these last two Howie's. Both lived and died in California. Leverette Howie died in Yolo County where I went to college. Before I wrap this up I don't want to forget Mabels' husband Peter Somfelde, he was a printer for the San Dimas Press. So come back and read more, I just quickly took you on a 211 year journey back to 1799 Scotland.