Last year we had planned to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the 1320 letter to the Pope from the Community of Scotland that is now better known as the Declaration of Arbroath. Sadly the commemorations had to be cancelled to the Covid-19 pandemic, but all was not lost as journalist and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch produced an excellent documentary to celebrate the event.

In September, after Lesley Riddoch had cheerfully taken the mickey out of my Zoom background at a previous meeting, I was fascinated to be at the launch of her new book, “Huts, a place beyond” which is available for £9.99 from Lesley’s own site.

I purchased a copy for my sister’s birthday as she had lived in Norway and was familiar with their way of life. We had memorable trips including a cruise up Lysefjorden to the Pulpit Rock or Preikestolen.

Lesley Riddoch kindly signed the book – and filled the envelope with glitter stars! I imaged that I would be able to read it, but again the Covid-19 pandemic meant that it was not until many months later that my sister’s family finally managed to meet up with us.

The Old Connection

After reading the inscription, I opened the book at a random page and was amazed to see a photo by Anders Beer Wilse!

Anders Beer Wilse (12 June 1865 – 21 February 1949) was a Norwegian photographer who documented Norway in the early to mid-20th century and also worked in the United States.

Wilse was born in Flekkefjord, but grew up in Kragerø and decided early to become a sailor. After having graduated with a technical degree from the technical school in Horten in 1882, Wilse emigrated to the United States in 1884. He did not find work in the beginning, but eventually settled in Seattle working for the United States Geological Survey. He is reported to have acquired his first camera in 1886. He opened a photography store in Seattle in 1897, after having visited Norway, and married Helen Marie Hutchinson.

In 1900, his wife and children moved to Norway, and Wilse himself joined them, opening a photography store in Christiania in 1901, after 17 years in the United States.

Anders Beer Wilse was a name that I was very familiar with as I knew he was connected by marriage to Robert Dalton Hutchison and Helen Old.

Robert Dalton Hutchinson (Leith, Scotland 13 June 1787 – Vikersund, Norway 17 August 1843)

Robert Dalton Hutchinson was born on 13 June 1787 in the town of Leith (South Leith parish) in Midlothian, Scotland and baptised there on 27 June 1787.

He was the son of John Hutchinson and his wife Ann Richley.

On 23 June 1831, when Robert Dalton Hutchinson married Helen Old in Edinburgh, he was described as an Agent residing at No. 6A Buccleuch Street. The marriage was celebrated by the Reverend W. Gardener L.L.D. Episcopal Chaplain to His Majesty’s Forces in Edinburgh.

The couple had at least four children:

1. Elisabeth Ann Hutchinson, who was born on 12 November 1832 in the Bragernes district of the city of Drammen in the Buskerud region of Norway.
2. Robert Charles Hutchinson, who was born in 1837 in the city of Drammen in the Buskerud region of Norway. He married Guvnor Johanne Faye on 30 November 1864 in Bragernes and died on 25 August 1886 in the Buskerud region of Norway. The couple had nine children including Helen Marie Hutchinson who married Anders Beer Wilse.
3. Alexander Dalton Robertsen, who was born on 24 November 1838 in the city of Drammen in the Buskerud region of Norway and baptised there on 01 September 1839. He worked as a skibsfører – a shipmaster. Note that his surname was recorded as the Norwegian “Robertsen” (“son of Robert” rather than the Scottish “Hutchinson“.
4. Thomas Robersten, who was born on 25 March 1841 in the city of Drammen in the Buskerud region of Norway and baptised there on 22 August 1841. He died in 1845 in Drammen.
   

Robert Dalton Hutchison was a keen angler and wrote a book on fly fishing in Norwegian.

Robert Hutchinson died on 17 August 1843 at Vikersund in Modum, Buskerud, Norway, when he would have been aged about 56. He was buried at Drammen.

Who was Helen Old?

At her marriage to Robert Hutchinson, Helen Old was described as residing “in No. 3 Annieslow Place Newington” and as the “daughter of David Old, Cooper in Wick, Caithness“.

This document was clear evidence that Olds from Caithness had indeed moved to Edinburgh as we believed.

Who was Helen Old? Old was not a common name in Scotland and unless Helen’s baptism had not been recorded, or was unavailable, both of which were distinct possibilities, there were very few candidates.

It was interesting that Helen’s father, David Old, was a Cooper, as this was also the occupation of our ancestor Honeyman Old, his two sons and several of his grandsons.

Honeyman Old the cooper of Leith, Midlothian was born as Honyman Oal, son of David Old and Elizabeth Durran at “The Bog” in Bower parish in Caithness.

Could Helen Old be the daughter of Honeyman? If so, she would have been aged 23 in 1831, so of marriageable age. One family theory was that “Honeyman” may have been commonly known by his father’s name of “David” rather than his own rather esoteric name. (It seems likely that he was named after Euphemia Honyman, great granddaughter of Andrew Honyman, Lord Bishop of Orkney & Zetland and wife of George Taylor of Thura.)

Another possibility would be that Helen was Honeyman’s sister, Helen Oal, who would have been aged 42 in 1831. However, in 1841, 1851 and 1861, Helen Oal was living at Whitegar in Bower parish in Caithness. She died at Whitegar on 08 May 1869, aged 81 and there is no evidence that she was ever married.

While researching the Norwegian descendants of Robert Dalton Hutchinson and Helen old, I discovered they had a granddaughter named Anna Katarina Elisabet Elder Wilse who in turn had a daughter named Fanny Ragnhild Elder Samson. That was possibly significant as the mother of our Helen Old, the daughter of Honeyman, had the somewhat unusual name of Elder Samuel. Was this a case of a name being passed down through the generations?

Finally, I managed to trace Helen Old’s death and burial in the Norwegian parish records and this proved to be extremely interesting.

Helen Old died on 28 July 1861 at Bragerhaugen in the Bragernes district of the city of Drammen in the Buskerud region of Norway.

She was aged 53 and described as “Enkefru” – a widow. The cause of death was “Kræft i Brystet” – Cancer of the breast.

Helen’s age of 53 at death would correspond neatly with her being Helen Old, daughter of Honeyman Old and Elder Samuel who was born on 21 December 1807 in Leith.

While at her marriage, Helen was described as “daughter of David Old, Cooper in Wick, Caithness“, as mentioned previously, it seems possibly that her father Honeyman also went by the name “David”. Wick, as a large town, would likely be known to residents of Edinburgh, whereas the names of the farmsteads where the Oals worked such as Thura, Whitegar and Auchorn, in the small rural parish of Bower would have meant little. And it is not impossible that Honeyman had learned his trade in Wick before travelling to Edinburgh.

Conclusion

It seems likely that the Helen Old who married Robert Dalton Hutchinson in Edinburgh and emigrated to Norway was actually the daughter of Honeyman Old and Elder Samuel. That would make Helen Old our great (x4) aunt and Alders Beer Wilse the husband of our second cousin three times removed.

Robert Dalton Hutchinson and Helen Old had a number of descendants and it is hoped that one day a DNA match will be found that will allow this theory to be confirmed.