Born: 1 Apr 1877 in Belfast, Ireland
Parents: James Robertson 1841-1907 and Auderiah Laird 1839-1911
Siblings: John Charles Robertson ?-? , Sara Helena Robertson 1870-?, Emma Florence Robertson 1871-?, James Laird Robertson ?-?, Mary Robertson died in childhood, Herbert Mann Robertson 1879-?, Frederick Robertson ?-?
Married: Isabella “Isa” Oram 1891 – 1959 in 1919 in Newport, Co Mayo, Ireland
Lived in: Belfast, Dublin and Londonderry, Ireland; Melton Mowbray, Leics and Guiseley and Ben Rhydding, Yorkshire, England.
Died: 12 Sept 1935 at Bangor, County Down while visiting Ireland from Ben Rhydding, Yorkshire, England
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Willie’s mother Auderiah: Laird family history
Willie’s mother Auderiah
Amongst the family archives is a slim volume titled “History of the Laird Family” privately published in 1883 by John F Laird of Camden, Ohio, USA. The family’s oral tradition was that a Mr Glover from Scotland had gone to Carrick-on-Shannon to build the old bridge that was replaced by the present bridge in 1846. One of Mr Glover’s two daughters married Mr Leard, a name that later changed to Laird. The main aim of the book was to map out the family’s Methodist roots starting with members who may have heard John and Charles Wesley preach in Ireland. The five pages of family trees are scattered with Methodists ministers, a calling that Willie’s brother John Charles would later follow. Auderiah’s brother Dr John Laird ensured the author that his family ‘were all staunch Methodists, and are each endeavouring to serve their common Lord’.
A secondary and no doubt unintentional aim of the book was to show quite a number of first cousins marrying including Auderiah’s parents John Laird 1807-1871 and Sally Shera. John was a draper, farmer and grocer at Drumshanbo, north of Carrick on Shannon.
Early life
Auderiah married James Robertson a Methodist minister from County Sligo in 1867, so marrying within the faith but outside the family. James was ‘stationed’ around Ireland including Londonderry, Dublin and Belfast where their offspring were born.
During the 1901 census the family were living in Pottinger, County Down except for Willie who was a ‘teacher of English’ living on St Stephen’s Green South, Dublin. In 1911 census return, in the year of his mother’s death Willie was with his mother and two sisters in Coleraine, County Londonderry. Willie was described as ‘BA (Trinty College Dublin) Teacher of English’.
See Isa’s page for Willie’s later life. Isa’s father Arthur recorded in his diaries that during the school holidays ‘WSR’ sometimes stayed at ‘Wilford Lodge’, near Newport in County Mayo where Isa was looking after her parents. Unfortunately Arthur died in early 1919 so did not witness Isa and Willie’s marriage.
Probate record
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