| 2. |  James Alexander GAMMIE was born on 12 Nov 1839 in Maryculter, Kincardine, Scotland, UK (son of George GAMMIE and Jean SILVER); died on 13 Apr 1924 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. Other Events and Attributes:
- Occupation: Cinchona planter, India
- _FGRAVE: 229825812
- Residence: 1865-1897, Sikkim, Himalayan Mountains, India
- Census: 1901, 3 Grosvenor Rd, Chiswick, Middlesex, England, UK
- Census: 1911, 1 Harvard Rd, Middlesex, England, UK
- Census: 1921, 1 Harvard Rd, Middlesex, England, UK
- Probate: 30 May 1924, London, Middlesex, England, UK
Notes:
From http://www.kewguild.org.uk/media/pdfs/v3s25p399-1.pdf
JAMES A. GAMMIE.
THE honourable roll of the Kew Guild contains few names of members whose association with Kew is of longer standing, and no name more deserving of honour by its members than that of the President-elect for 1918.
Born on November 12, 1839, at Kingcausie, in the county of Kincardine. Mr. Gammie served his apprenticeship at Drum Castle, Aberdeenshire, where his father had charge of the gardens for 45 years.
At the age of 17 he came south, working successively in the gardens of Stapleton Park, York*; Messrs. J.Veitch, Chelsea, and Stockwood Park, near Luton, entering Kew in the spring of 1861, among his colleagues of that year being Mr. W. B. Hemsley and Mr. J.K.Jackson.
During a stay of four and a half years Mr. Gammie's work was wholly confined to the decorative and flower garden department under Mr. Craig.
After this period of service at Kew, our President-elect was specially selected by the Secretary of State for India, in August 1865, to serve as Manager of the young and struggling Cinchona Plantation in Sikkim.
The task he had to undertake was difficult. The cultural requirements of the various Cinchonas had still to some extent to be ascertained ; the soil was indifferent; the climate was not ideal.
The uphill work called both for knowledge and judgment as to what was feasible and for courage to attempt what might seem impossible.
If the hour ever produces the man this happened when Mr. Gammie devoted his talents to the problem, and to hini is largely due the success that, in the face of difficulties which might have disheartened the bravest, has rewarded the effort to produce Cinchona Bark on a commercial scale in the Government Plantations in Sikkim.
This, however, was but half the task that confronted the Cinchona Department. The other was to separate from the harvested bark the alkaloids it contained and to do this economically and on a commercial scale.
In this, too, Mr. Gammie took an important share. Before a method of separating quinine had been devised, a process was adopted for the extraction as a mixed febrifuge of all the alkaloids in the bark.
This process was worked by Mr. Gammie from 1879 onwards and called for the same skill and thoroughness that had marked his work as a planter.
When Mr. Wood, the quinologist, who designed this process, retired in 1879, he and Mr. Gammie still kept the further aim of separating pure quinine in view.
At last Mr. Wood invented, in his private laboratory in London, an admirable process which Mr. Gammie perfected in the factory in Sikkim.
It is on official record that without Mr. Wood the process would net have been invented; without Mr. Gammie it would not have been successfully applied to manufacture.
For his share in this great work Mr. Gammie, then Resident Manager of the Government Cinchona Plantations, was promoted to be Deputy Superintendent of the Cinchona Department.
But for him the humane object of the Indian Government when they introduced Cinchona to the East, which was to place quinine within reach of the poorest, could not have been realised so early and so effectively as it was.
After eleven years spent in working and improving this process Mr. Gammie retired in 1897.
If the thoroughness with which Mr. Gammie's work as a planter was done made the growing of Cinchona a success, it was this same quality that enabled him to prepare cinchona febrifuge and, later still, to separate quinine.
The capacity for mastering his subject was accompanied by a corresponding ability to prevent his subject from mastering him.
This double gift was nowhere more apparent than in the studies of his leisure hours, which were devoted to natural history.
None have ever made more use of their opportunities in this fleld than our President-elect, and few'have acquired a wider knowledge of the subject as a whole, the method followed being that of thoroughly mastering some particular branch of the fauna of British Sikkim before seriously undertaking the study of another.
Aberdeen Journal 17 April 1924 page 8 (obviously based on above).
Mr James A. Gammie. Distinguished worker quinine plantations.
Our obituary notices to-day include the name of Mr James A. Gammie a distinguished Aberdeenshire man, who for 32 years was Superintendent of the Government Cinchona (Quinine) Plantations in Sikkim.
Mr Gammie served his apprenticeship at Drum Castle, where for 45 years his father was gardener.
After a period in Kew Gardens, he was specially selected, in 1865, by the Secretary of State for India, to serve as manager of the young and struggling Chinchona Plantation in Sikkim.
He had a difficult task, for the cultural requirements of the various Chinchonas had still to some extent to be ascertained; the soil as indifferent; the climate was not ideal.
But Mr Gammie surmounted these difficulties, and to him was due the success that made it possible to produce Cinchona bark on a commercial scale in the Government plantations there.
To him also, in a great measure, belongs the credit for the successful experiments to separate from the harvested bark the alkaloids it contained, and to do this economically on a commercial basis.
But for him, it has been stated, the humane efforts of the Indian Government to place quinine within the reach of the poorest could not have been realised so early and so effectively as it was.
Mr Gammie retired in 1897, and, since then, had resided in London, devoting his leisure to natural history.
In 1918 he was honoured by the Kew Guild by being elected president of that society.
He was the most modest of men (writes a correspondent), shy and retiring, and loving the quite way of life, but was great in friendship and hospitality.
He kept us his interests in nature study to the last, and his life was full of devotion to the best things.
The Church of Scotland station of Kalimpong never had better friends than Mr Gammie, his wife and their like-minded family.
These survive him, and also his two sisters, Misses Gammie, Lochwood, Drumoak.
Birth:
"Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XBHJ-GV3 : accessed 31 May 2014), James Alexander Gammie, 12 Nov 1839; citing , reference ; FHL microfilm 993321.
Census:
1901 Census for 3, Grosvenor Road, Chiswick, Brentford, Middlesex, England
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
James A Gammie Head Married Male 61 1840 Retired cinchona planter Scotland
Mary Gammie Wife Married Female 61 1840 - Brentford, Middlesex, England
James W Gammie Son Single Male 26 1875 Tea planter East Indies
Amy Gammie Daughter Single Female 21 1880 - East Indies
M Mary Mines Grand daughter Single Female 8 1893 - Littlehampton, Sussex, England
A G Mines Grand son Single Male 10 1891 - Chiswick, Middlesex, England
A E Mason Servant Single Female 18 1883 General servant domestic Bookham, Surrey, England
Census:
1911 Census For England & Wales
1 Harvard Road Chiswick W, Chiswick, Middlesex, England
First name(s) Last name Relationship to head Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
James Alexander Gammie Head Married Male 71 1840 Pensioned cinchona planter Kincordine Maryculter Resident
Mary Gammie Wife Married 47 years, 9 children, 7 living, 2 deceased Female 71 1840 - Middlesex Brentford
Alexander George Mines Grandson Single Male 20 1891 Asst clerk post office savings bank Middlesex Chiswick
Marjorie Mary Mines Granddaughter Single Female 18 1893 - Sussex Littlehampton
Mary Edwards Servant Single Female 29 1882 General servant domestic Dublin Dublin Resident
Census:
1921 census for 1 Harvard Rd, Middlesex, England
First name(s) Last name Rel to head Sex Birth year Age birth place Occ. Employer
James A Gammie Head Male 1839 81 years 7 months Kincardineshire, Scotland Cinchona Planter, Retried The Government Of Bengal, India
Mary Gammie Wife Female 1840 81 years 6 months Brentford, Middlesex, England - -
Mary A Mackinnon Daughter Female 1868 52 years 11 months Darjeeling, India - -
Marjorie M Mines Granddaughter Female 1893 28 years 5 months Littlehampton, Sussex, England - -
Probate:
England and Wales, National Probate.
Gammie James Alexander of 1 Harvard-road Chiswich Middlesex died 13 April 1924 Probate London 30 May to Cyril Claude Pearson broker and George Alexander Gammie retired Indian civil servant. Effects 5206 pounds 7 shilling 3 pence. Resworn 4662 pounds 11 shillings 4 pence.
Died:
UK and Ireland, Find a Grave Index, 1300s-Current
Name: James Alexander Gammie Gender: Male Birth Date: 12 Nov 1839 Birth Place: Kincardine, Highland, Scotland
Death Date: 13 Apr 1924 Death Place: Chiswick, London Borough of Hounslow, Greater London, England Cemetery: Old Chiswick Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place: Chiswick, London Borough of Hounslow, Greater London, England
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/229825812/james-alexander-gammie
James married Mary PARRELL on 28 Jan 1864 in St Mary's Parish Church, Ealing, Middlesex, England, UK. Mary was born in Oct 1839 in Old Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK; died on 29 Oct 1925 in Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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1879 - 1975 (96 years)
George GAMMIE was born on 24 May 1809 in Marnoch, Banff, Scotland, UK; died on 16 Mar 1906 in South Coldstream Cottage Drumoak, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. 
Jean SILVER was born on 18 Aug 1812 in Maryculter, Kincardineshire, Scotland, UK (daughter of James SILVER and Isobel GORDON); died on 11 Aug 1891 in Drumoak, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK; was buried on 14 Aug 1891 in Old Churchyard, Drumoak, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK.