Below are some entries from a diary kept by Ina Silver (daughter of James & Ann Silver) on her trip to Scotland in 1914, with her widowed mother Ann Findlay Silver & brother Ronald Silver. June 1914 to Nov. 8, 1914
Portions of this diary were copied by Mary (Silver) Baker, a daughter of Alexander Silver.
The diary is in the possession of Eloise (Herr) Allen, daughter of Ina Silver (full name Mary Williamine Silver) who married Fredrick Herr.
The comments of Mary Baker are included, in parenthesis. Introductory comments by Mary Baker, in a letter of April 21, 2003 to Ronald Silver [son of Howard Silver] and wife Cindy:
“How I wish Elouise were well enough to give you a copy of her Mother’s (i.e. Ina’s) diary of the trip Aunt Annie Silver took in 1914 – i.e. Aunt Annie took Mary Williamine Silver Herr 1897-1953 (Ina to all of us) and Ronald (Aunt Annie’s younger son) to Scotland following the death of her husband James Silver earlier in 1914. They left Denver 6-2-1914.
They sailed on the RMS Campania from New York to Glasgow – over 2000 on board. She speaks of Aunt Elsie, Annie Findlay who met them and took them to tea at Aunt Lizzie’s home.”
Diary notes
“June 16 – Aunt Belle came to see them”.
“June 18 – We left Aberdeen…for Portlethen – went up to the church where Mother (my Aunt Annie) attended as a girl.”
“Sunday, Aug. 2, 1914 – World War I was declared between Russia and Germany. We all went to Portlethen Church.”
“Aug. 4 – We went to Mary Culter Parish Churchyard and saw Grandpa Silver’s grave. All the burying places of Mothers uncles. We saw Grandpa Silver’s old little farm where papa (James Silver) was born.”
“Sept. 3, 1914 – We went down to Mrs. Mestons, an old lady. Her husband was the school master when Mother (Annie Findlay Silver) went to school.”
“Sept. 5 – We walked over Shaken Brigge (Shaking Bridge) and up to the Free Kirk of Banchury-Devenick where Papa (i.e. James Silver) use to go when he was a lad.”
“Oct. 5 – We went to see Mrs. Martin (She was a sister of Mary Ann Falconer Silver, Ina’s grandmother. Her son, Alex Martin came to the United States and visited our father in Oroville, Calif. – i.e., they were 1st cousins.)
“Friday, Oct. 16 – We saw about 2,000 Belgian refugees – They were a sorrowful looking lot”.
“Sat., Oct. 17 – We didn’t start (i.e. start to USA) until after 10 as we had to wait for a certain amount of water to go into the Clyde” (I suppose tide had to come in. They were on board the SS Columbia leaving Glasgow for New York, about 991 passenger on board.)
“Monday, Oct. 26 – We got off the boat about 10 AM after going through a lot of red tape” (in New York).
“Oct. 28 – (left New York for Chicago, then Nov. 1 in Kansas City, where they went to see the house where Jim and Nellie were born.)
“Nov. 5 – Took the train for Denver.”
“Nov. 6, 1914 – We got in Denver about 12:30. Ruth, Nellie, Uncle Alex Silver and Auntie Mary Esther Ross Silver, & Mary (me) met us.”
“Nov. 8 – We came home – all of us to stay and thus our trip abroad ends.”
Closing comments by Mary (Silver) Baker: “These are notes from Ina’s Diary which Eloise let me read and copy these notes. I still remember how Aunt Annie Findlay Silver missed her Scotch relatives.”