Born 100 years ago - Caroline McDougall

Aunt Carrie, my great aunt, was born Caroline McDougall one hundred years ago on 11 September 1921, in the family home at 117 Albert Street, Townhead, Glasgow. She was the youngest of three daughters born to Alexander Murray McDougall and Caroline Anstey Garrett.

The family lived in a two room tenement, with a recess bed in each room. Albert Street was renamed McAslin Street sometime during the 1920s.  

Also residing in the family home were her maternal grandfather, Albert Garrett and aunt, Lizzie Garrett.  Her grandfather lived with the family until his death in 1939 and Aunt Lizzie until she married in 1941. 

After leaving school, Carrie worked as a book pager, however during the war, she worked as an explosives worker at the Ardeer Factory in Stevenston and travelled down from Glasgow on the train for her shifts there. After the war she returned to her work as a book pager. 

Carrie married Alexander Campbell, a sergeant in the United States Army at the Barony Church in Townhead on 6 September 1947, when she was 25 years old.  Alexander was also her cousin, his family had immigrated to the USA in 1923 when he was 10 years old.  Witnesses to their marriage were their cousins, James Stewart and Hannah Garrett. 

Alexander and Caroline with their witnesses, James Stewart and Hannah Garrett on their wedding day

Following their marriage, Alec and Carrie lived in Nordenham, Germany for a year before returning to the USA in September 1948 and settled in Chicago, Illinois. In August 1951, her mother came to live with them but returned to Scotland in 1954 after her sister Lizzie's husband died. 

Alec and Carrie also lived in Japan for a time during the 1950s. Carrie was naturalized on 26 February 1952. 

Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991 for Caroline Campbell

Carrie returned to Scotland in June 1960 having travelled on the ship Carinthia and visited her mother and aunt in Saltcoats for 3 weeks. 

Her sister, Helen and nephew, Richard visited them in Chicago in 1963 and travelled to Scotland for a visit with the family in Saltcoats. 

Carrie and Alec retired to Port Charlotte in Florida in 1969 and her sister, Helen and her husband, Bob visited in 1972. 

Carrie's husband, Alec died on 15 Feb 1981 at Port Charlotte, Florida, of a heart attack and is buried at Fort Myers Crematory. Carrie made the decision to come and live with her sister in Australia, where she was to finally meet her extended Australian family.  Her mother had also immigrated to Australia some 4 years earlier.  Carrie spent the next 16 years in Australia, returning to the US each winter to spend time with her sister-in-law Martha and family in Chicago during their summer.   

Top left: with Vicki and Joanne, Top right: with Mark and Hayley 
Bottom left: with Richard and Bob; Bottom right: with Helen, June, John, Greg, Wendy, Penny, Lauren, Matthew, Glenn and Kirsty 

Back row: Penny, Hayley, Wendy, Julie, Joanne and Vicki (great nieces)
Middle row: Irene, Carol and June (nieces)
Front row: Carrie, Caroline (her mum) and Nelly (sister) circa 1986

Carrie and her sister Helen, with their mother, Caroline on her 100th birthday 15 September 1987

Carrie's sister, Helen passed away on 3 May 1997 and she returned to the USA and lived with her widowed sister-in-law, Martha Niskach and niece, Carole Baker in Chicago. 

Vicki and Carol visited Chicago the following year and were met with a limo courtesy of Aunt Carrie. 

Carol and Vicki arriving in style

Carrie and Martha, her sister-in-law and cousin, Chicago, 1998

Carrie passed away on 19 Nov 2005 in Chicago, Illinois aged 84 years. 

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Many thanks to mum, dad and Richard for scanning and sharing some of the photo's that I didn't have.