Person    | Female  Born 1851  Died /4/1936

Sarah Reid Anderson

Categories: Friend / family

Countries: Scotland

Sarah Reid Anderson

The Wellcome Collection holds the Hospital's 1929 Annual Report which lists James Anderson and Mrs Anderson as 2 of the 7 Vice-Presidents. They are also listed as Life Governors, and subscribers along with two Miss Andersons and a Dr J. S. Anderson.  From this, it seems likely that James Morton Anderson was the son of Mr and Mrs James Anderson.

We note that the architect of the hospital, George Lethbridge, married Jessie Naismith Morton, and Morton was used in the name of (at least) one of their sons. This may be coincidence, or perhaps the Anderson's were related to the Lethbridge's.

Our colleague, Andrew Behan, confirms that Mrs James Anderson was indeed the mother of Second Lieutenant James Morton Anderson (1886-1917) and that one of her sisters was Jessie Naismith Morton (1848-1936) who married the architect, George Lethbridge (1848-1924) on 2 April 1874 in Edinburgh, Scotland.

She was born as Sarah Reid Morton in 1851 in Carluke, Lanarkshire, Scotland, a daughter of Robert Morton (1813-1890) and Ann Morton née Scott (b.1815). 

In the census taken on 30 March 1851 she is shown as being one-month-old, living at 9 Back of High Street, Carluke, Lanarkshire, with her parents and five siblings: Robert Morton, aged 12 years; William Morton, aged 10 years; John Morton, aged 8 years, James Morton, aged 6 years and Janet Morton, aged 2 years. Her father was described as a 'carpenter (master employing one man and two apprentices)'.

She was described as a 10-year-old scholar in the 1861 census living at 9 Pitt Street, Barony, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, with her parents and six siblings: Robert Morton, a lithographer; John Morton who was a smith; James Morton, a draper; Janet Morton, a scholar; Sarah Morton, aged 10 years and a scholar and Ann Morton, aged 2 years. Her father was described as a 'joiner (journeyman)'.

The 1871 census shows her living at 48 Arlington Street, St Pancras (now renamed as Arlington Avenue, N1), with her parents and five of her siblings: Robert, who was a designer; John, a cabinet maker; James, an undergraduate, Jessie Naismith Morton, of no occupation, who was aged 22 years and was probably the woman named Janet Morton in the two earlier census returns and Minnie Morton, again of no occupation, aged 13 years and was probably the Ann Morton in the 1861 census. Her father was described as a cabinet maker. 

She again had no occupation shown on the 1881 census return in which she is shown as living at 11 Caledonian Road, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, with her parents and a sister now shown as Annie H. Morton, aged 22 years and a governess. Her father continued to be recorded as a cabinet maker.

Her marriage to James Anderson (1852-1940) was registered in the 2nd quarter of 1881 in the Pancras registration district, Middlesex, (now Camden, Greater London). They were to have seven children: Mary Elder Anderson (1882-1953); Annie Scott Anderson (b.1883); James Morton Anderson (1886-1917); Sarah Morton Anderson (b.1888); Ruth Anderson (1890-1975); Grace Ella Anderson (1891-1964) and Edith Maud Anderson (1893-1977). 

In the 1901 census she is shown living at 'Braidwood' Grange Road, Highgate, Middlesex (now Greater London), with her husband and their six female children, together with a cook and a housemaid. Her husband was described as a 'manager of public company'.

She was still listed at this address in the 1911 census along with her husband, who listed himself as a 'director of companies', their son James Morton Anderson, who was described as an 'assistant secretary to company', two of their daughters, Sarah Morton Anderson and Ruth Anderson, neither of whom had occupations shown, together with two female domestic servants.

Her death, aged 86 years, was registered in the 2nd quarter of 1936 in the Edmonton registration district, Middlesex, and she was buried on 27 April 1936 in Plot S, Row 3, Grave 5 in the St Marylebone Cemetery, Finchley, (now known as the East Finchley Cemetery, East End Road, London, N2 0SP).

She is commemorated as Mrs James Anderson on the Hornsey Central Hospital war memorial at Hornsey Central Health Centre, 151 Park Road, London, N8 8JD.

Checking Google Maps, Grange Road Highgate is now a private road lined with large detached houses, some redeveloped but some look original. Braidwood may still be standing.

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Sarah Reid Anderson

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Hornsey Central Hospital war memorial - Mrs James Anderson

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