Biography contributed by Nicola Francis
Janet BRYCE née ALLAN was born to Jane BRYCE and James ALLAN, Farmer in Lanarkshire, Scotland, circa 1835, the 9th of 10 children.
In the 1841 Scottish census, Jane is 6 years old, living at Maggieshill, Avondale, Lanarkshire with her father aged 60 an Agricultural Labourer, her mother aged 46 and their five younger children. By the time of the 1851 Scotland census, James Allan has died and Janet is aged 15, a house servant to Agnes and George Young, Springbery Farm, Carnethen, Lanarkshire.
In 1859 Janet sailed from Liverpool to Melbourne where she was employed as companion to Emily Blanche Barkly, daughter of Sir Henry Barkly, Governor of Victoria. During this time Janet met her cousin James Millar Bryce from Scotland who plied his trade as a blacksmith on the Victorian goldfields. When Janet left Melbourne in 1863 to marry James Bryce in Dunedin, Blanche Barkly gave Janet a Bible inscribed:
'Janet Allen with Emily Blanche Barkly's Best Wishes 10 February 1863'
On 10 March 1863, Janet and James married at Knox Church, Dunedin. They set up home and a blacksmith business in Milton, then known as Tokomairiro, which was growing rapidly because of its proximity to goldfields at Gabriel’s Gully near Lawrence. Janet gave birth to eight children in 14 years.
A literary and musical family, Janet nurtured her family’s creativity. James was a well-known poet who published under the pen name ‘Hamish’. They enjoyed family and public recitations and performances, performed together as musicians, and played in the Milton Brass Band. Youngest son Andrew toured England in 1903 with the New Zealand Brass Band. James was elected to the local council in 1866.
James died in May 1889 aged 56 years. Janet followed her eldest child Jane ‘Jeannie’ to Oamaru, after Jeannie married Robert Jackson in 1897. Janet lived with Jeannie until her death at the age of 90 at home in Scotlandwell, 17 Ure Street, Oamaru.
Photos courtesy of Graeme Martyn from the Jackson family collection.
Thanks to Dr Allen Bryce, for access to the Bryce family archives.
Sources
Bryce family records. At the time of writing (Sep 2019) no birth or baptism records have been located for Janet or her siblings. It could be that the family did not baptise their children, that the parish kept poor records or the records were lost or destroyed, possibly in WW2 bombing of Glasgow.
Scotland Census 1841. Parish: Avondale; 621/7/1 accessed through Scotlands People, 25 September 2019.
Scotland Census 1851. Parish: Shettleston; 621/2/3 accessed through Scotlands People, 4 September 2019.
Series: VPRS 14; Series Title: Register of Assisted Immigrants from the United Kingdom (refer to microform copy, VPRS 3502).
Bryce family collection.
James Millar Bryce and Janet Allen. Marriage record printout, ref. 63/1057. Wellington, New Zealand: Births, Deaths and Marriages office, Department of Internal Affairs.
Knox Church Dunedin Marriages 1860 to 1920: https://www.presbyterian.org.nz/archives/marriageregisters/knoxdunedin1.htm, accessed 4 September 2019.
Jane ‘Jeannie’ 1864, Margaret 1865, Thomas 1867, James ‘Frank’ 1869, John ‘Jack’ 1871, William 1873, Andrew 1876 and Helen 1878.
Bryce family records, Papers Past.
Janet Bryce. Death record printout, ref 1926/3577.
Images
Janet Bryce nee Allan and James Bryce on their wedding day, Dunedin, 10 March 1863.
Janet Bryce nee Allan and James Bryce with their first child Jane ‘Jeannie’ Bryce, Tokomairiro (Milton), Otago, 1864.
Janet Bryce nee Allan at Scotlandwell, 17 Ure Street, Oamaru. Undated.