Agnes M. DUNCAN [2266]

  General Notes:

Image 174
10 Elder Street, Edinburgh
8th Mar. '04.
Dear Uncle & Aunt,
Mother should answer your most welcome letter but as she "is awful bad at writing and has very little time" (so she says) I've taken pity on her.
We have been wondering for a long time how things were with you, but we are glad to hear you are all together again. Maybe you were disappointed but emigration is not always best. I wish we had some of your heat over here. It is still very much winter with us and we weary to see the sun.
Yes that was Alec Cassie's son. He was sent abroad immediately after the trial but rumours are afloat he has been seen here lately. He has had time to go to South Africa & be back again. It is a bad trial for all the family.
We had a letter from Mr. Roy after Henry's death and he told us about his own son who was 5. I don't know how many of a family he has of his second marriage.
By the time you get this letter we will probably be turning up for removal. We are going to live at 14 Bruntsfield Avenue and expect to get in early in May. However we will get things redirected at the Post Office. Perhaps you don't know the place. It is very near Morningate. Indeed at the beginning of Morningside Rd, so it will be a nice change to the other end of the town.
(Agnes Duncan)
Letters & papers to reach Mother about the end of May would need to be addressed C/o W. Burness - 14 Bruntsfield Avenue.
Written on the same page is another letter by Agnes's mother, E. Duncan nee Elizabeth Stephen (John Anderson's half-sister), which is recorded under 'her Notes'.

Image 173
Queens Avenue, Blackhall.
19 Feby. '08
Dear Uncle John,
Mother and I were delighted to get your letter and had given up hopes of ever getting any. We enjoyed it all the more because it is the first time we have grasped the family. We often wondered what stage they were in. You must have a lively and interesting household. I guess Mother would like fine to see you all.
At present she is nursing Betty which is no light task. She is just at the stage of wanting to walk but can't go alone and she must always be running around. Bill is now in the III standard and is getting quite sturdy. Blackhall air seems to have done wonders for him. (Blackhall, Edinburgh)
My husband is always busy. His garden and his baby and any other jobs I can rake up for him keep him busy after office hours. He is getting the earth in order for the tatties, etc. Do you go in for gardening? It is a never ending hobby.
Mother has not been so grand this winter. She had an attack of influenza and does not feel quite so brisk. However the good days are coming and when she gets out a bit she will be better.
We had not noticed Mrs. Liddle's death. Odd that the news should come by Australia.
The excitement of the Exhibition is now in the air. It seems quite the thing to have a season ticket. It is a good 3 miles from here though and a round about road if you travel by train or car. In fact its pretty far from any place. I don't see why they don't arrange things better. Our next door neighbours are on the way just now for British Columbia to go in for fruit farming and poultry. Didn't you think of that place?
Does Mrs. Roy send you the Weekly Scotsman? If she does not, let us know and we will.
We often wonder what Maggie Maclean is doing now without her Mother. She was far from strong last time we saw her. (who is Maggie Maclean??)
We are glad to hear that trade is better in Australia now. Things here are very bad. Heaps of tradesmen looking for work. Building operations have stopped in our street here until they get the rest of the houses sold.
With best wishes from us all to you all and I hope your good resolution to write sooner will not be broken.
Your loving neice[sic], Agnes

Image 172
15 Queens Avenue,
Blackhall, Midlothian
20/1/14
Dear Uncle John,
Just a line to tell you that we have a letter from Harry telling us he will be in Queensferry at the beginning of next month. We have written him giving him directions how he may get here (we are 7 miles from Queensferry) or if he likes Will and I would go out. We will let you know what turns up. Today we have a letter from Mary Roy the first of course. She is asking about you. It seems so funny all coming together. She stays with her aunt Mrs. McLaggan at Glenalmond. George is in a bank in Nova Scotia, is married and has a boy. James is in Glasgow. She is coming to Edinburgh in the summer so we may see her.
Trusting this finds you all well. We are I'm Glad to say in spite of the winter. With best wishes from all.
Your affec neice
Agnes.

Image 172
15 Queens Avenue,
Blackhall
12 Feby 1914.
My Dear Aunt,
Mother and I are indeed very sorry to hear of Uncle John's death, and you all have our deepest sympathy. Mother would write but does not feel equal to it. She never writes nowadays. We had Harry for the weekend. He would be telling you. He was wishing he had been at home just now. He looks very well. Many thanks for Annie's photo. It is very nice. We wish we had a later one of Uncle John. Harry promised to send us one of his snapshots but it has not arrived yet. He seems to have very little spare time when on the boat.
Now trusting you are keeping well and with our love.
Your affec neice, Agnes. (Agnes Burness - nee Duncan.)

Image 171
15 Queens Avenue, Blackhall.
7th Jany. 1915.
My Dear Aunt & Cousins,
We received your welcome letter and a week or two later the family group which we are very pleased to have. No we have never heard anything of Harry and we are wondering if you have by this time. I don't think it would do any good our writing to the War Office seeing you have been in communication there. It is a wretched feeling being in suspense. You will feel Eric going away Aunt but I believe the boys feel compelled to go as a matter of duty. It is a queer world we live in nowadays and one feels quite exasperated when we think about it that we needn't be fighting except for those Prussions [sic]. (I'm afraid to use an adjective). We do weary for the end of it.
I think I told you about Bill. He is still in the Infirmary and has been four months. His legs are still useless though he looks well. It is very tiresome but we've just to put up with it. Betty has got whooping cough. There is quite an epidemic in the village. The rest of us are well I'm glad to say. Mother is still able to go out in spite of the bad weather for we are getting plenty rain. I notice by your letter you could do with some. We could easily spare heaps this side of the water. I wonder where Eric will land. I don't suppose it is likely he will be near us. If he is I hope he will come to see us. There have been Canadians in Edinburgh.
Trusting you are all well and with love to all.
Your affec Niece Agnes

Stalker A (A Burness)
15 Queens Avenue,
Blackhall, Midlothian.
13th July, 1916.
My Dear Aunt & Cousins,
Have just received your welcome letter and Ivan's photo, which we are delighted to get. What a bright looking fellow he is. We thought Eric would have got up North before going to France and were looking forward to a visit from him. You must all feel very anxious about the boys. It is a most trying time. The bulk of the boys we know have been in this big offensive and their relatives have been having a very bad time of it. One of the fellows who was in the office with dad is still missing and a fellow who lives beside us had a narrow escape, his helmet saved him. The bullet hit it and descended on his nose. He is back in this country much to his Mother's relief.
Bill is still holding on though very far from walking. It is getting on for two years now since his collapse. I see there is an outbreak of infantile paralysis in New York just now (that is Bill's ailment) and Washington wants the congress to offer L20,000 to fight it. It is a most peculiar disease.
Betty is full of excitement just now. School closes in a fortnight and the children are preparing for a performance in aid of the Red Cross next week. Their class are to have a Geography day, each pupil to be dress to represent a town and say something in connection with it. Betty is to do Ayr.
We could easily spare you some of our rain these last few weeks. We are getting more than our share. One of the roads five minutes walk from here was quite impassable on Saturday. I never saw that before and a public park not far from here is like a pond. Is Torrensville a suburb? It must be nice Annie & you in the same office. I used to love shorthand but the typewriting is hard work if you get a lot of it. The sun has actually been shining today so this is being written in the garden. We live outside as much as we can. Mother keeps very well though she spent her 79th birthday last month.
Love to all,
Yours affectly, Agnes Burness.

  Other Records

• Census: Scotland, 3 Apr 1881, 3 Caledonian Crescent, Midlothian, Edinburgh. Agnes is recorded as Daughter age 5 born about 1876 and described as Scholar.

• Census: Scotland, 5 Apr 1891, 16 Duke Street, Edinburgh. Agnes is recorded as Daughter age 15 and described as Clerkess

• Census: Scotland, 31 Mar 1901, 10 Elder Street, Edinburgh. Agnes Duncan is recorded as Daur age 25 born about 1876 and described as Clerk (stationer's)

Agnes married William BURNESS [2267] [MRIN: 762], son of John Anderson BURNESS [3993] and Mary Stewart COOPER [3994], on 3 Jun 1904 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. (William BURNESS [2267] was born circa 1879 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.)