Elisabeth was born in 18 August 1860 in Torryburn, Fife, Scotland to John Masterton sea captain and Janet West. She was a Presbyterian.
Elisabeth Masterton married Ralph Gardiner 24 January 1879 when she was 19 years old and had four children by him: Jessie, Ralph, William Anne and Arthur.
Children with unknown father:
1. John 1878 - 1949
Children from Ralph:
2. Janet 1881
3. Ralph Jr 1883 (need more info to verify this birth)
4. William 1884
5. Anne Gall 1885
Children from Arthur:
6. Arthur II 1890
7 Stanley
Sometime between 1890 and 1895 Ralph's brother Arthur came to live with the family in Ogden, UT. She decided to leave Ralph and follow Arthur to Australia. He went first, then sent for Elisabeth and her youngest son Arthur. They took up residence in Australia.
She lived in Victoria two years and in WA 44 years. She had a son by Arthur and called him Stanley. She lived at 17 Fredick Street, Midland, Australia
She died October 29, 1941 at the age of 81 in the Bequfort Hospital and was buried October 31, 1941 in the Karrakatta Cemetery in West Midland.
More detailed information:
1. Elisabeth Masterton or Betsy has an illegitimate child named John Masterton on January 8, 1878 at Preston Crescent, Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland, seven miles from her ancestral home. See enclosed birth certificate. She is 17 years 4 months. She is listed as a Factory Winder (1878); Threadmill Worker (1879).
2. About a year later on January 24, 1879, Elisabeth marries Ralph Gardiner, brother to our Robert Gardiner, at 15 Barclay Street, in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. This is fifty five miles from her ancestral home in Crombie Point, Torryburn, Fife, Scotland which is a seaside town. Elisabeth is 18 years 4 months old at the time of her marriage to Ralph.
3. Her father is a merchant seaman, master mariner and general laborer. On Elisabeth's death certificate she lists her father as a sea captain. In the 1871 census he is on board the "Empress Eugenie" ship in Perth, Scotland. He dies from carcinoma of the neck in the Poorhouse in Dunfermline Fife, Scotland, 14 November 1892 at 66 years of age with his 26 year old son Peter as witness.
4. Two years later on 28 January 1881, Elisabeth has her second child, Janet (aka Jesse) Gardiner, in Maryhill, Lanark, Scotland. (married Archie Rhea and lived in Tacoma, WA) The 1881 census lists their home at 404 Gairbraid St, Soldiers Home, Maryhill, Lanark, Scotland. Maryhill is a police burgh in Barony parish, NW Lanarkshire, on the left bank of the river Kelvin, 3½ miles NNW of the centre of Glasgow. This is 35 miles from the ancestral home. She is 20 years 4 months.
5. Elisabeth has three more children, Ralph May 11, 1883 (Lived in San Luis Obispo, CA and died in 1913 with no children) William Gardiner, June 10, 1884 (Accountant, lived on Hale Avenue in San Francisco, no children) and Ann Gall Gardiner, September 24, 1885 (Anne Gall Gardiner came to America and died as a little girl from diptheria in Terrace, Box Elder County, Utah abt 1890). All are born in Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland, or in the same area she delivered her first son John. Again this is seven miles from her ancestral home.
6. Elisabeth immigrates to Ogden and lives with her husband Ralph. When Ralph's brother Arthur comes to visit. Elisabeth leaves Ralph and three of her children and goes with Arthur to Australia with Elisabeth's youngest son Arthur II sometime before May 29, 1896 when Ralph posts the following in the San Francisco Call newspaper: "MY WIFE, ELIZABETH GARDINER, HAVing left my bed and board, I shall no longer be responsible for any debts contracted by her after this date, May 29, 1896. RALPH GARDINER."
7. Elisabeth dies October 29, 1941 and is buried on October 31, in Australia as a housewife and Presbytarian. At the time of her death she reports three living children from Ralph: John, Jessie and William and two living children from Arthur: Arthur II and Stanley. Her address is: 17 Fredick, Midland, Australia. She is 81 years 2 months old. On her death certificate she has two errors. She was not sixteen when she married the first time (18 years 4 months) and she did not get married in 1888 to Arthur (according to the Ogden City Directory 1895-96 Ralph, Elisabeth and Arthur are living together.) No marriage verification has been found.
8. "Smothie" Jack came to the U.S. from Scotland about 1886 at the age of eight. He went to work as a Rivet Heater at the age of 14. The events of his life are myriad and interesting but among the most startling are these. He worked on the first Cruiser ever build for the Japanese Navy built in San Francisco about 1898--"now he wishes he could tear it down." He helped build the first snow plow to get up the Cascade in the Huntington Lake District in 1911. He was the first passenger on the first stage out of Miricopa to Los Angeles. Boilermaker inspector, March 9, 1913. Worked for Mobil Oil Corporation. There appeared an article in one of their publications showing a picture of four Generations of the Gardiner Family on the oil company payroll. (Maybe Ralph, Jack, son and grandson?) He may have lived in Highland Park, LA. Information from a descendant.
9. John "Jack" Masterton Gardiner marries Isabel (Belle) Alice Day Gardiner, has three children, is an inspector at an oil company and dies in Los Angeles November 20, 1949, five months after his father dies. The 1940 census lists him as a Boiler Inspector for a Petroleum Oil Company. He is listed with his wife Isabelle (spelling from census). He has an 8th grade education and rents his home at 3023 West Avenue 32, Los Angeles, CA. for $25. He earned $3900 in 1939 and worked 52 weeks. For a time Ralph lives with John and Belle in Los Angeles.
10. John Masterton Gardiner burial: Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Los Angeles County California, USA Plot: Sanctity of Fidelity, Gardenia Terrace, Lot 0, Space 9473
9. Ralph also dies the same year at 95, June 16, 1949 in California. He died as a Mason and Presbyterian and is buried in San Luis Obispo. According to the newspaper he came to the area 50 years previous.
11. His wife Belle died twenty three years later: in Oxnard, Ventura County, CA, Nov. 12, 1972 and is buried next to her husband: Plot: Sanctity of Fidelity, Gardenia Terrace, Lot 0, Space 9473. Belle is born, April 15, 1879 in Oakland, California, USA. (Find a Grave for date of birth) Isabelle reported being 60 in the 1940 census.
12. There are a number of John Masterton Gardiner's descendants currently living in California.
Information on her sibblings and parents
San Francisco Call, May 29, 1996 newspaper
September 19 , 1909, Salt Lake Republican: Here is a reference to Elisabeth's brother:
Hi everyone, Attached is some more of Betty Harris’ research notes.
According to the notes Elisabeth lived in Western Australia 44 years
(that is consistent with her arriving in Western Australia in 1897 a few
months before Stanley was born) and 2 years in Victoria (that is
consistent with her arriving in Melbourne in December 1895). N
Hi everyone, Attached is a copy of two photos of Arthur and Elisabeth Gardiner’s grave markers in Western Australia (looks pretty dry). Note that Elisabeth’s name on the marker is spelled with a “z”. However, her birth certificate spells her name as “Elisabeth” and she signed her marriage certificate as “Elisabeth”. Maybe Arthur or a descendant made a mistake or didn’t like the way she spelled her name. N
Research: Hi everyone, I am trying to narrow down when Elisabeth left Ralph Gardiner. That is the date that I will use for Arthur and Elisabeth's marriage. I realize that it is not a legal marriage, but that is when they started to hold themselves out publicly as husband and wife. Attached is a clipping from a San Francisco newspaper.
From the Ogden City directory, I know that Ralph, Elisabeth and Arthur
were in Ogden in 1895. Betty Harris says that Arthur arrived in
Australia first. I believe that Elisabeth left Ralph in the latter
part of 1895 without any indication where she was going. However,
sometime in the spring of 1896 Ralph got some word or information that
Elisabeth was or had been in San Francisco. See attached clipping.
N
Hi everyone, Attached is a clipping that really is meaningless, but I thought it was kind of interesting. A man was sentenced in Chicago for issuing fraudulent decrees of divorce for Box Elder County, Utah. This occurred during the time Arthur was living in Box Elder County (Terrace). It made me wonder if Elisabeth had obtained one of these fraudulent divorces. I couldn’t find that out. There was no list in the court records. I don’t think Elisabeth obtained one of these divorces because she continued to live with Ralph up to at least 1895. Even if she did obtain such a divorce it would have been void as it was fraudulent. N
Research:
Apparently Elisabeth had an illegitimate child in 1878, a year almost to the day before she married Ralph. Here is the birth certificate for John Masterton. 8 Jan 1878, Preston Crescent, Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland
John Masterton is born to Betsy Masterton in Preston Crescent, Inverkeithing, Fife Scotland January 8, 1878. She is 17 years old
On January 24, 1879 at 15 Barclay Street, Paisley, Renferew Scotland Elizabeth marries Ralph Gardiner, she is 18 years old. The distance between the birth and Ralph is a little over 50 miles.
The distance between her home and where she had the baby is 7 miles: A is her home, B is where she gave birth.
Research:
Birth 18 Aug 1860 Crombie Point, Torryburn, Fife, Scotland [1, 2]
Gender Female Occupation Factory Winder (1878); Threadmill Worker (1879) [3, 4] Census 1861 6 Crombiepoint, Torryburn, Fife, Scotland - aged 6 months
Census 1871 Crombie Point, Torryburn, Fife, Scotland - aged 10
Adam Masterton and family 1871 Census
Crombie Point, Torryburn, Fife, ScotlandResidence Bef 24 Jan 1879 Lounsdale, Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland - aged 19
Census 1881 404 Gairbraid St, Soldiers Home, Maryhill, Lanark, Scotland - aged 20, married
Died 1941 Australia Person ID I112 Mastertons from Culross Last Modified 11 Aug 2012 Father MASTERTON John, b. 21 Jan 1828, Torryburn, Fife, Scotland Mother WESTWOOD Janet (Jessie), b. 28 Apr 1828, Torryburn, Fife, Scotland Married 21 Jun 1850 Torryburn, Fife,Scotland Family ID F82 Group Sheet Family 1 UNNAMED Children 1. GARDNER John Masterton, b. 8 Jan 1878, Preston Crescent, Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland Family ID F1391 Group Sheet Family 2 GARDNER Ralph, b. 21 Apr 1855, Smalls Wynd, Dundee, Angus, Scotland Married 24 Jan 1879 15 Barclay Street, Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland Children 1. GARDNER Janet, b. 28 Jan 1881, Maryhill, Lanark, Scotland 2. GARDNER William, b. 10 Jun 1884, Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland 3. GARDNER Ann Gall, b. 24 Sep 1885, Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland Family ID F87 Group Sheet Family 3 GARDNER Arthur, b. 1861, d. 1945, Australia Family ID F1402 Group Sheet Photos Elisabeth Masterton (1860-1941) Sources - [S9] Scotlandspeople, General Registers of Scotland.
- [S492] Modified Register for Elizabeth Masterton, Janice McHardy.
- [S306] Ralph Gardner and Elisabeth Masterton marriage certificate.
- [S493] John Masterton birth.
- [S15] scotlandspeople, General Registers of Scotland.
- [S390] 1871 Scotland Census.
- [S499] Gathering Gardiners, Kent Gardiner.
