ancestor stories
Grandfather, Archibald Barron
The Story of a Scottish Immigrant
Archibald Barron was born May 13, 1896 in Dailly, Ayrshire Scotland to John Wesley Barron Jr and Jane McCallum. Archie, as known by his family, was born on Miner's Row and the living conditions were horrible. The family lived in one room, all 6 of them at the time. The floors were made of dirt and there wasn't any sanitation.
By 1901, the family had moved to Bothwell, Lanarkshire, likely for work, and still lived on Miner's Row. By this time, there were 7 children in the family.
In 1910, Archibald's parents made the decision to leave Scotland for America.
Archie's father and one brother arrived at Ellis Island on September 25, 1910. The rest of the family, including Archie, arrived in America on February 27, 1911.
After the arrival of the family in America, they settled in Shelburne, Indiana because John Wesley Jr's brother, James, had settled there.
In 1916, tragedy struck the family. Only 6 years after arriving in America, Archie's father, died in a horse and wagon accident. The wagon tipped over and John fell out. He was then run over by the wagon while shielding his infant son. He died from his injuries.
After John's death, Jane moved with Archie and the other children to Ramsay, Gogebic, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula.
Archie fought in WWI in the Company E, 52nd Infantry, 6th Division and was a Corporal. This division was stationed in Brest, France during the war.
After the war ended, Archie returned to his home in Ramsay, Michigan. There, he worked as an ore miner. He also started the men's basketball team and soccer teams there in the early 1920s.
Archie first married Caroline Stella Davies and they had 2 children. Then tragedy struck again. During the birth of their second child in 1934, Caroline passed.
In 1937, Archie remarried my grandmother, Irma Peterson. They had 5 children.
Archie broke his leg while working in the mines at some point in Upper Michigan. After that, he walked with a limp and became the janitor at the post office. Sometimes after his shift ended at the post office, he would go to the pasty shop and help my grandmother, Irma, make pasties.
Grandpa passed on October 27, 1972 from cancer.