James Athya, another update

James Athya, born in 1919 in Bellshill, Lanark, Scotland to Robert Durie Athya and Margaret Shaw, was the eldest of three siblings and a first cousin once removed to my husband. After losing his mother to encephalitis lethargica at age six, James emigrated to America in 1930 with his father and siblings, settling first in Pennsylvania and later in Ohio. His brief but adventurous life included a stint in jail for train-hopping en route to Mardi Gras, work at a mission in West Virginia, and family lore that he traveled with a carnival before his untimely death in a Florida car accident around 1941.

I don’t like leaving family history sketches unfinished, but James’ story has yet to be fully uncovered—though piece by piece, details continue to emerge through online records.

I first wrote about James in 2019 (link here), when I lacked both an accurate birth record and any documentation to confirm the family’s account of his death. In 2021 (link here), I published an update after locating his World War II draft registration card, which provided a birth date but listed an incorrect birthplace. Since then, I’ve obtained his official birth record from Scotland’s People, confirming both the date and location.

Today, I can confirm at least part of the family lore: James did die in an automobile accident. In early November, I received an alert from Newspapers.com linking to an article published in The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, Florida) on March 4, 1942. It reported that a man identified by his Social Security card as James Athya, age 22, of Steubenville, Ohio, died at a Jacksonville hospital the night before from injuries sustained in a car-truck collision near Kingsland, Georgia. Three others were injured, though no further details were provided. James, listed as a seaman, was taken to Estes-Krauss Funeral Home while officials attempted to locate his relatives in Steubenville. I searched for additional coverage in both Florida and Ohio newspapers but found no further information.

I also discovered a Find A Grave memorial created in 2023 (after my 2021 update) indicating that James is buried at Fort Steuben Burial Estates in Wintersville, Jefferson County, Ohio. The memorial notes that his burial location was found in the cemetery’s records on page 3 of the Digital Shoebox Project, though no plot number was listed. At this point, I cannot confirm whether his remains were returned to Ohio or if the stone was placed in his memory. I submitted a photo request earlier this year but have not received a response.

I hope to one day locate an obituary or other record that confirms whether James was indeed buried in Ohio. I also continue searching for any evidence that he worked with a carnival, as family stories suggest—another chapter in his adventurous life that remains just out of reach. Until then, his story remains open—unfinished, but not forgotten.

January 9, 2026: another update!

Reference

• Auto, Truck Collision Fatal to Ohio Man, Three Others Hurt, The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville, Florida, March 4, 1942.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/261178523/james-athya: accessed November 2, 2025), memorial page for James Athya (3 Oct 1919–6 Mar 1942), Find a Grave Memorial ID 261178523, citing Fort Steuben Burial Estates, Wintersville, Jefferson County, Ohio, USA; maintained by Syndi (contributor 18484625).
• James Athya, Statutory Registers Births 625/3 476, National Records of Scotland, 1919. 

Margaret Shaw

Margaret Shaw Athya (ca. 1917-18)

Margaret Shaw, daughter of Ewen Shaw and Catherine McGillivray, was born between 1884 and 1889 (see table below) in Dores, a village located in the Shire of Inverness, Scotland. According to Wikipedia, Inverness-shire is the largest county in Scotland. Margaret came from a large family of at least nine children—Anne Shaw, John Shaw, David J. Shaw, Catherine S. Shaw, Marjory F. (or Mary or May) Shaw, Bella F. Shaw, Margaret Shaw, Davidina Shaw, and Ewen James Shaw. Margaret was the wife of my husband’s grand uncle Robert Durie Athya. She and my husband have no common relative.

In 1891, Margaret and her family lived at Mackay’s House on Stephens Brae in Inverness. She was enumerated as a five-year-old scholar. They were still living at Mackay’s House four years later when Margaret’s father Ewen, a blacksmith, died there on January 11, 1895.

In 1901, Margaret, her mother, and seven of her siblings, ranging in age from 31 to 7, lived in Inverness at 9 Abbotsford Terrace on Greig Street. At 17 years of age, Margaret earned a living as a domestic servant. She was enumerated as Maggie vs. Margaret. The year 1901 would have been a sad but exciting time for Margaret. Queen Victoria died on January 22 and her son Edward became the King of the United Kingdom. Victoria, who had reigned since 1837, had been the Queen during Margaret’s entire lifetime so this would have been a huge historical event for a teenage subject of the United Kingdom. King Edward VII's coronation took place in 1902.

Back of Margaret Shaw Athya photo

Sometime between 1901 and 1917, Margaret’s mother passed away. I can’t find a death record for Catherine but when Margaret married Robert Durie Athya, son of James Athya and Jemima Durie, on November 23, 1917 in Rosskeen, Scotland, Catherine was recorded as “deceased.” The registry noted that Margaret was a domestic servant and spinster. At the time, World War I was raging and her groom was serving with Scotland’s Black Watch—a Sergeant with the Cameron Highlanders. The photo of Margaret above was taken ca. 1917–1918. She wrote the following on the back of the photo: “To my Darling Hubby with fondest love. How Do you like your little boy. Yours Loving. Maggie Athya.” In the bottom right corner, she wrote “Don’t smile.” It’s believed she was working in a factory at the time and was showing Robert her sense of humor.

Margaret and Robert had three children together. Their first child, a boy they named James Athya, was born about 1920. They welcomed daughter Margaret Shaw Athya on August 21, 1921. A third child, Robert Durie Athya Jr. joined the family on June 18, 1924. James, Margaret, and Robert were all born in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland. They were all given family names—son James was given his paternal grandfather’s name; daughter Margaret was given her mother’s first and maiden names; and son Robert given his father’s full name.

Newlyweds Margaret and Robert Athya
(ca. 1917-18)

When Margaret’s youngest child was just two years old, she was stricken with encephalitis lethargica (also known as “sleeping sickness”) and died on August 9, 1926 at Connolly Hospital in Motherwell, a town in Lanarkshire, Scotland. According to Wikipedia, “Between 1915 and 1926, an epidemic of encephalitis lethargica spread around the world. Nearly five million people were affected, a third of whom died in the acute stages. Many of those who survived never returned to their pre-existing ‘aliveness.’” Margaret and Robert lived in Bellshill at the time of her death. Her burial location is unknown to me, but I would assume she was buried somewhere in Bellshill or perhaps taken to Inverness-shire where she was born. The Dalziel Parish, County of Lanark death registry recorded Margaret’s age as 37 years.

Four years after Margaret’s death, Robert and their three children emigrated to America where they settled in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio. They joined Robert’s sister Margaret Athya Close and his brother George Durie Athya who had been living in America since 1920.

I noted earlier that Margaret was born between 1884 and 1889. Unfortunately, I can’t pinpoint her birthdate. The four records I find equate to different birth years. Each record provides Margaret’s age as well as a record date. When you do the math, things don’t add up. Here’s what I’ve found:

Hopefully a birth or burial record will eventually be found for Margaret that will help solve the mystery.