Introduction / Barbara Allan / Westray Allans / Marion Allan and James Harcus / John Harcus and Jane Drummond / Mary Hercus and James Drever

Mary Drever and George Blamy

Mary Drever was the youngest child and only daughter of James Drever and Mary Harcus, born on Pharay on 16th June 1864. She was orphaned as a young girl and was raised by her aunt Barbara Hercus who, during Mary's childhood, was a servant to the laird of Papa Westray. Mary has not been found in the 1881 census, but by 1885 she was in Aberdeen, working as a domestic servant, where she had a son:

• James Ernest Drever, b. 20th Aug 1885, St. Nicholas district, Aberdeen. James was an officer in the US Navy and in 1910 was serving on board the USS Vermont. He married about 1912, Vera Hawes of Boston, daughter of Willard and Ida Hawes and they had two daughters born in the early 1920s. In the 1930 census the family lived in the Dorchester area of Boston and James was a master mechanic in a steel casting factory. James later married Dora Sampson. James died as a result of an accident on a ship in Key West, Florida, on 27th Feb 1944 after having been called back into the American Navy. He was a veteran of both World War I and II.

Mary and her son immigrated to the States in 1887 and she was in Philadelphia in 1889 when her brother William arrived from Scotland on his way to Ontario, Canada. She later went to Massachusetts where, on 13th May 1899 she married George Blamy (Blamey), a native of Canada who worked in a shoe factory. George was born about 1865 to James Blamy and Mary O'Rourke. George and Mary were married in Boston, but their marriage was recorded in both Boston, where Mary lived, and in Everett, just outside of Boston, where George lived. In the records, Mary gave her maiden name as Hercus, said she was a widow, and that her parents were James Hercus and Mary Thompson. This data is not believed to be correct, but more likely an explanation surrounding her son James, almost 14 at the time. George and Mary had a son:

• George A. L. (Leyham) Blamy, b. 17th Aug 1900 in Everett, Middlesex County, Massachusetts and d. 13th May 1953, in Alameda County, near San Francisco. About 1929, George married Martha Mary Mustert, born 1st May 1898 in Rotterdam, Holland to Jacques and Barendine Mustert. The Mustert family had arrived at Ellis Island on 29th Aug 1907 and settled in Montana. In the 1930 census George and Martha were living in Albany, Alameda, County, California; George was an auto mechanic and Martha was a nurse. George later worked at Alameda Naval Air Station and lived in Walnut Creek, just east of San Francisco. He died in Alameda County on 13th May 1953. Martha died in Alameda County on 12th April 1985.

In 1900 Mary and George, along with James, were living in Everett, outside of Boston. Evidently George died before long and in 1910 Mary and Leyham (George) were in Los Angeles, California, where Mary was working as a cook. Mary died near San Francisco 12th January 1920. According to her death certificate she had been in California for 12 years.