Introduction / Eday and Papa Westray Grays / John Gray / Peter Gray

James Alexander Walker Gray

James was the son of Peter Gray and his first wife, Margaret Taylor. At the time of the 1891 census, he was a farm servant, aged fourteen years, at Cowden Farm, Glenbervie staying with a family named Fullerton.

He emigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1905 and built a house, that year, on King Edward St. He also helped to dig the basement for the Eaton's building, downtown.

James married Jessie Barrie Greig who was born on 17th of March 1885 in Broughty Ferry, which is now part of Dundee. It is not known how they met in Canada but they did know each other before emigrating. Jessie was a little reticent in revealing her age and the family only discovered this when she applied for her pension and sent for a birth certificate.

Jessie's family farmed for many years in the Broughty Ferry area. She was born on a farm called Balmossie.

She emigrated to Canada on the Lusitania in 1912. having just missed coming over on the Titanic a couple of weeks earlier.

James and Jessie had six children including:

• Mary Lawson Gray b. 1913 who never married. Mary died in 1979.

• Margaret Lucy Gray b. 1914 who did marry but had no issue. She died in 1972

• James William Gray b. 1916 who died in the Second World War in 1944. He never married.

• William Gray b. 1920 but died within six months from diphtheria.

Another son lived has lived in Winnipeg all his life, with the exception of war service when he joined the Royal Canadian Air force and was a tail gunner on a Halifax. He was shot down over Germany and a prisoner of war for two years. When first in the service, he was posted to Nova Scotia where he met his future wife. They had seven children one passed away at two months old and a number of grandchildren.and great-grandchildren.

Another daughter also married and has two children.

James Gray died in 1936 and Jessie Greig in 1971.