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By Lidia Mihovilovic - translated from the original Spanish article
Note: 'Tennanth' is from the original text. Probably should be
Tennant.
The European immigration representative of the Old Continent was present
in this Patagonian region, when still the primitive towns camped for
their space in search of food.
Some of the factors that produced immigration were: gold mining, trade,
logging and livestock.
This brought the attention of the British settled in the Falkland
Islands, especially the Scots for livestock, who - possessors of expert
hands for sheep breeding and climatic conditions similar to those of
their country - soon settled.
Already in 1876 Governor Dublé Almeyda on the occasion of his trip to
the aforementioned archipelago, for the purchase of 300 sheep, invited
them to settle in Punta Arenas, as did Carlos Moyano in 1888 of the
province of Santa Cruz in Argentina.
This produced a remarkable immigration immigration wave. There was also
a mail schooner that helped this immigration.
One of these representatives was Thomas Douglas who arrived at our
beaches in 1880 accompanied by his wife Annie Tennanth. His first
activity was livestock.
Pledge of Magellan, acquired a property on Talca Street (now Armando
Sanhueza) that has since been in the hands of his descendants.
His wife Annie, presumably the first nurse by profession in this region,
trained at the Florence Hightingal school (philanthropic nurse who
helped reduce the cause of many diseases), followed in the footsteps of
this benefactor.
Annie worked with doctor Thomas Fenton and dedicated the rest of her
existence to the service of those in need. It is especially remembered
for the tragedy of the Dottorel, a British ship that exploded in the bay
in 1881 healing the wounded whose dead companions rest in the Municipal
Cemetery. He served his services until the year of his death in 1933 at
83 years of age.
The family trunk founded by Thomas Douglas and Annie Tennanth, both
natives of Scotland was numerous, consisted of: Thomas (born in
Scotland), Williams, Margaret, Walter, Jessae, Mary Annie in the
Falklands, Johnn and Annie in Punta Arenas. The latter, later based in
Canada.
The Douglas-Tennanth marriage had a lot of offspring and these have been
established in both Chilean and Argentinean Patagonia, dedicated to
various activities, both social economic, especially livestock. Both
reflect the pioneer past when Magellan began to populate. They were: the
Douglas-Ojeda, Douglas-Tolentino, Wever-Douglas, Nielsen-Douglas and
Douglas-Mc Lean.
Here in Punta Arenas, Thomas Douglas Ojeda is remembered: who was a
grandson and a meritorious athlete of Club Olimpia in the branch of
athletics; Between the great-grandchildren, Alfredo and Oscar Douglas
Dobson stand out, the former being an excellent sportsman of the
Progreso Club, while the latter participated in racing competitions in
Ford T.
Family
One source states that Thomas was the son of Walter Douglas, born in
1808 in Scotland, and died May 15, 1875 (67) at Braemore, Lairg,
Sutherland, Scotland
and his wife
Margaret Marshall, born January 16, 1816 in Ribigill, (Scottish
Highlands) and died June 18, 1879 (63) in Lairg. She was the daughter of
William Marshall and Janet Eliot.
Thomas DOUGLAS; b. 1846 Dumfriesshire, Scotland; c.1880 emigrated to
Falklands [Malvinas]; 1885 immigrated to Magallanes; d. 1898; bur. Punta
Arenas
married
Ann ["Annie"] Easton TENNANT, b. 1850 Scotland; from Newcastle-on-Tyne?;
apparently, the first qualified nurse to practice in Magallanes; d. 1933
Children:
1. Thomas Jr., b. Scotland
2. William, b. Falklands [Malvinas]
3. Margaret, b. Falklands [Malvinas]
4. Walter, b. Falklands [Malvinas], did not marry; d. 1938, Chile Chico
5. Jessie Olivia, b. Falklands [Malvinas]
6. Mary Ann, b. Falklands [Malvinas]
7. John M., b. 1887 Punta Arenas (twin of Annie)
8. Annie Jamieson, b. 1887 Punta Arenas (twin of John); m. William
Thomas GARNHAM; d. 1949, Ipswich
9. James Magellan, bapt. 1890
Thomas, age 28, and Annie, age 19, departed London 11 January 1873 on
board the Humbleton. The Humbleton, a 420 British barque under
Captain Sorensen, arrived at Stanley 28 March 1873 with 11 passengers
and cargo for the Falkland Islands Company Ltd and cleared for Darwin
for a cargo of wool.
Thomas, age 52, died 9 November 1898 and is buried in the Municipal
Cemetery, Punta Arenas.
Note:
• Tennant, not Tennanth
Comment:
• William Halliday was one of the pioneers of sheep farming and the first foreign settler on the plains by the Rio Gallegos. Born in the Scottish Borders, he had been recruited by the Falkland Islands Company to work on one of their sheep stations. He prospered and married while he was in the Falklands/Malvinas. Still, there was no opportunity to buy his sheep farm, so he contemplated moving to Patagonia, where he knew the Argentine Government was leasing land. In 1884, Argentina established a real administrative presence in Patagonia. The Governor of the new province of Santa Cruz, Carlos Moyana, whose wife came from the Malvinas/Falklands, encouraged shepherds to move. As a result, Halliday leased thirty thousand acres on the land north of the Rio Gallegos, and he and his family settled there. His estancia at Hill Station became one of Patagonia’s great success stories of sheep farming.
The connection with the Malvinas/Falklands led to other Scots following Halliday’s example:
William Douglas, William MacCall, George MacGeorge, John Hamilton, William Blain and John Rudd.
See also:
• Douglas families in the Falklands
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