Banker dies in China

This is the story of the short life and career of Henry Nicholson Blake.

Henry is my 2nd cousin 4x removed. He was born about 1885 in Golspie in Sutherland, Scotland to John Blake, a farmer, and Jane Isabella Morrison. I have estimated the marriage of Henry's parents to be around 1844, though I am yet to find a record. Henry had 3 brothers and 2 sisters. 

The 1901 Scotland Census lists Henry living, with some of his siblings, with a cousin. The head of the house is listed as Jane McKibbin and she has a son Arthur. It took me a bit of time, but I finally discovered that Jane McKibbin was born Jane E Cormick and her parents were Daniel Cormick and Mary Blake (the sister of their father, John). Their cousin had been born in 1857.

The census lists Henry as a banker's apprentice and further research shows that Jane's husband, James McKibbin, was a banker with the Northern Bank Limited, Ireland. Interestingly James' sister, Sarah, had married Andrew Blake, the subject of this post https://myfamilyhistoryfacts.blogspot.com/search/label/Andrew%20Blake

Both McKibbin siblings, and I have assumed them to be, were born in Ireland. Their father James McKibbin was also a banker. While Sarah and Andrew Blake were married in Ireland, James and Jane were married in 1881 in Enstone, Oxfordshire. It is their marriage record which tells us the profession of the male McKibbins. It also tells us that Jane's father, Daniel, was a surgeon.

James junior is not listed in the 1901 census and I have not been able to track down his whereabouts. I have assumed that Henry was James' apprentice, or had at least obtained work through James. It may be that the death of both his parents was a stroke of luck for Henry and his brothers. Rather than continuing as farmers in England, they went off and explored the world, though often they reverted to farming as an occupation.

John James went into the Merchant Navy which took him to foreign shores; he married and had one son.

Walter Stuart initially served in the Army holding the rank of Sergeant in the South African Infantry where he was wounded in action. Walter married and settled in Canada; he may have continued in farming, but is also listed as a labourer.

Derrick Granville also settled in Canada as a farmer.

The next and final record I have found for Henry is that of his death. He died on 29 January 1918 in Shanghai, China where he appears to have been working for the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China. 

A brief introduction on the bank can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartered_Bank_of_India,_Australia_and_China