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Name: BLACKLAWS, John Berry 'J.B.'
Birth Date: 4.7.1886 Fettercairn, Kincardineshire, Scotland
Death Date: 14.10.1954 Mombasa
First Date: 1908
Last Date: 1954
Profession: Arrived as coffee adviser to McKinnon Bros. Later bought out McKinnons [1926] and renamed the store Blacklaws & Brown. He later bought out his then partner A.H. Brown in 1930. Grocer - Blacklaws and Brown.
Area: Nairobi, Mombasa, Naivasha
Married: 1. In Auchterarder, Perthshire 8 Aug 1916 Sarah Cherry Younger b. 1896 Scotland, d. 12 Jan 1933 Aucherarder; 2. In Dumbarton 23 Aug 1938 Agnes Tierney 'Nan' Balmer b. 3 May 1898 Kinning Park, Lanarkshire, d. 1 Apr 1955 Naivasha
Children: 1. Margaret Jane 'Daisy' (Emery) (23 July 1917 Trinity Gask, Perthshire-1976); Mary Ann 'May' Berry (21 June 1920 Nairobi-22.11.1928 Nairobi); John Berry 'Jackie' (5 Apr 1925 Scotland-1965). 2. Joyce b. 27 Mar 1941 Nairobi (Smith)
Author: Joyce Smith, 'Sunrise over Crumpled Hills'
Book Reference: EAWL, KAD, Red 25, Red 31, Macmillan, Red 22, Advertiser, Gazette, Leader14, Barnes, Red Book 1912, Red 19
War Service: KAR, Tanganyika in WW1
General Information:
Never lost his Scottish accent, always wore a cap due to thinning hair and loved cigars. A lover of golf and won many trophies and was a life member of Nairobi Golf Club. Was also a member of Naivasha and Muthaiga Golf Clubs. As well as his retail business he also invested in a large strip of land on the outskirts of Nairobi, which stretched from Gordon Road, Kilimani to almost Dagoretti Corner, a long term investment which later he sold off in 5 acre plots, one of which he retained for the family home off Gordon Road. He used to relate stories of how in the early days he and his friends used to race mules from Dagoretti Corner to Nairobi station and laugh about the lions at the track side which was a major hazard to the many ox-waggons used in those days. He remembered the last lion being shot at Mt. Margaret, a hillock at the foot of Mt. Longonot, in the early thirties. He would also relate stories of the many fishing trips to the Athi and Tana rivers which would last for several days where the parties would live under canvas complete with servants on call. A great time was had by all. During WW2 both my parents were very involved in the family business and were kept busy sending food parcels back to the UK for the many servicemen stationed in Nairobi at that time. The parcels nearly always contained B & B coffee which was exclusive to my father's store 'Blacklaws & Brown'. All the chocolate and cheese which came in during the war years, my mother would keep to one side for the food parcels. As a way of saying thank you, the British soldiers had a large teddy bear sent out for my birthday as toys were in very short supply in Kenya. Source:- Mrs Joyce Smith (daughter)
Advertiser - 4/9/1908 - Subscribers for St. Andrew's Church Building Fund - J.B. Blacklaw - Rs. 15
Gazette - 7/4/15 - Liable for Jury service, Nairobi District - J.B. Blacklaws, Mackinnon Bros.
Mombasa Mbaraki cemetery - John Blacklaws, died 14 Oct 1954 age 69, European Hospital, Haemorrhage - cirrhosis of Liver
Red Book 1912 - J.B. Blacklaws - Nairobi
Red Book 1919 - James Blacklaws - Mackinnon Bros. - Nairobi
Gazette 16 Nov 1936 Voters List 1936 - John Berry Blacklaws, Manager Mackinnon Bros, Kilimani
Nairobi Forest Road cemetery - Mary Ann Berry Blacklaws, British, age 8, died 22/11/28
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