Helen was born at around seven-thirty in the morning of 7 July 1865, in Glasgow, at 35 Grantley Street (1), where her parents, Bethia Miller and George William Teer, lived with Bethia's mother, Helen Miller.
Helen and her parents emigrated to Chile in 1875.
Her father died in Valparaiso on 1 June 1881, and Bethia died only months later, on 13 February 1882, also in Valparaiso.
Helen, or Elena, worked in or around Chillan, in central Chile, as governess to children of the Zañartu, a branch of the powerful land-owning family. There she met Friedrich Wilhelm Guggisberg (2), a young Swiss engineer who had been imported by the Zañartu to build a dam for a reservoir near Colicheu. Helen and Friedrich (or Frederick William or Federico Guillermo) were married in Yumbel, on 25 March 1887.
They had five children: Guillermo Enrique (b. 25 Dec 1887), Maria Elena (or Maria Helena) (b. 20 Jan 1890), Manuel Aristides (b. 14 Jun 1892), Rosa Herminia (b. 12 Aug 1894) and Marta Amalia (b. 3 Feb 1898).
Helen died in Yumbel in 1921.
On 26 July 1865, Helen's birth was entered in the register of births in the District of Anderston in the Burgh of Glasgow. Her grandmother, Helen (or Ellin) Miller, was the informant.
Source: Statutory Register Index Births & Christenings (1855-1901), http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/. (120KB jpg image) Larger Image (575KB jpg image)
| Helen Robertson | ||
| Bethia Miller | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --¦ | |
| ¦ | James Miller | |
| Helen Teer | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --¦ | |
| ¦ | Jane Annesley | |
| George William Teer | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --¦ | |
| Edward Teer |
Sources and additional information on Helen's parents and grandparents.
Helen and Bethia, undated, probably 1865
(Stephen, Photographer, 83 Jamaica Street, Glasgow) (25KB jpg image)
Helen and doll, Belfast, undated
(H.G. Glen, Photographer, Belfast) (40KB jpg image)
George William Teer, Valparaiso, 1875
(Fotograf[ías] Garreaud, Valparaiso) (28KB jpg image)
Helen and Maria Elena, Chillan, undated
(Fotografía de S. San Roman A., Chillan) (22KB jpg image)
Footnotes
(1) Grantly Street, Shawlands, now Grantley Street?
(2) Friedrich Wilhelm Guggisberg was born on 9 December 1865 and christened on 12 January 1866 in Zimmerwald, Bern. He was the son of Rosina Guggisberg, daughter of Anna Stucki and Johannes Guggisberg. Friedrich died on 16 July 1905, in Colicheu, Yumbel. He is buried in Cabrero. In Zimmerwald, he was declared disappeared on 5 May 1928.
If you have comments, corrections or any information you would like to share about Helen, Bethia Miller, George William Teer, Helen Robertson, James Miller, Jane Annesley, Edward Teer, Friedrich Wilhelm Guggisberg, Rosina Guggisberg or Anna Stucki, please e-mail.
Responses to date: two. Thank you DG (Jun and Jul 02) and AC (Jul and Oct 02).
Page created 13 July 2000. Last revised and updated 2 March 2003.
