Jamie Lees
@jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
23 followers 28 following 18 posts
Writer • Designer • Producer Creator of Left at The Wellgate: The Untold Story of Mary Petrie Smith — exhibition on archival silence, maternal departure & emotional inheritance, now in development as a book & play. www.linktr.ee/jamieleesauthor
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
An interesting story about another woman’s disappearance… Alice Spence. Her ending was far more tragic than my great-grandmother Mary’s, but the genealogical and scientific research that uncovered it is fascinating.

bsky.app/profile/alli...
alliethinks.bsky.social
DNA has been used to identify a Jane Doe believed murdered in the early 1900s. The body of Alice Spence (nee Burke) was found in a well in Saskatoon in 2006. She left behind a young daughter, but apparently descendants had no idea of the drama in their family history. #Genealogy
Her name was Alice Spence: DNA identifies century-old Saskatoon body of 'woman in the well'
After a decades-long investigation into mysterious historical remains, 'the woman in the well' finally has her name again.
thestarphoenix.com
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing the story.
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
Thanks to everyone who tuned in for my talk, Left at The Wellgate: The Untold Story of Mary Petrie Smith. We had a fantastic turnout and some truly thoughtful questions. Huge thanks to the organizers and to the tech team for making it all run so smoothly. 🙏 😊

#womensdeparture #ScottishDiaspora
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
Thanks @ANESFHS for the invitation! Excited to share Left at The Wellgate: The Untold Story of Mary Petrie Smith.

Mary’s story asks: what drives a woman in 1911 to leave her life, her community, & everything she knew? After 25 years following those questions, I’ll share the story.

#UntoldStories
anesfhs.bsky.social
Presenter Jamie Lees will share the remarkable true story behind Left at The Wellgate: The Untold Story of Mary Petrie Smith at our Southern Ontario Group meeting on 20th September 2025.

More details here:
www.anesfhs.org.uk/about-us/new...

#Genealogy #Aberdeen #Dundee #Scotland
Graphic advertising our upcoming Southern Ontario Group meeting on Saturday, 20th September 2025 from 1 pm to 3 pm (EST) / 6 pm to 8 pm (BST).  

Presenter Jamie Lees will share the remarkable true story behind Left at The Wellgate: The Untold Story of Mary Petrie Smith. It begins in Dundee, Scotland in 1911, when a young woman left two small boys in a pram at the Wellgate before disappearing from their lives. Through historical records, photographs, and personal archives, Jamie traces the path of this woman across continents and generations, uncovering the hidden threads that connect past to present. This talk follows the acclaimed Left at The Wellgate exhibition in Dundee and precedes an upcoming book and theatrical production based on the story.
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
Look forward to your book.
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
Very interested in the mining communities, particularly in Lanarkshire.
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
Very interesting. Enjoyed the episode on the new towns.
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing the episode.
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
Len Pennie’s honesty is powerful. It makes me think of my great-grandmother, Mary Petrie Smith, in Dundee in 1911. She left her husband and children behind, and I often wonder if silence around domestic abuse or hardship played a role. So much of women’s history remains unspoken.
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
Today in Dundee, not 100 yards from where she last stood…

On this day in 1911, my great-grandmother Mary Petrie Smith left the Wellgate for Canada.

113 years later, her story returned as Left at The Wellgate at Dundee Central Library.

Read more: www.jank.ca/press-leftat...
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
Hard to believe my 30-day exhibition Left at The Wellgate opened in Dundee a year ago. Since then Mary’s story has led to new talks + a book-in-progress. Learn more: www.jank.ca/leftatthewellgateexhibition Follow along: www.jank.ca/sign-up
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
Wishing you great success with the conference.
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
Two boys left in a pram outside a pub, their mother off to start a new life.

Left at the Wellgate: The Untold Story of Mary Petrie Smith explores a woman’s choice that shaped generations. Can history repeat whilst unaware of itself?

Follow the book’s development www.jank.ca/sign-up
#WomensHistory
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
Awesome! Thank you for your support. Send us pics from your Synopsis game night!
jamieleesauthor.bsky.social
Draft book cover drop — Left at The Wellgate.

A picture-heavy book based on our Scotland exhibition.

For over 100 years, no one in our Canadian family knew Mary left two sons behind in Scotland.

Not a secret. An absence. A silence.

jank.ca/leftathewellgateexhibition