My grandmother’s first husband lost his life in WW1. His death would significantly alter her family’s future.
Category: Scotland
On death and dying
On this All Souls Day or Day of the Dead, I take an in-depth look at what led to the demise of my direct ancestors.
A life full of loss: Mary Scott Mitchell
My great-great-grandmother Mary Scott Mitchell was widowed twice and outlived four of her six children. And death by drowning would play a prominent role in her family’s story.
A life cut short
On this day in 1915, my paternal great-grandparents lost a son, a victim of the sea.
A smuggling tale
Two of Scotland’s most infamous gin smugglers were my 4G-grandfather John Kennedy and his brother Philip, whose notoriety resulted from a violent encounter with government excisemen in 1798.
Profile: William Aitken
My dad’s grandfather, William Aitken, was my only great-grandparent still living when I was a child, although we never met. He died at age 88 in 1959, when I was six.
Love stories
What better time than Valentine’s Day to profile several family love stories? Here are a few marriages that stood the test of time.
The name game
Your name is an important part of who you are. In addition to identifying you, it links you to your family, nationality and history.
An ocean away
Why I am here? How is it that I happen to live where I do when my ancestral roots were firmly planted an ocean away?