Remembering my maternal grandmother, in honour of her 120th birthday as well as the 100th anniversary of her marriage to my grandfather.
Profile: William James Douglas
My Douglas ancestors saw generations serving in the 10th Regiment of Foot, including my 3G-grandfather William James Douglas.
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.
In living colour
Being confined indoors right now due to the coronavirus situation, I’ve been having some fun experimenting with colourization of some old family photos.
Pie day
Today is March 14. Pi day, as many call it, 3.14. I think of it as “pie” day, a reminder of the exact date of my mother’s death, since she loved to bake, including many types of pie.
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.
A marriage not made in heaven
Marriage certificates can reveal a wealth of information about each party to the marriage, although not the back story to their relationship, which can sometimes be quite surprising.
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?