Welcome to my website. This is its second incarnation and I should explain that the original website, hosted by EasyWebsiteInaBox was laid out quite differently with up to 3 columns per page and different shapes of page. This included sidebars with photos and captions as well as exploring some topics in more depth.
This newer website hosted by Ionos is quite different as everything is in one column per page. The result is that there is repetition in places, for which I apologise. If there are things that are unclear do let me know by email.
What you see is not quite the end-point, I hope, but is the culmination of a lifelong interest in family history and in history more generally. Most of the pages relate to my father’s family branches in Scotland but in recent years I have researched considerable the records relating to my mother’s branches in Northern Ireland (and beyond).
My aim is to share my learning with extended family members and I am delighted at the number of contacts I have made with relations unknown around the world and by their generosity in sharing their learning and memories.
In places information given is a little vague and often this reflects sensitivity relating to those living.
- CochranesI’m beavering away in my spare time trying to uncover more about the Cochrane family from Mountnorris in Co Armagh. Currently I’m exploring the school records as the Presbyterian records (I want to check them out just in case) are still unavailable at PRONI. Apparently they are being digitised. I have a found what may… Read more: Cochranes
- Cochranes GaloreI have recently made contact with a new source who is DNA connected on Mum’s side and has a verified ancestor in common. I hope to update the Gibson page with information about the Cochranes!
- McKercher Info SoonI have been busy with work and with pursuing my wife’s fascinating Northern Ireland family for months but have begun to explore information from Cameron Smith via Scotlands People and hope to add some of it in the next few days.
- Back to normal?I’ve not been able to post for a week or so- each time I try to save something it just spins around and around. Hopefully, if I survive to next weekend, I will complete (for now) the Pattons. Then I need to add some information donated most kindly by a relative on my Scottish side… Read more: Back to normal?
- George Patton marriage bondIreland Beyond 2022’s genealogy section is trying to bring a raft of resources together as well as adding lost/damaged ones. Perusing marriage bonds last night I found a marriage bond for George Patton and Jane McAulay (sic) or Clotworthy in 1835. Thus, we can confirm the maiden surname of his wife and that she was… Read more: George Patton marriage bond
- Colour!I have finally worked out how to apply colour to text words which is helping me to organise my Perry information and should make it easier for readers to locate and ollow the story of people of interest.
- PattonsI’ve continued to add to the Patton page. There is still a lot to put on but it could be some time before I complete this. In the meantime, I would love to be able to colour code pages so that it is easy to see who-is-where. Apparently this can be done!
- PattonsI’ve been adding to the information about the Pattons of Belfast. I have a lot of information as it is an extensive family. Printing the tree to help me keep track used 10 A4 sheets for 4 generations of descendants and it is not something I will likely complete before Halloween (even then I suspect… Read more: Pattons
- Mary Ann or Marianne HunterI’ve had a lot of success in the last couple of weeks at tracing the families of Sarah Jane Hunter’s siblings families. They replicate the trend seen with the Brown family of people leaving the Bessbrook area and moving to Belfast. In some cases this involved moving to America.
- Peter Douglas of CrieffUpcoming- I’ve been working my way through an investigation by Crieff Kirk into an incident at Peter Douglas’s house at Hill’s Wynd in Crieff. More tomorrow.
- Peter DouglasA little snippet added about Peter Douglas, the brother of Charles Douglas the blacksmith.
- Georgina MacBean/MacLeanI have added a little more about Jane Ann Clark’s daughter’s family over the last few days.
- HannasI have added a good bit of information about some Hannas from the Ards Peninsula in the last few days. If anyone can further I am always grateful to receive information and I give credit to those who do so.
- HannasI’m off for the summer and have been trying to delve a little more into the Hannas of Ards Peninsula so you can expect to see some additions there.
- Obituary of Jessie DouglasPerusing Find My Past’s newspaper archives I came across a form of obituary for Janet Alexander Douglas, daughter of William Douglas and his wife Catherine Nicholson. Interestingly, it was published in the John O’Groats Journal on 19th February 1909 and gives a warm and reasonably detailed account of the life of this young woman. Further… Read more: Obituary of Jessie Douglas
- John MacLachlan BennettI came across this snippet on Find My Past today, from the People newspaper of Sunday 14th March 1937. It is an appeal for information on John, presumably from some relative of his sister Maria as she had married a man named Daniel. Maria herself lived until 1977 and his mother lived on for some… Read more: John MacLachlan Bennett
- Missing PicturesI gather that nearly all the links to pictures, trees and drawings etc are broken. I will do my best to restore them but it looks like each one needs put back individually so it is going to take quite some time. If you see a label which is wrong please let me know- often… Read more: Missing Pictures
- Baxter UpdateI have been exploring Dad’s DNA connections to people seemingly related through the Baxter family, many of whom disappeared from the records in Scotland. This has involved a little, if expensive, look at ScotlandsPeople but much more exploration via Ancestry. Unfortunately it has proven very difficult to locate birth records for many putative descendants. The… Read more: Baxter Update
- Douglas John McEwan, 1935-2023Less than a year after the passing of Isabella McEwan her brother Douglas has left this world. I was able to attend his funeral in Glasgow recently and listened to a wonderful testimony about his life and his character. As the minister said, he touched many lives for the better as a Social Worker and… Read more: Douglas John McEwan, 1935-2023
- 1921 censusThe 1921 census has FINALLY been released by ScotlandsPeople, with the year almost at an end. I’ve had a quick look at the Douglas household (technically the Adam household) at 930 Argyle St just to confirm everyone was there. Grandad was a traveller for a wholesale stationer. This one is a surprise- Charles Douglas the… Read more: 1921 census
Hannas
After a considerable hiatus I have been making up for it by adding a fair chunk of information on the Hanna family of Ballymarter over the last couple of days.