SPILL THE TEA – CHIT CHAT No 5
Dear friends, we are well into the fall months, and I must apologize for the lateness of my ‘Spill the Tea’ page. Many of you have been eager to read the next installment, especially ‘George’s’ story. So let me explain…
At the end of September my husband and I moved house for the nineteenth time. Yes, nineteen moves is the number of times we have packed up our whole household and moved from east coast to west, up and own the pacific and east coast, the mid south, the south and overseas as a military family. It is quoted that moving is one of the most stressful things you will ever do, and I do agree with that. But… the military families have learned to go with the flow, and pretty much have it all figured out … we think! This one was especially difficult, not because of the physical part of moving but the emotional side of it. Retiring from a life that you have lived for 34 years is not only a huge change but is also very daunting. But we are looking forward to a new and wonderful beginning, yes, we are starting another chapter in our ‘book’.
After the move we headed over to the UK to spend time with family and friends. It is always so good to see everyone, and to visit the places you are familiar with. However, there are some places that I just don’t recognize anymore, so many changes, from the people, the neighborhoods and the traffic. Driving can be challenging, so if you head over there, be very aware!
For many years, my mother and I have taken a trip to Scotland, a place that we love and that holds a special place in our hearts, so it was wonderful that my husband could share the experience. Our family history on both my mother and father’s side is rooted in Scotland. We have visited towns, villages and graveyards and added all those amazing ancestors to our family tree. Without those ancestors, we would not exist today. As a treat, for my mother who just celebrated her young ‘86th’ birthday, we stayed in a Scottish House and was once part of a Castle. It’s a wonderful experience and you immerse yourself in the history and ambiance. Our accommodation was Knockderry House overlooking the beautiful Lake Long. Knockderry Castle is next door, but it is under renovation. We stayed in the Library Room at the very top of the house, very unique indeed! The House has a fabulous restaurant with a wonderful traditional menu, and the Scottish breakfast is just yummy. If you are a black pudding fan, breakfast includes the famous Stornoway Black Pudding!
We returned home and a few days later we headed further down the East Coast to visit with friends and to check out some real estate opportunities. Our travels were not over, as a few days later we visited with friends in Key West. Exhausting!
GEORGE – Part 2. Chit Chat No 5.
At the time George contacted me, DNA testing was not as advanced as it is now, so back then, there was a lot of work to be done. I always enjoy a challenge and once I start to investigate and put the pieces together, I can’t stop until I find the answer. I took the DNA match results and began to expand our family tree. As I stated before, three generations back is a lot of family to search for but as I am sure many of you know, once you start to connect with people, history starts to emerge. So, the relative of mine that George shared DNA with had other matches and from there, I knew which side of the family they were related to. I began to build a family tree, which became rather large, going back 3-4 generations, you must include all children and their marriages. For example: If my great grandfather had eight children, then I would have to add all the eight children and their marriages and their children. You must build and build and then Voila! Suddenly you come across a family name that relates not only to your family but George and a DNA match of George. This is where the excitement builds. From that information and tree building, I gathered evidence of marriages and births. I was able to establish that the ancestors of my family members shared George’s second Great Grandmother. From then on it was adding the rest of her children and following the family lines down. Yes! I eventually found who may be George’s father. I researched the wife of George’s possible father, and I could not find any connection or DNA matches to that side of the family. So, either George’s father was married before and George had been a child of that marriage, or was George illegitimate? I searched for another marriage certificate for George’s possible father but could not find one. Hmmmm…. The story becomes more intriguing by the minute!
To be continued …
