Essey Family Reunion - Springbank Park 196?
Anyone have an idea of what year this was taken? I'm down in front in pink and looking about 3 or 4 years old so 1969? This was one of the huge number of pics Ian and I scanned last winter from Mum & Dad's slides.
Keeping family connected
Hi everyone;
Blogging is an all new experience for me but my hope is that this page can become a collaborative space where family can be connected despite our busy lives and geographic challenges.
A bit of the why:
The family research bug bit Ian during our Scotland vacation in June 2004 when I dragged him to the Registry House in Edinburgh in search of Mum’s family. Since then, we’ve both been amazed by how many resources have been computerized and made available online. Ian’s research largely done online in the past 6 months since our return from Australia nearly matches in scope my 20 + years of manual research.
Essentially, more and more I’m inspired by what is possible online. Researching has taught me why families of the past lost touch. Researching for me is reconnecting with family ties that weren’t dropped intentionally. It’s a known genealogical fact that most people don’t know their grandparents’ full names. How often are stories told of people unexpectedly discovering their friend or classmate is actually family.
It has occurred to me that technology - the internet, email and hopefully, blogs like this one, giving us accessible easy communication might mean family doesn’t have to be lost in the past as before.
I said, once upon a time, that my Dad was the glue that held many of us together. I will always miss his voice but more I miss his Sunday morning calls filled with stories of how everyone he loved was doing. Dad would have loved blogging, honestly mostly for keeping in touch but partly for sticking it to Bell Canada for his huge long distance bills.
A bit of the how:Check in to see what’s going on. Leave messages for each other. Attach picture links. Tell us about your summer vacation. Show your kids how connected they are to so many people. Post your soccer game scores. Plan events like family bbqs or Christmas parties. Share family traditions. Post a favourite family recipe. Keep people on the other side of the globe involved in your daily life. Stay connected with those you already love and get to know the others a bit more.
The name:Half Seventeen Cottage – Our first holiday together. After a quick day in Edinburgh and stops at William Wallace’s memorial and Rob Roy’s grave, our first week was spent at Half Seventeen Cottage, literally on the southern tip of the Isle of Skye. While exploring ruins, castles, beaches and villages via day trips from the cottage we changed that week from boy & girlfriend into family.
Our second week was all about family too; Visiting Mum, Granny and Grandpa at the Auckinleck Cemetery; Researching Fishers one afternoon at the Registry House; Catching up with some of Mum’s family while in Ayr; and extra precious to me - Aunt Marie’s approval for our wedding intentions. Half Seventeen Cottage is a beautiful memory for me that blends my Canadian and Scottish families and life with Ian.
Enough about me:
This blog is not my personal blog. It’s intention is to be a meeting place for family. Drop in from time to time. Write a few words, link a picture or just read up on what’s new with family.
I hope in time checking in becomes second nature and a source of support and happiness in your life. In the meantime, until a good dialogue develops, I’ll try not to bore you… ;)
