An Unexpected Find

A request on Facebook from an old schoolmate for a photo of our fathers, who were friends from childhood, when they were boys has sent me rummaging through the CD-RWs for the original scan.

Not being sure which disc it was on (they’re labelled a little better now) it took a while and on the way I discovered some other treasures.

These included very old family photos which I’d remembered seeing but had forgotten that I had and some documents scanned by Bigbrother.

Amongst these was a letter from our maternal grandfather’s half-sister dated 17^th April 1969.

Grandfather was born in Montrose (Scotland) in the 1880s.  His parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents worked in the linen manufactory while his maternal grandmother kept house for them all and cared for the younger children.  When he was ten his mother passed away, at which point her husband (our great grandfather) returned to Northern Ireland to find work, fully intending to take his children back when he was settled.   

Our great-great-grandmother had other ideas, having lost a daughter she seems to have been determined to keep her grandchildren.  She won and, sadly for him, she had turned our grandfather against him so much he refused to have anything to do with his father or even use his surname.

Some years later Great-grandfather remarried and had another three children. 

Grandfather refused to have anything to do with them as well, even when his half-sister attempted to reconnect.  His daughter however, our lovely Aunty Edna, did write to the lady I suppose we should call Great-Aunt Alice.

Great-Aunt Alice wrote her letter from Springfield Road, Belfast, and following four pages of family history and news, she closed with

“We are having a lively time here with the civil right marches and Paisleyites, I am sure you read about them ….God Bless You All Love Alice”

Which, considering what was going on in Northern Ireland at the time (The Troubles) is an understatement I both appreciate and applaud.