Fastest find in my research so far.Two days

[joette]

I have did virtually no research on my McKimmie line mainly as it was the one I knew the most about & I knew that when the time was right I would have a bash.
I had hit lots of brickwalls on my other lines & was thinking of getting "Divorced" from some of them when the urge to have a wee look for them came up.
Its probably the time of year as it is just past the 20th Anniversary of my beloved wee Granny's death.It was a horrible(for us) end when she was mown down by a reckless driver for her going out in a flash-her neck(amongst others ) was broken & all the brohah which she would have loved.She was strong,healthy & fully witted at ninety when it happened.
I had a wee look at the IGi which led me to SP where I was able to track them down to the seventh generation-definetly & eigth probably.
It is helped that they have an unusual name,they stayed around the same places,they got married & christened with regularity & the Records survived.Also I knew with certainty the unusual Christian names(how many Lewis' INkson's do you know?) & that James Mckimmie & Rosanna Fraser were married to each other & my G-Grandfathers parents.I have seen photos of Rosanna who bears a remarkable resemblance to my niece Cara & to my wee Granny her namesake.Unfortunately the photos were in brooches which were stolen in a burglary.My Gran had promised them to me & Im not the eldest or Rosanna either.
My seventh generation back died in 1861 aged 86 so his/her parents were confirmed on Stat Reg.Her cause of Death is "worn out by age & life"
I have found a descendant on Ancestry & am awaiting a hopeful reply.
Not forgetting the wonderful TalkingScot who put me on the track of Williams parents & my possible eigth generation.
I have also used the IGI & am excited that a member of the LDS Church submitted some work on my line(If only they had put their name on Ancestral File.)So maybe we have this in common too which is exciting as a 2nd generation LDS myself.
I am glad that my parents have given (at least the girls) fairly unusual middle names.this has helped me trace sideways too.

[Tracey]

Hi Joette

I am lucky to have 100,s of old letters from 1880,s ( i bore everyone with this info sorry !) so know a lot about my lots everyday life. My gt grandfather remains the elusive one. But through reading these letters i became very attached to his younger sister who had a very hard life ie a illigitimate child who she had to leave in Scotland and struggled to keep her (and what supprised me was she had taken out a court action against the father to support the child in 1898) whilst she found work in England. Id almost given up on these two as i couldnt find anything after 1901. But my favourite site www.moray.gov.uk had a facelift !! and along with it gave out more info. Cut a long story short there was details of someone who had been there looking for info on the said illigitimate child and that person lived in South Africa. From that i found a researcher (free) and i mailed her with what little i knew and within 10 mins of the original mail found out who she married and when she died. I then put out tons of messages and again in no time was contacted by said childs grandson !! and to top it all i met up with said childs daughter about 6 weeks ago at Waterloo Station!! So after a year of agonising about my gt grandfathers sisters fate my head was spinning with exitement.
It was a very emotional meeting and i have shed many tears reading the old letters and life wasnt all that great for them in the begining but it didnt turn out bad for them in the end !. From meeting the lady i found that the said child was put into an orphanage ( i have copies of the leters trying to get her in) and that is why i couldnt find her. My gt grandfathes youngest sister (mother of the child) went to South Africa whist the child was in the orphanage. When the child came out about 11 years later she was taken out to South Africa by my gt grandfathers older sister. This finding for me (i think) has been my biggest achievement so far as i DID get emotionally envolved (silly i know ) but the sadest part for me was that my gt grandfather and his sisters were very close but he was never mentioned to the lady i met up with so the search for him continues ...............

That email was the best email i ever sent and the quickest solution !

[joette]

Hi Tracey what an amazing story it makes all the hard slog,money & time spent when occasionaly we hit gold.
I have had further luck with this branch & all I can say is "lots of hussies about" including a Fraser Aunt who had four different children to four different men who are all named & shamed,the children are know by their Fathers names, one Father lives next farm & Marries someone else & lives ?happily as a Neighbour until both of their demises.
Letters,invitations,photos give us the meat on the bones & what a privelege to have such a treasure trove.A letter from a Great-Aunt to my Grandparents on their marriage led me to a connection in Canada.
Happy Hunting.
Jeannette

[Tracey]

Hello Joette

I dont know how i missed your reply i am on all the time But thank god for our "hussies" makes it all the more interesting and frustrating ! also makes you wonder what all the fuss is about now days

Tracey