I felt I had to share the recent developments in my missing Malcolm line. I didn't think it could get any more interesting, but it did, on Friday night.
I had e-mailed David (from my missing Malcolms), with details of his GG Grandparents early in the week. I thought it would give him another wee shove in the right direction and he could carry on from there. The Malcolm's are his line. My Gt Aunt only married one and this was where our lines separate.
Anyway.
I settled myself in front of the computer on Friday night armed with my usual supplies before hitting the trail - a nice wee bottle of Merlot and a huge bag of crisps.
E-mails first. The usual garbage and a response from David. He was having problems getting to grips with who was who on the info I had sent. The usual - all the generations have the same names. I decided that a phone call would be easier that trying to explain in another e-mail.
David was home, and after sorting out his David's, James' and various others, we chatted about his upbringing in North Adams and how he hadn't been aware of the other part of the family - OR SO WE THOUGHT.
I jokingly said on my last post that you never know who you lives next door. I really was only joking, BUT.........
He started talking about a lovely woman who used to live a few doors away when he was a child. Her name was Nellie Ballantyne, but he thought she had been a Fyfe. I'm almost speechless. Oh yes, she was a Fyfe.......My Gt Aunt Nellie (Helen) to be exact. My Grandmothers sister.
After I had regained the power of speech,he told me so much about the Gt Aunt I had never met. I was ecstatic. This was absolutely priceless.
Once I had calmed down, he remembered a nurse who used to visit his little cousin. He needed shots regularly and this lovely nurse would come and give him them. Nurse Dottie, she wasn't born a Fyfe, but had married one. Thought her husbands name was Bruce.
I now have all sorts of bells and clangers going off in my head. Surely not again.
Oh Yes.
Nurse Dottie Fyfe is Bev's mum, the cousin with whom I have been trying to trace the Malcolm line for a number of years. And Bruce wasn't Dottie's husband, he's her son, Bev's brother.
Well, I'll let you imagine my response.
After 3 hours on the call that was to be a quickie, the Merlot is long gone, the crisps are untouched and I'm on another high. And it had nothing to do with the wine.
First thing Saturday morning, I'm on the phone to Bev in Florida, once again saying "You'll never believe this".
So I'll leave this post the way I left the last.
Just think, you never know who lives in the next street. It could be you're 2nd cousin/Gt Aunt/ Uncle Freddy once removed.
Have a good one, I've just had two......
Christine.