Sunday, January 19, 2014

Homecoming Scotland 2014

Scotland is hosting a plethora of events this year - The Commonwealth Games (23 July-3 August) and The Ryder Cup (26-28 September) being a couple of them.
Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow has started and will run through February 2nd.
Close to my home will be Bannockburn Live in June, celebrating the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn. I used to walk to the site fairly regularly via one of the wee back roads.
The Forth Road Bridge is 50 years old this year and there will be a festival 4th thru 13 September. A new one is being built to accommodate the heavy traffic and should open in 2016.
The Highland Homecoming in September and October will feature the World Sheepdog Trials and the Royal National Mod.
John Muir, the founder of America's National Parks, was a Scotsman. The John Muir Festival 17-26 April will be along the new John Muir Way between Dunbar and Helensburgh.
There will also be lots of Heritage events. Pick a region that you have family in and find out what's happening. In my previous post I wrote about Aberdeenshire. Their heritage event will be at Haddo House and Country Park 8th-10th August
http://www.visitscotland.com/en-us/
I am also looking at how to involve children in family research and the Education Scotland site at http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/studyingscotland/ is excellent.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Routes to Your North East Roots

If you have ancestry in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire this web site might be useful for you http://www.northeastscotlandroots.com/
To quote their blurb "The purpose of this website is to give you an initial steer on your journey, acting as a directory to the organisations and institutions in the City of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire which hold original records or secondary sources of information that you may find useful in the quest for your ancestors."
As an example - I found an interesting case study about researching lighthouse keepers in the Stories of North East Families section which led me to the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses in the resources section.


The Taylor family case study

The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses has a large collection of archives related to the work of the Northern Lighthouse Board in Scotland and the Isle of Man.
Light keeper service records
Visitor books from various lighthouses
Returns books, including meteorological, light, supplies and letter books, from various lighthouses
Personal memoirs and oral history testimony from keepers and their families.
Photographic archive including all lighthouses in Scotland and the Isle of Man

If you want to visit the museum they recommend you plan ahead. Visit http://lighthousemuseum.org.uk/ for more details.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

William Robertson Lindsay - obituary 1914


1914 Obituary
WILLIAM ROBERTSON LINDSAY was born at Pitlour, Fifeshire, on 18th May 1849.
He was educated at the public school in Inverkeilor and at Arbroath High School.
In 1866 he commenced his apprenticeship in the shops of Messrs. Pearce Brothers, Lilybank Foundry, Dundee, the latter part of which he spent in the drawing office of the same firm. Subsequently he was promoted to be chief draughtsman, a position he held for 10 years.
In 1885 he joined the firm of Messrs. Hick, Hargreaves and Co., Engineers, Bolton, as their chief draughtsman, a position he vacated in 1889 to take over the situation as engineering manager for Messrs. W. B. Thompson and Co., Limited, Lilybank Engine Works and Foundry, Dundee.
In 1895 he started in business as consulting engineer in Dundee. During the latter part of his life he carried on an extensive practice, which was of a varied description, embracing steam-engines, boilers, textile mills and factories in the jute and flax trade and the machines pertaining thereto.
His death took place in Dundee on 24th September 1914, in his sixty-sixth year.
In 1884 he organized the Dundee Mechanical Society, now the Dundee Institute of Engineers, and was elected the first president.
He was elected a Member of this Institution in 1891.

Found at http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/William_Robertson_Lindsay (a link to the 1914 Institute of Mechanical Engineers: Obituaries.)

I think I struck gold with this obituary. It confirmed some information that I already have and gave me some new details to look at. I was able to use this in a class I helped teach recently about writing your family history.