I have previously written about Matthew Brawley and how he and his wife adopted three children. The first of these children was his niece, Mary Brawley. She was the daughter of his younger brother, Patrick Brawley who left Scotland and his daughter behind for a new life in America. Matthew later adopted siblings, Matthew and … Continue reading Who Was Edith Cran?
Local History
Newmains to New York – Mary Brawley 1903-1986
There are many people on my family tree that I would love to have met. I'd need a time machine to be able to spend time with them and ask them about their lives and the stories that the official documents don't tell me. One person I could have met, but never did, was my … Continue reading Newmains to New York – Mary Brawley 1903-1986
Learning From My Mistakes – Robert Armstrong Rae 1879-1952
My great grandfather, Robert Armstrong Rae was born on 26 December 1879 in the picturesque village of Dalserf in Lanarkshire. He was my father’s paternal grandfather. The first record I found for Robert was his marriage record which showed his parents as Thomas Rae and Ann Symington. Through further research it appeared that Robert was … Continue reading Learning From My Mistakes – Robert Armstrong Rae 1879-1952
Newmains – Ancestry of a Village
On a recent visit to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea in Northumberland I spotted this poster in the Maritime Heritage Centre. It's an ambitious project that aims to trace the ancestry of every person who has lived in the village. The Maritime Centre is a great wee museum tells the story of the village and how the people made … Continue reading Newmains – Ancestry of a Village
Shaking The Branches 