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| Edinburgh Festival |
“Aye,
that’s a tricky period for finding your Ancestors.” A nice way of saying that the hours of online
research to find John Jamieson, my Scottish ancestor, were for nothing. Birth records in Edinburgh showed I had the
wrong guy. I still needed to find MY John Jamieson, that unluckiest of
forebears whose family had been evicted from their ‘croft’ during Highland upheavals then emigrated with over 500,000 Scottish countrymen during the Great Potato
Famine of the mid-1800s. In predictable bad timing he then was conscripted into the American Civil War where he died in 1862. All that remains are well scripted personal letters
to his wife, children and some DNA to which I have a small claim.
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| Center for Researching Scottish Emigrants in Edinburgh |
The
clerk at the Archived Records in Edinburgh was sympathetic; ‘This happens every
day. People come over to Scotland
wanting to find their ancestors, but that period of time was very
difficult. In the 1840s and 1850s great numbers
of Scots died of starvation. The
government, landlords and churches helped pay their ship passage because there
was no help available here. Record
keeping was shoddy to nonexistent. They
were happy to see them go.’
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The Highlands Where Crofters Were Evicted
and Felt the Worst of the Famine in mid-1800s |
It gave
me new compassion for the mettle of my Scottish forbears, and stronger desire to
solve this ancestral puzzle. The clerk gave me sound advice for more tracing at the American end of
things. I was initially disappointed,
but just like those Scottish ballads blending sorrow with extreme optimism, I
think things worked out for the best.
Instead of looking up my Scottish ‘rellies’ (their diminutive for
relatives) Glen and I got to explore the Scottish Highlands and get a feel for
the land and people.
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| Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness |
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| Endless Stunning Scenery |
Scotland is achingly beautiful. But that would have been cold comfort during the hardships of the 19th century. Especially in the Highlands; it was cold and damp in August – I would
never want to be there in the winter. I know cold weather. But the Scottish chill hits you on an
entirely different level. The damp seeps into your bones and stays there,
leaving you yearning for a cup of hot tea before the fire and layering as many
clothes as possible. It warms up on the
rare sunny, summer day but weather in Scotland is cool and overcast with
intermittent rain more often than not.
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Crofter House From Mid-1800s
Cold and Damp Even in Summer |
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Potato Blight That Struck Ireland and Scotland
Caused Famine and Massive Emigration in mid-1800s |
Highland
Clan Museums are the pride of larger villages and give a real feel for the
difficult life my ancestors had in the 1800s Highlands. Life expectancy was low — living into your 50s was an achievement. Many children died from the hardships so women bore many hoping a few survived.
Large, extended families lived in single-room houses. Hygiene was bad - when their kilts got too
filthy they killed the fleas by soaking them in urine. Coats didn’t exist.
Men were tough and women wrapped thin woven fabric around their bodies
like a shawl. Life was unimaginably hard.
On our last day in Scotland, Glen and I walked back from dinner through the
light rain and reflected on our trip.
Our time in Scotland had been wonderful.
But now I was wistful to return home to our sunny mountain cabin, family and
friends. Then I realized that my ancestors - whose genes intertwined to produce mine – felt that same longing for Scotland as
they made families and communities in their adopted land.
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Animals Love Glen (We all do!)
At Our B&B on Loch Ness |
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| Another Cool, Misty Summer Morning |
I honor the struggles and hopes of John Jamieson, my forebear. It may take awhile, but my ‘rellies’ in
Scotland will someday have a visit from their American cousin. Who knows, they may be tall, have red hair
and spend much of their time online searching for their lost American
relatives.
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| This Highland Horse Followed Glen Around |
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On the Harry Potter Tour in Edinburgh
J.K. Rowling Still Lives There |
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Animal Friendly Everywhere
Especially Corgis, Labs and Goldens |
