my other obsession

Family history, genealogy, tracing your ancestors - that's it. I've been doing it since 1972.

Today I met some of my King relatives. We're descended from Hugh King and Mary Russell, my 2 x great grandparents. He was a farm labourer, mainly East Lothian but with side trips to Berwickshire. She was born in Dunbar and lived in the High Street there in 1841. Also living in the High Street, Dunbar at that time was William Muir and his wife Agnes Watt. They were my 4 x great grandparents. In 1902 their great granddaughter, Christina, married Thomas King, Mary Russell's son. Did the Russells and Kings know one another? I imagine they did.

Hugh and Mary, meanwhile were married in Lamberton Toll (an irregular marriage in the Gretna of the East coast) in 1856 and had 10 children, 7 boys and 3 girls. My great grandfather, Thomas, was their second youngest.

There are at least 9 Hugh Kings and 5 Mary Russell Kings descended from that original Hugh and Mary. My grandmother was a Mary Russell King. Her brother was one of the Hughs.

Over 50 years ago 3 brothers, grandsons of Hugh and Mary, decided to establish a family picnic to keep their part of the family in touch. At first it was at the Grey Mare's Tail, now it is at the Loch o' the Lowes in the Scottish Borders. Recently relatives from other lines, like me, have joined in. G, from Southampton (an e-mail contact for over 5 years) brought the family tree and the sheets got stuck up all round the walls of the big tent. Then we tried to work out how we are related to one another and update the information. I didn't quite manage that, although I know that A (also sans 'e') who co-ordinates the event is my 3rd cousin. G is our 4th cousin, once removed. I hope he'll send me the updated family tree info so I can update my copy and maybe I'll be fired up to try and fill in some of the blanks.

I did, probably, work out which cousin I'd taken my grandmother to see when she was home in 1975 - another Mary Russell King who lived near Kelso. She was a sister of the brothers who started the picnics. There was also resurfacing memories of the Kirkliston and Athelstaneford cousins. Shame I didn't pay more attention when I was younger.

Strangely I felt little connection with these people, my cousins. I feel much more connected to my Muir relations, some of whom are more distantly related but who I've known for most of my life.

But it was a happy afternoon. I met interesting and friendly people and we talked families, trams, politics, photography. There was a surfeit of food - savouries, sweets, cakes, choclate brownies, tablet! Complete carbohydrate overload.

Best of all, the weather was relatively (pun intended) good and much better than in Edinburgh. A bit windy but we saw some sun before it got cooler and although there was a shower it dried up for the annual 'King Family Picnic Photo'.

And this is it, the 2011 photo. I can't tell you who all these people are but I'm related to them all, by blood or by marriage - they're relatives, family.