My history

Took #3 son back to see a house today. We went via places that were significant for me in my childhood but which mean nothing to him - the buildings where my grandparents had their baker's shops, the street where I first lived, the sites of my 2 x great grandparents butcher's shops, the site of the Elsie Inglis Maternity Hospital, now demolished, and of the house where my parents lived with my grandparents when I was born. (As an aside of the 5 of us only #1 son can still go back and visit where he was born. Summerfield, where their dad was born, is now NHS Grampian, EIMH is now flats and Inverurie - well that's a car park - only the Mattie remains!)

We stopped in past St Mark's in Portobello where these 2 x great grandparents are buried. When I first went there, 35+ years or so ago the stones were over the graves. Later they were moved against the wall and they are deteriorating. This is Adam my 2 x gt grandfather, Eleanor, both his step mother and aunt by marriage, his son (his 8th child) and his grandson. Another stone is that of his widow and 2 of their daughters. Emma must have been an amazing woman. She was English, born in Wapping, and after they married in Edinburgh in 1850 when she was 22 (her aunt was her father in law's second wife) she and Adam went to Australia in the Victorian gold rush. They sailed from Leith in 1852 on the 'Yarra' and it took 5 months. The family legend is that he butchered cattle on the ship. They had two sons out there and then in 1857, with her pregnant with her 3rd (my gt grandfather) they came back on a clipper, Champion of the Seas, to Liverpool in 6 weeks. It's next task was to take troops to India after the mutiny. By 1861 they'd set up shop on Portobello High Street and eventually had 11 children in 18 years. She died in John Street in 1900 aged 72 and was buried in St Mark's on Christmas Day.

We talked to the rector who was leading a work party tidying up the grounds for a wedding. Amazingly her name is the Rev Sophia Marriage.

#3 son liked the house but I now realise there is another one close by that I should also see.

Now I'm sorting out matches and making snap judgements based on photos. I have a few things to do for D and his tree but no gallivanting tonight. It's lovely having a 'night in'.

Enjoy what remains of your week-end.