Relations

We had a visit today from a distant relative who we were meeting for the first time. We are related through my paternal grandmother. Her mother’s sister is his great grandmother which I think makes him my third cousin.

He lives on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, where I have a second cousin once removed on my paternal grandfather’s side! They are not related.

Today’s visitor had many photos of my grandmother and great grandmother (who was born in 1855) as well as one or two of my father. We in turn have some paintings from the family who lived in Dundee.

His great grandmother, Joey, lived to the age of 105. She died in 1965 and I have the vaguest recollection of meeting her when I was 9. She remembered the Tay Bridge disaster and later in life met Neville Chamberlain as her husband worked in his shipbuilding factory.

He also had a relatively rare glass photograph of his paternal great great grandparents – the blip. Although they are not related to me it was fascinating to see the glass plate. The father, a church minister, was born in 1821: his wife we believe was born on St Helena and her family knew Napoleon Bonepart. We think the photo was taken around 1860.