Unravelling

It was a lovely sunny morning here today but I spent it in the Scout Hut helping tidy up after our Thrift Shop.  It is being used again next week for another Thrift Shop and it was agree that we could leave unsold goods for them.  However we felt it only fair to go through what was left and remove items which would be unlikely to sell. 

I had planned to spent some time in the garden but it started running any time I ventured out ! Instead I returned to my current genealogy project - I am keen to get as much done as I can before my course starts as my time will be limited then and want to have this section finished before we go to Ireland.

Today I was focusing on Helen Mitchell, a second great grandmother. She married "Robert the Dockgate Man" where it all started for me as he is the first ancestor I looked at in depth.  I plan to return to him in a later blog and write about his time at sea as well a dockgate man. 

Helen's family tree is interesting as her mother and aunt married two brothers. I have come across other examples of this in my tree but it is relatively unusual.  

I'm not sure exactly when Helen came over from Ireland nor from where. Her cousin was in Dundee in the late 1830s as he married in 1840 but the first record I have of Helen is her marriage in 1850. 

It is possible that John and Andrew had other brothers including a James who was a weaver like them who died in 1853. If he is Helen's uncle then this would suggest that she came from County Antrim. 

I gather there is a football match on tonight. You may have gathered I am not watching it.