My Great Aunt’s Hobby

I can remember being surprised at how far my great aunt went to pursue her hobby. There was nothing to show when Peg (Margaret) Gilchrist started her pastime. Did she start while she was working or wait until she retired or perhaps take it up even later?

Records disagree on the date of her retirement. It could have been 1953 or 1958 according to the two sources I found. The first date, 1953, coincides with the founding of the *Scottish Genealogy Society and saw the production of their first newsletter, The Scottish Genealogist. Is that what inspired her to research her family history?

Perhaps it was family stories that lit the spark. I know that I grew up with stories of her side of the family. That was where our famous connection lay. That link was to the maternal side of Aunt Peg’s family. Strangely, the only pieces of her research I have been able to find are related to her father’s side of the family.

 

The first document was a typewritten account of the family going back to Aunt Peg’s grandparents who emigrated from Port Ellen, Islay, Scotland. The other was a picture of the post office at Bridgend where Peggy stayed on her trip to Islay. 

Today genealogy tourism is a niche market but back in the ‘60s it would have been much less common if it existed at all. I wonder if she was able to find out more than the lay of the land when she was there. Maybe she found a stash of records that I have not. According to a cousin, Aunt Peg had found links all the way back to the MacLauchlans (sp?) which was interesting as the Gilchrists are a sept of the MacLauchlan clan. Was my cousin right? Is there a trail back or was this just a rumour? 

Whether I find her records or not, Aunt Peg must have talked about her family finds. That made it easier for me to follow in her footsteps and take my own journey to Islay. 

Time has changed Islay since our ancestors left and changed it between the time of Aunt Peg’s visit and my own. But there is still much to glean from visiting. It is interesting to walk in our forebear’s footsteps. That is why, on my first visit to Islay I stayed in the Bridgend Hotel as Aunt Peg had done. 

Sources:

*Scottish Genealogy Society https://www.scotsgenealogy.com/

Pictures:

All pictures are of Bridgend, Islay, Scotland

1. walk behind the hotel

2. post office from the hotel

3. The Bridgend Hotel