Snow Friend of Mine

image source: h is for home

I've been gone a while as I haven't had much time to do genealogy lately. I haven't even emailed my fabulous archivist for more information on the new lunatics I've uncovered from the last information received (She's probably glad for the break).

At least this glorious snow we've been having will give me an opportunity to try and get in the swing of things again.

I'm going to sit back and relax now, read my brand new family tree magazine and wait for inspiration to strike. I'll be back.

(Oh, and thankyou for the compliments and blog awards - you're all very kind).

Tombstone Tuesday - Befays & Dehoux

LES EPOUX

BEFAYS - DEHOUX

The Married Couple

Befays - Dehoux

My mother migrated to Australia with her parents and younger sister when she was 9.

As a result, I know little about that side of the family but my mother remembers the time with her grandparents fondly.

In 2001, I was able to make a short trip to Belgium where I met my grandfather's brother and his wife, who are wonderful people. Amongst many other activities, they took me to the grave of my great grandparents near Charleroi (which as you can see contains VERY little information).

Leon BEFAYS: 1904 - 1977

Florance DEHOUX: 1903 - 1979

Tombstone Tuesday - Broadhembury Stilings

Broadhembury Church

While in Devon I paid a visit to the lovely village of Broadhembury. I had hopes of finding the graves of my STILING forebears to give me some new leads - this wasn't to be. I did however, find the graves of some other Stilings. These Stilings are bound to be related somewhere along the line so I post these photos of their gravestones to help out distant family members who may be looking for these guys.

Affectionate Remembrance of

Thomas Stiling

Died Sep 18th 1848

Aged 38 years

[...] in death

ALSO Jane his wife

Died March 26 1875

Aged 75 years

Thy Will Be Done

ALSO John their son

Died November 27 1892

Aged 63 years

In Loving Memory

Of

William Stiling

Who died March 20 1865

Aged 43 years

*note* - These inscriptions were extremely difficult to read. Most of the last one was deciphered through touch and educated guesswork so may not be entirely accurate.

From Peterhead to Grave

Northern Cemtery Dunedin via Flickr

Sometimes as genealogists we have to wait years for answers.
Waiting for the required records to become available.
Waiting for the chance to visit somewhere that may hold the key. Waiting for some kind of miracle.

But by some extraordinary stroke of luck, I didn't have to wait long at all (or do much work) to find the answers to the puzzles I listed on my Emigrating to New Zealand post.

As I searched for more information on the Rimutaka (there were a few ships with this name), I came across The Northern Cemetery site. This site, I'm told on the home page, "brings together information from many different research sources to offer you a unique view of one of New Zealand's most interesting cemeteries". On this site I found excerpts from the book "From Peterhead to Passchendaele" written by Roy Buchan, who also turns out to be one of my distant relatives.

It also contains the following transcribed monumental inscription for some members of this family buried in the Northern Cemetery, Dunedin:

Monumental Inscription

(1)
In memory of

CHARLES BUCHAN

1830 - 1910

and Wife

JANET BUCHAN

1830 - 1915

JESSIE RITCHIE BUCHAN

1888 - 1908
JOHN BUCHAN

1858 - 1926

and Wife
JESSIE BUCHAN

1860 - 1910
Arrived in NZ on ship Rimutaka, 1893

from Peterhead, Scotland

and lie buried here.

(2)
In loving memory of
ROSEMARY ANN BUCHAN

Died 5th June 1988

Aged 41 years.

(3)
In loving memory of

ANNIE ROSS BUCHAN

Dearly loved wife of ROBERT

And loved mother of

LORELEI, ROBIN and ROSEMARY

Died 22nd March 1972.

Also ROBERT BUCHAN

Died 4th January 1995

Aged 90 years.
"Keep a green bough in your heart,

And God will send you a singing bird."

(4)
In loving memory of

Henry J.D. SCRYMGEOUR

Dearly loved husband of LORELEI

Loved father of ROSS, MURRAY & ALISTAIR

17-11-1926 - 6-1-1999

(5)
CHRISTINA BUCHAN

1894 - 1978

The information I found on this site allowed me to answer the questions I had on my Emigrating to New Zealand post :

* Which Jessie and John are recorded above Alex's family and how do they link to my family?

Jessie is Alex's sister and John Buchan is her husband - I would now like to find out if John's family were closely connected to Jessie's.

*What happened to Alex's sister Jessie (is she the Jessie mentioned above) and brother Charles?

Jessie also travelled to New Zealand on the Rimutaka (see answer above). It appears Charles stayed in Scotland:

"Four of their children were: Peter (1858), Jessie (1860), Alexander (1862), and
William (1872). These sailed with their parents to New Zealand, but there is
thought to be at least one other who stayed behind".

* Which Jessie Buchan is buried in the family grave with Charles and Jessie (born Janet RITCHIE)?

"Their daughter Jessie died at the age of twenty in 1908 of meningitis and is buried in the same plot with her mother, who died two years later in 1910".

* Who is Master John? I've had no record of this person so far - is he Charles and Jessie's son?

He is John & Jessie's son, apparently just tagging along with his grandparents.

I also now have more family members to fit into the tree.

NOTE: I did find an error in this information, which should be a warning to all of us NOT to accept all that we're given without question. It appears the author confused Janet/Jessie Buchan (1833) with her daughter Jessie Buchan (1860) when he writes that her maiden name was also Buchan. I have much evidence to prove that her maiden surname was RITCHIE.

Thank you to all the people involved in sharing the information I found on The Northern Cemetery site - it is VERY much appreciated.

Image on left: "From the Road to the Northern Cemetery" by George O'Brien found on Auckland Art Gallery

Dunedin Cemetery Records Online

image via flicker

I have just spent a fascinating day researching.

The same distant relative I mentioned in my last post, had sent me digital copy of a cemetery record print out (to tie up some loose ends). At the bottom, I noticed the source was a website and a previously locked door was opened!

The Dunedin City Council website has an online search facility of the city's cemeteries. The results are more detailed than I'd expect - death date, burial date but also last address of the deceased and sometimes occupations. It also links to others buried in the same plot. This in particular has enabled me to discover people and links to other people, I wouldn't otherwise have connected.

I don't know how long this has been available for but I am so pleased I have finally discovered it. I know have some more pieces to help fit this puzzle together.

Tombstone Tuesday

Alexander Ritchie Buchan

Born August 9th 1862

Died December 2nd 1896

Aged 34 years

Agnes Buchan [nee Findlay]

Born August 18th 1866

Died November 25th 1939

Aged 73 years

TO MEMORY - EVER DEAR

(Port Chalmers Cemetery, Dunedin, New Zealand)

I received this photo (via email) only a few days ago from a distant relative.
I look forward to working with her on my BUCHAN branch.