Family Tree/Ancestry

[Pretty Boy]

It's such an interesting thing to do.

I like the quirky wee things it can throw up. My daughter's middle name is Helen, named for my Granny, and her first name is Grace because it was just a name both my wife and I liked. My Granny's maternal side were all Shetlanders and I knew nothing about them at all. I came into possession of some family history after my aunt passed away and in among it was a newspaper clipping about 2 women who were honoured for risking their own lives to save the crew of a fishing boat that had capsized off the coast near their home. Their names were Grace and Helen. Digging further back the earliest family records dated to the early 1700s, a marriage certificate of a Helen, who later had a daughter called Grace.

I'd assume my Granny was named as part of a family tradition but it was something I was totally unaware about. Thinking back now I can vaguely remember hearing occasional mention of a 'Grace Tulloch' when I was a young boy but if it played a part in my choice of name for my daughter then it was entirely subconscious. I quite like that I have honoured two very brave women and a family tradition dating back at least 300 years, even if it was totally unintentional and I look forward to showing my daughter the story about the sea rescue when she is a bit older.

My Grandad's paternal side is a total mystery. His Dad was English and my Grandad has no real idea how he ended up in Scotland, his Dad was never forthcoming about it and he never had any relationship with his grandparents on that side. My Mum and I are hoping to dig into sometime soon and try to get to the bottom of it.