| Back to the Past |
| With many thanks to my cousins and friends who have shared so many great genealogy poems and quotes with me. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I've enjoyed collecting them. Nancy |
| The Port of Greenock, Scotland, where my Carmichael and McCormick ancestors departed for America. |
| The Scottish Emigrant's Farewell Fareweel, fareweel, my native hame, thy lanely glens and heath clad mountains, Fareweel thy fields o' storied fame, thy leafy shaws and sparkling fountains. Nae mair I'll climb the Pentlands steep, nor wander by the Esk's clear river, I seek a hame far o'er the deep, my native land, fareweel, forever. Thou land we' love an' freedom crown'd, in ilk wee cot and lordly dwelling May many hearted youth be found, and maids in ev'ry grace excelling; The land where Bruce and Wallace wight, for freedom fought in days o' danger, Ne'er crouch'd to proud usurpin' might, but foremost stood, wrongs' stern avenger. Tho' far frae thee, my native shore, an' toss'd on life's tempestuous ocean, My heart, aye Scottish to the core, shall cling to thee wi warm devotion, An' while the waving heather grows, an' onward rows the winding river, The toast be "Scotland's broomy knowes, her mountains, rocks and glens forever!" -- Author Unknown |
| Why Me? Why me... This is a tedious task, much work, Not a great tree, my family, Not any kind of tree, A spindly twig... A sapling of little importance, No forest giant we. Ethereal whispers, Persuasive, soft and still: "Daughter, if you don't remember us... Who will?" -- Dot Stutter |
| Grannie's Hielan' Hame Where the heather bells are blooming just outside Granny's door, Where as laddies there we played in the days of long ago, Neath the shadow of Ben Bhragie and Golspie's loudly stane, How I wish that I could see my Granny's Hielan' hame. Away in the Hielands there stands a wee hoose, it stands on the breast of the brae, Where we played as laddies sae long, long ago, and it seems it was just yesterday. I can still see old Granny, a smile on her face, as sweet as the heather dew, She kissed me goodbye, wi' a tear in her eye and said, "Laddie, may God bless you." -- Author Unknown |
| My family's ancestry is very old," said one club member, trying to impress the group. "We can be traced back to the early kings of Europe." Then, turning to a lady sitting nearby, she asked, "And how old is your family, my dear?" "I don't really know," replied the lady with a sweet smile. "All of our family records were lost in the Great Flood." |
| We are all omnibuses in which our ancestors ride, and every now and then, one of them sticks his head out and embarrasses us. -- Oliver Wendell Holmes |
| My Great-Grandparents I am like her, so they say, who was dead ere I was born, And I walk the self-same way on the paths her feet have worn. I am like him, so they say, who was dead before I came, Cheeks and mouth and eyes of gray have been fashioned much the same. There is that within my face and the way I hold my head Which seems strangely to replace those who long have joined the dead. This across the distance far in the body housing me Both my great-grandparents are kept alive in memory. -- Edgar A. Guest |
| For some reason, this one always makes me cry...as it did today, when I typed it. Strange how things affect us. N.B. The Census Taker It was the first day of census and all through the land, the pollster was ready, a black book in hand. He mounted his horse for a long, dusty ride, His book and his quills were close by his side. A long, winding ride down a road barely there, toward the smell of fresh bread wafting up in the air. The woman was tired, with lines on her face and wisps of brown hair she tucked back into place. She gave him some water as they sat at the table and she answered his questions, the best she was able. He asked of her children, she had quite a few, the oldest was twenty, the youngest not two. She held up a toddler with cheeks round and red, his sister, she whispered, was napping in bed. He noted the sex, the color, the age and the marks from the quill soon filled up the page. At the number of children, she nodded her head, he saw her lips quiver for the three who were dead. All the places of birth she sometimes forgot, it was Kansas...or Texas? They'd moved quite a lot. They came here from Scotland, of that she was clear, but she couldn't remember how long they'd been here. They spoke of employment, of schooling and such, they could read some and write some, though really not much. When the questions were answered, his job there was done; so he mounted his horse and he rode toward the sun. We can almost imagine his voice loud and clear, "May God bless you all for another ten years." Time tumbles forward...it's now you and me, as we search for the names on our family's tree. We squint at the census and scroll down so slow, as we look for that entry from long, long ago. Could they only imagine on that far away day, that the entries they made would affect us this way. If they knew, would they wonder at the yearning we feel, and the searching that makes them so increasingly real. We can hear, if we listen, the words they impart, through their blood in our veins and their voice in our hearts. -- Author Unknown |
| I've been doing family history for nearly 30 years, Diligently tracing my illustrious forebears, From Pigeon Lake to Peterborough, Penrith to Penzance, My band of ancestors has led me quite a dance. Cooks from Kents and guards from Gwent and chimney sweeps from Chester, There's several cousins, twice-removed, who lived in old Leicester, There's no one rich or famous, no not even well-to-do, Though an uncle's second wife's nephew played in goal for Crewe. I've haunted record offices from Gillingham to Jarrow, The little grey cells of my mind would humble Hercule Poirot. I've deciphered bad handwriting that would shame a three year old, And brought the black sheep of the family back into the fold. My bride of just 5 minutes, I left standing in the church, As I nipped into the graveyard for a spot of quick research. Eventually, I found an ancestor, 90 years deceased, Who was far more entertaining than a silly wedding feast. After just 4 months of wedded bliss, my wife became despondent And named the public records office as a co-respondent. I didn't even notice when she packed her bags and went, I was looking for great-granddad's will, who'd died in Stoke on Trent. But now my 30 year obsession' lying in the bin, Last Tuesday week, I heard some news that made me pack it in. 'Twas then my darling mother, who is not long for this earth, Casually informed me...they'd adopted me at birth. -- Author Unknown |
| How many ancestors do you have? 2 parents 4 grandparents 8 g-grandparents 16 gg-grandparents 32 ggg-grandparents 64 gggg-grandparents 128 ggggg-grandparents 256 gggggg-grandparents 512 ggggggg-grandparents 1024 gggggggg-grandparents 2048 ggggggggg-grandparents 4096 gggggggggg-grandparents 8192 ggggggggggg-grandparents 16,184 gggggggggggg-grandparents 32,768 ggggggggggggg-grandparents 65,536 gggggggggggggg-grandparents 131,072 ggggggggggggggg-grandparents 262,144 gggggggggggggggg-grandparents 524,288 ggggggggggggggggg-grandparents 1,048,576 gggggggggggggggggg-grandparents That should keep you busy for awhile! |
| My favorite two descendants...well, okay, they're actually my ONLY two descendants! My son, Jim, and my granddaughter, Sarah. (But, what I lack in quantity, I make up for in quality! :-) |
| Music: Danny Boy To save midi, right-click on title and choose 'Save target as.' Journal Index The Past Whispers - Home My G-Grandfather's Attic - Home |
