January 9th

Well, we have quite a crew for January 9th - six events spanning almost 120 years beginning in 1840.

On this day , in 1840, your 4X great uncle, Walter Donald married Ann Walker in Monquhitter, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.  You are related because you share common ancestors in Alexander Donald and Jean MacIntyre - they are your 4X great grandparents, they are Walter's parents.  This is on Grandma's side of the family.

(anything to do with Aberdeenshire is always grandma's side of the family - her paternal side)

Walter was 24 at the time of his marriage and was or became a grocer and butcher. Ann was 21.  They had one son.

Still in Aberdeenshire, on this day in 1863 - 156 years ago - Adam Christie was born to your great great grandparents Adam Christie and Isabella Donald.  He was the 5th of their 11 children which included grandma's dad.  He  left Scotland at age 18 and settled in Oregon, USA - drawn there, one would imagine, by the "gold rush".  He didn't marry and died young (age 44).

On January 9th 1931 Catherine Christie was born.  You knew her as Auntie Cathie - but she was your first cousin once removed.  She was my first cousin being a daughter of my mum's brother.  Cathie was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, never married and came to Canada in the early 1970's.  She was a nurse.

Also, on this day - this time in 1951 (the year I was born) - your 2nd cousin 2X removed, William Fisken McAlpine, died.  Your shared ancestors are Peter Fisken and Elizabeth Crerar, your 3X great grandparents and William's too.

William was 61 when he died at 72 Cathedral Street in Glasgow.  He was a post office sorter.  He had been married for 30 years to Mary Elizabeth Millar.  They appear to have had no children.

Two years later, on January 9th 1953, Duncan Campbell Fisken died in the Catford area of London, England.  He is your great great uncle as he was the brother of Catherine Fisken, your great grandmother (my dad's mum).  

Duncan was one of the Fiskens who left Dumbarton, Scotland and settled in Newcastle where he worked in the shipyards as a shipwright.  He married Eva Ferguson at age 29 and over the years they worked their way further south.  They had one son, Alan, who was killed in World War I.  

Duncan was 71 years old when he died.  He left £1061 17s 6d to Eva.

And finally (!) - we have Jennifer Ann Milne.  She was born on this day in 1959 - younger than me - so hopefully she is still alive somewhere!  She is your third cousin and she was born in Barre, Vermont, USA - she is a descendent of the folks who left Aberdeenshire for Vermont to work in the granite mines back in the late 1800's.  Adam Christie is both your and Jennifer's great great grandfather.  So despite the closeness in age of me to Jennifer, she is actually of your generation.

Jennifer was born to Allan George Milne and Virginia Grace Simpson - their fifth child.  They lived at 65 Pleasant Street in Barre.

I don't have much info on Jennifer as yet.  She is mentioned in her brother's obituary in 2015 and seems to be unmarried and still living in Vermont.  

Well, that was a busy day!!