The 19th in a series of posts about my family treeInspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Food and Drink For some time I’ve been eyeing a handwritten recipe for my Scottish great grandmother, Jane (Robson) Gordon’s shortbread. It’s one I inherited after my granny Alice, her daughter, died in 1994. … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: A Short One on Shortbread
The 18th in a series of posts about my family treeInspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Social My Scottish-born grandmother, Alice (Gordon) McDonall, loved her Canadian roots. In fact, she loved them so much that every time we visited her in small town Westlock, Alberta, (about 50 miles north of … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: Canadian Roots
The 13th in a series of posts about my family treeInspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Sisters When it comes to writing about sisters I hit a brick wall. I don’t know the first thing about it. I’m a big sister to my younger brother, and I hope a good … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: The Gordon Girls
The 12th in a series of posts about my family treeInspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Joined Together It was the beginning of a 60-year love match when, in June 1870, 24-year-old Henry Belton (1846-1931) of London, Ontario, wed his sweetheart, Mary-Jane Crouse (1850-1932), the 20-year-old daughter of William D. … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: Love Match
The 11th in a series of posts about my family tree.Inspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Flowers My first true memory of flowers stems from when I was six years old. It was 1968. My younger brother, James, and I lived with granny Alice (Gordon) McDonall in Westlock, Alberta for … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: The Memories of Flowers
The tenth in a series of posts about my family tree.Inspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Worship Worship is an insanely personal thing. My grandfather Stanley McDonall, an irascible yet wise man in his own way, used to say, “No one needs to know your religion, your politics, or how … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: A Quiet Faith
The ninth in a series of posts about my family tree.Inspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Females It’s an odd sort of truth but a truth nevertheless that vulnerability and strength are not mutually exclusive. In fact, to demonstrate strength one must accept the possibility of being harmed or at … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: A Celebration of Ancestral Matriarchs
The eighth in a series of posts about my family tree.Inspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Courting What is courting? Conventional thinking, and the dictionary, describe it as “paying special attention to (someone) in an attempt to win their support or favour.” This could be the wooing of someone into … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: What Courtship?
The seventh in a series of posts about my family tree.Inspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Landed Throughout the centuries populations have migrated between countries and regions in search of something new. Whether escaping oppression or simply making a fresh start, they shore up their courage and throw caution to the … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: The Gordons have Landed
The sixth in a series of posts about my family tree.Inspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Prompt: Maps A quick one this week as life got in the way of my grander plan. Maps have always been a source of fascination. In practical terms we use them to find the shortest way … More Shedding Light on the Family Tree: My Own Little Melting Pot
In So Many Words 