Genealogy Chat

strangest way

Years ago, I found a Blacksmith's Index on the web

The originator was trying to set up an Index to all the Blacksmith's in the whole fo the UK. Also included was a section for Whitesmiths and Tinsmiths.

OH's gt grandfather was a Blacksmith, so I thought to be helpful, and entered his details. I also left a link to send me an email, not expecting any results


On Saturday, I got an email from someone who had just seen that entry .............. he turns out to be the grandson of OH's grandmother's youngest brother.

So ............. a "new" cousin turns up out of the blue :-D :-D :-D

My grandad was apprenticed as a tinsmith - but WW1 happened and he was in the territorial army. However, he completed his training as a tinsmith in the army. Since the army had invested all this effort into his training, naturally enough, he spent most of the war driving a team of draught horses.

of course!

My 3G Grandfather started out as a tinsmith and was working in the "Newtown" of Edinburgh in the early 1800's. He married and returned to Dysart (Fife) where he set up a plumbing business employing most of his brothers, cousins and nephews. They had shops in Dysart and Kirkcaldy and developed from plumbing into gasfitting and finally building. 3 generations. I'm still trying to find out who's got the money! ;-)

Information can come at the most unexpected time

Funnily enough Malcolm... by sheer coincidence. I recently found out where MY family money went,.
I looked for years for info on my great grandtfather who was born in Ireland.

He was an extremely angry and dysfunctional man who came to Scotland from Ireland at the age of 20yrs and more or less lived on poor relief all his life.

The story is complex but he told his family that he was raised by a rich grandfather who owned a pub, remarried later in life and left everything to his young widow, leaving him and his full siblings penniless
It sounded like absolute balderdash to me.

I was in Ireland recently, and I visited the church where he was baptised
The baptismal font looked a bit too new and this was confirmed by a plaque above it, naming it's benefactor, and the date of donation
A woman.... who looked suspiciously like ....the young widow?

I came home, and did some more research.
I found the grandfather's will ( on Proni)
The grandfather was richer than I could ever have imagined.
( yes he owned a pub, but that was just the tip of the iceberg)

With this younger woman, there was only one surviving child.
By the time the widow died, and left her own will, there was soo much money that she slpit it in half.
She gave one half to her only child and the other to THAT CHURCH!

EDIT
The old man's will proved he was grandfather to my GGF
He left a whopping £10 per annum to his grand daughter... my GGF's married sister, but ommited his grandsons.

Splendid story! Thanks for sharing!

I found a lot of property that my relations owned in Kirkcaldy and Dysart. It's in the Valuation Rolls around 1905 but it looks like slum housing. I think they must have just sold it off as the building business was wound down. I found the will of the last Great Uncle and he left his few pounds to a disabled daughter so it was actually a decent end to the family "empire".

When future generations find that I worked in the North Sea oilfields they'll be doing the same. Too late. It's spent! :-D

That's good news Sylvia......it pays to patient I guess.... :-D


Malcolm, my OH's family were from Dysart! I'd never even heard of it until I began researching them......small world. :-D