How Did This All Begin?




About 20 years ago my father received a letter from Stewart's Melville College inviting him to attend the Founder's day celebrations in honour of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Rev Robert Cunningham, founder of the Edinburgh Institution which would become Melville College and eventually form part of Stewart's Melville College.

Along with this letter and invitation was a detailed report showing the history of the college and a family history of the Rev Cunningham. The college had invited all the known descendants of the Rev Cunningham to celebrate his 200th birthday. A family tree included in the report showed that Rev Robert Cunningham was my great great great grandfather through the marriage of his daughter, Agnes Cunningham to the Rev William Armstrong and so my family history journey began.

20 years later, and with an ever growing family tree including my wife's side of the family, the journey continues apace. I have gone back to the late 18th century with most lines, hitting the inevitable brick walls along the way. I have discovered family all over the world, from Australia to Canada, the USA to Sri Lanka, South America as well as Scotland, Ireland and England.

All walks of life are included from doctors, lawyers, engineers and church ministers to agricultural labourers, shopkeepers, domestic servants and grooms. A rich tapestry of life.

One thing I have discovered in all this research is that I am very good at delving into the past but not very good at keeping up to date with the present. I have reams of information about ancestors who lived 100 years ago but know so little about my immediate cousins and their families. As the self appointed custodian of the family history, this is something I am endeavouring to rectify, sending out family history sheets in the hope that I can get myself more up to date and record the present as well as the past!

I am new to blogging so please bear with me if my posts are few and far between or if I tend to ramble on sometimes. All views and opinions expressed are my own and I will endeavour to be non controversial, non political and non judgemental. My aim is to share a little bit each week about my family history journey and some of the people and characters I have met along the way.




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