Success isn't everything...

So today I brought my good friend out with me on a road trip to find and photograph some of the places where my families lived and worked.  I had the postcodes and a navigator and. I was quite assured that I would have a successful journey; foolish researcher.

On reaching Annan I found the navigator couldn't find Corsehill Quarry or Annan Heath Quarry, or Redhouses or Blackhills Cottages for that matter.  As I have always found Libraries to be a treasure trove of information and help I drove to Annan Library and asked the lovely librarians for help. 

We quickly discovered that Corsehill had been reopened for work in the 1980s and a new access road had just been recently laid.  I wrote down my directions for this, confident that I would then find my bearings for Redhouses where the Trodden family lived as they worked at the Quarry.

Annan Heath Quarry however proved more elusive and had even my wonderful helpers stumped.  There was a Gullielands Farm nearby on the old map. I had found and so they gave me directions to that and off I went again, only a little less confident with this second lead.

As we drove out to the Quarry, about ten minutes drive from the town centre, I began to recognise many familiar aspects of the local roads but not enough to pinpoint why as yet.  Corsehill is definitely back in use and as exciting as that may be. I couldn't gain access without permission.  I recorded the telephone number for the site office and we examined the map again.  Redhouses should be somewhere back between the Quarry site and Annan town.

Driving back the way we had come, I almost missed the sweet little buildings on my left that quite plainly had a sign on the wall stating 'Redhouses'.  I will write a letter to the owner and ask if I may return to properly photograph their home and why I would appreciate it.

Next we searched for the postcode for Gullielands Farm, and soon we were avoiding potholes and chasms along dirt track roads to find ourselves parallel to our previous road but definitely at our destination.  Annan Heath Quarry is no longer even visible as an outline as far as we could see, the Kirtlebridge Railway line that worked the line for the Quarries is still visible as is the second and longest  inhabited home of the Trodden family;  Blackhills Cottages.  I have the name of the lady who lives there now and I will send her a letter too in the hopes that she might allow me to peek closer at this home.

Back to Annan and the hunt for Apsley House where the Millar family lived, subject to confirmation I think we found it and it is now simply known as No. 6.  A few other addresses for both families were quickly visited and marked for future photographs before lunch and the drive home.

For me personally the odd thing was, when on the final hunt for Blackhills I remembered that I used to wander these tracks and roads with my own Dad and our dog as a wee girl.  Visually so much has changed and my personal history with those space is only 30 years or so ago; for the Troddens we are talking 100+ years of changing landscape.  Perhaps success is all in the perspective of my own expectations.

I have much more to do from today's travels but I will still call my road trip a win I think.

Until next time,
Susan
:)

Bringing a Visual to the Tale

As I was hunting my way through archives and directories for connections to the Annan Quarries, I came upon something completely different.

Frederick Gerald Gibbs, a local man who went to war in 1916, already a professional photographer when he enlisted with the Royal Engineers he brought back history on film.  Serving with the Royal Engineers until only a few months before the end of the War he photographed much and, luckily for posterity, his daughter saved his collection.

Annan Museum has these images and part of his story.  The visuals he preserved can only add to the tales of Private Gibbs and those other Annan men who fought for their country in World War 1.

My search for the Quarry connections continues, but these accidentally won nuggets are treasured along the way.

Until next time,
Susan
:)

The Military Momentum

I found myself happily disappearing into each little piece of information that I uncovered on the Trodden family.  So much so that I almost forgave myself for forgetting my other Annan Folk along the way.  I took one morning and specifically ignored my favourite subject and delved feet first into another; into the Millars of Annan.

A family who, much like the Troddens, felt the obligation to their country at times of War.  The difference with this family is they are a small family with two very prominent figures.  Career soldiers in the Volunteers and later with the King's Own Scottish Borderers.  Major Millar and Lieutenant-Colonel W. J Millar who as their lives unfolded from the archives were very highly regarded individuals.

Back at home they were Master Plumbers who employed many local people and trained them to be skilled workmen.  They were also innovators at the same time, these men held a patent for the Millar Windmill that was used on farms for water supplies, irrigation and even drainage.

The Millars are another aspect of Annan social history and are proving to be just as fascinating in their own way as the Troddens.  I am looking forward to the next surprising discoveries along with learning more of my Annan Folk who have come alive for me.  I hope I can bring their memories back to others in a manner they deserve too.

Until next time,

Susan

Surprises and speculation

This week I have pinpointed some interesting family names that have particular resonance with The Great War and who were Annan natives.  Trodden, Millar and Blackburn are each different examples of experiences of families affected in different but extreme ways.

The Millar family name is connected with Major W. J. Millar of the King's Own Scottish Borderers, 5th Battalion.  He was awarded with the Distinguished Service Order on 15th June, 1915 whilst serving in Gallipoli.

Captain Thomas Blackburn served with the King's Own Scottish Borderers, 7th Battalion in France.  The Battle of Loos in particular found this soldier wounded and then captured by the Germany army. His family received word of his 'Presumed Death' only to be given the news 2 years later of his repatriation from the Prisoner of War camp.

The third name is not just an individual person but is a family who encompass the social and military experiences of their time.  The Trodden family were John and Margaret and their 17 children and their lives in the family home of 4 Blackhills Cottages, Annan.

Before John Snr's death in 1922 they had found themselves dealing with the deaths of 8 of their children through illness and warfare.  The accounts of the sacrifice of Private James Trodden at the Battle of St. Julien at Ypres, Private Robert Trodden on the transport ship SS Royal Edward and Lance Corporal George Trodden at the Battle of Broodseinde are reminders of what was given as the price of freedom.

At home Peter and William Trodden die of disease and illness and yet the family continues to prove their toughness of spirit; all family members old enough to do so have jobs and earn their keep.  The older children meet husbands and wives and the family expands.

I was happily discussing my dissertation with a work colleague last night and to my complete surprise I find that the expansion includes his wife.  Upon further discussion and some fact swapping, we came to realise I have been researching his wife's family history without even realising the close proximity of the family connection.  The resilient family Trodden has branches still around us today, and hopefully I can bring to them memories that might have been forgotten, and they can perhaps fill in the gaps in between.

The next steps will reveal more either way.  The coincidences in life make for a colourful journey it would seem.

Until next time.

:)

The First Post is the Hardest.

The hardest part of any new venture is the beginning I believe. Decisions seem so very final and appear to carve out the path ahead too permanently. Of course this isn’t always true and is certainly not for my Dissertation, at least not quite yet.

A little more information is needed I think, my name is Susan Kenny and I am working towards my 4th Year Dissertation for my Degree in the Liberal Arts – Humanities at the University of Glasgow.  I am privileged to be studying for this in the region that I am proud to call home, Dumfries & Galloway.  My Dissertation is set quite firmly within this region and I’ll explain why.

I was born and raised in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland.  My father was English and my Mother a local girl.  I never considered my connection to the town itself beyond myself and my immediate family when I was a child.  My  grandparents had died before I was born and so that link was much later in connecting in my mind.

As an adult however an awareness of the larger picture, of what makes a community a living entity has brought me to the beginnings of something much bigger, the history of the people within the town.  In fact the picture of Annan Folk around the time of the First and Second World wars have become my focus.

My Grandfather served in WW2 with the King’s Own Scottish Borderers and my Great Uncle served with the same regiment in WW1.  One man became a Prisoner-of-War and one man died; many stories of men including these two have been relegated to the past and forgotten.  I intend to remember them and through my 4th Year Dissertation I intend to remind others of them as well.

By using archives, military records and oral histories collected from those with memories to pass along, I will share the almost forgotten stories of our local people who lived in extra-ordinary times.

This Blog will allow me to keep a Field Journal of my progress as well as a contact point for any Family Historians or Local Historians who would like to get in touch to share research.

Until next time.

Susan