John Robert (Jack) Graham ~ & The Deer

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025: Week 38 (ANIMALS)

This is my grandfather, John Robert Graham - he was known as Jack.

I never knew grandpa Jack because he left the family before I was born.

For that reason I was never able to ask him about this photo.

It appears that he is with a deer. 

The deer appears to be tame.

Then again, maybe that is not his house & it's  a game farm.

I'm not sure why it bothers me so much that I will never know why the deer is just standing beside Grandpa Jack.

Maybe Grandpa Jack was a deer whisperer.

I will never know the context of this Jack/Deer story. 

Remembering the grandpa I never knew:
John Robert (Jack) Graham 
B: 7 MAR 1930 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
D: 5 AUG 2011 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

His parents were:
Robert (Bob) Graham 
B: 3 May 1906 Holytown, Lanarkshire, Scotland
D: 10 Aug 1960 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
and
Nellie May (Con) Cannon 
B: 4 Dec 1904 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
D: 14 Sep 1984 Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

When it's too late to ask the questions!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Dragonflies ~ A Symbol of Love

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2024: Week 38 (SYMBOL)

After the stepfather who raised me passed away in 2010 my mom was positive he was visiting her in the form of dragonflies.

About 6 months after he died they held a memorial at his favourite fishing lake for a small group of friends. 

During the memorial the bottle of Fireball came out along with shot glasses. 

Whenever dad went fishing Fireball was brought out to give thanks for the fish they had just caught OR to encourage fish to bite if they hadn't caught anything. 

When a shot glass was placed on a rock for dad at the lakeside memorial a dragonfly immediately landed on the edge. 

That dragonfly stayed throughout the entire memorial, and appeared to be listening to all the stories being shared.

From that moment on mom looked at dragonflies very differently.

Before mom died in 2015 she told me she would visit me as a dragonfly, and that when I saw 2 together it would be her and dad. 

From that moment I looked at dragonflies differently.

Me with my parents

In 2021 I had my nose pierced in memory of my mom, and got a dragonfly.

More about that story at this link
Making Memories ~ A Nose Piercing For My Birthday

When a dragonfly is a symbol of childhood love!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Heading Home ~ With a Twisp

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 38 (ADVERSITY)

This week we were still on vacay in Idaho so I shall share about the last part of this amazing tip instead of the prompt ADVERSITY.

We started this week with a 1 hour trip to Coeur d'Alene for the sunset dinner cruise.  

We decided to go in earlier in the day to explore. 

It wasn't until we got home that we learned the Human Rights Education Institute was very much needed given their history & realized the prompt ADVERSITY actually fit. 

The waterfront boardwalk was a very nice stroll before dinner.

The sunset dinner cruise was beautiful & the food was very good. The tables were set up as shared & we connected nicely with the folks at our shared table. 

Our day in Coeur d'Alene was one of the highlights of our trip.

One of the people we met on the Sunset Dinner Cruise worked at Sedlmayers in Spirit Lake. We decided to go on an evening they had musicians playing. It was one of our best dinners on this trip. 

It was a bit chilly that evening. They brought us a heater to the table that made the evening temperatures perfect. 

Chris and I love hearing about the history of places, and Sedlmayer's didn't disappoint. 

The story of Bing Crosby having visited & then later mentioning them in lyrics wasn't exactly correct. 

The song Moonlight Bay does not include the resort's name BUT it does appear in this performance of the song with Bing & Gary Crosby. 

No trip is complete until I have visited the local library.

Our last evening in Idaho - picture perfect.

The next morning we headed to Grand Coulee Washington for one last night on the road before heading home.

We watched the video of Grand Coulee's history in the interpretive center before watching the Laser Light Show after dark. 

We were surprised at how many were there to watch it given the chilly evening in mid September.

We enjoyed the animated lightshow, but there were parts of the messaging that left us troubled when reflecting on Truth & Reconciliation. 

This town deer stopped by to say goodbye as we readied to head home

When we were checking out the advertised coffee & muffins were not available. 

We headed out of town planning to stop at the first restaurant we saw for breakfast.

After a couple of hours I announced that if we didn't find food soon Cranky Deb would be making an appearance (honestly she had already arrived). 

Moments later a sign with FOOD written on it appeared on the side of the road.

We immediately left the highway and traveled into the small town of Twisp. 

The roads were barricaded off. 

We had stumbled into a street festival of sorts.

After having spent more than a week in very conservative communities with little diversity it was refreshing to find a community and event that felt like my hometown of Nelson. 

When you feel like you have arrived home!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Sources:

Bing & Gary Crosby-Moonlight Bay - mentions Sedlmayer's Milk Bar in the performance while singing the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebuS01qjOas&t=44s

Grand Coulee Light Show 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QI1aajWA4g

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Tale of Two Cousins ~ Ann(e) Kirk Graham

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 38 (COUSINS)

Cousins - First Friends

In my first tree on Ancestry I used the shaky leaf hints, and had quite a few mistakes in assigning children to their parents. 


Traditional Scottish naming patterns can create confusion when attaching children to parents because the names are repeated. The traditional naming patterns can also provide clarity and confirmation when viewed with caution.


There was one that was more confusing than others.



The two Ann(e) Kirk Grahams who were 1st cousins.

My  4th great grandparents on the left,
Robert's older brother James on the right
The DNA symbol profile photo notes
confirmed DNA match for the family line

My 4th great aunt Anne Kirk (Annie) Graham
BIRTH 19 JAN 1847 • Lesmahagow, Lanark
DEATH 16 MAY 1918 • Galashiels, Selkirkshire, Scotland
&
my 1st cousin X5 removed
Ann Kirk Graham
BIRTH 27 FEB 1850 • Lesmahagow, Lanark
DEATH 26 JAN 1876 • Lesmahagow Lanarkshire Scotland



My 5th Great Grandparents

                                 Ann(e) Kirk      &          Peter Graham

                                  BIRTH ABT 1785                    BIRTH ABT 1788

                                       Unknown                  Closeburn, Dumfriesshire
                                   DEATH Unknown                  DEATH Unknown

Anne and Peter had two sons & 2 daughters.


Their first child was James, my 5th great uncle

James Graham
BIRTH 16 JUL 1811 • Closeburn, Dumfrieshire, Scotland
DEATH 23 MAR 1886 • Drowned in River Dothan, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire
married to my 5th great aunt
Elizabeth Pate
BIRTH 16 JUL 1818 • Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 19 JULY 1873 • Turfholm, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Their daughter (my 1st cousin, X5 removed)
Ann Kirk Graham
BIRTH 27 FEB 1850 • Lesmahagow, Lanark
DEATH 26 JAN 1876 • Lesmahagow Lanarkshire Scotland

She was their 5th child, second daughter. 

First born was William Graham (born before parent's marriage)
Second born was Peter Graham (James' father was Peter)
Third born was Grace Graham (Elizabeth's mother was  Grizel/Grace)
Fourth born was Alexander (Elizabeth's father was Alexander)
Fifth born was Ann Kirk Graham above (James' mother was Ann(e) Kirk)
Sixth born was Isabella Graham (named after mother's sister)
Seventh born was Jane (Jean) Graham (named after mother's sister)
Eighth born was Elisabeth Graham (named after mother & father's sister)
Ninth born was William Graham (named after mother's brother or older brother)

Peter & Anne's second child, Robert, is my 4th great grandfather
Robert Graham
BIRTH 16 JAN 1814 • Thornhill, Closeburn, Dumfrieshire, Scotland
DEATH 24 MAR 1892 • Forth, Lanarkshire, Scotland
married to my 4th great grandmother
Susanah (Susan) Hamilton
BIRTH 03 NOV 1814 • Carnwath, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 11 APR 1894 • Forth, Lanarkshire, Scotland

There daughter (4th great aunt)
Anne Kirk (Annie) Graham
BIRTH 19 JAN 1847 • Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 16 MAY 1918 • Galashiels, Selkirkshire, Scotland

She was their 4th child, second daughter. 

First born was Marion Weir Graham (Susanah's mother was Marion Weir)
Second born was Peter Graham (named after Robert's father)
Third born was Andrew Graham (Susana's father was Andrew)
Fourth born was Anne Kirk Graham above (named after Robert's mother)
Fifth born was Susan Graham (named after her mother)
Sixth born was Robert Graham (named after his father)
Seventh born was Catherine Graham (named after mother's sister)
Eighth born was William Graham (named after father' brother - below)
Ninth born was Thomas Graham (named after mother's brother)


In looking at the names of the children born to these brothers the Scottish naming patterns are pretty clear.

The naming patterns are as below
1st boy - named after father's father
1st girl - named after mother's mother
2nd boy - named after mother's father
2nd girl - named after father's mother
3rd boy - named after father
3rd girl - named after mother
4 or more children were named after the siblings of the parents. There was also a variation of naming after great grandparents. I can't say for certain if that is what happened with these two brothers because I haven't gone further up the tree for anyone except Susanah (Susan) Hamilton.


Susanah's children were not named after her grandparents


Thomas Hamilton
BIRTH 15 JUL 1749 • Douglas, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 2 APR 1818 • Douglas Parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland
and
Marion Tudhope
BIRTH 1749 • Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 4 MAY 1821 • Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
&
John Weir
BIRTH ABT. 1755 • Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH Scotland
and
Anne Stark
BIRTH ABT. 1757 • Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH Scotland


Not to be forgotten
Peter & Ann(e) (nee Kirk) Graham's daughter were
3rd born child 
Mary Graham
BIRTH 9 FEB 1819 • Crawfordjohn, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH Unknown
I have no further information about Mary at this time

4th born child 
Elizabeth Graham
BIRTH 10 FEB 1821 • Muirkirk, Ayrshire, Scotland:
DEATH 22 NOV 1903 • 16 Anderson Street, Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire
who married
William Stark
who may be related to Susanah's grandfather (above), but that research has not been done to date.


Going back to Ann(e) Kirk who married Peter Graham, and was the grandmother of the two Ann(e)s who are the subject of this blog. Ann(e)'s name was interchangeably used with an E on the end, and sometime no E. One granddaughter got the E, and the other did not. 


Census records show that when Anne Kirk Graham was 6 her family had moved to Carnwath from Lesmahagow. Ann Kirk Graham's family remained living in Lesmahagow. While only a 31 minute car ride in today's world the distance would have been pretty far in 1853. 

Ann's home on the left, Anne's home on the right

The Ann(e)'s were only 3 years apart & living near  each other until 1953. I imagine they were close cousins who visited with each other's families and their grandparents. When Anne Kirk Graham's family moved away the loss would have been hard. Then again - I am probably projecting as I have experienced this firsthand.


The Peter & Ann(e) (nee Kirk) Graham BRICK WALL remains fully in place.  I have not been able to find any children beyond the 4 noted above. I haven't been able to confirm birth, marriage, or death for Peter & Ann(e). 




Cousins by birth, friends by choice!












This is why I search - 



Cause ... 





You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!















***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***





Related Previous Blogs:

Somehow Related Blog Spot,
Brick Wall - researching Grahams from Holytown, Scotland who immigrated to Canada
https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/01/brick-wall-researching-grahams-from.html

Somehow Related Blog Spot
Robert Graham ~ Scottish Carrier
https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/05/robert-graham-scottish-carrier.html


Sources:

Travel  Lesmahagow to Carnwath, Google Maps, retrieved September 16th 2019 from
https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Lesmahagow,+Lanark,+UK/Carnwath,+Lanark,+UK/@55.6417809,-3.8954293,11z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x4888105949081b09:0x8d19df4aeb985b86!2m2!1d-3.88657!2d55.637634!1m5!1m1!1s0x4887e02885067a65:0x8423c9b76c881b52!2m2!1d-3.6235701!2d55.701201!3e0?hl=en&authuser=0

Scotland Names Personal, Family Search,  retrieved September 15th 2019 from
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Scotland_Names_Personal

Understanding the Scottish Naming Pattern 54, The Indepth Genealogist,  retrieved September 15th 2019 from  http://theindepthgenealogist.com/understanding-scottish-naming-pattern/

2024 - this link is no longer a valid link
these links may provide clarity
https://scottishkin.com/the-traditional-scottish-naming-system

https://www.douglashistory.co.uk/history/genealogy/naming_patterns.html

https://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/feature/scottish-names-and-naming-traditions



Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

_____________________________________________________________________