How I came to find my Aberdeen Relatives

In my beginning searches to Aberdeen, Scotland for living family members of my father's Aunts and Uncles, I wrote to every John Skene in Aberdeen that I could find (since historically the names were used again and again). And my father's uncle was a John Skene.

My meeting of Charlie Skene of Aberdeen (by mail and phone) is quite the interesting story. Charlie's brother happened to be a John Skene, but he was quite ill and so Charlie answered my letter. This was back in 1994. He offered his help after hearing what I knew and what I was trying to find out. (He even graciously sent me a street map of Aberdeen). So we have corresponded since then and it wasn't until the summer of 2001 that we had enough family information that showed that Charlie was actually a descendant of our William Skene from his second marriage to Isabella Massie, whereas my family descends from the first marriage to Margaret Skethway.

(An interesting tidbit though, is back in 1987 when we lived in Michigan, I used to visit the local Family History Center there regularly. I had copied the entire IGI listing for William Skene. There was a listing for births, deaths, and marriages of anyone with this name or listed as a parent by this name. I had actually circled the marriage of William Skene and Margaret Skethway and the births of Helen, William and John Skene (going of course by the family tree that Great Aunt Mary had written down). I then set the paper aside in my files and never did anything more with them. I still have them today. I guess I figured it to be a long shot)!

There were those little hints like just about everyone in his family was working at Grandholm Mills

abandoned Grandholm Mills in 2001

and the fact that his ancestors lived on the Great Northern Road--my Dad's grandparents living the next road over. But we just didn't have enough proof. The day I received a letter from Charlie telling me that both he and his brother had middle names of Leslie and Massie--
I knew!

I thank Terry Gowers for being so helpful and passing along her correspondence with Bev Skene in Australia which opened the flood gates. Bev had similar information about the one arm and two wives and knew a bit more about the family than I did. She also had a copy of the photo with William holding the cornet--just like great Aunt Mary Skene Day had described.

When I mentioned these details to my first cousin, Carol Galloway, she questioned whether I knew the family story. That was when I found out that her sister, Janet Christiaens, held the original letter from great Aunt Mary Skene Day. I had seen the family tree drawing back in the 1980's while visiting my Aunt Mary Skene Trumble, but she forgot to show me the other side of the tree which had the hand written story about William Skene (1841-1925). Carol told me about it and Janet dug it out. Copies were made and sent to me.

And from here our family has really blossomed!

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