Lochwinnoch
July, 2001
| Scotland
Lochwinnoch July, 2001 |
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Early Sunday, I began my exploration of Lochwinnoch. Down at the loch I had a conversation with a gentleman taking his dog for a morning walk. He knew my Uncle Jackie, a lifelong bachelor who “had trouble with the drink,” describing him as a harmless |
| soul, which from my father’s description, suited Jackie well. Interestingly, this gentleman indicated that he was “not from Lochwinnoch – he had only lived there for the past 46 years.” More on that later. I went on to the Lochwinnoch cemetery, to visit the graves of my ancestors, but was unable to find them among the many head stones. Later in the afternoon, I returned with some directions, and was able to locate the grave site of my grandfather, John Allan, the unmarked grave of my grandmother, and other relatives who were buried nearby. |  |
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My grandmother died young, leaving several small children. My grandfather remarried. He and my step-grandmother, much loved by my father, raised the family together. Like many Scots of his time, my grandfather was active in the Masonic Lodge and was also a patron of the Eastern Star, whose members presented the plaque shown left, when he died in 1948. I was less than 1 year old and never had the privilege of knowing either of my paternal grandparents. |
