Echoes of past times

A large part of my heritage is from the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Can't say I have felt any affiliation to either area, especially when I see the Highlands covered in conifer trees. I am very seasick on the Island ferries, in fact any ferry!

I absolutely think there is a resonance about where our DNA has derived from. My first job in London I found myself working for a predominantly Jewish firm, having not really met any Jewish people before, I found myself being quite fascinated by the religion and their customs, I remember telling my mother and she felt much the same. Years later when I first started on my genealogy quest at mum's behest to find out where in Ireland my maternal grandmother's people hailed from, having done that, I said to mum "what about granddad's side?", mum had a French surname and her grandfather was French, they proved to be quite elusive but we found out through her cousin they originally came from Alsace. Later on I was contacted by a third cousin on Ancestry and she told me the family was Jewish, and my maternal grandfather was half Jewish, but we certainly didn't know that, only that he wasn't a catholic like my grandmother. Unfortunately I only found out that after my mother had died, she would have loved to have known that she had some Jewish DNA I suspect and quite surprised I imagine,.

My paternal grandfather came from Malta, and his line includes both Sicilian and some strands of Anatolia and The Caucuses, such a big area though! who came from there I wonder? Although Malta has it's own official language which has a certain amount of Arabic in it's make up, when my grandfather was born at the end of the 19th century, Italian was the official language and I applied for his birth certificate I was really pleased to see it was all in Italian, Italy is somewhere I've always been drawn to.

We did visit once flowerofthewest and each day was a dream come true. We also visited Barra where some of my ancestors moved to.That was lovely as well and I remember using public transport which doubled up as the school bus and we travelled round delivering each child to their front gate. A different world! I would love to go again but it is a long way from SE England.

This is exactly the reason that I have now lived in England for almost 25 years! I was born in California, my dad was born in Canada to parents who had emigrated from England just after WW I. My grandad was Canadian and had gone to England to join the army and fight in the war. I would also add that his sister did the same and served as a nurse. My paternal grandmother was from Frome, Somerset and my dad was raised (in the US) using English vocabulary (mum, brekkie, etc). I had felt a pull to live in England my entire life, first visiting in 1987 with my two small children. We stayed with cousins in Devizes, and I felt so strongly that I had come 'home'. Another ten years went by, children grown, divorced, and luckily, being a nurse I was able to get a job and come and spend the rest of my life in this wonderful country. I would never go back to the US (see other threads ). And when doing my DNA, I was indeed, 90% English, 4% Irish and the remaining little bits of Germany, and Norway. I feel so lucky that I was able to achieve this dream of living where I was 'meant to'.

i have stayed in the same city in scotland all my life, but i have a love for glencoe, some people find it creepy as if they are being watched, i just feel as if i am being welcomed, my husband had the same feelings at culloden, when we just decided to go away for a weekend and the first train was for inverness, it was the first time i had seen him get emotional.

I love the Channel Islands and have visited many times. Apparently I was conceived in Jersey. Coincidentally, a friend of mine, who I have an strong afffinity with, found out that she was also conceived there. Strange that our mothers ever told us really.

Mine is a custom, hidden in my actic is a mourning wreath. I am Irish solid for 300 plus years . By custom this is hung on front door for the time between death and funeral. My grandmother told me it was inform everyone there had been a death and no non family would knock not even the rent man .

I have only experienced that overwhelming feeling of "home" and that was the first time I went to Vancouver. I cried as I was just so emotional. The only connection I had with Canada was that my great grandfather lived there for a wee while and worked on the Canadian Pacific railroad. I just felt his presence - can't really describe it but he was there by my side! Strangely when I met my late husband he has s large framed black and white print of workers on the Canadian Pacific railroad. We both loved Western Canada so much. My husband said he had the same feeling about Glencoe.