A Journey Through Time: The History of a Family Vol. 2

Fifty years ago I was bitten by the genealogy bug following a school project. I never imagined then that it would occupy so much of my time and shape my life, but it did. It has taken me fifty years to research our family history and what a story it tells. A DNA test by my eldest sister, Janet Gregory (nee Rowland) brought my research to an incredible conclusion and that story can be found within this book. The path that the DNA led me along was totally unexpected and at first, even I found it too remarkable to be true and I spent weeks going over my research checking and rechecking my records looking for errors but found none. I have traced every line of my maternal and paternal family trees as far as documentary evidence would allow. I have also consulted numerous genealogies to cross-reference and verify the information that I found. In our earliest maternal genealogies there are some very spurious and mythical claims. I have left these in only for the reader’s interest and I make no claims as to their authenticity. Since my eldest sister Janet did her DNA test my brother, Fredrick, and my sisters, Pauline, Violet, Frances and myself have also done a DNA test. I have overlaid each of those tests to show the route that our ancestors travelled and this is shown on this cover. This route is backed up by my research. The key to the remarkable discoveries in this book was the discovery of my maternal 3 x great grandfather, Captain John Campbell. It was this ancestor who caused me the most frustration over the years with wrong information and spurious claims leading me on a 40 year wild goose chase. Thankfully, the DNA finally solved this puzzle and allowed me to make some incredible discoveries that as far as I have been able to ascertain, no one else has yet uncovered.