EDITOR’S NOTE: Yes, I know… it’s been a couple of month’s hiatus for posting. Surprisingly, several summer projects managed to get in the way! I’ve had a number of posts planned, for which I’m deep in research. These will recount more lines of migration: to Canada, the US Midwest, the US West, and Oceania.

But in the meantime, here is a special treat indeed! This is the first in a series of guest posts by my sister, Paige Cromar Davis. She and her husband Greg ventured to Scotland and the Baltic island of Åland recently. That journey spins two threads that are strong in this journal — family history and travel — so I invited her to recount her adventures here. While in Scotland, they were able to make new discoveries untangling the mystery of our origins. I’m very pleased to present this series of posts by Paige!

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Autumn 2022

I have long yearned to visit Scotland, ever intrigued by our father’s oral family history (see blog post) and intensified by Bill’s genealogical findings reported in this blog. Dreams of travel abroad were stayed by the need to care for our aging parents which proved to be an all too short season of my life. With Dad’s passing on October 23, 2022 (see blog post) we began looking ahead.

Enter the Watsons

My husband Greg and I are fortunate to know a special couple, Alex and Ulrika Watson. Alex grew up in Dunfermline, Scotland where he owns his childhood home. Ulrika was born and raised in the Åland Islands. They lived here in Dayton, Ohio for several years and now make residence in Jupiter, FL in the winter, and Åland over the summer at Ulrika’s ancestral farmhouse, Mansas. Enjoying dinner with us at the historic Golden Lamb Inn in November 2022 during their visit to Dayton, Ulrika asked, “Now that your dad is gone, when are you coming to visit my island [meaning Åland]?” Alex chimed in, “Stay at our house in Dunfermline and make a side trip to the islands.” Thus, the dream of a lifetime began to take shape as reality.

Having a Predecessor Helps

Leveraging lessons learned from Bill’s recent travel to Scotland and relying on experience from our UK friends, we booked flights directly into Edinburgh via Boston Logan Airport originating from Cincinnati OH. Delta later changed the flights from Boston to the dreaded JFK airport. More on JFK to come… In the meantime, Bill was invaluable recommending tour companies, contacts, and providing historical information that would guide our itinerary planning.

Finalizing the Itinerary: Late Winter – Early Spring 2023

Our final itinerary was ambitious. We were to arrive in Edinburgh mid-morning June 14, rent a car, and drive to the Watson house in Dunfermline, then on to Aberdeenshire the following morning. The next two days would be spent exploring ancestral Cromar sites and enjoying a bespoke whisky tour (also our 5th wedding anniversary) with Kathy Ader of Wild History and Whisky Tours. After returning to Dunfermline the evening of June 16, we planned to return the rental car early on June 17 to the Edinburgh Airport, then hop the tram into the city center to tour Edinburgh for two days, relying on the ScotRail station within walking distance to the Watson’s house.

On Bill’s advice, we booked The Hairy Coo for a 3-day, 2-night tour to sites between Edinburgh and Inverness and the Isle of Skye with a hotel stay in Inverness the evenings of the 19th and 20th. Upon our return to Dunfermline, we would then make our way to Åland via air to Stockholm, continuing to the islands to spend the Midsummer Holiday with the Watsons. A ferry cruise back to Stockholm and a day to tour the city would round out our Scandinavian adventure. We would have one final day to tour Edinburgh before our flight home June 27.

A Surprise Addition to the Itinerary

I received an email from Kathy Ader just prior to our departure for Scotland with an incredible opportunity. It turns out that famed Scottish fiddler Dr. Paul Anderson shares ancestry with us directly descending from our 6th great grandfather, Peter Cromar. He hails from Tarland where many of our ancestors made residence in the heart of the Howe o’ Cromar (theoretical source of our family name – see posts Mystery in the Howe of Cromar and Competing theories on the “How” of Cromar), incredibly beautiful land that has inspired many compositions by Anderson. He was to play at the Balmoral Arms Inn in Ballater the evening of June 15. Kathy booked us a table early enough to meet and enjoy Paul’s music.

Postscript

Two amazing weeks are now but a memory in flight. Bill told me in November that as soon as we left Scotland, we would be planning our next visit. He was not wrong.