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Peter Cromar 1690: parallel universes
I’ve completed the chronicle of our study abroad trip to Scotland, a journey that gave me the opportunity to see the Kirkton of Aboyne burial ground and close the circle for my family by burying a lock of my father’s hair at the head of slab stone for our progenitor, Peter Cromar. A lock of…
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Scotland: Day 6: Aberdeenshire: Miracles by the Dee
Sunday 20 Nov: Awe-inspiring landscapes and a personal mission fulfilled Spoiler alert: we did see a dramatic sun set at Tomnaverie! Up early from a fitful rest after our presentation, today we are checking out of the Apex and boarding a private coach with Tony, bound for Aberdeenshire. I tell the students to keep breakfast…
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Ann Cromar redux — or reconsidered?
A surprise revision It has been nearly a month since the post where I promised to continue my exploration of the wives of the Cromar men, moving forward in time up my direct patrilineal line. The next ancestor promised was to be Ann Cromar, wife of John Cromar, who had been briefly and abstractly discussed…
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Peter Cromar — or MacDonald of Glencoe?
A divided nation At this moment of turbulence in 2021, we Americans think of ourselves as a divided nation. For us, divisive tendencies date back to debates about slavery that animated fateful compromises in our founding documents two and a quarter centuries ago. But frankly, we are absolute amateurs at this: we’ve got nothing on…
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Kirkton of Aboyne burial ground: a Rosetta Stone for Cromar mysteries
Author’s Note: New research has clarified conclusions detailed in this post, in particular the location of Peter Cromar’s memorial on the map. Please visit the following related posts for the full story: Because this journal is about the real-time process of researching and developing a family history hypothesis, and not the hypothesis itself, I have decided to keep…
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John Cromar and Ann George: rebels who broke free
In the shadow of history The Peel of Lumphanan rises out of the ground like a Robert Smithson land art project gone rogue. From an an earlier post, we know the Peel has a legendary link to Macbeth, and the town-folk of the village of Lumphanan probably won’t disabuse you of the notion: you can…
