My grandmother, Margaret Cruden and her brother Stewart. Studio portrait probably from around 1914.
My maternal grandparents David Skinner Ramsay and Margaret Cruden celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.
Ramsay family celebrating wedding anniversary. Children from left: Elizabeth, Sandra, Margaret, May, David and Catherine. Seated Margaret Cruden and David Ramsay.
Ramsay family; circa 1942-43. Margaret Cruden (seated), Elizabeth, May, Catherine, Margaret (standing). David. Sandra seated in centre.
Catherine Black and her husband Alexander Cruden with their two eldest children, Margaret Simpson Bisset Cruden (my grandmother) and Stewart Cruden.
The boy-child holding court with his great grandmother.
My christening; four generations of strong women. My mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and – as it turns out – me.
Shaking the tree 
Simply darling old pictures! 🙂
Thanks; didn’t the kids look so cute dressed up for the photographer!
Top left, yes. 🙂 Cuter than all get out!
Crikey, you’re going great guns, Su !!! – how amazing that all these photos are … wherever they are.
Thanks! I’m trying to scan all the photos my mum gave me and then store the originals in archive boxes. 🙂
I have NO IDEA what happened to my parents’ photos; possibly my younger sister has them. You’re very very fortunate to have that archive, for more than one reason.
This is so common! Photos get spread around between relatives or thrown out by in-laws, etc who just aren’t interested. My family photos were somehow divided up when my parents divorced, and now no-one is quite sure who has what. There are images I know I’ve seen, that people talk about, but we don’t know where they are. There’s a lot to be said for digital photography, social media and the Cloud!
Wonderful pictures. They must be a comfort to you.
Thanks Amy; I do miss her very much.
I just love these Scottish costumes – for lack of a better word. Surely this was not daily attire or am I wrong there? And I love to imagine the colors….the blues and greens and maybe heather colors? What a treasure.
Thanks; it is a shame the photos aren’t in colour. I have no idea what the tartans might be, or whether they were even family tartans at all.
When I was in Scotland last September, an amiable kilt-clad Scottish gentlemen on the streets explained that his kilt was specific to his last name. And he pointed out the colors which symbolized the heather, the loch, the sky, etc. I thought it was quite charming.
Yes, tartans are clan, or surname, related. They are such an iconic part of Scottish culture that people assume them to be quite ancient, but actually, while wearing the plaid (kilts, etc) is very traditional, tartans as we know them now are largely a Victorian invention. Queen Victoria loved Scotland and spent a lot of time at Balmoral. This led to a bit of a Scottish craze, and the idea of clan tartans took off from there.
Darling photo and I hope you never stop missing her. 🙂
Awww….lovely. I still miss my Gran too.
How blessed you are to have so many photos, and all different ages too.
Thank you. My favourites are the one of her with her brother when they’re dressed in little kilts and the last photo I have of her, with my baby son (her 28th great grandchild). There is something about my gran’s expression when she was a child that just reminds me of my son.
How sweet…those little kilts! I don’t think we ever stop missing our Grandmas. I still seem to use mine as a role model and see her as steady, kind and, well, a little slow really. But that’s a good think as I am fast, chaotic and really in need of being slowed down!
She taught me to sew, on a treadle machine and she was a real perfectionist.
What did your Grandma pass onto you?
I didn’t really know my grandmother well until I was in my twenties because we emigrated to NZ when I was little. I spent my late 20s and early thirties visiting and staying with her and listening to a the family stories. She outlived her husband, siblings, a couple of children and grand children and died a couple of weeks short of her 98th birthday but on her own terms. I think what she taught me was to make the most of every day and never stop living until you’re actually ready to die!
I think I might adopt that ethos too! It is very empowering!
🙂 isn’t it! I think that generation has a lot to teach us.
I love these pictures!
Thanks; I feel lucky to have so many – and it’s all thanks to my mum rescuing photos from being thrown away over the years.
Good for her! I hope I have someone in my family (besides me) who will do the same 🙂
🙂 every family needs a couple of archivists.
Hi Sue, I know this has nothing to do with your great post but you might be interested in this gadget
http://www.fabricmaker.com
Cheers
Hi Raewyn, thanks for this link 🙂 It would be brilliant for producing quilting fabrics. I’m going to do a bit more investigation. Will let you know how I get on 🙂
Like you, I’ve been trying to digitize as many photos and other paper documents as I can. I’ve been also trying to write stories about the pictures – to the extent that I can – for the next 2 generations behind me. I’m really getting great feedback from my kids, nieces and nephews. They seem to really appreciate the connection back to the past and it makes the pictures real for them.
I too really like the photos of the little ones in the kilts. Really cute!
I think my son is still a bit too young to care what I’m doing, but I am connecting with other members of the family and that’s lovely. I’m sure one day my kid will look back and be glad of what I’ve done, but for now most of the pleasure is mine – in making discoveries and putting pieces together. 🙂
This is splendid Su, the Gallery of Gran.
Thanks; I do feel very lucky to have so many photos of her.