Welcome to Kith and Kin: Why Family History Matters
Originally published 30 June 2025
Hello and a warm welcome to my very first Kith and Kin post! I’m absolutely thrilled to have you with me. It’s a bit of a dream come true as I finally kick off my new genealogy adventure, Kith and Kin Scottish Ancestry.
Firstly, let me explain about the name. The term ‘kith and kin’ is commonly used in Scotland to describe the people you are connected with, your family and friends.
In an increasingly fast-paced and globalised world, more people are turning inward to explore where they come from — not just culturally, but personally. The study of family history can have deep emotional, historical, and even medical value.
So why does it matter? What do we really gain by tracing our roots?
At its core, genealogy helps answer one of life’s most fundamental questions: Who am I? Learning about your ancestors — where they lived, how they lived, what they experienced — can foster a deeper connection to your own identity. It gives context to your cultural heritage, traditions, and even the values passed down through generations. Understanding your roots can also instil a sense of belonging.
Understanding your own heritage personalises history. It turns abstract dates and distant events into lived experiences.
Discovering that your great-grandparents were immigrants fleeing hardship, or that a relative fought in a historic war, can change the way you view the past. When doing my own family research, I found myself bursting with pride at what all of my ancestors achieved. It is because of their story that I persist and now I understand where I came from, I realise that their story is actually part of mine.
Instead of reading about history in textbooks, genealogy allows you to feel it through your family’s unique narrative. This connection makes history more tangible, relatable, and impactful.
I started my genealogy journey back in 2008. I was very close to my maternal grandmother before she passed away in February 1994. In July 2009 she would have celebrated her 100th birthday and I wanted to mark that occasion in some personal way. So, I started to compile her family tree. This experience enriched my own life in so many ways — when you piece together the individual lives of family members it gradually reveals a family story — the highs and lows that would have touched the whole family.
Several of my grandmother’s siblings emigrated to Canada, USA and Australia at a very young age. Researching emigration records, census records and other records from their new country of residence helped shine a light on their new lives. I visited Vancouver in Canada to follow in the footsteps of my grandparents who met and lived there in the late 1920s to mid-1930s. I had no idea what life was like for them in Canada at that time and began to read about that period.
I learnt about the Great Depression and the associated hardships, the key events that were going on in Vancouver over that time period. Things they would have known about or experienced first-hand. I was able to discover the resting place of my grandmother’s brother and to visit. She never had the opportunity to do so, and I felt privileged to be able to lay flowers there on her behalf. I actually got access to his medical records in Canada.
He had no wife or children, and it was comforting to know that one of his other sisters visited him a number of times in hospital before he passed. I discovered another brother lost his life in Egypt during World War I and I researched his regiment and the events that led up to his death. Whilst in Canada my grandparents had two children. After returning to Scotland their son sadly passed away, aged 3 years.
Through searching cemetery records and liaising with the local authority I was able to pinpoint his grave. It was a poignant and fulfilling experience to be able to take my mother there. Through this experience I realised that history is a series of coincidental events that lead you to the present. Had my grandparents not met in Vancouver I wouldn’t be here today.
My maternal grandfather was born in a small village called Vatisker on the Isle of Lewis. Having discovered my grandmother’s roots I realised I knew very little about my ancestors in Lewis or indeed what life was like there. So, I started to build my Lewis family tree and understand the events that shaped their lives over time. At the time I could find little information on the village, so I embarked upon one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.
I wrote a book called Vatisker Diaries on the history of the village. This was published in collaboration with the local history society in 2023. Understanding each family in the village and the events that shaped their lives really helped me understand my Lewis roots. On a personal note, I never met my grandfather as he passed away before I was born. This was my way of connecting with him in ways I sadly didn’t have the opportunity to in person.
Through my work on Vatisker I have gained valuable experience as a genealogist. I have made so many wonderful personal connections with people from all over the world who had Vatisker connections and best of all I have produced an artefact that will outlive me, and I hope it serves as a reference and inspiration to others in the years to come. I relished this experience so much I have embarked on my next village history.
There is never an end to family history research. As we traverse our lives, we all leave footprints. These can be formal records, newspaper articles, photographs, journals or simply the memories that live in others we have shared our lives with. Over the course of time new sources become available, and you can build your picture even more. Only recently I have developed my paternal family tree to a state where I feel I now understand that side of my family history to a reasonable level.
It is enriching to be able to share that with my father who has been delighted to learn of relatives who emigrated to the USA and their lives there. It is powerful to reignite fond memories of old family members who are no longer with us. Discovering newspaper articles that tell the story of significant events in our family history can help take us back in time and kindle emotions within us as we feel what those experiences were like for our family.
With my paternal family almost all roads lead to Ireland and although I haven’t really dipped my toe much in Irish genealogy yet it is definitely on my to-do list.
I am going to sign off with what I consider the most fulfilling outcome of my family history experience.
Back in September 1969, my parents welcomed my elder brother, John, into the world, but tragically, he lived just 10 minutes. Born and passing on the 8th of September in Lanark, my parents were heartbroken and, at the time, weren’t told where he was laid to rest.
Fast forward nearly four decades and buoyed with the success of finding my aforementioned uncle’s grave, I decided to contact South Lanarkshire Council. To my surprise, they emailed me back with the news that John rested in a specific part of Lanark Cemetery. We decided to create a small memorial for John, crafting a special space among other memorials to honour his short life. It was a beautiful moment when my parents laid the memorial stone, surrounded by immediate and extended family.
Just a few weeks later, on 8th September 2009, my family gathered once more on the occasion of what would have been his 40th birthday. For the first time ever, we were able to feel physically close to him as we commemorated his birthday.
My mother passed away in October 2022, and we laid another little memorial stone next to John’s. My father visits regularly, tending to both of their memorials as well as those of the other children in the vicinity. He makes sure it’s a lovely spot filled with flowers. I often think, had I not started on my family history journey, we might have missed this precious opportunity.
My mum would have left this world without ever knowing where her first child rested, and we wouldn’t have such a special place to feel a connection with both of them.
The power of family history research is something I cherish dearly. It is truly a magical experience. Genealogy is more than a collection of names and dates. It’s a window into your past that can illuminate your present and even influence your future. Whether you’re diving into old census records, building a family tree, or taking a DNA test, the journey of discovering your roots is one that offers deep, lasting value.
In learning about where you come from, you might just discover more about who you are — and who you want to become.