Yesterday (27 March 2017), because it was unseasonally sunny and warm, I decided to head off to Sandhead, Wigtownshire where I have a caravan; to get it ready for summer occupancy.
En route, I decided to pop in to The Auld Kirk at Alloway to take photographs of the two McCreath headstones in the kirkyard – James McCreath married Isabelle Dinnan; and John McCreath married Jane Smith.
Sadly, both stones have suffered severe deterioration since my last visit. The James McCreath/ Isabelle Dinnan Stone – next but one to the father of Robert Burns – is moss-covered; which can be easily remedied.
The John McCreath/ Jane Smith stone has begun to weather away.
Having done what was necessary to check that the caravan had over-wintered without ill-effect, I took a run further down Luce Bay to Kirkmaiden Church, where I knew there was a not previously researched McCreath gravestone.
To my surprise, using the Scotlands People website, I discovered that the Agnes McCreath /married John Hutchison, who was buried at Kirkmaiden, was a daughter of John McCreath/Jane Smith interred at Alloway.
Further, using Scotlands People and Ancestry I was able to flesh out this families story – including a son of John Hutchison/ Agnes McCreath who had emigrated to Gisborne,New Zealand, joined the NZ RAF in World War 2, and was killed at El Alamein, Egypt.
The wonder of the internet!
For further details go to page – Agnes McCreath married John Hutchison.
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