November 2017 Blog Posts (4)

After many, many years I have finally cracked the case of my mysterious ancestor Edward Douglas - the first Douglas of my family line to arrive in Australia.

Edward was the son of James Douglas - the only recorded child to James and his unknown wife. He was born in 1824 

Records on ancestry.com suggests that Edward was born in Birmingham. Evidence on this same site suggests he lived in the Warwickshire until the age of 19. 

It appears that life at that time for him was…

There is a story circulating that while researching the Vatican archives for a book on the topography of Lowland Scotland, the author Nigel Tranter found a document which stated that John, son of William Lord of Douglas attended a royal council at Scone in 1056. This would be more than 100 years earlier than the previously accepted first Lord of Douglas.  At that time, Macbeth would have been king.

There is the following tradition in regard to the origin of the name. In…

Grace Sholto Douglas (1940) is a large painting by the British artist and set designer Leslie Hurry, which depicts a woman positioned semi-seated with her left arm resting on a stone architectural feature.

Although it is unclear where Grace Sholto Douglas was painted, it is known that Hurry first met the sitter during a concert in the National Gallery, London, in 1940. The image…

After the death of Thomas Teackle an inventory of his personal effects was made and the inventory of 329 books constituted the finest private library in America. These books were printed in English, Latin, Greek, and other languages. There were books on theology, medicine, history, etc. I knew he was favored by the Crown, and was recognized as an outstanding ecclesiastic and he was so honorable to his first wife, Isabella. That he was so erudite took me by surprise. The first college in…