Walking in the footsteps of Wallace

Published on Tuesday 4 October 2005 00:17

THE advent of the internet has meant that it has never been easier to research your background from the comfort of home. This has proved invaluable to the many Americans whose Scottish surname suggests that their DNA hails from somewhere in the old country. Yet an increasing number of amateur genealogists are no longer content to get to grips with their grandfather's past through faded birth certificates. They want to see what he saw and walk in his footsteps.

Lesley Gray set up Scottish Ancestral Trail in 2003 to provide tailor-made holidays for people looking to put meat on the bones of their archival research. Before planning a holiday, clients send her copies of all family documents so she can arrange for visits to churches, streets, museums - anything that will provide information about how and where their forebears lived.

"The people who come on these holidays are absolutely steeped in their history, they're so well informed and very knowledgeable," says Gray. "I get enormous pleasure in setting up something that I hope they will find interesting."Anne Cummings and Rob Wallace are first cousins. They, and a variety of cousins, husbands and wives - nine in total - have come from various locations in America to find out more about their Wallace ancestors. Anne became interested in her heritage when she was planning her mother's 90th birthday celebrations and chose to present her with a book of remembrances.

"I gathered up photos and began to ask questions," she says. "Then it all just exploded. I am making this trip in honour of my mother."

Anne got together with Rob's wife Debby and both set out to discover as much as they could about the family history. They both carry the fruits of their labour in ring-binders that they refer to throughout the day. These contain copies of birth certificate, death certificate, newspaper cuttings and photos.

They traced most of their ancestors to Glasgow and Paisley – and it was from here that James Russell Wallace left to travel to America in 1881 to start a new life.

Impressed by the resourcefulness of his wife and cousin, Rob suggested they visit Scotland to see where it all began. Which is why, two years later, they are at the Wallace Memorial in Elderslie, huddled together against the rain, examining the ruins of what could have been William Wallace's childhood home.

"Hey Anne do you see the family resemblance?" asks Rob as he positions himself next to a mural depicting Wallace in action. The possibility of a blood tie with William Wallace fascinates both Anne and Rob. Although they acknowledge that as Wallace didn't have children it is not a direct descent, they feel sure there is a connection through Wallace's sister.

"My father was always proud of his Scottish descent and instilled in me the same," says Rob Wallace. "All the William Wallace business made it more interesting. I watched Braveheart last night before we came and I'm guessing there is some relationship because of the name."

Whilst they're delighted to think that they could be connected with a Scottish hero, they don't flinch at uncovering their less exalted relatives. So the group leaves Elderslie and moves to Paisley, where much of the family history can be found. They visit a church where one line of the family was married, then everyone dons hoods and umbrellas for a walk back in time through Paisley's streets in the footsteps of their ancestors.

It must be acknowledged that Paisley on a gloomy, rainy day would not inspire many tourists into raptures, yet the Wallace entourage just can't get enough of it. They stop to point out street signs that indicate where people were born or lived. They are unperturbed at the violence wrecked by city planners who have torn down many of the original buildings in favour of 1960s monstrosities.Rob's wife Debby, although not a Wallace, has embrace the family search and is not put off by the less than salubrious environment they are visiting.

"It doesn't bother me that we're seeing the least attractive bits of Scotland," she says. "I still get an atmosphere."

Later over lunch the party discuss the morning. For most the highlight has been the visit to the museum to find out more about Paisley shawls. A 19th century relative had been a weaver and the family was delighted to learn more about the trade and how he would have lived.

"We're probably as close as we'll get to our ancestor the weaver, " says Anne. "We’ve physically walked the streets he walked."

Holidays like this are not cheap, but for the Wallaces their voyage of discovery could never have been achieved by simply holidaying somewhere in Scotland."It's all about connecting with the feeling of where the ancestors are from," explains Rob. "It gives their lives meaning." His wife Debby agrees. "To move to America and start a new life was such a brave thing to do. We're here to honour them," she explains. "And who knows, perhaps they're up there watching us."

Anne has a specific reason for wanting to visit. Brought up an only child she is haunted by shadowy memories of her Scottish grandmother and admits she's in search of the family she missed growing up.

"I am bringing my grandmother's ring back to Scotland," she explains, holding out her hand to show an old family heirloom. "It makes a circle, it makes me feel closer and more rounded."

If you enjoyed reading this, you may want to read:

A New Zealander's Scottish awakening