My great-grandfather Charles Hay probably left for the adventure of going to North America. He signed on with Hudson Bay Co, as did many Orcadians in 1862 or 1863, but I suspect he was restless. He left HBC before his 5 year term was up, settled in Portage la Prairie as a real estate broker, then went to Vancouver, moved to south-central BC where he was one of the founders of Upper Grand Forks, homesteaded a ranch in Alberta, and returned to Vancouver where he ended his years. I suspect there is a Scandinavian yearning to see the world in many Orcadians. One of Charles' brothers went to South America, and appears to have earned a good living with the railways before returning to Flotta with his family. My great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Johnston, born at "Dressee, near Kirkwall" also came to North America with HBC as a domestic, in 1848 or 1849. Unlike her future son-in-law, when she married a soldier, they homesteaded in the Portage la Prairie area. No wanderlust there, I guess. David Palmquist Delta BC Message: 3 Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2008 07:25:06 -0400 From: "Betsy VanAuker" <mvanauker@hughes.net> Subject: Re: [ORKNEY] help needed To: <orkney@rootsweb.com> Message-ID: <B325F127B90145FDB4F4004B3CF42E66@betsyg3see4icx> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I am willing to take Norman's suggestion to get back to Orkney, but would like to continue off list on Edinburgh cemeteries where former Longhope, Walls, Orkney residents might be buried. If anyone would like to continue this thread away from the Orkney group, please contact me at mvanauker@hughes.net. (However, I will be away on business Sunday-Tuesday). I have another question: Was there anything happening in the Orkneys - economic, political, etc. - that might have made several generations of a family decide to leave the Orkneys for Edinburgh? Margaret VanAuker ========== ============ ============= Check out http://ellingtonweb.ca ========== ============ ============= from www.BuyOrkney.com The three Statistical Accounts of Scotland, in which ministers described their parishes, can make entertaining reading. In 1842, Rev Adam White of North Ronaldsay made the following observations. "There was then [twelve years ago] but one cart in the island, which was never used, as the horse showed some disinclination to go into it." "There is no merchant, no baker, no shoemaker, no innkeeper; and the consolation of being without the last, is almost enough to reconcile one to the inconvenience arising from the absence of the rest." "In general habits, the people are, now at least, remarkably decent and sober." ============= ========== ============ ============= Be kinder than necessary,for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. ========== ============ ============= ========== It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply be kind to others. ========== ============ ============= ========