Hello to all, I signed on for the first time last week and offered documentation about the descendents of my great grandfather, James Petrie of 19 Seagate in Arbroath. I knew his son (my grandfather), another James Petrie. I knew him as a child up to the time I was seven years old when he died. My grandfather emigrated from Scotland in 1888 to live with his brother, David at 66 Cedar Street in Lynn, MA. James was born in 1867, so was 21 when he left Scotland for good. In total, he had made seven trips across the Atlantic in visits between the countries. My grandfather was an active member of the St. Thomas Swimming Club in Arbroath and was a strong swimmer. I have a clipping about his rescue of a young boy named James Craig from the Arbroath harbor. The boy had been playing atop a wooden structure close to a fish-curing shed at the quay when he fell in. James dived in fully clothed and got the boy safely back to the quay. It was reported that the boy was totally exhausted when finally pulled from the water, so James had probably saved his life. He had a fine singing voice and frequently entertained people both in Scotland and the U.S. He married my grandmother, Martha Gruchy, in about 1903 (I am still searching for the exact date and place). She had emigrated from the small fishing village of Pouch Cove, Newfoundland as a young woman. After Martha died in 1940, James came to live with my family in our house in Houlton, ME. Grandfather was invited and accepted an offer to take an automobile trip to the western U.S. in the summer of 1941. He was in the back seat of the car, following a noon meal and was taking a nap. He suffered a heart attack in his sleep and was found dead when his niece, the owner of the car, tried to awaken him in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. If anyone has information about any of his ancestors, I would be delighted to learn what you have. His father was married to Jessie Sim on August 6, 1858, a fact I got from the General Register House in Edinburgh when acquiring a copy of my grandfather's birth record. I also found the same information on familysearch.org, the web site of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. Regards, Bruce Arnold Avis & Bruce Arnold 244 Wencin Terrace West Chester, PA 19382-1990 Phone: 610-431-7224 Fax: 610-431-0264 Email: [email protected]