LOGAN James France; ELN,SCT; 1884-1929 Before I start, I'll apologise for the length of this e-mail, it's a bit longer than I intended. My Grandfather James France LOGAN was, at least to me, an extremly interesting character. He remains the main reason I got into this hobby / way of life. The details below are largely apocryphal and I would ask if anyone can point me in the right direction to validating the "facts." The only documented facts included below consist of the usual BMD entries as obtained by New Register House. The rest is from my late father, whose opinion of his own father could have been higher. James France LOGAN was born 7 Aug 1884 in the parish of Halls, ELN, the second son of Gilbert LOGAN and Margaret FRANCE. He also had four older and one younger sister. According to the various census extracts Gilbert LOGAN was by turns an AgLab and a Coachman, and the family like so many others, at this time, could hardly be considered anything but poor. By the time of his mariage to Jane SHARP, 15 Feb 1909, in Leith, MLN, he had managed to gain employment as a law clerk. He was a somewhat accomplished athlete, having won the Powderhall Stakes two or three years running. He ran under the nomme-de-gurre of Jimmy FRENCH. The 1910 or 1911 race proved to be a pivotal moment in James' life, as he "took a dive" finishing either second or third. As a result of his being found out running with lead weights in his shoes, he was banned sin-die from any athletics event, fired from his employment, and all but dis-owned by his family. His Father in law, Andrew SHARP, took pity on him and managed to get him a job at the cooperage where he worked. Despite this the two men never communicated directly again, everything having to be relayed through a third party. Both men rose through the ranks of thie buisness with Andrew becoming the senior foreman and James becoming one of the managers, possibly due to his legal background. He started living with Elizabeth PERKINS, but still maintained contact with Jane SHARP, which led to a third child being born in 1912. He eventually married Elizabet PERKINS in July 1929, some scant months before his death on Xmas eve 1929. Anybody recognise any of the above? or can anyone point me in the right direction in authenticating the above story? It must be a universal cry for every genealogist ar family historian, "Why didn't I ask the right questions when they were alive?" Well I now add my name to that list. Thanks for your time, Normski Normski57 <[email protected]>