I am the great-granddaughter of Thomas WATSON and his wife Jane MUIR; their daughter Helen McNab WATSON (always known as Nell) was my grandmother. I grew up in Saskatchewan on the farm and in the house that my grandmother Nell moved to after her 1915 marriage to Joseph ACTON. As often happens, I became interested in family history too late to ask my grandmother questions about her childhood and family left in Scotland. I did however, years later, inherit a box of old family photos which spurred my interest and that eventually became the genesis of this blog.

I realized through my research that the house that I grew up in was the home that my great-grandmother Jane Muir died in, and that the box of photos that I inherited had belonged to her.

The farm I grew up on was also only a few miles from the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) station where my mother and the BOYCE family grew up. Confirmed shutter bugs, this family chronicled their lives through photographs, many of which have come to me. Behind every photo there is a story.

Photo: Pat Acton

After a career as a library and records management consultant, I am now semi-retired and live in Victoria, B.C. My love of a good mystery, and my enjoyment of genealogical sleuthing have led to the uncovering of many family stories – stories that have often been previously unknown, or have been forgotten. This family history and photo blog will tell these stories.

I hope to hear from you if you have a family connection or have photos or stories to share. I can be reached at theirownstories@gmail.com

[This page was last edited on 24 March 2013]