some information about that.’ Ian sat back and folded his arms across his chest. ‘I’m sure you’re aware that Richmond was a Confederate stronghold during the Civil War.’
‘I sure am.’
‘In the 1860s, Richmond possessed the largest factory in the confederacy. It was called the Tredegar Iron Works. It turned out hundreds of tons of heavy ordnance machinery, artillery and other munitions. My ancestor, William McNeil, travelled to the city to find work there in 1862. He and his wife had two grown up sons then, both who fought in the Confederate army.’
‘Do you think this may have been the branch of the family that John McNeil descended from?’
Ian leant forward again and pointed at the diagram. ‘Here is William McNeil and his wife Mary. One of their sons was killed in the Union campaign against the city in 1864 but the other, Samuel, survived the war and had three children. Your John McNeil must be the great grandson of Samuel’s youngest boy, George William McNeil.’
Sam looked closely at the section of the tree Ian was indicating. ‘Yes, I see. The birth dates seem to match. How did you get this information? Do you know anything more about John?’
Ian smiled sadly and shook his head. ‘Everything I’ve got here originates from American online genealogy sites. The information comes from birth and death certificates, census reports, that kind of thing. I did find some books that had been written about the Tredegar Iron Works during the Civil War which gave me a little more context. But like I said before, I’d need to visit the States myself to come up with anything more substantial.’
Sam sighed, he wasn’t sure if this knowledge actually took them any further forward. ‘So all of this stuff is of public record? John McNeil would most likely have known about his family history and the connection to West Kilbride?’
‘Oh yes, if he had an interest in his family’s Scottish roots then it would have been straightforward for him to find out all of this for himself.’
‘John McNeil told his classes that his family were Scottish and that his ancestral home was Portencross, West Kilbride. So this guy had clearly done some research into the family tree,’ Andy clarified. ‘Then Dale Faulkner, one time resident of Portencross, winds up dead in a house who’s most recent tenants were the McNeils. How can that be a coincidence? What’s the connection between them?’
‘I don’t know the details of your case,’ Ian added, ‘I can only speculate using my knowledge of how the typical genealogist works. Perhaps John McNeil came across Faulkner’s name as part of his research into the McNeils of West Kilbride. The communities here are small and intertwined. This may have prompted him to contact the man. That’s what I would do, if I wanted to add another name to my tree, or clarify a historical detail. I would get in touch with a living descendent.’
‘But Dale didn’t want anyone knowing about his past in Scotland,’ Sam said quietly.
‘That’s very unusual for an American, if I might say. I find that your citizens are very keen to celebrate their Celtic heritage. John McNeil would certainly not have thought the subject was taboo, I should imagine.’
Sam placed a hand on the man’s arm. ‘You’re quite right, Ian. But if John McNeil had approached Dale in Richmond about his past, my old friend sure wouldn’t have been too happy about it.’
Andy nodded to the older man. ‘Thanks for the input. This has been a really great help. And can we get some kind of copy of this?’ He gestured towards the document
‘I sure am.’
‘In the 1860s, Richmond possessed the largest factory in the confederacy. It was called the Tredegar Iron Works. It turned out hundreds of tons of heavy ordnance machinery, artillery and other munitions. My ancestor, William McNeil, travelled to the city to find work there in 1862. He and his wife had two grown up sons then, both who fought in the Confederate army.’
‘Do you think this may have been the branch of the family that John McNeil descended from?’
Ian leant forward again and pointed at the diagram. ‘Here is William McNeil and his wife Mary. One of their sons was killed in the Union campaign against the city in 1864 but the other, Samuel, survived the war and had three children. Your John McNeil must be the great grandson of Samuel’s youngest boy, George William McNeil.’
Sam looked closely at the section of the tree Ian was indicating. ‘Yes, I see. The birth dates seem to match. How did you get this information? Do you know anything more about John?’
Ian smiled sadly and shook his head. ‘Everything I’ve got here originates from American online genealogy sites. The information comes from birth and death certificates, census reports, that kind of thing. I did find some books that had been written about the Tredegar Iron Works during the Civil War which gave me a little more context. But like I said before, I’d need to visit the States myself to come up with anything more substantial.’
Sam sighed, he wasn’t sure if this knowledge actually took them any further forward. ‘So all of this stuff is of public record? John McNeil would most likely have known about his family history and the connection to West Kilbride?’
‘Oh yes, if he had an interest in his family’s Scottish roots then it would have been straightforward for him to find out all of this for himself.’
‘John McNeil told his classes that his family were Scottish and that his ancestral home was Portencross, West Kilbride. So this guy had clearly done some research into the family tree,’ Andy clarified. ‘Then Dale Faulkner, one time resident of Portencross, winds up dead in a house who’s most recent tenants were the McNeils. How can that be a coincidence? What’s the connection between them?’
‘I don’t know the details of your case,’ Ian added, ‘I can only speculate using my knowledge of how the typical genealogist works. Perhaps John McNeil came across Faulkner’s name as part of his research into the McNeils of West Kilbride. The communities here are small and intertwined. This may have prompted him to contact the man. That’s what I would do, if I wanted to add another name to my tree, or clarify a historical detail. I would get in touch with a living descendent.’
‘But Dale didn’t want anyone knowing about his past in Scotland,’ Sam said quietly.
‘That’s very unusual for an American, if I might say. I find that your citizens are very keen to celebrate their Celtic heritage. John McNeil would certainly not have thought the subject was taboo, I should imagine.’
Sam placed a hand on the man’s arm. ‘You’re quite right, Ian. But if John McNeil had approached Dale in Richmond about his past, my old friend sure wouldn’t have been too happy about it.’
Andy nodded to the older man. ‘Thanks for the input. This has been a really great help. And can we get some kind of copy of this?’ He gestured towards the document
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