of Port Seaton, Scotland.
I do believe that every family has within it individuals
who take a particular pride in the various family members and their
history. Harry Stephen is one such member. Although I
have never met him personally however over the years I have got to
know him through his dedicated and meticulous family research.
I remain indebted to him for not only the research on his line
of the family but also for his unselfish time spent on researching
other family lines. On many occassions whenever I raised
a family question, Harry would spend countless hours scanning
the records in Edinburgh Family Archives seeking answers.
We probable owe an apology to his wife, Agnes because we certainly
utilized a lot of Harry's time when I'm sure she probable had
other errands or chores in mind for Harry, particularly after he retired.
Agnes and Harry Stephen, with their
granddaughter Chelsea.
Harry Stephen was born in North Berwick,
Scotland and can trace his McWillie lineage back to a , Jane McWillie,
RN=118 who married a George Legge in the Scottish parish of Gamrie
on May the 6th of 1858. Janes parents where a John McWillie
and a Jean Petrie and their lineage goes back to a William McWillie
and a Isabel Shearer RN=21 of Botriphnie parish, the parents of the,
George McWillie a tenant farmer and author of the now famous
McWillie Diaries, which has been used extensively while compiling
this website.
Harry Stephen continues to add to his already
large volumes of family history by continuing his famiy research.
As well he has travelled extensively throughout Scotland seeking out
locations and photographing the family farms, homes, parish churches
and the buriel grounds and many other anscestor sites.
Harry
has wrote of his memories of growing up in Scotland as a young person
and on into his adult life, as well as his recollections surrounding events
of his parents, aunts uncles and cousins.
That history has been published in Genealogy of McWillie Families"
Volume 1, 1999.
