To my mother, Dorothy May Causton née Kilpatrick (1922–2003), who was a voracious reader and an excellent writer and critic. Every summer, before making the long trek up north to the cottage, the Public Library in LaSalle allowed us to fill up two large cartons of books each. By mid-summer, having read all the contents from our own boxes, we were merrily raiding each other’s cache. Sometime during the early 1980s, I complained of a want of anything interesting to read … whereupon she pointed me in the direction of Thomas B. Costain’s lively histories of the Plantagenets. The rest, pun acknowledged, is history.
To my paternal grandmother, Daisy Winifred Causton née Dunford (1892–1971), who brought with her many, many family photographs from England, and maintained a continuous and warm correspondence with her family during her lifetime, thereby adding mid-20th century elements to the photograph collection.
To Roger Dunford, and his wife, Hazel, of county Down, for taking care of me during visits to Northern Ireland. Roger is a kind man, an aficionado of old Saab motor cars, and an inveterate tinkerer who can fix and polish up just about anything that comes into his hands. He is especially proud of his father, Thomas Cyril Dunford (1894–1970), who served in the Great War.
To Michael Dunford, for squiring me about on a tour of Sussex in 2003, from Steyning to Piddinghoe, and for the continued friendship of his family.
To the late Keith William Wawman (1929–2009) and Jean Spears Wawman for their considerable research of the Wawman family of Daventry, Northamptonshire. Keith unearthed some, I dare say (one of Keith’s favourite expressions), interesting Causton family history connections. Keith and I enjoyed day trips, taking routes off the beaten path and travelling by bus, bicycle, and twitten, through rural Surrey and the countryside surrounding Blandford Forum in Dorset.
To Kathryn Steel, for being the first to catch the Kilpatrick family history bug, in the late 1970s when computer searches and online networking did not exist, and for sharing her research findings about the family of Robert Gordon Kilpatrick (1851–1929) and Sarah Selina Huggins (1855–1928).
To the late Ross Stuart Kilpatrick (1934–2012), for sharing copies of pages from the Kilpatrick family bible, containing birth, marriage, and death entries inscribed by our ancestors, Samuel Kilpatrick (c1810–1894) and Jane McCay (c1806–1886).
To Rob Black, for sharing photographs of Sarah Selina Huggins (1855–1928) and her family, including her father, John Joseph Huggins (1816–1876) of Glenarb townland, parish of Aghaloo, county Tyrone, and Margaret Jane Burke (1823–1898), born at Tralee, county Kerry.
To Linde Lunney, for connecting the dots between a post that I had made to a RootsWeb mailing list on May 30, 2002, enquiring about the county Londonderry origins of our Kilpatrick family, and a post made by Barbara Braswell, in August of the same year, to the Bann Valley mailing list hosted by Richard Torrens, detailing her transcriptions of the surviving records for First Kilrea Presbyterian Church. The church records for the marriage of, and children born to, Samuel Kilpatrick and Jane McCay, matched the entries in the Kilpatrick family bible exactly!
To Barbara Braswell and Pauline O’Keeffe, for their hard work, including transcontinental flights and associated expenses, to undertake research in Northern Ireland, pertaining to the parish of Kilrea, and sharing their findings so generously. Pauline shares an ancestral interest in the McCays of Lislea townland.
To the Flavell family of county Armagh, and, in particular, the late Thomas Flavell (1915–2009) of Tandragee, who welcomed me into their home in 2001, and took me on a tour of the ancestral Flavell farm holdings in the parish of Drumcree.
To Satima Flavell, with whom I am simpatica and share a distant kinship. Satima’s c.v. is long and very interesting: though she would question my judgment on this point, she is a modern Renaissance woman. Currently, she focuses most of her time on writing: in the popular media, she produces engaging reviews of music, dance, and theatrical performances; and more significantly, in the genre of speculative fiction, Satima recently published her first work, The Dagger of Dresnia (the Talismans Book One).
To the kind lady who rescued me at a petrol station in southeast Belfast in October, 2001—I was lost—and insisted on taking me to her home in Purdysburn, there fortified me with several cups of milky tea, and then set me on the correct path to the Public Record Office.
To a group of ladies, belonging to the Steyning Ramblers, who welcomed me on one of their peregrinations up to the South Downs in 2001. From the legendary—some would say, mystic—Chanctonbury Ring, we took in the panoramic view of Brighton to the southeast, the sparkling waters of the channel to the south, and the Downs extending in every other direction.
To John McCabe, F.A.P.G.I., who, in November 2003, enquired how my research was proceeding at the Public Record Office in Belfast. When I told him that, just a few minutes before, I’d found a direct connection to a Presbyterian minister, he said, “Well, then, you must look at the Fasti. There are three volumes right over there.” In less than an hour, our Kennedy line was traced back to Roland of Carrick (c1230–1275)! (Note: Several historians have contested the validity of this connection, a subject which will be published to this site at a later date.)
To Brendan McAnallen, respected historian whose research interests focus on the region surrounding the River Blackwater, and regular contributor to the academic history journal, Dúiche Néill, for welcoming me to his very interesting antiques and book shop in Benburb (now retired), and pointing me to a published mention of our Huggins family during the time of the 1798 Rebellion.
To Tom and Elizabeth Graham, of Claragh, parish of Kilrea, county Londonderry, who welcomed me into their home in October, 2003. Tom owns and operates the Claragh Heritage Centre, and accompanied me on a tour of the parishes of Kilrea and Aghadowey, and of the churches in the former parish. We attended the Harvest service at Kilrea First Presbyterian, where I could hardly mind the service for marvelling at how the Kilpatrick cousins in Canada so closely resemble their kin in Kilrea, even with the passage of four generations. Tom also took me to visit Pearl and Creighton Hutchinson, whose contributions to the research and written histories of the parish are well known.
To the McKenna family, of Glenarb, for welcoming me to their home in 2003, and giving me a tour of the townland.
To Patricia Bogue, of Donaghmore Historical Society, for her kind attention and warm correspondence.
To Ella Patterson, of Queen’s University, Belfast, for her many contributions to the NIR-Armagh RootsWeb mailing list, and in 2003, for her company, and that of her friends, over a lively luncheon.
To Sharon Oddie Brown, whose example as an indefatigable family historian and writer of literary nonfiction is inspiring. Sharon hosts a lovely mish-mash of her research findings at her web site, The Silver Bowl.
To the late Terrance Andrew Miller (1970–2011), of Columbus, Ohio, a genealogist by nature and by training, who, after earning degrees in American history and library science, got his “dream job” as local history subject specialist librarian at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Andy and I shared research interests in the parish of Aghaloo, county Tyrone.
To Miss Irene Marshall, of Ashrene House, in Killylea, county Armagh, who very kindly refrained from laughing at my first, botched attempt at the pronunciation of the name of the town, Ahoghill.
… similarly, to Jamie McNeil, of Gleann Cholm Cille. On a sunny, but blustery day, we arrived at the village just as a funeral was concluding. We stood off to the side of the road until the procession had passed. Noticing us, Mr. McNeil called out a greeting in gaeilge. After responding in kind, Jamie fair leapt across the road to engage in a conversation which, given my rudimentary skills in the language, lapsed after a few minutes into English. It was a lovely welcome to this very historic, seaside village in the stunningly beautiful county of Donegal.
To Jenny Myers, who undertook the long, long journey from Down Under to Sussex, to research our common Miles, Ede, Payne, Heaver, &c. ancestral connections there, and for sharing her research findings so freely.
To commercial researchers in Ireland and England, whose expertise and work have proven invaluable to my research. These include Robbie Williams of Ulster Ancestry, Roger E. Nixon, a military history specialist in London (now retired), and Denver Boyd of the Maghera and District Genealogy & History Society. An amateur family historian really does need to know when to say “when,” and call upon the experts!
To my newfound cousins descended from the accomplished (and handsome) Lieut.-Col. Samuel John Huggins, O.B.E. (1864–1922). Grateful appreciation for your lovely, and lively, contributions, and your friendship. (added 2015-12-03)
There are many others who have helped and been friends during my foray into Irish and English family and local history research, and the list will continue to grow as my studies continue. The fault is entirely mine for having omitted any whose names should appear in this list. If you are one of those and wish to give me a (gentle) nudge, please do drop me a line via the contact page.
End notes :
Source citation for this page: Kilpatrick, Alison. “Acknowledgements (1st ed.)” Published to Arborealis, online at arborealis.ca/about/acknowledgements-first/, accessed [insert date].
All rights reserved. Alison Kilpatrick ©2020.
Updated 26th Oct. 2023.