Grandma's Granny's Family Album

There were so many Spences living on Aberdeen Street in Springhill that everyone called it Spence's Island.   Someone even put up a street sign.  I knew that, but I didn't get the pun:  I just recently found out - "Look!  There's a real place called Spencer's Island!"  Yeah, everybody knew that but me. (see Spence Pedigree Chart) Phoebe and Bill Spence's house at the end of Aberdeen Street Most of these stories are from Bessie and Connie, the oldest and the youngest.  They were 17 years apart, and by the time Connie was born, Bessie had moved permanently to the States.  But these are some glimpses of their life as children in their Mumma and Puppa's house. Junction Road School was a kilometer uphill from Aberdeen Street, and you had to walk it twice, in the morning, home for lunch, and back again.   They didn't get a break from walking uphill on Sundays either; church was morning and afternoon. Christmas 1947 Junction Road, Easter 1...

 One of the greatest ironies of my genealogical researchings is that the first people I started with are the last ones I will find. Spens Tartan Anyone will tell you to start your family history by interviewing your oldest relatives; in my case, that was my Auntie Grace Robertson and my grandmother Bessie Spence.  My two maternal grandparents were named Robertson and Spence.  Both are Scottish names;  Robertson is its own clan, and Spence/Spens is part of the MacDuff clan.    Spence/Spens crest Crest :  A hart's head erased proper . Motto SI DEUS QUIS CONTRA  (from Latin: If God is for us, who is against us"). Profile Region Fife . Chief Patrick Nathaniel George Spens. The 4th  Baron Spens . Clearly, my mother was 100% Scottish.  Cue the bagpipes.  Oh, except for her lookalike Grandmother Acker; they were German.    OK, 75% Scottish.  Then why were her Spence grandparents called Grannie and Grampa English?  Oh, b...

  Easter 1944 Bessie Spence Robertson and Joe Robertson's daughters Anne on left and Jean on right.  Bessie's sister Eva Spence Rushton's daughter Vivian in the middle.  At Bessie & Joe's house, 21 Rose Avenue, Valley Stream, NY. Bessie and Joe Jean on left and Vivian on right Easter 1960 Al Sulzbach and Anne Robertson Sulzbach with Anne's nephew and niece at her sister's house, West Hempstead, NY Easter 1963 Bessie and Joe with their grandsons Easter 1967 Anna Spence Webb & Bill Webb's house 53 Junction Road, Springhill, Nova Scotia The gents:  Bodie Spence (son of Howard and Nellie), Howard Spence, Bill Webb, Conrad Spence (son of Arthur and Jessie), Arthur Spence.  Howard and Arthur are brothers.  Bill is the husband of their sister Anna. The ladies: Bessie Spence Robertson, Jessie Johnson Spence, Nellie Spence Spence, Anna Spence Webb, and Helen Spence seated in the middle.  Bessie, Anna, and Helen are sisters.  Jessie is married to th...