Family relations can be complex and sensitive, and no family tree research will ever capture the full truth of people’s lives. At best, we can discover some patterns and hope to humanize names and anecdotes into stories that help us feel connected.

My family tree goes back into the 1700s, around 250 years:

Significant names in my tree’s most recent generations are:

• • Clarke
  • Crossley
  • Gillman
  • Love
  • Marks
  • Owens

Some of the significant names from the tree’s oldest generations are:

• • MacDonald
  • McConnell
  • Robinson

My mother Angela’s maiden name was Clarke, which came via Billingshurst, Sussex, UK. Her family lines are predominantly English. (I’m still learning about her father’s family and why he came to Canada at the tender age of 12.)

My father’s name, Love, can be traced back to 18th century Scotland. There’s a lot of Scottish blood in his lines.

To explore all the names in my family database, you can go to this password-protected page: Interactive Name Explorer
(The password to open it is on this page you’re now reading. Look above for the second word in the very first paragraph in this page.)

Family Tree “Pedigree” charts:

• EJohnLove-Pedigree-Chart-Aug212021 (Adobe PDF)
• Direct Line chart, from Clanranald to me:
  Direct-Line-Chart-Clanranald-ErnestJohnLove (Adobe PDF)