Epilogue

One of my mother's many sayings was - “The way to hell is paved with good intentions”. I have to admit that throughout my life there have been more than a few good intentions that have got lost along the way. I am glad to say this story of the descendants of Margaret Henderson and Arthur Robertson in Australia is one good intention that did not get lost because it is founded on a promise rather than a good intention.

When I visited Shetland I felt quite overwhelmed by the friendliness and assistance offered to me by members of the Shetland Family History Society. Thelma Watt was particularly kind, showing my travelling companions and me around and inviting us into her home. She told me that the Society has inquiries from all over the world by people trying to trace their Shetland ancestors and sometimes they are able to put distant relations in touch with each other. In a rash moment I promised her that when I returned to Australia I would chase up the descendants of Margaret Henderson and Arthur Robertson and send back some details to the Society. It is easy to be generous when you don’t know what it is going to involve, for having been somewhat separated from my mother’s family for most of my life I had no idea just how many relations I had out there or the size of the task I was taking on.

William Adie, Arthur Jnr & Robert Robertson >
Taken in 1874, they were aged respectively 16, 27 and 21 years.
In this photograph the Robertson broad hands with long fingers are apparent.

The research I have done means I probably know more than any other individual about the ins and outs of our family. I have already told you about some of the common themes that run through the family such as music and handicrafts. As well as these I have come across unexpected similarities in appearance and mannerisms in second and third cousins. For example there is something about the way Gus Ward tells a story that reminds me very much of my mother Lottie and one of my grand daughters has the same look I see in a photo of one of the Chiselett descendents. One of my daughters drew my attention to ‘Robertson hands’, which are visible in some of the photos. These are large square hands with long fingers. I now make a point of asking relations to show me their hands.

Something I certainly wasn’t looking for but which became apparent as I travelled around visiting relations, is a shared sense of humour. I don’t know whether there is a gene that determines our sense of humour, but I do know the way humour and irony are expressed and understood differs from one person to the next and from one nation to another. It is great being able to laugh about the same things with so many of my Robertson relations.

I was definitely looking for shared physical weaknesses as I had always been told the Robertsons have ‘weak chests’ and heart trouble, while my father’s family were more likely to die from strokes. Reading through the biographies you will find a lot of chest complaints mentioned - tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. The other common ailment is arthritis. Heart disease is there but so is cancer, diseases that affect the whole population as we live longer than most of our forebears managed to do.

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Looking through the charts you will notice the frequency with which twins appear. Whether this frequency is greater than in the general community I do not know.

There is still a lot I do not know about the descendants of Margaret Henderson and Arthur Robertson. I have not been able to trace some people and others I have written to have not answered my letters. There have been stories and minor scandals hinted at, which people have chosen not to share with me, and other cases in which people have taken me into their confidence but asked me not to publish what they have told me. As a social worker of long standing I am not surprised that arguments and lack of understanding have sometimes led to rifts and chasms of separation between family members. I am however saddened by these rifts, for if we cannot get on with and be tolerant toward our relations, how can we expect nations to get on with each other. I am not a Christian but I have obviously inherited some the family’s evangelical spirit and desire to make us all better people in a better world.

Maybe some of the missing relations will turn up as a result of this publication. And reading about the joys and difficulties others have experienced and dealt with, may help some of the younger members of the family recognize that each generation has its problems and ways of doing things, and their job is to get on and deal with their lives as best they can.

For the moment my journey through the family has come to a halt. Of course the story itself has not ended and those who follow will have another series of stories to tell.

Margaret Worrall

Innisfail, December 2002

Garry Gillard | New: 28 March, 2019 | Now: 5 September, 2022