PS9 - 2002 Davidge Reunion Photos
If anyone I haven't identified sees themselves in here (or if I've made
a mistake), feel free to give a shout-out to me at
heythatsme@willmatheson.com
and I'll make the inclusions. Just tell me how you're related to William
Davidge and Caroline Caine, or their parents (whose names escape me), and
I'll work out the rest.
From August 2-4, 2002, in Wycocomagh, Cape Breton, we attended a Clan Davidge reunion. I am a decendant of William Davidge and Caroline Caine, my grandmother (Stagg) Johnston's grandparents. So instead of dealing with just second degree relatives (grand aunts/uncles, first cousins once removed, second cousins, etc.. - descendants of my Davidge great grandmother and Poppy* Stagg), it was getting into third (great grand aunts/uncles (if living), first cousins twice removed, second cousins once removed, third cousins, etc.. - descendants of my great great grandparents William Davidge and Caroline Caine) and fourth (great great grand aunts/uncles (if living), first cousins three times removed (if living), second cousins twice removed, third cousins once removed, fourth cousins, etc.. - all other descendants of my great great great grandparents that set up shop in Burgeo, Newfoundland) degree relations. It was fun figuring out how I was related to various people, and I was glad that I was up on my kinship terms.
* - Poppy is Cape Bretonese for "grandfather."
The tap water at our motel in Wycocomagh. I first thought that this
had to be a joke, but the haze is just a fizz of sorts - if you leave the
water alone for a couple of minutes, it clears up. Fortunately, Pearl had
brought some water down from North Sydney.
From left to right: Pearl MacLean (grand aunt), Brock Davidge
(second cousin once removed).
From left to right: Pearl MacLean (grand aunt), Joyce Johnston
(grandmother), James "Jim" Johnston (grandfather). Grampy sees most of
the reunion from this perspective. =)
In the middle is Flo Hare (first cousin twice removed). The woman is
a machine. She did most of the planning and organisation for the event,
and she did a smash-up job of it, too.
Front left: John "Jack" Stagg (grand uncle). Front right:
Mervin Stagg (grand uncle).
At some point in the evening (when the food expired, really), I decided
to go for a stroll. I walked up a short lane and found the beautiful new
Wycocomagh Education Centre. The view from there was great, as seen in
the next two photos:
Around back there was a playground, and I believe that this is the
best picture I've taken of me from a mirror. The principle works so much
better in outdoor light.
Middle, from left to right: Brenda (Kevin's girlfriend), Kevin
Stagg (first cousin once removed), Eileen Jesty (wife of another first
cousin once removed), Brock Davidge (second cousin once removed).
Sunset over Wycocomagh.
Merv plays a mean trumpet. The only thing about him is that he can't
hear very well - he has hearing aids, but he never uses them. So Nanny
has to repeat every song request to him VERY LOUDLY. It's kind of amusing.
This is my friendly joke about Uncle Merv, who is still a cab driver: "You
want to go to North Sydney?" "No, Sydney!" "Great! North Sydney!"
This picture was taken on a Saturday. You can figure out the rest.
=)
Just us... all second degree relatives or better, the Stagg family.
From
left to right: James "Jim" Johnston (grandfather), Brenda (Kevin's
girlfriend), William Matheson (self), Joyce Johnston (grandmother), Kevin
Stagg (first cousin once removed), Pearl MacLean (grand aunt), John "Jack"
Stagg (grand uncle), Eileen Jesty (Terry's wife), Terry Jesty (first cousin
once removed), Gail Stagg (first cousin once removed).
We all spent perhaps ten minutes getting eaten alive by black flies
and mosquitoes while waiting for the two looney tunes on the roof to get
their group photos taken. But it's all in the name of posterity.
The motel room after the party that night, Terry and Kevin and Brenda
and Gail and Jack had all stopped in for tea.