Week 13: Light a Candle #52Ancestorsin52Weeks

People have lit candles for thousands of years in memory of loved ones who have died. Although I would not call myself religious, nor do I attend any church, I will still light a candle in memory of someone when I visit a church or cathedral on holiday. The act of lighting the candle and thinking about that person even for a moment or two feels good and the right thing to do. It's another way of acknowledging that they existed and that you remember them.

All of our direct ancestors deserve our candles. Without them, we wouldn't be here.

But are some individuals worth singling out? Possibly - especially if part of their story has touched you in some way - and if, sadly, it may also have involved a candle.

So for this topic, I'm going to single out my great grandmother on my paternal side, Jane Johnstone.

Jane Johnstone was born in Shotts Parish in 1829, the daughter of grocer and tollkeeper, James Johnstone and his wife Ann. She was the second eldest of eight children, not all of whom survived to adulthood. When she was 19 years old, she married Lamont Walker, a journeyman blacksmith, who was following in his father's footsteps. Between 1848 and 1872, the couple had 11 children. Two of them later emigrated, one to the USA and one to Australia. Lamont died in 1881 and by 1889, only her youngest child, also Lamont, was living with her.

On the night of November 19th 1889, while getting ready to go to bed around 9 p.m. she accidently set fire to her nightdress. Lamont summoned help but nothing could be done. She died nine hours later.

A horrific end. And one I'm sure my dad never knew - Jane was his grandmother. But I won't forget her.

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