Sepia Saturday 31 – Desperately Seeking Malcolm

Missing Links

Look into their faces ( it’s  a picture like no other);

Both of them are kin to me— my Nanny’s father’s mother,

And father who lived happily on island of Cape Breton,

But trying to find out more on them has got me really frettin’,

For documents that show their names are scarcely to be found

And anyone with details of their lives is not around.

There’s one 19th Century Census sheet from 1881;

Ann and Malcolm in Grand Narrows, live with Neil, their only son,

But nowhere can I find a marriage licence for the pair,

Or obits in newspapers, and I’m tearin’ out my hair!

I even had them tied up with a Scottish Barra clan,

Until I saw the census-taker’s notes about the man.

This proved for once and all that he’s a true Canadian

(not like grandmother’s other side who were Acadian).

Thing is, everywhere I look, I find McNeils galore,

Stranger still, there’s Anns and Neils and Malcolms, by the score,

But none of them are mine, who ended up in old Glace Bay.

I’ll have to let them rest now, but I’ll find them all some day!

Kat Mortensen©2010

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