With Graham's obsession for finding all of our ancestors, (he's actually very good at it, if anyone needs any help) this year's visit to Ellis Island was all the more piquant as we were able to look up one of my relations who entered the United States Of America via Ellis Island. Margaret Groat Batchelor arrived here on 24th July 1920 as a fresh faced 21 year old book keeper from Dundee, Angus in Scotland. She had paid for her passage on the Olympic- the sister ship to The Titanic and had come to find fame and fortune. We know that she returned to Scotland, but came back in 1924 and married my maternal great uncle, William Frank Wynn in 1926. Frank ( as he was known), was a painter and decorator by trade and was known to be working on ships, so they may have met during the voyage. By 1930, they had settled in Burbank, California and later, Long Beach. We stayed with Auntie Peggie in 1967/8 on our way to New Zealand - I can still remember her beautiful big house (bungalow) which had a 'den'. She took us to see The Glendale Rose Parade on new Year's Day 1968 - we had to get up at 5.30am to be there on time and we sat high up on tiered seating. I was in awe of all the huge floats all made out of rose petals and of all the people who rode on them waving...
Frank had died of cancer in 1965, but Peggie survived until 1987, although I never saw her again.
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