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How My Search For My "Roots" Began
As
a child I felt like I missed out on having an extended
family. We lived in Kenya when I was born, then stayed
in Scotland for a few years and eventually ended up in
Canada. While other kids in Canada seemed to have all kinds of aunts, uncles, grandpa's and cousins,
we had only two Grandma's
living in the UK and a few cousins that I had only met
once.
There
weren't very many pictures either, and this lack bothered me
more as I grew older. I had once seen a photo of my
grandfather, "the famous golfer". I tried to get a copy
of it, but it slipped away. My grandmas died, and
then both of my parents. I really did not think that I
would ever know anything about my ancestors..
Over
the years I developed some skills with the computer. In
2001 I
was at a party and was introduced to someone who said
he was a sport's historian. I asked him if there was any
good way to find out information about someone who was a
little bit famous in golf. He suggested I run a search
on the internet.
When I
got home that night I ran a search on Google for "Charles Gadd
+ Golf". The first link that popped up was to the
Ipswich Golf Course where Charles had been a pro. It happened to be their Centenary, and they
happened to have a list of all their pro's right there on the
home page. My grandfather's name was at the top of the
list! I was amazed!
Through their web site I contacted the archivist of the Golf
Course, Dr. Tony Biddle. By serendipity he had received
a letter just a few months before from Albert (Bert)
(the Champ) Gadd, my
grandfather's younger brother, who was then 93 years old and living
in Chester, England. I wrote to Bert hoping that he
might write back. I was so surprised when a few days
later he telephoned me! For a precious but short time
we enjoyed a correspondence by mail and several phone calls.
I would have loved to have been able to fly to England to
meet him.
Through
Bert I was introduced to Enid Gadd and many other relatives in
England, Canada and America. My genealogy studies were
interrupted by the arrival of my granddaughter Jasmine
Serena Gomez-Gadd who came into this world on November 26,
2003, the day after Bert left it.
Since
Bert's passing I have had it in my mind to create a web site
that would link up all the various family members, and
guarantee that these pictures and this marvelous story would
be available for all the children, grandchildren, great
grandchildren, great great grandchildren and great great
great grandchildren of Frank Gadd(1870-1943) and Kate
Buckman Gadd (1873-1918) of Malvern,
England. If you are related to anyone in this
family then this site is for you, and for your children.
This also includes those of you who were adopted in, who
married in, and those of you who just have a big interest
in golf and golfing history.
Luckily
for all of us Bert kept journals of all the
golfing events that touched his long life from 1909 to 2003.
His interest in golf never waned. In
his biography, written with John
Marshal Cameron
you will find more of a historic
remembering of golf, than a family history. The
personal side of their lives remains to be told.
Update to 2012: it turns out that two of
Frank Gadd's brothers, Frederick Gadd (1865-1933) and
William Gadd (1857-1901) went to New Zealand, and one
younger sister Ellen Maude Gadd (1882-1937) went to Canada.
So we have found second cousins and third cousins! There are
many interesting connections here.
Please
join me in finding whatever missing pieces there are left to this
puzzle!
Judith Gadd, North Carolina |
