CHAPTER III: Long-lost Macgregor Cousins

Uncle Roderick Ronald Macgregor, son of Granduncle Roderick Robert is flanked by sons Stuart, Robbie and Andrew in South Africa. Our uncle passed away in 2006 before we established connection with our second cousins .

Our South African kins are second cousins who descend from the same Macgregor-Trotter line. This means we share some common DNA codes in our genetic soup that would make us a good study in inherited characteristics.

On the following week after we first established contact, I had to phone one of them--it happened to be Andrew in Cape Town. My sister Dodo (Dorothy) did the same. In fact she called everyone, first Robbie, then Andrew, then Stuart. Hearing Andrew's disembodied voice confirms amazing reality better than a pinch in the arm, that's for sure.

After an exchange of pics, I couldn't help scrutinizing the faces, the posture, how they smiled, did they have big ears like Billy, thick eyebrows like my son, Roy? Andrew found my question amusing-- I had asked: "Did anyone of you three get the same Kirk Douglas chin my grandfather Ian had?"

Andrew sent a picture of him and Stu in surfing gear. I thought their chins looked like my late brother Dicky's so I cut and pasted Dicky's image between them in the picture and emailed this to Billy and Dodo. Dodo then cut and pasted a picture of one of the Trotters in the McCaw line to make a foursome collage . The result---Stu, Andrew, Dicky and Donald McCaw made up a composite showcase of the delectably roundish Trotter chin!

What a relief that we did not share a Hapsburg lip-- Angelina Jolie would have sued us for multinational copyright infringement!

Interesting question to resolve now is what physical feature did we actually inherit from the Macgregor gene? But that can wait...for now, we are all very eager to finally meet Stuart in the flesh when he comes over for a brief visit in late August.

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DNA Update:

Today, Andrew Macgregor sent off this email to Richard Macgregor, chairman of the Clan Gregor Society in compliance with requirements for participating in the Society's DNA project. Can't wait to find out if we indeed descended from our famous kinsman Rob Roy!

Dear Richard,

6 Robert, 6 Stuart and I believe we are descended from 1 Roderick Rory MacGregor.
Our father 5 Roderick Ronald Macgregor always told us that we were descended from our famous kinsman Rob Roy
We are very keen to do the full ancestral DNA test and will be ordering the test in the next few days.
6 Robert will do test when he returns from Tanzanian in about a months time.
We are very excited to finally have made contact with our cousins in the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.

1 Roderick Rory MacGregor circa 1725 – 1788?? md (Anne ????) McKenzie
2 William MacGregor b 1785/88 + 9/12/1869 m18/02/1820 Stornaway Isle of Lewis Scotland Helen Gillanders, b1801 +23/11/1864
3 Roderick b.5/8/1826 Barvas, Isle of Lewis +18/3/1910 md. Annie Trotter b.29/7/1843
4 Roderick Robert Macgregor b09/04/1877 +23/08/1951 m Emily Jane McIntyre b.1877 d1963 (1925 G. M’s Office SAR Pretoria)
5 Roderick Ronald Macgregor b.11/04/1914 Durban +29/04/2006 Durban m Alice Agnes Bezuidenhout b.22/09/1920? Cape Town +07/06/2003 Durban
6 Roderick Robert Macgregor b.31/5/1940 Port Elizabeth m.4/1/1969 Christine Louise Furness b.5/5/1948 retired/manager living Durban SA
6 Andrew Ian Macgregor b09/10/1948 Windhoek Namibia m 1975 Jeanette Lee Clover b01/05/1955 Graduate divorced living Cape Town SA
6 Duncan Stuart Macgregor b17/01/1950 Windhoek Namibia m 1967 Ann Clarke Businessman divorced living Durban SA


We do hope that this meets with your approval?

Thanks and kind regards,

Andrew Macgregor

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It is traditional custom and a military regulation for soldiers in Highland regiments that no undergarments are to be worn underneath the kilt. Photo at left was taken during the Hong Kong turnover in 1997. Great custom for a windy day, indeed!

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