My name is Sheila Priest and my mother was born Maisie Mildred Sidey in 1924. We decided in 1997 to try and find out what we could about her father’s family (Sidey) and her mother’s family (Jane). Although stories vary, my maternal grandparents didn’t have anything to do with the Sidey side of the family so my mother knew nothing about that side of the family. My mother was the youngest of seven children and her mother died when she was 10 so I suppose the family had other things on their mind. Amy, the eldest child, was the one who seemed to know the most about the family but unfortunately, no-one was particularly interested in her stories until it was too late!
My father was David Brymer Crawford and was the fourth of 8 children. My cousin Doreen in Canada, (the daughter of my father’s brother Johnston), has been researching the Crawford side of the family for several years and has passed on lots of information and photographs, some of which I have included on this website. When the Scottish records became available on the Internet a few years ago I started doing some research myself. I also made contact with the daughter of my father’s sister Annie, whose husband has done a lot of research.
Once the internet came along, I was able to make contacts and acquire lots of information along the way from many different people for which I am very grateful. I have also obtained several photographs which was a real bonus, as we had very few photos in our possession. I have verified all the information wherever possible and have copies of various official documents which I haven’t included on the website but would be happy to share with anyone interested.
Feel free to contact me if you have any queries or anything to add.