The love story of my ancestors is short but bitter-sweet. My great grandmother's name was Maude Graham and she fell in love with Edwin Passlow From Gundagai New South Wales .She was young beautiful ,slight of build but spirited with strong will. She had a soft curl in her light auburn-brown hair and her eyes were beautiful ,alluring,and soft blue. Her own Graham family were extremely proud of the fact that they could be traced back to The Marquees of Montrose ( their famous scottish ancestor.) Edwin Passlow was a strong down to Earth,happy and friendly ,much respected publican in Stuart Town New South Wales .Now it seems that Maude and Edwin were of different religions (or that is the ancestral whisperings that have come along the grape vine since then) and possibly of a different social standing .I have never been quite sure of that.To be frank I do believe that the Grahams were 'a little bit up themselves' due to the royal connections of past and they forbade Maude to have anything at all to do with Edwin.Maude however would have none of their commands and she (against their wishes)fell in love with and married Edwin. Now I do not know the whole story but from what I do know she loved him dearly and for the first nine to ten years (?) after their marriage she and he had eight children (approx one year apart!) My grandmother was the eldest and when she was eight years old her dear mother Maude died after having the eighth child. It is my reckoning that the Graham family stuck to their guns and continued to shun her after the marriage to Edwin but Maude did not buckle her resolve and though frail and possibly heartbroken by her families abandonment she still stuck to and loved Edwin as he did also love her. My grandmother (Doris Mary Passlow) always carried a sorrow in her heart due to her early loss of her dear mother and I too always carried that sadness for Maude.It must have been tough being disowned in outback Australia with no family support of her own. Edwin's family however apparently did all they could do to help and to welcome Maude into their hearts. After Maude's death they helped care for the children. Years later after my grandmother died my own eldest daughter went to Scotland and I asked her to bring me back a Graham Tartan...you see I have never forgiven them for how they treated great-grandma Maude and I was NOT going to let The Grahams get away with it as had the women before me. My daughter did as I asked,she brought back the Graham tartan in a long neck scarf.
My heart was pounding with anger as I took it my hands. I held it before me and I thought of sweet young Maude .I spoke firmly and felt that the spirits of my ancestors were with me as I said: 'I am the great-granddaughter of Maude Graham...you disowned her from The Graham family because she loved my great- grandfather Edwin Passlow...but I claim this Graham tartan and I claim my great- grandmother Maude Passlow's right to still be a Graham...she is not disowned as I do not allow it and neither do my children or their children...shame on you all who did that to her...I will keep the Graham tartan in my possession and pass it to my children in honour of my great Grandmother and you can all turn in your graves as there is nothing you can do about it...I take back what you stole from her...she was Maude Graham and she was a beautiful strong lady who would not be pushed around and I am very proud that she followed her heart. My great-grandparents were in love and for that there was a high price paid but there is a happy ending...their love lives on and no matter what anyone says...it always will.
What a great love story Kay, now I know where that strong will in you came from, and what a wonderful thing you have in regaining the Graham tartan, congratulations, you should be truly proud of yourself.
Your Pommie Pal Steve
She sounds like quite a gal, Kay, no wonder you're so proud of her!!! And it sounds like she still live in you! Thanks for sharing a little of your ancestry with us...
This book has been eight years in the making. It is mostly a jumble of thoughts written down in old spiral notebooks and hidden in the bottom drawer underneath various manuals for software packages and hardware long since turned obsolete.
This book has been eight years in the making. It is mostly a jumble of thoughts written down in old spiral notebooks and hidden in the bottom drawer underneath various manuals for software packages and hardware long since turned obsolete.
