This beautiful image is an engraving on steel by John Swan, Glasgow and is courtesy of the Dundee City Archives Flickr account. I chose it as the blog banner as it has a lot of significance for my family. It is the home town of George Robertson Nicoll my 3x Great Grandfather and author of the Manuscript. He is 12 years of age at the time of the depiction. He was born in the building directly attached to the building on the right hand side of the etching. If the etching continued you would be able to see it. (Spoilers, I have images to share later.)

The building in the center of the etching at the back of the square (not the one set back with the cross on top but the one to the right of that) is where George’s Grandfather, James Robertson, my 5x Great Grandfather lived and operated his clock and watch making business from for over half a century. (It stood until the mid 60’s)

And finally, the building on the left with the spire a top is the old Dundee Town House, to the right of that you can just see a line of horses depicted coming from in between the buildings, well that was a street that led the way to the Green Market where George’s Father, James Nicoll, my 4x Great Grandfather and his Father, Thomas Nicoll, my 5x Great Grandfather were Master Block and Pump makers.

I know, nuts right? To have this window into their time, it’s not a photograph but the very next best thing I’m thinking. You might be asking, well how does he know all this? Well, George’s manuscript and hours of late trawling through websites to confirm. I will share that part of the journey but just wanted to explain why I was using this picture.