Dear Bruce

My name is William Alexander Bickerstaff of Tadworth, Surry, UK ... we only recently became aware of your existence and were excited to discover from your family tree that your great grandfather was my great grandfather's younger brother.

We have tried to transmit our consolidated family tree (including a photgraph of your great-great-grandmother, Margaret Howatson) to you on the internet but without success.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Kindest regards

Bill Bickerstaff

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A copy of Bill's initial email to me now follows:

Dear Bruce

Thankyou for setting up your website in Australia and for the early history of your family. I am indebted to my cousin, George Ironside for the early history of the Bickerstaffs in Ireland and Scotland. You will I hope be as delighted as I was to learn that your Great Grandfather William Howatson Bickerstaff was my Great Grandfather Hugh Bickerstaff's younger brother!

In your family tree you suggest that Hugh married Ellen Ferguson in 1873. Not so. In fact he married Maggie Jack Shaw in 1870. Hugh and Maggie had three children, another Hugh, my Great Uncle, William, my Grandfather and Maggie Jack Shaw Bickerstaff, who died at the early age of 36.

My son Andrew and I have spent the last few months (I am a slow worker) translating George Ironsides early family history into computer friendly format and only recently in browsing the internet did we become aware of the existence of your web site and of the link between our two families. We have now all but completed the UK end of the family tree and have incorporated your family tree as far as possible. There are some blanks relating to your family which I would be grateful if you could supply so that we can incorporate into the family tree. Please click here http://www2.tribalpages.com/tribe/browse?userid=wbick&rand=69241 to open your web browser at the login page for our family tree. To enter the site use "beekeeper" as the password.

Best of luck and looking forward to an early response.

Regards

Bill Bickerstaff

To send email to Bill, write to williambick(at)gmail.com

To visit Bill's excellent Bickerstaff genealogy web site click here. Password = "beekeeper"