Lucia, Thanks for all your help. I have already received the inscription for the Robert Moir Smith grave but I'm particularly interested in the Douglas Smith stone - he was my cousin. I would be very obliged to you for another photo of the stone. There is no hurry. You may do it when its convenient.
Here's how to send a photo as an attachment. Look at your message to me and you will see the name of the recipient (urbsintacta) at the very top line of your message. Click on my name and my profile will open up. Click on "Show the latest post for this person" and you will see a whole series of my posts. Click "Reply" on any one that was sent to you (it doesn't matter which one) and a blank message page will open. Send a message and then, at the bottom of the page, you will see " send a photo as an attachment." Just click on this and migrate to where you have the photo and VOILA.
N.B. Make sure that youe photo is less than 500KB in size. I am sending you a photo of my grandfather's house at 13 North Esk road, taken last July on our visit.
You might be interested in my personal observations re Montrose. I sent the following to Forbes Inglis after we returned home to Ireland.
Forbes,
Greetings from the Emerald Isle. You might remember me (David Smith) – the Irishman who met you in the ‘Old Kirk’ in early July and, later, in the Library where you helped my sister and me decipher the books of Gravestone Inscriptions. We were spending a week in Montrose to visit our grandfather’s birthplace and to see if we could find out some more information to add to our family history. We were, I might add, delighted to meet you and to hear your suggestion that we might consider sending you some details of that history for publication in the Montrose Review – just to see if it might elicit some reply.
When we were in Montrose some twenty-six years ago I arranged for the Montrose Review to be posted to me for a few weeks after my visit to Jack Smith but I presume that I can now read your column on the Internet edition of the paper. If not, and if you decide to publish details of our visit, would you Email me your piece?
With regard to our visit you might like to note our observations. Montrose is a beautiful town and we wonder if the inhabitants realise and appreciate that fact. The town’s location is ideal – set, as it is, between the North Sea and the Basin. The architecture is wonderful. Panmure Terrace and Place, Museum Street, Church Steps, High Street with the Gable-endies, John Street, the lovely houses in the Dorward’s Institution area, the Union Street streetscape, etc., etc,. – the list goes on and on. Then, the succession of Parks (all maintained to a high standard) which must make Montrose a wonderful town in which to raise children. Add to these the magnificent strand (beach), the cleanliness of the footpaths and streets, the absence of litter and graffiti – with one notable exception, the kiosk-like structure opposite Burns Statue on Marine Drive which is defaced with magic marker graffiti. Surely it should be easy to remove this!
However, we found that the glory of Montrose resided in the PEOPLE. We met with kindness and good humour everywhere we went, be it in the Old Kirk, shops, pubs, hotels, restaurants and offices (I’m thinking here of Andrene Stewart and her staff at the Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths), and even those people we met casually on the street. When we went to Union Street people came out of their homes to talk to us; Likewise, Ian Taylor (the Auctioneer of Panmure Row) who spotted us taking photos and then spent twenty minutes chatting to us despite the fact that he had an urgent meeting in Aberdeen. Lastly, we thank you – for the interest you showed in us and for the help you willingly gave. We appreciated it.
Best wishes
DAVID SMITH
