Torrens Families RGT Letters
Dorset holidays	Electronics & DIY	Family History	Cigarette Cards	Misc	Natural History	Wild Food	Walks
Biographies	Bann Valley families		Torrens families	Hewson family	Old Photos	Youghal	Bibles
Books	Essays	Irish Data	Scottish Data	JST Letters	RGT Letters	Kernohan Letters	Family Trees

Carbon copy, letter to Robert Grier Torrence.

11.4.78

Dear Bob

Please accept my regrets in the delay in answering your letter of 24.4.78
but we have has a succession of visitors, that is one of the advantages (?) of
living near the seaside. At last the weather is now acceptable, our summer was very
late with the result that all our flowers came out at nearly the same time and thus
we had a short season.

I was very sorry to hear of your disability and hope that the new treatment
will be of use in giving you more comfort. It is a pity that you cannot see your
way to republishing as there seems to be an increasing interest in genealogy, and
your father's book is invaluable. I have recently been in touch with another
member of our family in Edinburgh who has been researching the records which are
kept in his hometown. He has nearly completed his records and promised to let me
see them when finished. It may then be possible to find a connection with the
Scottish line.

He has pointed out that there is a hill (944 ft) named Torrance about four miles east of
Ardrie. This with the Castle and Village makes a triangle of about 17 mile sides.
This looks as if it might be the area given by Robert Bruce in 1316 to the two
Torrance brothers. Your father mentions this gift top of page 4, but does not
mention the authority, do you know where he derived this information?

The book by Jared Sydney Torrance is entitled 'The Descendants of Lewis Hart and Ann Elliott', was published by his wife after his death in 1923. On page
297 note, he mentions that the genealogical researches of J W Kernohan would be
supplied to any member of the family free. From the note on page 184 of your
father's book it is obvious that this data was in possession of Mrs. Isabel
Torrance Henderson of Torrance. As I have found two possible connections with
Scotland in the data given by your father I think that it is possible that there
might be a further clue therein. That is why I was anxious to trace her. Jared
had two sons who died before him, so where are those notes?

I would very much like to see your film of the old Castle, but as this
is on 8mm I have no way of projecting it. For th last forty years I have done a
lot of cinematography, but using 9mm and later mainly 16mm. These comprised story
documentary and travel items. I have about 20,000 ft edited.

As we know so little about each other O am enclosing a cutting from a
local paper which may interest you. It does seem to be nine years since I
retired.

Perhaps the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania might  have a copy
of Kernohan's notes. If these contain anything more that is in pages 179 to 184
inclusive of your father's book I would be glad to know. Perhaps you could
ask them, you did say that they took most of your father's notes.

Would you be interested in joining a One Name Society, and do you
know if any others of our name would be interested. There are several societies
of this type and I am seriously contemplating forming one.

How do you spend your time, with your disability and retirement
it must be a lonely time.

Yours sincerely

Bob

R G Torrens

Top of page

Page Information