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15 July 2004 Click
on the pictures to enlarge them.
Greetings again from New Mexico.
We are a bit late with this newsletter because of our big trip to Ireland,
Scotland, and England which just ended on 28 June. It has been a busy year so
far.
BUSY WITH REUNION
We have had a very busy time since last Christmas. As we mentioned in the
Christmas newsletter, Robert is no longer working full time. However, he has
been very busy working on Malseed family matters. Malseed family in the broad
sense, that is. We mentioned in the last newsletter that we were planning a trip
to Ireland and a Malseed family reunion there. We were working primarily with
John Malseed in Australia and also Jim Maultsaid and Iris Malseed. (John’s
cousin in Letterkenny, Ireland.) Over the years, Robert has been contacted by
several dozen Malseed from throughout the world, because of our Malseed family
web site. We sent reunion announcements to them and have also heard from new
family members. We also worked out reunion details with Iris Malseed of the
Letterkenny Holiday Inn.
TRIP TO UTAH AND COLORADO
With much of the Reunion planning done, we took 15 days off to make a motor home
trip to Utah and Colorado. Our spring trip to Utah last year was upset by bad
weather, so we rescheduled some of the events for this year. On 12 April we took
off. Mountains in Colorado and Utah were still capped with snow.
We arrived in Moab, UT, on 13 April and visited the southern section of
Canyonlands National Park. It was beautiful there. Here is a view near the Park.
Near the Canyonlands.
We next visited Price, UT. At price, we saw the Prehistoric Museum at the
College of Eastern Utah. It is a very good museum. We had not been there since
1994. We also visited the Western Mining & Railroad Museum in Helper, UT. Then
we stopped at Salt Lake City and did some family research at the Family History
Library. Robert wanted to finish his project of photographing all their records
of Malseed births, marriages, and deaths as recorded at the General Register
Offices of Ireland. There was quite a lot of rainy weather in Salt Lake City.
After Salt Lake City, we stopped at Montrose, Colorado, on our way to Pueblo,
Colorado, for a National Trek Rally. We arrived in Pueblo just ahead of a large
storm that dumped a lot of rain and snow on Colorado. Over 200 Safari Trek motor
homes gathered there for 4 days.
National Trek Rally in the snow.
At the conclusion of the Rally, many of the attendees went on a trip to Cripple
Creek where we toured the Molly Kathleen gold mine and then went back to Pueblo
by driving through Phantom Canyon.
FMCA NATIONAL CONVENTION
The winter 2004 National Convention of the Family Motor Coach Association was
held in Albuquerque in March. We did not have to drive our motor home at all to
get to this Convention as it was only 2 miles from our home. Linda once again
taught a seminar on the Promise Quilt, In fact, she taught two classes.
Linda teaching her seminar.
Unfortunately, Linda’s cousin could not come from Tucson because Nelson was not
well, so we helped out their MCI bus owners chapter of FMCA by being guides on a
tour of Santa Fe and the Jemez Mountains.
This summer we plan to go to the convention in Redmond, Oregon, and to spend
August and September touring around from Montana to British Columbia. We hope to
meet some more of Robert’s extended Malseed family.
SHUBERT COUSIN VISIT
On l April, Bea Mattson and her husband, Hal, came to visit. They live in
Sacramento, CA. Bea is a third Cousin, once removed, of Robert’s in his Shubert
family line. We had never met Bea before. We had a very nice time and exchanged
information which proved to provide some valuable clues to Robert and Bea’s
common ancestor, George Shubert. We now know that George had a sister Margaretta.
Visit by Bea and Hal Mattson.
JOHN AND HELEN VISIT THE USA
Robert’s distant cousin, John Malseed, and his wife, Helen, arrived from their
home in Terrigal, Australia, on 16 May. They had never been in the US before, so
we showed them as much as we could. The next day we took off with them in our
motor home to Oliver Lee Memorial State Park near Alamogordo, New Mexico. We
showed them White Sands National Monument, Holloman Air Force Base, and the
solar observatory at Sunspot, NM. We spent another night at the Valley of Fires,
and from there we visited Lincoln, Capitan, and White Oaks. The four of us
survived living together for 3 nights in the motor home. After returning to
Albuquerque, we took them on further trips to Acoma Pueblo, Petroglyph National
Monument, the Jemez mountains, Bandelier National Monument, Los Alamos, and
Sandia Crest.
John has written a book, “An Overview of the New Testament”, published by AMG in
Chattanooga. Our pastor, Wayne Barber, is also an AMG author, so we introduced
them to each other.
John & Helen (front) with us and Wayne & Diana.
After exploring New Mexico for ten days, we flew to Washington DC. The four of
us spent a couple nights with Linda’s cousin, Tom, in Alexandria, Virginia. We
spent a day in Washington and walked along the mall. We saw the World War II
Memorial which was officially opened on the following day. From Washington, we
took John and Helen to Baltimore and showed them where Robert lived and grew up.
We also met his nephew, John, and cousins Jan and John. Finally, on 27 May, it
was time for us to leave for the Malseed reunion in Ireland.
REUNION IN IRELAND
We flew out of Washington on l June and arrived in London the next morning and
then continued on to Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Jim Maultsaid and John’s sister, Nan, picked us up at the airport and drove us
to Coleraine where we stayed with John’s sister, Marina. While there, we went to
see the Giant’s Causeway, and were also treated to dinner at a restaurant
overlooking the sea by Stewart and Carol Parkhill.
Linda & Robert on the Giant’s Causeway.
There we saw the best examples of hexagonal basalt columns that we have ever
seen. We also got our first look at Lough Foyle and County Donegal from a high
point north of Coleraine.
Robert’s ancestor sailed out of Londonderry in Lough Foyle in 1820 to come to
America. (When we visited the maritime museum in Greenwich, England, we
discovered that it was at least a 6-month journey for him.)
We rented a car with John and Helen in Coleraine and drove in it to Letterkenny.
Various events of the Malseed reunion were held at the Holiday Inn in
Letterkenny. On Friday evening we met some family members who had come from the
US and England. On Saturday many folk gathered and went on a tour of Derry.
(Robert had a sore throat, so he missed the tour.) Saturday evening we had a big
dinner at the Inn. There were 5 Robert Malseeds at the dinner. Later Robert met
Robert Gilbert Malseed in Rathmullan.
Robert Allen Malseed with 4 other Roberts.
Cambpell, David, Barry, and James
Robert with Robert Gilbert Malseed
Sunday morning we car-pooled up to Ramelton a few miles north to attend worship
at the Presbyterian Church.
Ramelton Presbyterian Church
Most of our Malseed ancestors were Presbyterian, and many attended church in the
town of Ramelton. At one time there were three Presbyterian churches in the
town.
After church we went back to Letterkenny via Killydonnell Friary. The Friary is
in ruins, but the graveyard
is still being used. John’s parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents are
buried there.
John at the graves.
The Friary is on the shore of Lough Swilly.
Old Malseed farm land by Lough Swilly.
In the afternoon, Robert presented Malseed family history information to many
people who gathered at the Holiday Inn.
Robert speaking.
There were over 80 family members at the reunion from Canada, Australia, the US,
England, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. In the evening we had a big supper and
entertainment from some local Irish musicians, and from John’s brother-in-law,
Don Hill.
The Mayor of Letterkenny paid a visit and climbed onto a Pennyfarthing bicycle
that John Malseed had brought from his home in Dedham, England. (See last page.)
Robert, John & Iris support the Mayor on the Pennyfarthing bicycle.
The reunion activity or Monday was a bus tour of the area north of Letterkenny.
We saw the area where cousin Larry Schweiger’s ancestors came from. Then we went
through Ramelton and up along the Swilly to Rathmullan. We stopped there to
visit Robert Gilbert Malseed.
We continued north on the Fanad Peninsula and ate lunch at Portsalon. We then
headed south along Mulroy Bay and returned to Letterkenny. Those who were still
around got together for supper that night. On Tuesday we said goodbye and took
off on our own. John and Helen visited with some old friends of theirs, then
visited his sister and flew back to Australia. We took over the rental car and
headed north. We retraced some of the bus route. This was Robert’s first
opportunity to drive a right-hand drive car (and on the left side of the road).
That day we went to the north coast of county Donegal to the town of Dunfanaghy.
The next day, our 25th wedding anniversary, 9 June, we drove out to nearby Horn
Head. It was a beautiful sunny day, but very windy.
This map shows our route counter-clockwise around Ireland. (Horn Head is on the
upper left coast. The Ring of Kerry is the loop on the lower left)
Our path around Ireland.
FURTHER TRAVEL IN IRELAND
9 June – Dunfanaghy to Killybegs
Horn Head.
Irish Road hazard on a Donegal highway.
Peat bog with peat drying.
Glenveagh National Park.
10 June - Killybegs to Westport
Round Tower
High Cross.
11 June - Westport to Lisdoonvarna
Doo Lough Pass.
Aasleagh Falls in Connemara.
Kylemore Abbey.
12 June - Lisdoonvarna to Killarney
The 650-feet-high Cliffs of Moher.
13 June – Driving the Ring of Kerry
Purple Foxglove.
Lothar Stone Fort.
Macgillycuddy’s Reeks and Lakes of Killarney.
Torc Waterfall.
Jaunting car ride to Muckross House.
14 June - Killarney to Cashel
Blarney Castle. (Linda kissed the stone.)
The Rock of Cashel.
Rock of Cashel.
15 June - Cashel to Clonmacnoise.
Birr Castle.
The famous 72-inch telescope of Birr Castle.
Clonmacnoise along the Shannon River
Clonmacnoise.
16 June - Clonmacnoise to Shankill
In Shankill, south of Dublin, we stayed with James Malseed and family and
visited Dublin.
With Kathy, Alyson, James, and Karen Malseed.
17 June - In Dublin we visited Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells. We
also went to the National Museum.
Page from the Book of Kells (9th century Gospels.)
18 June - Shankill to Bangor
Newgrange – a Neolithic passage tomb.
Newgrange on the Boyne River is a world heritage site. The passage tombs are
6,000 years old. We also visited the nearby tomb at Knowth.
19 June - We spent the day with Jim Maultsaid and his mom. We visited Scrabo
tower at the north end of Strangford Lough and the Stewart house and gardens.
Scrabo Tower.
TRAVEL IN SCOTLAND
20 June - We flew to Edinburgh, Scotland. On 21 June we visited Alison Mathers,
a distant cousin of Robert. Later we went to the harbor area and Linda was
delighted to find a Baxter’s store. (Linda was born Linda Baxter.)
22 June - Edinburgh Castle.
Edinburgh Castle.
Edinburgh Castle.
Edinburgh Castle.
23 June-We drove around Fife on a very rainy and windy day.
TRAVEL IN ENGLAND
24 June – We flew to England. Bert and Moira Malseed picked us up at the airport
and took us to Colchester, where we spent 3 nights with them. We met some other
family members there, and visited with John who had brought his bicycle to the
reunion.
25 June - in Greenwich
Straddling the Prime Meridian at Royal Observatory.
26 June - in Colchester
Norman Castle in Colchester.
Bert, Roy, Robert, Moira, and Phyllis Malseed.
27 June - in Dedham
Scene in Dedham.
John Malseed’s 17th century home in Dedham.
With John Malseed (right).
28 June - We flew back to Albuquerque ending our big adventure. We continue to
be thankful for the Lord’s provision for us. We trust in Him, and pray that you
will do likewise and enjoy a wonderful summer of 2004.
Love,
Robert & Linda
and Samantha
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Page last updated:
09 July 2007
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