bodhi tree swaying » Tragham/Tragheim

Thomas Waddell Tragheim (Tragham) 1910-2005

bodhipaksa — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:51:02 +0000

I’m backdating this post because I was teaching and didn’t get it together to commemorate the occasion, but this date would have been the 100th birthday of my grandfather.

This picture is from 1968, and it’s pretty much as I remember my grandad, ten years older than I am now, and without a grey hair on his head. The photograph is marked on the reverse as having been taken at “Cockington Inn,” but the location seems to be the “Drum Inn,” in Cockington Village, Devon. In fact, if you look at the photo below it seems likely that this is the location — but probably at the rear of the building.

I’d looked at this family picture many times, and hadn’t noticed the girl standing on the bench beside them. I’m pretty sure that’s my cousin Sandra, who’s just a little younger than I am.

Marjory Tragham, 1911-1998

bodhipaksa — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:34:13 +0000

Today would have been the 98th birthday of my mother’s mother, Marjory Tragham, née Marjory Robertson Duncan. This picture is of her with my Grandad, Thomas Tragham (born Tragheim).

Marjory Tragham

bodhipaksa — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:24:35 +0000

Today, in 1998 my grandmother, Marjory Tragham, née Duncan, passed away at the age of 87. She was born 1911, in Scoonie, Fife, Scotland. Died Sep 26, 1998, Dundee, Scotland. She was married twice, first to Alex Ritchie, who left her a widow with a young child, my Aunt Margaret. She then remarried my grandad, Thomas Tragham (né Tragheim). They were married for over 60 years, until she predeceased him.

My grandmother (always known as “Nana”) was an extraordinarily lovely woman. I never knew her to be anything but kind. She was canny with money as well. When she died, it transpired she salted away something in the order of $60,000 in a shoebox in a cupboard!

This photograph of my Nana and Grandad was taken in the 1930′s, I believe.

Thomas Waddell Tragheim/Tragham (1910 – 2005)

bodhipaksa — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 10:00:01 +0000

Today my grandfather would have been 99 years old.

This picture is marked as having been taken in 1928, when he was 18. He’s on the right, and ~~we don’t know who the other young man is~~ according to my parents the other young man is probably his friend, George Warden, who was also a painter and who had ran a shop on the Hilltown with his brother, Bert. His wife, Mae, is still alive. I ~~also~~ don’t know what the fancy occasion was or where the photograph was taken, although it was most likely in or around Dundee.

This is my grandfather, grandmother (my nana), and my uncle Alan. Alan was born in 1953, and he looks like he’s about four or five years old here, so I’m guessing this was taken about 1957 or 1958. (Claire, if you’re reading this, maybe you could ask him). ~~Judging by the apparent slope on the street I’d imagine this was taken when they were descending Dundee’s Hilltown.~~ According to my mum and dad, they’re walking down Dundee’s Murraygate. I’d thought it might be the Hilltown, but my mum and dad are Dundee experts, having been brought up there!

This picture’s marked as having been taken at Loch Tay. The car he’s standing beside is a Ford Popular 100E, which was in production from 1959 until 1962. it had three gears, cost £494 new, with taxes, and was the cheapest saloon car in production in the UK at the time. My dad actually bought this car from my grandad when he purchased a Ford Anglia. It was our family’s first vehicle.

This is a very characteristic view of my grandad. He loved the countryside and had a great love of wildlife, and of birds in particular. Quite late into his life he got into painting landscapes, although he took to this pursuit not long before it became impractical for him to attend art classes. It strikes me now that with his painting and his appreciation of birds, he had a well-developed aesthetic sense. I might have inherited that from him. My aunt Jean is very artistic, but while I’m not much of a creator of art she can knock off beautiful drawings and paintings with ease.

My great great great grandmother, Catherine Winton

bodhipaksa — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 12:20:22 +0000

My great great great grandmother, Catherine Winton. Born 1837, died 1914. Married to John (Samuel) Tragheim. Had five children. Later remarried George Wright.

Wordless Wednesday: Meet Edward and Jane

bodhipaksa — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:26:01 +0000

OK, not entirely wordless this week. These are my great-grandparents, Edward Tragheim (1881 – 1971) and Jane Ann Waddell (1879 – 1973). They are my mother’s father’s parents.

I’ve been doing some intensive genealogical research recently and Edward was the son of Edward Tragheim (1861-1939), who was the son of Samuel Tragheim (1834 – ????), who was the son of Mendel Tragheim, from Hasenpoth (Aizpute), in Courland, Latvia, which was at that time part of Russia. Mendel and Samuel were certainly Jewish, but Samuel married in church and no one in my family had any notion of a Jewish connection until last week. They’re taking it well

I’d really like to figure out where and when Samuel died. He appears to have left his family in Scotland to move to London, where he made at least two patent applications. He then moved to Manhattan where he remarried a Johanna Lesser in 1877. There’s also a marriage in 1875 between a Samuel Tragheim and an Ann Smith in St. Louis, Missouri. Could that be the same Samuel? What an interesting possibility!

Thomas Tragheim / Tragham

bodhipaksa — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:09:50 +0000

This is my grandfather, Thomas Waddell Tragheim (he started going by Tragham during the second world war). He died three years ago today. The girl is my mother, Eleanor, and since she was born in 1938 I’m guessing this was taken in 1940 (I’m assuming she’s about two years old here). My grandad was born in 1910 and worked as a house painter. He loved animals and used to breed and show cage birds. According to a note I have the picture was taken on the Law in Dundee, Scotland. The Law is a hill right in the middle of the city.

Marjory Tragham

bodhipaksa — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 06:10:43 +0000

Today my grandmother, Marjory Tragham, née Duncan, would have been 97 years old. Born 1911, Scoonie, Fife, Scotland. Died Sep 26, 1998, Dundee, Scotland.

I’m guessing she would have been about 6 years old in this picture, which would date it to around 1917.