2023 Scholarship – Helen Anderson

As a child, my favorite thing to do with my grandmother was ask her for “stories from her childhood.” After many bedtimes, I depleted her stories, and she moved on to tales from past generations. One of these stories happened to be about David Peter MacDonald, who sailed from Fifth of Forth to America in 1853. At the time, I did not understand the significance of his journey settling my family in the United States, but it did plant a seed of interest in the distant land of Scotland.

With age, my love of my grandmother’s stories evolved into my interest in history and heritage. As a university student, I studied history and eventually found myself working in the archives at my university’s library. Upon my graduation in May of 2022, I wanted to gain more archival experience, and with an ever-lingering interest in my Scottish heritage, I began to look into opportunities to travel to Scotland. Fortunately, I stumbled across the John Carasik Scholarship, which allowed me to visit the Dunollie Museum in July of 2023. My week spent elbow-deep in the archives proved to be enlightening in a multitude of ways: I gathered stories to tell my grandmother, and solidified my aspiration to pursue a career in library science.

I arrived in Oban with an understanding of how unique an opportunity I had before me, and in turn, I made an effort to take advantage of every moment I had there. I spent Monday and Tuesday at the Dunollie Museum, Wednesday on Lismore, and the final two days back at the museum.

While at Dunollie, I worked closely with Jamie MacGregor, the site’s Heritage Engagement Officer, who designed a project closely related to my interests: writing blog posts based on archival material that I found interesting. This involved sifting through binders of material held at the museum relating to the MacDougall clan, Dunollie, and Oban. When I found an article, photograph, or correspondence that had the potential for an attention-grabbing story,

I wrote a blurb on the significance of the artifact for the museum to post on their blog. While I would argue that most everything could be considered interesting enough for a blog post, I was limited on time so I had to make decisions around what would appeal most to the public. After four days sifting through material and writing at the museum and once I returned home at night, I generated five articles on a variety of subjects: fishing lassies in Oban, Dunollie’s World War I contributions to wounded soldiers, a letter from an individual on Lismore to Mrs. MacDougall concerning the peace flag flying at Dunollie signifying the completion of World War I, Hope MacDougall’s campaign for an annual “Spring Clean” week in Oban, and a horse logging project that took place at Dunollie during the First World War. The articles will be posted on the website periodically.

When I was not digging through archival material, I had the opportunity to explore the Dunollie grounds, including the castle, gardens, and rooms holding artifacts. My time combing through correspondence, articles, and photographs combined with walking the grounds my ancestors once stood upon, provided me amazing insight into my family heritage, allowing me to develop a more intricate and informed version of my grandmother’s childhood stories. I am excited to share my findings with her upon our next meeting.

While it was hard to part from the Dunollie archives, I understood that the Isle of Lismore was not to be missed. Instead of walking to the museum Wednesday morning, I walked to the ferry port and boated to Lismore, where Bob Hay, a Lismore Gaelic Heritage Centre archivist, was waiting on the dock. Bob proceeded to give me an amazing tour of the island, including castles, churches, and graveyards. Included on our combined walking and driving tour, he shared his immense knowledge of the island’s history. He also allowed me to look through the Centre’s set of unique archives, which I took special interest in correspondence between John McDougall of Lismore and his son in America held in the book “My Dear Son: Letters from John Mcdougall (Weaver), Isle of Lismore, Scotland, to His Son, John, in America.” As much as I love history, my favorite part of the day was eating dinner with his lovely wife Dot and their friend Jennifer Baker, the chair of the museum.

After an early ferry ride Thursday morning, I returned to Dunollie and resumed my blog project. On that day, I was inspired to write a blurb about Lismore, and encountered the correspondence regarding the peace flag flying at the museum. My final days at Dunollie were spent doing more of what I had found I already enjoyed: handling archival material, writing, and engaging with visitors and staff. I especially loved discussing others’ connections to the MacDougall clan or Scotland in general. Outside of the museum, Jamie and Florence Medard - another member of the Dunollie team - brought me to nearby landmarks for an even more in- depth understanding of my heritage.

Without the John Carasik Scholarship and guidance from Margaret Carasik, I would not have had the unique opportunity to travel to Oban and visit Dunollie and Lismore. The scholarship allowed me to solidify my career pursuits, and also layered my understanding of my family history. In addition, I met amazing people and saw a beautiful corner of the world. I will be forever thankful for my week in Oban.