On Tuesday evening of 13 August 2002 Steve Pittendrigh and his father Paul Pittendrigh made a side trip from
Winnipeg to Regina to meet me, Robert Pittendrigh. Also included was Steve's brother in law was Vincent Maizy.
Sorry we did not get Vincent's picture too. We had a wonderful time talking about our surname, how it is
pronounced in various parts of the world, and about our respective families. The origin of Paul's family has been a
mystery which we think has been solved with the expertise of Ruth Washburn of Florida. She had been
corresponding with the Barnardo Homes people. I quote from one of her e-mails;
"The Barnardo 1890 report received on my Great Grandmother Margaret Pittendrigh's third child, William George,
says that she had 2 brothers, John and James, who went to America to be farmers. It does not say where in
America, the US or Canada. The 1851 Census, St. Clemens, Aberdeen, Scotland lists the family as living at 10 1/2
Sugarhouse Lane. James is recorded as 1 year of age and born in Aberdeen, so one could assume he was born about
1847.
He had 2 older brothers, William age 5 and Alexander age 8 and an older sister, Elizabeth age seven and a younger
brother George age 1.
Their parents are listed as Christian Herd and Alexander Pittendrigh.
Alexander is listed as being a journeyman tailor. Alexander's birth record lists his birth to them and his baptism by
Revd. Alexander Spence in the presence of William Williamson, tailor, and Mrs. Catto. The 1841 St. Nicholas
Census lists Alexander, 3 weeks, and his parents, both age 20, as living on a Court, but I can not decipher the name
of the court. Alexander and
Christian's marriage entry in St. Nicholas, states that Alexander was a tailor and Christian was the daughter of the
late James Heid, Shoemaker, in Aberdeen.
One of the witnesses was Alexander Pittendrigh, Wright, who could have been Alexander's father. Also in the 1851
census there was an Alexander Pittendrigh, Wright and wife, Helen, living at St. Clements Street, so they are
probably his parents.

I have not found a record of John's birth, and so don't know if he was born in Aberdeen as were the older children
or if he was born after the family moved to Streatham, London, England as were May and Sportswood."