Today we said goodbye to Inverness and headed South to find my ancestral home. Mom and I’s ancestors, The Pedens or Petheins, lived in the County of East Ayshire in Scotland in the 1600s. They were originally from Ireland and immigrated to Scotland for religious freedom then would later be persecuted again in Scotland and some moved to the United States in 1700s. We actually have several lines of Scottish ancestry but this one is well documented so we were able to find more information on it. On our drive South we saw some beautiful scenery. Between the green grass, mountains, hills and sheep it paints an amazing picture that I will never forget. We also got some glorious sunshine today so it illuminated everything in a warm glow.

After a long drive we finally reached Cumnock to visit an old cemetery. If you have kept up with the blog you will remember a mask we saw in the National Museum in Edinburgh of Alexander Peden. He is supposedly my ancestor. We believe we are descended from his siblings or other relatives that lived in the area at that time. Whether we are related or not, he has still been fascinating to learn about and he is from the same area as my family. He was a rebel Presbyterian preacher who refused to bow down to England’s forced religious reformation. He was a hunted man and was caught twice but managed to escape. His death is very interesting as well. Despite being hunted for most of his adult life, he died of natural causes at age 60 in 1686. He was buried by his family. The English found out he had died and were so enraged that they dug him up and were going to hang his body at the gallows on display. A local Earl objected to this so they instead buried him at the foot of the gallows. Later in 1891 a memorial was built here and a cemetery started around his grave by local people.

Next we headed to Sorn Parish Church. This is a beautiful little church built in 1658 right on the River Ayr. We walked around the cemetery and actually found two women that were Pedens. They may be related to us as well. After this we drove through the countryside of the area on the way back to Edinburgh. It’s a surreal experience to be where your ancestors lived several hundred years ago. Ever since first visiting Scotland in 2016, I felt drawn to it. It just feels like home. I am now compelled to do more research on other family lines to see other areas I can visit.

On our way back we traveled down some very interesting country roads that I don’t think were even paved. Scott was very patient while driving though I know he was nervous because it definitely felt like we were lost in the woods.

After making it back to Edinburgh we had to pack to fly back home in the morning. This trip has been so wonderful. It’s so bittersweet because as much as we don’t want to leave we do miss home. We will definitely be back to Scotland again one day!