Letters My Grandfather Wrote Me

About the Book

The Douglases are traced from 100 A.D. with ancestral background in Ireland around 300 B.C. There is an American branch from the 18th century with connections to the U.S. war of independence and the anti-slave movement. The Crawfords are shown in their early history around the 12th century, then since the early 19th Century in Scotland, Ireland and New Zealand. The Clarks are shown since the mid 19thcentury but with strong Huguenot roots in the 17th century. The Gagens are traced from Germany to Norfolk in the U.K. in the 17th century; and to Canada and America in the 19th, where Dan Gagen married into the Chippewa tribe. The book is about Cyril Gagen who settled in New Zealand with his mid-wife mother in the early 20th century, and is written by his grandson. The last chapter is autobiographical with an in-depth discussion on Social Control and the ethics of its use in modern Britain and New Zealand. The Clarion review states that the book is anti-monarchist which is totally incorrect.

About the Author

Bryan Crawford trained as a Clinical Psychologist, but has had a passion for genealogy ever since his grandfather gave him two Victorian photographic portraits of his Dorset ancestors. This led to his search on his family’s origins, discovering 150 family portraits, stories and 2,000 years of family history. With prominent ancestral lines in the military, the church, medicine and the aristocracy, he little thought his search would attract outside interest. After meeting two world leaders in the 70's and 80's, he moved to London in 1990, where he was surprised to discover Lloyd's Bank issuing posters of him all over London. Returning home after three years, he discovered his family had been featured in Hollywood films for decades. The author lives in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. At twenty he married into a Maori familyl and within weeks took into care her three nieces, and nephew, followed by the arrival of their son and daughter. He continues to work in the health field in which he trained.