Apparently I've got a very famous family (not just in this town, but all over the UK), at least within the world of the Salvation Army.
Arthur Dry was my great grandfather's older brother, and was a very influential and loved bandmaster for the Govan Citadel Band. His picture (the one above) still hangs in the band room at the Salvation Army in Govan, Glasgow. My great grandfather, George Dry, was also in the band and is still remembered by many older church members.
This morning Janelle and I attended the Sunday service at the Salvation Army in an attempt to learn as much history about our family as we could, and also find out if we had any relatives still living in Glasgow. EVERYBODY in the church knew our "famous" last name and wanted to talk to us. One of the majors (this is an 'army' after all) announced us as relatives of Arthur Dry at the beginning of the service, and there was a crowd surrounding us the moment the service ended. Most people wanted to say hello and give us a very warm welcome, but there were some that had information about my family. A woman approached us and said that her mother, who was downstairs, was a cousin of Arthur - therefore a relative of ours somehow! We immediately went down to meet her and she was the funniest old woman I have ever met.
Her name is Lily and she is the oldest member of the church at 97 years old. Her mother and Arthur and George's father (my great great grandfather) were brother and sister. She remembers my family very well and she told us stories and jokes about our shared relatives. She was with her daughter, her granddaughter, and baby great granddaughter (Four generations of women living, just like in my moms family!). We met all of them and shared our life stories.
After talking to Lily, we were introduced to the second oldest member of the church. Her name was Betsy (I think) and she also clearly remembered my family. She said her oldest memory of my family was when she was a child. She knew George and Arthur well, and she knew their mother and even remembers their grandmother! Meaning: she remembers my great great great grandmother (I think). Betty remembers asking her mother why Granny Dry was always kneeling at the mercy seat in church, and her mother responded, "because she's showing everybody what to do." I'm so fascinated by all of this, I can't get over it! One of the best moments of the day was when Betty said that it made her very happy that their were still Drys left in the world, apparently my family had a big impact on her life.
We asked everybody if they knew if any of our family was still living in Glasgow, but unfortunately no one had any information. Arthur's son used to live in town, but everybody seemed fairly sure he either moved or was dead because he "hasn't been around for a long long while now". I'm still so glad we got to meet the people that we did, it was by far the best day of the trip!
Throughout the afternoon, members of the band, both young and old, came up to us and told us how influential Arthur and my family were to the Salvation Army and the band. I don't think anyone in my family has attended that church for decades, but they still have a lasting legacy. They told us he was buried at the Glasgow Cathedral Necropolis, and we went there later this afternoon. Apparently the Necropolis is one of the largest of its kind in Europe, with thousands of Glaswegians buried there. Even though I spent two hours searching for Arthur, I couldn't find him anywhere. I want to go back later in the week when the information center is open and maybe they can help us. Here are a few more pictures of our afternoon at the Salvation Army, Govan.
Arthur's picture hanging on the wall in the band room
They let me hold it
The inside of the church.
