Shetland | Karen Inkster Vance

Aug 26, 20245 min read

From Shetland Sailor to Vancouver Island Coal Miner

Gilbert Inkster left Shetland to sail in the merchant service, then jumped ship on Vancouver Island in 1888. Read more about his journey

Mar 25, 20244 min read

The first time I visited my great-grandfather’s birthplace of North Roe, I walked into the little Methodist church, still standing after...

Mar 14, 20243 min read

Remembering a journey with my friend, Magnus, to Roermill, North Roe, where my Shetland ancestors worked and walked.

Jan 25, 20244 min read

It’s Robbie Burns day, so to commemorate I thought I'd share the following story. My great-grandfather, Peter Inkster (1879-1958) of...

Nov 13, 20238 min read

One day in 2005 I visited the late Douglas and Bertha Murray at their Isbister home, eager to track down local historic images to include...

Sep 25, 20233 min read

We are on our way home to Vancouver after spending the past three weeks in Shetland. On Sunday I woke up and knew I needed to walk to the...

Sep 21, 20233 min read

See that house peaking over the hill in the first photo? My great-grandfather, Peter Inkster was born there, at the Haa of Skelberry, in...

Sep 19, 20231 min read

The sun spilled out over the voe as we drove along the banks this morning. It was so radiant that we had to stop and take a photo… this...

Sep 14, 20232 min read

Today we travelled back to a time when the men had to fish to the landlord during the summer months. Three miles north of North Roe,...

Sep 10, 20232 min read

A trip to Shetland is like taking a step back in time, to the land of my ancestors. Although they lived centuries before, their memory...

Sep 8, 20231 min read

Thanks to the Shetland Library and the Shetland Family History Society for hosting my book launch and presentation for Voices from the...

Sep 6, 20232 min read

Today started out foggy, the sun trying to poke through, with the ever present wind blowing the clothes dry on the line. I spent a few...

Sep 5, 20231 min read

Today I gave an interview at BBC Radio Shetland to promote my upcoming book launch on Saturday, September 9 for Voices from the Past:...

Nov 11, 20205 min read

AS A ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORPS DOCTOR on the front lines of the Salonika Campaign, Alex Bremner was often in as much danger as the...

Nov 9, 20205 min read

SOMETIMES WHILE RESEARCHING and writing my family history I find a person whose story resonates with me. This is one of those. Alex...