Hi Bryan,
First of all, thank you for your website. It looks like you have spent a lot
of time putting it together. Where in the world did you manage to get so
much information?
My name is Markiana Marlene Normandale (nee McNair) born Jan.1947.
My grandparents were Tipton Bradford McNair and Alice Gertrude Jordan
born Mar. 7,1889, died Mar. 9,1979.
Forney Byron McNair was one of their 5 surviving children and also my father.
He married my mother, Freda Meyers in Dec.1949, one month after my sister,
Gwen Marilyn was born. Then they had my brother, Byron Forrest in 1950; and
my sister, Germaine Marlin in 1952. In Dec. 1956, my parents' divorce was final
and my father proceeded to marry Edith who was already pregnant with their first
child.
There was talk of my father having been married before, in Calgary, Alberta. But
no one seems to know for sure except that I recall meeting two young men at
my father's home (in Surrey, B.C. at the time) who claimed to be his sons. One
of them certainly resembled my father, in fact it shook me how much he looked
like my father. It was never spoken of and I never saw either young man again.
Tipton and Alice had another child not listed on your page, a son, George
Willard McNair, born in 1917. He died in 1953 during oral surgery in the
Yukon. He was married and had a couple of children but at present I cannot
find anyone who knows their names. There seems to be a number of people
asking about him and his descendants though.
After my parents' divorce, we were kept out of the loop on many of my Dad's
family issues and even today, when I have tried to get some information from
Edith, my father's last wife, I have not had any luck. She's getting along in years
and I don't want to upset her or bring back any sad memories so I haven't really
pushed it. I did keep in touch with my grandmother, Alice until her death in 1979
and tried to form filial ties with others in Calgary - but it never worked out. I'm still working on it as I think my dad's sister, Esther had a daughter named Connie who
is about my age. One never knows tho, until you try!
Question: you have Tipton's date of death as 1933 - how did you come by that
date? Was that the year he disappeared, never to be heard from or about again?
Actually, Tipton's disappearance was always the talk going around when I was
very young. And, there were all kinds of stories and theories offered up as well.
I do know that he left a wife and son in Collinsville, Alabama when he left. Then
he met Alice and they married.
Hope this is of some interest to you and if you discover anything more concerning
my father's family, I hope you will share it.
Regards
Marke Normandale
On 9/5/07, BRYAN MCNAIR < [email protected]> wrote:
Hi Marke,
That is very interesting. I remember reading about Tipton. I can't remember where I received that information. Maybe I can find where but I doubt it. I have started putting links on peoples names that list emails of their statements to give some kind of a reference. I started this webpage about 1999 and it has been slowly growing. At first I was just searching on the internet and adding stuff that other people had listed on their pages but when I started getting discrepancies on dates and stuff I stopped and just started letting people that fell into like you have, give me their info and found it to be more trusting because the names and dates of the people they give are actually their parents and grandparents and people closer to them. I just put info on I received from Peggy McNair Batterton. I will add this info on just like I did hers and will send you a link as soon as I get it done, probably this weekend. I see I have pictures of your father and grandfather, that's neat. I have yet to find a picture of my grandfather. My dad and all of his brothers and sisters are still living and none of them have a picture of their father. Are you still living in Canada? Its been really nice talking to you and I will let you know when I get it all on there.
You bet I'm interested
Thanks very very much
Bryan McNair
Hi Bryan,
Thanks for responding - I've been trying to piece my father's family history off and on for quite a few years with not much luck. And then, in just a few days I hit on two very interesting web pages. Yours and one with a question from Dean McNair, who lives in Alabama and actually knew Roy McNair who grew up Tipton and his family. Apparently a lot of the stories I was told as a child were incorrect. I don't remember who actually told us the stories, my father or his sister, Wilma. I guess they were putting us on, but at 12 or 13 years, and not knowing my father all that well, I didn't pick up on it, nor did my sister, Gwen who was pretty astute about those things.
The saga of Tipton disappearing is not true, nor is there any record of him
marrying or having a child in Collinsville, Alabama. He was 20 yrs when he left home and headed north eventually marrying Alice. So, the date you have for his death is probably correct.
Bryan, I'm going to give Dean a link to your website and ask him if I can forward his email to you - it's kind of fun and interesting.
About the pics - thanks so much. I also found pictures of my Aunts Lois and Wilma and a cousin of my father's. I lost all my pictures when someone broke into our storage locker years and years ago. I was the only one who had these photos. I was pictured in them when very young with my father, Alice, my grandmother and my Aunt Lois, Dad's oldest sister. I got all the pics from my mother after their divorce and there were some great ones of the two of them. However, they are lost now and I should stop moaning about them.
I was born in Vancouver, BC as Gail Marlene McNair. My Mom changed my name to Markiana when I was 15. My Mother had family living in Toronto, so in 1972 I moved here and here I stayed. I met and married Jan Allen Normandale in 1975 and we have two wonderful children, Lisa Rose (30 years) and Jon Allen (25 yrs).
By the way, where do you fit in on the family tree? Where are you living? Who were your parents and grandparents? Are they connected to Tipton in any way? Where and when were you born? Do you have any siblings? Are you married? with children? Who is Peggy Batterton?
Sorry, Bryan, I know I'm pumping you, but I'm totally fascinated.
My brother, Byron, is going to be very excited when I tell him what has transpired in my search. Our amazing sister, Gwen, passed away in July 2005 from brain cancer - she was 56 yrs. But I know she would have loved all this.
Thank you, Bryan, and I hope to hear from you in the future.
I'm actually off to Vancouver to visit my Mother, sister and family Tue. Sep.11 returning Sep. 26. I don't know what my chances are of accessing my email so it may have to wait until I return.
I'm still excited!
,br>Regards,
Marke