But we did do it, with luck and perseverance.

The search really indirectly began as a family history project back in 1983, when Mary Smith and I decided to research our families’ Douglas history and write a book. Mary researched the ancient line with the help of a family journal, genealogists .in Canada and Scotland and OPR from the Morman Library, and I found the 676 descendents of Robert Douglas of Kangaroo Point 1816 – 1890 , who had come to Australia in 1847.

It was hard labour, taking us three years to research and write the book, ‘A Douglas ! a Douglas !” , which we launched at a family re-union in Brisbane ,Q in 1986.

In my own investigations , I was able to meet most of the living Australian family branches , but , I was always curious about the descendents of the others who had remained in Scotland and England.

With Mary’s research, we could take the family back to the 14^th Century to the Red Douglases and Earls of Angus. , but so far we hadn’t found any living descendents apart from our own Australian line.

One day , in the Queensland Family History Library , a book literally fell off the shelf into my hands and in it was a Douglas clansman in Scotland asking for information about all Douglas lines . Mary was travelling in Scotland at that time so I hastily got in touch and she then met Norman Douglas ( no relation ) who put us in touch with a living female descendent of the Glenbervie line ( our line )

Then, in 1988, while I was working in the Magna Carter pavilion at Expo ( Brisbane ), I found myself chatting to a Canadian about history and told him that my Douglas family in Australia was connected to Sir James Douglas, Governor of British Columbia in 1858 , and I was keen to find some of his living descendents .

His eyes lit up with excitement-----he knew a historian at Vancouver university who was researching Sir James Douglas ! He put me in touch with the historian and eventually we made contact with a descendent from the female side .

In our update to ‘A Douglas ! A Douglas ! ‘ , published in 2000 and called ‘ Never Behind “ , we were able to include a great number of Sir James ‘ descendents, , but only two living male descendents with the Douglas name..

That being done we put it all to rest until Dr. Beryl Turner found us ( the Red Douglas /Earls of Angus line ) , through Clan Douglas Association of Australia, and persuaded one of my male Douglas cousins to have a DNA test done. He is R1b.

Then Beryl needed us to find a 5^th cousin to compare tests . We haven’t been in Australia long enough to have 5^th cousins, so we needed to physically locate those two Douglas male descendents of Sir James.

After many letters, e-mails and phone calls we have made contact with my 6^th cousin in Canada and are waiting anxiously for the results of his DNA test.

Our Douglas family motto is “ Jamais Arriere “,( never behind )-----it should also be “ Never Give up “ .

Family history information is “out there “ , its just a matter of persevering until it comes to light , usually from a most un- expected source .

Jan Shaw. ( nee Douglas )