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Two photos span 160 yearsFive generations in two photosBy Tony McGregor

August 2008

The two photosaccompanying this articleare of McGregor men inmy line of descent, frommy great-grandfather tomy son they span fivegenerations which stretchfrom 1829, the year of mygreat-grandfathers birth,

to 1989 when the secondphoto was taken.

The heavily bearded manin the old photo is theReverend AndrewMcGregor, born inGolspie, Scotland, the sonof prosperous local

businessman AlexanderMcGregor, whosetombstone still stands in

the Golspie graveyardwith the inscription:Alexander McGregor,merchant, of Golspie.

The Reverend McGregoranswered the call made bythe Rev Dr WilliamRobertson, who was theDutch Reformed Churchminister in Worcester,Western Cape, forministers of the ScottishChurch to come to SouthAfrica to help the localDutch Reformed Church

which was at the time struggling to find ministers to look after its parishes.

He came to South Africa in 1862 and became the minister in the town of Robertson shortlyafter marrying Dr Robertsons eldest daughter Elizabeth. Robertson was named after the greatDr William.

Near the town of Robertson was a little village, at the time known as Lady Grey. The RevMcGregor ministered to the people of this village as part of his parish, although it was some

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1 Baby Murray McGregor with his father and grandfather, both Rev Andrew McGregor!

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distance away. He became much loved by the people of Lady Grey and he felt that the villageshould become a congregation in its own right. He worked hard to make this happen which itdid in 1902. The villages name was subsequently changed to McGregor.

Andrew and Elizabeth McGregor had ten children, of whom four died in childhood. Thefourth oldest surviving child of this marriage was Andrew Murray McGregor who was born

in 1873 and died in 1943. He was, like his father, a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church.

Andrew Murray McGregor married Maria Hofmeyr, who was always known as Miemie, andthey had five children, the second youngest of them also called Andrew Murray, born in1908. He is the baby in the old photograph and the elderly bearded man in the new

photograph!

Andrew Murray McGregor Jnrmarried Margery Morris ofGeorge in the Western Cape

and they had two children Chris and Anthony, who is usually known as Tony. He is themiddle-aged man in the second photo.

Tony married Joan Christopher in 1969 and they had two children, Christopher, now knownas Zak, and Sarah. Zak is the young man in the second photo. This photo was taken in 1989in Johannesburg.

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2 Tony McGregor (left), with his father Murray and son Zak