The Cassidy Family
David & Anne Hamilton
Anne Cassidy Hamilton
Memories of Addiewell & Loganlea
By Anne Cassidy Hamilton
I was born in the front bedroom of 37 Mooreland Gardens, Loganlea on February 26, 1951 and lived there until 1969 when I went to live in London. Most of the older people reading this will know my parents, Pat and May Cassidy. My older brother was Peter Cassidy (who recently passed away) and my older sister is Catherine Cassidy (who now lives in Shotts). Most of you will also know my cousin Catherine "Kit" Cassidy, although no one in the family has ever called her Kit. She now lives in Barbados. Tommy and Frank Cassidy who now live in West Calder are also my cousins. My best friend was my cousin, Margaret Cairns (daughter of Katie Cassidy and Bob Cairns). She now lives in France.
I don't think there are any Cassidy's living in Loganlea now but when I was growing up we had family on every street in the village. I have wonderful memories of growing up in Loganlea, playing hide and seek until ten o'clock at night in the summer, going down the hills on our sleds in winter; and the Gala Day was the highlight of the year when "Broughton's Shows" came to the village. I am now trying to locate old family photographs to post on the site.
I married an American in 1970 and came to live in the United States in 1971. My husband and I now live in Kansas City, Missouri (his home town). We moved here from Washington DC after he retired in 2002. I work as a paralegal for a law firm here in Kansas City.
Although I have now lived in the USA for 41 years, I have never gone more then a few years without making a trip back to Scotland to visit and I love to walk around Loganlea and remember how it was growing up. I don't know who lives at 37 Mooreland Gardens now but I go by there every time and it brings back memories of a wonderful childhood, so if you see a strange woman taking pictures of your house, it is probably me.
Although our family has settled in many different parts of the world, we are all still very close and see each other regularly, It may be here in the USA, Barbados, Scotland or London, wherever there is a wedding or unfortunately a funeral, we all come together to support each other and thoroughly enjoy our time together.
Finally, I would like to thank Billy Kane and all of the others responsible for creating and maintaining the Addiewell site. I have enjoyed reading the articles and viewing the pictures of "old Addiewell" and the mining community. I have also passed the site on to my children so that they can see where they come from, and never forget their coal mining heritage, hard working people who are the salt of the earth.
I had many friends in Loganlea growing up but have no idea where they are now. I would love to hear from the people who grew up with me in Loganlea. My e-mail is gabannie@yahoo.com. I am also on facebook.
Anne Cassidy Hamilton