The Dinwoodies of Scotland. Helen Dinwoodie Smith.

The grandmother of my wife was a Dinwoodie.

She was Helen Dinwoodie Smith. She was a beloved character in our family. We visited her home in San Luis Obispo often. We all looked forward to her visits to our home over Christmas every year. The visit eventually became more than she could do and we were so blue. She was always called Neway. Here she is at two years old.

She was proud to be a Dinwoodie. The Dinwoodies originated in Dumfries, Scotland in the 11th Century. The name is from a hill (871 feet) in the area. In the 1700s many moved to the Glasgow/Paisley area. It is believed that the forebears of the Dinwoodies were Normans who settled in the area with Robert DeBruce or indigenous Kelts. The first mention of a Dinwoodie was in 1191 AD.

The clock below was one of her fondest possessions.

The clock now belongs to my daughter Kerry. It is in her sunroom.

Neway was a lovable and interesting woman who with her husband had quite a life. I will recount what I know about that life in a blog or two.