Hi All
The story I have is less a story about Deptford and more about a family mystery that led me to Deptford. I live in Auckland New Zealand. My son and his family live in Walthamstow in London and we visit as often as we can to help out with their young family. I have always had the unusual feeling when we visit that I belong here. I hold the name McIver because that was my father’s adopted name. He was adopted by his grandmother and her 3rd husband. His family emigrated to NZ from Northern Ireland in the 1880s. His grandmother’s family was of Shetland Island and Swedish origin, both families emigrating to NZ in the 1870s. My mother’s family is of Scottish heritage, Macerlichs, and MacDonalds. They emigrated to NZ in the 1920s My Dad was born illegitimately and he never knew who his birth father was. He was born in 1920 and died in 1990.
About 15 years ago I started to research his upbringing only to find that the documentary record of who his birth father has never existed and family history ( if it ever existed ) had been lost as those family generations departed. About 3 years ago I decided to use DNA as my research tool. Aided by some experts in this field and some serendipity, including Johnson descendants in England that knew of their grandfather’s lost half-brother who came to NZ but knew some snippets of information, I positively identified John Johnson of Deptford as my ‘lost’ grandfather.
My recent visit to Watergate St was the first chance I have had to visit since the Covid travel restrictions. I was very happy to read your Old Deptford website and will use that to continue my research and to communicate my findings within our family.
So, a story not directly related to the history of Deptford, but some of your readers may know of the Johnson family of lightermen of Deptford.
Regards and thanks
Warren McIver
