Two special visitors have enjoyed a poignant look back into their West Devon past, thanks to local amateur historians.

Tavistock welcomed husband and wife Rayford Haaga and Sue Ellen from Memphis, Tennessee, to a moving tour of their ancestral links to the town, via a cruise ship anchored in Plymouth for the day.

Sue Ellen’s relatives come from Tavistock. She thanked her guides: “It was great seeing my grandmother’s history, and we are so grateful for all you did to make our visit possible.”

It is rare for Plymouth cruise passengers to travel inland to Tavistock, but thanks to the Tavistock Heritage Alliance, their journey turned into a memorable exploration of family roots.

David Conn, Tavistock Heritage Alliance chair, coordinated the visit.

He said: “This unique visit was possible through the collaboration of the alliance and a reminder of how the town’s history still resonates across generations and continents. For Sue Ellen and Rayford Haaga this was not just another excursion from a cruise ship, it was a homecoming.”

At St Eustachius’ Church, they saw the historic font where Sir Francis Drake was baptised and, movingly, where Sue Ellen’s grandmother Clarice Eales and her twin brother were baptised in 1898 and two Eales family weddings were celebrated.

They visited Pixon Toll House old turnpike and a Westbridge Bedford Cottage, where the couple were welcomed by Eileen Bradley, 90, and her daughter.

Clarice Eales lived in Eileen’s cottage as a child following her mother’s early death. The meetIng brought family history tangibly to life.

The next stop was Plymouth Road Cemetery, where the history tourists paid their respects at the graves of their great-grandmother and great-great-grandparents. Opposite lay the Rogers family vault, including a Titanic casualty — a poignant detail for Sue Ellen and Rayford who have visited the Titanic Museum in Belfast.

Over a cream tea at the Bedford Hotel, Sue Ellen showed off her family history book with old photos, written by her aunt – adding to the Eales family story, including their 1913 emigration from Tavistock to the US.

The couple initially asked Tavistock Local History Society about a heritage tour of Tavistock built around their own research into their family hometown.

Society chair Chris Bellers was delighted, rallying the town’s heritage organisations to jointly provide the ‘ultimate personalised heritage experience’.

The couple were met by Clive Fairchild, from Tavistock Heritage Trust, who introduced them to Tavistock’s history with a short walking tour through Guildhall Square, the Abbey precinct, and along the canal. The essence of Tavistock’s medieval and industrial story was brought vividly to life.

The visit ended with a drive to Plymouth by Mitch their driver and a stop at the former wartime bombed site of the Herbert Place home in Devonport, where Sue Ellen and her twin brother Clarice were born and their mother died.

Sue Ellen said: “Our trip to Tavistock was wonderful. Clive did a great job giving us the history of the town. Chris did an amazing job researching my family. Mitch was a delightful driver as well. Our cream tea at the Bedford Hotel was delicious and we enjoyed having the local experience. “