Footsteps Of The Past

Sorting Saturday ~ How I Organize My Digital Files

2013-04-27T15:40:00.001-04:00

Organizing your digital files is so important. It is so easy to misplace important files in the abyss of your hard drive! Not to mention having your files properly organized makes it so much easier to back up your data to the cloud or an external hard drive for safe keeping.

When I first started adding my genealogy records onto my computer, I tested out a few different file systems to see what worked for me the best.

I store all of my genealogical data in my Dropbox folder. I love Dropbox because it makes backing up your data so simple and it's easy to access your data from another computer.

In my Dropbox folder I have a sub folder called Genealogy. In this folder I keep sub folders for my correspondence copies, history books, photos, my RootsMagic back up files and working files and surnames.

Inside the surnames folder I create a folder for each person the tree belongs to. I have one for my tree, my hubby's tree and any other friends I might be helping with their research.

Inside each of these folders I break the lines down with surname folders. Inside each surname folder I give each family group their own folder. Inside these I make folders for birth, marriage, death, and any other fact that I have images or documents for. I store all documents created before a persons marriage in their parents folders.

I find this system works really well for me. I can quickly find any record by going straight to the persons family group folder.
Currently I've been keeping my genealogy photos separate from the records collections. I've been thinking it might be simpler if I merged these together by adding a photos sub folder to each family group that I have genealogical records for. I haven't fully made up my mind yet.

How do you organize your digital genealogy files?

If your not currently using Dropbox to backup your files and would like to try it out, using my affiliate link will give each of us an extra 500 MB of free space, on top of the 2 GB of free space they start you with. I receive no payment of any kind from Dropbox other than the extra free space, I'm just a very happy user. Thank you!

How to export from Evernote as a PDF and convert to JPG

2013-04-26T10:25:00.000-04:00

I am a huge Evernote fan and I've used it daily for the past few years. I've found it to be a wonderful help when I'm researching. I can clip webpages, forum comments, images and make notes for the person or area I'm researching.

Evernote does have a flaw that I've had many genealogy friends mention. You can only export from Evernote in .enex, .mht, and html formats. This is not helpful if your wanting to export notes or images to attach to genealogy software! Most genealogy programs are able to link document files, PDFs and image files like jpg with out a problem.

My work around for this is instead of using the Evernote export option I use print to file. Then I have it print the note as a PDF. Linux and Mac's can do this normally with out issue, but if your running Windows and don't have Adobe Acrobat you can still set this up. You will need to install a free PDF printing program. I've used both PDF995 and CutePDF in the past and both worked well. As with most free software remember to check for browser add-on bars and unselect these if they are not something you want during the install.

The screenshots I'm demoing below where taken with the Evernote web interface, but it works the same what with their desktop software. I'm a Linux user and since Evernote doesn't have a Linux version I often find I work in web format. As a sidenote I do have Evernote installed in Crossover and use NixNote as well, I'll post more about that another day. Your screen might look slightly different depending on what operating system your using but the options should sill be there.

In Evernote, select the note you want to export then go to the File Menu and select Print. When the print window comes up select Print to File.

After selecting Print to File you will have the option to enter a file name and decide where you want to save the PDF.

You can see below I've given the PDF the name evernotetest.pdf and told it to save in my Kim folder.

After clicking print go to your destination folder and your Evernote note will be there in PDF format. Now you can easily attach this to your genealogy software or upload it to Ancestry.com.

If you prefer to work with JPGs instead of PDFs you can now convert this PDF into a JPG. I like to use the free GIMP software for this.

In GIMP go to File then OPEN and find your PDF. You will see an option screen to select how you want to import your PDF. If it has multiple pages, you can select any or all of them to import. You can also select the image resolution option. If your only going to use this for web then the default 100px is more then enough. However if you want to print this then you will want to increase it to 300px. When ready click on Import.

Your PDF has now been imported into GIMP. Now you can crop and edit it if you like.

When you are finished and ready to save it as a JPG, go to the File menu and select Export. Now you can give your file a name and use the Select File Type box to pick JPG.

After clicking Export you will get one more menu pop up to select the quality of the JPG file. Click on Export when you are done here.

Now your JPG is ready and you can work with it as you would any image.

Because you are using the Export option you will still have your original PDF copy and your new JPG copy on your computer to work with. Now you can go a head and link either file to your favourite genealogy software, add the jpg to your blog or share with others who don't use Evernote.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Social Media Genealogy Meme

2013-03-03T00:22:00.000-05:00

Randy at Genia-Musings has posted another great Saturday Night Blog Challange.

Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

1) Go to Jill Ball's Geniaus blog post describing A Small Social Media Geneameme. Note the 8 questions.

2) Answer one, two, some or all of the questions in your own blog post, in comments to this post, in comments to Jill's post, in a Facebook Status post, or a Google+ Stream post.

1. Tell us about your favourite social media tool and why you like it.

It would be hard to pick just one, but blogging would have to be it. I've had a website/blog on different topics for the past 10 years. They really help you to connect and share with other people who share the same interests.

2. How do you use social media to further your genealogy career or business?

I don't run a genealogy business!

3. What advice would you give the cruiser who said “I must be living
under a rock” and is not sure about coming out from under it? (This came from my Social Media presentation)

Jump in! Social media has been a huge help for me in tracking down long lost family lines. It is also a great way to keep up with the latest available resources for genealogy research.

4. What aspect of Social Media makes you grit your teeth?

The long and hateful posts on any topics but often politics that circle around places mainly Face Book. These really serve no purpose other then to hurt most of the people involved. I can't stand how people will hide behind social media to say cruel things they likely would not say in person.

5. How does social media assist with your CGD (continuing genealogical development)?

I use Google reader to keep up or try to keep up with many genealogy and technology blogs. I love to know when new record sources come online. I've also learned many new research strategies from reading blogs and chatting with people on Facebook and Google Plus. I like to read technology blogs, mostly Linux related ones since that is the OS I use. I always find new programs to help keep track of notes, photos etc.

6. How do you fit social media time into your busy day?

HA! That is a challenge. I'm a homemaker with young children, so my online time is limited. If I have to choose between checking in on Facebook or research, I'll pick the research. I don't go on Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus everyday, but I do try to check my blog reader.

7. Do you have a story of how social media enabled you to connect with a long lost relation or fellow researcher?

Only one? I have found many cousins on Facebook. When I find an obit for a family member I always try to see if I can find the people mentioned on Facebook. This has lead to some wonderful family connections, who have shared stories and photos with me.
I've met cousins through forum posts and WikiTree as well.

8. You have a minute to share a piece of advice about genealogy and social media. Go for it.

Use social media as another tool, enjoy it as a way to keep in touch with family and friends. Don't let yourself feel like you MUST check every site through out the day, or run to your pc or phone ever time you get a new message. Find the right balance for you!

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Signs You Have Genealogy OCD

2013-02-16T16:16:00.001-05:00

Randy Seaver at Genea Musings has posted another great Saturday Night Genealogy Fun Challenge!

From his blog:
Your mission, should you decide to accept it (and I hope that all of you do!), is to:
1) Read Michael John Neill's post 10 Signs You Have Genealogy OCD (come on, give Michael some link love) and the comments too (I know it's an old post, we did this in 2011 too!).
2) Make up any number of sentences that will add to his list of signs that you have Genealogy OCD. From one to many, no limit! Be creative!!
3) Share your ingenuity and humor with us in your own blog post, in Comments to this post, in comments to Michael's post, or in a comment on Google Plus or Facebook.

I had a great time reading Michael Neill's post of 10 Sings You Have Genealogy OCD. I was laughing and nodding my head for most of the list!

Here is my list:

You spend your "extra" time randomly Google searching ancestor names.
You check RootsWeb trees and forums multiple times a day to see if anyone has posted on your surnames.
You spend hours building family trees for DNA matches to try and find how your related to them.
You check Family Tree DNA and GEDmatch daily to see if you have new matches.
Your pile of sewing, knitting and crochet projects continue to pile up as every extra minute you would rather be searching Ancestry or FamilySearch.
Your children's story time is more about what Grandma and Grandpa did then the Little Red Hen.
You go to all the used book sales in the area to scout for local history books.

What would you add to the list? Head over to Randy's post to see additions from others "suffering" from GOCD.

Citing Wikipedia Articles in RootsMagic 6

2013-02-16T15:51:00.001-05:00

While I've been working on a newer family line (Howatt from PEI) I discovered some of my cousins were involved in politics there. I found this out by doing a Google search on their names and articles from Wikipedia came up in the top searches.

One of my projects this year is to add more social history to my files and using Wikipedia to find short biographies on people, places and events is helpful. Yes they are secondary sources but there are many wonderful pages there.

The first page I'm working with is for my 1st cousin 5 times removed John Howatt Bell. He was born 13 December 1846 in Cape Traverse, PEI and died 29 January 1929 in Los Angeles, CA. John Howatt Bell was the 12 Premier of Prince Edward Island.

To source the page for John Howatt Bell in Roots Magic 6, I chose the "Website as a book" template. This seemed to fit an encyclopedia style website the best.

Click on the image to view full size.

Wikipedia has a good page on how to cite pages from their website.

I chose to name my source with Wikipedia followed by the persons name or event. This will make it easy to find in my source list.

The remaining fields I filled in as follows:

Author: Wikipedia
Creator or Owner: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
Title of Website: Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia John Howatt Bell
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Howatt_Bell&oldid=535676491
Access type: accessed
Access date: 16 February 2013
Item of interest: John Howatt Bell December 13, 1846 - January 29, 1929

This produces the following footnote:
Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia John Howatt Bell (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Howatt_Bell&oldid=535676491 : accessed 16 February 2013), John Howatt Bell December 13, 1846 – January 29, 1929.

Another option would be to list the author as Wikipedia contributors since it is a multi user written site. I opted to use the permalink on Wikipedia for the article It might not look as "pretty" as the default URL but it will take the person to the page exactly as it was when I viewed it. Then the person has the option to view older or newer versions of the article.
To find the permalink option, in the menu area on the left hand side of the page click on "toolbox" permalink is currently the 5th option down under that menu.

Next I copied the text from the Wikipedia page into my detail text field This way I will always have a copy of that page. Then I added a weblink to that page. I set the source rating to Derivative, Secondary, Indirect.

How do you cite your Wikipedia articles?

2013 Research Goals

2013-01-14T11:24:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's 2013 already! This past year seemed to just fly by.

I don't normally make New Years Resolutions but I do like to take time through out the year to reevaluate how things are going. There is always room for improvement, right?

Looking back at my blog, it looks like I didn't post any goals in 2012, but I did in 2011.

My 2011 goals were:

Organization: I have a huge amount of documents and scanned images that need to be organized. I'm working to finish my pc hard drive organization. Get all the files in their proper place and linked into my genealogy software.

Scanning: I would like to finish scanning in my older photos and the newer ones taken before I started having them put on CD's.

Research: I would like to order the BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death) certificates for for my direct ancestors that I'm missing.
I would like to get a subscription to the Swedish online archives. My Great Grandfather Oscar Anderson came from Sweden and I would like to find his family there.
Keep searching for the marriage info on Frederick Robichaud and Elizabeth Gallant. They are the parents of my Great Grandmother. I have Frederic's info from his second marriage, but have been unable to find Elizabeth's parents.
I would also LOVE to find some photos of my father when he was a young man or boy.

Looking back many of these goals were not accomplished in 2011, but they were in 2012!

Starting with my organizational goal.
I have a huge amount of documents and scanned images that need to be organized. I'm working to finish my pc hard drive organization. Get all the files in their proper place and linked into my genealogy software.

I have scanned a large amount of papers and photos. Yes there are more to come, but I've made a big dent in it. I've also worked out a system for storing documents and photos on my computer.

My scanning goal.
I would like to finish scanning in my older photos and the newer ones taken before I started having them put on CD's.

I did scan most of my older photos and have them backed up to dropbox. I still have some of the newer photos to scan. These are ones taken in the last 20ish years.

Research goal.
I would like to order the BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death) certificates for for my direct ancestors that I'm missing.
I would like to get a subscription to the Swedish online archives. My Great Grandfather Oscar Anderson came from Sweden and I would like to find his family there.
Keep searching for the marriage info on Frederick Robichaud and Elizabeth Gallant. They are the parents of my Great Grandmother. I have Frederick's info from his second marriage, but have been unable to find Elizabeth's parents.
I would also LOVE to find some photos of my father when he was a young man or boy.

I'm happy to say in 2012 I was able to accomplish most of these goals! Ordering the BMD records for my direct ancestors, well money has been a bit tight this past few years so I'm still working on that. But I have been able to fill in a lot of them with the free images on Family Search.

I didn't get a subscription to the Swedish archives. However Ancestry bought Genlines and now has the Swedish records as part of their collection. That has been a big help! If you have access to the library addition from home, you can search it any time with out a subscription.
Arkiv Digital is another great site and they offer a few free weekends a year.

My Frederick Robichaud and Elizabeth Gallant, marriage has been found. At least the Northumberland County copy. I did already have a transcription of it, but the image had some more details. The local parish one that would have more details is still missing. With all the researchers, archives and pro. genealogists who have looked for it, I'm beginning to think it has been lost. Yet I have been able to use other resources to confirm Eliza parents. More on that puzzle to come!

And last but certainly not least, my fathers photos. A cousin (thank you!!) was able to find some photos of my father as a boy and young man and sent me some scans. It was amazing to see how much our son looked like my dad when he was little! I had to laugh at one with my dad crying and he looked to be about 2 or 3. My son who is 4 has the same pout!

Looking back over this year I've made a great headway in breaking down some brick walls. I've been so blessed to find new cousins who have an interest in genealogy.

Now looking at my goals for 2013.

I would like to focus on some brick walls, especially my Irish ones. I'm currently working on my Smith (oy, yes Smith!) Irish line. I'm making steps towards breaking it down.
I would also like to keep working on my Irish Stinson line.

Now I tend to jump around a lot in my research. I seem to spend a few weeks on one line, then jump to another when I stumble on to information for it. This has both good and bad sides. The good is I find more data and connections then I was expecting. The bad is it's easy to forget what you were doing with the first line. To fix this I want to make better use of my research logs. RootsMagic has a great research log in it's program. My problem is remembering to use it! So this year I would like to get in the habit of writing down each step and source I check.
This should make it easier to come back to a line after spending time working on another.

I would like to get caught up on my data entry. I have a lot of info I've found this past year sitting her saved in notes or paper piles that need to be entered. I would like to think I would do all this before moving on in research. I know I should, but likely that wont happen! lol
So I would like to spend at least a few hours a week working on just this project.

This past year I was gifted with a Family Finder DNA test and it has been an amazing help in my research. It has helped to solve a brick wall and confirm other lines. However I have many cousins I'm matching at the 3rd and 4th cousin relationship that we can not figure out how we are related yet. I would like to keep working on finding the puzzle peaces here.

I would also like to get in the habit of blogging more. I often plan to sit here and write, but then I get distracted researching and before I know it it's midnight or later.

So in summary I would like to:

Spend more time working on my Irish brick walls.
Make better use of research logs.
Catch up on the data entry backlog .
Keep learning about DNA and try to figure out some mystery connections there.
Blog more!

I think these are all doable and they don't just apply to 2013, but to years of research.

What are your family history goals?

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Semi-Random Research

2013-01-13T00:54:00.000-05:00

Randy Seaver, at Genea-Musings,
1) We're going to do a little bit of Semi-Random Research tonight...
2) Go to your family tree database of choice (you know, like RootsMagic, Reunion, Ancestry Member Tree), and determine who the very last person on your list of names is.
3) What do you know about this person based on your research? It's OK to do more if you need to - in fact, it's encouraged!
4) How are you related to this person, and why is s/he in your family tree?
5) Tell us about it in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blogpost, or in a Facebook Status post or Google+ Stream post.

Thanks to Randy for this weekends challenge!

The last person in my database is William Young. He was born about 1849 in Germany (Baden?) and he died 9 August 1874, in Cambridge, MA. William was the first husband of my 3rd Great Grandmother Margaret Ann Hazlett b. abt 1851 Co. Tyrone, Ireland - d. 6 March 1905 Cambridge, MA. They married in Cambridge on the 3 Apr 1873.

Before William died, he and Margaret had one daughter Martha Young born 5 Mar 1874 also in Cambridge.

I know very little about William. From his marriage record we get his age as 24, making his birth abt 1849 in Germany. His marriage record lists his father as Frank and mother as Thekla. There are no parents listed on his death record.

Tonight I went to Family Search and entered his parents names in the search. I didn't think I would find anything, as I had done this before with out luck. But SURPRISE! I found a possible brother for William.

The first entry I found was a death record for a Christian Youg born about 1844 in Germany. He died 8 Jun 1878 in Boston, MA. The death record lists his parents as Franz and Thekla. It also says that Christian was a widow.

Thekla seems not to be a very common name. Searching Family Search for it brings up few results. I wonder if it is a shortened name? Frank and Franz may or may not be the same person, but it is common for names to be changed or spelled very differently after people immigrate.

I checked the 1870 USA census and found Christian living in Boston with the family of Louis and Catharine Grity. They are both listed as born in Baden, as is Christian Young. He is shown to be 26 years old, widowed and his occupation is a teamster. This all matches the death record.

A quick check of the 1865 MA state census and the 1860 USA census does not show Christian or William.

I think they likely immigrated about 1870, but I will go back and check the census records more carefully.

One more look on Family Search turns up a marriage record for Christian Young to Fredericka Slaupein on 16 Jan 1873 in Boston. This time Christians parents are listed as Francis and Thekla.

Blog Caroling ~ White Christmas

2012-12-14T21:04:00.001-05:00

Each year Footnote Maven host a wonderful blog caroling. The last time I joined in I shared my all time favourite song Silent Night. Although it really is so hard to pick just ONE favourite song!

This year I would like to share another favourite since I was a little girl, it's White Christmas.
When I was young my Grandmother often played this song on her record player. We had it on at least two albums. The first was Conway Twitty's Twitty Birds Christmas. Oh how I loved that record, we played it over and over again! The other was Bing Crosby's version and I enjoy that one just as much.

This year it looks like we will have an unusual green Christmas!

Lyrics for a White Christmas

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know.
Where the tree-tops glisten,
And children listen
To hear sleighbells in the snow.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
With every Christmas card I write,
"May your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white".

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know.
Where the tree-tops glisten,
And children listen
To hear sleighbells in the snow.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
With every Christmas card I write,
"May your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white".

RootsMagic 6 ~ Part 1

2012-11-22T18:05:00.001-05:00

This past Monday I finally had time to check in on Facebook and what was the first thing I see? A posting that RootsMagic 6 had been released! That was a wonderful surprise.
Since then I've had time to try out the new version and watch RootsMagic's latest webinar. I have to say I think RootsMagic 6 is a winner!

According to their website the main new features are:

Online Publishing – Create beautiful, dynamic websites with pedigree, family and individual views as well as supporting notes, sources, and media. And with our free My.RootsMagic.com hosting service, your genealogy has an online home with the click of a mouse.
Live Timeline View – A live-edit panel on RootsMagic’s timeline view makes this one of the most powerful editing features ever! Make corrections to your data while viewing it in context with other family members life events.
Find Everywhere – With a single search you can now find every record in your file containing the text you want. Quickly find people, families, notes, sources, places, to-do items, research logs, and more. Then edit those found records directly from the search results.
WebTags – Link people, sources, places, and more to websites using RootsMagic 6′s new WebTags.
CountyCheck Explorer – Look up a county, state, or country from a multi-national database. It can even show you online maps of county boundaries for that date.
Plus dozens of other enhancements and features

The webtags feature is really cool and something I've been wishing for a while now! As we research our family, we often find webpages that mention them. Until now I've had to add these to the notes in either the person, fact or source field. The downside to doing this, was it was easy to forget about them. They were also not hyper linked, so you would have to copy and paste them into your browser.

Now with the webtags it is easy to find and go to these website. When your in the edit screen, look at the top row of buttons. The one on the far right is the "Webtags", clicking this pops up a new window.

Clicking on "Add" opens a screen where you can enter the websites name and the URL to the page you want. Their is also a space for notes.

When you go into the person webtag window, you can also edit the webtag. This is great for updating an URL that has changed. You can also delete it or click on "Go" to open the link in your browser.

You can add webtags to people, places, and sources. I'm wondering if this might be heading towards a support for the webtags Family Searches Family Tree is now using.

Another new feature I really wanted to check out was the Timeline View live editing. I think this is a wonderful new feature! Before if you wanted to edit a person's data, you had to go into their edit person screen. You can still do this, but the live editing from the time line puts all events for that person, their spouse, parents and children all together.

Along the top bar there are 3 buttons. Add a Fact, Delete Fact and Options. Clicking Add a Fact opens the familiar fact/event window and it's as easy as selecting what fact you want. Then typing the data into the window in the right side of the screen. You can still easily add notes and sources.

A handy feature is if your looking at the time line and you notice a family member has an error in their data. You can easily correct it from here. Just click on that fact and make the change. Or if you double click on it, it will open their full edit window. This makes it MUCH faster then before.

The Options button opens up a window were you can select what you would like the timeline view to show or not show. You can turn on and off items like facts for spouses, siblings and children. You can reverse place names and chose to show or not show shared events. You can also turn off the graphic timeline at the top, this is helpful if your monitor is small!

In my next post I'll be sharing my thoughts on the new web publishing features.

ArkivDigital Free this weekend

2012-11-07T09:33:00.000-05:00

A heads up for fellow researchers, I received a newsletter in my email this morning that ArkivDigital will be having another FREE weekend this November 10-11. You can find out more about it on their website. ArkivDigital is one of my favourite places to research my Swedish ancestors!

Genetic Genealogy The Journey Begins

2012-09-08T16:40:00.001-04:00

Thanks to a cousin gifting me with a test, I have the results of Family Tree DNA Family Finder. Very interesting indeed!

British Home Child Day ~ Remembering Henry Laws

2011-09-28T16:40:00.000-04:00

Today is the first official day of remembrance for British Home Children in Ontario. British home children, are the thousands of children taken from their homes in Britten and send as indentured workers around the world. Some were sent to Australia, over 100,000 were sent to Canada between 1870 and until the late 1940's. It is estimated that 12% of Canadians can trace their family roots to a British home child. I am one of many Canadians with home child roots.

Henry "Harry" Laws
1887-1965

My Great Grandfather Henry Laws was born in 1887 in Birmingham, England. His father Henry Sr. was a wire weaver and although he must have worked long and hard hours the family like most was not well off. Henry's mother Caroline died 7 Jul 1893, after her death the daily care of the children likely fell to the oldest daughter while father Henry was at work.
In 1897 Henry Jr. and his younger brother William were picked up for truancy, with their father unable to pay the fine he was faced with a terrible choice. He could be sent to prison for non payment, presumably all the children would then be placed into a work house, or he could turn the 2 boys over to a work house.
As hard on the family as this must have been Henry Jr. and William were sent to the Middlemore home in Birmingham together. A few months later they were sent to Canada.
Luckily they were able to travel together and although they were sent to different farms to work on, they were only about a mile apart with a river between them and able to keep in touch.

Henry grew up to work for the railroad, becoming a section foreman in Queenstown, Maple Grove and later Marysville, New Brunswick. Henry married Bessie Puddington in 1912 and raised 5 children together. In Marysville he owned a 100 acre farm that was largely made up of bush, that he logged.

While Henry passed away long before I was born, his quiet strength lives on in family memory.

Sunday’s Obituary ~ Henry "Harry" Laws

2011-04-10T06:00:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I posted 2 generations of the Lawes family. Today I'm sharing the obit for Henry Lawes Jr., my G Grandfather.

Laws: Harry H. Laws, age 78 years. 343 Canada Street, Marysville, passed away at his home October 3, 1965. Survived by five sons, six grandchildren.
Resting at Bishop's Funeral Home 540 Woodstock Road, then taken to his late home to rest until Tuesday at 2 p.m. when service will be held. Rev. G. Howard Christie will officiate.
Interment in the United Church Cemetery.
Printed in the 4 Oct 1965, issue of the Daily Gleaner Fredericton, NB.

Surname Saturday ~ Lawes & Laws

2011-04-09T06:00:00.007-04:00

I'm starting off today sharing my G G Grandfather Henry John Lawes and two generations of his descendants. I will be sharing more detailed posts about some of these people this week.

1. Henry John Lawes was born in Dec 1851 in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He died in Mar 1925 at the age of 73 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. He was a wire weaver.

Caroline Whittaker was born in Jun 1854 in Aston, Warwickshire, England. Caroline died on 7 Jun 1893 at the age of 39 at 7 Court, 7 Bristol Street in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

Henry John Lawes and Caroline Whittaker had the following children:

2 i. Gertrude Beatrice Lawes, born 30 Nov 1878, Deritend, Aston, Birmingham, England; married John Derrington, 25 Dec 1904, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England; died 1963, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.
3 ii. Leah Lawes, born Jun 1880, Aston, Birmingham, England; married John H Plumb, 24 Dec 1899, Aston, Birmingham, England; died Mar 1913, Aston, Birmingham, England.
4 iii. Annie Elizabeth Lawes, born abt 1883, Aston, Birmingham, England; married Arthur Ravenhall, 5 Jul 1903, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.
iv. Fanny Lawes was born on 10 Nov 1883 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. She appeared in the census in 1891 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.
5 v. Henry "Harry" Lawes Jr, born 28 Jan 1887, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England; married Bessie Hazel Puddington, 29 May 1912, Saint John, Saint John CO, New Brunswick, Canada; died 1 Oct 1965, Marysville, York CO, New Brunswick, Canada.
vi. William Lawes was born on 31 Oct 1888 at 7 Court, 2 Bristol Street in St. Thomas, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. He appeared in the census in 1891 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. He appeared in the census in 1901 in Wickham, Sunbury & Queens, New Brunswick, Canada.
vii. Walter Lawes was born in Sep 1890 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. He appeared in the census in 1891 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.
6 viii. George Edward Lawes, born 3 Apr 1892, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England; married Lily Bernardine C Gibbons; died 1972.

Second Generation

2. Gertrude Beatrice Lawes (Henry John-1) was born on 30 Nov 1878 in Deritend, Aston, Birmingham, England. Gertrude died in 1963 at the age of 85 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

Gertrude Beatrice Lawes and John Derrington were married on 25 Dec 1904 at St Gabriel's Church in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. John Derrington was born in Mar 1876 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. He died in 1937 at the age of 61.

John Derrington and Gertrude Beatrice Lawes had the following children:

i. Henry William Derrington was born in 1906 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. He died in 1959 at the age of 53 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.
7 ii. Amelia Derrington, born 8 Apr 1908, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England; married Reginald Samuel Stancer; married Arthur Ronald Knott, 1948, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England; died 25 Feb 1994, Sutton Coldfield.
iii. Walter Derrington was born in Dec 1914 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.
iv. John Allen Derrington was born on 1 Nov 1919 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. He died in 1992 at the age of 73 in Sutton Coldfield.
8 v. Kathleen Mary Derrington, born 10 Oct 1921, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England; married Leslie Wilson, 6 Sep 1947, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England; died 26 Sep 1992, Sutton Coldfield.

3. Leah Lawes (Henry John-1) was born in Jun 1880 in Aston, Birmingham, England. Leah died in Mar 1913 at the age of 32 in Aston, Birmingham, England.

Leah Lawes and John H Plumb were married on 24 Dec 1899 at St James Church in Aston, Birmingham, England. John H Plumb was born in Mar 1870 in Aston, Warwickshire, England. He died in Sep 1913 at the age of 43 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

John H Plumb and Leah Lawes had the following child:

i. John Thomas Plumb was born in Sep 1900 in Aston, Birmingham, England.

4. Annie Elizabeth Lawes (Henry John-1) was born about 1883 in Aston, Birmingham, England.

Annie Elizabeth Lawes and Arthur Ravenhall were married on 5 Jul 1903 at St George's parish church in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. Arthur Ravenhall was born about 1879 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

5. Henry "Harry" Lawes Jr (Henry John-1) was born on 28 Jan 1887 at 25 Court 1 Lower Essex Street in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. He died on 1 Oct 1965 at the age of 78 in Marysville, York CO, New Brunswick, Canada. He was buried in Oct 1969 at United Church cemetery, 359 Canada Street in Marysville, York CO, New Brunswick, Canada.
After marriage he changed his last name from Lawes to Laws.

Henry "Harry" Lawes Jr and Bessie Hazel Puddington were married on 29 May 1912 in Saint John, Saint John CO, New Brunswick, Canada. Bessie Hazel Puddington, daughter of Harry Hudson Puddington and Elsie Mae Schuler, was born in 1898 in Sommerville, MA. Bessie died on 9 Nov 1959 at the age of 61 in Marysville, York CO, New Brunswick, Canada.

Henry Lawes and Bessie Hazel Puddington had the following children:

i. Earle E Laws was born in 1920. He was born in 1920 in Queenstown, New Brunswick, Canada. He died in 1970 at the age of 50. Earle died in 1970 at the age of 50 in Marysville, York CO, New Brunswick, Canada.
ii. Harold Laws was born in 1920. He died in 1920 at the age of 0. He was born in 1920 in Queenstown, , New Brunswick, Canada. Harold died in 1920 at the age of 0 in Queenstown, , New Brunswick, Canada.
9 iii. Norman H Laws, born 1921; died 24 Oct 1993, Toronto, York County, Ontario, Canada.
10 iv. Gordon Schuler Laws, born 2 Oct 1922, Queenstown, New Brunswick, Canada; married Mary Hilda Anderson, 8 Sep 1941, Devon, York, New Brunswick, Canada; died 20 Jun 1982, London, , Ontario, Canada.
11 v. LIVING
12 vi. Harry Puddington Laws, born 1927, Maple Grove, New Brunswick, Canada; married Mary Alberta MORGAN, 27 Sep 1952, Marysville, York CO, New Brunswick, Canada; married (Living?); died 17 Jul 2007.
vii. Ruth Victoria Laws was born in 1938. She died in 1938 at the age of 0.

6. George Edward Lawes (Henry John-1) was born on 3 Apr 1892 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. He died in 1972 at the age of 80.

George Edward Lawes and Lily Bernardine C Gibbons were married. Lily Bernardine C Gibbons was born on 10 Jun 1894 in Oxford.

Charles & Margaret Stinson

2011-04-08T12:59:00.001-04:00

A little while ago I posted about the Stinson family I was working on. I've made a little progress, but also hit many brick walls.
I've been able to track the older children listed in the 1851 census (listed in the post linked to above), but the parents have just vanished.
The Anglican Archives checked for a death record for Margaret and Charles Stinson between 1851 and 1861, nothing found. So they should be out there hiding some where! They did send me a number of records, but they turned out to be for the wrong family. The family was James and Alice Stinson, who's name on the 1851 census is miss written as Stanson. All the census after that time show their name as Stinson, as do the baptism records in the 1840's in Etobicoke.

Margaret is listed as married and not widowed in the census, but her husband does not show up in the census anywhere so far. If he had passed away and she remarried then their should be a record of his death, nothing.

Adding to the mystery, the Robert Stinson in the census above paid for a burial plot in 1855. The first person buried in it is James Stinson age 61. He was also a cooper. Now this James does not appear in the census, so far either! The rest of the burials in that plot were of Robert's children. There is a family connection here. But I don't know yet if James is actually Charles the father, or perhaps an uncle.

I have not been able to find any of the younger children, other then McLean Stinson. He pops back up in 12 Apr 1876, in Etobicoke, York Co., Ontario, Canada, when he marries Francis Mary C Hill. They are found in the 1881 census together along with two children Charles and Russel.
But where was he in 1861 and 1871??

Hopefully the missing parents and children can be found. Even better would be a firm link to MY Margaret Mills (nee Stinson).

April Birthday & Anniversary Lists

2011-04-08T12:06:00.000-04:00

I'm a bit late getting this posted. Below is a list of all the birthdays and anniversary's in my family tree database. Naturally only non living people are listed to protect privacy.

1 April 1767	Elizabeth Sager
2 April 1677	Claude Vivier
2 April 1682	Jean Baptiste Poirier
2 April 1803	Marie Gallant
2 April 1849	Ladislas Gallant

3 April 1651	Marie DeSausmarez
3 April 1727	Marc sr Charpentier
3 April 1727	Marc Charpentier Lagiroflee
3 April 1811	Esther Wetmore Puddington
3 April 1829	Hiram Badgro
3 April 1831	Alex Comeau and Marie Venerande Arseneau
3 April 1852	Sarah Anne Evans
3 April 1863	Hugh King Nixon and Margaret McFadden
3 April 1892	George Edward Lawes
3 April 1923	Ronald "Ronnie" Robinson
4 April 1724	Henry Sager
4 April 1769	Isidore Robichaud and Marguerite Boudrot
4 April 1802	Mary Erasmus
4 April 1829	Hiram Badgro
5 April 1708	Daniel Sherwood
5 April 1715	Cecile Robichaud
5 April 1715	Cecile Robichaud
5 April 1734	Michel Doucet
5 April 1734	Michel Doucet
5 April 1764	Genevieve Vautour
5 April 1817	Francois Gallant
5 April 1821	Rees Thomas
6 April 1742	Jean Francois Gallant
6 April 1742	Jean Francois Gallant
6 April 1761	Anne Rosalie Comeau
6 April 1817	Domithilde Goguen
6 April 1817	Domithilde Goguen
6 April 1869	Jeannette LeBlanc
6 April 1869	Antoinette Leblanc
7 April 1765	Stephen Noble
7 April 1779	Théotiste CORMIER
7 April 1808	Fabien Paulin
7 April 1921	Raymond Grummett and Helen Clark
8 April 1823	Charles Mills
8 April 1862	Mary Grummett
8 April 1878	Alexandrine Robichaud
8 April 1908	Amelia Derrington
9 April 1687	Suzanne Maranda
9 April 1777	Alexis Vautour
9 April 1793	William Puddington and Esther Wetmore
10 April 1669	Rachel Swarthwout Swarthout
10 April 1703	Michel Doucet
10 April 1740	Jacques Ange Hache Gallant
10 April 1810	William Ferrier
11 April 1740	Ange or Agnes Hache Gallant
11 April 1740	Jacques Ange Gallant
11 April 1797	Dominique Vienneau
11 April 1797	Moise Vienneau
11 April 1809	Marguerite Robichaud
11 April 1812	Benjamin Ferrier
12 April 1747	Mathurin Thebeau
12 April 1868	Christy Anne McEwen
12 April 1876	Mclean Stinson and Francsis Mary C Hill
12 April 1917	Beatrice Blanchard
13 April 1906	Basil Walter Doty
13 April 1913	Texas Roy Livermore
13 April 1920	Daniel David Robichaud
14 April 1718	Marguerite Robichaud
14 April 1875	Sarah Elizabeth Badgerow
14 April 1875	Margaret Jane Badgerow
14 April 1892	Helen G Blaney
14 April 1900	Edward Alfred Lawes and Emma Harbach
15 April 1609	Pierre Careye
15 April 1744	Joseph Arsenault
15 April 1793	Petronique Vienneau
15 April 1804	Madeleine Lirette
15 April 1871	Ida May Scott
15 April 1902	Eva Alice Grummett

16 April 1761	Henry Sager and Anna Margaret Kuhn
16 April 1775	Eleanor Sherwood
16 April 1826	James MILLS
16 April 1906	Edward Moreland Robinson

17 April 1860	George Grummett
17 April 1895	George H Mills
17 April 1909	Algot Birger Andersson and Ida Ottilia Olsson
17 April 1952	Robert Joseph Rogers
18 April 1617	Barbe Dion
18 April 1617	Barbe Guyon
18 April 1687	Herve Hamonez
18 April 1698	Jehebod Wetmore
18 April 1698	Ichabod Wetmore
18 April 1832	Christopher Mills and Sarah Pulfer
18 April 1877	Martha Jane YOUMANS
18 April 1889	Judith Gallant
19 April 1617	Barbe Guyon
19 April 1643	Femmetje Kip
19 April 1722	Agnes Gaudet
19 April 1889	Alma Robichaud
19 April 1895	Alfred Robichaud
19 April 1915	Peter Lewis BADGERO
20 April 1624	Hendrick Hendricksen Kip and Tryntie Lubberts
20 April 1651	Sarah Wetmore
20 April 1651	Mary Whitmore
20 April 1708	Pierre Maranda Marandeau Latorelle
20 April 1781	Rebecca Savoie
20 April 1800	jean Vautour
20 April 1839	Hannah Mills
20 April 1891	Nazaire Robichaud and Charlotte Leblanc
21 April 1661	Nathaniel Wetmore
21 April 1751	Joseph Richard
21 April 1760	Abigail Sherwood
21 April 1772	Marcelline Leblanc
21 April 1917	Fritz Ragnar Wennerström and Alice Alfrida Andersson
22 April 1629	Claude Guyon
22 April 1753	Susannah Wetmore
22 April 1806	Elizabeth Ferrier
22 April 1882	Alfred F Williams
22 April 1903	Marianne Robichaud
23 April 1876	Rachel Anne Badgerow
23 April 1902	Alice McIntyre
23 April 1931	Chester A. Patton and Velma Mills

24 April 1600	Hendrick Hendricksen Kip
24 April 1712	Marguerite Savoie

24 April 1712	Brigitte Savoie
24 April 1742	Hilaire Boudreau
24 April 1788	David Ferrier
24 April 1894	Mabel May EVANS
24 April 1899	Mary Anna Mills
24 April 1916	Daniel Michael Robichaud and Helen G Blaney
25 April 1707	Pierre Robichaud
25 April 1709	Marie Josephe Savoie
25 April 1709	Marie Josephe Savoie
25 April 1855	David Samuel Badgerow
25 April 1864	Alexander Gibson Robinson
25 April 1879	Monique Mailloux
26 April 1688	Catherine Careye
26 April 1699	Marie Jeanne Forsan
26 April 1722	MARIE RICHARD
26 April 1886	Felix Edmond Blanchard
26 April 1958	Harry LeRoy Badgerow and Constance M Keithly

27 April 1759	Thomas Hilarest
27 April 1851	Luc Robichaud and Archauge Arcenault
28 April 1705	Helene Maranda
28 April 1836	Lorinda Noble
28 April 1870	Maria Watts
28 April 1875	Lura Green


29 April 1806	Placide Gallant
29 April 1897	Helena R REGIER
30 April 1726	Joseph Robichaud and Claire Leblanc
30 April 1729	Perpétue Bourgeois
30 April 1735	Jean Baptiste Paulin
30 April 1739	Jean Baptiste Leblanc
30 April 1752	Charles Gallant
30 April 1752	Charles Gallant
30 April 1864	John Grummett
30 April 1897	Raymond Ward Kenny

Free Civil War Records At Ancestry

2011-04-07T11:54:00.000-04:00

In my email this morning was a letter from Ancestry stating that from April 7th to the 14th, their civil war records are free access!
So if your not an Ancestry subscriber this is a good time to find some information on your USA Civil war solders.
Ancestry.com

Happy St. Patrick's Day! ~ Stinson, My Irish Roots

2011-03-17T15:59:00.000-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I have only found one Irish line in my family so far and I'm just beginning to trace it.

Margaret Stinson, my G G Grandmother was born about 1834 in Ireland. She married James Mills on 21 Feb 1851 in St Phillips Anglican Church, Etobicoke, York Co., Ontario, Canada.

Margaret is show on the 1851 Canada census living with her husbands family in Etobicoke. By the next census in 1861 they had moved to Melancthon Township in Grey County. Note that Melancthon, later became part of Dufferin Co.

They were blessed with 13 children, whom I will share more about in another post.

Margaret died 17 Sept 1907 in Melancthon twp.

While my search for Margaret's parents is just beginning her marriage record states that she was from Etobicoke. The 1851 census shows only 3 Stinson families living there at that time.

1851 Census of Canada Etobicoke, York Co.

Page 57

Margaret Stinson born Ireland, English Church, 44 on next bday. Aprox birth year 1808. (listed as married, but no husband in the census widowed?)

Robert Stinson, servant born Ireland, English Church 25 on next bday. Aprox birth year 1827.

Alexander Stinson, cooper, born Ireland, English Church, 23 on next bday. Aprox birth year 1829.

Richard Stinson, cooper, born Upper Canada, English Church, 15 on next bday. Aprox birth year 1839

George Stinson, son, born Upper Canada, English Church, 13 on next bday,

Aprox birth year 1839.

W Lane (Sane?) Stinson, son, born Upper Canada, English Church, 10 on next birth day.

Aprox birth year 1842.

Alma Maria Stinson, daughter, born Upper Canada, English Church, 9 on next bday.

Aprox birth year 1843.

Note two houses down is the family of James Stinson and wife Marg S.

James Stinson, cooper, born Toronto, English Church, 22 on next bday.

Marg S., wife born Ireland, English Church, 21 on next bday.

1851 Census Etobicoke York Co. page 95

Edward Stinson, Laborer, born Ireland, Catholic, 55 on next bday.

Aprx year of birth 1797.

William Stinson, laborer, born Ireland, Catholic, 21 on next bday.

Aprox year of birth 1831.

It is mostly likely that Margaret was a daughter of the first family I listed. Margaret Stinson age 44. The area is right, the naming patterns fit and the religion is also right. The last listing is for a Stinson family who are Catholic, and my Margaret always listed Church of England as her religion. I'm hoping I can find a little more firm information.

Mocavo ~ New Genealogy Search Engine

2011-03-17T12:07:00.000-04:00

Last night I heard about a new search engine that was just released. It's name is Mocavo and it's is a genealogy search engine for ONLY FREE genealogy resources.
I spent some time searching on it last night and I really do like it. The results come up quickly and it's nice not to have to weed though tons of Facebook returns for ancestors that lived years ago that have a similar name.
While I didn't find any new information with it yet, I think this site has a lot of promise.
I hope as it grows it will start adding genealogy forums and blogs and sites like Family Search to it's search index.

Free Swedish Records at ArkivDigital March 19 & 20

2011-03-17T11:50:00.000-04:00

To celebrate Genealogy Research Day in Sweden, ArkivDigital is opening all of their records for free access on March 19 and 20th!
I have a family line in Sweden and I'm looking forward to doing some more research this weekend on them.
To read the details and download their image viewer, read their news release.

Sorting Saturday ~ Bookmarks, Facebook & Blog Feeds

2011-03-12T19:56:00.000-05:00

With the snow flying and cold wind blowing I decided to sit at my pc with my hot coco today and do some organizing. I have been collecting links and other info for some time and it's getting harder to find things.

The first thing I did was start using Facebook Lists. I made one for genealogy and one for family. Eventually I might break this down farther but it works well for now. Now I can quickly filter my feed to find posts I'm looking for.

Up next was my Google reader. I have a large number of blogs in that but I wanted them separated by categories. I set up my categories and worked through a few hundred blogs sorting them out.

I still need to figure out a good method to keep my bookmarks. I use more then one browser, and some times I'm on hubby's computer. Because of this I'm looking at different online bookmarking sites. So far I'm liking Diigo the best. I like that it's not just for collecting bookmarks, but that it can also place sticky notes, archive a page and some other handy options. But I'm afraid it will take me a while to get ALL my bookmarks moved over. lol

March Birth Dates & Anniversary Listings

2011-03-10T15:51:00.000-05:00

I thought I would start posting a list each month of the birth dates and anniversary's listed in my family tree database. Naturally only the names of deceased people will be posted to protect the privacy of others.
These are my listings for March.

1 March 1669	Roeloff Swartwout and Margaretha Klock (342)
1 March 1709	Anne Marie Turpin (302)
1 March 1709	Josiah Wetmore (302)
1 March 1835	John Mapes and Phoebe Brand (176)
1 March 1846	Julie Robichaud (165)
1 March 1902	Caroline Jane MAHOOD (109)
1 March 1902	Frederick Robichaud (109)
2 March 1685	Marie Anne Poirier (326)
2 March 1745	Marguerite Boudrot (266)
2 March 1897	Josephine "Josie" Robichaud (114)
2 March 1910	Glen Calvin Badgerow and Ethel Irene Dodd (101)
2 March 1912	Harry William Badgerow and Josephine Pearl Cameron (99)
3 March 1634	Michel Guyon (377)
3 March 1740	Madeleine Guéguen (271)
3 March 1796	See Elizabeth Abrahams DOB for Puddington (215)
3 March 1891	James Robichaud (120)
3 March 1930	Mary Alma Robichaud and Oscar Gagnon (81)
5 March 1662	Joseph Wetmore (349)
5 March 1743	Marguerite Guéguen (268)
5 March 1761	Elizabeth Leblanc (250)
5 March 1761	Elizabeth Isabelle LeBlanc (250)
5 March 1761	Elizabeth Isabelle LeBlanc (250)
5 March 1903	Edmond Robichaud (108)
6 March 1764	Rosalie Boudrot (247)
6 March 1866	Joseph Pipher and Jemina Mapes (145)
6 March 1889	Thomas Charles Grummett (122)
6 March 1912	William Texas Livermore and Hannah Jane Mills (99)
6 March 1927	Jeremie Elmer Blanchard (84)
6 March 1934	Morton Fredrich Lee (77)
7 March 1690	Marie Madeleine Maranda (321)
7 March 1767	William Sabin and Catharine Medcalf (244)
7 March 1813	Maximilien Goguen (198)
7 March 1866	Eulalie Robichaud (145)
8 March 1629	Baertje Hendricks Kip (382)
8 March 1656	Izrahiah Whitmore (355)
8 March 1748	Marie Genevieve Alix (263)
8 March 1753	David Ferrier (258)
8 March 1787	Justus SHERWOOD (224)
8 March 1818	Deborah Ann Flewelling (193)
9 March 1656	Izrahiah Whitmore (355)
9 March 1715	Honore Savoie (296)
9 March 1715	Honore Savoie (296)
9 March 1715	Jean Baptiste Savoie (296)
9 March 1715	Jean Baptiste Savoie (296)
9 March 1826	Edesse Buote (185)
9 March 1887	Ray Badgero (124)
10 March 1767	Jacques Guéguen (244)
10 March 1811	Lydia Knowlden (200)
10 March 1914	Cephas Hindle and Sadie Colgan (97)
10 March 1915	Thomas James Mills and Sarah Edith Mills (96)
11 March 1699	Jean Baptiste Miranda (312)
11 March 1704	Joseph Robichaud (307)
11 March 1819	Martinus Badgerow (192)
11 March 1832	Harriett Whisker (179)
12 March 1604	Joseph Pierer Pirer (407)
12 March 1936	Douglas Lavern Mclaren (75)
13 March 1666	Rachel Stow (345)
13 March 1781	John Erasmus (230)
13 March 1813	Joseph Arsenault (198)
14 March 1648	Abraham Wanshaer (363)
14 March 1672	Anne Magnan (339)
14 March 1778	Marguerite Adelaide ROBICHAUD (233)
14 March 1888	Jesse Grummett and Emily Mills (123)
14 March 1929	Marion Iva Rohrer (82)
14 March 1932	Robert Joseph Frederick Rogers (79)
15 March 1671	GENEVIEVE MARTIN (340)
15 March 1729	Abraham Wetmore (282)
15 March 1730	Elizabeth Abrahams (281)
16 March 1915	Mary Hilda "Lullie" Anderson (96)
16 March 1921	John James Colgan and Mary Adeline Acheson (90)
17 March 1847	Joseph Ferrier (164)
17 March 1876	Catherine Mailloux (135)
17 March 1893	Prescille Eugenie Doiron (118)
18 March 1624	Marie Andree Guyon (387)
18 March 1773	Isaie ROBICHAUD (238)
18 March 1773	Jean Isidore Robichaud (238)
18 March 1774	Joseph Serve ROBICHAUD (237)
18 March 1774	Joseph Serve ROBICHAUD (237)
18 March 1807	Marguerite McGrath (204)
18 March 1814	Gabriel McGrath (197)
18 March 1883	John Floyd Badgerow (128)
19 March 1742	Marguerite Arsenault (269)
19 March 1833	Emily Noble (178)
19 March 1892	Cephas Hindle (119)
20 March 1744	Francois Boudrot (267)
20 March 1763	George Sager (248)
20 March 1794	Mary Margaret Polly Puddington (217)
20 March 1794	Susannah Craft Puddington (217)
20 March 1879	Mary S Stephenson (132)
20 March 1896	John Raymond Rohrer (115)
20 March 1930	Florence Fisher "Toby" Robinson (81)
21 March 1654	Hendrick Wanshaer (357)
21 March 1825	Marie Venerande Arseneau (186)
21 March 1904	Earle Edwin Puddington (107)
21 March 1905	Neta Joy MILLS (106)
22 March 1856	Rachel Louise Badgerow (155)
23 March 1777	William Sherwood (234)
23 March 1914	Annabella Robichaud (97)
24 March 1639	Joseph Pierer Pirer (372)
25 March 1657	Pieter Meyer (354)
25 March 1740	Marie Vienneau (271)
25 March 1740	Michel Vienneau (271)
25 March 1808	Joseph Arsenault (203)
26 March 1740	Anne Arsenault (271)
26 March 1743	Anne Arsenault (268)
26 March 1781	Simon SAGER (230)
26 March 1839	William Puddington Flewelling and Esther Ann Merritt (172)
26 March 1858	Pierre Gallant (153)
26 March 1904	Thomas Floyd MITCHELL (107)
26 March 1908	Mary Alberta Badgerow (103)
27 March 1841	Obeline Arsenault (170)
28 March 1651	Bethiah Morse (360)
28 March 1760	Eunice Dwight (251)
28 March 1783	Joseph Buote (228)
28 March 1858	Annie M Day (153)
29 March 1667	Josiah Wetmore (344)
29 March 1668	Josiah Wetmore (343)
29 March 1764	Margaretha Klock (247)
29 March 1861	Mary Ann Badgro (150)
29 March 1875	Almida E Day (136)
29 March 1917	Sarah Elizabeth Davis (94)
29 March 1924	Donald LeRoy Badgerow (87)
30 March 1706	Sarah COUCH (305)
30 March 1884	Rachel Hudson FLEWELLING (127)
31 March 1870	Wellington Badgerow (141)
31 March 1926	Juanita Elizabeth Grummett (85)

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History #10 Disasters ~ Hurricane Hazel

2011-03-10T13:11:00.000-05:00

Week 10: Disasters. Did you experience any natural disasters in your lifetime? Tell us about them. If not, then discuss these events that happened to parents, grandparents or others in your family.

I haven't really been through any disasters, not in the way I would describe disasters anyway. Living in Canada I've been through many snow storms. It is not to uncommon to get snowed in for a few days. Once this past winter the roads here were closed for 3 days in a row, and a mess for another 2 days after that. We were house bound for a week. But I don't really consider things like that disasters. We prepare for though things a head of time, because they do happen a few times each winter.

Image by Lone Primate via FlickrThe only disaster I have ever heard my family talk about was when Hurricane Hazel hit Toronto in 1954.

Image by Lone Primate via FlickrIt wasn't something that was discussed much. But I do remember hearing about the flooding in the streets and that they saw boats floating down the streets. They had been blown in from the marinas. I know my family was living in an apartment in Toronto at the time. I'm going to have to ask my Aunt more about this event!

From what I've read Toronto, Ontario was one of the hardest hit places from Hurricane Hazel. The area had received a heavy amount of rainfall before the storm hit, leaving the ground already saturated. Most of the rain from Hazel rain right off into the rivers and raised their level by 6 to 8 meters. Many roads were washed out and damaged, over 50 bridges destroyed. Sadly killing 81 people.

My Grandfather Gordon Laws was a cop for a few years in Toronto. I wonder if he was during this disaster and what role he might have had in helping.

Image via Wikipedia To read posts by others in the 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History series visit GeneaBloggers.

Fearless Females March 7 ~ Recipes

2011-03-07T15:44:00.000-05:00

Lisa at the Accidental Genealogist is running a Fearless Females blogging prompt for March womans history month. I've missed a few posts and hope to catch up soon!

March 7 — Share a favorite recipe from your mother or grandmother’s kitchen. Why is this dish your favorite? If you don’t have one that’s been passed down, describe a favorite holiday or other meal you shared with your family.

Grandma Hilda Laws (nee Anderson) wasn't one for cooking sweets, or not that I can remember. She did make a few dishes that I really enjoyed. One favorite was her mashed potato salad that I still make today.

Mashed Potato Salad

Fill a medium pot with potatoes, pealed and quarterer. Bring to a boil. When soft drain and mash.
Then add some milk and whip.
Dice 1 large onion and mix in.
Mix in enough Miracle Whip dressing until the salad is nice and creamy.
Place in the fridge until well chilled.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History #9 ~ Sounds

2011-03-04T15:35:00.000-05:00

Week 9: Sounds. Describe any sounds that take you back to your childhood. These could be familiar songs, jingles, children playing, or something entirely different.

Thinking back on sounds that remind me of my childhood, there are quite a few! Many of them remind me of my Grandmother Hilda Laws (nee Anderson). Nana was a big tea drinker, something I have inherited! I can remember hearing the sound of her whistling tea kettle many times a day. I have fond memories of sitting with Nana for tea and cookies.
Nana was an avid knitter when I was very young and the clicking sound of the knitting needles remind me of sitting with her in the evenings.
The sound a horse harness makes when a team is hooked up always reminds me of my Dad. He used horses when working in the bush, pulling firewood logs out. The jingle of the chains brings me right back to being knee high watching Dad pull the huge logs out. Well they looked huge at the time. lol

Other general sounds:
1. Theme songs to Sesame Street and Mr. Dressup.
2. Whistle of the train when it passed near out home.
3. Croaking frogs from the swamp near out home.