Genealogists love the hunt, but they also love to make great discoveries. While I have never got up and danced, when I made a discovery, I have disturbed the quiet of a research area by a restrained - "oh yeah!" When discoveries are made at home, I can give a resounding "yippee!" or "oh, yes!" or "Finally, I found it!"
At the 2007, Ontario Genealogical Society Conference, they provided a computer room with free access to some online subscriptions. During a search of Ancestors on board now part of findmypast.com I found the passenger list for my grandfather and grandmother and their daughter May. They were travelling with his mother and siblings. This find gave me the digital copy of the outbound passenger list. With the knowledge of the ship's name and the date of the passage, I was able to find the inbound passenger list.
At the 1993, Ontario Genealogical Society Conference, my disovery of my connection to the Markham Berczy Settlers was another very exciting moment.
So the next time you are in a library or archives and you hear a quiet "Oh yeah! - You will know that the person has made an important find.
I hope we all get to do the genealogy happy dance this year.
This has been written for the 65th Carnival of Genealogy.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wordless Wednesday (almost) - Great Aunt Grace
Grace Love 1918 photo taken in Mitchell, Ontario by W. W. Burgess Studios in business from 1894 to at least 1925
original and digital copy in my possession.
Inscription
To Margaret
from your loving sis
Grace
1918
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Wordless Wednesday - Winter in my backyard
This is one view from my dining room garden doors. The large trees in the back of the photo are in my neighbour's yard. December 2008
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Blogging for Genealogists
During the last few weeks, I have been working on my presentation on blogging for genealogists. Thanks to the assistance of fellow genea-bloggers who gave permission to use screenshots from their blogs, the presentation is coming together very well. It will be a colourful presentation.
I wish I could highlight all the genea-blogs out there, but I can't; but I will point to places where the audience can find them.
The talk will be divided into two sections: reading blogs and writing your own blog. Not everyone will want to have a blog of their own but genealogists benefit from reading the work of others.
Some of the points I will cover
What is a blog and how does it differ from a web site?
Different parts of the blog.
Reading
How to find blogs
How to keep updated on postings - RSS feeds and readers
Different types of blogs with examples
Writing
Getting Ready to blog - Who, When, Where, Why and How
Setting up a blog
Tips concerning layout and writing
The details on the presentation
Grey Bruce Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society
will meet January 24, 2009 at 1:30 p.m.
at the Family History Centre at the LDS church
490 2nd Avenue South East
Owen Sound, Ontario
All are welcome to attend.
View Larger Map
Friday, January 16, 2009
Marriage of William Clifford to Hannah Pugh nee Cowley
In my posting at the beginning of the year I posted the following
Yesterday, the document - a certified copy of an entry of marriage arrived in the mail from the General Register Office in England.
1865 marriage solemnized in the Baptist Chapel in Stow on the Wold in the District of Stow on the Wold in the County of Gloucester & Worcester
no. 192 Seventh day of October 1865 William Clifford age 40 years, widower, labourer residence Lower Swell, father Daniel Clifford, Mason to Hannah Pugh, age 39 years widow residence Lower Swell, father Thomas Cowley, labourer
Both made their mark; their witnesses were Richard James, Deputy Registrar and Sarah James, both made their mark.
I am very happy to now have this document. It is part of the story of my great grandmother. There are still missing parts of the story but soon I am going to present what I know in several parts.
Now I am really side-tracked, I decided that I am going after a marriage for William Clifford to Hannah Pugh nee Cowley. Now this one took a little longer but it was worth it. This is not the first time that I tried to find the marriage registration entry for them. I knew that they were likely married between 1861 when Hannah Pugh was found on the census in the workhouse and the 1871 census where she appears as Hannah Clifford.The most likely result was Marriages Dec 1865 Pugh Hannah Stow on W 6a 7_1
On the original page of the indexes by quarter by surname where Hannah Pugh appeared, the page number was very faint. A range of pages was suggested 759 to 785. I downloaded the file to see if page enhancement might be useful. It looked like 781. I followed the instructions on how to search page numbers. I checked several and found the one I wanted. -- William Clifford was listed on page 781.
Yesterday, the document - a certified copy of an entry of marriage arrived in the mail from the General Register Office in England.
1865 marriage solemnized in the Baptist Chapel in Stow on the Wold in the District of Stow on the Wold in the County of Gloucester & Worcester
no. 192 Seventh day of October 1865 William Clifford age 40 years, widower, labourer residence Lower Swell, father Daniel Clifford, Mason to Hannah Pugh, age 39 years widow residence Lower Swell, father Thomas Cowley, labourer
Both made their mark; their witnesses were Richard James, Deputy Registrar and Sarah James, both made their mark.
I am very happy to now have this document. It is part of the story of my great grandmother. There are still missing parts of the story but soon I am going to present what I know in several parts.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Snow in a snow belt region of Ontario
Snow blankets this area generally from November to March with an occasional snowfall in October and April. If we are lucky, the snow that falls in November does not stay too long. Yes, we sometimes have extreme snowfalls that cause problems but it is the regular "Lake effect snowfall" that we are most accustomed to in this region.
Here are some photos of snow from this area.
This photo is also undated. My dad is clearing snow. It would appear that he is clearing the road as it doesn't look like the truck across the street is far away. This is a main road that leaves the city to the west. I am guessing this photo was from the 1960s or 1970s.
Here are some photos of snow from this area.
My uncle Bill Iles, sometime perhaps in the 1930s or 1940s. He is delivering groceries for Mel McKay who had a corner grocery store. It was from Mel McKay that my dad purchased his first grocery store. (photo undated)
This photo is also undated. My dad is clearing snow. It would appear that he is clearing the road as it doesn't look like the truck across the street is far away. This is a main road that leaves the city to the west. I am guessing this photo was from the 1960s or 1970s.
This photo was taken in 1987 at Harrison Park. It is a winter fun day for the church.
This photo was taken one morning just before Christmas 2008 when my neighbour was blowing out the end of my drive way. The driveway had been cleared the night before and the snow plow left a pile of snow at the end too deep to drive through. I think this is going to turn out to be an expensive winter for snow clearing for everyone.
Although snow can make pretty photos, I am not fond of a long winter. I do not like driving in it, nor do I enjoy cleaning off the car.
Wordless Wednesday - North Sauble Community Church
North Sauble Community Church - Summer 2008 photo by Janet Iles
Saturday, January 10, 2009
A favourite photo in my collection
It is hard to pick a favourite photo amongst the photos that appear in the photograph albums and boxes of photos. I do like this one because it is one of the very few showing my dad (Bob Iles) as a baby. The photograph appears to have been taken about 1917 as I think he would be about one year old.
It looks like it might be a studio photo but there are no markings to indicate that. In the photograph with him are his two older brothers Wilf born in 1913 and Clarence born in 1912.
The two older boys are in short pants and my dad in an outfit more like a dress.
Who are you? I really want to know who came to the Quilting Bee.
This photo was taken on 8 August 1908 at R. R. #1 Mindemoya, Manitoulin, Ontario at the home of James Love. These women had come for the quilting bee.
Who are all in the photo? Which ones were relatives, if any. This photo is part of the collection of photos that were once owned by Margaret Love, my great aunt. I imagine she is the photographer (shadow at the right front of the photo) as I do not see her in the photo. There are several younger ones also in the photo. It is unusual for her not to identify some of the people in the photo.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Sunday, January 4, 2009
99+ genealogy meme
Becky has developed with the aid of other genea-bloggers this list of 99+ genealogy meme
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
1. Belong to a genealogical society.
2. Researched records onsite at a court house.
3. Transcribed records.
4. Uploaded tombstone pictures to Find-A-Grave.
5. Documented ancestors for four generations (self, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents) .
6. Joined Facebook.
7. Helped to clean up a run-down cemetery.
8. Joined the Genea-Bloggers Group on Facebook.
9. Attended a genealogy conference.
10. Lectured at a genealogy conference. (My presentation was only 15 minutes long so I won't count it.)
11. Spoke on a genealogy topic at a local genealogy society.
12. Been the editor of a genealogy society newsletter.
13. Contributed to a genealogy society publication.
14. Served on the board or as an officer of a genealogy society.
15. Got lost on the way to a cemetery.
16. Talked to dead ancestors.
17. Researched outside the state/province/country in which I live.
18. Knocked on the door of an ancestral home and visited with the current occupants.
19. Cold called a distant relative.
20. Posted messages on a surname message board.
21. Uploaded a gedcom file to the internet.
22. Googled my name. (regularly)
23. Performed a random act of genealogical kindness.
24. Researched a non-related family, just for the fun of it.
25. Have been paid to do genealogical research.
26. Earn a living (majority of income) from genealogical research.
27. Wrote a letter (or email) to a previously unknown relative.
28. Contributed to one of the genealogy carnivals.
29. Responded to messages on a message board or forum.
30.Was injured while on a genealogy excursion.
31. Participated in a genealogy meme.
32. Created family history gift items (calendars, cookbooks, etc.).
33. Performed a record lookup for someone else.
34. Went on a genealogy seminar cruise.
35. Am convinced that a relative must have arrived here from outer space.
36. Found a disturbing family secret.
37. Told others about a disturbing family secret.
38. Combined genealogy with crafts (family picture quilt, scrapbooking).
39. Think genealogy is a passion not a hobby.
40. Assisted finding next of kin for a deceased person (Unclaimed Persons).
41. Taught someone else how to find their roots.
42. Lost valuable genealogy data due to a computer crash or hard drive failure.
43. Been overwhelmed by available genealogy technology.
44. Know a cousin of the 4th degree or higher.
45. Disproved a family myth through research.
46. Got a family member to let you copy photos.
47. Used a digital camera to “copy” photos or records.
48. Translated a record from a foreign language.
49. Found an immigrant ancestor’s passenger arrival record.
50. Looked at census records on microfilm, not on the computer.
51. Used microfiche.
52. Visited the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
53. Visited more than one LDS Family History Center.
54. Visited a church or place of worship of one of your ancestors.
55. Taught a class in genealogy.
56. Traced ancestors back to the 18th Century.
57.Traced ancestors back to the 17th Century.
58. Traced ancestors back to the 16th Century.
59. Can name all of your great-great-grandparents.
60. Found an ancestor’s Social Security application.
61. Know how to determine a soundex code without the help of a computer.
62. Used Steve Morse’s One-Step searches.
63. Own a copy of Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills.
64. Helped someone find an ancestor using records you had never used for your own research.
65. Visited the main National Archives building in Washington, DC. (As a child, I went with my parents as part of a tour of Washington DC. The bus didn't come back to pick us up when it was supposed to and we were bored after 15 minutes! We had no interest documentary American history. We were supposed to go to the Smithsonian Institute.)
66. Visited the Library of Congress but I have been the National Library of Canada on a tour.
67. Have an ancestor who came over on the Mayflower.
68. Have an ancestor who fought in the Civil War.
69. Taken a photograph of an ancestor’s tombstone.
70. Became a member of the Association of Graveyard Rabbits.
71. Can read a church record in Latin.
72. Have an ancestor who changed their name.
73. Joined a Rootsweb mailing list.
74. Created a family website.
75. Have more than one "genealogy" blog.
76. Was overwhelmed by the amount of family information received from someone.
77. Have broken through at least one brick wall.
78. Visited the DAR Library in Washington D.C.
79. Borrowed a microfilm from the Family History Library through a local Family History Center.
80.Have done indexing for Family Search Indexing or another genealogy project.
81. Visited the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
82.Had an amazing serendipitous find of the "Psychic Roots" variety.
83.Have an ancestor who was a Patriot in the American Revolutionary War.
84. Have an ancestor who was a Loyalist in the American Revolutionary War.
85. Have both Patriot & Loyalist ancestors.
86. Have used Border Crossing records to locate an ancestor.
87. Use maps in my genealogy research.
88. Have a convict ancestor who was transported from the UK.
89. Found a bigamist amongst the ancestors.
90. Visited the National Archives in Kew.
91. Visited St. Catherine's House in London to find family records.
92. Found a cousin in Australia (or other foreign country).
93. Consistently cite my sources.
94. Visited a foreign country (i.e. one I don't live in) in search of ancestors.
95. Can locate any document in my research files within a few minutes.
96. Have an ancestor who was married four times (or more).
97. Made a rubbing of an ancestors gravestone.
98. Organized a family reunion.
99. Published a family history book (on one of my families).
100. Learned of the death of a fairly close relative through research.
101. Have done the genealogy happy dance.
102. Sustained an injury doing the genealogy happy dance.
103. Offended a family member with my research.
104. Reunited someone with precious family photos or artifacts.
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
1. Belong to a genealogical society.
2. Researched records onsite at a court house.
3. Transcribed records.
4. Uploaded tombstone pictures to Find-A-Grave.
5. Documented ancestors for four generations (self, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents) .
6. Joined Facebook.
7. Helped to clean up a run-down cemetery.
8. Joined the Genea-Bloggers Group on Facebook.
9. Attended a genealogy conference.
10. Lectured at a genealogy conference. (My presentation was only 15 minutes long so I won't count it.)
11. Spoke on a genealogy topic at a local genealogy society.
12. Been the editor of a genealogy society newsletter.
13. Contributed to a genealogy society publication.
14. Served on the board or as an officer of a genealogy society.
15. Got lost on the way to a cemetery.
16. Talked to dead ancestors.
17. Researched outside the state/province/country in which I live.
18. Knocked on the door of an ancestral home and visited with the current occupants.
19. Cold called a distant relative.
20. Posted messages on a surname message board.
21. Uploaded a gedcom file to the internet.
22. Googled my name. (regularly)
23. Performed a random act of genealogical kindness.
24. Researched a non-related family, just for the fun of it.
25. Have been paid to do genealogical research.
26. Earn a living (majority of income) from genealogical research.
27. Wrote a letter (or email) to a previously unknown relative.
28. Contributed to one of the genealogy carnivals.
29. Responded to messages on a message board or forum.
30.Was injured while on a genealogy excursion.
31. Participated in a genealogy meme.
32. Created family history gift items (calendars, cookbooks, etc.).
33. Performed a record lookup for someone else.
34. Went on a genealogy seminar cruise.
35. Am convinced that a relative must have arrived here from outer space.
36. Found a disturbing family secret.
37. Told others about a disturbing family secret.
38. Combined genealogy with crafts (family picture quilt, scrapbooking).
39. Think genealogy is a passion not a hobby.
40. Assisted finding next of kin for a deceased person (Unclaimed Persons).
41. Taught someone else how to find their roots.
42. Lost valuable genealogy data due to a computer crash or hard drive failure.
43. Been overwhelmed by available genealogy technology.
44. Know a cousin of the 4th degree or higher.
45. Disproved a family myth through research.
46. Got a family member to let you copy photos.
47. Used a digital camera to “copy” photos or records.
48. Translated a record from a foreign language.
49. Found an immigrant ancestor’s passenger arrival record.
50. Looked at census records on microfilm, not on the computer.
51. Used microfiche.
52. Visited the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
53. Visited more than one LDS Family History Center.
54. Visited a church or place of worship of one of your ancestors.
55. Taught a class in genealogy.
56. Traced ancestors back to the 18th Century.
57.Traced ancestors back to the 17th Century.
58. Traced ancestors back to the 16th Century.
59. Can name all of your great-great-grandparents.
60. Found an ancestor’s Social Security application.
61. Know how to determine a soundex code without the help of a computer.
62. Used Steve Morse’s One-Step searches.
63. Own a copy of Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills.
64. Helped someone find an ancestor using records you had never used for your own research.
65. Visited the main National Archives building in Washington, DC. (As a child, I went with my parents as part of a tour of Washington DC. The bus didn't come back to pick us up when it was supposed to and we were bored after 15 minutes! We had no interest documentary American history. We were supposed to go to the Smithsonian Institute.)
66. Visited the Library of Congress but I have been the National Library of Canada on a tour.
67. Have an ancestor who came over on the Mayflower.
68. Have an ancestor who fought in the Civil War.
69. Taken a photograph of an ancestor’s tombstone.
70. Became a member of the Association of Graveyard Rabbits.
71. Can read a church record in Latin.
72. Have an ancestor who changed their name.
73. Joined a Rootsweb mailing list.
74. Created a family website.
75. Have more than one "genealogy" blog.
76. Was overwhelmed by the amount of family information received from someone.
77. Have broken through at least one brick wall.
78. Visited the DAR Library in Washington D.C.
79. Borrowed a microfilm from the Family History Library through a local Family History Center.
80.Have done indexing for Family Search Indexing or another genealogy project.
81. Visited the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
82.Had an amazing serendipitous find of the "Psychic Roots" variety.
83.Have an ancestor who was a Patriot in the American Revolutionary War.
84. Have an ancestor who was a Loyalist in the American Revolutionary War.
85. Have both Patriot & Loyalist ancestors.
86. Have used Border Crossing records to locate an ancestor.
87. Use maps in my genealogy research.
88. Have a convict ancestor who was transported from the UK.
89. Found a bigamist amongst the ancestors.
90. Visited the National Archives in Kew.
91. Visited St. Catherine's House in London to find family records.
92. Found a cousin in Australia (or other foreign country).
93. Consistently cite my sources.
94. Visited a foreign country (i.e. one I don't live in) in search of ancestors.
95. Can locate any document in my research files within a few minutes.
96. Have an ancestor who was married four times (or more).
97. Made a rubbing of an ancestors gravestone.
98. Organized a family reunion.
99. Published a family history book (on one of my families).
100. Learned of the death of a fairly close relative through research.
101. Have done the genealogy happy dance.
102. Sustained an injury doing the genealogy happy dance.
103. Offended a family member with my research.
104. Reunited someone with precious family photos or artifacts.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Year in Review (2008) in 12 Sentences
This meme (Year in Review in 12 Sentences) is starting to spread. It is also a fun way to highlight some of the postings of the past year. It also lets you look at your opening statements. Do they capture the interest of your readers?
The challenge of the meme is to take the first sentence of the first posting in each month. I will not include any background introductions from some of the carnivals that quote the challenge of the carnival.
1. "Do you like sayings?" from Home is where your story begins
2. "Wiarton Willie is a celebrity in our part of Ontario." from Wiarton Willie - Will spring be here soon?
3. "The latest Carnival of Genealogy theme conerning Technology and Genealogy is now posted on Jasia's site." from Creative Gene - Carnival of Genealogy, 43rd edition
4. "Recently, I posted an article on Web site vs blogs." from Destination: Austin Family: Website, Weblog, Blog, Blogsite
5. "The entries are all gathered and now it is a time to take a trip around Europe and North America to learn about the ancestral homes of some geneabloggers." from A place called home -- Carnival of Genealogy, 47th Edition
6. My first two postings in June were Wordless Wednesday postings with photographs and heaven forbid no citations or captions so I will chose the first article. "I'm not a pet owner and I have never had any desire to be one. " from Pets - Carnival of Genealogy
7. "At the beginning of the year, I posted some of my goals for 2008." from 2008 = Goals Revisited
8. "It is holiday time. " from Carnival of Genealogy, 53rd Edition - A carousel of postings
9. The first posting was a Wordless Wednesday so here is my first article. "Josh is a member of the Canadian paralympics national team who will be participating in the XIII Paralympic Summer Games from September 6 to 17, 2008 in Beijing, China." from Josh Cassidy - Paralympian
10. "Newspaper articles can provide much needed information on a person." from Read all about William Stiver
11. "Recently while reading Amy's Genealogy. etc. blog, I learned something I didn't know." from Cenotaphs - Priceville, Ontario
12. "If, all my information is correct, my most famous relative would be Billy Bishop, World War I flying ace." from My most famous Canadian relative.
That is my list. The best part of this meme is that you don't have to name anyone else to take part in this meme. So if you want to do this, go out and post it. Have fun. I saw it first on Terry Thornton's Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi Year In Review In Twelve Sentences
The challenge of the meme is to take the first sentence of the first posting in each month. I will not include any background introductions from some of the carnivals that quote the challenge of the carnival.
1. "Do you like sayings?" from Home is where your story begins
2. "Wiarton Willie is a celebrity in our part of Ontario." from Wiarton Willie - Will spring be here soon?
3. "The latest Carnival of Genealogy theme conerning Technology and Genealogy is now posted on Jasia's site." from Creative Gene - Carnival of Genealogy, 43rd edition
4. "Recently, I posted an article on Web site vs blogs." from Destination: Austin Family: Website, Weblog, Blog, Blogsite
5. "The entries are all gathered and now it is a time to take a trip around Europe and North America to learn about the ancestral homes of some geneabloggers." from A place called home -- Carnival of Genealogy, 47th Edition
6. My first two postings in June were Wordless Wednesday postings with photographs and heaven forbid no citations or captions so I will chose the first article. "I'm not a pet owner and I have never had any desire to be one. " from Pets - Carnival of Genealogy
7. "At the beginning of the year, I posted some of my goals for 2008." from 2008 = Goals Revisited
8. "It is holiday time. " from Carnival of Genealogy, 53rd Edition - A carousel of postings
9. The first posting was a Wordless Wednesday so here is my first article. "Josh is a member of the Canadian paralympics national team who will be participating in the XIII Paralympic Summer Games from September 6 to 17, 2008 in Beijing, China." from Josh Cassidy - Paralympian
10. "Newspaper articles can provide much needed information on a person." from Read all about William Stiver
11. "Recently while reading Amy's Genealogy. etc. blog, I learned something I didn't know." from Cenotaphs - Priceville, Ontario
12. "If, all my information is correct, my most famous relative would be Billy Bishop, World War I flying ace." from My most famous Canadian relative.
That is my list. The best part of this meme is that you don't have to name anyone else to take part in this meme. So if you want to do this, go out and post it. Have fun. I saw it first on Terry Thornton's Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi Year In Review In Twelve Sentences
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year
Happy New Year! My wish for my readers is that 2009 will be a year filled with good health, happiness and great genealogical and historical research.
The above postcard was sent by my Grandfather William Iles to his wife while he was stationed in France during the First World War. There is no message only Mrs W Iles Owen Sound Ont. Canada. It may have been included with a letter. There is no date. This is one of several postcards that are in my collection.
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