Links from Talk at Grey Roots

During my talk at Grey Roots Museum and Archives near Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada, on March 26,  2019, the following are some urls to websites shared during the talk on Internet Genealogy Research: Tools and Tips -- not all in the order presented

Thomas MacEntee's        http://hackgenealogy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/HANDOUT-Using-and-Managing-a-Genealogy-Research-Log.pdf 

Bruce Grey Branch Ontario Ancestors (Ontario Genealogical Society) https://brucegrey.ogs.on.ca/

Kenneth Marks's article on Letters that Get Confused       http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/the-one-absolute-best-way-to-find-more-ancestor-articles-in-historic-newspapers-online#.Vx9lCPkrLIU 
Check other resources on his site. 

Family Search Wiki       https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Main_Page

Family Search Catalog      https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/search/

Automated Genealogy Some Canadian census record indexes http://automatedgenealogy.com

Cyndislist  https://cyndislist.com/  -- since 1996 she has provided this service
Linkpendium http://www.linkpendium.com/
Genweb https://www.worldgenweb.org/
Genuki https://www.genuki.org.uk/
CanGenealogy http://www.cangenealogy.com/

Ontario Archives http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/index.aspx•

Library & Archives Canada http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Pages/home.aspx

http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/Pages/collection-databases.aspx

Bruce Grey Branch Ontario Ancestors (Ontario Genealogical Society) https://brucegrey.ogs.on.ca

Grey Roots  https://greyroots.com/
https://greyroots.com/collections-and-research/archives-research/external-resources
West Grey Library http://www.westgreylibrary.com/
Hanover Public Library https://hanoverlibrary.ca/
South Grey Museum  http://www.southgreymuseum.ca/
Markdale and Flesherton newspapers on ourontario.ca  http://news.ourontario.ca/ghpl/search
Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library http://owensound.library.on.ca
Grey Highlands Public Library https://www.greyhighlands.ca/en/visit-and-explore/libraries.aspx -- links to branches

Different search engines       https://www.lifewire.com/best-search-engines-2483352 

Extras
Scotland's People  https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ -- purchase credits for records
Irish Toolkit https://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/
Canadiana  http://canadiana.ca -- free
Map Explorer https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/maps requires a subscription but shows what is happening with history/genealogical websites.

        

•

 Janet Iles

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #5: In the Census

Census records show where people lived on census day. The records give a snapshot of a community. That does not mean they are always correct. Along with other records, they help you develop a timeline of a person's life. They are the most available record.

I have chosen three examples of census records, two in England and one in Canada.

The first example is my great-grandparents, George Iles and Emily Pugh. Early in my online research, but before I had access to images either on microfilm or online, I did a search for them.  I searched the English Census of 1881 for Emily Pugh in Gloucestershire. Because my grandfather, William Iles, was born there, I used it as my starting point. No luck. I searched for George Iles. Because Iles is often written as Isles, I used the wildcard * to show there might be another letter between the I and the l. I found one that looked like it might be a match. 

I found George Illes, age 21 and born in Condicote listed as a visitor in the household of Wm. Clifford, age 56 and Hannah Clifford, his wife, age 54 in the census for Broadwell. Emily Rew, age 20, and born in Stow on the Wold is identified as the grand-daughter of the head of household. 

When I viewed the microfilm of this 1881 census, I could see why the indexer transcribed her surname as Rew. It looked like Pew not Pugh. The enumerator wrote her surname like he heard it. Until I did further research, the fact she was listed as "grand-daughter" led me astray. [1]

The second example is James Iles, father of George Iles, an agricultural labourer in the 1851 census. Later census records list him as a shepherd.

James married Louisa Belcher 10 July 1845. In the 1851 census, James is not enumerated with Louisa and the children. She is shown as the head of the household. On the night before census day, James was in the household of John Lees. He worked on the 560 Acre Soundborough Farm. John Lees employed 15 labourers. The enumerator for this area gave more details than is usually found in census records. This household started on page 17 but James is listed on page 18. [2] Where are Louisa and the children listed? They are on page 17 living at White Hill. [3]

The final example is the households of my grand-father William George Iles and the household of his parents and siblings in the 1911 census of Canada. Peter Garvie enumerated both families. He did his rounds on the 8 and 9th of June 1911. 

The household of William George Iles comprises William, his wife Emily and their children: Edith May, Ivy Ella and Daisy Alice. William worked as a polisher in a foundry. What is interesting is they are listed as born in Ontario. William, Emily and Edith May were born in England. Who provided the information? They lived at part lot 17, concession 4, Derby Township. Also living on the same lot are Robert and Leslie Penner households. [4]


The household of William's parents and siblings comprises George and Emily Iles and their children: Edith, Manuel, Harold and Lillian. They are all identified as being born in England. George came to Canada in 1904 according to the 1911 census and the rest of the family in 1905.  George's occupation is listed as gardener. [5]

[1] 1881 census of England, Gloucestershire, Broadwell, RG 11/2563, ED 5, folio 84, p. 18; William Clifford household; digital image, citing microfilm 1341618, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

[2] 1851 Census of England, Gloucestershire, Broadwell, Class: HO107; Piece: 1969; Folio: 333; p. 18, John Lees household, entry for James Iles; digital image, Ancestry.ca citing microfilm 87369, Family History Library, Salt Lake City Utah. John Lees household begins on page 17.

[3] 1851 Census of England, Gloucestershire, Broadwell, Class: HO107; Piece: 1969; Folio: 333; p. 17, Patience Iles household; digital image, Ancestry.ca citing microfilm 87369, Family History Library, Salt Lake City Utah. 

For more information about Sevenhampton and the Soundborough property, check 
http://www.sevenhampton.org/parish-council/sevenhampton-parish-council-minutes/home/listed-buildings/

https://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101089368-barn-and-open-fronted-store-soundborough-sevenhampton#.WnUtaainHIU

[4] 1911 Census of Canada, Ontario, Grey North (district 73) Derby (sub-district 1), p. 8, household 79, William George Iles household; digital image, Ancestry.ca (Ancestry.ca : accessed 4 February 2018), citing microfilm T-20373, Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa. 


[5] 1911 Census of Canada, Ontario, Grey North (district 73) Derby (sub-district 1), p. 9, household 87, George Iles household; digital image, Ancestry.ca (Ancestry.ca : accessed 4 February 2018), citing microfilm T-20373, Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa. 
© 2018 Janet Iles

Cemetery Tour -- September 30 -- Registration deadline September 20

Something different on my schedule is a tour of five cemeteries in South Grey County in Grey Highlands, in Grey County, Ontario on Saturday, September 30 hosted by the Gentle Shepherd Church in Eugenia. I will be the tour guide. 

Hear stories about the famous and every day folk who are remembered in these cemeteries. 

Tickets must be purchased in advance and cost $35.00. This includes the lunch.

Tickets may be purchased through the church or the public libraries in Markdale and Flesherton, as well as at other locations mentioned on the poster. This is one way to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary of confederation. Wear practical shoes as the ground is uneven.

We will visit the Feversham Methodist Cemetery, Black Pioneer Cemetery near Priceville, McNeil Cemetery, Priceville; Flesherton Cemetery and Markdale Cemetery. 

It will be a full day starting at the Church. The bus will load at 8:30 and the plan is to return back to the church around 3:30. 

© 2017 Janet Iles

A Surname Caught My Eye -- Part Three

In Part One of A Surname Caught My Eye, I described how a description of the book, Bullets, Brothels & Blood led to a search for the Wonch and Leppard family names mentioned together. This led me to newspaper articles about the death of a mother and her four children in a house fire near Barrie, Ontario. The mother was the daughter of J. Leppard from near Markdale, Ontario. I found their death registrations and found that Mrs. Wonch was named Mary. 

In Part Two, the closest match for a marriage for a William Wonch to a Mary Leppard was William Wonch to Elizabeth Jane Leopard, daughter of James and Rose Ann Leopard. In the 1871 census, there was a James Leppard family with daughters, Mary, Elizabeth, and Bridget (name of the witness) and wife named Rose Ann. Looking at the Markdale newspaper again, I found another article on the same page showing that James Leopard was also the father of the wife of the late Cook Teets. 

While Cook Teets is the name of a character in a novel that I am going to read next, there is another character in the book, I didn't mention at the end of Part Two. The description on the back of the book reads: "An Act of Injustice is inspired by the true stories of Rosannah Leppard and Cook Teets . . . ." [1]

I know from local history that Cook Teets was the first person to be hanged in Owen Sound. 

Now, I can't wait to read the book.

Now back to the research at hand. There is no mention in any of the articles the first name of the woman burned in the fire. The question is "Was Mary or Elizabeth Jane the name of the wife of William Wonch?"  Possible research would be to follow the Mary Leppards that I found marriage registrations for.

Now back to the book that started this hunt:
Bullets, Brothels & Blood. In the list of characters are these familiar names: William Wonch, Mary Wonch, Eliza Jane Wonch, Roseannah Leppard and Cook Teets.[3]

It looks like I have another book to add to my want to read list.

[1] Ray Argyle, An Act of Injustice, Oakville, ON : Mosaic Press, 2017
[2] Cook Teets Ontario death registration (#005154, 6 December 1884); digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 15 July 2017), citing microfilm MS 935 Reel 37, Archives of Ontario, Toronto.
[3] Bullets, Brothels, & Blood on GoodReads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34394296-bullets-brothels-blood  http://www.goodreads.com/characters/980832-william-wonch

© 2017 Janet Iles

Edward Horton Festival, Feversham

July 7 to July 15, Feversham, Ontario is going to be a busy community as it celebrates the Edward Horton Festival, [Facebook page] celebrating the 200th birthday of the founder of Feversham.

Feversham might not be on the radar of many Grey County residents, especially those who live in the northern part of the County, but I hope that this event will bring more attention to it. Visitors to the Feversham Gorge - the Madeleine Graydon Memorial Conservation Area might go into the village to explore. An Internet search for Feversham Gorge will provide links to sites with photographs of the beauty of the area.

Several years while exploring the southern part of Grey County for a presentation on "Place Names in Grey County", I was travelling with a friend where we discovered this pretty spot. Our luck that day, a barbecue was set up and we had lunch as we visited with some of the members of the Osprey Museum Board. This resulted in the Grey County Historical Society paying a visit to the Osprey Museum in Rob Roy for one of our meetings.

From information received from one of the organizers of the event:

Edward Horton was born in 1812 near Brockville, Ontario, settled in Osprey Township about 1853 with his wife Jane, nee Bolton and their young family. On the Beaver River that crossed his property, he built mills and laid plans for a village where tradesmen and merchants could settle and provide their services and goods in the surrounding area. Edward Horton also served two terms as Reeve and another as Councilor in Osprey Township.


Though he died in 1864 at the age of 52, his vision and efforts began the development of the village of Feversham which has evolved through the last century from a center of commerce to a quiet country village as roads improved and larger centers at a distance could be easily accessed.

Here are some of the events:
Saturday - July 7, 4 p.m. at the Methodist Cemetery, John St., Feversham =
Unveiling of an historical plaque to commemorate the burial site of Edward Horton

Sunday July 8, - 4 - 6:30 p.m. = Annual Garden Party at Old School House Rob Roy,
all you can eat buffet. $15 at door $12 advance

Monday, July 9, 7 to 9 p.m., Osprey Community Centre, Feversham, Free admission = Dr. John C. Carter -- presentation on Ontario's Historic Barns

Tuesday, July 10, 2 to 4 p.m. Osprey Community Centre, Feversham, Free admission = Janet Iles (that's me) -- Pioneer Churches followed by John Bruce Brigham --  Abandoned Buildings and Ghost Towns

Wednesday, July 11 -  Artist2 Go by Tom Thomson Gallery re-registration required

Thursday, July 12 - Dinner and Fashion Show - Osprey Community Centre 6 to 10:30  $16 at door, #12 in advance

Friday, July 13th Musical Jamboree Feversham Ball Park, Wellington St. 7-11 p.m. $2 per person or $5 family bring your own chairs

Saturday, July 14th - Re-enactment of Village Life - Mill Bridge Road, Feversham 10 to 4. Free admission. Free shuttle service from Osprey Community Centre

Saturday Dance  9 - 1, Community Centre arena, age of majority $15 at Door, $10 advance
in Community hall Teen Dance (13-18) $10 at door, $7 advance.

Sunday, July 15th Brunch at Osprey Community Centre 10 to 1 $8 per person
Church Services
1 p.m. Feversham Ball Park, Wellington St. Militia Demonstrations by Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada.

It sounds like a wonderful line up of events. I wish I lived closer to take in many of these events.

© 2012 Janet Iles

 I received this photo from Brad Buckle of Collingwood who found my blog when he was researching the Black cemetery in Priceville, he found my article on the Priceville Cenotaph.

The photo taken 5 October 1916 shows the Flesherton Greys WW1, 36 of them leaving for overseas with all their family members in the background.

Thanks Brad for sharing this.

© 2012 Janet Iles

Wordless Wednesday (Almost) - Rural Gardens of Grey and Bruce Counties pt. 3

Day Two of this year's trip - July 12
We had a beautiful day for our excursion to places in Grey County, south of Owen Sound.

Blossom Hills  was our first stop out in the country. Marilyn toured us around their beautiful gardens.

Here are a couple of the photos that I took.

Footloose Too was our next stop. Vicki gave us a tour. Here are some of the photos that I took.

More photos to come next Wednesday.

© 2011 Janet Iles

Wordless Wednesday - A country road

A country road in Grey County - late Summer 2008

Cenotaphs - Priceville, Ontario

Recently while reading Amy's Genealogy. etc. blog, I learned something I didn't know. She was writing about cenotaphs.

Question: When is a tombstone not a tombstone?
Answer: When it’s a cenotaph.
A cenotaph (literally “empty tomb”) is a memorial for someone who is not buried at that place, either because they are buried someplace else or the body could not be recovered. Sometimes the marker will give you a clue that it is a cenotaph rather than a tombstone.

I always thought a cenotaph was a military memorial to those who died in service of their country. So now when I visit a cemetery, I will now keep watch for other examples of cenotaphs.

Many municipalities in Ontario have cenotaphs to those who died in one or more military conflicts. They are not usually found within a cemetery but they are more likely found near the town centre.

Priceville, Ontario is a small village located on Grey Road 4 east of Durham, Ontario. According to the plaque that stands near the cenotaph in a beautiful park, the cenotaph was erected with donations from Priceville and area residents following the First World War. It was dedicated on October 4, 1921 to "honour those who served and in memory of those who died in that conflict." 127 men from the Priceville area served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force of the First World War and 15 were killed and 60 were wounded. In the Second World War, 82 from the area served and of those, five made the supreme sacrifice. Their names were added to the cenotaph following the war.

"To all who pause to read this plaque
Remember the sacrifice of those who served so that you could have your freedom."

Read a companion article on cenotaphs at Graveyard Rabbit of Grey County, Ontario where I talked about the cenotaph for Donald E. Stiver.

Nellie (Mooney) McClung - a true Canadian icon

Grey County has been home or birthplace for men and women who have made contributions beyond our county’s border. Nellie McClung was one of these.

Nellie McClung, born Letitia Ellen Mooney entered this world on 20 October 1873. [1] The Mooney family lived on a 100-acre farm at Lot 8, Concession 1, Sullivan Township (about 1 km or 1.5 miles south of Chatsworth). Her parents, John Mooney, a Methodist Irishman and Letitia McCurdy, a Presbyterian Scotswoman, were already parents to William (Will), George, Elizabeth (Lizzie), Jack and Hannah. Life was difficult in rural Grey County in the 1870s. All the family worked hard but the land was rocky and they could not get ahead. People were heading west. After hearing glowing reports about available land in Manitoba, her eldest brother Will, with the encouragement of his mother, headed west in the spring of 1879 to find a suitable property for the family. [2]

In May 1880 when Nellie was not yet seven, the family set off on a trip by land, water and rail via Minnesota that would take them to Manitoba. Nellie would live the rest of her life in Western Canada. The place where the Mooney family homesteaded was isolated at first with no neighbours. Nellie was ten by the time the Northfield School was built about two miles from their home. Although, Nellie did not learn to read until she began school, she appears to have been a quick learner. When she was sixteen, she travelled to Winnipeg to take her teacher training at the Normal School. [3]

Nellie McClung’s accomplishments were many. In addition to being the wife of R. Wes McClung and mother to five she was a teacher, an author, a temperance leader, a politician, a lecturer, a suffragette, a hard worker for women’s rights and a social activist. Canadians remember her for the role she played as part of the “Famous Five” with their petition to the British Parliament seeking clarification of the word ‘persons’ in the British North America Act as it related to the Canadian Senate. On 18 October 1929, the British Parliament decided that women were indeed persons in Canadian law. [4]

Nellie McClung returned twice to Grey County. In 1915, she spoke about temperance and in 1932 she spoke about her writing. [5]

In Grey County, a cairn and a historical plaque honour the many contributions of Nellie McClung. People gathered for the unveiling of the cairn near her birthplace on June 8, 1957. [6] The Ontario Historical Trust Foundation erected the historical plaque on September 28, 1975. [7]

During the winter of 2006-7, the plaque was damaged. A new plaque is now in place and the Grey County Historical Society will be the host to the rededication ceremony Sunday, October 19 at 10:30 a.m. by the roadside plaque on the grounds of the Chatsworth United Church. This date is most fitting as it falls between October 18 – Person’s Day and October 20 – her birthday.

We are pleased that some of Nellie McClung's relatives will be able to attend.

Never retreat, never explain, never apologize--get the thing done and let them howl.[8]

Sunday, October 19
9:45 a.m. Chatsworth United Church Congregation invites all who wish to attend their service
10:30 a.m. Rededication at roadside plaque
11:00 a.m. short presentations and displays with a lunch hosted by the congregation

Please RSVP by October 12 if you plan to stay for the lunch jiles AT bmts DOT com

[1] Letitia Ellen Mooney Ontario birth registration #04890 (17 November 1873); digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 23 June 2008), citing microfilm MS 929 reel 10, Archives of Ontario, Toronto
[2]Charlotte Gray, Nellie McClung (Toronto: Penguin Group (Canada), 2008), 9-11.
[3]Gray, 11-22
[4] “BBC h2g2 Nellie McClung, author and activist” BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2398854 ; accessed 23 June 2008)
[5]“Nellie McClung of Grey County” Owen Sound Sun Times 5 September 1951; Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library, vertical file “Nellie McClung”
[6]“Grey W.I. Memorial to Nellie McClung Unveiled at Chatsworth, Saturday”, Owen Sound Sun Times Monday 10 June 1957; Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library, vertical file “Nellie McClung”
[7] “Historical Plaque to Commemorate Nellie McClung” Flesherton Advance, October 2, 1975; Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library, vertical file “Nellie McClung”
[8] Quote by Nellie McClung in Times Like These

The above is from an article I wrote about Nellie McClung that appeared in The Historian, July 2008.

Wordless Wednesday - abandoned car near Rob Roy

Photo taken by Janet Iles (summer 2008) during a trip exploring Grey County.

Wordless Wednesday - Balmy Beach 2

summer 2008 Balmy Beach, Ontario

Grey County Travels – Part I

In the post about Place Names, I mentioned that I will be doing some travelling around Grey County to prepare for a presentation. This is part I telling about some of the things we saw on our first trip.

While stopped in Feversham for a look around and lunch, we talked to some of the people that had been involved in writing the Osprey Township history and who looked after the small local Osprey museums in Feversham and Rob Roy. They suggested that we stop in to see the former Buckingham United Church. We were warned that the church had been almost completely stripped bare by vandals. The cemetery board had done repair work inside on the ceiling.

To the west of the church is the graveyard. A common name in the cemetery is Buckingham.

We entered what was once a sacred place of worship for this farming community. How sad it was to see that vandals had stripped what they could from the building. The pews, the large iron stove and the empty piano bench remain.

When I got home, I checked the book that I had written about the United Churches in Grey Presbytery last year. For the book, I only had a sketch of the church that I had been given. Now I had a photograph of the outside of the building, which I will use if the book is every reprinted.

Buckingham United -- Closed

Buckingham was affiliated for many years with Badjeros and Maxwell United churches. In the 1850s, John Buckingham donated land for the log church and cemetery. This was the first church building in the northern part of Osprey. The pioneers walked great distances through the woods to attend services here.

In the summer of 1891, they began to build a new church, with great sacrifice of time and money. Horses and wagons brought the bricks up the mountain. In the spring of 1892, the red brick church was completed. On his way home from the 12th Line School, Norman Buckingham would put on a fire to heat up the church for prayer meetings. The Church paid him five cents for each time he did this work. When they did not have a minister, William Buckingham and Isaac Hawton would take turns leading the service.

Membership decreased when people attended other Churches in nearby communities. Many left around 1900 for the Prairie Provinces. The last service was held in the autumn of 1952 with Rev. Brampton officiating.

In 1965, under the direction of the cemetery board, the people of the district undertook a project to level the Buckingham Cemetery as the ground was very uneven. This was accomplished through donations of money, equipment and the labour of the men of Buckingham and a few descendants of the pioneers.

Since then, the people have gathered for memorial services. [1]
[1] Janet Iles. Churches of Grey Presbytery of the United Church of Canada: Historical Highlights. Owen Sound, ON : Janet Iles Consulting & Research Services, 2007. p. 72

What's in a name?

Genealogists are interested in names – surnames and first names. Where did the name come from? Who were you named for? Were you named for your great uncle or aunt or a grandparent or were you named for a helpful neighbour down the street?

What about place names? Is there any significance in the naming of the community where you live or where your ancestors came from? Were they named for a famous person, an early pioneer or were they descriptive of the physical features of the time?

In March 2009, I will be speaking at Grey Roots to the Grey County Historical Society about the place names in Grey County. About nine years ago, I did presentations about the place names in Grey and Bruce counties. When I did those presentations, I didn’t include any visuals. This time, the focus will be on Grey County. In preparation, I am taking trips around Grey County taking photographs of signs with the name of the community and photographs of some items of interest in these communities so that I can do a visual presentation. In the later part of July, A friend and I spent a day exploring Osprey and Collingwood Townships. After taking tombstone photographs for a client, I concentrated on my mission to take photographs that I could use while I talked about the places. Over the next few months, I hope to make more trips to the small hamlets and larger communities around the county. Watch for articles about some of these excursions.

Do you know how your community or the place where one of your ancestors lived got its name? Leave a comment below or perhaps write an article on your blog and let me know, I would enjoy reading your stories.

Wordless Wednesday - Balmy Beach

Photos taken by Janet Iles on August 2, 2008

Beaver Valley (beautiful year round)

Beaver Valley

When I think of the Beaver Valley in Ontario, Canada, I always think about the beautiful coloured leaves in the fall. In winter, people come to the area to ski. It is a beautiful area all year round. The Beaver Valley is in the eastern portion of Grey County.

I do not know much about its history. so I am looking forward to hearing Charles Garrad speak on the Beaver Valley and some history of Eastern Grey County. I hope he tells us how it got its name and the extent of the area that is considered the Beaver Valley.

Mr. Garrad will be speaking at the Grey County Historical Society Annual Dinner Meeting in Keady, Ontario at the Keady Community Centre. A full evening has been planned. At 5 p.m. people will gather for the social hour and silent auction. At 6 p.m., there will be a hot roast beef dinner prepared by the women of the Keady area. At 7:30, we will learn more about the Beaver Valley. Also planned for the evening, is a live auction and a very short business meeting. Tickets are to be purchased in advance ($20.00.) I have my ticket and my calendar is marked.

To see beautiful photos of the area and places to visit, check out some web sites I found. A search of Beaver Valley Ontario on Flickr brings up some beautiful photos. I wonder what the area was like many years ago?

Beaver Valley Accomodations

Photo Tour

Tweedsmuir Histories - a goldmine of information

Tweedsmuir Histories are a goldmine of information for genealogical and local history information for many localities in Ontario, Canada. What are Tweedsmuir Histories? Briefly, they are "village history books" in the form of scrapbooks produced by Women's Institutes in Ontario. On Saturday, Grey Roots launched the virtual exhibit of Tweedsmuir histories from Grey County. To date, 32 volumes have been digitized and are available for searching and reading by anyone with Internet access. Congratulations on completing this phase of the project. The Grey County Historical Society was one of the supporters of this project.

Tweedsmuir Histories are one source of information that has helped me in my own personal research, research for a client and as part of my research for Churches of Grey Presbytery of the United Church of Canada: Historical Highlights.

When I was beginning my early research into my ancestors in Markham Township, Ontario, I visited the Unionville Public Library and viewed the actual Tweedsmuir histories for the Unionville Institute. These have been digitized and are now available in the Markham Public Libraries as part of Lunauweb. They were very helpful in giving me an introduction to the family.

Several years ago, I had a client send me a photograph of a family grouping taken in Port Elgin, Ontario. He only knew the names of some of the people in the photograph. Would you believe that the same photograph was in the West Arran Women’s Institute. Tweedsmuir History. volume 1. It had the names that the client was missing. There is a photocopy of this Tweedsmuir History at the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library.

The Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library has some of the area Tweedsmuir histories on microfilm and the original copy of the Salem (Derby Township) Women's Institute.

When I was researching the church history book, I used the Federated Women's Institute of Ontario. St. Vincent. Tweedsmuir History; microfilm that included church history from St. Vincent Township. Of particular interest was the letter from Arthur G. Reynolds, archivist of the United Church of Canada to Jeanette Short concerning Bethesda Church, November 12, 1964. At Grey Roots, I used the Priceville Tweedsmuir History as a source when researching the Priceville churches.

At the Archives of Ontario, I found the Tweedsmuir histories that have been microfilmed for Manitoulin Island. Big Lake Institute (MS 8 Reel 13) to be very helpful in my research of that area. Almost every page had information that related to my families. The photographs unfortunately did not print out well. I would love to see the originals and to get copies of the family related photographs. One of the photos was of taken of the people who attended the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. James [Ernest] Johnston [Zella Beatrice Johnston]. Note: The Tweedsmuir History microfilms are not available for interlibrary loan from the Archives of Ontario. You may find them at libraries.

For information on the Women's Institutes check the Federation of Women's Institutes of Ontario web site. Wellington Ontario Tweedsmuir histories are available for searching and viewing. Elgin County Tweedsmuir Histories are available for browsing. King Township Tweedsmuir histories are available for browsing but a table of contents aids in the search. This is not an exhaustive list of those that have been digitized. Some are searchable while others can only be browsed.

Have you used the Tweedsmuir Histories? Have you made any discoveries? If you have any that you recommend please share it with the readers.

Agnes Macphail website

The Agnes Macphail website with its digital collection is now available online. This is a project of the Grey Highlands Public Library. The following is the introduction to the website. I hope you will take time to look at this project that highlights a fascinating woman who played an important role in Canadian parliamentary history.

Welcome to the Agnes Macphail Website
Agnes Macphail was the first woman elected to Canadian Parliament. During her lifetime, she was a dutiful daughter and sister, a willful teenager, dedicated schoolteacher, and champion for equal rights and fair treatment for everyone. This website and the Digital Collection showcase not just her political life, but the personal side of Agnes Macphail as she lived in Grey County and explored the world at large.

Remembrance Day 2007 - In Grateful Remembrance

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day. As I am preparing a talk I am giving to our women's group at Knox on Monday, I thought I'd share several web sites that I find helpful and interesting concerning Canadian military history. These are only a few of the sites that I have bookmarked or added to del.icio.us

The Dominion Institute's site The Memory Project Digital Archives includes photographs and audio clips relating to some who served who have shared some of their memories.

The Canadian Virtual War Memorial

In Flanders Fields Museum

A new web site Bruce County Military History will be interesting for those who have a Bruce County connection.

During my talk, I will be focus on the men and their families and how they have been remembered in memorials. During the last two years, I have been researching 30 men who paid the supreme sacrifice -- 23 affiliated from Knox who died in the First World War and 7 who died in the Second World War. The names are listed here I hope to share some information about these individuals in future blogs.

I just received this link to a tribute to the fallen from Canada in Afghanistan so I have added this link to the video clip (about 11 minutes long)

Goal setting - Historical Presentation

Althougth not all goals relate to learning, learning usually happens when you are working on your to do list.


As I look over the events that I have marked on my calendar for September and October, I see some that need preparation and along with that will be some learning.


For example, on Wednesday, October 17, I am the guest speaker at the Grey County Historical Society meeting to be held in Owen Sound at Knox United Church at 1:30 p.m. (all welcome). As we learnt in the tutorial on the 7 1/2 habits of successful life long learners, the importance of creating written list of goals with target dates. I need to define what needs to be done to prepare for that day. I will be speaking about the history of Knox United Church and its predecessors Knox Presbyterian and Chalmers' Free Presbyterian Church. When I was researching and preparing the book, The Churches of Grey Presbytery of the United Church of Canada: historical highlights, I discovered that this congregation had ties to other Churches in Grey County. I will share this information.

Knox Presbyterian Church (now United) circa 1908


So what are some of the tasks that will go out on the list to reach my goal of a highly informative and interesting presentation? I will be re-reading the appropriate sections of the book. I will look at my notes. I will go to Grey Roots to take photos of land records. As I will be doing a PowerPoint presentation, photos and other documents will have to be scanned. The presentation will have to be completed and tested with the equipment before the presentation date.


Although I have given PowerPoint presentations before I will read some tips to make a great presentation and use those that apply. ("using technology to your advantage"). A google search for blogs relating to PowerPoint, let me to find SlideShare It is searchable. This is an alternative to videos and podcasts as learning mediums, although you can get only key points. It gives examples and you can decide for yourself if the slides are effective in presenting a point.


I am not going to take the time to read the blogs now but will add them to del.icio.us with a tag - unread (thanks Tim for that suggestion). I will add other tags as appropriate. I love del.icio.us - how it brings up your list of tags when you starting typing a letter as well as suggestions for tags.


Do any of you who give PowerPoint presentations or those who have sat through them, do you have any great tips of your own?