Wednesday 30 August 2017

Canada 150 - Civil Registers of Quebec






During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...


Registres de l'état civil du Québec – BMD - Civil Registers of Quebec  


St Anthony, Montreal 1884-1912



BAnQ has a collection of civil registrations of births, marriages and deaths with images. There are not all years or all parishes, mostly small towns, but you may find a record you have been missing. You can browse by parish, district or region, then by year. I didn't look at them all, but most seem to have an index, making it easier to search.




Sunday 27 August 2017

Kingston Trip - Part II: Discoveries




This may be a shock to some of my readers, but I have never physically done research at an archive or a library.  I have called to ask for look-ups and copies and am happy to say most people are very accommodating.  But because of many years of limited mobility and discomfort, it was not feasible for me to "go there", so all my research has been done by computer from the comfort of my easy chair. This past year has been one of marked improvement for me and I decided it's time to get off my butt.

I think the library is all I could handle first time out, so after leaving the beautiful Manor we headed to the Kingston Public Library to do some research. I was looking for specific information, and having contacted the library ahead of time, I knew to go to the Isabel Turner branch. The staff were very helpful, looking for what we needed and anything that could help with my ancestor stories. 

First we looked for the Tweedsmuir History Book for Pittsburgh Township. There was a whole section on "Greystone Manor" with the history since it was built by Colonel MacKenzie in 1817. I knew most of this, because a Kingston historian had replied to a query from my Uncle in 1969, giving him excerpts from this book. 




From little clues here and there, and the fact the Seales came from military roots, I suspected that John Seale came from Ireland to Canada as a soldier, but I could find no written proof. Until now. 

One entry I read about the manor said it had been owned or leased by soldiers for the next 60 years or so after being built. My great-great-grandfather was there for 60 years, 1832-1892

Then in the Index To The Upper Canada Land Books I found this entry:


John Seal (soldier), 28 Sept 1832


There I get three pieces of information in one. John was a soldier and 25 years old when he came to Canada, and now armed with info from this index I can find the original land transaction in the archives.

Looking at other documents in the same book I found that John added sublot 5 to their land in 1842, and there was an assessment for the land in 1891.

We looked through many interesting books about Pittsburgh Township and the village of Barriefield, and it was a great help having my daughter there to help. The next book of importance we found was the Index to Wills Probated, Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada, 1858-1973.  There I found John Seale, probated in 1892. A will is a gold mine! Now knowing where to look I can also obtain a copy of the will.  

One last thing we found was a genealogy book - The Seale Family History 1800-2000. This is about the Seales that settled in Morin Heights, Quebec, a different branch of the family.

I'm on a roll! But four hours research was all I could to at one time.  Now to find the house my grandfather (Pop) grew up in.

My great grandfather was a carpenter and the family lived at 82 Bagot Street, Kingston. This was the first ancestral property I found using Lisa Cooke's webinar on Google Earth. The numbers have all changed since those days, so I looked in the street directory in the 1891 city directory of Kingston: 82 Bagot is on the corner of Miller's Lane (named for my great grandmother's family) and before Raglan Road.


1891 Kingston Directory, pg 15



1908 fire insurance map



Miller's lane is still on Google maps and gps, although it is merely a driveway for the house and does not go through to the other street anymore. 




The current address is 490 Bagot Street.  I can now imagine my great grandparents and my Pop and his brothers posing for this photo in front of this house. 

  



The ground must have been lower then, as there were steps leading up to the veranda, and the window ledge is at George's shoulders.

The whole trip to Kingston - staying at the manor, the discoveries at the library and standing at my grandfather's house - was very emotional for me, after years of researching the family and the properties from afar. I was so happy my daughter wanted to share this experience with me.


Now to get cracking and find the documents that go with those indexes I found. 




Canada 150 - The Highland Society







During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...



The Highland Society of New Brunswick at Mirimichi




The Highland Societies in Canada were branches of the Highland Society of London, instituted in 1778 :




See booklets below for lists of members.



Relevant Links






Friday 25 August 2017

High Fives - August 25, 2017



High Fives are articles or blog posts that I read during the week and that I find interesting. Sometimes there are only a couple and sometimes there are quite a few.





~by June Coxon at Legion Magazine
I did not know there was a spy camp in Canada. Interesting!


~by Dino Flammia at NJ 101.5
I was wondering what kind of records our descendants will be looking for in the genealogy world of the future – now I know!


These 2.5 Million Records May Be Genealogy’s Best Kept Secret
~by Family History Daily
How to use PERSI - everyone should be using it! If you don't have a subscription to FMP consider getting a one month subscription at a time you are not busy, and search, search, search! If you're not busy now, Family History Daily offers you a code for 50% off until August 30th. Majority of PERSI coverage is US and Canada, and many more were recently added for the UK and Australia.


What’s Next: Edwardian Promenade 2.0
~by Evangeline Holland at Edwardian Promenade
After ten years of blogging it is time to switch it up!  Let’s keep an eye out and see what Ms Evangeline brings us in the coming year.







Wednesday 23 August 2017

Canada 150 - Industries of Canada







During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...



Industries of Canada







Industries of Canada : historical and commercial sketches of [an area]; its prominent places and people, representative merchants and manufacturers, its improvements, progress and enterprise.




Relevant Links








Tuesday 22 August 2017

Kingston Trip - Part 1: Greystone Manor



My wonderful daughter agreed to my request that when I visited her in Montreal this summer she would drive me the 3+ hours to Kingston, Ontario. 

A long time ago I had found my great-great-grandfather’s property on McGill's County Digital Atlas of Ontario, and overlaying with Google maps I found where the property was located in Pittsburgh Township. Sort of. I was going by the contours of land by the St Lawrence River. Without a modern address, it was hard to tell exactly. 




John Seale came here from Ireland with his young family, and had two more children here before his wife Sarah Honor died in 1834. Two years later John married my great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Hunter. With her he had one daughter, Anne, and seven sons.

From information sent to my uncle in 1969, I knew a little of the history of the manor. It was built in 1817 by Colonel James MacKenzie, who was sent to Ontario after the Crimean War as a commander in the British Army. Soldiers that were masons and carpenters were put to work clearing the land and building the manor, using local limestone. Over the years the home had different names, depending on the owner.  
Then, it was Greystone Manor.




Two years ago I tried maps again since Google had added more features to their maps. Now the property had a label of... Allsuites Whitney Manor?

The present owner, Terry, and I did a little back and forth, comparing and sharing info. Fifteen years ago, she bought it and restored all the inside, turning it into five luxury suites. Terry named it after her Whitney grandfather, who purchased the dilapidating manor in the 1980s and hired masons and carpenters to restore all the outside. 

Terry did not know that there was a connection between the Whitney and Seale families. I told her of my family research and the fact that the grandson of her 2x great-grandfather married the granddaughter of my 2x great-grandfather! (she was Anne's daughter) We left it that if I was ever in the area she would give me the grand tour, reminding me that in two years it was going to be the 200th anniversary of the manor. That is when the seed was planted.





Welcome to Greystone Manor



Back, facing the water


The extension on the left side was originally the chapel. Some of the family baptism records say private baptisms, and the marriage record of his daughter Anne said she was married at her father's home. I thought perhaps these rites took place in the living room. No - the family had their own chapel. Before St Mark's church was built in the 1840s I can imagine some of the neighbours had Sunday services here when it was difficult travelling to Kingston. 

My daughter and I spent the night in the Chapel. Downstairs was a living room and well equipped kitchen, and at some point a second level had been added to make bedrooms and a luxury bathroom.



The front door of the manor must be at least 8 feet high.  I know many members of the Seale family were tall, but not that tall! It makes for an impressive entrance.




Inside, the staircase leads up to what was once a magnificent ballroom.  It is said that when MacKenzie's wife arrived from England he had a grand opening of the manor and during the festivities he rode his horse up the stairs and into the ballroom. 



You can guess what it was like for us to get a tour and to spend the night in the home once owned by my great-great-grandparents. Where my great-grandfather and his many siblings lived!! I could also imagine my grandfather as a young boy, perhaps spending Christmas there with many aunts, uncles and cousins.  

It was a very special occasion for my daughter and I, one we will never forget. 



Note:  The manor is in Barriefield village (a Heritage Conservation District) and is now a Township of Pittsburgh Heritage Building. This plaque is on the front door.





Note: Read Part II here



                                                                                                      

Friday 18 August 2017

High Fives - August 18, 2018




High Fives are articles or blog posts I have read during the week that I find interesting, and perhaps are pertinent to my research. Sometimes there are only a couple and sometimes there are quite a few.



Back in Hot Water
~by John at John Grenham - Irish Roots
If your British ancestor was a plantation owner, this post would interest you.


~by Lisa Louise Cooke at Genealogy Gems
Good advice on keeping your tree and media safe. 


~by Alexandra Mendez-Diez at Family History Daily
Also High Five to industrious people who create websites that make it easier to find our ancestors. Alexandra tells of a website that provides a database to find your American or Canadian ancestor that was affected by a disaster. You can search by name, or browse by disaster, year, state or province. Try it! Fabulous!


~by Library and Archives Canada Blog
Visits by the Queen Mother to Canada


Scotlander travel bloggers take on an epic Outlander challenge
~by History Scotland
Follow group of Scottish travel bloggers on August 26th as they take up the challenge to visit nearly 30 filming locations of Outlander in 34 hours!








Sunday 13 August 2017

On Vacation - again







This week I am away visiting family and doing research. 
And... I have something very special in store.


I will be back next week to tell you all about it.



Canada 150 - New Brunswick






During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...





Province of New Brunswick 







New Brunswick was established as a separate province August 16, 1784. It was one of the four original provinces to join to form the Dominion of Canada in 1867.



Relevant links

History of New Brunswick 1825

History of New Brunswick since it's Settlement 1846

McMillan's Almanac for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island






Friday 11 August 2017

High Fives - August 11, 2017




High Fives are articles or blog posts that I read during the week and that I find interesting. Sometimes there are only a couple and sometimes there are quite a few.



New Uploads to Help Find an Orphaned Heir in Paris
~by Anne Morddel at The French Genealogy Blog
I got hits on a couple of my surnames, now to see if they take me anywhere.


~by John at John Grenham – Irish Roots
Ooooo-kay! I guess I'm not the only one that's been there done that!



~by Valmay at FIBIS – Families in British India Society
If you have British ancestors that lived in India you may want to follow this blog and check out their databases.

Wednesday 9 August 2017

Canada 150 - Post Offices and Letter Carriers







During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...



Post Offices of Canada





This gazetteer, printed in Montreal, has location of all post offices in Canada in 1872.

Check local libraries and historical societies for Letter Carrier Souvenir Books, put out by the Federated Association of Letter Carriers. 




Relevant Links










Related Post:  The Post Office



Tuesday 8 August 2017

Emigrant Aid Societies




In the 1800s when more and more people were emigrating from Great Britain to Canada, Australia, the United States and beyond, Emigrant Societies were founded to help emigrants with passage, and/or to help them once they got to their destination.







The Montreal Emigrant Society was founded in 1831 to help with passage, housing, food and jobs to immigrants from Ireland and Great Britain. Often once landed in Montreal, they were given aid to settle elsewhere in Canada. 





You can search the nominal database at LAC, read all the directions as images with a higher resolution are on a different site.

The Irish Emigrant Society of New York was founded in 1841. You can read a 1938 article about it at JSTOR by registering for freeThe Emigrant Savings Bank was established in 1850 by members of the Irish Emigrant Society and some of the records can be found on Ancestry. You can read about it there without signing up.  The savings bank records can also be seen at some libraries, including Library of Congress... see WorldCat for locations.

Check libraries and historical societies (where your ancestors came from as well as where they settled) for account books of local emigrant aid societies.


Relevant Links














Related Posts:  Immigrants



Sunday 6 August 2017

Canada 150 - Railway and Marine World





During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...



Canadian Transport
The Railway and Marine World




Index at beginning of each year has names under Appointments and Biographical. There are names throughout but especially look for personals, birthday list every month's issue, and a section titled "Mainly About People".






Relevant Links




Friday 4 August 2017

High Fives - August 4, 2017





~by Ada McVean at McGill Office for Science and Society
Hysteria was the diagnosis for everything that men could not understand about women.


~by A. Roger Ekirch at Academic Room
Took me a while to track down this original paper, which has been repeated by various others on the internet. Interesting concept that people used to sleep in two chunks, not straight through the night. 


~by Pad Kumlertsakul at The National Archives Blog
I had no idea Siam was in WWI. Though it is now Thailand, it was Siam on a small old globe I used to have.



~by Matthew Wills at JSTOR Daily
About the 1927 case of Buck v. Bell 


~ by Joe Buggy at Townland of Origin
Are your Irish ancestors in their database or in the next volumes?


~by Anne Morddel at The French Genealogy Blog
Researching in France into the 20th century.




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