The Twelve Days of Christmas

Original post date: 21 Dec 2016

Christmas Special

Tune in to see what gifts I have for you on the Twelve Days of Christmas

It all starts Christmas Day, 25 December 2016

The Twelve Days of Christmas...

Broadside: "The Twelve Days of Christmas", Angus,Newcastle, 1774-1825

                ... start on Christmas day and go to January 5th, the eve of Epiphany.

The Twelfth day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

Twelve lords a leaping

Eleven ladies dancing

Ten pipers piping

Nine drummers drumming

Eight maids a milking

Seven swans a swimming

Six geese a laying

Five gold rings

Four colley birds

Three French hens

Two turtle doves, and

A partridge in a pear tree!

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 1

Original post date: 25 Dec 2016


"The first day of Christmas my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree."

Pear Orchard near Upchurch

At one time a farmer gave part of his land to growing an orchard. Usually a census that has agricultural information, or in the UK the Apportionment Rolls, will tell you how much of a persons land he used for orchards.

My gift to you this first day of Christmas is....

....where to find your orchard and fruit growers.

List of owners of commercial orchards and licensed nurserymen in Pennsylvania

Orchard Notes, Maine periodical

New York State Fruit Growers' Association: First Annual Banquet, 1910

Better Fruit; Northwest Fruit Growers Association

Proceedings of Horticultural Societies and Fruit Growers, Melbourne 1894

Annual report of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario

Related Post:
My Ancestor was Just a Farmer - early censuses

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 2

Original post date: 26 Dec 2016



"The second day of Christmas my true love sent to me
two turtle doves..."

Burmese Red Turtle Dove

Turtle Doves are one of the few in the animal kingdom that mate for life. They are emblems of love and faithfulness.


My gift to you this second day of Christmas is...

                      ...registers and indexes of Marriage Licenses. Let's hope these couples did indeed wed and had a long, lasting, happy marriage!




Register of marriage licenses granted, South Carolina Dec 1765 to Aug 1766

Liste de licenses de mariages émises pour le Haute Canada et Bas Canada - at LAC

List of marriage licenses issued in Upper and Lower Canada - at LAC

Hampshire allegations for marriage licenses granted by the Bishop of Winchester 

Henry County - Marriage license bonds, VA 1913

Abstracts of marriage license bonds York County, USA (from William & Mary Quarterly)

Marriage licenses and bonds as recorded in William and Mary Quarterly

Wright County, MO - marriage license records as published in Hartville newspapers

Index to Green County, PA marriage record books 1885-1929

Marriage records, Marion County, IN: Minister's returns for the Board of Health reported to the clerk, Indianapolis, IN 1929-1944

Names of persons for whom marriage licenses were issued by the secretary of the proince of New York, previous to 1784

New York marriage licenses; originals in the archives of the NY Historical Society

Supplementary list of marriage licenses, NY

Abstracts of Leicestershire marriage licenses and bonds

Index to the marriage license bonds of the diocese of Cork and Ross, Ireland, for the years from 1628-1750

Leicestershire marriage licenses, being abstracts of the bonds and allegations for marriage licences,1570-1729

Allegations for marriage licenses issued by the vicar-general of the Archbishop of Canterbury

Explanation of marriage allegations and bonds

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 3

Original post date: 27 Dec 2016


"The third day of Christmas my true love sent to me
three French hens..."

Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, chaperone of the Filles de Roi 

Saint Marguerite d'Youville, founder of the Grey Nuns

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, first Native American to be canonized.

To find more about when my husband's aunt became a nun I emailed the order and my request was forwarded to the archivist.  They replied with more information than I expected, with all the important religious dates of her life. 

My gift to you this third day of Christmas is... 

              ... information and names of Nuns

The Grey Nuns of the Far North 1867-1917

Memoirs of the Pittsburgh Sisters of Mercy 1843-1917

Les Ursulines des Trois-Rivières : depuis leur établissement jusqu'à nos jours 1888

The diary of the "Blue nuns" or Order of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, at Paris, 1658-1810

Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary in the Northwest: 1859-1909

Catholic Record Society - Nuns of London 1914

Roman Catholic Religious Sisters and Nuns by Order

Religious orders and pdf database of nuns in Australia

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 4

Original post date: 28 Dec 2016


"The fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
four colly birds..."

"Colly (or colley) is an Old English term for 'black,' from the word 'colliery,' meaning coal mine. And colly birds, therefore, refer to the common blackbird."

Whatever kind of bird it was, and whether or not it was calling, I've found that some of our ancestors were bird lovers. I have cousins that are bird watchers or photographers, and perhaps they get that passion from someone in our history.

My gift to you this fourth day of Christmas is....

Audubon Society and Ornithologist periodicals usually have lists of members and some have lists of those who have contributed articles.



South Australian Ornithologist

National Audubon Society

The Gull - Golden Gate Audubon Society, California

Audubon Society of North Carolina

The Bulletin of Massachusetts Audubon Society

The Iowa Ornithologist

The Illinois Audubon Society

The New Jersey Audubon Society

The Aviculture Society

Check other Societies in a local library or at WorldCat (list of Authors on left)

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 5

Original post date: 29 Dec 2016


"The fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
five gold rings..."

My gift to you this fifth day of Christmas is...

         ... Goldsmiths and Jewelers



The Edinburgh Goldsmiths (curtesy of Cornell University)

Fogerty's Jewelers' Directory (United States) 1877

George G Phelps jeweler's memorandum book, Hopkinton, NH 1869

The Watchmaker & Jeweler, Silversmith & Optician, London

At the Sign of the Golden Eagle, 1810-1912, New York

The jewelers' circular and horological review, US

Related Post:  Guilds and Apprenticeships

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 6

Original post date: 30 Dec 2016


"The sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
six geese a laying..."


Canada Geese are migratory, heading south in the winter and north in the summer.

So are many Canadians!  I have some ancestors that went to either California or Florida in the winter months. Even though your ancestor may have lived all their life in Canada, you may have to look to the United States for a death record.


My gift to you this sixth day of Christmas is...

        .... northern summer resorts and southern winter getaways!

Do you have ancestors that headed to warmer climates in the cold months, or had a favourite summer getaway?

Lake Ontario, Long Branch Summer Resort, 1889

The Penetanguishene, Canada's popular summer hotel, 1909

Lorne Park, Mississagua 1886

Toronto as a summer resort, 1898

Gull Lake Michigan: An ideal place for a summer vacation c1915

Winter Resorts in Southern Seas, 1887

It's Easy to Live in Florida on any Budget (Florida State Hotel Commission)

Florida East Coast Hotels: Season 1901-1902

Winter Resorts in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Cuba and Nassau

Health Resorts of the South 1893

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 7

Original post date: 31 Dec 2016


"The seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
seven swans a swimming..."

Swimming suit patent by Richard F Wisner for Jantzen Knitting Mills, 1928

My gift to you this seventh day of Christmas is...

Bath: Roman Baths with Abbey in background

          ...about swimming and public baths

Patent for Janzen swimming suit 1928

Swim related patents on Google

Swim related patents at Canadian patent office

Norwich Swan Swimming Club - History

List of successful English Channel swimmers

Swimming Baths of London - 1870

Sutro baths, Heights and Cliff House - San Francisco 1895

Bradshaw's Dictionary of mineral waters, climatic health resorts, sea baths and hydropathic establishments, 1884

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 8

Original post date: 01 Jan 2017


"The eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
eight maids a milking..."

Country Life Reader, 1916 pg 196

The Farmer's New Year

My gift to you this eighth day of Christmas is...

       ... dairyman journals and Farmers' Institutes for women.

Farmer's Institutes for Women 1909

List of state directors of Farmers' Institutes and Farmers' Institutes Lecturers 1911

The Holstein Breeder and Dairyman

The Maritime Farmer and Co-operative Dairyman

New England Dairyman

The Australasian Dairyman and Farmers' Friend, 1897

Annual Report of the American Dairymen's Association

Annual Report of the Illinois State Dairymen's Association

Annual Report of the Michigan Dairymen's Association

Report of the Vermont Dairymen's Association 1889

Pennsylvania Dairymen's Association, founded 1925

Herd Register, American Jersey Cattle Club, 1909

Report of the Dairy Commissioner for the Dominion of Canada 1890

Dominion Dairy Conference held at Ottawa,1918 w/list of Delegates

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 9

Original post date: 2 Jan 2017


"The ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
nine drummers drumming..."

Nine drummers drumming - beginning of the

Top Secret Swiss Drum Corps

Drumming has been used by animals to show social dominance, by peoples as a means of communication, as an expression of art, and in the military to keep troops moving and motivated.

My gift to you this ninth day of Christmas is....

DeWitt County Civil War Veteran Drummers 

      ... where to find names of military drummer ancestors


Rolls of the soldiers in the Revolutionary War - open volume and search keyword Drummer

Muster Rolls - open volume and search keyword Drummer

At Find my Past - in box for Optional Keywords type Drummer. You should see a list of names without having to register. Can also use filters on left. 

Bands and drummer boys of the Civil War

Carleton Papers - Loyalists and British Soldiers 1772-1784 - type Keyword Drummer

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 10

Original post date: 3 Jan 2017

"The tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
ten pipers piping..."

My gift to you this tenth day of Christmas is....

... pipers and fifers of war.

The pipes of war : w/ record of the achievements of pipers of Scottish and overseas regiments during the war, 1914-18

Piper to the Sovereign

Pipers of the 78th Highlanders

List of muster rolls - use Ctrl+F and keyword "fifer"

List of rolls of the revolutionary war -  use Ctrl+F and keyword "fifer"




Related Post:
The pipes... the pipes are calling

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 11

Original post date: 4 Jan 2017

"The eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
eleven ladies dancing..."

Ladies Dancing

There are many forms of dancing, like artistic dance, cultural dance and social dance.  

My gift to you this eleventh day of Christmas is...

Fifty Figure and Character Dances

       ...dancing and dancers.

Also check newspapers for names of students at dance schools, like this one at Trove..

Do-Reen School of Dancing

Do you have an ancestor who was a dancer?

Fifty figure and character dances for schools, 1921

The Alviene school of dance arts, 1918 NY

Australian Ball Room Guide, 1876

12 of the greatest balerinas of all time

History of the Rockettes

Names of the Rockettes

List of famous dancers (wikipedia)

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 12

Original post date: 5 Jan 2017



"The twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
twelve lords a leaping..."



 I am descended from the family of Lords Falconer of Haulkerton.

Sir David Falconer, 4th Lord of Haulkerton

My gift to you this twelfth day of Christmas is....

Lords of the Manor

        ... lords, and manors of Britain and North America



The Lords Falconer of Halkerton

The Falconers of Haulkerton

British Titles and Orders of Precedence

The Armorial Register of Feudal Lords and Barons of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Become Lordship of the Manor

Collins's Peerage of England

Sets of manorial records, with illustrations 1906

Thatcham, Berks and its manors 1901

Old manors, old houses; Province of Quebec, 1927

The manors of Suffolk; notes on their history and devolution

Manors of Virginia in colonial times

Old manors in the colony of Maryland

The Old Halls, Manors and Families of Derbyshire

Return of names of Seneschals or Stewards of Manors in Ireland

Draughts of the proprietary manors in the province of Pennsylvania

Devonshire manors in the Domesday Book

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Epiphany

Original post date: 6 Jan 2017


The Twelve Days of Christmas ends with Epiphany. I stick to my family's tradition of reflecting on my beliefs this day, and taking down my Christmas decorations tomorrow, ending the holiday season.

This series has been months in the making... ever since I had the idea last year around this time.  It was fun, and sometimes frustrating, trying to find groups of records and publications that would go with each day.

I hope you all enjoyed the twelve day journey, and perhaps had a genealogical epiphany?



Here for you to download and share is the list of links in its entirety...

The Twelve Days of Christmas.