Finding an Ancestor in Reports of Commissioners

A Commission, or Royal Commission, is a formal public inquiry created by the government. A commission would be put together to look into issues of importance and usually controversy. Many inquiries can last years, depending on the issue, while the commissioners study causes and effects. The findings are then put into a public report.

So, you ask yourself what this could have to do with genealogy? 
Answer....names, names, names!

On wikipedia there is a list of Royal Commissions of the commonwealth by country. Obviously not all commission reports have lists of names, like the Report of the Royal Commission on the Relations of Labour and Capital in Canada which discusses solutions to some labour issues, but gives salaries for different occupations by province.         

I have come across a few where you may find mention of your ancestors. 
The Report of the Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration (Canada) of 1885 contains the report and evidence, plus further along, tables of names.

Commission on Chinese Immigration 1885, pg 389

For Queensland, the Royal Commission appointed to Inquire into the Working of the Pearl-shell and Beche-de-mer Industries of 1908 has names of pearl divers and merchants. 

Royal Commission Pearl Industry 1908, pg 6 

  

Royal Commission on Prisons in Ireland was formed in 1882. The report, vol 1, gives names of medical officers...

Royal Commission on Irish Prisons, Vol 1, pg 180

... but most people, prisoners and prison officers alike are mentioned by their initials only. Return of deaths gives first name and last initial...

Return of deaths, pg 248

Two other commissions worth noting are the 1842 Royal Commission on Children's Employment, which was a three year investigation into the working conditions for children in mines and factories in the UK. Lace schools were very common, usually a room in a woman's cottage where she taught lace-making to young children.

Lace schools

  

There are statements from child workers throughout the report.

Also the 1833 Report of Commissioners inquiring into labour in factories.

Spinners and dressers examined by Dr Barry, Glasgow 1833

Married women in New Lanark factory and number of their children 1833

At Canadiana Online search "Royal Commission", and to narrow down the search from over 6000 results you can add other keywords or change the search in field from everything to title.

At HathiTrust search Report of Commissions. You can also narrow the search by adding a keyword.

At Internet Archive (many for Ireland) and Google Books search Royal Commission and Report of Commissioners.

Canada 150 - The Lunar New Year

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...

In honour of the Lunar New Year

People from all Asian countries now call Canada home.

Yesterday was Chinese New Year. My husband and I went to our favourite Chinese restaurant for dinner last night and the owner and our waitress were surprised when I wished them a Happy New Year. I guess the locals don't think of it. We were given extra special almond cookies for dessert, as well as the traditional fortune cookies.

We call it Chinese New Year but it is actually the Lunar New Year, as Vietnam and Korea also celebrate New Year on January 28th this year.  The Japanese also celebrated the Lunar New Year up until 1873, when they switched to the Gregorian calendar and now celebrate on Jan 1st.

Mongolia and Tibet celebrate their New Year on February 27th this year. Other Asian countries don't celebrate their New Year until April.  You can see a list here. 



Relevant Links

The Chinese in Ontario

Les Chinois à Montréal, 1877-1951

Database of Chinese Immigrants to Canada (LAC)

Searching the National Registration file at LAC

Report of the Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration, 1885

List of Japanese repatriated to Japan after WWII (pdf)

The Telephone: Off the Hook

I was telling my daughter that her son is so cute that her phone will be ringing off the wall pretty soon.  Well... there is a saying we won't be hearing in the future. Who still has a telephone on their wall?

Wall panel phone with intercom
like we had in the 60's 

My Dad worked for Bell Canada for over 30 years.  At one time he was a supervisor in the safety department, teaching home, work and vehicle safety. When I was young my Dad drove with his head lights on during the day and other motorists used to honk at him. Now it is the law in Canada to have daytime running lights. We always had the latest fashion in telephones in our house, and as kids we each had real old fashioned telephones (not connected) to play with.

My brother worked for the phone company all his career, preferring to work outside than at a desk even when they offered him promotions. When he went independent he installed many phone and computer lines for movie sets around Alberta. Cable strung through the woods to cast and crew trailers had to be buried or hooked in trees to keep the animals from chewing on them. He predicted that one day everyone will have one number and it will be for all things including your phone.

I worked for Bell Canada in the 1970's, in the Computer Communications department, which was responsible for installing computer modems in offices and polling stations during elections. Before that I worked at old fashioned switch boards.

It is a rarity these days to see a phone booth.  Or one with a phone that actually works.  When my kids were in high school they would go the phone booth and call telephone operators around the world (calls to operators were free) and chat about weather and customs. 

For many years since about 2003 we had Vonage phone service, which is a VOIP (Voice over Internet) company, used with an ordinary cordless phone. It cost us about $45 per month for US and Canada calls.  A few years ago we switched to MagicJack, and now our phone lines costs us less than $50 a year. We have 2 lines and numbers, and we take it wherever we go. The MagicJack APP is free for your mobile phone and can be used anywhere over free wifi, with or without an account.

What will the next innovation be??

Fun:  There are many old songs and movies that have to do with a telephone or telephone calls.  A few of my favourite classic movies are "The Gazebo", "Sleepless in Seattle" and  "Phone Booth".
Do you have a favourite "telephone" song or movie?


Relevant Links

Canadian Independent Telephone Company 1910

Bell Telephone memorial: Brantford Ontario 1917

Telephone exchange: rules for the guidance of subscribers - BC 1881

Philipp Reis, inventor of the telephone, a biographical sketch - 1883

Telephone catalogue no 15 and price list - Montreal 1899

The "Unique" telephones, manufactured by John Starr, Son & Co - 1892

Exchange and toll station directory, Elgin, ILL, Chicago Phone Co 1892 

Southern Bell Telephone, Florida 1899

By-laws and act of incorporation and amendments, NS Telephone Company, 1888

Agreement and schedule of wages - between BC Electric Railway, Western Canada Power and BC Telephone - 1916

Montreal's first hundred thousand - 1923

The telephone systems of the continent of Europe 1895

General instructions, tariff of charges and exchange lists, Vancouver 1890

Bell Telephone Magazine (American Telephone Co - various vols)

Recipes for use in the dining service department of the Pacific Telephone Co - 1922

Modern Telephone Service for the Home - 1920

The Telephone News, Pennsylvania 1914

San Francisco and Oakland Chinese Telephone Directory - 1945

Telephone Timeline

Les Nouveautés électriques - France 1896

Quotations about telephones

Songs about telephone calls

Turn your touch phone into a musical instrument

Telephone Directories

Happy Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year Greeting Card

In honour of Chinese New Year, February 19, 2015, I have gathered some links to publications and websites that have to do with Chinese Immigration. If you have ancestors from China this may help get you started.

Relevant Links

Immigrants from China at LAC

Chinese Canadian Genealogy

Lisa Louise Cooke on Chinese Genealogy

Alphabetic List of the Chinese and Japanese Emperors

Chinese recorder and missionary journal (includes BMD of missionaries to China)

The surnames of the Chinese in America spelled according to the David Jones system of spelling Chinese names; with notes on various subjects of interest to the Chinese and those who do business with them – 1904

Case Files for Early Immigrants to San Francisco and Hawaii

Chinese New Year - Calendar, greetings, food, crafts, etc

The Chung Collection at UBC

Records about Chinese Australians in the National Archives



Serendipity Sunday - Who's Who in Asia

In another life (about 20 odd years ago) I worked for a company that shipped goods internationally, including to Japan. I had to learn about shipping methods, costs and schedules, export paper work, and international letters of credit.

While doing research I came across this book, and it made me think of that job I loved. 

Trading with the Far East : how to sell in the Orient : policies : methods : advertising : credits : financing : documents : deliveries ...

This book was published in New York in 1920 by the Irving National Bank. It gives not only information on trading in the east, but what the markets are like in different areas.


That led me to find a couple of other  companion books, one being Who's Who in the Far East - 1906-1907 - a Directory that lists names and short bios of important Western and Eastern people in Asia, some being from Canada, United States, Australia and New Zealand. This directory was published in HongKong and made available through agents in New York and London. There is also a short commentary about New South Wales, the "Mother State of the Australias".

The other is titled European Settlements in the Far East:

China, Japan, Corea, Indo-China, Straits Settlements, Malay States, Siam, Netherlands, India, Borneo, the Philippines, etc - Published in New York in 1900, with maps and illustrations.

If you had ancestors that travelled to Asia at that time, for work or pleasure, these are names of places they may have visited.




   

The Accidental Mine

My grandparents lived in a middle cold flat in Verdun, on one of the numbered streets that ran from the Aqueduct to the St Lawrence River. These were 3 story buildings that were all stuck together, did not have central heat, and in the beginning no hot running water. The rent was cheap. In the kitchen, against one wall, was a tall, round-ish stove that was coal burning and it heated the whole house.  Every couple of years 2 tons of coal was delivered by the alley and stored in the back shed off the kitchen. We visited often at my grandparents' house, and I always wondered how come the sooty, saggy floor full of coal didn't fall through to the unit below. It never occurred to me to wonder where the coal came from.... Grampa said it was delivered by truck.

This year, in May 2014 an explosion at the coal mine in Soma, Manisa, Turkey claimed at least 300 lives. It made me think of my grandfather's coal, and what others had to endure so my grandparents could stay warm during the cold Quebec winters. Through the years there have been many mining disasters.

The worst ever coal mine disaster is said to be the gas and coal-dust explosion in China, April 26, 1942 at the Benxihu Colliery when 1,549 workers died.

The worst single disaster in British coal mining history was at Senghenydd in the South Wales coalfield, October 1913, killing 439 miners and 1 rescuer.

The Monongah Mining disaster in West Virginia occurred on December 6, 1907, and has been described as "the worst mining disaster in American History". The explosion occurred in Fairmont Coal Company’s No. 6 and No. 8 mines, killing over 360 miners.

The 1902 Mount Kembla Mine disaster was the worst of Australia's history, killing 96 workers in the explosion caused by gas and coal-dust ignited by miners' torches.

The worst Canadian coal mine disaster was the explosion at the Hillcrest Mine,  Hillcrest, Alberta, June 1914. A total of 189 workers died.

One of my neighbours in Nanaimo, BC told me about her father being brought with his family on a ship from England to work in the mines, whose owners were in London. The families were greeted by those already here, who had hastily put up temporary shacks and gathered food for them, as the men were put right to work. There was an explosion at the Number One Coal Mine in Nanaimo in May 1877 that killed 150 miners, including 53 Chinese workers. Only 7 miners survived and the fires burned all day.

"Chinese workers were listed in the Government inquest as 'Chinamen, names unknown' followed by a tag number. BC employers did not have to report the deaths of Chinese employees until 1897."

Though coal mining has been around for thousands of years, it came into its own during the Industrial Revolution.  Coal was, and still is, used at many industrial plants and is mined in many different countries. 

This from Wikipedia: (Mt is Millions of tons)

"Global coal production is expected to reach 7,000 Mt/yr in 2030 (Update required, world coal production is already past 7,000 Mt/yr and by 2030 will probably be closer to 13,000 Mt/yr), with China accounting for most of this increase. Steam coal production is projected to reach around 5,200 Mt/yr; coking coal 620 Mt/yr; and brown coal 1,200 Mt/yr"

 
This article was inspired by the link for UK Coal Mining Accidents, posted in a group by genealogist Elaine Stockton Curran, whose ancestor was killed in the Pretoria Pit Disaster of 1910, Westhoughton, Lancashire. The explosion claimed the lives of 344 men and boys, just days before Christmas. You will find Elaine posting often and helping others at The Conservatory Facebook Group.

Pretoria Pit Memorial in Ditchfield Gardens, Westhoughton

If you had a coal mining ancestor, I have gathered a few links that may be of interest to you. The first is a list of mining accidents, and you can search for the ones I didn't list.


Relevant Links:

UK Coalmining Accidents and Deaths Database

World Mining Accidents

Turkey Coal Mine Disaster 2014

UK Coal Mining Accidents Click on reports for names of miners

Pretoria Pit Disaster, Westhoughton, Lancashire 1910

Pretoria Pit Disaster, at OPC Lancashire

Nanaimo BC - Coal Mine Explosion 1887

Nova Scotia Mine Fatalities - Database 1838-1992

NS Westray Coal Mine Disaster 1992

NS The Drummond Colliery Disaster May 1873

Number 12 Colliery, New Waterford, NS - July 1917

Explosion at Springhill Mines, Nova Scotia 1891 - Our Roots

Explosion at Springhill Mines, Nova Scotia 1891 - Internet Archive

Miracle at Springhill - 1958

Australia - Bulli Colliery Disaster 1887 (Newspaper)

Mount Kembla Disaster - 1902 Australia

Pike River Mine Disaster 2010 New Zealand

Ralph Mine Disaster - Huntly, Waikato, NZ 1914

Senghenydd, Wales Mine Disaster October 1913, Memorial

Hillcrest, Alberta 1914 Mine Disaster Memorial

Coal Miners of Sebastian County, Arkansas

The Monongah Mining Disaster (West Virginia) 1907

List of Names - Monongah Mining Explosions 1907

Wages and the cost of living in the anthracite industry of Pennsylvania1920

Guilds and Apprenticeships

If your ancestors were craftsmen, they most likely belonged to a Guild, which were popular all over Europe in the Middle Ages. There were two types of guilds, Merchant Guilds for traders, and Craft Guilds, for the artisans.  The Guild set the prices and standards of goods.  This protected not only the craftsman but the buyers as well.  Most major towns had a Guildhall, where the members met and conducted business, and where taxes were paid. If you didn’t belong to a guild it would be nearly impossible to get work. The guild members took care of their own.  When a person got sick he and his family were taken care of, and when one died the Guild would help with the funeral expenses.

While researching the Monpetit family for a friend, I found Francois Maupetit in the early 1600’s Fontenay, France. He was a master tailor and draper, who took on several apprentices over the years.  He bought a preferred spot in “Les Halles” (the merchant guildhall) at the forefront of the drapers section for £40, paid in cash.

When a person became a Master at his craft, he took on apprentices, and provided them with food, shelter and instruction. The masters oversaw the work of the apprentices and were responsible for buying the raw materials for the craft. Depending on the craft an apprenticeship would last up to 12 years. The apprentice had to make items, or essay pieces, as a test to pass his apprenticeship, and the pieces were graded by the essay master of the Guild.  When the apprentice passed he became a freeman and could open his own shop.

My ancestor, James Tait of Edinburgh became a goldsmith apprentice to George Yorstoun, goldsmith and Burgess, in Mar 1694 and was pronounced a freeman in May 1704. He became a master of his trade and was essay master to many young apprentices. Some of his pieces are in the Museum of Scotland today.

In Scotland it was necessary to join a guild then gain a burgess ticket to become a freeman of the burgh. A widow was permitted to take over her husband’s burgess membership and pass it to her son, as a woman could pass her father’s membership to her husband. The Burgess Rolls contained information on all its members, such as marriages and deaths, as well as apprenticeships.

For the United States, search the “Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands” at archive.org. They contain actual documents and there are some apprenticeships and work records.  Also letters of complaint from parents that their children are being held without consent.

Relevant Links:

Stirling Guildry Book

Maltmen of Glasgow – lots of names in index

Guildry, and Merchants House of Glasgow (names in index)

Merchant & Craft Guilds – History

Burgess laws of Dundee (w/glossary in back) 1872

Roll of Edinburgh Burgess

Incorporation of Wrights in Glasgow (names)

Goldsmiths and their marks – England, Scotland, Ireland 1905

Guilds of Florence

Anything about Boots, Shoes - Repairing, Apprenticeships (scroll down for a list)

Guild of Handicraft – beautiful examples – like a small catalogue

Official American textile directory USA and Canada 1906-1907 (+other years)

Elizabethan Guild of the city of Exeter 1873

Trade Guild Signs

Looking for an Apprentice or Master – UK

Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872  Delaware and Maryland(actual records and names) (+ more states)

Historical sketch of the paint, oil, varnish and allied trades of Boston : since 1800 

Histoire des anciennes corporations d'arts et métiers et des confréries religieuses 1850

Arts, trades, manners, and customs of the Chinese - as suggested by an examination of the articles comprising the Chinese Museum - Boston 1845

United Company of Merchants of England, trading to the East-Indies (names)

The register of letters &c. of the Governour and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies 1600-1619 (names)

Swedish Craft Guilds

Czech Republic Guilds and Crafts

Scots-Dutch Links in Europe and America, 1575-1825 (Burgess Rolls - limited search) Book available through Family History Centers.  Also at Ancestry.

The Original Lists of persons of quality; emigrants; religious exiles;political rebels; serving men sold for a term of years; apprentices; children stolen; maidens pressed; and others who went from Great Britain to the American Plantations, 1600-1700

Book of Trades – (also in Occupations links) – by Dutch Artist Jan Luyken: click each one

Scotland Apprenticeships 1583-1666

Scotland Apprenticeships 1666-1700