Small-town British Columbia Newspapers

Go west young man…and young woman. And they did. Sometimes they took their young families with them or encouraged a sibling to tag along or they went alone. In many instances, family histories told of their departure but a number of individuals simply disappeared without a paper trail. Those who didn’t return began a fresh paper trail in their new hometown.

If you have ancestors who settled in a small British Columbia town, they may have appeared in local newspapers. Now, thanks to the University of British Columbia, you can read all about them online.

Column: What are your thoughts worth?

Between today and Saturday, my genealogy column, Roots to the Past, is available in the following Atlantic Canada newspapers:

Tuesday: The Kings County Record (Sussex)

Wednesday: The Lunenburg County Progress Bulletin

Thursday: The Western Star (Corner Brook)

Saturday: The Citizen (Amherst)

Saturday: Times & Transcript (Moncton)

Title: What are your thoughts worth?

Snippet: Depending on in which generation you were born, you can either identify an object and its purpose or have no clue what it is or how it’s used because it was either before your time or after it. After it indicating it came into fashion for the younger generation when you were too old to care about such a thing. For example I don’t care about cell phones, and although I know how to make a call, I don’t know how to tweet or text on them, store numbers or the many other things people do on them.

The older generation—my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles—know things that they assume is common knowledge for me. After growing up with older than normal parents and visiting many museums, I have a better understanding of how things worked in the past and the everyday things people identify with.

. . . To read more, pick up one of the above noted newspapers.

Mrs. Beeton’s Household Management

When my mother churned cream into butter in the 1930s, she didn’t refer to a cookbook to see how it was done. The recipe had been taught to her by her mother who had gained the knowledge from her mother. Whether the directions were ever written down for it, and dozens of other basic foods used daily in a home, is unknown.

If I could time travel back to 1910 when my grandmother was being taught how to make butter, cheese and soap, I’d stand next to great-grandmother and learn alongside her daughter. I’d ask questions and practise until I got it perfect. Then I’d write down the instructions and return to my time period to make these things from my own goat’s milk.

Column: Disorganised Dilemma

Between today and Saturday, my genealogy column, Roots to the Past, is available in the following Atlantic Canada newspapers:

Tuesday: The Kings County Record (Sussex)

Wednesday: The Lunenburg County Progress Bulletin

Thursday: The Western Star (Corner Brook)

Saturday: The Citizen (Amherst)

Saturday: Times & Transcript (Moncton)

Title: Disorganised Dilemma

Snippet: The last fourteen years have been unkind to my genealogical storage system. Actually, I have to—though I hate to—admit that practically everything in my life is currently disorganised in one fashion or another. What happened fourteen years ago to change my ‘everything is in order’ life to “I know it’s there, but I can’t find it’ chaos? My second child was born. A third soon followed, flinging my organisation skills out the window.

I used to have things organised so if a family member asked for a specific piece of information I could easily go to my files and extract what was needed.

If a family member said, “Hey, you got any old pictures of Nan and Pop?” I could say, “Yes. I’ll send them right away.” Now, after a cousin asked just that, I’ve discovered that I’m so disorganised that I can’t find the old photographs.

. . . To read more, pick up one of the above noted newspapers.

They Made Short Beds in History

Bed sizes confused me when I was young. Not my bed, but those in old museum houses; it was as if everyone remained kid-size or slept curled in a ball. An average adult—man or woman—couldn’t stretch out comfortably for a good night’s sleep in the crude furnishings. Back then I believed the staff had simply cut corners and made beds smaller than they should have been.

I’ve toured numerous historic structures since then. After seeing many short beds, I began to remove the blame from the staff and place it in the hands of the settlers. Did they make short beds to save material or was something else responsible? Still, the question remained: Why would they make a bed too short in which to properly sleep?

Column: Irish Lives Remembered

Between today and Saturday, my genealogy column, Roots to the Past, is available in the following Atlantic Canada newspapers:

Tuesday: The Kings County Record (Sussex)

Wednesday: The Lunenburg County Progress Bulletin

Thursday: The Western Star (Corner Brook)

Saturday: The Citizen (Amherst)

Saturday: Times & Transcript (Moncton)

Title: Irish Lives Remembered

Snippet: Estimates reveal that up to four million Canadians can find at least one family line they can trace back to Ireland. Although many may believe the Irish began arriving in Canada during and after the potato famine, there were significant Irish settlements in Atlantic Canada and Quebec beforehand.

Famous Irishmen such as Richard John Uniacke influenced others from their homeland to settle in Canada, helping to increase their numbers and create small communities. The newcomers made substantial contributions to the government (such as Thomas D’Arcy McGee: 1825-1868) and the economy (for example Timothy Eaton: 1834-1907).

. . . To read more, pick up one of the above noted newspapers.

Column: The Maple Leaf Legacy Project Keeps Growing

Between today and Saturday, my genealogy column, Roots to the Past, is available in the following Atlantic Canada newspapers:

Tuesday: The Kings County Record (Sussex)

Wednesday: The Lunenburg County Progress Bulletin

Thursday: The Western Star (Corner Brook)

Saturday: The Citizen (Amherst)

Saturday: Times & Transcript (Moncton)

Title: The Maple Leaf Legacy Project Keeps Growing

Snippet: I first became aware of the Maple Leaf Legacy Project (MLLP) about ten years ago. At the time I had been researching local veterans and stumbled upon the unique website. If memory serves me correctly, it was an overly bright, a little disorganised, but inspiring database of information that didn’t download correctly if you had an old computer or were on slow dial-up service.

Still, I visited often to see if it held information I sought, and I shared it with many other researchers who had ancestors in the military killed during wartime. After all, it was the information that was important, not the way it was displayed.

. . . To read more, pick up one of the above noted newspapers.

From Canada to Ellis Island

An island located south of Atlantic Canada was the portal where more than half of all Americans can trace their family history. Ellis Island is also where many Canadian ancestors first stepped foot on North American soil before travelling north. The almost 30-acre historical landmark is located off the tip of Manhattan Island, New York, USA.

Much has been written about the immigrants who landed on the island. Recently, I stumbled upon Alphabetical Index of Newfoundland Names at Ellis Island . Although most individuals in the database have a Newfoundland connection, some had resided in other parts of Canada, too. For example, Blanche Brown resided in Dartmouth, Canada. The 20-year-old arrived at Ellis Island in 1924.

Column: Grandmother’s Lost Knowledge Uncovered

Between today and Saturday, my genealogy column, Roots to the Past, is available in the following Atlantic Canada newspapers:

Tuesday: The Kings County Record (Sussex)

Wednesday: The Lunenburg County Progress Bulletin

Thursday: The Western Star (Corner Brook)

Saturday: The Citizen (Amherst)

Saturday: Times & Transcript (Moncton)

Title: Grandmother’s Lost Knowledge Uncovered

Snippet: For decades I’ve been quizzing family members for genealogical information. They were questions like: Did any Appleby relatives in Newfoundland relocate to New Brunswick? Do you know if the Tipert family in New Germany is related to the Tibert family in Liscomb Mills?

I’ve asked other types of questions, too; they’re still important but not the usual ones found on genealogy charts. What colour was nanny’s hair? How tall was she? Did your grandfather wear glasses?

All this eventually led to yeast. As a bread-maker in training, I wanted to know how bread was made and stored a hundred years ago. My mother, who was born in the 1920s, has made countless loaves in her lifetime and clearly remembers her own mother rising early and setting bread.

. . . To read more, pick up one of the above noted newspapers.

Researching Down East

Down East has a nice ring to it. It was what my family said when we packed our bags and fishing rods and headed to where my father had been born and raised: Liscomb Mills. I spent many joyous times throughout my life down east. Where were you last week? “Down East.” Where are you going this weekend? “Down East.” It slipped off our tongues as easy as a toddler would say Momma.

When I went out west to work in the Rockies, I met many others who were from Down East. In Alberta, down east referred to everyone east of Quebec; it didn’t mean they were from Liscomb Mills. To us, those two words conjured images of home, family and long-time friends. Where you from? “Down East.”