THE REASONS IN FAVOR OF KNOWING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY

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Ontario Fire College – Gravenhurst – Muskoka – Ontario.

 

On the grounds of the Ontario Fire College located in Gravenhurst remain the F. R. Scott Memorial Hall.   Originally, the Massey Hall, built in 1915 by funds donated by the famous farm implement family.  It was used a a patients’ recreation facility as part of the Muskoka Free Hospital. 

(Photo By Fred Schulz)

FAMILY RELICS - THE REASONS IN FAVOR OF KNOWING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY - ROGUES, BANDITS, LOVERS AND SINNERS

   IF YOU'RE WONDERING, WELL, SON OF A GUN, I JUST HAPPEN TO HAVE A COPY OF WASHINGTON IRVING'S "BRACEBRIDGE HALL," AT DESK-SIDE; A REALLY NICE 1880 EDITION, I BOUGHT BACK IN THE LATE 1990'S, WHEN I FIRST BEGAN WORKING ON THE NAMING OF BRACEBRIDGE, ONTARIO. YOU CAN ARCHIVE BACK TO THE FIRST BLOG OF THIS PAST WEEK, IF YOU'RE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE AMERICAN AUTHOR, IRVING, AND WILLIAM DAWSON LESUEUR, OF THE FEDERAL POSTAL AUTHORITY; WHO, OF COURSE, SELECTED THE TITLE FOR THE NEW POST OFFICE, CIRCA 1864, FOR THE FLEDGLING HAMLET OF BRACEBRIDGE. I DO HAVE QUITE A FEW IRVING BOOKS, ON SHELVES THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE, BECAUSE I NEEDED A LOT OF RESOURCES, TO SUPPORT THE BOOK I WROTE ON THE SUBJECT, BACK IN 1999. ON COLD WINTER NIGHTS, IT'S TRUE WHAT YOU'VE HEARD AROUND THE OFFICE WATER COOLER. OLD MAN CURRIE COZIES UP TO MR. IRVING AT HEARTHSIDE. MY WIFE TOO. OF COURSE SHE CUDDLES UP TO ME, NOT THE BOOK. SHE KNITS WHILE I READ. THE ONLY SOUNDS ARE KNITTING NEEDLES TAPPING TOGETHER, THE OCCASIONAL TURNING OF THE PAGE, A SNAP OF CEDAR IN THE FIRE, AND A CAT SCRATCHING, SOFTLY BUT AUDIBLY HITTING THE CHAIR SPINDLES WITH ITS PAW. I HAVE A POOR FOCUS WITH DISTRACTIONS, SO I LOOK UP FREQUENTLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S CAUSING THE DIN AT BIRCH HOLLOW. I DID SO, EARLIER THIS EVENING, AND SUZANNE LOOKED ME IN THE EYES, SMIRKED, AND SAID, "WELL SURPRISE, SURPRISE, IT'S YOUR STOMACH GROWLING." GOSH I THOUGHT THERE WAS SOMEONE DRIVING ON OUR LAWN, BUT IT WAS ONLY MY INNER PLAINTIVE CRY "PLEASE FEED ME."
     FOLLOWING-UP ON THE HISTORY THEME, I'VE BEEN PAWING THROUGH WITH BOTH HANDS AND HEAD, IN MY STACKED-UP ARCHIVES, I ALSO WANTED TO PROFILE, FOR A FEW BLOGS, THE OFTEN HIDDEN RELEVANCE OF FAMILY HISTORY. THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE, I ENCOUNTER, ON MY TRAVELS AND HERE IN THE ANTIQUE SHOP, WHO WOULD LOVE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THEIR DESCENDANTS, BUT DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHERE TO START. I HAVE MANY ASSOCIATES WHO WILL NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, MAKE USE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY AND THE INTERNET, TO LAUNCH FAMILY RESEARCH. I'VE ARGUED WITH A FEW OF THEM, WHO ARE SCHOLARLY FOLKS, AND LOVE HISTORY, BUT TO NO AVAIL. SUZANNE HAS OFFERED TO HELP THEM INITIATE MORE THOROUGH FAMILY INVESTIGATIONS, BUT EVEN THEN, IT'S WORSE THAN PULLING TEETH. ADMITTEDLY I'M NOT VERY GOOD WITH COMPUTERS, BUT AS AN HISTORIAN, AND ANTIQUE DEALER, I WOULD BE LOST TODAY WITHOUT THE CONVENIENCES IT HAS PROVIDED, ESPECIALLY FOR EXPANSIVE RESEARCH AND FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES. WHAT USED TO TAKE ME TWENTY OR SO BOOKS, AND HOURS UPON HOURS OF RESEARCH, TO IDENTIFY ANTIQUE FURNITURE PIECES, UNUSUAL CHINA ITEMS, SILVER, GLASS OR POTTERY, CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED IN LESS THAN TEN MINUTES, IF YOU CONNECT WITH THE RIGHT SITES. WITH ANCESTRY.CA, AND THE CANADIAN ARCHIVES, FAMILY RESEARCH CERTAINLY GETS A HUGE BOOST. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE ACTUALLY, WHAT EFFORT IT USED TO TAKE, TO COVER THE SAME GROUND. IN OTHER WORDS, TO BE THOROUGH FIFTY YEARS AGO, MEANT A LOT OF INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL, ASSOCIATED EXPENSES (INCLUDING THE HIRING OF AN ARCHIVIST ASSISTANT), TO INVESTIGATE CIVIL RECORDS, IN ENGLAND, IRELAND OR SCOTLAND, FOR EXAMPLE. IT WAS BOTH COSTLY AND TIME CONSUMING. TODAY THERE REALLY ISN'T ANY EXCUSE FOR WANTING TO KNOW YOUR ANCESTRY, BUT BELIEVING IT'S TOO MUCH WORK AND TOO COMPLICATED TO PURSUE. IT'S BASICALLY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS, IF YOU DECIDE IT'S TIME TO CONNECT THE DOTS.
     AS PART OF THIS MULTI-PART SERIES OF BLOGS, ON ANCESTRAL RESEARCH, I BORROWED A FEW PLUMES FROM WASHINGTON IRVING'S, "BRACEBRIDGE HALL," AND THE CHAPTER HEADED, "FAMILY RELICS." THE BOOK ITSELF, IS ABOUT THE REVERENCE TO TRADITION, FAMILY, AND OLD VALUES, SURVIVING INTO THE FUTURE. THE STORY UNFOLDS AT SQUIRE BRACEBRIDGE'S ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE ESTATE, AND IRVING USES HIS CHARACTER, GEOFFREY CRAYON, THE TRAVELLER, TO INTERACT WITH THE AFFAIRS, AT CHRISTMAS-TIME, BEING CONDUCTED AT "BRACEBRIDGE HALL." CRAYON VISITED BRACEBRIDGE HALL IN THE SHORT STORIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE 1819 "SKETCH BOOK," AND RETURNED IN THE 1822 PUBLICATION OF "BRACEBRIDGE HALL," STAYING TO CELEBRATE A TRADITIONAL BRITISH CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL. THIS IS THE CELEBRATION, THAT HAS BEEN HELD IN BRACEBRIDGE, ONTARIO, IN YEAR'S PAST, IN RECOGNITION OF THE TOWN'S LONG ASSOCIATION WITH WASHINGTON IRVING. IT'S UNFORTUNATELY NOT AN ANNUAL OCCURRENCE. IRVING PAYS PARTICULAR ATTENTION, TO THE FACT SQUIRE BRACEBRIDGE KEEPS THE HALL ADORNED WITH THE KEEPSAKES OF GENERATIONS PAST, INCLUDING THE FAMILY PORTRAITS, WHICH SHOW THE LINEAGE THROUGH THE CENTURIES, AS CHERISHED PROVENANCE. IRVING WRITES OF THIS, AS BEING IMPORTANT TO THE WELL BEING OF THE FAMILY, AND THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE GRAND HALL, FOR THE SERVICES IT HAS PROVIDED TO THE GENERATIONS OF "BRACEBRIDGES."
     "AN OLD ENGLISH FAMILY MANSION IS A FERTILE SUBJECT FOR STUDY," HE WRITES. "IT ABOUNDS WITH ILLUSTRATIONS OF FORMER TIMES, AND TRACES OF THE TASTES, AND HUMORS, AND MANNERS OF SUCCESSIVE GENERATIONS. THE ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS, IN DIFFERENT STYLES OF ARCHITECTURE; THE FURNITURE, PLATE, PICTURES, HANGINGS; THE WAR-LIKE AND SPORTING IMPLEMENTS OF DIFFERENT AGES AND FANCIES; ALL FURNISH FOOD FOR CURIOUS AND AMUSING SPECULATION. AS THE SQUIRE IS VERY CAREFUL IN COLLECTING AND PRESERVING ALL FAMILY RELICS, THE HALL IS FULL OF REMEMBRANCES OF THE KIND. IN LOOKING ABOUT THE ESTABLISHMENT, I CAN PICTURE TO MYSELF THE CHARACTERS AND HABITS THAT HAVE PREVAILED AT DIFFERENT ERAS OF THE FAMILY HISTORY. I HAVE MENTIONED ON A FORMER OCCASION THE ARMOR OF THE CRUSADERS WHICH HANGS UP IN THE HALL. THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL JACK-BOOTS, WITH ENORMOUSLY THICK SOLES AND HIGH HEELS, WHICH BELONGED TO A SET OF CAVALIERS, WHO FILLED THE HALL WITH DIN AND STIR OF ARMS DURING THE TIME OF THE CONVENATORS. A NUMBER OF ENORMOUS DRINKING VESSELS OF ANTIQUE FASHION, WITH HUGE VENICE GLASSES, AND GREEN HOCK-GLASSES, WITH THE APOSTLES IN RELIEF ON THEM, REMAIN AS MONUMENTS OF A GENERATION OR TWO OF HARD LIVES, WHO LED A LIFE OF ROARING REVELRY, AND FIRST INTRODUCED THE GOUT INTO THE FAMILY." POSSIBLY YOU, AS A LOVING SPOUSE, ALSO HAVE TO LIVE WITH UNUSUAL AND UNSIGHTLY FAMILY HEIRLOOMS, BELONGING TO YOUR PARTNER'S KIN FOLK. THEN IRVING'S DESCRIPTION OF THE HALL, WILL REMIND YOU OF THE AMPLE TOLERATION REQUIRED, TO MAINTAIN SOME INTIMATE FAMILY LEGACIES.
     "I SHALL PASS OVER SEVERAL MORE SUCH INDICATIONS OF TEMPORARY TASTES OF THE SQUIRE'S PREDECESSORS; BUT I CANNOT FORBEAR TO NOTICE A PAIR OF ANTLERS IN THE GREAT HALL, WHICH IS ONE OF THE TROPHIES OF A HARD-RIDING SQUIRE OF FORMER TIMES, WHO WAS THE NIMROD OF THESE PARTS. THERE ARE MANY TRADITIONS OF HIS WONDERFUL FEATS IN HUNTING, STILL EXISTING, WHICH ARE RELATED BY OLD CHRISTY, THE HUNTSMAN, WHO GETS EXCEEDINGLY NETTLED IF THEY ARE IN THE LEAST DOUBTED. INDEED, THERE IS A FRIGHTFUL CHASM, A FEW MILES FROM THE HALL, WHICH GOES BY THE NAME OF THE 'SQUIRE'S LEAP,' FROM HIS HAVING CLEARED IT IN THE ARDOR OF THE CHASE; THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT OF THE FACT, OLD CHRISTY SHOWS THE VERY DINTS OF THE HORSE'S HOOFS ON THE ROCKS ON EACH SIDE OF THE CHASM."
     WASHINGTON IRVING PENS, THAT "THE PLACE, HOWEVER, WHICH ABOUNDS MOST WITH MOMENTOS OF PAST TIMES, IS THE PICTURE GALLERY; AND THERE IS SOMETHING STRANGELY PLEASING, THOUGH MELANCHOLY, IN CONSIDERING THE LONG ROWS OF PORTRAITS WHICH COMPOSE THE GREATER PART OF THE COLLECTION. THEY FURNISH A KIND OF NARRATIVE OF THE LIVES OF THE FAMILY WORTHIES, WHICH I AM ENABLED TO READ WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE VENERABLE HOUSEKEEPER, WHO IS THE FAMILY CHRONICLER, PROMPTED OCCASIONALLY BY MASTER SIMON. THERE IS THE PROGRESS OF A FINE LADY, FOR INSTANCE, THROUGH A VARIETY OF PORTRAITS. ONE REPRESENTS HER AS A LITTLE GIRL, WITH A LONG WAIST AND HOOP, HOLDING A KITTEN IN HER ARMS, AND OGLING THE SPECTATOR OUT OF THE CORNERS OF HER EYES, AS IF SHE COULD NOT TURN HER HEAD. IN ANOTHER WE FIND HER IN THE FRESHNESS OF YOUTHFUL BEAUTY, WHEN SHE WAS A CELEBRATED BELLE, AND SO HARD-HEARTED AS TO CAUSE SEVERAL UNFORTUNATE GENTLEMEN TO RUN DESPERATE AND WRITE BAD POETRY. IN ANOTHER SHE IS A STATELY DAME, IN THE MATURITY OF HER CHARMS; NEXT TO THE PORTRAIT OF HER HUSBAND, A GALLANT COLONEL IN FULL-BOTTOMED WIG AND GOLD-LACED HAT, WHO WAS KILLED ABROAD; AND FINALLY, HER MONUMENT IS IN THE CHURCH, THE SPIRE OF WHICH MAY BE SEEN FROM THE WINDOW, WHERE HER EFFIGY IS CARVED IN MARBLE, AND REPRESENTS HER AS A VENERABLE DAME OF SEVENTY-SIX."
     MAYBE YOU CAN RELATE TO THESE OBSERVATIONS MADE BY IRVING'S CHARACTER, MR. CRAYON, PENNED DURING HIS STAY AT BRACEBRIDGE HALL. OUR OWN HOUSE IS FULL TO OVER-FLOWING WITH THESE FAMILY RELICS, MADE SPECIAL BY ASSOCIATION OF GENERATIONS PAST, BUT HAVING NO SERIOUS MONETARY VALUE CONNECTED. THEY ARE WHAT THEY ARE, AND EITHER PRETTY OR GROTESQUE, THEY ARE TREATED RESPECTFULLY BY THE CURRIE CLAN, LOYAL TO THE TRADITIONS OF OUR RESPECTIVE TITANS. SOMETIMES I SUPPOSE WE DO FEEL TITHED, IN HAVING THEM ON DISPLAY, AND THOUSANDS OF OTHER MOMENTOS TUCKED INTO SCRAPBOOKS AND PHOTO ALBUMS, AND AT LEAST HALF THE DRAWERS IN THE COTTAGE-HOUSE. THIS INCLUDES ALL THE SCHOOL WORK DONE BY OUR LADS, NOW GROWN TO FULL MATURITY AS BUSINESS OWNERS, INCLUDING THEIR PLUSH ANIMAL MASCOTS AND TEDDY BEARS, WHICH, WE KEEP TOGETHER IN A PINE ROCKER ON THE HEARTH, AN OLD VICTORIAN HIGH CHAIR ON WHEELS, AND IN A BASKET NEAR MY CHAIR. I WILL ADMIT, THAT BOTH SUZANNE AND I FEEL SENTIMENTAL HOME COMFORTS, BEING IN THEIR INANIMATE COMPANY. THEY ARE PASSIVE REMINDERS OF MANY WONDERFUL SPECIAL OCCASIONS, WHEN THESE SAME STUFFED CRITTERS, OF ALL SPECIES OF TOY PLAYMATE, WERE BROUGHT OUT FOR "TEDDY BEAR PICNICS," "CHRISTMAS SOCIALS," AND EASTER CELEBRATIONS, SOME EVEN NOW, HAVING TELL-TALE TRACES OF FINGERPRINTS ETCHED IN OLD CHOCOLATE. I WOULDN'T DARE TO SUGGEST THEY BE CLEANED, BECAUSE THE CHOCOLATE IS PROVENANCE TO US.
     "WHEN I LOOK AT THESE FAINT RECORDS OF GALLANTRY AND TENDERNESS; WHEN I CONTEMPLATE THE FADING PORTRAITS OF THESE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, AND THINK TOO THAT THEY HAVE LONG SINCE BLOOMED, REIGNED, GROWN OLD, DIED, AND PASSED AWAY, AND WITH THEM ALL THEIR GRACES, THEIR TRIUMPHS, THEIR RIVALRIES, THEIR ADMIRERS; THE WHOLE EMPIRE OF LOVE AND PLEASURE IN WHICH THEY RULE -'ALL DEAD, ALL BURIED, AND ALL FORGOTTEN,' I FIND A CLOUD OF MELANCHOLY STEALING OVER THE PRESENT GAYETIES AROUND ME. I WAS GAZING, IN A MUSING MOOD, THIS VERY MORNING, AT THE PORTRAIT OF THE LADY WHOSE HUSBAND WAS KILLED ABROAD, WHEN THE FAIR JULIA ENTERED THE GALLERY, LEANING ON THE ARM OF THE CAPTAIN. THE SUN SHONE THROUGH THE ROW OF WINDOWS ON HER AS SHE PASSED ALONG, AND SHE SEEMED TO BEAM OUT EACH TIME INTO BRIGHTNESS, AND RELAPSE INTO SHADE, UNTIL THE DOOR AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GALLERY CLOSED AFTER HER. I FELT A SADNESS OF HEART AT THE IDEA, THAT THIS WAS AN EMBLEM OF HER LOT; A FEW MORE YEARS OF SUNSHINE AND SHADE, AND ALL THIS LIFE, AND LOVELINESS, AND ENJOYMENT WILL HAVE CEASED, AND NOTHING BE LEFT TO COMMEMORATE THIS BEAUTIFUL BEING BUT ONE MORE PERISHABLE PORTRAIT; TO AWAKEN, PERHAPS, THE TRITE SPECULATIONS OF SOME FUTURE LOITERER, LIKE MYSELF, WHEN I AND MY SCRIBBLINGS SHALL HAVE LIVED THROUGH OUR BRIEF EXISTENCE, AND BEEN FORGOTTEN."

THE OLD FAMILY TREE SPREADING OUT ITS LIMBS

     MY MOTHER MERLE, ONCE HELPED ME PREPARE A SCHOOL PROJECT, TO SHOW OUR FAMILY TREE. AT THAT EARLY AGE, I WAS A FIERCLY RELUCTANT STUDENT AT LAKESHORE PUBLIC SCHOOL, IN BURLINGTON. I USED TO RUN AWAY A LOT, AND TRY TO SNEAK INTO OUR APARTMENT UP ON HARRIS CRESCENT, WHERE ANN NAGY, THE BUILDING OWNER, WOULD CATCH ME BY THE SCRUFF OF THE NECK, AND THEN USHER ME BACK TO SCHOOL, FROM WHICH I HAD ESCAPED. WHEN CLASSMATES GOT A CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FAMILY TREE PROJECT, MERLE BELIEVED IT WOULD HELP ME WARM-UP TO MY PARTNERS IN EDUCATION, AND BETTER STILL, MY TEACHER WHO I DISLIKED PASSIONATELY. ANYWAY, MERLE WAS GOING ON THOSE OLD FAMILY YARNS, ONE SPECULATES UPON FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION, THAT HOLD ABSOLUTELY NO TRUTH, BUT ARE TOLD TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO INTEREST IN RESEARCHING THE PROVENANCE EITHER WAY. IT'S NOT THAT IMPORTANT TO THE CASUAL HOUSE-GUEST, SO THAT'S WHAT MERLE WOULD COUNT ON, WHEN SHE OFFERED THAT MY GREAT, GREAT, GREAT, GREAT, GREAT, AND EVEN ONE OR TWO MORE 'GREAT GRANDFATHERS,' HAD BEEN AWARDED ENGLAND'S FAMOUS "HADDON HALL," BY WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, IN RETURN FOR HIS LOYAL SERVICES IN BATTLE. THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THIS PROVENANCE, WAS THAT THERE WAS NO INFILLING OF FAMILY NAMES, FROM MY GRANDFATHER, STANLEY JACKSON, ALL THE WAY TO THE JACKSON WHO APPARENTLY, HELD OWNERSHIP OF HADDON HALL.....WHICH IS NO SMALL TOKEN OF AFFECTION. IT HAD BECOME, A FAMILY LEGEND, BUT WITHOUT A LICK OF HARD EVIDENCE, AND ANY JUSTIFICATION FROM BRANCH TO BRANCH ON THE BARE FAMILY TREE. SO THE FIRST THING MY TEACHER WANTED TO KNOW, WAS HOW THE HECK, WE (OUR CLAN) COULD GO FROM MY GRANDFATHER, BACK MANY CENTURIES, WITHOUT ANY PROOF OF LINEAGE. SO I WAS HUMILATED IN FRONT OF THE CLASS, AND IN RESPECT TO THIS, I KEPT FEIGNING ILLNESS FOR THE REST OF THAT YEAR, TO GET OUT OF SCHOOL OBLIGATIONS. THE INCONSISTENCIES OF THE FAMILY TREE STARTED THIS PARTICULAR BALL ROLLING, AND IT DIDN'T STOP UNTIL I MOVED TO MUSKOKA IN THE MID 1960'S, WHERE NO ONE HAD ANY CARE ABOUT WHERE MY ANCESTORS CAME FROM. TO THEM I WAS JUST A TRANSPLANTED CITY KID, WHO NEEDED TO LEARN THE ROPES OF RURAL LIVING. JUST AS A SIDE BAR, IT ALSO WAS THE YEAR I LEARNED TO REJECT ALL UNDERWEAR THAT WAS TOO FLEXIBLE TO RIP. MY SAVING GRACE WAS IF THE MATERIAL RIPPED ON THE FIRST PULL UPWARDS, SAVING THE WHOLE BURNING FLESH COMPONENT OF THE SCHOOL-YARD PRANK.
     WHEN SUZANNE BEGAN FIDDLING WITH FAMILY ANCESTRY, ABOUT A DECADE AGO NOW, SHE TOOK WHAT A COUSIN OF MINE HAD COMPLETED, UP TO A FEW YEARS EARLIER, AND TRIED TO INFILL WITH OTHER DOCUMENTATION FROM OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS. HER FAMILY TREE WAS MUCH FULLER THAN MINE, AS HER AUNT LEAH HAD BEEN A MORMON, AFFILIATED WITH THE SALT LAKE CITY ARCHIVES, AND WHO UTILIZED THE MASSIVE ANCESTORY RECORDS KEPT BY THE CHURCH, FOR PUBLIC USE. HER UNCLE BERT SHEA, A REGIONAL AND FAMILY HISTORIAN, HAD WRITTEN TWO BOOKS, BASED LARGELY ON THE SHEA AND VEITCH ANCESTORS, SO FOR SUZANNE, MUCH HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED, AND EVEN PUBLISHED, BEFORE SHE TURNED ON TO A MORE BROAD BASED, DEEPER RESEARCH USING ANCESTRY.CA. FOR MY FAMILY, WITHIN SEVERAL WEEKS, SHE HAD FOUND NUMEROUS INACCURACIES IN THE RECORD KEEPING, MY COUNSIN RAYMOND HAD FOLLOWED, WHICH IS TO BE EXPECTED FROM TRADITIONAL SOURCE REFERENCING, AND FAMILY MEMBER RECOLLECTIONS. THE FIRST ITEM TORN FROM THE TREE, WAS THE REFERENCE TO HADDON HALL, AND THE "JACKSON" CHAP, WHO HAD SO IMPRESSED WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. AT LEAST UNTIL IT COULD BE PROVEN BY HARD FACT. NO HEARSAY, OR WISHFUL THINKING. IT HAD TO BE JUSTIFIED OR IT DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT.
     SOON AFTER WE SUBSCRIBED TO ANCESTRY.CA, SUZANNE WAS LIKE A KID WITH A VIDEO GAME. TO GET HER OFF THE COMPUTER, IT TOOK A FAMILY INTERVENTION. IT WASN'T UNCOMMON, ON A DAY OFF, FOR HER TO SPEND THREE HOURS ON THE SITE, BECAUSE BY HER OWN ADMISSION, "IT'S A GOLD MINE OF INFORMATION, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO FIND IN A HUNDRED YEARS, BY ANY OTHER MEANS." SHE'S RIGHT OF COURSE. AS WE ARE BOTH PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS (YES WE DO GET PAID FOR OUR WORK), WE CLEARLY RECOGNIZE JUST HOW DAUNTING IT WAS, TRYING TO DIG UP ALL THE FAMILY CONNECTIONS, WITHOUT THE CYBERSPACE EASE OF THE MODERN ERA. SO WITHIN TWO MONTHS, SUZANNE HAD MADE AMAZING PROGRESS, WITH BOTH SIDES OF OUR FAMILY, WHICH OF COURSE MEANT RESEARCHING INTIALLY, FOUR BRANCHES.....BEING OUR PARENTS' PARENTS.....AND THEN THEIR PARENTS, AND SO ON. WHILE THERE WERE MANY MOMENTS OF IMPASSE, WHEN SHE'D SLAM DOWN HER NOTEPAD, AND PEN, VOWING NEVER TO RETURN TO THE SITE, YET WITHIN TWO OR THREE HOURS, I'D NOTICE HER SNEAKING PAST MY OPEN DOOR, WITH THAT SAME PAD IN HAND, HEADING BACK TO THE COMPUTER FOR ANOTHER GO AT SOLVING THE DEADLOCK. THE FAMILY HISTORIAN ARRIVES AT HUNDREDS OF CROSSROADS, AND OFTEN MAKES THE WRONG TURN, GETTING MIRED DOWN, FINDING OUT LATER, THEY HAD BEEN DEEP WITHIN SOME OTHER FAMILY'S HISTORY INSTEAD. THEN YOU HAVE TO MARCH BACK TO THE CROSSROADS, AND TRY THE OTHER DIRECTION. IT'S A STANDARD OF RESEARCHING ANYTHING HISTORICAL, WHERE YOU ONLY HAVE THE WEIGHT AND STABILITY OF PROVEN FACTS, THUS FAR, FOR EVEN THE MOST SHALLOW ILLUMINATION OF THE VERY NEXT DISCOVERY. WITH SOME OF THE REVELATIONS WE'VE HAD RECENTLY, FROM HER SLEUTHING, BOY OH BOY, AM I GLAD WE STARTED THIS WHEN WE DID. AND BY THE WAY, IT STARTED WHEN I BECAME TOTALLY FRUSTRATED AT WHAT TO GET SUZANNE FOR CHRISTMAS ONE YEAR. SO I WROTE ON A CHRISTMAS CARD, I STUCK HIGH IN THE BRANCHES OF OUR TREE IN THE PARLOR, AN ENCLOSED MEMBERSHIP FEE FOR ONE YEAR OF ANCESTRY.CA. IT HAS SERVED ME WELL OVER A NUMBER OF CHRISTMASES, AND SUZANNE IS ALWAYS OVER-JOYED TO GET BACK TO HER RESEARCH. IN SO DOING, SHE LEAVES ME TO MY PREFERRED RECREATIONS.
     ONE OF OUR LONG-TIME HISTORICAL ASSOCIATES, AND FAMILY HISTORIAN EXPERT, HUGH MACMILLAN, WHO DIED RECENTLY, GAVE US A SIGNED COPY OF HIS BIOGRAPHY, ENTITLED "ADVENTURES OF A PAPER SLEUTH," (WHICH YOU CAN ARCHIVE BACK IN THIS BLOG, TO READ MORE ABOUT), WHICH IS OF HUGE ASSISTANCE TO SUZANNE, ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE GETS FRUSTRATED BY A SUCCESSION OF DEAD-ENDS. MACMILLAN WAS KNOWN THROUGHOUT CANADA, AS A DOGGED, UNRELENTING, NEVER-SAY-NEVER RESEARCHER, WHO LOVED ANY OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THE CHALLENGES OF RECOVERING THE NAMES AND PROVENANCE OF LOST RELATIVES. MACMILLAN WAS OF SCOTTISH ANCESTRY, AND HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLENGARRY ROOTS OF HIS FAMILY WAS THE HALLMARK OF THOROUGHNESS.....AND IT WAS ALL COMPLETED BEFORE THE EASE OF TODAY'S ANCESTRY TOOLS ON THE INTERNET. WE HAVE THE PORTRAIT OF HIM, IN HIS CLAN KILT, STARING OUT AT US, FROM AN UPPER SHELF IN OUR OFFICE, SO HE CAN KEEP ON INSPIRING FORWARD MOMENTUM, EVEN WHEN THE TRAIL RUNS COLD.  
     BUT YOU KNOW, IT SURE IS FULFILLING AND, WELL, REALLY NEAT, TO BE ABLE TO SEE JUST HOW FAR BACK THE BLOOD LINE GOES.....AND FOR MY FAMILY, ON MY GRANDMOTHER JACKSON'S SIDE, (MY MOTHER MERLE'S BRANCH), WE ARE WELL BEYOND THE 1500'S, AND IT SURE MAKES YOU FEEL CONNECTED TO WORLD HISTORY, SEEING HOW IT ALL FILTERS THROUGH THE GENERATIONS; INFLUENCED BY THE CALAMATIES OF WAR AND DISEASE, WHICH CLAIMED MANY MILLIONS OF LIVES. AS I WROTE ABOUT YESTERDAY, IN CASUAL REFERENCE, IT HAS ONLY BEEN IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS, THAT WE HAVE FOUND OUT THAT MY GRANDMOTHER, ON MY FATHER'S SIDE, WAS A BERNARDO CHILD, FROM THE FAMOUS ORPHANAGE OPERATED BY DR. BERNARDO, IN ENGLAND, THAT ROUTINELY SENT CHILDREN TO AUSTRALIA AND CANADA, FROM THE LATE 1800'S INTO THE 1900'S. DORIS HARDING, AGE 14, WAS ONE OF THOUSANDS IN THE REGULAR BERNARDO PARTIES, ON SHIPS, TO ARRIVE IN CANADA, TO ASSUME DOMESTIC SITUATIONS IN HOUSES AND ON RURAL FARMS, INCLUDING LOCATIONS IN MUSKOKA. MY GRANDMOTHER WAS EMPLOYED, FOR ROOM AND BOARD, AS A MAID FOR A REVEREND, AT A MANSE IN DUNDAS-TOWN, ONTARIO. SO FAR, WHAT SUZANNE'S RESEARCH HAS MADE CLEAR, IS THAT OUR SONS, ANDREW AND ROBERT, ARE HEIRS OF THE TITLE, UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS, AND THE OFFSPRING OF A BERNARDO CHILD.....WHICH BELIEVE ME, HAS ITS DOWNER-SIDE. MANY OF THE BERNARDO CHILDREN WERE TREATED VERY BADLY BY THEIR HOSTS, AND WORKED INHUMANELY UNDER TERRIBLY OPPRESSIVE CIRCUMSTANCES. BUT FOR US, IT'S NOW A FAMILY HISTORY TO RECKON WITH.....ALL THANKS TO OUR FAMILY HISTORIAN'S HUSTLE AND BUSTLE IN THE ARCHIVES.
     SHE'S STILL A LONG WAY FROM BEING DONE, AND I SUPPOSE IT MIGHT ME THE CASE THAT IT IS NEVER A FULL TREE, REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH WORK, AND HOW MUCH ASSISTANCE CAN BE GAINED FROM ANCESTRY.CA. BUT THE ALLURE REMAINS THE SAME, AND EVERY MONTH, SHE CAN CLAIM SOME NEW TIDBIT OF INFORMATION WE DIDN'T KNOW PREVIOUSLY.....SO EVEN THOUGH PROGRESS MIGHT BE SLOW, IT'S STILL TURNING UP SOME GEMS THAT DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THE FAMILY PROFILE, WHEN LOOKED AT AS A TOTAL PORTRAIT OF FAMILY LIFE FROM THE BEGINNING.
     REMEMBER, THERE ARE OCCASIONS WHEN YOU FIND OUT FAMILY REALITIES, YOU REALLY HADN'T EXPECTED....SUCH AS KINSHIP TO A MURDERER, BANK ROBBER, FRAUD ARTIST, OR POLITICAL EXILE.....MAYBE EVEN NAPOLEON. YOU JUST NEVER KNOW. MAYBE YOU'RE THE ONE ACTUALLY RELATED TO WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR....AND NOT ME. IF YOU STAY TUNED, I'LL HAVE SOME MORE INFORMATION ON THE VALUE OF DOING SOME ANCESTRY RESEARCH YOURSELF.....FOR SOME SELF GRATIFICATION. THERE'S ALWAYS MORE GOOD THAN BAD IN THIS GENERATIONAL CHRONICLE. I EVEN HAD A PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER IN MY FAMILY, TENDING A CONGREGATION NEAR LIVERPOOL. I HAD ANOTHER RELATIVE WHO SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN THE SOUTH SEAS, AND MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HAD A RUM DEPENDENCY. ME THINKS THIS WOULD EXPLAIN MY OWN PASSION FOR DEMON RUM. ANOTHER ANCESTOR WAS A SPY FOR THE BRITISH ARMY, WELL KNOWN FOR HIS STEALTH RUNNING, THROUGH THE WOODS OF NEW YORK, WITH NARY A STITCH OF CLOTHING; WHILE HIS OFFSPRING, WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDING LOYALISTS OF THE CITY OF BELLEVILLE, ONTARIO. SUZANNE'S KIN MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR SLAYING THE BLACK DONNELLYS OF LUCAN, ONTARIO, ALTHOUGH SHE CLAIMS THAT PARTICULAR PERPETRATOR'S NAME WAS SPELLED "SHAY," AND NOT "SHEA," AS DULY NOTED IN HER FAMILY HISTORY. "I'M JUST KIDDING DEAR, REALLY," I ANSWER, BEFORE SHE WHIPS OPEN THE THOUSAND PAGE BINDER, ACCOUNTING FOR ALL KIN FOLK, ROGUES INCLUDED. "THERE'S NO WAY THIS 'SHAY' FELLOW, WAS ONE OF US," SHE RETORTS WITH A LITTLE STING TO THE LAST FEW WORDS. "SURE....AFTER HE KILLED THE DONNELLYS, THE FAMILY FORCED HIM TO CHANGE THE SPELLING OF HIS NAME." SUZANNE JUST STOPS, TURNS, STARES, AND I GIVE HER THE "HISTORIAN'S GRIN," WHICH IS SINCERELY INSINCERE!
     THANKS FOR JOINING ME TODAY. IF YOU'VE EVER THOUGHT ABOUT STARTING SOME FAMILY RESEARCH YOURSELF, POSSIBLY WE CAN HELP GET YOU ON YOUR WAY. PLEASE COME AGAIN. REMEMBER TO JOIN US FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON SPECIAL SERIES, BEGINNING ON THE 15TH OF NOVEMBER.....WHEN WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS IN MUSKOKA.