(Beginnings of a) Research Plan : William Granger/Grainger's Death and Burial

Objective: To find out when William Granger/Grainger died and to locate where he is buried.

Known Facts:

• Located William and wife Mary (with William's brother and William's son from his first marriage) in the 1871 census (Fitzroy tp., Carleton co., Ontario, CAN).
• Have not located William in the 1881 census and after (wife Mary died in 1874 and son Thomas married in 1872).
• William was not found in the St. Mark's Anglican Cemetery (Pakenham tp., Lanark co., Ontario, CAN) transcription with his wives and son.
• No death registration has been found in the Ontario Death Registration indexes (searched through both the Archives of Ontario in Toronto and Ancestry.com's version)
• William's son Thomas was listed as the informant for Mary's death in 1874 (William's second wife).

Working Hypothesis: William Granger/Grainger died between 1871 and 1874 and is buried at St. Mark's Anglican Cemetery, Pakenham, with the rest of his family.

Identified Sources:

• Burial registers for Pakenham, held at Anglican Diocese of Ottawa Archives, available for 1841-1970.

Research Strategy:

• Write to Anglican Diocese of Ottawa Archives asking for a Pakenham burial between 1871 - 1874.

Obituary: Margaret A. (Story) Ritchie, 1938

From the Ottawa Citizen, Tuesday 25 January 1938, p. 2:

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MRS. MARGARET RITCHIE

      PAKENHAM, Jan. 25. -- Attended by many friends and acquaintances, the funeral of Mrs. Margaret Ritchie, resident of this district all her life, and widow of John J. Ritchie, was held on Staurday afternoon at two o'clock from the Comba funeral home, Almonte.  Rev. Mr. Turner, minister of Pakenham United church, conducted the service.  Interment was in Pakenham United church cemetery.

      Mrs. Ritchie, who was in her 80th year, died on Thursday afternoon at Almonte Memorial hospital following a short illness.  Daughter of the late Robert Story and his wife, Margaret Johnston, she was formerly Margaret Ann Story.  She came to Pakenham to live 55 years ago following her marriage to John J. Ritchie, who predeceased her five years ago.  She was a devoted member of Pakenham United church for many years.

      Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. (Dr.) E. Busby, London, Ont., and Miss Leata Ritchie, at home; on son, Ira Ritchie, at home; two brothers, E. S. Story, Fitzroy township, and Frederick W. Story, Vancouver; and one sister, Mrs. D. Anderson, Calgary.

      Acting as pallbearers at the funeral were six nephews, Morton Ritchie, Cecil Ritchie, Wilbur Ritchie, Gordon Story, Ivan Story and George Story.  A host of floral tributes and messages of sympathy testified to the esteem in which the late Mrs. Ritchie was held.

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Margaret was the daughter of Robert Story (who was the son of John Story and Margaret Latimer) and Margaret Johnston.  She was thus the niece of my gggg-grandfather, David (who was the brother of Robert and son of John).  Her husband John J. Ritchie died in 1932.

Obituary: John Ritchie, 1932

From the Ottawa Citizen, Tuesday October 25, 1932, p. 2:

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Famous Riverman

John Ritchie, Dies

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Was Outstanding in Valley For Half Century.  Ottawa Sister Survives.

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Special to The Evening Citizen.

      ARNPRIOR. Oct. 25. -- Word was received her today of the death in Temiskaming, Que., on Monday of John J. Ritchie, aged 78, widely known and vetern Ottawa Valley riverman.  He had been ill in a Temiskaming hospital for about five weeks previous to his demise.
      The late Mr. Ritchie was one of the best known men in the river phases of Ottawa Valley lumbering operations.  In the summer of 1929 he accepted superannuation after being for 52 years in the service of the Upper Ottawa Improvement Company and the Old Union Forwarding Company.
      For 49 of those years he was boom master at the Schneaux and his efficient overseeing of the major operations there made of him an invaluable employe [sic].  On his superannuation in 1928, he could not leave the river and went to Temiskaming to live with a son, Minor Ritchie, who held the post of boom master in that northern town.
      The body will be brought to his late home in Pakenham township and the funeral will be on Thursday afternoon.
      The late Mr. Ritchie was born in Fitzroy township.  He was married to Miss. Margaret Story who survives, as do two sons and two daughters, Ira Ritchie, Pakenham; Minor S. Ritchie, Temiskaming, Que.; Miss. Leata Ritchie, Pakenham; and Mrs. Dr. Busby, London, Ont.  Surviving also are one brother and two sisters, James Ritchie, Mrs. Joseph McQuade, of Almonte, and Mrs. H. S. Dowd, of Ottawa.

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John's wife Margaret A. Story (1856-1938) was the daughter of Robert Story (who was, in turn, the son of John Story and Margaret Latimer) and Margaret Johnston, and thus, Margaret was the niece of my gggg-grandfather, David Story.  Both she and John are buried in Pakenham Union Cemetery, Pakenham twp., Lanark co., Ontario, Canada.

Obituary: Maude (Raycroft) Saunders

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From the Ottawa Citizen, July 12, 1976, p. 22:

SAUNDERS, Maude
Suddenly at her residence, 2129 Knightsbridge on Saturday, July 10, 1976, Maude Raycroft, age 74 years; beloved wife of Lemuel Saunders and dear sister of Mrs. Christina Evans of Pakenham; Mrs. Orville Peever (Elizabeth) Arnprior and Mrs. Theresa Manary, Braeside.  Also survived by several nieces and nephews.  Resting the Tubman Funeral Home, 403 Richmond Rd. at Roosevelt.  Service in the Chapel Tuesday 2.30 p.m.  Interment Pinecrest Cemetery.

Maude's sister Christina was married to Richard Evans, who was an older brother of my great-grandmother, Lavina (Evans) Cameron.

To join or not to join...

Now that I'm returning to my search, I've been thinking about my "community" options. 

I was previously a member of the Lanark County Genealogical Society, one of the few genealogy societies in Ontario that is not affliated with the OGS - and thus does not have their high membership (plus branch membership!) fees.

I'm planning (I'm just waiting to print the membership form) to join the LCGS.  By joining, members receive the newsletter, "Lanark Log", 8 times per year and the opportunately to submit research interests (either in the newsletter or on the website).  For $15.00 annually, I'm hardly going to quibble about the price! 

I'm even (gasp!) thinking about joining the OGS (certainly I want to attend the 2010 conference in Toronto this May) - but that may wait for a little while longer.  With an initial membership fee of almost $70.00, plus (multiple) branch fees amounting to $12.00-$15.00 a pop, it's (unfortunately) slightly too rich for my blood.

And then there are the historical societies (which, as a lifelong history student, I'm loath to pass by)...