Roots and Stones: Story

Showing posts with label Story. Show all posts

Sunday, January 2

It's Snowing!* (Research Diary, No. 7)

My Research Diary:
Part to-do list...
Part dear diary...
Part Nosy-Nellie...

Weekly events, plans (and a question or two) from my oh-so exciting genealogy (and sometimes non-genealogy) life...

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."
~ Oprah Winfrey (b. 1954)

~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~

What happened this week:

Blog housekeeping...

I've added 44 new-to-me blogs to my reading lists - see below (though I'm sure there will be more, as always!)
As always, thanks for following and reading! I appreciate your comments and I think I've followed everyone in turn, but if I haven't please let me know!
I received an award! Lisa @ Genealojournal gave me an "Ancestor Approved" award...look for my list later this week...
I'm still not completely happy with the layout of my blog...nor with the length of the blogrolls (I would like to list everyone I read, but at 200, the blog would be a mile long!)...nor with my header (it seems too small)...sigh.

Genealogy:

I became a RootsWeb Mailing List Administrator again. I used to admin a few years ago, but got out of it. Now I've adopted two surname lists: Story-L and Rivington-L. Both lists are small (Rivington with just 8 subscribers and Story with about 150) and fairly quiet, so it'll be just like riding a bike, right? ;)
Just like last week, not much actual research occured. However, I did quite a bit of planning and submitted my very first entry for the 101st edition of the Carnival of Genealogy: Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch* : My 2011 Genealogy Research & Writing Plan(s)".
Regular posts included Tombstone Tuesday (Oshawa Union) and Wordless Wednesday (Valcartier picture postcard, part 4), but I completely missed my Tabloid Thursday...
I also missed my Friday results post for "52 Weeks to Better Genealogy"'s Week 12 (Archive and Library sites), but I'm planning to get to that (and post Week 13's challenge) either later today or tomorrow (since I'm off work).
Have you seen "The King's Speech"? A friend and I went yesterday to the theatre and it was excellent! I highly recommend it - our showing received an applause at the end. Great cast all around, with lots of humour and especially good if you're a history fan (like me!)

New-to-me blogs:

Canadian genealogy blogs: (3)

History blogs: (2)
- Boston 1775
- Spitalfields Life
General genealogy blogs: (39)

What's coming up:

Back to regular schedule programming: Tombstone Tuesday (more Oshawa Union), Wordless Wednesday (my last Valcartier picture postcard), Tabloid Thursday, and "52 Weeks" (the old 2010 version - I'm passing on the new 2011 version).
Read! Read! Read! I have lots of books that came in through ILLO, so I have to get those read and returned!

Thanks for reading!
Jenn

*At least it was when I started editing the entry this morning. Now it appears to have stopped. Stupid weather.

My personal research and blog diary for the week ending 2 January 2011.

Wednesday, December 8

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy : Week 8 - the results...

Amy Coffin of the We Tree blog presents "52 Weeks To Better Genealogy", a series of weekly genealogy prompts / suggestions / exercises that (hopefully) will help anyone to become a better researcher.

The challenge for week 8:

Discover online map collections. Historical maps are wonderful tools for historical research. Fortunately for genealogists, many map collections are located online. Some of the more prominent collections are: the American Memory Collection at the Library of Congress, the David Rumsey Map Collection, and the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas at Austin. Take some time to browse each of these collections. You may also want to check the library web site of your local university (or one near your ancestral home) to see what maps they may have online. If you have a genealogy blog, write about any special maps you find during this activity.

The Results:

Even before I surfaced into the world of genealogy, the one resource I loved to look at were the hardbound county map books that are held by the main branch of my public library. These measured 14" x 18.5" and were published for counties in Ontario originally in the 1870s-1880s. They were reprinted in the 1970s-1980s by the Belleville company, Mika Publishing, which reprinted a lot of old Ontario books and atlases.

The books were held in a specially-built open-front cabinet with a sloped viewing top - much like a podium (which is, incidently, probably gone; the main branch has been recently undergoing renovations and though I have yet to have a peek, it definitely doesn't fit with the "modern" look of the architect. Sigh.). I remember pulling out a book at a time and slowly fliping through the large pages, peering at the tiny names printed in the various lots and reading the general histories and biographies. I would have loved to take one home, but they were reference copies only.

Fortunately for me (now), there's the Canadian County Atlas Digital Project, provided by the Digital Collections Program, Rare Books and Special Collections Division, McGill University, and hosted through McGill library's website. Originally launched in 1999, the site offers a short history of the county maps and their publishers, a short list of abbreviations, and the ability to order high-resolution copies. Viewers can search the collection by either a last name (alone or with further qualifiers) or by place (generally by county, by either a clickable map or a list, or more specifically with pull-down lists by county, township, and/or town).

Fitzroy Township, Carleton County, Ontario, Canada.
Map originally published by H. Beldon & Co., Toronto, 1879.
Image from The Canadian County Atlas Digital Project, McGill University, 2001.
Accessed 8 December 2010. Click to enlarge.

View of Concessions III and IV, Lots 5 and 6,
Fitzroy Township, Carleton County, Ontario, Canada.

"Thos. Granger" (blocked out in red) was my great-great-grandfather, "D[avid]. Story" (blocked out in green, but with his Story brothers all around) was Thomas' father-in-law and thus my great-great-great-grandfather, and "R[ichard]. Barber" (blocked out in blue) was also my great-great-grandfather. Thomas' daughter Linda and Richard's son Michael were my great-grandparents!

For me (a city gal) to not only be able to see the extent of land that my forefathers owned (coupled with descriptions from the agricultural schedule of the 1871 census), but also the proximity that these families lived within each other has always been quite special to me. Not only were their farms close by, but they most likely attended the same church (St. Mark's Anglican, ironically in the next township and the next county!) and went to the same social functions. My "people" were farmers, descended from poor protestant Irish, who left Ireland before the famine to eke out a new life in a strange new country. They didn't get much mention in the "official" record, and I have very little personal artefacts, so any little link to their lives is, for me, quite precious.

Please Note: This challenge was originally published the week of 20 February 2010 at GeneaBloggers. I'm continuing the series on my own after a lengthy (cough, cough) break from genealogy...

Friday, February 19

Obituary: Margaret A. (Story) Ritchie, 1938

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

(click to enlarge)

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.

Sunday, February 14

Obituary: Jane Story, 1947

From the Ottawa Citizen, Saturday August 9, 1947, p. 2:

(click to enlarge)

Miss Jane Story Dies In Kinburn

KINBURN, Aug. 9. -- (Special) -- One of Kinburn's oldest residents, Miss. Jane Story died in the Rosamond memorial hospital in her 88th year.
She was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. David Story, pioneers of Fitzroy township.
Surviving is one brother George, and one sister Catherine Story of Kinburn and several nephews and nieces. The funeral will be held on Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock from the home of her brother George Story to St. John's Anglican church, Antrim. Interment will be in St. Mark's cemetery, Pakenham. Rev. P. Caiger-Watson will officiate.

~~~~~ * ~~~~~ * ~~~~~

Jane was the daughter of David Story and Jane Needham. Her older sister, Elizabeth (Story) Grainger, was my ggg-grandmother.

Obituary: John Ritchie, 1932

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

(click to enlarge)

Famous Riverman

John Ritchie, Dies

-----

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

-----

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.

Fitzroy Township Minutes, 10 June 1865

From the Ottawa Citizen, Friday July 21, 1865, page 2, column's 3-4:

(click to enlarge)

Corporation of the Township of Fitzroy

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Minutes of Council, June 10, 1865

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The Council met pursuant to adjournment. Present: The Reeve, and Messrs. Neil, Story, and Dean.
The minutes of last session were read.
Motion No. 1. Moved by Mr. Dean, seconded by Mr. Neil, that James Blair be directed by this Council to make a culvert across the side road between Lots No. 20 and 21, at the forth concession line to take the water down the fourth concession line, and to repair the road from said side line to the School House. -- Carried.
No. 2. Moved by Mr. Neil, seconded by Mr. Dean, that the tender of Wm. Story, be accepted for the Collectorship of this township for the current year. -- Carried.
No. 3. Moved by Mr. Dean, seconded by Mr. Story, that the By-law to appoint certain officers for the current year, and to repeal part of By-law No. 156, be now read a first, second, and a third time and passed, any rule to the contrary notwithstanding. -- Carried.
By-law No. 156 was read a first, second, and third time and passed accordingly.
No. 4. Moved by Mr. Dean, seconded by Mr. Story, that Thomas McCormack be directed by this Council to expend twenty days Statute labor on the Fourth concession line of this township, opposite Lots Nos. 12, 13, and 14. -- Carried.
No. 5. Moved by Mr. Neil, seconded by Mr. Story, that William Sullivan be directed by this Council to expend thirty days labor on the Seventh concession across lots 9 and 10, and twenty days from the Carp bridge on the side line between lots 10 and 11, in the Sixth and Seventh concessiions, and the remainder from Mr. Fraser's store, on the main road, to the end of his section. -- Carried.
No. 6. Moved by Mr. Dean, seconded by Mr. Story, that Peter Denis, Mrs. Brown, and Mrs. F. McCarthy, be exempt from statute labor and the payment of taxes for the current year. -- Carried.
No. 7. Moved by Mr. Neil, seconded by Mr. Story, that this Council do now adjourn until the 8th day of July next. -- Carried.

(Signed) James Hubbell,

Reeve.

W. P. Taylor,
Township Clerk.

-----

BY-LAW No. 159.

By-law to appoint certain officers for the Township of Fitzroy, for the year 1865, and the repeal part of B-law No. 156:
WHEREAS, it is necessary to appoint certain officers for the Township of Fitzroy, for the year 1864, and to repeal part of By-law No. 156,
The Corporation of the Township of Fitzroy enacts as follows:
That the following persons be and they are hereby appointed to the undermentioned offices, for the township of Fitzroy, for the current year, namely :
Poundkeeper -- Thos. Fraser, jr.
Collector -- Wm. Story
Overseers of Highways -- Andrew White and Richard Wilson
That so much of By-law No. 156, as relates to the appointment of Robert Owens as Overseers of Highways, and James Mills as Poundkeeper, is declared to be, and the same is hereby repealed.
Given under the hand of the Reeve, and the Seal of the Corporation of the Township of Fitzroy, this 10th day of June 1865.

(Signed) James Hubbell,

Reeve (L? S.)

W. P. Taylor,
Township Clerk.

~~~~~ * ~~~~~ * ~~~~~

William Story (who would have been about 45 at this time) was the son of John Story and Margaret Latimer, and whose brother David was my gggg-grandfather.

Googling "Statute labor" gave the following definition from The Free Dictionary : "a definite amount of labor required for the public service in making roads, bridges, etc., as in certain English colonies."

Saturday, February 13

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy: Week 6 - The Result...

A wordle of this week's post (click to enlarge)

Amy Coffin of the We Tree blog presents "52 Weeks To Better Genealogy", a series of weekly genealogy prompts/suggestions/exercises that (hopefully) help you to become a better researcher.

This week's (#6) challenge dealt with the exploration of your local public library's online database(s).

Since I work for my local public library, and have used our databases (both genealogical and non) to assist others, I'm afraid I slacked on this challenge a little. ;-) To access the databases, you simply click on Online Resources, and one of the subject headings listed on that page is Genealogy. There are four databases under this:

Ancestry Library Edition
Description: Ancestry.com is the number one online source for family history information, including the web's largest collection of historical records.

My Notes: Though our library subscribes to this Ancestry version, it is only available for use while actually in a library building (which sucks, but then how would Ancestry get their money's worth?!) and on a library computer.

Oshawa Book of Remembrance
Description: Online version of the Book of Remembrance, dedicated to preserving the memory of those from the Oshawa region who served and gave their lives in WWI and WWII.

My Notes: Each entry provides a picture of the soldier, his rank and full name, birth date and place, death date and place, parents names, where the soldier went to school, and (occasionally) hobbies. The original book is available in a glass case at the main branch of the library, where a new page is displayed everyday. This database can be searched (divided by branch of service - Army, Navy, etc.) or browsed.

Oshawa Newspaper and Obituary Index
Description: An index to the Oshawa newspapers preserved on microfilm at the McLaughlin Branch of OPL.

My Notes: Includes full name (as given in the source) of the individual, type of event and date, source (newspaper name) and date. Obituary listings include the name of the cemetery. Search (keywords, dates) only :-(

Toronto Star - Pages of the Past
Description: The digitized full-image version of the complete contents of the Toronto Star newspaper since 1894. See below for my (short) exploration of this database.

My Notes: Listed under the subject of History are a further two resources:

Oshawa Full-Text Archive
Description: Check out our expanded Oshawa Full-Text Archive, a collection of materials providing a glimpse into Oshawa's past.

My Notes: Various local history books and booklets that are kept in the library's local history collection and are not allowed to leave the library. They have been digitized and organized by general subject headings (business, directories, education, clubs, local families, etc.). Searchable within each document only.

Oshawa Images
Description: Take a look at our newest online collection, featuring intriguing images from Oshawa’s past.

My Notes: Includes a variety of images, ranging from portraits, street scenes, groups, and buildings. Attached to each image is as much detail as known, copyright, history (if known), and holder. Database also includes a rotating list of "Mystery" pictures. Search (basic and advanced) only.

~~~~~ * ~~~~~ * ~~~~~

While the local resources are not (currently) of much use to me, I did go to the Pages of the Past database and do a couple brief searches.

One of the sons of the Story clan - Frederick William - married an Wilhelmina Alexandra Robinson, daughter of Alexander Hamilton Robinson and Martha Jane MacFarlane, of Etobicoke, York co., Ontario, Canada. Frederick and Wilhelmina, along with her mother, Martha, migrated to B.C. I have an obituary for Martha (I also have Wilhelmina's) from a Vancouver paper, and while she died in B.C., she was buried with her husband and parental family in Etobicoke. I decided to look up Martha's 1930 obituary in the Toronto Star, assuming, with the burial occuring in Etobicoke, there would have been a cross posting. She died on Monday, February 10, 1930. I found her in Friday, February 14th, page 33:

(click to enlarge)

Unfortunately, I was unable to locate a Toronto obituary (I have the Vancouver one) for her daughter, Wilhelmina Alexandra (Robinson) Story, who died on the last day of the year, December 31, 1951. Nor was I able to find any mention of the death of Wilhelmina's husband, Frederick, on January 2, 1961 - though I did not expect to find anything for him, since he was not originally from the area. However, when I tried a blanket search for just MacFarlane/McFarlane, beginning in 1894 (when the digitized version begins), I got a "No Results" screen (which is weird, since in Martha's obit, above, her father Alexande MacFarlane, is listed...)

Wednesday, February 10

Obituary: Catherine (Cameron) Stevenson

(click image to enlarge)

From the Ottawa Citizen, Monday March 14, 1927, p. 5:

MRS. C. CAMERON
(Special to The Citizen.)
SAND POINT, March 14 - There passed away on Wednesday a life-long resident of McNab in the person of Catherine Cameron, widow of the late George Stevenson. The late Mrs. Stevenson was born on July 7th, 1849, the eldest daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Cameron of White Lake. She was married on December 31st, 1868, to George Stevenson, who pre-deceased her in February, 1923. Their entire married life was spent on their farm three miles from Sand Point, known as Stevenson's Corners. About six years ago they sold their farm, and lived a retired life. In 1918 they celebrated the 50th anniversary of their marriage. The late Mrs. Stevenson was the eldest daughter of a family of three girls and six boys, of whom four are living. Duncan Cameron, of Providence Bay, Manitoulin Islands; Agnes Cameron, of McNab; Rev. John Cameron, of Massachusetts, and N. M. Cameron, of Cargill, Ont. To the late Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson were born three children, Mrs. James Storie, of McNab; Miss. Katie Stevenson, Arnprior, and Mr. John C. Stevenson, of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The funeral on Thursday afternoon was largely attended. The funeral service at the home and grave were conducted by the Rev. E. P. H. King, of the Baptist church, Arnprior.

Sunday, January 31

Pater Genealogia

Irish emigrants leaving home with the priest's blessing, in 1851,

from The Illustrated London News, May 10, 1851.

Credit: National Archives of Canada

My research interests lie with my paternal family (since my mom is reasearching her lines...), all of whom immigrated from various locations in Scotland, Ireland, and England to the Ottawa Valley (Carleton, Lanark and Renfrew counties) in Ontario, Canada. Main names of preoccupation include Barber, Cameron, Cavanagh, Code, Duke, Evans, Gillespie, Grainger, Latimer, McNee, Needham, Rivington, Story, Tomlinson and Walsh.

Below is the linear representation of my paternal ancestors, with each generation a different colour (the oldest of which dates back to the 1770s/1790s). All of these are either immigrants to Canada or Canadian-born - I have yet to cross the hurdle that is the Atlantic Ocean. No dates are included because a.) this is only an initial outline and b.) it would take me days to dig those out of the wreckage...

Cameron, Jenn (me!)

d/o Cameron, B. & Hurlburt, W.

gd/o Cameron Ellwood A. & Barber A.

ggd/o Cameron, Joseph O. & Evans, Lavina

ggd/o Barber, Michael J. & Grainger, Linda

gggd/o Cameron, Archibald G. & McNee, Isabella

gggd/o Evans, George T. & Tomlinson, Mary

gggd/o Barber, Richard & Cavanagh, Elizabeth

gggd/o Grainger, Thomas & Story, Elizabeth

ggggd/o Cameron, Alexander & Gillespie, Flora

ggggd/o McNee, John & ?, Margaret

ggggd/o Evans, Richard & Code, Rachel

ggggd/o Tomlinson, William & Walsh, Mary

ggggd/o Barber, John & Rivington Mary

ggggd/o Cavanagh, John & Rivington, Jane B.

ggggd/o Grainger, William & Duke, Esther

ggggd/o Story, David & Needham, Jane

gggggd/o Rivington, Michael & ?, Catherine

gggggd/o Story, John & Latimer, Margaret