(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.

Tabloid Thursday: 1910 BMDs & A "cheerful spinister" Wanted...

Tabloid Thursday: Where yesterday's news is today...

T.T. is an experimental weekly meme I'm trying here at "Roots & Stones" (please let me know if there are any themes/memes already around like this - I don't want to reinvent the wheel!). 

I wanted a weekly feature where I could showcase articles, those lovely little social news items (i.e. "Mrs. X and daughter visited Mrs. Y this weekend and will be returning home on Thursday..."), and other interesting newspaper "stuff" I've come across in the course of my research.  Thus, Tabloid Thursday...

~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~ 

Source: "Ottawa Citizen" 1 October, 1910, evening edition, p. 4, column 8
Accessed through Google News archive, 7 December 2010
Note: [?] indicates the word/entry could not be read

[Click to enlarge]

MARRIAGE AND DEATHS, 50C BIRTH NOTICES, EACH 25 CENTS.

BORN.
SHEARER-On Sept. 29, 1910, to Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Shearer, 61 Sherbrooke Ave, a daughter.
HYLAND-On Sept. 27, 1910, to Mrs. and Mrs. Robert Hyland, of 97 James St., a son.

MARRIED.
FISHER-ANDERSON On Wednesday, Sept. 28, 1910, at Christ church cathedral, Victoria, B.C., by Rev. W. W. Boulton, Alice Gwendolen, eldest daughter of W. J. Anderson, of Ottawa, to William Edward Fisher of Prince Rupert B.C.

DIED.
DEVINE-On Sept. 30, 1910, at 74 Baird St., Florence Mary, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Devine, aged 2 years, [?] months.
Funeral Saturday at 3 p.m., to Notre Dame cemetery.

IN MEMORIAM.
In loving memory of the late Richard Hatton, who died Oct. 1, 1906.
Gone but no forgotten.
--Sister, Mrs. R. T. Lyon.
In loving memory of Mrs. Wm. [?], who died Oct. 2, 1908.
Two years have passed and still we miss her,
Friends may think the wound has healed,
But they little know the sorrow
Lies within our hearts concealed.
--Family

Source: "Ottawa Citizen" 1 October, 1910, evening edition, p. 4, column 8
Accessed through Google News archive, 7 December 2010
Note: [?] indicates the word/entry could not be read
From the classified ads to eHarmony: some things never change (except the language!)... ;-)  [I wonder if he got his "correspondence"?]

[click to enlarge]

PERSONAL.
BACHELOR, 37, wishes correspondence from spinster, 20-30 (English preferred), must be thoroughly domesticated, cheerful, tall and attractive.  Photo (to be returned), highest references.  Only those offering same need apply, as this is straight.  Address Box 13, Citizen.

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...

Obituary: Richard Groves, 1895

From the Ottawa Citizen, Monday 7 December 1895, p. 6:

(click to enlarge)

DEATH OF RICHARD GROVES

-----

One of the Oldest and Best Known Men of the Ottawa District

      Richard Groves, one of the oldest and most respected residents of Carleton county, died at the residence of his son, Dr. Geo. H. Groves, of Carp, yesterday.
      Deceased, who was in his 83rd year, was born in Ireland.  He came to Canada when quite young and settled in the township of Fitzroy.  Until about eight years ago he followed agricultural pursuits with an enviable degree of success.  Then he sold his farm and took up his residence at Carp.  Three years ago his wife died, and he went to live with his son, Dr. Geo. H.  He was a staunch Conservative and a member of the Methodist Church.
      He leaves five sons, three daughters and many grand children.  His sons are Dr. Geo. H. Groves, of Carp; Dr. Wesley Groves, of Quyon; Wm. Groves, of Kinburn; Richard Groves, of Fitzroy Harbour, and John T. Groves, of Cincinnati.  Deceased's dauhgters [sic] are Mrs. James Baird, of Fitzroy; Mrs. B. Hodgins, of Huntley, and Mrs. W. Green, of Mohr's Corners.  Two grand children live in the city.  They are W. E. Groves and F. S. Groves.
      The funeral takes place to-morrow morning to Pakenham cemetery.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy : Week 7...the results

Amy Coffin of the We Tree blog (and hosted by Geneabloggers) 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 7:

Play with Google Maps. This is a helpful tool for determining the locations of addresses in your family history. Where your ancestral homestead once stood may now be a warehouse, a parking lot or a field. Perhaps the house is still there. When you input addresses in Google Maps, don’t forget to use the Satellite View and Street View options for perspectives that put you were right there where your ancestors once stood. If you’ve used this tool before, take sometime and play with it again. Push all the buttons, click all the links and devise new ways it can help with your personal genealogy research. If you have a genealogy blog, write about your experiences with Google Maps, or suggest similar easy (and free) tools that have helped in your own research.

The Results:

I've played with Google Maps (and their neat street views) a few times before at work - and sometimes for work (assisting customer's in finding locations, directions, etc.).  This is the first time I've used Google Maps for my research, and I found a few interesting tidbits...

I first decided to google Arnprior District and Memorial Hospital (in Arnprior, McNab twp., Renfrew co., Ontario, CAN), where I was born.  I found myself in luck - with a street view of the building (and the World War I cenotaph visible in front of the building):

(click any image to enlarge)

(map of the Arnprior area on the Ottawa River with the hospital marked)

(hospital sign, dated (I think) 1945?)

(general view, with the sign to the right - it's a nice, old-fashioned building)

Next, I decided to take a wander "up north" to Cobalt (Bucke twp., Temiskaming dist., Ontario, CAN), where my mother was born and my grandparents (her mother and step-father) still reside.  After my parents divorced, this is were we lived until I started kindergarten.  Lo and behold, guess what I found:

(map of Cobalt and surrounding area)

(my grandparents' house!)

(the United Church where my grandparents were married - since she was Baptist and he was Anglican)

(Cobalt railway station, now "The Bunker", a military museum)

After we left Cobalt, I remember riding the train (the Northlander, which was a 10 hour trip) to visit them, and arriving at this station (when it was still the station) at night.  The train is still my favourite way to travel. 

I then went back to the Ottawa area to look at Kinburn (Fitzroy twp., Carleton co., Ontario, CAN), where my father was born and grew up, my parents lived while they were married, and I spent the first two years of my life.  Unfortunately, google failed me here - there was no option for a street view beyond the major roads:

(map of the Kinburn area)

(satellite image of the Kinburn area; in the top right corner (just hidden) is the Kinburn/Carp intersection...)

(the intersection at Carp Rd. and Kinburn Side Rd., looking towards Kinburn - the closest street view I could get on Google)

Obituary: Mrs. Thomas Hodgins, 1903

From the Ottawa Citizen, Thursday 12 November 1903, p. 9:

(click to enlarge)

ENTERED INTO REST

      Carp, Nov. 6 -- Mrs. Thomas Hodgins, relict of the late Thomas Hodgins, of the 10th line, Fitzroy, died at her residence on Wednesday, Nov. 5th.  She was one of the oldest residents of the township, being in her 86th year.  Her husband, one of the pioneer and respected farmers of the township, died five years ago.  The late Mrs. Hodgins, whose maiden name was Hodgins, came to Canada in 1834, with family, and resided at Prescott until 1837 when with other members of the family she moved to Fitzroy where she afterwards met Thomas Hodgins and became his wife in 1839.  They settled on the farm where she died.  She leaves four sons, Michael, of Stittsville, Benjamin, of Huntley, Richard of Fitzroy, and William George, on the homestead and two daughters, Mrs. John Lewis, of Hintonburg, and Mrs. George Hamilton, of Fitzroy Harbor. [sic]  The funeral on Friday which was very large, proceeded to the Methodist church at Diamond where Rev. Mr. Pimlott, the pastor, preached an eloquent sermon.  Interment took place in the church yard adjoining.  Amongst the chief mourners were three sons and Dr. Wesley Groves, Quyon, P.Q., and Dr. Geo. H. Groves, Carp, nephews of the deceased.  One son, Benjamin Hodgins, who had taken care of his mother since his father died, was unable to be present owing to a most serious illness.

~~~~~  *  ~~~~~  *  ~~~~~

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.

~~~~~  *  ~~~~~  *  ~~~~~

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.

Why I love W. D. Pigott, Or, A Snapshot of the 1851/52 Fitzroy Census

Who was William D. Pigott?

He was the man chosen to enumerate the township of Fitzroy, Carleton county, Canada West for the 1851/1852 census.  He was born circa 1795 in Dysart, [Queens co.?] Ireland and listed his occupation as "Officer [of?] Ordnance".  His wife was Eliza ?, born circa 1811 in Belcarrig, co. Wexford, Ireland.  Eight children are listed with the couple, ranging in age from 16 to 2, with birthplaces in Malta (2), Ireland (4) and Canada (2).  They also had a servant in the household, an Ellen Haridley, born circa 1811 in Tipperary, Ireland.   

Why do I love him?

Because of the gold mine he left for Fitzroy researchers.  He apparently didn't get the memo for the "less is more" approach, nor the directive that enumerators must have bad handwriting (though he does love the occasional squiggle and loop).

When it came to noting the birthplace of people, he wrote not only the country, but also (usually) the shire/county.

  

(click to enlarge)

Census of 1851, Canada West, District of Carleton, sub-district of Fitzroy (township),

schedule A (personal census), p. 10d, 11a (otherwise known as page 21),

LAC (accessed at Collections Canada, 14 January 2010)

For those born in Canada West (as Ontario was at that time known as), he even noted the specific place or township.  (see above example)

Sometimes, he even included further information.

(click to enlarge)

Census of 1851, Canada West, District of Carleton, sub-district of Fitzroy (township),

schedule A (personal census), p. 51d, 52a (otherwise known as page 103),

LAC (accessed at Collections Canada, 14 January 2010)

The birth locations circled in this example are the townlands of Cloughjordan and Toomyvara (spelled as Toomavarah), both located in Tipperary co., Ireland. 

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.

~~~~~  *  ~~~~~  *  ~~~~~

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

-----

Minutes of Council, June 10, 1865

-----

      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."

Obituary: Robert E. Bishop

(click image to enlarge)

From the Ottawa Citizen, Monday February 16, 1959, p. 30:

Robert E. Bishop
KINBURN (Special) - A former Kinburn resident, Robert E. Bishop, died in a Drumheler, Alta. hospital recently.  He was 81.  He was the son of the late Edward Bishop and his wife the late Catherine Barber.  The farm known as the Bishop Farm, near Kinburn, is now owned by Mr. and Mrs. William Neil.  Interment was at Drumheller, Alta.

Catherine (Barber) Bishop was sister to my ggg-grandfather, Richard Barber...

Obituary: Marjorie Evelyn (Ellis) Evans

(click image to enlarge)

From the Ottawa Citizen, Tuesday February 7, 1984, p. 27:

EVANS, Marjorie Evelyn
In hospital on Monday, February 6, 1984, Marjorie Evelyn Ellis; dearly beloved wife of Clifford Bates Evans.  Dearest mother of Elayne (Mrs. Ralph Carlson).  Dear sister of the late Frank Ellis, Clifford Ellis (Oakville) and Kenneth Ellis and loving nieces and nephews.  Friends may call at Hulse and Playfair, Central Chapel, 315 McLeod Street, 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, February 8.  Funeral in the Chapel on Thursday, February 9, time to be announced.  Cremation Pinecrest Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers donations to the charity of your choice would be appreciated.

Michael Barber's Death Notice

(click image to enlarge)

From the Ottawa Citizen, Friday April 29, 1955, p. 42: 

Died

BARBER, Michel James - At Kinburn, Ontario, on Friday, April 29, 1955.  Michel James Barber, beloved husband of Linda Grainger, in his 83rd year.  Resting at his home, Kinburn, Ontario.  Funeral service Sunday, May 1, 1955, at 2 p.m. to St. John's Anglican Church, Antrim.  Interment St. Mark's Cemetery, Pakenham, Ontario.

I've previously posted his obituary.  I have yet to locate his wife's obituary...

Grainger/Cavanagh Anniversary

(click image to enlarge)

I'm related to both the husband and the wife in the above article (transcription below), pulled from the Ottawa Citizen archives digitalized by Google News...

From the Ottawa Citizen of March 26, 1959, p. 28:

55 Years Spent On Farm, Couple Mark Anniversay
KINBURN (Special) - A couple who have spent all their married lives on their farm on the fourth line of Fitzroy, celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary at an "at home."  Some 100 guests signed the guest book for the happy couple, Mr. and Mrs. George Cavanagh.  They were the recipients of many gifts and messages.  A 55-year scroll was received from Erskine Johnston, MLA, and a gift from the school section.  Mrs. Cavanagh is the former Annie Grainger, daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Grainger, and Mr. Cavanagh is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. William Cavanagh, all of Fitzroy township and Kinburn community.  The couple were married in St. Mark's Anglican rectory at Pakenham by Rev. W. Warren.  Their attendants were the groom's sister, Mrs. Emery Dean, and the late Mr. Dean.  They have two sons, Merville and Elmer of Kinburn; and three daughters, Mrs. Robert (Effie) Holmes of Kingston, Mrs. William (Verna) Scripnek of Kingston, and Mrs. Grant (Lola) Smith of Peterborough.  They also have 16 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Blogger reader = Google = Ottawa Citizen = genealogical happy dance!!

While browsing my blogger reading list (I'm not a fan of the Google Reader), I happened to come across the most recent entry (February 2nd) from the "Librarians Helping Canadian Genealogists Climb Family Trees" blog: "Google makes Historical Ottawa Citizen available online"  Wow!

The short entry barely gives anything away, merely excerpting a small clip from a (current) Ottawa Citizen article by Kelly Egan and stating digitalized copies begin (roughly) in 1890.

Deciding to give it a go (though my ancestors lived throughout the western reaches of the Ottawa valley, they rarely strayed (in official records, anyway) towards the city itself), I clicked on the Google link.  Typing in a few keywords ("barber" and "pakenham") and entering "Ottawa Citizen" in the source box, I hit the enter key.  Little did I expect one of the first entries to jump right off the page...

From the Ottawa Citizen, May 2, 1955, p. 4:

Michael Barber
KINBURN (Special) - Funeral service for Michael James Barber, a resident of Kinburn all his life, was held in St. John's Anglican Church, Antrim, Sunday afternoon.  Mr. Barber died at his home Friday after an illness of several weeks.  He was 82.  Rev. P. Caiger Watson conducted the service.  Burial was in St. Mark's Anglican Cemetery.  Mr. Barber leaves his wife, the former Linda Grainger; three daughters, Mrs. Beattie Timmins, of Pakenham, Mrs. Amy Cameron of Arnprior, and Miss. Pearl Barber of Ottawa; and a son, Norman, at home.

http://news.google.ca/newspapers?id=uc0wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-dwFAAAAIBAJ&dq=barber%20pakenham&pg=4291%2C25754

(click image to enlarge)

(Did I do my genealogy happy dance?  You bet your bottom I did - and startled the dog and the cat in the process! ;-)

This is my great-grandfather!!! 

This (the Ottawa Citizen), is a resource I wouldn't have thought to check.  Arnprior (where my grandmother lived and is closer than Ottawa), had it's own newspaper (Arnprior Chronicle) which I have earmarked for further study (I've previously went over a few surviving issues that the Archives of Ontario had).  I can't wait to explore further...