It's a small world after all.

I went looking for my Dad family and found more than I bargain for.

I started my research hoping to find answers.  What I found were cousins.

I have have found two of my 2nd cousin living right here in Montreal with me.  And were not that far away from each other.

It's small wold after all.

Getting better

 I find that I am getting better at picking up on those clues hidden away in documents.

I've learnt not to discount something because no ever told me.  There is a WHOLE lot that I was not told.

I was over look sometimes as a child, maybe because I was so shy.  But I was always watching.

I tell people that if you do not want me to know something or if you make a remark that you don't want me to hear, make sure that I am far far away.

Just a thought for now.

More to come....

CBC Writes Contest

I just submitted the story below to CBC Writes Contest.  Wish me luck.

“She was hit by a car crossing St. James Street.” 

That was the first thing I learned about my grandmother. The second was that she was born in England.  She came to Montreal in 1904 at the young age of 17 to join her mother and older sisters who had come over the previous year.

I often wondered if she knew that within a year she would take the biggest step of her life and marry a black man.  On August 5, 1905, Mary Ann Grimshaw married William Saunders at St George’s Anglican Church, on the corner of Stanley and De La Guachetiere. The church is still there today.

They set up house at 291 Aqueduct Street in Old Montreal and had nine children, seven who survived. My Dad was number five.

What was it like back then to be a bi-racial couple?  What kind of problems did they face?  That was the question that started me on my research.  But before I could even begin with their lives together, I found that on October 12, 1939 my grandmother was killed by a drunk driver while crossing St. James Street.

Through my research I found several newspaper articles about her accident. The articles were full of information about how and when she died. One publication even had a picture of her at the time of her death.  The only picture I had of her was taken not long after she had become a mother.

I also was able to get a copy of her coroner’s report.  The report listed all of her injuries and had the testimony of the two gentlemen, who had tried to help her after she was run down, as well as the name and address of the man who took her life.  It took great deal of effort not to go looking for his family members; you have to remember I had just read the coroner’s report which stated that he had not stopped after hitting her.

Some would say that after reading these accounts, I would lose the taste for genealogy, but as my fellow genealogists know, they just wet my appetite.

As I look back on the years that I have devoted to the research on my family tree, I’m always amazed with the facts and stories I have found. The picture that is slowly emerging shows a family overrun with tragedy, from falling from roofs to being struck by drunk drivers, it’s a wonder that I am even here.

To me genealogy is a puzzle to be put total one person at a time and when all the pieces fit, these are the people I call my family.

In the beginning

As I look back on the years that I have devoted to the research on my family tree, I’m always amazed with the facts and stories I have found.

The picture that is slowly emerging shows a family over run with tragedy, from falling from roofs to being hit by drunk drivers, it’s a wonder that I am even here.

Let me go back to the beginning.

I remember visiting with my Aunts and Uncles, as we would always go "a calling" on Sunday afternoons.

Back in the 60’s and 70’s that was what you did on a Sunday and I was always fascinated with the relationships between my Dad and his brother and sisters.

My Aunt Alice was the HEAD of the family and what she decreed was law.

My Aunt May was the sick lady; she always seemed to hurt somewhere.

My Uncle George was that big guy with the loud voice.

My Uncle Teddy always made my Dad laugh.

My Aunt Lucy was the pretty lady who always smiled.

My Uncle Manny was as good looking as my Dad.

These were the people I started with.

Left to right:

Top row Uncle Manny, my Dad, Uncle George

Second row: Aunt Alice and May

Bottom row: Uncle Teddy and Aunt Lucy

to be continued....

Feeling GREAT!!!!

A few days ago I posted in Facebook that I wondered why I sit up all night looking through record after record and getting no hits.

Well not long after that I hit upon the obit for my great grandfather on my mother's side.  I had lost hope of finding anything on him.

Well today I got an email from a member on my father's side of the tree.

You have to realize that my Dad never spoke of his mothers family and that I knew next to nothing about them when I started my research.  Now I have a whole tree full of them and now have made contact  with a living, breathing relation.

Ask me if I'm feeling great!!!

I'm on vacation for a week and can't wait to get to the Ontario Archives.

I have so much I need to look up, but I'm also looking forward to spending time with my brother and his friends.

I'll try to post any interesting finds I come across.

Keep watching.

New Business Card

Le me know what you think.

Did you know that Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor were married in Montreal back in 1964.

Just I case you don't believe take a look at what I found at the archives.

I’m back, I had to take some time off to decompress.

Whenever I start doing research for someone I always ask “Do you want to know everything I find?”

Well, my own words of caution came back to roost a few weeks back.

I had been trying to find the coroner’s report for my Grandmother and instead came across one for my Grandfather.

The findings, once I had translated it (of course the report was in French) were quite surprising.

I now have the difficult task of trying to find out if anyone else my family knew the cause of his death.

I guess not ever having met my Grandparents I sort of romanticized their life together.

After all I had seen how my parents were so in love with each other that is what I wanted to be true for my Grandparents.

So you set it aside for a time but it eventually pulls you back in.

I’m off and running again this time with a new outlook. 

I just got in from a day of grave walking.  I did pretty good.

I found the graves of the Grimshaws that I have been concentrating on.

Just the other day I closed the file for Ivy Grimshaw(1913-1918), well I have to open it up because one of the graves that I found today was hers.  I was very happy to have found the two children of Emmanuel and Martha Grimshaw.

Take a look below.

More to come..stay tuned.

Got another email from Mount Royal Cemetery this morning.

Ivy, Edward, Harold Grimshaw and Christopher Buckingham are buried there as well.  I've lost count of the people who I have found. My next grave walking trip will be an all day event.

The last time I was up at Mount Royal Cemetery, I had a hard time finding William and Mary Saunders because they do not have a marker.  That's something I would like to rectify.  I think it would be a nice tribute to them.

I also found a Grimshaw living right here in Ville Emard.  Looks like I will be paying someone a visit.

Nothing back yet from the Black Watch, but most of my time is spent waiting for an email.

At least now I don't have to wait for snail mail.

The Firemen's Museum got back to me and they had nothing on the fire at my house on St Lawrence street back in in the 1960's...hmmm. more digging is need here.

I spent most of last night transcribing old baptismal records.

I love the wording that they used back then.  It always makes me think of  ladies in white gloves and hats on a Sunday afternoon in the park.

Well that's all for now,

l8ter

I'M HERE!

  I wanted to keep you all updated about what is going on with our family tree and the research that I have been doing without always posting to Facebook.

This way the poeple who are interested can come by and see what I have found out.

Iv'e been making great strides on the Grimshaw line and have now have another branch to add to the tree.

This new family is the Buckinghams.

Lucie Grimshaw (1904-1964) the daughteer of Emmanuel Knot Grimshaw (1877-1922) married Christopher George James Buckingham (how's that for a name) on April 28 1928 right here in Montreal, Quebec.

They had five children that I have found so far. 

This tree just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

My next project is my own big brother Billy (William David Saunders 1949-).

Check back and see what I find out about him.

l8ter