Hubs and I love antiques. There is nothing we enjoy doing more than spending a day antiquing. My favourite is when an antique has some written history with it. That was the case recently with this very old blanket box.The outside was stenciled with the initials "S.M." and inside on the lid someone had written in pencil "Sis Munro" and then "Landed in Toronto July 5, 1911"
It was too exciting and intriguing for me to pass up so I bought it. My hope was that Sis Munro would be easily found in the online Ships Passenger Lists on Ancestry.com
Unfortunately it hasn't been that easy to find Ms. Munro. Ocean going ships did not land in Toronto but further east - Quebec or Halifax for example. So if the writing was the correct date I needed to find Ms. Munro landing earlier than July 5th. Of course she may have arrived from America across Lake Ontario to Toronto in which case it was unlikely I'd find her.
I did find an interesting candidate to possibly be "my" Sis Munro but it's not quite fitting for me. A Susie B. Munro age 28, with Grace age 2 arrived in Halifax on July 11, 1911. She stated she was coming from St. John's Newfoundland and had been in Canada previously, in 1903. That seemed a strange notation but it isn't really, as Newfoundland was not part of Canada until 1947. But oddly, a second notation in brackets reads "in transit to England". I don't think this is the right Sis Munro but I'm at a standstill.
So here are photos of the inscriptions inside the box. Perhaps I'm reading them incorrectly.
What about Lucy Munro, age 28, who arrived at Quebec on the "Athenia" on 3 July 1911? Her final destination was Toronto. She's traveling with someone transcribed as "Christ," age 25, presumably a sister (Christine? Christina?).
ReplyDeleteOr, what about Margaret Munro, age 31, who arrived at Quebec on the "Grampian," 2 July 1911, whose final destination was Toronto? She with a Bella, age 32, presumably a sister.
ReplyDeletehmmmm... two good possibilities Joseph - thanks! I will see what I can find out about Lucy and Margaret
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful. I hope you can locate her and descendants! It sounds like a fascinating mystery.
ReplyDeleteI hope you crack the case!
ReplyDeleteJust a though - could "Sis" be a nickname for "Cicely"?
ReplyDeletePossibly a nick name for a man?
ReplyDeleteGood thinking Brooke - I'll check for a Cicely arriving around that time.
ReplyDeleteT - I didn't think of the trunk being owned by a man although it is very utilitarian, not pretty at all. Another good thought to pursue