Owning a Piece of Someone's Life

Many years ago I bought a book at a local Garage Sale. Inside was the owner's name "Millicent Lynn", and a hand-written genealogy. I knew Millicent slightly, she was an elderly woman in the town where I lived in the 1970s. Millicent was a gentle lovely-looking woman who looked like Helen Hayes and always wore gloves, a dress, and carried a purse over one arm much like Queen Elizabeth. Millicent's son and grandson owned a local business in our small town.

A handwritten inscription inside the book reads "To Cousin Millicent with love from Olive Gay and all cousins at Grenfell Saskatchewan. March 1981" (Millicent was Millicent Lynn, mother of the Mayor of Midland Ontario) 

It was through Millicent's grandson that my husband and I met some some twenty years later. My future husband worked for Millicent's grandson and when I published my first book The Van Slyke Family in America: A Genealogy of Cornelise Antonissen Van Slyke, 1604-1676 and his Mohawk Wife Ots-Toch, I was directed to his office for assistance.

After our marriage I discovered that my husband owned an antique cupboard that once belonged to Millicent. He also owned the WW1 army helmet that once belonged to Millicent's husband, and a very old black top hat inscribed inside the band with Millicent's husband's name (George Lynn).

With all these connections and treasured objects in our home, I began to feel that we owned a little piece of Millicent and George's lives, and that to complete the circle we needed to find out more about their lives and ancestors.

With that in mind I set out to find Millicent and I'm happy to say that I found her arrival in Canada from England on the Ship Metagama in 1919 as well as many other voyages back and forth between England and Ontario. Millicent arrived at St John New Brunswick on 17 February 1919. It looks like she had $50.00 on arrival, and she was headed for her mother-in-law's in Penetanguishene Ontario

This is George Lynn's WW1 helmet that is part of my husband's WW1 Collection. I also found George's WW1 Attestation Papers and many census and vital records for George, his parents, his grandparents and so on back to 1814.

Now I feel that the journey is complete and I will pass this coincidental genealogy on to Millicent's grandson.

What to Do with Those Old Family Photos, Letters, and Documents

Yesterday Olive Tree Genealogy received an email with exciting news from FamilySearch. Here is their announcement:

Free records preservation service available nationwide
SALT LAKE CITY, UT—FamilySearch International (online at FamilySearch.org) announced today a new, free family photo and document scanning and preservation service for patrons in thousands of its North American family history centers. Patrons can now digitally preserve and share their precious printed historic family photos and documents using customized Lexmark multifunction products (MFPs).

“We all have them. You know, the kitchen or dresser drawers, paper boxes or plastic bags, scrapbooks or folders—all full of family photos, vital records, and other keepsake correspondence from our ancestors,” said Penney Devey, FamilySearch Director of Worldwide Patron and Partner Services. “These family artifacts are constant reminders of our heartfelt good intentions to someday preserve, organize, share or tell their hidden stories for posterity. We just don’t know where to start, how to do it, or feel we can’t afford it.”

Well, thanks to FamilySearch and Lexmark, the future is now here. And there is now a very convenient, free solution to each family’s photo and historic document preservation and sharing needs readily accessible to almost everyone.

FamilySearch has equipped over 2,800 of its local family history centers in North America with new Lexmark MFPs (coming soon to international centers). The Lexmark MFPs are easy to use and can digitally scan your documents and photographs quickly. The most exciting part is that software from Lexmark that runs on the MFP lets the user scan their documents and photos directly into a free FamilySearch.org account where the documents and photos can later be tagged, explained, shared with others, or attached to ancestors in your free FamilySearch Family Tree. You can also save the digital copies to a thumb drive and take them home with you.
FamilySearch and Lexmark have made it very easy and convenient to preserve family photos and historic documents. All you have to do is bring the stash of photos and documents that you want to digitally preserve to your local FamilySearch family history center.

“The Lexmark solution we’ve created for FamilySearch is an example of how Lexmark MFPs and software come together to solve unique paper-based workflow challenges,” said Marty Canning, Lexmark executive vice president and president of Imaging Solutions and Services division. “We’ve made it faster and easier for family history center patrons to scan historic photos and vital documents right from our Lexmark MFPs into their online family trees.”

The touch screen on the Lexmark MFP is easy to use and lets patrons scan in three easy steps:

1. Touch the FamilySearch Logo
2. Log in to your free FamilySearch.org account
3. Scan your family documents and photos

Your documents and photos scan directly to a folder on your personal FamilySearch.org account online or to your thumb drive. From any computer with Internet access, you can log into your account and select either documents or photos under the Memories feature to view the high-quality digital images of your scanned documents. From within your account, you can label, crop and share your historic family documents and photos of ancestors in your free FamilySearch Family Tree.

“By sharing links to the uploaded artifacts with family and friends, you can encourage them to add their photos and family documents for your common ancestors,” added Devey. “Don’t be surprised if you discover additional photos of common ancestors that other relatives may have already scanned and uploaded.”

Patrons can also upload digital files of their family photos and historic documents directly at FamilySearch.org.
FamilySearch is a world leader in historic record preservation and access, connecting growing generations of families through family history products and services. Lexmark is uniquely focused on connecting unstructured printed and digital information across enterprises with the processes, applications and people that need it most. For more information, please visit www.lexmark.com. 

Creating a Wall of Ancestors Using Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner & Shutterfly

One of the things hubs and I like is having framed photos of ancestors hanging on our living room wall. We didn't inherit any large framed photos, so we have created our own.

We hang them on every wall, including up the stairs. Mixed in with these ancestor photos are oil paintings done by hubs' grandmother and great-grandmother, watercolours done by yours truly, antique paintings we buy, and framed family treasures.

Here's how we do it:

1. Take an ancestor photo - a small one from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Make sure it is in sharp focus. Scan it (I use my Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner for this) and have it enlarged to the size you want. I use Shutterfly but you can use any service to do this.

The photo here is of my great-grandmother on her wedding day in 1867. The original is 3x5 inches. The enlargement is 9x15 inches.

2. Have the enlargement placed in a mat and then frame it. You can do it yourself by purchasing frames and mats or you can have this done professionally.

I collect antique picture frames (you find them in antique stores and flea markets) then hubs repairs and repaints them if needed.

3. Hang your portraits and voila! You have a gorgeous Wall of Ancestors!  We also hang antique paintings mixed in with our ancestors for a change of pace.

We have enlarged an antique photo of my 2nd great-grandmother and her first born grandson which was  2x3" into a lovely framed portrait for the wall.

We also took a small photo of hub's grandfather and had a poster made for his man cave. The new poster enlargement is from Shutterfly's College Poster section. We chose 20x30 inches.

Then we bought a cheap black frame from Walmart and hubs used the insert in the frame which he reversed to create a nice white mat around the photo.

Hubs has it with his WW1 military collection and I think it looks amazing!

I also did one of my grandfather in his Kent Buff's military uniform as a poster for my son.

This hobby doesn't cost much and it not only provides us with a great deal of enjoyment it also safely preserves our ancestor photos! The originals are stored safely in archival sleeves and only the digital copies are framed and hung.

Hooper-Squires Photo Archives Treasure No. 8

This is the 8th photo in our collection of rescued photographs of the Hooper and Squires families of St. Mary's Ontario Canada.

I'm sure this is 3 sisters but am not positive who they are. Perhaps a reader familiar with the family can help. 


To view all the photos in this collection as they are published here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, click on Hooper-Squires Photo Archives link.

Hooper-Squires Photo Archives Treasure No. 7: 5 Gals

This is the 7th photo in our collection of rescued photographs of the Hooper and Squires families of St. Mary's Ontario Canada. To view all the photos in this collection as they are published here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, click on Hooper-Squires Photo Archives link.

On the reverse of this photo of these five lovely ladies is written:

 Reberta [sic] Parker, Marg Carter, Gladys Parker, Josephine McCabe, Isabel Laurie

I do not know who these women are and how they connect to the Hooper or Squires family.

The photo looks like 1940s to me. If you recognize any of the faces or names, please do leave a comment on this blog post

Hooper-Squires Photo Archives Treasure No. 6

This is the 6th photo in our collection of rescued photographs of the Hooper and Squires families of St. Mary's Ontario Canada. To view all the photos in this collection as they are published here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, click on Hooper-Squires Photo Archives link.

 

This lovely photo taken at Niagara Falls has writing on the back as it was a postcard sent to Mr. Edgar Hooper from his sister who was on her honeymoon at the time. I assume this Edith Hooper and her new husband Joseph Camm, as they married on September 10, 1910

 

Sept. 19/10

Hello Edgar, How is Ettie? Hope she is better by this time. We are well and having a pretty nice honeymoon.   Will soon be home. Your loving sister

Hooper-Squires Photo Archives Treasure No. 5

This is the 5th photo in our collection of rescued photographs of the Hooper and Squires families of St. Mary's Ontario Canada. To view all the photos in this collection as they are published here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, click on Hooper-Squires Photo Archives link.

The Currah Family 1921

Handwritten text back of photo

 I did some research and found the family of Arthur Leo Currah, the son of William Currah and Rebecca Hutcinson. Arthur was born in 1878 and died in 1958. In 1899 he married Ida Bullock. Their children were:

Louise May, Ada, Eve, Dorah, Beatrice, Nellie and Lawrence.Notice that there are 7 girls which corresponds with the girls in this photo with their mother.

I believe this is the family in the photo as Ada married Llloyd Poulton on the lawn of "The Oaks" in Bright Ontario in 1927. You can see that A. L. Currah (no doubt Arthur Leo) mentions that they live at The Oaks in his remark "...we raise more than Herefords at the Oaks..."

Genealogy Treasure No. 15: Tax Deed 1938 Hart

This is the 15th and last set of documents in the batch I purchased at an antique store in Kingston Ontario July 27, 2012. For details, see Found! Treasure Trove of Land Documents from Ontario Canada

This last document in the collection is a Tax Deed dated 29 November 1938.

It states that Charles W. Walker, village of Newburgh, Warden, and Thomas J. Cook of Napanee, Treasurer, grant to Frederick Hart 100 acres in the Township of Denbigh, Counties of Lennox and Addington.

It is specified as Lot 2 West Range Denbigh.

More documents will follow as I scan them and extract their details. To view all documents as they are published on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, click on Lennox-Addington Collection in the tags at the end of this post.

 If you are a descendant and would like to see these records, they are now with Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives,
97 Thomas Street East,
Napanee, Ontario
K7R 4B9

Hooper-Squires Photo Archives Treasure No. 4

This is the 4th photo in our collection of rescued photographs of the Hooper and Squires families of St. Mary's Ontario Canada. To view all the photos in this collection as they are published here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, click on Hooper-Squires Photo Archives link.

 This Cabinet Card photo is faded but still adorable. Eight young children in their Sunday best in St. Mary's Perth County Ontario.

The photography studio, J. Leary and Co., was in operation in St. Marys between 1891 and 1896. This helps date this photograph and aids in identifying the family.

I believe these are the following children of George Squires and Louisa Augusta Gunning:

Ettie born 1879
Bertha Louise born 1879
Ida Maud born 1882
Harry Russell born 1884
Lottie May born 1887
Francis Chester born 1889
Verda Pearl born 1891
Edgar Victor born 1892

If I am correct this photo was taken circa 1892-1893.

Genealogy Treasure No. 14: Deed of Land 1922 Card-Hartman-Denison-Foster

This is the 14th set of documents in the batch I purchased at an antique store in Kingston Ontario July 27, 2012. For details, see Found! Treasure Trove of Land Documents from Ontario Canada

 This is a Deed of Land dated 14 September 1922 in Napanee.

It is signed Archie Denison but the parties involved are George A. Hartman and his wife Edith Victoria to Henry Forguson Card, Agent.

A payment of $1.00 is given for a half interest in Lots 1 and 2 on the North side of Dundas St.

The document states that the land is described in detail in a deed from Mary Adney Foster to George Albert Hartman and Henry Forguson Card dated 8 March 1920.

More documents will follow as I scan them and extract their details. To view all documents as they are published on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, click on Lennox-Addington Collection in the tags at the end of this post.

 If you are a descendant and would like to see these records, they are now with Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives,
97 Thomas Street East,
Napanee, Ontario
K7R 4B9

Genealogy Treasure No. 13: Farm Lease 1923 McKittrick-Dennison

This is the 13th set of documents in the batch I purchased at an antique store in Kingston Ontario July 27, 2012. For details, see Found! Treasure Trove of Land Documents from Ontario Canada

 This is two documents. One is a Farm Lease. The second is an Indenture. Both are dated 1 May 1923 for Lot 17, Concession 6, Richmond Township, Lennox & Addington Co. Ontario

It is leasing the property from 1 May 1923 to 15 March 1924 for $100.00

Details: Matilda McKittrick, widow, Richmond Township to Archie Dennison, Richmond Township, farmer.

Land: North 49 Acres Lot 17 Concession 6, Richmond Township.

The lease is for a dwelling house, hen house and pig pen, also stabling of one horse and a small spot for a garden.

Lorine's Research:

Matilda McKittrick was the wife of James McKittrick. He was the son of Rebecca. Rebecca's first husband was William Parks. See his 1849 will.

More documents will follow as I scan them and extract their details. To view all documents as they are published on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, click on Lennox-Addington Collection in the tags at the end of this post.

 If you are a descendant and would like to see these records, they are now with Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives,
97 Thomas Street East,
Napanee, Ontario
K7R 4B9

Genealogy Treasure No. 12: Receipt 1910 Dennison - McQuaig

This is the 12th set of documents in the batch I purchased at an antique store in Kingston Ontario July 27, 2012. For details, see Found! Treasure Trove of Land Documents from Ontario Canada

This document is a scrap of paper containing a hand-written note signed by Angus McQuaig.

It is dated 26 February 1910 and is a receipt for money ($120.00) received from Archibald Denison.

The scrap of paper states the payment is being applied to a note and includes interest of $20.00

More documents will follow as I scan them and extract their details. More documents will follow as I scan them and extract their details.

This is the reverse of the receipt above. I thought it was interesting to see that the receipt was written on the back of a cheque from the Crown Bank of Canada. This was then stamped above as The Northern Crown Bank of Canada. 

The Northern Crown Bank was the offspring of the 1908 merger of Winnipeg's Northern Bank and the  Ontario-based Crown Bank of Canada. The Royal Bank purchased the Northern Crown Bank in 1918.

To read details of documents I've published here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, see Lennox-Addington Collection in the right hand navbar.

 If you are a descendant and would like to see these records, they are now with Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives,
97 Thomas Street East,
Napanee, Ontario
K7R 4B9

Genealogy Treasure No. 11: Mortgage 1908 Dennison-Jemmett

This is the 11th set of documents in the batch I purchased at an antique store in Kingston Ontario July 27, 2012. For details, see Found! Treasure Trove of Land Documents from Ontario Canada

 This document is a Mortgage dated 25 February 1908 for $2000.00

Parties are Archibald Dennison & Gertrude Elizabeth his wife to Rebecca G. Jemmett, widow.

The land is noted as the East 75 Acres of Lot 16 Concession 6 in Richmond Township, Lennox & Addington Co Ontario and now owned by Archibald Dennison.

 Witness to the signing is Gertrude M. Anderson, Book-keeper

More documents will follow as I scan them and extract their details. To read details of documents I've published here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, see Lennox-Addington Collection in the right hand navbar.

 If you are a descendant and would like to see these records, they are now with Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives,
97 Thomas Street East,
Napanee, Ontario
K7R 4B9

Genealogy Treasure No. 10: Land Deed 1905 Hall-Davis

This is the 10th set of documents in the batch I purchased at an antique store in Kingston Ontario July 27, 2012. For details, see Found! Treasure Trove of Land Documents from Ontario Canada

 This document is a Deed of Land dated 9 March 1905. It is from Frederick H. Hall et ux (and wife) to Alexander Dais, farmer, single man.

The witness is Viva May Lane, Stenographer

The land is the East 75 acres of Lot 16, Concession 6, Richmond Township, Lennox & Addington Co. Ontario

Price is $2600.00

More documents will follow as I scan them and extract their details. To read details of documents I've published here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, see Lennox-Addington Collection in the right hand navbar.

 If you are a descendant and would like to see these records, they are now with Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives,
97 Thomas Street East,
Napanee, Ontario
K7R 4B9

Genealogy Treasure No 9: Land Deed 1903 Jackson-Wilson

This is the 9th set of documents in the batch I purchased at an antique store in Kingston Ontario July 27, 2012. For details, see Found! Treasure Trove of Land Documents from Ontario Canada

 This document is a Deed of Land from I. S. Jackson et ux (and wife) to J. T. Wilson.

It is dated 17 January 1903 and is for $500.00 on the SW 1/4 of Lot 8, Concession 9, Richmond Township, Lennox & Addington Co. Ontario

Details show the full names are Irvine S. Jackson and his wife Margaret J. to James T. Wilson

More documents will follow as I scan them and extract their details. To see all the documents as they are published on Olive Tree Genealogy, click on Lennox-Addington Collection in the right nav bar.

If you are a descendant and would like to see any of these records, please contact me. Just click on ABOUT LORINE and scroll to the bottom of the page to obtain an email address.

Hooper-Squires Photo Archives Treasure No. 3: The Squires House ca 1900

This is the third photo in our collection of rescued photographs of the Hooper and Squires families of St. Mary's Ontario Canada.

To view all the photos in this collection as they are published here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, click on Hooper-Squires Photo Archives link.

We think these are three Squires (or Squire) sisters (possibly Ettie, Bertha & Ida) and their mother Louisa in front of the Squires house, circa early 1900s. They lived in the country outside of St. Mary's Ontario but sadly we don't know the exact location.

The Squire(s) family is found in the 1901 census for Blanshard Twp, Perth County Ontario. The family consisted of parents George & Louisa (nee Gunning) Squires both aged 43 and ten children: Ettie Eliza 21, Bertha Louise 21, Ida Maud 18, Harry (Harvey) Russell 17, Lottie May 14, Francis Chester 12,  Verda Pearl 10, Edgar Victor 8, Martha I. 4, Nelson Wilbert 2

It was Ettie Eliza who later married Edgar John Hooper and the photos were in the possession of their son Wilbert aka Wib Hooper.

George Squires son of William and Mary Ann Squires, married Louisa Augusta Gunning daughter of William & Sarah Gunning, in St. Mary's on 23 October 1878.

Genealogy Treasure No. 8: Mortgage Hall-O'Ray 1904

This is the 8th set of documents in the batch I purchased at an antique store in Kingston Ontario July 27, 2012. For details, see Found! Treasure Trove of Land Documents from Ontario Canada

 This document is a Mortgage from F. H. Hall to C. O'Ray dated 26 February 1904.

It is a $1600.00 mortgage between Frederick Harold Hall and wife Florence May and Charles O'Ray.

The land in question is noted as East 75 acres of Lot 16, Concession 6, Richmond Township, Lennox & Addington Co. Ontario

Witnessed by Gertrude E. Walker, stenographer

More documents will follow as I scan them and extract their details. View details of all these documents as they are published by clicking on Lennox-Addington Collection in the right hand nav bar.

 If you are a descendant and would like to see these records, they are now with Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives,
97 Thomas Street East,
Napanee, Ontario
K7R 4B9

Genealogy Treasure No. 7: Land Deed 1901 Winter-O'Ray

This is the seventh set of documents in the batch I purchased at an antique store in Kingston Ontario July 27, 2012. For details, see Found! Treasure Trove of Land Documents from Ontario Canada

Winter O'Ray Land Deed 1901

 This is a Deed of Land dated 28 February, 1901 between David Winter, the younger, of Richmond Township, Lennox & Addington Co. and Mary Ella his wife, and Charles O'Ray.

The witness is Stenographer Gertrude Elizabeth Walker of Napanee.

A sum of $2,225.00 exchanges hands for the East 1/2 of East 3/4 of Lot 16, Concession 6, Richmond Township
 
Lorine's Research:

A preliminary search on Ancestry.com reveals that  in the 1901 census for Richmond Township, David Winter, 39, and his wife Mary E., 31, lived beside Charles O'Rae [sic] and his wife Margaret, both age 50. Both men were listed as farmers.

More documents will follow as I scan them and extract their details. Clicking on the label Lennox-Addington Collection will allow you to see all that have been published on Olive Tree Genealogy blog.

 If you are a descendant and would like to see these records, they are now with Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives,
97 Thomas Street East,
Napanee, Ontario
K7R 4B9

Genealogy Treasure No. 6: Land Deed 1917 Windover-Dennison

This is the sixth set of documents in the batch I purchased at an antique store in Kingston Ontario July 27, 2012. For details, see Found! Treasure Trove of Land Documents from Ontario Canada

 This is a Deed of Land dated 14 December 1917.

It is between Schuyler Windover, farmer, Richmond Twp. and his wife Victoria, and Amos Dennison.

The witness is Mable Bowden of Napanee, Stenographer.

The land is 50 Acres of the SW 1/4 of Lot 8 Concession 9, Richmond Twp, Lennox & Addington Co. Ontario





Lorine's Research

Indenture Windover-Dennison

Research on Ancestry.com indicates that Schuyler Windover was the son of Sheldon Windover and the grandson of Chauncy Windover.

Sheldon Windover's sister Mary Esther Windover married James Dennison and they were the parents of Archie and Amos Dennison.

Schuyler Windover's wife was Victoria Aylesworth.

More documents will follow as I scan them and extract their details. To view all documents in the collection click on Lennox-Addington Collection in the right hand nav bar.

 If you are a descendant and would like to see these records, they are now with Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives,
97 Thomas Street East,
Napanee, Ontario
K7R 4B9

Genealogy Treasure No. 5: 1904 Land Deed O'Ray-Hall

This is the fifth set of documents in the batch I purchased at an antique store in Kingston Ontario July 27, 2012. For details, see Found! Treasure Trove of Land Documents from Ontario Canada

 This is a Deed of Land dated 23 February 1904 between C. O'Ray et ux (and wife) and F. H. Hall

Details: Gertrude E. Walker, stenographer, Napanee, Lennox & Addington Co., takes oath that she witnessed signatures of Charles O'Ray, farmer, and his wife Margaret.

 Frederick Harold Hall, farmer, paid $2600.00 to Charles O'Ray for East 75 acres of Lot 16, Concession 6, Richmond Township, Lennox & Addington Co. Ontario

More documents will follow as I scan them and extract their details.  You may view all documents in this collection by clicking on Lennox-Addington Collection in right hand nav bar.

 If you are a descendant and would like to see these records, they are now with Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives,
97 Thomas Street East,
Napanee, Ontario
K7R 4B9