Who Was Buried in the Grave and Where Did the Body Go?

This is a mystery story. I am hoping my wonderful readers will have some ideas for solving this bewildering mystery.

THE BACK STORY

My daughter-in-law was going through her deceased grandmother's papers recently and came across the photo you see on the left.

Robert Leslie was her grandfather, and this is his grave. Robert Leslie is buried in Pine Hill Cemetery in Scarborough Ontario. However the family had no clue who was buried with him! They did not know of any Christine Leslie and Robert's wife Bernice (my daughter-in-law's grandmother) just died this year (2015). 

The plot in the cemetery had been purchased for two - Robert and Bernice. The stone had space to the right of Robert's marker which was intended for Bernice's name. 

THE MYSTERY

Robert's daughter does not know why a marker with the name Christine and the dates 1922-1999 were on her father's grave. As far as the family knew, Robert had no sisters. So my daughter-in-law asked me to investigate.

Due to Canadian privacy laws the last publicly available census for Ontario is 1921 so I could not look for Robert and his family to verify there was no sister Christine. Birth records are also not available for the time period I needed. So I contacted the cemetery. 

They informed me that the only person buried in the grave was Robert Leslie and there was only one marker on the stone. They also noted that the right side of the stone was left empty and a notation on the records stated  a marker with Bernice's name on it was to be added on her death.

I sent the cemetery the photo we have and asked if someone could actually go to the grave and verify that there was only one marker on it. They very kindly agreed to do so.

The photo above is the photo they sent me on October 1st this year. As you can see it is the same stone but it only has one marker - for Robert Leslie. The marker for Christine is gone.

I asked the cemetery if they would check their records for a Christine Leslie born 1922 and died in 1999 buried elsewhere in the Cemetery. A search was made with zero results. There was no one named Christine Leslie buried in their Cemetery and they had even searched their records by first name (Christine) and surname Leslie to see if anyone was buried there in 1999. The search came up empty. No Christines and no Leslies were buried there in that year.

We have enlarged the photos to verify that they have not been altered. The photos are real. At some point in time the photograph of Robert and Christine was taken. We do not know when but we know it was Robert's son who took the photo and gave it to his mother. 

QUESTIONS

So many questions come to mind: Who was Christine? Why was her marker put on Robert's grave and why was it removed. Who put it on and who removed it? Was she ever buried in Robert's grave or was it just her marker on the stone? 

Did the cemetery make a mistake and put the marker for Christine on the wrong stone and they removed it? But if that was the case the office would have found a burial record for a Christine (surname unknown) buried there in 1999 - and they found no such record!

Did someone sneak into the cemetery at night and bury Christine's ashes in Robert's plot, then place a marker there? If so, who removed it, and why?

THE CHALLENGE

My challenge to my reader is: Put on your sleuthing caps and see if you can solve the mystery of Christine! If you have access to the Toronto newspapers for 1999, maybe you can find mention of a Christine dying that year. 

Cemetery Walk Through Alpine City Cemetery in Utah

Join me on a Cemetery Walk through Alpine City Cemetery in Utah. This is the first of five videos walking through this cemetery.

With thanks to Sonja Nishimoto for sending these wonderful photos to OliveT ree Genealogy for publication. I am creating the videos and uploading them to Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel.

October 1st is Ask an Archivist Day

This is such a great idea and a wonderful opportunity for genealogists and historians! 

So if you have a question you want to ask an Archivist just follow any (or all) of these Twitter accounts, wait for 11 a.m and ask your question.

@DocsTeach
@CongressArchive
@NARAMediaLabs
@archivespres
@boston_archives

While you're on your Twitter page, why not also connect with me @LorineMS (Olive Tree Genealogy) I'd love to see you there!


 

Microfilm at Your Fingertips!

How many of you remember "the good old days" pre-Internet when we spent hours in libraries and archives scrolling through microfilm in a dark room? I sure do! 

Now, thanks to The Internet Archive, (part of the WayBack Machine) microfilm is coming right to your computer! Here is their description of the focus of this project:

As books become old and begin to fall apart, librarians depend on microform to preserve their content for the future. Tiny photographs on long strips of film (microfilm) or small cards of film (microfiche) are all that remain of hundreds of thousands of documents that have disintegrated over the last century. While microfilm is perfect for storing and protecting this material, it is a does not allow for much access. In following its mission to provide universal access to all human knowledge, the Internet Archive is teaming up with libraries all over the world to begin digitizing microfilm and microfiche. The goal is to get as much content off the shelves and online.

The books in this collection are from a variety of libraries including the University of Chicago Libraries, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Alberta, Allen County Public Library, and the National Technical Information Service.
You may also want to view the newspapers that have been digitized from microfiche.

So don't wait, click over to https://archive.org/details/microfilm and let your fingers do the walking!

1912 Postcard Medina New York

Recently I rescued 28 vintage orphaned postcards from antique shops. They range in date from 1900 to 1918. 27 are from United States and 1 is from Ontario Canada. 

I have scanned and added 6 of these postcards to Lost Faces and will be adding the rest of these wonderful cards over the next month. I hope descendants will see these postcards and recognize an ancestor.  

Perhaps you will find an ancestor or two!

Miss Cora E. Dunn, Medina New York. to "Dear Friend" from "Bertha Brown. 1912

Cemetery Walk St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery, Perkinsfield Ontario

Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel has many online Cemetery Walk videos for all to view freely.

Cemetery Walk St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery, Perkinsfield Ontario was just uploaded today on the Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel

More than 60 Cemetery Walk videos are now online.

 

 

 

Nursing Sister WW1 Photo Album: 30V Captain MacLeod

This Photo Archive consists of a small autograph album (6.5" by 5.25") kept by Constance (Connie) Philips as a memento of her time serving as a nurse during World War One. 

The majority of the photos and items are from 1915, when she served as a nurse in France and Britain.

The album and all photographs, postcards, and other ephemera contained in the album belong to Karin Armstrong and may not be copied or republished without her written permission. The images will be published on Olive Tree Genealogy with permission.

Each image has been designated an "R" for Recto or a "V" for Verso plus an album page number. Recto is the right-hand side page of a bound book while Verso is the left-hand side page.

I will be posting the entire album and my additional research on the individuals identified in Connie's album over the coming months so please check back frequently to view these historic photos. The easiest way to see what has been published is to click on the topic "Nursing Sister WW1 Photos"

Cemetery Walk Through Christ Church Cataraqui Cemetery in Kingston.

Join Olive Tree Genealogy on my YouTube channel for a Cemetery Walk through Christ Church Cataraqui Cemetery in Kingston.

Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel has many online Cemetery Walk videos for all to view freely.

More than 60 Cemetery Walk videos are now online.

No. 8 of My Top 10 Genealogy Mysteries: Joseph McGinnis

A Facebook friend posted her top 10 Genealogy Mysteries.  They aren't brick walls because there is probably an answer somewhere, just waiting to be found.

I thought this was a great idea and I am following suit with my Top 10 Genealogy Mysteries. Of course any help or suggestions for further research are welcome. You can read my other Genealogy Mysteries at Top 10 Genealogy Mysteries

Here is my Number 8 of 10 Genealogy Mysteries:

My 2nd Great-Grandfather Joseph McGinnis was born in Ireland circa 1829. Some time before 1846 he married Frances (Fanny) Downey. They had a daughter Bridget (aka Delia) born in 1845. In July 1846 they arrived in what is now present day Ontario. 

In September 1847 they baptised their daughter Fanny in Church of Our Lady in Guelph Ontario. 

They are not found in the 1851 census but many pages are missing. They are found in 1861 living in Puslinch Township, Wellington County Ontario, beside a very large McGinnis family. They are found again in 1871 in the same location. That is the last entry found for Joseph.

Joseph & Fanny (Downey) McGinnis 1871 Census Puslinch Township Wellington County Ontario

The entire family disappears after 1871 and does not reappear until 1881 or 1891. (That's part of the challenge!) 

What happened to Joseph? Did the family leave Canada for the USA (as many of the other McGinnis families who were Joseph's neighbours did)? Did Joseph die somewhere in the USA and Fanny returned to Ontario to be with her grown children? 

To add to the challenge there is a second Joseph McGinnis married to a woman named Fanny living in Guelph in the same time period. This Joseph died in Guelph in March 1877 but Church records prove that his wife was Fanny Foster (she died in Guelph in 1890 whereas my Fanny Downey did not die until 1904.) Most online trees have erroneously attached the second Joseph and Fanny's death dates to *my* Joseph and Fanny. So there are no clues to be found in other descendants' trees. 

The exact relationship of my Joseph to the other McGinnis men who were his neighbours is unknown but there  was almost certainly a relationship of some sort - brother? cousin? nephew? They were sponsors at baptisms of children. They lived on the same land. They named their children with each other's names. 

But my Joseph did not arrived until 1846 whereas the other McGinnis family arrived ca 1831.

SUMMARY OF WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT MY JOSEPH McGINNIS & FANNY DOWNEY

July 1846: arrived Puslinch township Ontario and settled on Conc. 3 Lot 10 on land owned by James McGinnis, a son of John McGinnis who owned Conc. 3 Lot 11 Puslinch Tp. Some time after arriving in Puslinch, Joseph rented a tavern called "Speed The Plow" at Conc 4 Lot 6 Puslinch Tp. on the River Speed.

Sept. 1847: daughter Fanny baptised in Catholic Church in Guelph

1851: not found in the census for Puslinch (some pages are missing)

1861: Joseph and Fanny, both age 30, with children living in Puslinch Twp.

Jan 1863 to March 1871: 4 of their children are on a list of pupils at SS # 12, Puslinch. 

1871: living with 8 children in Puslinch Twp. McGINNIS, Joseph, 46, b. Ireland, RC, Labourer and Fanny, 44, b. Ireland RC

1871-1872 Directory: Jos. McGrunnis [sic] farmer Conc 3 Lot 11

1873 Guelph City Directory shows a Joseph McGINNESS [sic], labourer, Norfolk & Cork St.. This is at the back of Church of Our Lady, below the hill. *But which Joseph is this??

1875-1877 Guelph City Directory we see a Joseph McGINNIS, living 77 Norfolk St. east side, near Cork St. *But which Joseph is this??

March 1877: Joseph McGinnis, age 38 or 48 (Death certificate says 38 but church burial record says 48), husband of Fanny Foster, dies in Guelph

1877 Directory for Guelph shows Fanny McGuiness (sic), widow, on 64 Cork St. This seems to be Fanny Foster McGinnis

1881: A widow Francis McGinnis age 49 with son Joseph age 15 is living in Guelph. My Fanny also had a younger son Robert who should have been with the family so where is he? At the same time there is another Fanny McGinnis, age 40, living in Guelph. She is a servant in a household. It is likely that one of these is my Fanny Downey McGinnis and one is Fanny Foster McGinnis

1882-83 Guelph City Directory: Fanny MAGINNIS, Mrs. widow of Joseph living 64 Cork St. near Norfolk St. Is this Fanny Foster McGinnis?

July 1890: Fanny Foster McGinnis, age 65, dies

1891: My Fanny, a widow age 60, is living with her married daughter Bridget (aka Delia) Johnston in Guelph

1901: My Fanny, a widow age 66 is living in Morriston (not far from Guelph) with her married daughter Fanny and my 2nd great-grandfather Alex McGinnis

Dec. 1904: My Fanny, 84 years old, dies

CONCLUSION

I am no further ahead with this challenging missing ancestor than I was 15 year ago. Any ideas from my readers? Many of the McGinnis men left Ontario for MIchigan and I have searched Michigan for my Joseph with no luck.

A Cemetery Walk Through United Church Cataraqui Cemetery, Kingston

Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel has many online Cemetery Walk videos for all to view freely.

United Church Cataraqui Cemetery, Kingston   Cemetery Walk was just uploaded today on the Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel

64 Cemetery Walk videos are now online.

Do You Have the Long-Life Gene in Your Family?

103 year old Uncle Walter born 1912 (seated)

Yesterday was National Centenarian's Day and I'm sorry I missed it! Do you have anyone in your family, now or in the past, who lived to be 100? My Uncle Wally (my grandfather's brother) turned 103 this past summer.  Imagine living that long. If only I could chat with him about the past, about his parents, his grandparents, his brother (my grandfather). But sadly he's quite deaf and communication is challenging at best.

Do you have anyone in your family who lived to 100 years of age? What about into their 90s? My mother's sister turned 92 this year.

I have many women in my family who lived to 90+ - my mother was 93 when she died, her mother was 90, her grandmother (my great-grandmother) was 3 months away from turning 90. My 3rd great-grandmother was 90, and there are more. It seems to be mostly the women in my family and only on my mother's side, who lived to 90+

Interestingly enough when I had my DNA tested I found out that we females in my maternal line have what scientists refer to as the "long-life" gene. If you haven't tested your DNA yet, why wait? If you live in Canada, you can order a DNA kit from Ancestry DNA in Canada and if you are in USA, use this one Free Shipping on Ancestry DNA Kit w Code: FREESHIPDNA

Walter Fuller age 4

Who are your longest-living relatives? Did they live that long because of healthy diet, exercise or could it be the long-life gene at work....

Credits: 

Photograph of Walter and Harold Fuller taken ca 1914 in Ramsgate, Kent England. Owned by L. McGinnis Schulze. Note that toddlers who were not toilet trained were dressed in skirts and dresses regardless of gender. It made changing diapers easier. The way to tell if a child is a boy or girl is to look at their hair. Parted in the middle is a girl, parted on the side is a boy.

Photo of Walter Fuller age 4 taken ca 1916 in Ramsgate.  Owned by L. McGinnis Schulze.

Is this Your Ancestor? June 1879: Hugh Russell to Sarah Aldritt. Chattel Mortgage

While antique hunting I was lucky enough to come across several documents from 1879. Not wanting them to be lost, I purchased them with the plan of publishing them here on my Olive Tree Genealogy blog and on my Olive Tree Genealogy website. 

I'm also going to offer the originals for sale on my Antique Hunter blog, so stay tuned as I publish each document! This document is a Chattel Mortgage. 

Definition of a Chattel Mortgage: A term used to describe a loan arrangement in which an item of movable personal property is used as security for the loan. Source: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/chattelmortgage.asp

14 June 1879: Hugh Russell to Sarah Aldritt. Chattel Mortgage to secure the sum of $244.00, Due 14 June 1880

1910 Postcard Franklinville New York

Recently I rescued 28 vintage orphaned postcards from antique shops. They range in date from 1900 to 1918. 27 are from United States and 1 is from Ontario Canada. 

I have scanned and added 6 of these postcards to Lost Faces and will be adding the rest of these wonderful cards over the next month. I hope descendants will see these postcards and recognize an ancestor.  

 Perhaps you will find an ancestor or two!

Miss Bernice Baker, Franklinville New York to "Dear Little Bernice" no signature,  Sept 21, 1910.

Nursing Sister WW1 Photo Album: 31V Captain Croll

This Photo Archive consists of a small autograph album (6.5" by 5.25") kept by Constance (Connie) Philips as a memento of her time serving as a nurse during World War One. 

The majority of the photos and items are from 1915, when she served as a nurse in France and Britain.

The album and all photographs, postcards, and other ephemera contained in the album belong to Karin Armstrong and may not be copied or republished without her written permission. The images will be published on Olive Tree Genealogy with permission.

Each image has been designated an "R" for Recto or a "V" for Verso plus an album page number. Recto is the right-hand side page of a bound book while Verso is the left-hand side page.

I will be posting the entire album and my additional research on the individuals identified in Connie's album over the coming months so please check back frequently to view these historic photos. The easiest way to see what has been published is to click on the topic "Nursing Sister WW1 Photos"

Cemetery Walking Through Vasey United Church Cemetery

Vasey United Church Cemetery in Tay Township, Simcoe County Ontario has been added to Olive Tree Genealogy's YouTube Channel

See the list of 63 online Cemetery Walk Videos

1879 Document Summers & Bartram, London Middlesex Ontario

While antique hunting I was lucky enough to come across several documents from 1879. Not wanting them to be lost, I purchased them with the plan of publishing them here on my Olive Tree Genealogy blog and on my Olive Tree Genealogy website. 

I'm also going to offer the originals for sale on my Antique Hunter blog, so stay tuned as I publish each document! The first document is a Chattel Mortgage.

June 10, 1879. Thomas Summers to William Henry Bartrum (Bartram). Chattel Mortgage. London, Middlesex County Ontario

Definition of a Chattel Mortgage: A term used to describe a loan arrangement in which an item of movable personal property is used as security for the loan. Source: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/chattelmortgage.asp

There is a very nice list of the items that Thomas is offering as collateral for the loan. There are 2 horses, a wagon and surprisingly, 2 plots of land. What is surprising is that my understanding of a Chattel Mortgage is that land could not be offered as collateral. For a genealogist, this is gold because it provides an exact location of land that Thomas owned. 

My Research:

William Henry Bartrum/Bartram was born in England ca 1849. He can be found in the 1871 census for London Ontario. His marriage to Mary Jane barker in 1875 provides his parents' names as William and Emily. He died November 24, 1913 in the city of London in Middlesex County. His death Certificate gives his occupation as "Barrister" and his mother's maiden name as Soule. He was 65 years, 3 months and 3 days old at the time of his death.

There is more than one candidate for being the Thomas Summers of the document. 

A witness to the document was Edward Arthur Lancaster, Law Student. The only man I find that might be Edward was an Edward Arthur Lancaster born in England ca 1860. This Edward married in 1885 in Lincoln County Ontario. He was the son of Frederick and Emma Lancaster.

More research found Edward in 1901 living in Lincoln County where he is listed as a Barrister so I have no doubt it is the correct man. His wife was Mary and 4 children plus his mother Emma are living with him.  

Are You a Descendant?

This 4-page document is for sale. It is not a copy and has the original seal. Please contact me at antiquehunterblog@gmail.com for details.  

 

 

Score! Antique Documents 1879

Yesterday I took the day off work and went antiquing with my husband. 

I scored with a great find of several antique documents (Indentures, Mortgages, Deeds) from 1879. 

With only a quick glance through them I believe they are all for different families in different areas of Ontario Canada.

I'm very excited to start scanning and researching these documents and individuals. As soon as possible I will be putting the documents online both here on my Olive Tree Genealogy blog and on my Olive Tree Genealogy website. 

I'm also going to offer the originals for sale on my Antique Hunter blog, so stay tuned!

Congratulations to the Rock Star Genealogist Winners

The RockStar Genealogists' Winners have been announced! These are the top in each geographic category. You can also see who won in 2nd and 3rd place for each geographic location. "Geographic location" refers to where the voters live,  not the category for the genealogists.

Last, but not least, you can view the top 10 as voted for by those living in Canada as well as those in Australia/New Zealand

There are mostly genealogy conference speakers on the list (and excellent ones at that!) but I was really pleased to see a few bloggers make the Top 10. 

Congratulations to all!

Possible Copyright Change Re the Lenz Decision

Olive Tree Genealogy received this notice from The SolutionPR about Copyright. Genealogy bloggers may wish to take note!

Yesterday morning the Ninth circuit ruled in  the “dancing baby case,” finding copyright owners must consider the fair use doctrine before sending Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown notices to online hosts like YouTube.If the decision stands it will  have a massive impact on copyright law and those who choose to put digital content online.

J. Michael Keyes is an intellectual property partner at the international law firm Dorsey & Whitney with extensive trial and litigation experience in cases involving trademarks, copyrights, unfair competition and false advertising. He has tried several cases in federal courts across the United States.

Recently, Mr. Keyes and his team obtained a final judgment and permanent injunction in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on behalf of Rovio Entertainment, Ltd., the creator of Angry Birds®. He’s been watching this case closely and of the decision says:

“The Lenz decision is a path marking case in the world of copyright law.  If a copyright holder sees unauthorized use of its content online, the natural inclination is to take appropriate steps to have that content removed (by sending a "take down" notice to the Internet Service Provider that is hosting the content, such as YouTube.com in the Lenz case).  If the Ninth Circuit decision stands, a copyright holder now must first determine if the party that posted the content has a legitimate legal defense before requesting that the material be taken down.  This is a significant development as it forces content holders to engage in a bit of copyright soothsaying before enforcing their rights,”

“What this decision means from a practical point of view is that anytime content owners see the unauthorized use of their content online (for example music, videos, etc) they will want to carefully consider their options before demanding that the content be removed.  If the party that posted the content has a reasonable argument that it's use of the content was "fair" (I.e. That the poster was commenting on the work or engaged in some sort of educational endeavor) the copyright holder faces the specter of a claim for damages if a take down notice is sent,”

How to Introduce Yourself to Other Genealogists at a Genealogy Conference

Whether or not you are attending RootsTech or another Genealogy Conference or Convention, whether you're going as a participant (speaker, presenter, etc.) or as an attendee, you should have a card. Call it what you want - a business card, a calling card, a Genealogy calling card..... but you should have one.
 
A calling card allows you to connect more easily with other genealogists. You're more accessible with your name and contact details on a card.

Do you have a blog? A website? Are you a passionate genealogist? Are you a member of some genealogy societies, a volunteer for a genealogical organization? Are you on Twitter, Facebook, Google +, Pinterest, Periscope, Instagram, LinkedIn or another social networking site? You need a card to let other genealogists know about your interests and how and where they can contact you!

Victorian Calling Card

Perhaps you aren't involved in any of the things I mentioned above. But you love genealogy and you like to meet other genealogists. You could benefit from a genealogy calling card. Think of the 19th Century when visitors handed their calling cards to servants who placed them on a silver tray for the head of the house or his wife to look at later. 

I'm not advocating anything as fancy as the Victorian calling card shown here but a simple calling card is a great introduction and a good way to ensure that genealogists you meet will remember you.
Perhaps you've sat through a wonderfully inspiring and informative presentation on a genealogy topic. You managed to introduce yourself to the presenter. She gave you her business card. Wouldn't it be great for you to hand her your calling card too? Now she has a name, an email and any other information you want to put on it, to remind her of your meeting. Who knows, maybe you'll connect in the future.
 
Or you got chatting to the genealogists sitting on either side of you. Hand them your card if you think you'd like to continue to engage with them. Maybe you went to the Conference alone and you don't know anyone there. You might decide you'd like to meet one of them for a quick supper. If your card doesn't have your cell number, you can scribble it on the back and invite a phone call or text to arrange a meetup.
 
Kerry Scott, from Clue Wagon blog, wrote a very interesting post in 2011 called What Do Modern Business Cards for Genealogists Look Like? The business cards that I printed for RootsTech 2011 were too simple.  And I wish I'd done colour for my logo, not just black and white. I like simple. I like uncluttered. But mine don't contain enough details and I may take Kerry's suggestion and remove my cell phone number. If I want someone to have that I can easily add it, because unlike Kerry my cards are not glossy and they aren't double-sided. It's a personal preference re glossy or matte, there's no right or wrong.
 
I’m a writer-on-business-cards kind of gal! I always always jot a quick note on the back after someone gives me their card – a reminder of why I wanted it, or why I might want to reconnect. It’s faster and easier for me than entering it in my iPhone. I sometimes put notes on the backs of cards I hand out - such as a URL for a site they expressed an interest in or the name of another contact, so glossy doesn't work for me. I can't write on a glossy card so matte wins.

So I'm reviewing and re-doing my Business cards this year. I've got a funky case I carry them in (thanks to my granddaughter who gave it to me in 2011) and I need to update my cards. I'm thinking I'll add my Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook information so that folks have other methods of connecting with me.

I'll keep my Olive Tree Genealogy website URL of course, and my email address. If there's room and the card isn't too cluttered, I'll add the URL for my Facebook page for Olive Tree Genealogy but that's probably all I'll have on my card.
 
Oh and no QR codes on mine. A lot of people don't know what those codes are for on a business card, and I'm not convinced of their usefulness on a card that already has the information printed. 

 This is a business card printed for a distant McGinnis cousin of mine back in the early 1900s. He used front and back to promote his business as a builder.

I hope you are going to create calling cards or business cards for your next genealogy convention or think about whether or not it's time to revise old ones. There are many online companies that print business cards for a reasonable fee. So don't wait, think about which you prefer - modern business cards or old-fashioned calling cards.  Or maybe you will surprise everyone with a combination of the two.