Five Ideas for Genealogy Christmas Gifts

Every year I try to find some items that I think would make terrific Christmas gifts for genealogists. So here is my list for 2018!

1. My number one gift this year is DNA kits. That's right. There are many different companies offering sales and specials on DNA kits but my favourite is still Ancestry. 

IN THE USA
AncestryDNA is available in the US for $59 plus shipping. This special ends Dec. 24th

Ancestry Gift Subscriptions is20% off for those in the USA.
  
IN CANADA
AncestryDNA is available for Canadians for $89 CAD plus shipping.This sale ends at 11:59 PM EST on December 25th.  

2. Give the gift of your favourite genealogy book - or one that you know the recipient would love.  You can look through a huge list of books about genealogy by various authors on Amazon or you could go to the list of my published genealogy books and choose one! I have genealogy-history books as well as genealogy guides and a genealogy murder mystery for your enjoyment.

3. Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Scanner for PC and Mac   I recently bought one of these and I am loving it! It's a wireless document feeder scanner. I can scan up to 25 items at once and they appear automatically on my computer in one file (or in Evernote or Dropbox or many other choices!)

4. Journals, journals, and more journals.   Give a beautiful journal for writing pesonal stories and memories. I use Iona Handcrafted Books . Tip: If the checkout won't accept a non-USA order, just email or phone as they do accept international orders.

5. Give a gorgeous family photo album. You don't need an archival quality album as you are only putting copies of your original photographs into it. Place your scanned and printed photos in the album and then write a description of each photo on the album pages. Write a nice inscription inside the front cover, place the album in a Christmas Gift Bag and you're done!

Understanding the Border Crossings Canada-USA

Many genealogists have asked me about the online border crossings on Ancestry. Some are confused about when the border crossing records begin. Others are bewildered at finding an ancestor who they know lived in border towns such as Windsor Ontario or neighbouring Detroit Michigan, in the set called St. Alban's (Vermont) Border Crossing Records. Why, they ask, would their ancestor cross at Vermont which would lead directly to Quebec!

These two questions are easily answered.

1. Border crossing records were not kept until 1895.


 ALWAYS READ THE DESCRIPTION OF AN ONLINE DATABASE

2. To find out what a database consists of, it is wise to read the description of the database before searching. 

For example one border crossing database on Ancestry is called St. Albans (Vermont) but by reading the description of the database, we see that it contains an index of aliens and citizens crossing into the U.S. from Canada via various ports of entry along the U.S.-Canadian border between 1895 and 1960. 

St. Albans Vermont set of border crossings - note the port of entry of Detroit

 From this we learn that it does not mean that everyone found in the database crossed at St. Albans. Researchers should scrutinize the image carefully as it will indicate the port of entry.


BORDER CROSSINGS CANADA TO USA

Ancestry has U.S., Border Crossings from Canada to U.S., 1895-1960 online. This database covers crossing into the U.S. from Canada via various ports of entry along the U.S.-Canadian border between 1895 and 1960. Specifically, this database covers the following ports and years:

Idaho

• Eastport, 1924-1954
• Porthill, 1923-1954

Maine

• Bangor, 1924-1952
• Calais, 1906-1952 (also includes a few arrivals from 1877 to 1905)
• Eastport, Fort Kent, Lubec, and Madawaska, 1906-1952 (also includes some departure records of U.S. citizens)
• Fort Fairfield, 1909-1953 (also includes a few arrivals at Easton, ME, Houlton, ME, Boston, MA, and Buffalo, NY and a few alien departures)
• Houlton, 1906-1952 (also includes some Indian admissions, ca. 1941-ca. 1953; “Records of Registry” documenting aliens’ previous arrivals for which no records could be found; Re-entry permits; persons admitted under the “Rule of Presumption” ; Land border departure records; War brides and their children)
• Jackman, 1909-1953
• Van Buren, 1906-1952
• Vanceboro, 1906-1952 (also includes a few arrivals from 1888 to 1905 and a few arrivals at Halifax, Nova Scotia and St. John, New Brunswick)

Minnesota

• International Falls, Baudette, Duluth, Mineral Center, Pigeon River, Pine Creek, Roseau, and Warroad, 1907-1952 (also includes some departure records of U.S. citizens)
• Noyes, 1917-1929

Montana

• Babb, 1928-1956
• Chief Mountain, Cut Bank, Del Bonita, Gateway, Great Falls, and Roosville, 1923-1956
• Sweet Grass, 1917-1954

New York

• Buffalo, Lewiston, Niagara Falls, and Rochester, 1902-1954
• Hogansburg, Malone, Morristown, Nyando, Ogdensburg, Rooseveltown, Waddington, Alexandria Bay, Cape Vincent, Champlain, Clayton, Fort Covington, Moers, Rouses Point, Thousands Island Bridge, and Trout River, 1929-1956

North Dakota

• Northgate and St. John, 1910-1921
• Pembina and Walhalla, 1917-1929
• Portal, 1915-1921

Vermont

• Newport, 1906-1924
• St. Albans, 1895-1954

Washington

• Anacortes, 1924-1953
• Blaine, 1905-1956
• Danville, 1931-1956
• Ferry, 1917-1956
• Laurier and Marcus, 1923-1951
• Lynden, 1923-1952
• Metaline Falls, 1924-1954
• Northport, May 1923-1951
• Oroville, 1918-1954
• Port Angeles, 1929-1952
• Sumas, 1924-1956

BORDER CROSSINGS USA TO CANADA

Ancestry also has Border Crossings: From U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935 online. These records consist of border entry lists and Form 30 (individual entry forms).

Canadian Border Entry Ports:
Alberta

Coutts

Pinhorn

Twin Lakes

British Columbia

Aldergrove	Kereemeos	Osoyoos	Rossland
Anyox	Kingsgate	Pacific Highway	Rykerts
Bamfield	Ladner	Paterson	Similkameen
Bridesville	Ladysmith	Peardonville	Stewart
Carson	Midway	Penticton	Union Bay
Cascade	Mission	Phillips	Upper Sumas
Chilliwack	Myncaster	Port Simpson	Victoria
Douglas	Nanaimo	Powell River	Waneta
Grand Forks	Newgate	Prince Rupert	White Pass
Gateway	Ocean Falls	Roosville	White Rock
Huntingdon

Manitoba

Bannerman	Morden
Emerson	Mowbray
Haskett	Snowflake
Gretna	Sprague

Ontario

Amhertsburg	Cutler	Niagara Falls	Prescott
Aultsville	Depot Harbour	Ojibwa	Rainy River
Bath	Deseronto	Parry Sound	Rockport
Belleville	Erie Beach	Picton	Sarnia
Blind River	Fort Erie	Pigeon River Bridge	Sault Ste Marie
Bridgeburg	Fort Frances	Point Edward	Sombra
Brighton	Fort William	Port Arthur	Thessalon
Brockville	Gananoque	Port Burwell	Toronto
Bruce Mines	Goderich	Port Colborne	Trenton
Cobourg	Gore Bay	Port Dalhousie	Walkerville
Collingwood	Iroquois	Port Dover	Wallaceburg
Cornwall	Kingston	Port Hope	Walpole Island
Courtright	Little Current	Port Lambton	Windmill Point
Crystal Beach	Morrisburg	Port Stanley	Windsor
			Wolf Island

New Brunswick

Andover	Debec Junction	Grand Manan	North Head	St Stephen
Aroostook Junction	Edmundston	Green River	Richmond Road/Corner	Upper Mills
Centreville	Fair Haven	Letete	St Andrews	Welshpool
Connors	Fosterville	McAdam Junction	St Hilaire	Wilsons Beach
Clair	Grand Falls	Milltown	St Léonard	Woodstock

Nova Scotia

Clements Port

Liverpool

Port Hawkesbury

Sydney

Yarmouth

Quebec

Armstrong	Frelighsburg	Lacolle Junction	Stanhope
Athelstan	Georgeville	Magog	Stanstead Junction
Beebe Junction	Hemmingford	Mansonville	St Armand
Coaticook	Hereford	Megantic	St Johns
Comins Mills	Highwater	Noyan Junction	St Regis
Dundee	Huntingdon/St Agnes	Paquetteville

Saskatchewan

Big Muddy	North Portal	West Poplar River
East Poplar River	Northgate	Willow Creek
Marienthal	Radville	Wood Mountain

Yukon

Dawson

Forty Mile

Maine

Portland

Massachusetts

Boston

New York

Charlotte

Lewiston

Malone

Rochester

Rouses Point

Vermont

Alburg

St Albans

Home District Land Certificates 1787 to 1795

H 1140 Edward Strickland Image 235

I have been going through Heir & Devisee Commission Papers (Heir & Devisee Commission papers 1797-1854 digitized records to create a working corrected Finding Aid. You may view the corrected content lists at Heir & Devisee Commission 

While scrolling through  microfilm H 1140 in order to correct Canadiana.org's flawed content description, I came across a set of Land Certificates and other documents from individuals living in what was called the Home District. This consisted of land along Lake Ontario and the Niagara region of Ontario.





Image 215 Index to Names Image 215, 216 Home District Land Certificates 1787 to 1795. Index of Names

Certificates
These can be viewed by going to film H 1140 and selecting the image numbers shown below for each claimant

• Image 217 Elias Anderson 1795
• Image 218 Patrick Bern born Ireland 1795
• Image 219  Eli Cahoe age 18 born Pennsylvania 1795
• Image 220, 221 George Campbell 1794
• Image 222 Joshua Chamberlain age 63 born USA 1795
• Image 223 Joshua Chamberlain age 18 born New Hampshire 1795
• Image 224 Zekiel Chamberlain age 21 born Boston 1795
• Image 225 Benjamin Davis Long island New York age 46, 1795
• Image 226 Abraham Devans  of New York age 33 1795
• Image 227 Isaac Devans  of New York age 24 1795
• Image 228 Levi Devans  of New York age 20 1795
• Image 229 Joseph Dean age 44 of Pennsylvania 1795
• Image 230 Sam Herron 1794
• Image 231 John McHenry Born Antrim age 39 1795
• Image 232 Patrick McKee age 26 born Ireland 1795
• Image 233 Jacob Phillips born New York age 25 1795
• Image 234 Samuel Street 1794
• Image 235 Edward Strickland born Cumberland England age 34 1795
• Image 236 petition of George Braytons
• Image 237 two miscellaneous names James Hennessey and Andrew Herron 1808
• Image 238, 239 James Hennessey 1808
• Image 240 Andrew Heron 1808
• Image 241 Samuel Leatch1795
• Image 242, 243 Thomas Otway Page
• Image 244 Samuel Stevenson 1816

Border Crossings From U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935

Border Crossings From U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935 at Ancestry.com are often overlooked as a valuable genealogical database. 

This database contains records of immigrants crossing into Canada from the United States between 1908 and 1935. These records consist of border entry lists and Form 30 (individual entry forms). Information recorded in these records may include: name of immigratn, port of arrival, date of arrival, age, gender, country of citizenship, birthplace, marital status, and last permanent address.

On average, the border entry lists recorded 10-20 people per page. Form 30 was an individual form and therefore was able to record more significant genealogical information about each individual. Although the use of Form 30 officially ended in 1924, there are some records of this form that date to later years.

The amount of information recorded in these records varies according to form type and year. Form 30 consists of two images – a front and a back side. The majority of the information is recorded on the front side, but there is also important information recorded on the back. Use the previous and next buttons in the image viewer to navigate between these images. The back side may sometimes appear before, instead of after, the front.

This is a terrific addition to their existing Border Crossings: Canadian Border Crossings, 1895-1956 and Detroit Border Crossings and Passenger and Crew Lists, 1905-1957


Form 30A

Between 1919 and 1924 the Department of Immigration and Colonization introduced the use of the Form 30A as the official record of immigration.
Form 30A usually included the following details:

• name of ship;
• date of sailing;
• port and date of arrival;
• name;
• age;
• occupation;
• birthplace;
• race;
• citizenship;
• religion;
• destination; and
• name of the nearest relative in the country from which the immigrant came.

Form 30A, Border Entry Records, 1919-1924 are not indexed at the LAC. To use these records more efficiently, view the list of microfilm numbers and what each one contains

You can also search the INDEX to these records on Ancestry.com

Home District Land Claims 1803 & 1804

H 1140 Image 253

Canadiana.Org has digitized 21 films of the Heir & Devisee Commission Papers (Heir & Devisee Commission papers 1797-1854, found in their Heritage Collection), and that's a good thing for genealogists. These records have valuable and informative genealogical documents.

But as mentioned in a previous blog post Heir & Devisee Commission 1797-1854 on Canadiana.org - Listing Errors and a Workaround, the index and description of what is in each film, as provided on Canadiana.org, is incorrect.

I have been going through those digitized records to create a working corrected Finding Aid. You may view the corrected content lists on Olive Tree Genealogy website at Heir & Devisee Commission 

While scrolling through  microfilm H 1140 in order to correct Canadiana.org's flawed content description, I came across a set of Land Certificates and other documents from individuals living in what was called the Home District. This consisted of land along Lake Ontario and the Niagara region of Ontario.

Continuing on from  Home District Land Certificates 1787 to 1795 and An index to Niagara area Loyalists and their Land Certificates here is the start of my list of names of claimants for land in the Home District from 1803-1804. Each name has an image number beside it so that you can easily click through to that image to view the claims and any supporting documents.
 

H 1140 Image 321

Images 250–253 index to claimant names. These images have lists of names of claimants. Note that often it is the attorney's name on the index and not the petitioner or claimant. The claimants' names can be viewed in my list below.  Please also note that I cannot guarantee my interpretation of the names in these documents. The writing is often difficult to read or the image is blurry.

The following images are the actual certificates, claims and other documents

• Image 254, 255 claim of Robert Isaac dey Gray, 1802
• Image 256 Hannah McBride widow of John
• Image 257, 258 claim number five
• Image 259 William Jones
• Image 260 William Bowkett
• Image 261 William Bokette and Sarah H----- want to marry, 1799.
• Image 262 Joseph Hunt 1802
• Image 263 Joseph Hunt
• Image 264, 265 William Allen 1802
• Image 266 John Everson
• Image 267 Abner Mills
• Image 268 Thomas Berry and John McBride
• Image 269 Thomas Barry and Richard Lawrence
• Image 270–273 Richard Lawrence
• Image 274–275 Richard Beasley for the heirs of Thomas Berry
• Image 276-278 Abner Mills (Miles?) 1803
• Image 279 – 284 David Saban of Whitchurch and Abner Mills or Miles I
• Image 235 Joachim Luran of Markham 1804
• Image 286 Daniel Herrick of Markham and Harry McClary
• Image 287 William Cooper 1803
• Image 288 Isaac Davis 1801
• Image 289–291 Thomas Hamilton 1803
• Image 292–294 William Allen and Isaac Horton
• Image 295 --- Tiffany of Ancastor 1803
• Image 296 George Purvis 
• Image 297 Aime Michel Fortier 1803
• Image 298 George Purvis
• Image 299–300 John Reiley
• Image 301 William Weikes 1803
• Image 302 William Emery
• Image 303 Christian Horning of Markham 1803
• Image 304–305 William Weeks
• Image 306–307 Isaac Hollingshead 1802
• Image 308–309 Deed  of Benjamin Hale and Elizabeth Murray to Isaac Todd 1804
• Image 310–313 the late Duncan Murray, Lieutenant in 34th Regiment, Lincoln County
• Image 314 Isaac Todd of Montréal and Elizabeth Murray
• Image 315–319 Jean Baptiste Rousseau of Ancastor, Estate and inheritance, 1803
• Image 320 Duncan Cameron 1803
• Image 321–322 Elizabeth Murray daughter of the late Duncan Murray & sister of deceased John Murray,  Isabella Murray widow of Duncan Murray, Isaac Todd, Joseph Edwards
• Image 323 Elizabeth Murray
• Image 324 Richard Ferguson of Vaughan Township
• Image 325 William Weeks, Daniel Laughlin
• Image 326 James Crane, 1803
• Image 327–332 Daniel Laughlin
• Image 333 Patrick Boon or Bern of Markham, Wheelwright, 1804
• Image 334–336 William Weeks
• Image 337–338 Jean Baptiste Bouchette to William Church
• Image 339 William Chewitt 1804
• Image 340 Peter McGregor 1803
• Image 341 James McGregor of Markham

Don't Let Family Lore Lead You Astray!

Olive Tree Genealogy had an interesting question from Shannah about her grandfather.  My research findings point out the need to take family lore with a grain of salt and not accept it as gospel.

Here is Shannah's email:

I have been trying to find out where my Grfa., TWISS, William James, had "landed" for over ten years, to no avail, from Cty. Cork, Ireland to New York, USA..  He was a mere 17 year old, at the time.  

The story I was told was that it was my Grfa. who had left Cork, Ireland, from Sept. to December of 1887 (I believe these are the months) on the Barque Julia, from Edinburough to Cork and to New York.  This particular Barque was a ship of supplies and the Captain was a friend of my Gr-Grpars., TWISS, Francis Edward Day, Sr..  It was my Grfa. who had suggested that he, himself, come out to Canada, first and they allowed it but he must go with someone they knew.  It was only a few days' trip and have researched into several ports along the eastern coast to no avail.  When he had landed, he had stayed with friends of his parents., (never knew who they were) Francis Edward Day and Ellen THOMPSON, in New York for a while then travelled up into BINBROOK, Wentworth Cty., Ontario, Canada to stay with our cousins/family there while his own parents. arrived through Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the following springtime.

First I made a summary of the important statements in Shannah's email:

1. William James Twiss was born ca 1870 Ireland immigrated to N. America on the ship Julia in 1887
2. William's parents Francis Edward Day & Ellen Twiss sailed to Montreal Quebec in spring of 1888


Making a note of these statements  does not mean I accepted them as fact. It was obvious they were family lore passed on through the generations. 

After searching on Ancestry.com in census records to gain a better understanding of the Twiss family group, their names, ages and residence, I knew that Francis Edward went by Edward, when he was born, his given year of immigration and that he was in British Columbia from 1891 census on.

Turning to the Immigration records on Ancestry.com it did not take long to find Edward, his wife Ellen and 3 daughters sailing from Cobh, Ireland on the ship Peruvian. The Peruvian made stops at three ports: Baltimore Maryland, St. John Newfoundland and Halifax Nova Scotia. Beside the names of Edward and his family was the notation that they were headed to Victoria (British Columbia) Their arrival date was September 4, 1888. It is not clear if the family left the ship at St. John or Halifax but I suggest it was most likely Halifax. From there they could continue their journey to British Columbia.

 

TWISS family on Ship Peruvian September 1888

This is a typical example of family stories becoming mixed up over the years. My suggestion to Shannah for continuing the search for William is that she extend her year of immigration by 5 years on either side and not assume the ship name of Julia is correct.  She should also look for William in the 1891 census and all census years after that. The 1901 census provides an immigration year but she should still allow 5 years on either side of whatever is recorded. 

Clue for Shannah: In 1891 your grandfather is recorded as James W. Twiss and he is found with his parents and sisters in Victoria B.C. He is mis-indexed on Ancestry.com as the son of a Thomas Stephens but the image clearly shows him in the Twiss family. It's always wise to ignore the index information if a search result seems like a good possibility - always check the actual image if there is one.

Free Ships Passenger Lists & Naturalization Records

Visitors to Olive Tree Genealogy often ask me for a list of all the free ships passenger lists I have published online. My site is quite large and can take time to navigate to find the records, so I understand why there can be some confusion.

In hopes this might help genealogists, I've compiled a list of the free passenger lists and naturalization records on my sites.

 Missing Friends The Missing Friends Project is abstracting the names of those who immigrated from UK to America or Canada and who were inquired about by family in various 19th Century newspapers. 
   Passenger Books of J & J Cooke, Shipping Agents sailings from Londonderry Ireland to Quebec, St. John New Brunswick, New Orleans Louisiana and Pennsylvania from 1847 to 1871
   Pennsylvania Baggage Lists 1809 
   New York Almshouse Records 1819 to 1840 contain the names of the ship each person sailed on, plus dates of arrival. Includes arrivals in Canadian ports
    Emigrants from England in New York City Almshouse 1818-1830 - 254 names of English immigrants to Canada & USA including the name of the ship they sailed on.
   New York Almshouse Records 1855 to 1858 contain the name of the ship and the arrival date and port for each person.
   List of those who died while in Staten Island Quarantine May 1849 - Dec. 1850 (not available at this time but coming back online soon)
   Names of Emigrants from 1845-1847 from the Records of James Allison, Emigrant Agent at Montreal Quebec Canada
   Return of Emigrants Landed at the Port of Kingston Ontario, Canada (1861-1882) 
   Peter Robinson Settlers sailing 1823 & 1825 Ireland to Canada
   English to America 1617-1778 Child Apprentices in America from Christ's Hospital, London England (not available at this time but coming back online soon)
   English Immigrants to USA 1773-1776
  Poor Irish to England Includes Ports of Departure & Arrival plus number of years in England or Scotland. Over 1,600 names
(not available at this time but coming back online soon)
   Irish Emigration Lists, 1833-1839 Lists of Emigrants Extracted from the Ordnance Survey Memoirs from Counties Londonderry and Antrim
   Passenger Lists from the New York Times (Arrivals & Departures)1851-1929 (coming back soon)
   New Netherland Ships Passenger Lists Project Lists of those sailing from The Netherlands to New Netherland (now New York) 1654-1664 came from the West India Company Account Book and consist only of names of those who owed for their passage. There is no published record of those who paid for passage before leaving. Olive Tree Genealogy has reconstructed several passenger lists for these ships using other primary sources.

Naturalization & Citizenship Records

 Naturalization Records Naturalization Records in the USA & Canada. Includes searchable Naturalization Records, Declarations of Intent, Certificates of Citizenship
 USA Passport Applications
 USA Alien Registrations
 USA Oaths of Allegiance
 USA Voters Registrations
 Canadian Passport Records

New York Almshouse Records Online

House of Refuge, Randall's Island, New York 1853

 

Almshouse records are a genealogist’s treasure and often contain immigration details. Some contain basic information on each person admitted, such as the name of ship, the date of arrival in USA and the port of arrival. Others contain much more information.

In the early 1800s port cities in the United States bore the burdens of immigration. By the time immigrants arrived from their native country, many were tired, hungry, and poor. Many newly arrived immigrants ended up in the City Almshouse or Poorhouse. This meant the citizens of their new country had to take care of them.


New York City assumed responsibility for its citizens who were destitute, sick, homeless, or otherwise unable to care for themselves. The city maintained an almshouse (sometimes labeled a house of refuge), various hospitals, and a workhouse on Blackwell's Island (Roosevelt Island) to care for the poor. Some were admitted on a voluntary basis, others were sent by the local courts. There are many widows or single women. These women had no families to support them and had no recourse except to ask the city for help for themselves or their children. Abandoned children can also be found in these records.

Almshouse records for New York City exist from 1758 to 1953. Olive Tree Genealogy has an ongoing project to transcribe and publish all New York Almshouse Records that contain immigration information.

Project Number One
The first set of New York Almshouse admittance records is for the years 1782 to 1813.New York Almshouse Records 1782-1813.



The records contain the name of the person, date admitted, age, where from or born, complaint [illness], discharged, died, remarks.

Project Number Two
This set of New York Almshouse Admissions covers the years 1819-1840

These records include Name, Age, Place of birth, Ship Name, Where the person is from, Ship Captain's Name, Date of Bond, Sureties, Date Discharged, Death Date, Remarks, etc. Remarks often include genealogical details
 

Project Number Three

The third set of Almshouse admission records for New York city is for 1855-1858

 

It contains the following information: Name, age, country of origin, date of arrival, arrival port, departure port, name of ship, captain of ship, married or single, name of someone who knows them, how many times they have been on the island, and a section for remarks. 

Page from 1855 Almshouse Records

Image Credits:
Art and Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "House Of Refuge, Randall'S Island." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1853. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-d364-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

How to Obtain Canadian WW2 Military Service Files

My Father in WW2

World War 2 Canadian records are restricted. But they can be accessed and they can include documentation about enlistment, discharge, military units served with, and may also include other documents concerning medical history, medals awarded, personal evaluation reports and dental charts.

Library and Archives Canada holds military service files for those who served after 1918. Their website explanation of who can access what files and how to obtain them is a bit confusing, so I'll share  with you what I did to send for the military records of my father's brother, Clarence E. McGinnis. I knew Uncle Clare had been in WW2 as I have several photos of him in uniform. But I never knew where he served, what unit he was in, or what he did during the War.


I wrote a one page letter requesting the complete military service files for [individual's name] who was born [individual's full birth date or estimated year] in [name of city/town plus county and province in Ontario] to parents [names of father and mother].
 

Uncle Clare in WW2

 
I included my uncle's death date and a photograph of his tombstone as proof of death. Interestingly enough they actually returned the photo to me!

That was it. I mailed the letter and photo to

ATIP and Personnel Records Division
Library and Archives Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON  K1A 0N4

You can also fax your request to them at this number: 613-947-8456

Your request can be written as a letter or you can print off a blank copy of the Application for Military Service Information form [PDF 663 KB]  which should be filled in, signed and sent by mail or fax. 

Using the ATIP Online Request service is another way to submit requests.

 

After a wait of about 5 months a very large package arrived with Uncle Clare's complete military file. I estimate there are about 80 or more pages.  The wait was not unexpected as it is made clear on the Library & Archives Canada website that they are backlogged and requests can take up to 6 months to fill.
There was a lot of interesting information in the military file for Uncle Clare - such as details of his work history prior to enlisting. It include what he was paid! I wish my dad's files had been as complete.

 
 

I am really pleased to have some more details to add to my knowledge of my uncle. I knew him quite well but he never spoke of his military service or his early years. I suppose I was too young for him to think I'd be interested.
 
Plus he was quite old-fashioned regarding males vs females and since I was a female he'd be less likely to talk to me about what he would consider "man stuff"  
 
But I'm really enjoying reading through his files to find out where he went during the war (to England and France) and what he saw and did during that difficult time.

For WW1 personnel files you will be able to view these online very soon. Library and Archives Canada is busy scanning and uploading the full files to the online CEF Searchable database.

Part 2: Breaking Down That Brick Wall

Part 1 published on November 23 introduced the 30 year search for a county of origin for my Irish McGinnis Family. We continue with Part 2

Breaking Down a Brick Wall

Still unable to find a death date for the one remaining brother (Hugh) who was born in Ireland, I set my research aside. Then the breakthrough - two amazing women who have written several history books, spent many years going through newspapers to gather obituaries for people who had lived in Puslinch Township.  Doesn't sound impressive? It is. "A Celebration of Lives: Obituaries of Puslinch Township Wellington County Ontario" was published recently as a two-volume set consisting of 1,408 pages. There are over 6,500 obituaries. It's impressive.

An Obituary Reveals a County

It had limited printing but I managed to get the last copy. Of course I skipped right to the "M" pages and unbelievably there it was - an obituary for my Hugh McGinnis of Hespeler. His obit stated he was born in Co. Down Ireland.  I know an obituary is only as reliable as the person giving the information but it is another piece of evidence. I wish I could find his death registration but still no luck, even with now knowing the month and year and location of his death.

This morning I scrolled through every image on Ancestry.com for a period of 12 months from his death with no success. His death is not there. But I have the obituary and that thrills me! It adds to the growing weight of clues.

Potsdam New York Gives More Clues

Second wonderful item - Hugh's wife was born in USA circa 1810. Due to finding other bits and pieces of clues, including finding her parents' and siblings' names, I found a record in 1830 in Potsdam New York which I was pretty sure was her family. Pretty sure, but not positively proven, so not good enough for me.

Did I mention that one of Hugh's brothers married one of his wife's sisters? The finding of the Potsdam record was important because I know that Hugh (and probably his siblings) was in America before 1831. This would give me more locations for searching if my theory about Potsdam was correct.

And there it was in my new-found obituary book. The obit for Hugh's wife stating that she was born in Potsdam New York in 1810!

A Theory is Proven

I love it when a theory becomes fact. Proven fact. I don't care how long it takes, I refuse to give up! And the moral of my story is that you should never give up either. You never know when that little tidbit of information will fall into your hands. Maybe it wasn't available when you first began your research. New data is being found and transcribed all the time. Who knows, maybe the piece you need is waiting for you right now.

Review Your Older Research Notes

So stop reading this blog post and go back and look over your earlier research! Is there a clue there? Something you couldn't find 10 or 15 or more years ago, but  maybe now you can? What are you waiting for???!!