That Genealogy Moment!

That moment when your heart skips a beat, your hands tremble and you breathe just a little faster. Sounds like love doesn't it? But I'm talking about the most exciting, thrilling moment you experienced in your genealogy research.

Have you had one of those moments? Mine was when I held the original document from 1808 for my 4th great uncle John Peer. I had hunted for this document for over 20 years. It was listed in an index to wills but was not found on the microfilm reel for those wills. The wills were in alphabetical order but John Peer was not there under any variant spelling. I double-checked, triple-checked - could it be Beer? Leer? Pierre? Pear? Peare? Bier? Biere? and on and on it went.

After a few years of mulling over this, repeatedly asking Archive staff for help but finding they were as puzzled as I was, I decided I would search the entire microfilm one document at a time. That took me a few years to finish as I could only periodically get to the city where the Archive was.

Finally one year I finished the entire film without finding the entry. I reported this to Archive staff and asked if I could search the original documents in storage. That wasn't an idea that staff liked, and they insisted I must have overlooked the will in the microfilm.

A few years passed and finally I talked to a sympathetic archivist who helped me fill out a request for the original wills in Box 23 (which contained original "P" wills).  Two days later I was given the box and I carefully looked through it.

There it was. John Pierre. A document (not a will) dated February 9, 1808. As I gently lifted it out of the box, my hands shook. I could hardly breathe.

And there was the proof I had been looking for - that John was my ancestor Levi Peer's brother.

9 Feb. 1808:  Petition of Levi Pierre [sic] "..that John Pierre, your Petitioner's brother, died as your petitioner believes, without a last will and testament, your petitioner being the older brother and next of kin to the deceased..."

Anyone who is not a genealogist will likely never understand the excitement and anticipation I felt holding that document.

What was your most exciting genealogy find? And how did you feel when you found it?

1881 Georgian Bay Shipwreck Found with Corpses

On November 25, 1881 the ship "Jane Miller" was reported missing on a passage between Collingwood Ontario and Manitoulin Island. The wreck of that ship has just been found - mostly intact - and with human remains.

Here is one of several newspaper announcements at the time

 

Markdale Standard (Markdale, Ont.1880 ), 9 Dec 1881, p. 2

Names from the newspaper article: 

Crew: A. Port, R. Port, F. Port, J. Christian, Alex. Seales, Gilbert Corbet + 3 deckhands

Passengers: J. B. Hallock, S. Thompson, J. Walker, Mr. Jestin, L. Vader, J. Gillespie, Capt. Malcolm McLeod, M. Hill, L. Butchart and wife + 10 labourers

Another newspaper account provides these names of the lost:

A Port, owner, R. D. Port, captain,.F. Port purser, all of Wiarton. J. Christison engineer, Red Bay; Alex. Scales, wheelsman, Keppel; Gilbert Corbet, fireman, Owen Sound; four deck hands, names unknown, J. Jestin, Port Elgin; J. Holeek, S. Thompson, of Meaford, I Hutshart and wife, Tobermorry; R. Gillespie; Jas. Hope, Sydenham; Capt. McLeod, Goderich; Mr. Hill, Collingwood Township. 

The names of the others are not known but they were a number of labourers engaged in work at Watt's mill, Lion's Head and McLandress shanty Tobennorry.  [Source: http://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/59542/data]

Continue reading the full story on The National Post's story: Georgian Bay shipwreck from 1881 found mostly intact with possible human remains on board

100 Year Old Hidden Blackboard Drawings Discovered

This is a fascinating glimpse into school blackboard writings from 100 years ago.

Read more at Haunting chalkboard drawings, frozen in time for 100 years, discovered in Oklahoma school

New Copy of Magna Carta Discovered in Scapbook

Another copy of the famous Magna Carta has been found in Kent England. Experts are now revising their estimate of how wide-spread the Magna Carta was and now believe it was copied and distributed throughout many churches in England.

With the 800th Anniversary of the signing of the original Magna Carta in 1215, this discovery has sparked new excitement among experts.

Continue reading this story at Magna Carta edition found in Sandwich archive scrapbook

Oldest DNA Ever Found

A femur found by chance on the banks of a west Siberian river in 2008 is that of a man who died around 45,000 years ago. Subjected to DNA testing, the genome contains traces from Neanderthals who just recently were found to have interbred with humans before disappearing. In fact Neanderthal DNA is found in all modern humans except Africans. Up to 4% of our DNA can be Neanderthal. 

I've had mine tested and it is over 3%. The bone found had tiny amounts of Neanderthal DNA but it was in relatively long strips, whereas Neanderthal DNA in modern human genome has been cut up and dispersed in tiny sections as a result of generations of reproduction.

This find is allowing scientists to work out a "calendar" of when Homo Sapiens headed into South Asia. The team calculates it was no more than 60,000 years ago.


More information can be found at Oldest DNA ever found sheds light on humans' global trek

Evidence of St. Louis French Colonial Log Home Found

Evidence of a French colonial home in St. Louis was found beneath layers of concrete and bricks during digging by the Department of Transportation.  It is the first trace of  Colonial St. Louis, Missouri which was thought to be completely destroyed by later building. 

Archealogists and historians have confirmed that the house which was constructed of vertical logs rather than horizontal, was built in 1769 by Joseph Bouchard, then later owned by Philip Riviére.

The history of the early settlement of St. Louis is a fascinating story. It began as a fur trading post in 1764 so this newly excavated log home is one of the very earliest. 


Credit: Image from Northern Illinois Libraries Digitization Projects