Soldier’s bedroom has not been touched since he died in World War 1

A French soldier’s bedroom has not been touched since he died in World War 1. 

Dragoons' Second Lieutenant Hubert Rochereau died aged 21 after fighting in Loker, Flanders, in April 1918. 

When his parents left their home in Belabre, south-western France, they sealed the room, preserving it exactly as he left it.

Take a look at the amazing photos of this young soldier's room as it was over 100 years ago.

First World War Archive Shared Online by Museum

The Royal Air Force Museum, has today launched a new website, casualtyforms.org, which enables online visitors to explore the Casualty Forms of officers of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force who served on the Western Front and in the Middle East during the First World War.

I had a search of the Casualty Forms and found one of my Peer relatives - Harold Emerson Peer, illegitimate son of Alberta Peer. He was born in 1894 in Elgin County Ontario Canada and I never knew what happened to him. I used the Advanced Search with Peer as the surname and Canadian in the Regiment field to find any Canadians.

Funding was secured through Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The National Lottery Heritage Fund to conserve the collection. After digitisation, over a hundred of the Museum’s dedicated, online volunteers transcribed the information in the forms, making them available to search.

The RAF Museum also holds digitised First World War Casualty Cards at rafmuseumstoryvault.com



  

Honouring My Military Ancestors

I have many military ancestors inlcluding my father, uncle, son, paternal grandmother's 5 brothers, maternal grandmother's 3 brothers, and more.

Here are some of those who gave their lives during war:

War of 1812

My 3rd great-grandfather Levi Peer's brother Stephen Peer fell at the Battle of Chippewa during the War of 1812, leaving behind a pregnant wife and young son.

World War 1
 

Philip Edgar Peer

All of my grandmother's brothers fought in WW1. Her youngest brother, Philip Edgar Peer (called Edgar by family), died in France in 1918 just days short of his 21st birthday.

Cecil Sandercock

My husband's great uncles Bill and Cecil Sandercock also fought in WW1 along with their father Samuel. Both Bill and Cecil were killed, one year apart. Bill was killed Aug. 23, 1917, his brother Cecil was at his side. One year later almost to the day, on Aug. 28, 1918, Cecil was killed.  

Bill Sandercock

World War 2

WW2 saw the death of my Uncle, James Nevin (aka Nev) Bonar. He died October 23, 1944 in Belgium at the age of 27.

Please take a few moments today to remember those brave men and women who fought and died, and those who are still fighting in Wars around the world.

WW1 ID Tags & Tributes

One of the  missions of Olive Tree Genealogy Blog is to reunite found items such as  Dog ID Tags, Medals, etc of soldiers with their descendants. To date my readers have worked on the following cases and been successful in reuniting soldiers’ dog id tags with family members.

We still have more cases coming in and we have old cases that have not yet been solved. If you have a moment would you read through one of the open cases and help find family?

Below are some of the tributes to the soldiers whose dog tags, medals or photographs we own.

WW1 Nursing Sister Gertrude Billyard Gertrude Billyard was born in Windsor Ontario on March 1, 1881. When Gertrude enlisted at the age of 34 on February 24, 1915 her mother Annie was living in Young Saskatchewan. This address was later changed to Winnipeg Manitoba as Gertrude’s pay was sent to her mother. Surprisingly, Gertrude enlisted in London England not in Canada.

Tribute to WW1 Soldier William Bulger Pte. W. R. Bulger’s name is stamped on the side of this Canadian WW1 Medal which my husband and I have in our WW1 collection. Pte. Bulger’s Regimental Number is difficult to read but it ends in 2369. He is noted as being assigned to 2-CMR which stands for 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles. A search for his Attestation papers online reveals that his full name was William Robert Bulger and his Reg. Number was 3032369. He was born Sept. 28, 1888 in Georgetown Ontario but was living in Toronto when he enlisted.

WW1 Soldier W. J. P. Bullock One of the framed photos of CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Force) soldiers on our wall is labelled “Pte. W. J. P. Bullock” of Toronto Ontario. This young man enlisted on September 2, 1915, one year  after WW1 began in August 1914.

WW1 Nursing Sister Jean Cameron-Smith Jean Cameron-Smith was born in Perth Ontario on September 22, 1871. A search of the online Birth Registrations for Ontario provides a late registration dated 1933.  Her father’s name is given as Robert Ralph Cameron-Smith. Her mother is  Helen Mason.

Tribute to WW1 Soldier Walter Culbertson This WW1 Medal is stamped with the name of the soldier on the side. It reads 3056604 (Regimental Number) and GNR (Gunner) R. Culbertson C.F.A. We believe that CFA stands for Canadian Forces Artillery.

Tribute to WW1 Soldier Arthur Fitzgerald This is another Tribute for a Canadian soldier. His name and service number are given on the front of his WW1 ID Tag – A. Fitzgerald, Service Number 55422.

WW1 Nursing Sister Edith Mary Harston Edith Mary Harston was born in Warwickshire England June 5, 1886. On her CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Force) Attestation Paper she provides her mother’s name as Mrs. Emily E. Harston of Stafford England.

Tribute to Ira Harry Huehn WW1 Soldier in PPCLI ra Harry Huehn was born 10 June 1895 in Toronto. He enlisted in the CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Force) on August 15, 1915 when he was just 20 years old.

WW1 Soldier Douglas McNabb Private Douglas McNabb’s framed WW1 photograph hangs on our wall. We don’t know Douglas and we are not related. But he is one of several CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Force) soldiers who we honour.

WW1 CEF Soldier Charles H. Welsh We own the Pay Book of Gunner Charles H. Welsh #335325 who attested on February 4, 1918. His pay book gives his next of kin as his father David H. Welsh, and his mother Mary Ann Welsh, both of Palmerston Ontario.

Canadian Military Ancestors & History

Olive Tree Genealogy is very excited to announce a new website for Canadian Military history. The Canadian Military Heritage Project at CanadianMilitaryProject.com is dedicated to presenting Canadian military history ~ the wars, uprisings and conflicts in which Canadians participated. Our goal is to preserve the records and memories of Canadians who served their country, and to ensure that their sacrifices are not forgotten. Through the Canadian Military Heritage Project we hope to maintain the tradition of remembrance and to foster pride in our military heritage.

Our pages will provide historical background as well as genealogy records for each conflict, chronological timelines, statistics, battles, weaponry, uniforms & equipment, famous Canadians, biographies of soldiers, heroes and their stories, contributions of women, other countries who participated, muster rolls for conflicts before 1900, Letters Home (from soldiers at the front), music and poetry, guest authors’ submissions, links to other online resources, and Research Libraries.

These pages will be of interest to educators, students, genealogists, military historians and those who are interested in the stories of the participants themselves.

A Death Too Young: Pt3 Arthur Cousins

This is the continuing story of A Death Too Young. Part 1 and any other parts of this story of the Cousins family can be found by clicking on the tag Alfred R Cousins at the bottom of this post.

We learned in Part 2 that Alfred's brother Arthur almost certainly had an illegitimate son by Violet Rose Abrahams. This son was born in 1921 in Luton and named Ronald Cousins Abrahams.  He is followed in Part 2 of this story, as is the fate of his mother Violet.

I then moved on to Arthur, who originally agreed to pay for the support of his son but a year later stopped paying, and denied that he was the father. So what happened with Arthur? The last we saw of him ws 1923 when he was in court for non-payment.

We know he was in the 1891 and 1901 census of Toddington with his parents. In July 1907 at age 18 Arthur enlisted in the military in a Bedfordshire Regiment.  (Regimental Number 9107) The 1911 UK census on Ancestry indicates he was in Barracks in Aldershot, Surray with other soldiers from the 1st Battalion Infantry.

In 1912 he was promoted to Corporal and sent to France in 1914, where he remained until September 29,1915 when he was wounded. In 1916 he was discharged from the army as "no longer physically fit for war service" having suffered a gunshot wound in his right shoulder.

British Army WWI Pension Records 1914-1920 

Page 1 of 11 pages of Arthur's service files

Moving on to the 1939 UK Register we find Arthur John Cousins with birth date of 28 February 1889 living on Chapel Street in Luton. He is single and states his occupation as a master builder.

 

His death date is found in England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 as 24 October 1959 and his probated will was registered in London England on 4 December that year. He names his married sister Elsie in his will. Since no record of marriage was found, we might  theorize that he never married. Also from this probate it might also be theorized that he never acknowledged Ronald Cousins Abrahams as his son. 

There's one more blog post on this story. Check back in a few days to read the final post.

A Death Too Young: Pt 2 Arthur & Violet

This is the continuing story of A Death Too Young. Part 1 and any other parts of this story of the Cousins family can be found by clicking on the tag Alfred R Cousins at the bottom of this post.

Although this story was to be about Alfred R. Cousins, the young soldier killed at Gallipoli, I was curious if there might be descendants of his brother or sister who might find the finding of the photo and clipping of interest. Further research revealed that his older brother Arthur was the subject of a complaint filed in 1922 stating that he was not paying support money owed for his child by one Violet R. Abrahams.

Violet claimed that Arthur, age 34, was spending the agreed on money of 7s 6d weekly on movies and another woman. 

 Luton Reporter 12 September 1922

 The Luton Reporter also had this to report about Arthur and Violet. Arthur denied the child was his; Violet insisted it was. Arthur stated he was out of work so could not continue to pay the money as he had since the previous year. (As an observer reading this I have to wonder why Arthur would agree to pay in the first place if he didn't know the child was his.....)

The case was far from over, for in September 1923 Arthur was in court and we learn that he began paying the money for this child in August 1921.

Luton Reporter 24 August 1923

But who was the child? A search of FreeBMD revealed that a Ronald C. Abrahams born in Luton to a mother whose surname was Abrahams, was registered in September 1921. What happened to Ronald? Did he live to marry and have children? It would certainly be interesting if anyone descended from Ronald took a DNA Test to see if they matched to the Cousins family.

Further searches revealed a Ronald Cousins Abrahams born 24 June 1921 dying November 1989 in Luton. A search of the 1939 U.K. Register also found Ronald C. Abrahams age 21 living with his maternal grandparents. Recall that in one of her complaints, Violet stated that her parents had to look after her child. Violet had previously married in 1926 so possibly her son Ronald was sent to live with his grandparents at that time.

In 1952 Ronald C. Abrahams married Edith whose surname is given as both Bates and Parker. There may have been children of this marriage but privacy restrictions make it difficult to find more information from this year forward. Did Ronald know his birth father? Was Arthur Cousins the father? It certainly seems so, but let's do more research and find out what happened to Arthur.

But first, what about Violet? Violet Rose Abrahams was born in Luton in the fall of 1896. The 1901 census finds 5 year old Violet with her parents Arthur and Pollie (Mary) Abrahams and siblings Nellie age 10 , Lillie age 6, and Harry age 6 months. Also living with the family was Violet's maternal grandmother Hannah Mitchell.

1911 finds the family still in Luton with two more children, Arthur age 5 and Hilda 1 1/2 years old. Here Violet Rose is recorded by name Rose Isabella.

Further research found Violet marrying James Young in Luton in late 1926. The next record is the 1939 U.K. Register where we see the family consists of James, Violet, and their son Gordon Alexander who was born in June 1832 and is 8 years old.

It appears that Violet died in Luton in 1962. More on the family in Part 3 so be sure to check in a few days for the continuation.

A Death Too Young - the Story of Alfred R. Cousins

Over on Twitter Olive Tree Genealogy was lucky enough to spot a tweet from Stephen who posted a photo of a handsome young soldier.

Stephen's tweet read:

A photo from 1915 along with a newspaper clipping about the guy featured fell out of an old book I bought today.

Stephen later added in a private message to me, that the book, King Edward's Realm, had a leather embossed cover and gilt lettering on the spine. It makes sense that it would be kept and passed on from generation to generation. Books are not something most of us would throw out, especially one that special.

Someone tucked this photo into the book where it probably lay, forgotten over the passage of time.
 
The photo of this young soldier intrigued and saddened me. I wanted to know more about him and his family. And I wanted the world to remember him! Alfred should not be forgotten.

 Someone cared enough about him to keep his photo and death notice tucked safely away in a book. 

I asked Stephen permission to post the photo and newspaper clipping on Olive Tree Genealogy blog, and on my Lost Faces website.  He kindly agreed.

 The tattered newspaper clipping that was in the book mentioned that young Alfred was killed at Gallipoli, that disastrous and bloody campaign of 1914-1915 that saw almost 57,000 Allied troops killed and 124,000 wounded.

A search of military casualities from WW1 found that Alfred was killed 22 August 1915. He is listed as Alfred Richard Cousins from Luton England. At the time of his death he was a Private in the 5th Batallion of the Bedfordshire Regiment. Regimental Number 4461

The UK Army Register of Soldier's Effects records that Alfred's father received money in pounds, shillings and pence of 5-13-10 on December 21, 1915 and again of 3 pounds on September 20, 1919.

 

The Compliments of the Season from (Pte) Alfred R. Cousin

(to) H. Smith Esq. 

On 20 September 1915 the Luton Reporter carried the news of Alfred's death.

 

Another story of Alfred's death was published in  Luton Times and Advertiser on Friday 10 September 1915 in which a letter is mentioned. It was written by the soldier who was talking to him at the moment the shell struck and killed him and in the letter he encloses Alfred's cap badge to be given to the sister Elsie as a remembrance of her brother.

 

 
Sapper Russell Gregory, who was with the 1st Signal Company, East Anglian Royal Engineers, wrote to his parents on August 25, 1915:  "I was talking with him [Pte Cousins] two mornings ago when a shell burst and killed him instantly. I got his cap badge off his hat, and I thought if I sent it home to you, you would ask Hilda to give it to his sister, with whom she used to work, so they can at least have a remembrance of the noble death he died."

A brief mention of Alfred's death was found in the Luton Reporter on Monday 01 May 1916 where it was mentioned that "one of their Sunday School teachers, Alfred Cousins, had given his life for his country" And so we learn a few more things about young Alfred and his short life.

Alfred's last letter dated August 20, 1915 was written two days before he was killed and is a poignant reminder of how fleeting life can be. In it he wrote: "The regiment is progressing well, but I am afraid to mention anything about them is to ask for the thick black line of the censor across it. The only thing I can say is that I am more than proud of them."

Alfred's story begins with his birth in Bedfordshire in October 1894. His father was  Richard Alfred Cousins, born circa 1860 in St. Ives. His mother was Elizabeth Shelton who Richard married in 1888.

A very nice write-up of their marriage appeared in the Leighton Buzzard Observer and Linslade Gazette on Tuesday 19 June 1888

 It appears that little Alfred's mother Elizabeth may have died when Alfred was born because she is noted in the Bedfordshire Times and Independent on Saturday 20 October 1894 as having died ate age 32 on October 9, 1894. In 1900 father Richard married Susan Sharp.

In the 1911 census of Luton we find the family as Richard 51, Susan 53, Elsie 19, Aflred R., 16 and a niece Rose Mabel Dodsen age 22. The census notes that Susan and Richard had no children and had been married 10 years. Father Richard is a caretaker at a local church, Elsie was a milliner and Alfred was a clerk. The family lived in a 5-room home on Chapel Street in Luton Bedfordshire.

 

1911 Census from Ancestry.com

In March 1945 Alfred's father died. Could he have been the person who tucked his son's photo and death notice in the book? Perhaps it was Alfred's older sister Elsie? Alfred also had an older brother Arthur J. Cousins born circa 1889. British Army Pensions Records from WW1 reveal that Arthur also enlisted in the military but survived the war. He gives his mother's name as Lilly so perhaps Richard married several times or Lilly was Elizabeth's nickname.

Although this story was to be about Alfred, I was curious if there might be descendants of his brother or sister who might find the finding of the photo and clipping of interest. Further research revealed that Arthur was the subject of a complaint filed in 1922 stating that he was not paying support money owed for his child by one Violet R. Abrahams.

I'll continue this story of Alfred and his family in Part 2 of A Death Too Young

National Archives UK opens it's POW 1715-1945 collection

More than 764,000 records of servicemen, women and civilians who were taken captive during the Napoleonic Wars, Crimean War, Boer War, First World War and Second World War have been published online

The entire Prisoners Of War 1715-1945 collection now contains over 2 million records.

First page of lists of POWs captured in Boer War

From the site: "The records are incredibly diverse and not only include military personnel, but also civilians, diplomats, missionaries and merchant seamen. The nature of these documents varies owing to the enormous scope and scale of the collection. Some will consist of lists of deaths, files on escapees and detailed records of daily life, while others will reveal additional biographical details about individual inmates including physical descriptions, witness statements, medical reports and more."

Burial Cards for WW1 American Soldiers

As part of a recent digitization project this series of burial cards is now available in NARA’s online catalog in the RG 92 Card Register of Burials of Deceased American Soldiers (NAID 6943087). These records are arranged alphabetically by name of soldier. 

The Newly Digitized Series : Initial Burial Plats for World War I American Soldiers consists of blueprints of survey maps and field drawings created by the 29th Army Corps of Engineers for the Graves Registration Service. The maps detail locations of scattered and isolated soldier grave sites. Each grave is identified by the soldier’s name, rank, serial number, and unit, if known. The plats also show surrounding landmarks, buildings, and other markers that could be used to identify the location of the burial.

The Initial Burial Plats for World War I American Soldiers series has recently been digitized and is now available online through the National Archives Catalog.

National Archives at St. Louis plan to start a multi-year project to digitize the series Correspondence, Reports, Telegrams, Applications, and Other Papers Relating to Burials of Service Personnel, 1/1/1915-12/31/1939 aka as “Burial Case Files” in RG 92 (NAID 595318).  The records contain correspondence, Graves Registration Service forms, headstone applications, Gold Star Mothers’ itineraries, and other pertinent information relating to the burial of members and veterans of the United States military, mainly the U.S. Army. Of the approximately 218,905 files, 30,922 files pertain to soldiers who died during World War I. The World War I files will be digitized first and will be made available in the National Archives Catalog on a rolling basis.

Identifying a WW1 Uniform of a UK or Canadian Ancestor

Traditionally it was very common for soldiers to have their photos taken in uniform before leaving for overseas (England). Usually a soldier was given leave to go home before being shipped overseas and that is often when these photos were taken.

If he had brothers, or a father or son who also enlisted, they would try to have a group photo taken. This was not always possible, as leaves for individual soldiers might not be in the same time period.

Many portrait studios such as Eatons, had template mats to enclose the photo. These mats were pre-printed had spaces to fill in the soldier's name, sometimes his unit plus other details.

These mats were often brightly coloured with the words "For King & Country" or "For Service in the Great War" (it varied). Ornate frames could be purchased which had the same wording. Sometimes there would be a Canadian Maple Leaf at the top which 'stuck up' beyond the edge of the frame

If there is no photographer mark on the photo (back or front) there are clues that might help you determine a date and place.

First Clue

Determine whether or not the soldier is in a Canadian or British uniform. Both Canadian and British uniforms were used by the CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Force). Men were usually issued a Canadian uniform when they enlisted, and they kept this for everything done in Canada. After they arrived in England the Canadian uniform would almost always be switched for a British one. (The reason for this switch was that the British uniforms were better quality and lasted longer)

Here are a few of the differences that might help you determine if the uniform is Canadian or British:

1. Canadian uniforms had 9 buttons on front (7 on the actual front and 1 on each front pocket) but the British one had fewer, and they were larger. There is an exception to this - if the soldier was in a Canadian Highland Regiment, his top sometimes just had 7 large buttons

2. Canadian uniforms had pointed cuffs, the British had straight (horizontal)

3. Canadian uniforms (except for the Highland ones) had stand-up collars, British uniforms did not.

So, if the soldier was in a Canadian uniform for this photo, there is a very good chance it was taken in Canada. It could also have been taken soon after arrival in England (before he was given his British uniform)

If he was in a British uniform it was almost certainly taken in England or in France. There were studios in France, behind the lines, where men could have their pictures taken to send home.

There is also a chance that the photo could have been taken on his return home from the war but this is not likely because the norm was for these photos to be taken before war's end and generally before going overseas.

Second Clue

Back to clues for determining when the photo was taken -- look for the badges on his cap and collar. Often on first joining, a soldier was issued with a badge that was a maple leaf with the word "Canada". It took time before he was issued with his unit's badge. You can go beyond this simple comparison (Canada badge versus Unit badge) by finding out about the unit's history -- and what badges they had in what years. This change in badges varied unit to unit so you would have to check for your soldier's unit.

More Clues

There are many more clues such as weapon versus no weapon; type of weapon; type of kit (belt, canteen etc); helmet verus hat, and so on. These are very detailed minute differences that would be hard to spot and also require a detailed explanation/description

Exceptions

One caveat - soldiers from Newfoundland never had Canadian uniforms so everything they were issued (kit, weapon, badges etc) was different. So basically none of the clues I've given apply to a Newfoundland soldier.

 

WW1 Canadian Military Records Being Digitized

Did you know...... It took 18 months to remove pins, clips and staples (260 kg of metal!), as well as adhesive, to get the 640,000 files of the Canadian Expeditionary Force ready for digitization.

All records should be digitized and online by the end of 2018. Kudos to Library and Archives Canada for making this wonderful database freely available!

Read more in the article "For the Duration" at Library and Archives Canada

Sprague Letter 1917

Annette P. has generously donated ephemera from various families to be shared on Olive Tree Genealogy. This set is a photo of a man and a 3 page letter signed "L. P. Sprague, Dowager" and dated October 3, 1917 from Lexington, Kentucky.

The letter does not have a salutation other than "My dear ---" but in the first paragraph Ms. Sprague writes that she isn't sure whether or not to address the letter to "Miss James" or "Mary Elizabeth" so we might assume the person she is writing to is Mary Elizabeth James.

There are many names in the letter: Mrs. Sprague, Miss Curry/Carry Breckinbridge, Miss Kraft, Miss McClure.

 

Unknown but with Sprague Letter

Halifax, Canada, Halifax Explosion Remembrance Book, 1917-1918

December 6, 2017 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Halifax Explosion. To commemorate this occasion, Ancestry has released a collection of records online, the Halifax Explosion Remembrance Book — a definitive listing and searchable database of those killed in the 1917 disaster. The collection is available to all Canadians for free on Ancestry.ca and contains records of courage and tragedy from those who lost their lives in the disaster.

Those commemorated in the records include:

    Halifax Protestant Orphanage Memorial Records: Among the youngest causalities of the explosion were children from the Halifax Protestant Orphanage.
    Vincent J.P. Coleman, Memorial Record: The 41-year old Intercolonial Railway Dispatcher was responsible for bringing all incoming trains around Halifax to a halt pre-explosion. Coleman saved the lives of about 300 railway passengers. Born in 1876, Coleman lost his life at his post of duty. 
    Captain Horatio H. Brannen, Memorial Record: As the Capt. of Stella Maris, Capt. Brannen and crew fought the fire caused by the collision of Imo and Mont Blanc. During his efforts to tow Mont Blanc away from the Halifax shore, the ship burst into flames. His tugboat, Stella Maris, was left crippled and tossed aside by the blast. Born in 1872, the Capt. lost his life at the age of 45 years old.
    Captain Haakon From, Memorial Record: As the Capt. of Imo, Capt. From oversaw the ship that collided with Mont Blanc. Born in 1870, From lost his life in the Halifax Explosion at the age of 47 years old.
    Pilot William Hayes, Memorial Record: Pilot and crewmember aboard Imo. Born in 1877, the pilot and crewmember of Imo worked amongst 41 French sailors. He lost his life at the age of 40 years old during the explosion.

In addition to the Halifax Explosion Remembrance Book, Ancestry will be releasing new East Coast collections in December. These include:

    Nova Scotia, Canada, Antigonish Catholic Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1823-1905

    Newfoundland, Canada, Census, 1945
    Newfoundland, Canada, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1840-1949
    Newfoundland, Canada, Census, 1921
    Prince Edward Island, Canada, Marriage Registers, 1832-1888
    Prince Edward Island, Canada, Death Card Index, 1810-1913

Update of Canadian WW1 Personnel Files Online

Attestation Papers WW1 CEF

The Canadian Expeditionary Force WW1 database has been updated and now includes full files of soldiers up to Box 7834 and last name Pilkey.

To date 461,575 of 640,000 files are available online for researchers to freely use.

How to Find a WW1 Soldier

WW1 Training Camp

Sharlene K. asked

what would you have regarding a Michigan born citizen going to Canada and enlisting in WWI, serving in England, marrying in 1919 and returning with a war bride and her daughter....how would I go about sorting this all out....he was enlisted in the 15 Scotish Rifle Brigade/

Olive Tree Genealogy answer:

Hi Sharlene,

You have lots of clues in your query, and this is what I would do:

1. Search the online CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Force) database for your ancestor in WW1. If found, that will provide you with details as to his service during the War

2. You don't say where he married in 1919 - was it in Michigan, Canada, or England. If in Ontario Canada, marriage records for 1919 are available on Ancestry.com If he married in Michigan, marriages for that year are available on Ancestry.com (images) and on FamilySearch (index only). Lastly if he married in England you should check FreeBMD. 

3. Since you mention a War Bride I'm guessing he married in England. You should be able to find them coming to Canada on a ship by searching  immigration records on Ancestry.com

4. You might want to search for the war diaries of the 15 Scotch Rifle Brigade. You can do this on Library and Archives Canada 

Lizzie the Black Sheep of the Vollick Family

Lizzie, the blacksheep of the Vollick family, was known as rebellious and stubborn. Her birth in 1863 was uneventful. There was no indication that her nature would prove to be much less compliant than her ten brothers and sisters.

Baptised as Mary Elizabeth to parents Isaac and Lydia Vollick, little Lizzie grew up in a bit of a rough and tumble, yet loving, family. What led her on her path to her eventual death of starvation at the age of 51 with only her 17 year old son at her side?

We might look at her involvement at the age of 15 with Stephen Peer who was a drifter some 10 years her senior. Stephen was considered a no-good drifter by Lizzie's parents and they did their best to keep the two apart. It did no good and a few months after her 16th birthday she eloped with Stephen. That was the start of Lizzie's downfall. Her family disowned her and her parents never spoke to her again.

June 5, 1895

Stephen couldn't hold a job and over the next several years he and Lizzie moved from town to town. By the time Lizzie hit her 33rd birthday, she had brought 9 children into the world. Stephen took whatever work he could find but the family lived in poverty. Not many details are known of their life for the first 17 years of their marriage but in June 1895 Lizzie's husband Stephen was attacked by a neighbour and the neighbour's son, struck repeatedly in the head with an axe and ended up in the local hospital with a serious skull fracture. He was not expected to live but managed to pull through.

A court case followed but Stephen could not attend due to his injuries. As it turned out, the attack began over an ongoing argument over the use of a water pump on the property where Stephen rented a small house. When the neighbour, a Mr. Hyde, tried to get water that hot summer day, Stephen attacked and punched him. At that point Hyde's son ran out of his house with an axe and the two men beat Stephen using the axe and their fists.

Two years later, Stephen died of Typhoid Fever, leaving 34 year old Lizzie an impoverished widow with 9 children between the ages of 1 and 11 years old. The family was so poor that Lizzie could not afford to bury Stephen so the city stepped in to assist her financially.

The brief notice in the local newspaper stated

Oct. 28, 1897
        Levi [sic] Peer died at General Hospital on Wednesday afternoon from typhoid fever.  Leaves a wife and nine children in destitute circumstances.  City relief officer made arrangements for burial and attended to needs of family.  Trinity Baptist church also assisting.  (article from Guelph Herald.)

Besides the tragedy of losing her husband and being left in such destitute circumstances, what has always struck me is how the newspaper did not even get her husband's name right. We know this is the correct death notice for Stephen as his death certificate confirms the dates. It may be that his middle name was Levi in honour of his father, and perhaps he was known by that name.

My grandmother was the oldest child when her father died - being just 11 years of age. I knew her quite well, as she lived until I was 15 years old. She never spoke of her parents, nor of the hardships she undoubtedly suffered after her father's death.

Mary Elizabeth Peer's grave

But back to Lizzie. One by one her children married and moved away. Eventually she was left with only her youngest boy Philip Edgar. When he was just 17, Lizzie died, leaving him an orphan. She was just 51 and died of starvation.

Shortly after her death in May 1914, young Philip Edgar joined his older brothers in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, fighting overseas in World War 1. He was killed in France shortly before his 21st birthday, bringing to an end the story of Lizzie and her life. I am glad she didn't live to see her boy die. But she certainly had a traumatic ride through life.



Update: If you are interested in the Vollick family I also wrote three books on the Vollick and Follick descendants of Lambert Van Valkenburg. They are: 


From Van Valkenburg to Vollick: The Loyalist Isaac Van Valkenburg aka Vollick and his Vollick & Follick Children (Volume 1) 

From Van Valkenburg to Vollick: V. 2 Cornelius Vollick and his Follick and Vollick Descendants to 3 Generations 

From Van Valkenburg to Vollick: V. 3: The Loyalist Storm Follick and his Follick and Vollick descendants in North America

Find Your Ancestors in Alien Registration Records USA

Alien Registrations are a valuable genealogy resource for finding ancestors. An alien was any individual who had not naturalized.

From November 1917 to April 1918 all those considered alien enemies were ordered to register with the U. S. Marshal in the county where they lived.



World War I Alien Registrations in the United States
All states were required to complete alien registrations but not all records were kept.

Alien Registration Records 1940-1944
The Alien Registration Program began 1 July 1940. Every alien resident of the USA had to register at a local post office. Aliens entering USA had to register when they applied for admission. All aliens over 14 fell under this law. Forms filled out by aliens were sent to INS (now BCIS), along with a registration number. They are known as "AR-2" files

Registrations from 1940-1944 are on microfilm at INS. To obtain copies of AR-2 Files, you must submit a request identifying the immigrant by name, date of birth, and place of birth to the INS (now BCIS), Freedom of Information Act program.

The following Alien Registrations can be found on NaturalizationRecords.com

* Index to Alien Registration Affidavits: U.S. District Court, Phoenix Division, February 6, 1918-June 28, 1918

* Index to Enemy Alien Registration Affidavits 6,000 affidavits created by U.S. Marshals, Kansas Judicial District, 1917-1921 [NaturalizationRecords.com]

* McKeesport, Alleghany County, Pennsylvania Alien Identification Card for Elizabeth Koval 1940 includes her immigration date and port of entry

Links to the following registration for Aliens are also found at NaturalizationRecords.com

St. Paul, Minnesota Alien Registrations, 1918

Alien Personal History and Statements, Iowa 1942-1946

Alien Applications for Permission to Depart from USA, 1919-1920, U.S. District Court, District of Kansas

Alien's Personal History and Statement (DSS Form 304), 1942-1945, for Michigan

Alien Personal History and Statements, Minnesota 1942-1946

Alien Personal History and Statements, Missouri 1942-1946

Alien Personal History and Statements, Nebraska 1942-1946

Alien Personal History and Statements North Dakota, 1942-1946

Find Ancestors in WW1 Red Cross Military Files

If you are searching for an ancestor who fought in World War One, the Red Cross Military Files are a valuable resource. During the war the Red Cross provided vital services for prisoners of war, and wounded or missing soldiers.

Hundreds of thousands of volunteers were engaged in the war effort under the Red Cross supervision and often this resulted in records being kept of the volunteers and soldiers. Not all Red Cross records in all countries have survived and in some countries the records were never made. However some countries’ files have been digitized and are available online.

My February article for Legacy Family News will no doubt interest many genealogists. I have compiled a brief history of the Red Cross Military Files and provided links to any that survive for United States, Canada, Australia and Great Britain.

Continue reading  Find Your Ancestor in WW1 Red Cross Military Files

March Update WW1 Service Files Canadian Soldiers

Sample from PDF file for James Cecil Sandercock, KIA

Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Personnel Service Files – Update of March 2017

The following press release came into Olive Tree Genealogy's mailbox:

As of March 15, 416,749 of 640,000 files are available online in our Personnel Records of the First World War database. Please visit the Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Service Files page for more details on the digitization project.

Library and Archives Canada is digitizing the service files systematically, from box 1 to box 10686, which roughly corresponds to alphabetical order. Please note that over the years, the content of some boxes has had to be moved and, you might find that the file you want, with a surname that is supposed to have been digitized, is now located in another box that has not yet been digitized. So far, we have digitized the following files:

• Latest box digitized: Box 7059 and last name McLelland.