Searching for a Barnardo Home Child

Sheila D. on Facebook asked for help finding her uncle Frederick Cook who arrived in Canada as a Home Child in 1923 or 1924. Apparently family members were told that Barnardo's had no records for Frederick.

I suggest that Sheila write to Barnardo's on her own and ask them to check for Frederick. Barnardo's Family History Service deals with enquiries regarding records of individual children — various services are available.I had great success with using their services for one of my husband's ancestors.

In any case I decided to have a search to see what I could find. Frederick Cook appears in the online database for British Home Children found on Library and Archives Canada.

Given Name(s):Fredrick [sic]
Surname:COOK
Gender:M
Age:11
Year of Arrival:1923
Ship:MELITA
Date of Departure:1923-04-07
Port of Departure:Southampton
Date of Arrival:1923-04-15
Port of Arrival:Saint John
Party:Barnardo Homes
Destination:Toronto and Peterborough, Ontario
Comments:First party in 1923, 132 boys and 12 girls
Type of Records:Other Government of Canada records
Microfilm Reel Number:C-4716
Reference:RG 76, Vol. 52, File 2209, part 4, Documents from Immigration Branch, Central Registry Files
Source:Library and Archives Canada
Database Item Number:102349

Armed with the information of his ship and arrival year, I looked in the Canada, Ocean Arrivals (Form 30A), 1919-1924 found on Ancestry. He is found there with details which may be helpful.


There are other entries on Library and Archives Canada for a Fred Cook which may be for Sheila's uncle. One is from 1924 and is a photograph published in "Ups and Downs" (magazine published by the Canadian Branch of Dr. Barnardo's Homes, Toronto), November 1924. Page Number: 11. Issue Number: 3. Volume Number: 26

She can find these entries for herself (1924, 1927 and 1928) and order copies from the Archives. I had great success using those entries to find information on the ancestor of a client.

Sheila can also search the Guardianship records on the same site. There is a great deal of information in those and they too can be ordered at a reasonable cost. Start at the Home Children 1869-1932 database online.

Example of a Juvenile Inspection Report

The Juvenile Inspection Reports are another source for finding information on a Home Child ancestor. These records date from 1920 to 1932; however, there are a few from 1911 to 1917 and after 1932. They are available free on Heritage.

For the surname COOK you need microfilm reel ​T-15421. Just type that into the search box on the Heritage site and then browse the images. The records are in alphabetical order

Great News! More Canadian Genealogy Records Free to View

The Héritage project is a 10-year initiative to digitize and make accessible online some of Canada’s most popular archival collections encompassing roughly 40 million pages of primary-source documents. Chronicling the country and its people from the 1600s to the mid-1900s, this collection represents a vast and unique resource for Canadian historians, students, and genealogists.

Great News!

As of January 1, 2019, all Canadiana content included in Early Canadiana Online, Héritage, and Canadiana Online will be available at no charge to users.

I've been using the free access since it became available, and I'm thrilled with it. If you have Canadian ancestors you will not want to miss this.  Their genealogy collection is massive.

On the left is a screenshot of the the first few records that you see out of the 185 total.

Don't wait - go! Search! Enjoy!

Book on Willem Pieterse Van Slyke and Descendants

New Netherland Settlers: Willem Pieterse Van Slyke aka Neef - A genealogy to five generations of the descendants of Willem Pieterse Van Slyke who settled in New Netherland (New York) in 1660 Available on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca

 Settlement in New Netherland (New York) did not begin until Fort Orange (Albany) was built in 1621. Willem Pieterse Van Slyke sailed from Holland to the New World in 1660 on De Trouw. His uncle Cornelis Antonissen Van Slyke had settled in New Netherland in 1634. 

This book follows Willem Pieterse and his descendants down 5 generations. It is fully sourced with footnotes. It also reveals for the first time the origins of Willem and his uncle Cornelis in Breuckelen in the Netherlands.

See the full list of New Netherland Settlers books 

Tips to De-clutter that Email Box!

Recently my friend, and Van Slyke cousin, Thomas MacEntee shared a link to an article he wrote called 11 Ninja Tips to Declutter Your Email Inbox

I spent some time reading through it last night and found it very helpful! I don't know about you but I have thousands of unread emails in my two main email addresses. 

When will I ever find time to read or delete them? Every so often I go on a blitz and start deleting like mad. But that only weeds the numbers down a little.

The tip I most took to heart was to unsubscribe from a lot of mail I signed up for. I don't mean genealogy newsletters or anything genealogy related but why do I need to see all the "super hot deals" flying in to my mail box from Wayfair, E-bay, Western Digital, i-Robot.... I'm sure you get what I mean! So this morning I spent an hour unsubscribing from most of those. If I want to know what's special, I'll visit the website!

Thanks to Thomas I might just get this under control. Wish me luck!

Find Ancestors in Naturalization Records Online

December was a busy month for Olive Tree Genealogy but I spent some time updating my Naturalization site. l love immigration and naturalization records! There is so much genealogy information there for the taking, and it feels like my ancestors have come back to life when I read their stories.

On NaturalizationRecords.com I have links to many online naturalization records databases. Some are free, others are pay to view. It's pretty
 comprehensive although if you know of a site I haven't linked to, please let me know!

AMERICAN NATURALIZATION RECORDS

Flowers Charles USA Naturalization 1871

If you are looking for naturalization or passport records in the USA, go to my USA section. I have some records online on my site, others are links. There are passport records, alien registrations, oaths of allegiance, almshouse records and more in the American section.

CANADIAN NATURALIZATION RECORDS

If you want Canadian records, go to the Canada section 

I suggest doing a quick read of what is available for Canada and then choosing what fits your search time period.

UNITED KINGDOM NATURALIZATION RECORDS

UK Naturalization Record 1865

  United Kingdom records start here. Be aware that the British spell it Naturalisation and sometimes call them Denization records.

Sorting My Dutch Ancestors

I like sorting things. I love to organize items, and my labeller and storage tubs are my friends. My spice cupboard is in alphabetical order, and all labels face out.

I am always saying to my husband "Like things go together" when I discover he has put the cans of black beans in the cupboard with crackers. My canned goods are arranged in groups - all the beans are together, and within that broad category, they are arranged by type of bean. And of course, all labels face outwards!

I suspect that is why I have always loved math. For me math brings order and pattern out of chaos. 

So when I saw a recent post in a Dutch Genealogy group, it immediately appealed to me. One member posed a question to the group "According to your family tree, from which provinces in the Netherlands did your ancestors come from?"

My father's line comes from early 17th century Dutch who came to what is now New York. I have dozens of Dutch ancestors, and while I know the general area or town they were from, it never occurred to me to sort them by provinces in the Netherlands. So I've begun that project.

• Limburg - Van Valkenburg, Vrooman, Gerritsen
• South Holland - Wouters, Post, de Groot
• Utrecht - Van Slyke, Damen,  Van Schaik, Van Reumsthofste,
• North Holland - Ryckman, Van Horn, Shubber, Van der Straaten
• Friesland - Shuart
• Zeeland - Michaelsen
• North Brabant - Clopper 
• Overyssel - Ecker
• Gelderland - Coerten

That's as far as I've gone but there are many more that I need to slot into their correct provinces. I still have to sort DeGraw, Van Alstyne, Snediker (probably German), Vonk, Van Woert, Idens, Van Horn, Vanderburg, Van Rottmer, Moockers,  Leydecker, Walings/Wallich, Van Huyse, and Van der Morsch

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.

Dancing on the Dead

According to The Lady's Newspaper, by 1849 there were 52,000 deaths each year in London, yet the total space set aside for burial only allowed for 100,000 bodies.

Body-snatchers ran rampant and churches offered more secure burial sites in their basements and in tight spaces between buildings. Some churches showed between 1000 to almost 3500 burials per acre of land.

One man was convinced that the overflowing burial grounds were responsible for diseases such as cholera and maleria. The dead were buried in layers, on top of each other, in order to save space. Dances were held over top of burials - sometimes advertised as "Dancing on the Dead"
 
The new and improved 1852 burial act changed burials in England. Read the full story in The Disgusting Victorian Cemetery That Helped Change Burials in London Forever

Caveat: Transcripts Can be Wrong!

Janice Mann posted this query: I'm having trouble finding any information on a baby in my family tree. He's found in the 1871 census in McKillop Township as a 2 month old, illegitimate child - living with the McCallum family. There are 3 sisters in the family (aged 15, 20 and 24) and I presume one of them is his mother. I'm struggling to determine his name (it's transcribed as Morrison Rone) and I cannot find him after the 1871 census.

Transcripts Can Be Wrong
 
First let's clear up the misreading of this census image. The name of the child on that 1871 census is given as "Born Morrison" (not Morrison Rone) meaning that he was born a Morrison. Apparently he had not been given a first name when the census was taken.

The family in 1871 is given as
    
Name     Age
Zachery Mc Callum     54
Elisabeth Mc Callum     52
Margary Mc Callum     24 
Susanna Mc Callum     20
John Mc Callum     18
Elisabeth Mc Callum     15
Born Morrison     2/12

Birth Records

Since we know that the baby was born with the surname Morrison we might theorize that his biological father was a Morrison. We know from the census the child was a boy so we might look for a birth of a child in late 1870 or early 1871. The 1871 census was started on April 2, 1871 so we know the child was born before February of that year. If we could find out when the census taker was in McKillop we could narrow the child's date of birth.

We can look under the surname Morrison and McCallum but those are the only clues we have.

March 11, 1871 Birth: Anthony illegitimate son of Catherine Bellon McCallum in Renfrew found on Ancestry

I recommend searching local church records for a baptism record for this child.

Search the Siblings

I only took a few minutes to research all the children of Zachery and Elizabeth, but Janice would be wise to investigate the family thoroughly. Here is a start to the family:

• Margary Mc Callum  married Joseph Samme
• Susanna Mc Callum  married John Galbraith
• Elisabeth Mc Callum  baptised as Lydia Elizabeth married William George McSpadden
 

It's an interesting puzzle and I wish I had more time to investigate! 

Be Cautious Even When Your Ancestor Has an Unusual Name

Olive Tree Genealogy did some research to try to help a researcher who posted the following query on Facebook:

I am researching Wilsons of Irish descent in Goulboum , Torbolton, and Fitzroy Townships in Carleton County and Wilsons of English/Scotch descent in the same three townships. I am especially interested to find someone who might know the father of Charles Broughton Wilson who came to Canada about 1834 . He possibly came on the ship "John Stamp". Samuel Sumner Tripp and his wife, Sarah Storey may have been on the same ship. He married Mary Ann Tripp in Bytown in Feb. 1839 and purchased a homestead in Fitzroy Township in 1841. Information from the 1851 census indicates C. Broughton (pronounced Broten) was born in London about 1817. There is fairly substantial evidence that Charles' father was Henry Wilson,

The first thing I can tell this researcher is that ship John Stamp sailed from London and arrived in Quebec on June 17, 1835. Unfortunately no passenger list survives but we do know that "Mr and Mrs Newman and family, Mr Johnston, and Mr Marshall and 170 settlers" were on board. (Source: http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/Arrivals/1835a.shtml)

Census Records

The second thing I did was look for Charles in census records on Ancestry.com. I wanted to confirm that he was indeed born in England. I found him in 1851 under the name Brougton Wilson. He is recorded as being born in London England but of course we do not know who gave that birth information the census taker, so we should still treat it as not definite.

Church Records

A search online brought up the baptism of Broughton Wilson in Lambeth, Surrey, England (Source: England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975) That sounds exciting except .... further searching finds a Broughton Wilson dying in 1846 in London England. Is it the same man? We do not know and more research would need to be done to try to prove or disprove that the baby baptised in Surrey is the same man who died in London.

Hopefully the descendant who is seeking information will be cautious and do more checking on what I found, and not assume this is the right ancestor.

Great News! NYG&B Obtains over 300 Kinship publications!

The (NYG&B) announced today that Arthur C.M. and Nancy V. Kelly, co-founders and owners of Kinship Books, have donated the assets of their business, Kinship Books, to the NYG&B. 

This generous gift includes rights to more than 300 publications, including transcribed and indexed materials from more than 50 New York counties.

 Continue reading at

NYG&B Welcomes 150th Anniversary Year with Landmark Gift from Kinship Books

 

 

Ads for Irish Immigrants in Boston Pilot

Boston College has a free online database of Advertisements for Irish Immigrants. These ads were published in the Boston Pilot in the 19th century and sometimes contain the name of the ship the immigrant travelled on.

I've put together an index, with links, of the names of passengers on ships arriving in Canada, since before 1865 the ships passenger lists were not kept. It is a challenging time period to find passenger lists! However there ARE alternate records - shipping agent records, emigration agent ledger books, newspaper extracts to name but a few. 

My book Filling in the Gaps: Finding Pre-1865 Ships Passenger Lists to Canada is available on Amazon and is another resource for these early years. There is a  Paperback version and an e-book version available.

Mary Buttler (nee Slatterly) and husband William Buttler, from Clare, on Ship Maria, Limerick to Quebec June 1847

John Hogan, from Limerick, 1849 to Quebec on Ship Anna Maria

Mary Keanes, nee Monaghan, from Mayo on Sarah Maria, Kilalla to Quebec 1846

Mary Reaney born ca 1824, from Mayo, on Ship Sarah Maria from  Kilalla to quebec 1844

Patrick Cahill from Tipperary, son of Patrick, July 1847 on board Admiral, Waterford to Quebec

John Mullin from Tipperary, April 1844 on board Admiral, Waterford to Quebec

John Quillan from Tipperary, Waterford to Quebec on Admiral, before 1856

Michael Quillan from Tipperary, Waterford to Quebec on Admiral, before 1856

If you want to see more listings for immigrants arriving in USA and Canada go to Missing Friends on Olive Tree Genealogy

What or Who Inspired You to Start Your Genealogy

A few months ago I tweeted a brief genealogy question on Twitter on my Twitter feed ‏@LorineMS

Genealogy Peeps: what, or who, inspired you to start looking for your ancestors? I was 14, my father had just died, and I started my hunt because he always wondered about our Irish McGinnis heritage

I loved the responses I received, and with permission, and posting a few of them here. You can read all 27 responses by using the link to the genealogy question on Twitter 

Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak

I was about 10 - 6th grade homework assignment. Had to put our surnames on a world map, and I - slightly misinformed by my parents - had the whole of the then-Soviet Union to myself. Remember feeling sorry for all the kids crowded around the British Isles. Sparked my curiosity

Genealogy Jenn @Genealogy_Jenn

Learning that my future father-in-law was orphaned by 8 years old and didn't know much about his family. My interest was renewed when my father died when I was 27 years old.

Annette Fulford @avidgenie

My aunt. She did a short history of our family in 1989 but had little details about the family past her father. Also included with the history was my grandmother's war bride letter written in 1919. I was fascinated and still am. (can use her full name)

Kevin Huigens @Kevinho57

In my 30s, I started entering the info my mom had gathered into PAF and my curiosity got the better of me.

Annie @abearella

Before my dad died when I was 10, we went to my grandma's (his mom) almost every weekend. Her sister, my great Aunt Cora, would often drive up from Palm Springs. She always told family stories & sent me old pics in the mail.

Ruth Blair @PassionateGenea

I was 11 and it was a school project. My parents are the immigrants so it was a lot letter writing and then waiting for the return post. My parents didn’t know much but they knew who I should contact.

Yvette Hoitink @yhoitink

I was 15, my grandpa had just died, when I heard a rumor that he might have had a twin. Freaked me out so I took the train across the country to the archives to find out the truth. He turned out to be my first family scandal, hooked ever since.

Kapalm @kapalm728

I wish I had a profound answer, In reality, I was recovering from surgery and was bored. I always loved history and puzzles so I gave genealogy a try. I was hooked when I discovered the vastness of the never talked about paternal grandfathers family

Sean Vanderfluit @Vanderfluit

I can't recall a signature moment, I've been interested since I was 10. I even got this awesome book on genealogy for kids at the time. A pity it's likely long out of print, I'd love to get it for my 7-year-old who now expresses an interest in genealogy.

In grade 8, I discovered my grandma and great grandma knew German. I thought they were British. Why on Earth did they speak German? My mom said, "because Great Grandma was born in Russia". You're not helping, mom. Then again, it did, as it stoked my curiousity.

Sean Vanderfluit added: I was pretty sure I still had this, and found it today. My first genealogy book, from when I was 10. I significantly updated it when I was 12.

Lorine's Note: I found this book for sale and purchased it. Then I sent it to Sean V. to give to his son. 



Mining the Past @Mining the Past‏

I was always fascinated by the story that my gg-grandfather ran away to sea and gave a false name and age, so everybody with that name is related to me in some way. I love puzzles and have tried for many years to track him down. Now looking at DNA :-)

It's not too late for my blog readers to jump in with your responses on Twitter if you have a Twitter account. Just click on this link to the genealogy question and send your comment.

Let's Talk About Our Own Obituaries and Tombstones!

Have you thought about your own demise? Yes, as genealogists we know that it happens to all of us. And as genealogists we're usually fairly comfortable talking about it. When my brother and sister-in-law visited us a few days ago, we got talking about our own deaths, our funerals, did we want to be cremated or not, and where we might want to be interred. When I told the story of my husband and I wanting to buy our burial plots now, my sister-in-law shuddered. She was visibly upset by the conversation.

So let's talk about it here!  While I haven't gone so far as to plan my funeral or write my own obit (although the thought of doing so is tempting!), last year I have put together a copy of what I want done after my demise. Yes, really. I jotted notes on items such as burial versus cremation, what cemetery I wish to be buried in - and what inscription I want on a headstone.

I've been married three times (divorce then death brought me to my third husband) - should I put all three of my husbands' names on my stone? Do I want to have number one's name immortalized for eternity on MY stone??

My thoughts began to stray to having inscriptions like the following: "beloved wife of husbands two and three" and "long-suffering and not-so-beloved wife of husband number one aka he-who-shall-not-be-named"

 

What about my parents' names and places of birth? As a genealogist I want it all! I found myself fantasizing about having a 4-generation pedigree chart engraved on a huge headstone. Has it been done before? Is there room on a headstone?

As a genealogist, I'm also concerned about my own obituary! After reading through hundreds of my ancestors' obits, I know exactly what I wish had been in each. Why oh why were women's maiden names so infrequently mentioned? Why does my great grandmother's obit simply say "she came with her parents from Ireland when she was a young girl"

Acck! Could they not have written something a bit more detailed, such as "she came with her parents John Smith and Lucy McGillicuddy from Ballyhoogan Co. Down Ireland in 1843 on the ship Rosemary which sailed from Belfast Ireland to Quebec on 23 May..."

My children never seem to remember that I was born in Oshawa, not Ajax (which is where I grew up). Neither my kids nor my husband seem to remember how my maiden name McGinnis is spelled!

So I've written down all the facts that I want included in my obit. My maiden name McGinnis (spelled correctly of course). My parents' names and where they were from. Where and when I was born. My husbands' names (yes, even he-who-shall-not-be-named). Where I lived until the age of 17. Where I went to University. A little bit about my interests and hobbies. My children's names. I've even included my 11 grandchildren's names although I doubt anyone will want to pay enough to have them all mentioned.

By the way, I will NOT have hubby number one's name on my tombstone and prefer it not to be in my obituary ... I managed to get him out of my life, why on earth would I want him around in my death? I won't even be bothered to come back and haunt him. It's not that I wish any harm to befall him - he simply doesn't exist for me. Gone. Done.

I'm doing this for future generations who will (hopefully) be looking for me 200 years from now. It was a bit disconcerting when I first began, but as I went along I really became quite interested in the task! After writing down all my notes for my tombstone inscription and obituary, I placed them in a large manilla envelope labelled "For my executor" and put it in an antique blanket box. Family members know where to find these papers.

I didn't make copies and send them to my children because I may want to add or remove items. When you come right down to it, I'm planning on sticking around a very long time! Who knows how many things I might want to change in the future.

What are your plans?

My New Year's Resolution - Singular not Plural!

Every year I think about what I want to accomplish in the upcoming year. I used to make long lists - 5, 10, even 12 goals sometimes. But I never accomplished them all! So a few years ago I decided to make one goal - one important goal - that I could focus on.

A single goal sounds easy, right? But it's not! At least, not for me, because usually that one goal involves being more organized or knuckling down and finishing a project. Because I have so many irons in the fire, it's not easy for me to devote the time needed for goals like those.

You know what they say - "A goal without a plan is just a wish" So I need to plan before I set my goal and then plan how to achieve it.

Where to Start?

I have so many projects to start or finish or re-organize that I hardly know which one to choose for 2019. For example I'm not finished editing my second mystery novel involving genealogist Janie Riley, called A Grave Secret. I need and want to finish it! It will make me so proud to see it along with my first mystery Death Finds a Way.

Speaking of my first mystery, if you've read it and liked it, could you take a minute and leave a review on Amazon? Reviews help authors and I'd really appreciate it.

But I also need (desperately) to organize my folders of family photos and genealogy documents. They're a mess. There's really no other way to describe them. I need to make sure  all genealogy document images have file names (not numbers assigned when I downloaded them), organize them, file them properly in clearly labelled folders, and save them to my WD Passport as a backup.

I'm behind in my goal to write more New Netherland Settlers books. I have two that are almost ready for publication. Should I focus on them? They would be the fastest, easiest to accomplish....

Aha - the Light Bulb Goes On

Writing this blog post has helped me to figure out what my goal is going to be. I have decided to focus on finishing A Grave Secret and get it published! If I finish it before the year is done (and I'm pretty sure I will) I'll get cracking on those two partially completed New Netherland Settlers books. Unless of course a bright shiny object should appear in front of me!

Wish me luck! What are your goals for 2019?

DNA and Cold Cases

I'm sure most of you have been hearing or reading about DNA being used to solve cold cases.

Genealogists are being called in to help trace family trees using the DNA taken from forensic evidence. They then look for matches using GedMatch which is a free tool where anyone can upload their DNA results.

Once a match is found, detectives can focus on family members connected to that match or matches.

There are two opposing opinions on this somewhat controversial new tool of course. I think it's a fascinating use of DNA and so helpful to law enforcement.

Imagine taking a killer off the streets and putting him/her somewhere where he/she can't hurt anyone else. Imagine the relief and feeling of closure of family members who finally know who hurt or murdered a love one.

Some think this is an intrusion and disagree with the blind searching which ends up matching people who are not suspects but are connected to them through DNA.  In other words you could find that you match a criminal - a distant cousin, someone you don't know, someone you do know.....

Because of the controversy, GedMatch now has a warning when a user logs in.

"April 28, 2018 While the database was created for genealogical research, it is important that GEDmatch participants understand the possible uses of their DNA, including identification of relatives that have committed crimes or were victims of crimes. If you are concerned about non-genealogical uses of your DNA, you should not upload your DNA to the database and/or you should remove DNA that has already been uploaded. Users may delete their registration/profile and associated DNA and GEDCOM resources."

Personally my opinion is if someone I'm related to commits a crime, they deserve to face whatever our justice system deals out. I would be glad if my DNA helped bring them to justice, and gave closure to a family.

In any case, here's an interesting article talking about five cold cases that were solved using DNA.

Genealogists Turn to Cousins’ DNA and Family Trees to Crack Five More Cold Cases

3 Ways to Give at Christmas

Christmas is supposed to be a time of giving and yet it often seems like a time of getting! More presents, more Christmas lights, more food.... it is easy to find ourselves caught up in greed and grab.

But I've found ways to convert that to more giving. If you're not already involved in these wonderful projects (or something similar) I urge you to try them out. It's a win-win situation when you help others and you feel good about it.

I have 10 grandchildren. As each of them reaches age 13, I take the money I normally spent on them for a gift under the tree, and use it for one of the following projects. Each grandchild knows what was purchased in their name and receives a card with information on the gift and how it helps others. The younger children still receive a present under the tree but I include them in the Sick Children's Hospital project.

Sick Children's Hospital has a very special meaning for me. When my first grandchild was one month old he became very ill and ended up in Sick Kid's. He was diagnosed with the flesh-eating bacteria. One lung was completely destroyed and the second partially gone and we were told he would not likely make it through the night. But specialists worked tirelessly to save him and although he was in ICU for many weeks and had many setbacks, they managed to control and eradicate the bacteria before the second lung was completely gone. Thanks to the doctors and staff at Sick Children's he survived (minus one lung) and is now an active 20 year old.

1. Plan Canada 
I support 3 girls on a monthly basis. Fiker lives in Ethiopia, Rojina is in Tibet, and Racheal is in Zambia. These sponsorships replace spending that money on gifts to my eldest grandchildren. My grandkids get to enjoy the letters and photos we receive from the girls, and they also get to be part of helping others who are not as fortunate as they are.

2. Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto Ontario
I love choosing what I think is the perfect gift to make in a grandchild's name. For example, Quinn likes to cook so last year I gave the Holiday Cooking and Baking Supplies gift in his name.

3. Kiva
By lending as little as $25 on Kiva, anyone can help a borrower start or grow a business, go to school, access clean energy or realize their potential. I'm part of the Genealogists for Families Team on Kiva. Currently I have made 10 loans to women in Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, El Salvador, Cambodia, Mali, Samoa, and the Philipines.

I try to make loans in my adult children's names based on their interests. For example I made one loan in my motorcycle loving son-in-law's name to a man in Kenya who need to purchase a new motorcycle for his taxi business.

Here are 3 of my 4 current loans:

Often I choose single woman with children who are involved in some aspect of food services - cooking, raising chickens, running a small grocery store. In fact I have some money in my account from a loan that was repaid a few days ago, and I'm going to choose someone new today.

The above are ways I spend money I would normally spend on gifts to family at Christmas. It may not suit everyone but I urge you to check out what is available where you live and consider a project helping others to better their lives.

Would my Ancestors Come for Christmas Dinner?

Over the past 15 years I've entertained 30 plus family and friends at a huge Christmas feast. I do all the cooking. I make the traditional Christmas turkey with stuffing, plus one other meat and a homemade pasta.

For my second meat dish I've made cabbage rolls, cow's tongue, ham, Cornish hens and a roast.

For my pasta dish I've made cheese ravioli, potato gnocchi, mac 'n cheese, and pierogi.

My side dishes were always mashed potatoes, candied yam, stir-fried broccoli, and Kak's cukes (hubs' grandmother's recipe for a cucumber dish). Sometimes I added carrots in a ginger orange juice sauce, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto or roasted root vegetables. And of course - gravy and cranberry sauce.

Desserts varied.  I frequently made individual pavola with raspberries. A few times I made individual trifles. Once I made  labour intensive pasteis de nata. Sometimes I made carrot cake or a simple ice cream with raspberry coulis.

I used to look at all the food put out on our buffet tables, and think about my ancestors. What kind of Christmas dinner did they enjoy? How would they feel seeing the abundance and variety of the meal at our home? Sometimes I pretended that some of my ancestors were there and I would ask them questions as they dug in to the meal.

Who's Coming to Dinner?

So who would I invite to one of our feasts? My top pick would be Joseph and Fanny (Downey) McGinnis because I'm desperate to know who their parents were, and where in Ireland they were born. I'd be enthralled hearing their story of leaving Ireland during the Famine Years and what it was like sailing over to Canada.

I'd like to hear from Cornelis Antonissen Van Slyke what it was like arriving in New Netherland (present day New York) in 1634. I want to know more about the mother of his children, Ots-Toch, the French-Mohawk woman he met in the New World. I don't think she would like to come as early records indicate she wasn't fond of Christians.

Jacob Peer would be high on my list because I want to know if he is descended from the Dutch Pier line that settled in New Netherland in the mid 17th Century. Yes it's funny we genealogists can become obsessed with one unknown fact.

But this will all have to stay in my imagination unless one day a time machine is invented. Even then my idea won't happen as I decided last year was my last time making such a huge feast. So it would have to be Chinese takeout or Pizza going back with me on that machine. I bet my ancestors would enjoy that just as much, maybe more.

My Surname Christmas Tree

Here's my yearly surname Christmas Tree. It's the only one I'm doing this year.

Some of my surnames are

Peer, Vollick, King, McGinnis, Downey, Stead, Simpson, Burkholder, Fuller, Greenlees, Johnston, Shuart, Van Slyke, Ryckman, Bradt, Van Valkenburg, Damen, Caiser, Taine, Philpot, Norris, Dawson, Motteram, Wildbore, Higginson, Bell, Caspall, Holford, Smith, Dawson, Marical, Baker, Larroway, De Graw, Gingerich, Jamieson, Hubbard, Laming, Williams, Norman, Whibley, Page, Crunden, Fryer, Van Horn, Snediker, Sutton, Elvery, Anson, Blandell, Jackson, LeRoy, Winne, Hommell, Snider, Bellinger, Warner, Van Alstyne, Muller, Deroche, Wust, Kehl, Earl, Cole, Burd, Vrooman, Van Horn, Snediker, Post, Shuart, Uziele, and more.

Putting My Christmas Memories Away

Yesterday I spent several hours sorting and organizing Christmas decorations. I have hundreds, probably enough to decorate 10 trees. I even have a few of the old Santa decorations from the tree we had when I was young. And every year I buy more.

That's me on the left (many years ago!) in front of a little tree. See the red Santas with the twisted legs? They were one of my favourites when I was a kid. Those long legs that could be twisted around in every direction really tickled me. Santa was tall and skinny instead of rotund, another fact I loved as a kid. I managed to save a couple of those Santas and they've gone with me through many years and many moves.


No More Christmas Decorating

So yesterday was bittersweet because I made the decision last month to not decorate trees anymore. Each year Christmas has become more difficult for me to manage. Usually I entertain 30 or more family - and I do all the cooking. I loved it, but my physical issues are making it too challenging to continue. As well my family is dwindling, either from death or geographic distance. So it just seemed like this year would be a sad Christmas, and it's hard to get in the spirit with that mind-set. Hence the decision for this year at least. Maybe longer.

Some Memories are Painful
 
Each decoration I found, unwrapped and held, reminded me of something - an event from the past, a tree put up 10 years ago that looked like a Charlie Brown Christmas, a friend, a relative who gave me the ornament as a gift, or family Christmases of long ago. 

Mind you, Christmas has never been my favourite holiday. My father died Christmas Day when I was 14. I miss him. So Christmas is sprinkled with sadness for me. That's me with my dad the Christmas I turned 10.


After a lot of thought and discussion with hubs I made my decision and set about packing items to be stored.



So Many Tubs of Ornaments!

I organized the ornaments by colour and by theme in case I break down and decorate a small tree next year.

I ended up with 3 huge tubs, one for purple, one for green, one for the neutrals (ivory, white, grey, silver and gold) and several smaller tubs - one for red decorations, one for decorations from my childhood or made by my children or gifts from friends and family, one for kids decorations for their little tree, one for miscellaneous sets in assorted colours, and one labelled "winged creatures" which are birds, dragonflies, butterflies - you get the idea - anything with wings.

Then I sorted all the garlands and ribbons and so on and put them all in a tub. Next came tags and wrapping paper and ribbons for presents - that took 2 more tubs. By the time I finished, I had a total of 9 large tubs representing Christmas memories. 


It Will Be Okay

I feel a bit sad but I also feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Hubs and I discussing what we will do over the Christmas holidays. We have friends coming up from the city for Christmas Eve so I might cook a traditional Christmas dinner - although my friend wants me to just order Chinese Food! We are not sure what else we might do. Perhaps we'll just close the blinds, put the fireplace on, and watch our favourite movies while sipping tea.