I am honoured to find myself as President of the Grande Prairie Branch but Iím still not quite sure how it happened! I had hopes that it would inspire me to return to my research but in fact I seem to have even less free time than I had before! A welcome to all new members and to this yearís Board Members who are wonderful to work with.
Recent programs have been well attended and enjoyed by all. Our March meeting took place at the Grande Prairie Museum as the library was closed for renovations. Fran Moore presented an exciting overview of the Museums of the Peace and showed us the excellent video that was made recently. We were able to stroll around the museum during our coffee break, which was an ëextraí for our meeting. In April, Laura Turnbull shared her genealogical trip to England with research tips, pamphlets and photos galore. Leita Askew gave us a fine detailed insight, full of valuable tips that she has learned the hard way, into researching Ontario records in May. The June meeting will be a relaxing evening with presentations from the Scottish and Ukrainian dance groups.
The library "Genies" continue their popular sessions at the Public Library. However, not all our materials are available as some are boxed and some have not yet returned from their safe storage spot where they were housed during the library renovations. We have applied for a grant from the Community Lottery Board to help fund additional shelving and a microfilm cabinet to store the 1881, 1891 and 1901 census films.
In March many of our members worked hard to support the Friends of the Library group with their Spring Fling fundraiser. Money was raised towards the purchase of a microfilm reader. Three of our members, Laura Turnbull, Debby Was and Paulette Hrychiw presented a 'Beginning Genealogy' class in Beaverlodge which was well received by that community. A creative workbee was spearheaded by Debby Was to make table centres for the annual conference in Edmonton ó I wonder how she got them there safely! With all this activity it is not surprising that the first quarter of 1999 saw us log an all-time record 551volunteer hours!
The arrival of the CD of cemetery recordings from AGS, The Cemetery Browser, has been a welcome addition to our research tools. Now we need an IBM computer so that all our members can access the records. We have been donated an old DOS based computer so if there any members who can figure out how it works please let us know. Meanwhile, the cemetery CD is at my home. Give me a call at 538-0009 and come on over anytime to search its contents.
A happy-hunting summer to you all!
First I would like to thank Joan Bowman for her work over the past years in her capacity of editor of "Heritage Seekers". Joan continues to contribute to our publication with articles and reports of interest to our members. My thanks to all our members, who contribute articles for publication, whether regular columns or individual articles. Without your contributions there would be no newsletter! My appreciation also goes to Laura Turnbull for her commitment to doing the layout and copying of our newsletter for each issue. This is a big job and Laura does it well. Once it is ready for distribution, Dorothy McDonald happily looks after our needs making sure all our members receive their copy. Thank you to all who volunteer and make "Heritage Seekers" a reality. (Did you keep track of those volunteer hours for Catherine? You know she will be asking you for them!)
In this issue of "Heritage Seekers" you will find information to do with cemetery research in genealogy. Anyone who has had the opportunity to hear Dr. Penny Christensen speak knows that it is important to "finish them off". We hope that you find some information in this publication to help you as you work towards "finishing them off" this summer.
Please give some thought to helping on our cemeteries committee. We all rely on the information fellow genealogists have published in the far away areas of our research. How about giving some back and working on our local cemetery committee? The chair is still vacant. If you can help us, please contact our President, Margaret Kay. (I'm sure you could share the chair with another volunteer.)
Enjoy your summer of research and reunions. Keep your loaded camera handy and your pencil sharp. Remember "Heritage Seekers" if you come across an interesting web site, publication, etc. We would also love to hear from you if you make an interesting find. The contribution deadline for our September issue is September first.
Wishing you success in your own research.
I first became interested in finding family facts when they brought in the Canada Pension Act and we needed to find some record of my father's birthdate. That was back in 1966 and started our family trying to document his seven sister's and one brother's birthdates. We managed to establish a date for him by using old census records and his eldest sister's sworn statement.
The next nudge to find out information was when a Mormon acquaintance found out my interest in genealogy and gave me some books and a "Book of Remembrance". That got me started talking to family members and asking questions, which could then be put into proper order in my book. At that time, I was living in Ontario and about all I established was that my husband's maternal family lived in Belwood, Ontario. I did manage to find them on a census for 1881, but that was all. This was about 20 years ago, and there was not near as much information available as there is now.
Over the years, I have added information as it became known to me of new babies and marriages. This summer, when I came to Grande Prairie to stay with my daughter for a few months, I decided to see what I could add. I was thrilled to see the resources now available, both at the public library and with the local Family History Centre. My sister had become interested in genealogy and her path was a little different than mine. She started writing to Canadian agencies to obtain copies of all the birth certificates she could get, and managed to get quite a few. When we started to compare information, it gave a lot of answers and raised more questions.
After many hours of research, I was able to find that my paternal grandfather, Valenties KUC and his wife and two daughters left Zapalow, Poland, via Hamburg in April of 1903, and arrived in Halifax in May, 1903. I found them on the passenger list and it was a great reward to see that we did have the name spelled correctly and to get the name of the town he came from. So far, I have not been able to get information from their place of origin, it seems this area has not been microfilmed yet. We do know that they homesteaded in Grenfell, which was then in the North West Territories and he was accidentally shot by a hired hand in 1913, leaving a pregnant wife and eight children.
I am still working on my maternal grandparents, Francesco MALINOWSKI and his wife, Maria CZYKO. They emigrated from Radmyno, Poland to Winnipeg, somewhere between 1898 and 1903 - but so far, can't find them.
I have had tremendous success with my husband's family. His paternal grandfather, William Thomas ROSTRON, emigrated with wife Sarah Ellen HAMER and two sons, John and William, from Bolton, Lancashire, England. I have been able to locate the birth records of William Thomas ROSTRON and Sarah Ellen HAMER, as well as their marriage information in 1906 in Bolton, England, which gave me their parents' names. Now I am waiting for their parents' marriage information, which will put me somewhere around 1850. I have found that the BC Archives has a website which will provide marriage and death registries, along with registration numbers, so have been able to locate a lot of information on the maternal side of this family in Canada. The maternal grandfather, Thomas Alexander CONNELLY, was born in Quebec about 1838, shortly after his parents arrived from Ireland. I've not been able to track this down, so far, but have documented a lot of his children and their families, including the direct link, John CONNOLLY and his wife Clara MANZER, and their 11 children.
The "CWGC" website was able to provide information on two of his children, Thomas Alexander CONNOLLY, who was killed in action at the Battle of Vimy Ridge and no one in the family seemed to know this. They only knew he was "killed in the war". His brother, Clarence, was a victim of mustard gas and I have been able to obtain all of their army records.
To me, this genealogy hobby is like a gigantic puzzle and the reward of 'finding' someone after hours of pouring over those hard-to-read passenger lists, census lists and civil records makes it all worthwhile and encouraging enough to look for more information. I am very grateful to Paulette Hrychiw for all her guidance, and the folks at the Family History Centre for their tips and help in pointing me in the right direction.
Arlene Rostron, #6, 320 Powers Road, Kamloops, BC V2C 1V1 Telephone:
(250) 828-2448
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This study group first met on Wednesday, June 9th in the Spencer Room of the Grande Prairie Public Library.
It is planned to meet on the second Wednesday of each month (including July and August). This group is for AGS members to come together to share research ideas and help one another with roadblocks and problems in genealogical research.
If you would like more information about this group, please contact Judy at 539-3837.
We hope to see you at our next meeting on Wednesday, July 14th. Check our notice board in the Isabel Campbell Room for more meeting details.
The past three months have seen three of our members volunteer to speak at our monthly meeting programs. In March Fran Moore spoke about "The Spirit of the Peace", which is the Peace River museum system. She shared pamphlets, maps and a 16-minute video called "Discover the Spirit of the Peace". This was a very informative program that started a discussion about taking a trip to one of the museums this June.
Laura Turnbull spoke in April about the genealogical research she and her husband conducted while in England. Laura had very good advice on planning such trips and she also shared many brochures and books with the group.
In May Leita Askew volunteered to speak about researching in Ontario. She gave a well-organized talk which was helpful even to those not researching the same area.
Thanks to these three volunteers for sharing their experiences and expertise!
A very special thank you also goes out to Judy Bradley who is starting a new, organized study group for this branch. Even though I've heard that this is not the first study group to form in Grande Prairie, it is the first for me and many newer members. Judy has already given out "homework" to those interested people who were at the last meeting. Thanks Judy for your guidance.
That's all for now. Hope everyone has a restful, genealogy-filled summer!
Ten years have gone by since Grande Prairie hosted the Alberta Museums Association's Annual Conference (1989). The conference preparation caused ideas and thoughts to expand into some very special projects. One project was a historic calendar, a pictorial history of the Peace Country along with a perpetual calendar for the 1990's. This book is for sale and proceeds go to the museums of the Peace.
In putting this book together, the committee searched for a proper title and it developed into "Spirit of the Peace: An Invitation to Our Museums". Neighboring museums helped in the production of this booklet, the conference museums fair and a travelling display. After the conference, organizers felt we should keep this working-together attitude going, so the title and the network were born.
The purposes of the informal association are for the museums of the Peace to meet and work together, do joint projects, discuss mutual problems and solutions, promote our museums to the public, and in the process learn more about our own area history.
Our Peace Country Museums
The growing concern for saving our heritage has prompted the communities of the Peace, like those in other areas, to form historic societies, write history books and start museums. This process started in the 1960s and is still going on. Each community has its own unique structure, both in organization and in facility, and each museum has its own unique character.
We have 37 listings of historic organizations, of which 20 are societies, 20 are museums and five are historic sites. Of these, 23 have an Alberta Museums Association affiliation.
We also include the "BC Block" of the Peace in our tours and in our newsletter mailout and hope for their participation in the future. There are seven museums in that area, with the same diversity as in the Alberta Peace.
The museums, as a whole, are doing a good job of collecting the artifacts of our young pioneer history. The degree of museum professionalism is as wide ranging as the subject matter, but all museums are doing the best they can with the resources available. All museums would like to upgrade and make improvements each year - volunteers and dollars allowing.
Our association hopes to encourage this upgrading of standards in all areas of expertise. What makes these museums what they are, however, is the people. Hundreds of dedicated volunteers and faithful staff give their creative talents to this whole process. The community spirit is heartening and refreshing. Collections, displays and public activities have a special local flair, which shows their Peace pioneer pride.
Progress
Our meetings, our projects, our purpose for coming together are becoming what we had hoped they would. We do not claim to be able to solve all our area museums' problems, but by working together we help one another and get to know our history.
Meetings
We have been meeting at different museums around the Peace every three months since December 1989.
Museum participation and attendance has grown over the years so that usually there are from 10 to 11 museums represented, with about 25 - 30 people. We ask all museums to become active and we ask for a $25.00 yearly membership fee to cover the cost of mailing out the newsletters.
Volunteers and staff from museums across the Peace are involved in the committees of the association. Meetings are chaired by the host museum. The secretary/treasurer at this time is also the newsletter editor.
Newsletter
After each quarterly meeting a newsletter is put together and is sent to all museums and historic societies in the Peace, whether they are participating or not. These newsletters are the minutes or record of the meetings, plus items of interest such as reports on projects and listings of upcoming events at area museums.
The newsletter also includes special awards to museums or their volunteers and staff, personality profiles, and area historic happenings (e.g., 1992 with the Alaska Highway 50th Anniversary, and the bicentennial of Mackenzie).
Projects
Joint projects of the association are conceived, a committee is formed and a host museum takes on the financial responsibility of seeing it through (e.g., the Pioneer Museum of Grande hosted the tours, and the Town of Peace River sponsored the brochure). This method has been used because our association has not become a registered society and is, therefore, unable to apply for grants.
Our committees reflect the joint projects the association has initiated: bus tours, a brochure, highway signage, displays and passports.
Of these early initiatives the bus tours and the passport program are no longer being done. However, we have done many new and exciting projects with the help of Museums Alberta Regional Grants:
Conclusion
The concept of a regional association of museums was presented to the museums of the Peace. Individuals from those museums took action and the results are starting to come in - we think the results will be worth the effort.
Having a regional association besides our local duties and our provincial affiliation does mean extra work, but we feel it is necessary and worthwhile in our area, especially with the distance for travel to other Alberta points.
Not all areas would wish to have a "middle association", yet we think it is beneficial for us. The enthusiasm of those involved has brought new friendships and new understanding of museum activities and responsibilities. It has been a learning experience for us in the Peace Country and we do still "have the Spirit".
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Featured in booklet: Battle River, Manning |
Other Museums & Historic Sites Dixonville Museum |
The snow is gone, summer is almost here. This is the best time of year for researching in the cemetery.
When you are hunting for the graves of your ancestors, there are a few things you can do to make your search easier, quicker, and most likely successful.
Before you set out for the cemetery, contact the cemetery office and find out if they have a record of your relative's burial. If they do, ask for any information they have concerning the individual, as well as any others that may be interred in the plot. Be sure to get the location of the plot, and whenever possible a map of the cemetery. If the surname you are researching is uncommon, or if the cemetery is small, ask for all the burials for that surname. Great-grandad's brother may have pertinent information on his stone! Also ask for the names of those buried in the plots on either side of your relative's plot. This will help you orient yourself in the event there is no stone or the stone is unreadable.
It can be fun to walk through a cemetery searching row by row, but it will also be very time consuming. Ask the cemetery office if they have any other memorial records. Many cemeteries have programs such as plaques for trees planted or "adopted" in remembrance of a loved one. One of our family not returning from WW II has a tree in his memory in a cemetery in Saskatoon. Check with local genealogical or historical groups to find out if the cemetery has been recorded. A transcription of the stone may be very helpful to you. As stones age some deteriorate, some are vandalized, and at some cemeteries they have been removed! Learning the location of the burial site should be done before you leave home. Be sure to ask the cemetery for their hours of operation. You do not want to travel a great distance only to find the gates are locked at the time you arrive. Also ask about rules they may have regarding placement of flowers, natural or artificial.
There are a few "tools of the trade" that will come in handy when you make your pilgrimage to the cemetery. You will need a tote bag of some description to hold them all.
Wear comfortable clothing for the weather and season. Be sure it is layered so you can make adjustments. You may be there longer than you think! Remember to look after yourself with sunscreen, bug dope, long sleeves and a hat. (Take along some water or juice for yourself too.) Comfortable walking shoes are a must.
Once you find the plot you are looking for, check the stone first. If you are in luck it will be legible, and written in a language you understand! First copy everything exactly as it is written on the stone. Anything you cannot make out leave blank . . . guesses do not belong in a genealogist's records. Copy any symbols or pictures as they may be clues to occupation, fraternal organizations, etc. Check both sides and the back of the stone to be sure you have found all the information available. Also check that there are no flat markers hidden by grass, brush, or natural debris. Try to disturb the site as little as possible.
When your search yields a stone that you cannot read do not give up. A spray of water may help the inscription appear. Spaying on an angle across the face of the stone, being careful to keep the inscription dry, may provide the shading you need to decipher the inscription. If that is not helpful, allow the stone to dry and then apply water to the inscription only. You may need to rely on the "hands on" approach, and gently feel the inscription to determine what has been carved in the stone. Because of the fragility of many old stones, methods of chalk rubbings and relief rubbings are becoming unacceptable in many instances.
When your work is finished have a quick walk in the area you have been working to make sure you have left nothing behind when you packed up to leave. It is a nice gesture to pick up any litter that you find and pack that out too!
Did you remember to use your camera? I like to take a few pictures from different angles, and if possible take some with the stone shaded and some with full sun shining on the stone. This is dependent upon the sky conditions and the landscaping of the area. If the site is a picturesque tangle, you may want to take some pictures before you begin your work. Slides or videos may enhance the readability of a problem stone.
Once you are home, a thank you letter to the cemetery office, society that transcribed the cemetery, and any others that assisted you in your search is a nice touch. Many individuals go out of their way to be helpful to us in our search. With the number of people sharing our interest growing at such a rapid rate, our questions and requests become time consuming in many offices. Usually there is no charge for the service we require. It is always nice for one to know their efforts have been appreciated.
Hearts like doors ope' with ease
To very very little keys.
Just remember two of these
Are "Thank you sir." and "If you please."
(written by Mum in my autograph book)
Is anyone thinking of taking a genealogical journey this summer? I highly recommend them ó you never know what, or should I say who, you will find at the end of the road.
Several summers ago my daughter, who was then in Junior High school, and I were planning to travel to Vancouver Island to stay with a close friend. Our arrival date was not critical so it was decided that we would go there via the "long route". Instead of crossing the Rockies, suffering through the heat of Cache Creek and taking the ferry from Tsawwassen or Horseshoe Bay to Vancouver Island, we devised a more circuitous route. It took us south through Alberta and BC into Washington and then travelling at a leisurely pace across Washington exploring places as we went, we ended up on the coast in Anacortes.
Anacortes was not new to us; we have often taken the ferry from there up through the San Juan Islands and the Gulf Islands to Victoria. Its a trip we always enjoy but this time I wanted to show Whidby Island to my daughter and (my secret goal, since she winces at the word genealogy) I wanted to see where my great uncle had died.
His name was Henry (Harry) John Wallis and he was born in Hull, East Yorkshire, England, in 1877. He was my paternal grandmotherís brother. I have photographs of him as a young man with brothers and sisters in England and I have one photograph of a casket covered by flowers, flanked on one side by an American flag and on the other by a banner that says BPOE. The room has large square pillars. On my great grandfatherís (his fatherís) grave stone in Hornsea, East Yorkshire, England his name is recorded with his date of death, October 8, 1927, and place of death, Anacortes, USA. The family always assumed that the casket in the photograph was Harryís since there is no record of anyone else coming to America.
With these clues my daughter and I went into City Hall in Anacortes with the intention of finding a burial record for Harry. Some staff were standing around having a break from work and they directed us to a very pregnant lady who had the cemetery records. I asked what I thought was my simple question, "Would I be able to find any burial records for Harry Wallis?" She looked surprised and said the name "rang a bell". Would anyone else have been asking about Harry lately? Not likely! "Iím sure Iíve done some paperwork for that name recently", she said. As she checked her inquiry book people began to gather around. We were much more interesting than work on that hot afternoon! I shared my photos and started to tell my little tale. "Bingo!" shouted the pregnant lady, "I knew that name was familiar!" It transpired that a Mr. Harry Lomas had been into the office about three months earlier to seek the exact location of his grandmotherís grave and that of Harry Wallis as he wanted to have headstones erected. "Did we know Harry Lomas?" We didnít, but everyone else did. They all started to offer information about this man who was seen as an eccentric personality but one of the "old" families in Anacortes. "Heís the one who used to own a pet gorilla", "His grandfather owned the canning factory", "He had a bunch of commercial salmon fishing boats too", "He owns that big, wild piece of land up by the ferry terminal", "Yea, used to own all that point but its a new subdivision now", "He has a bunch of old Model-T fords lying around", "Got some old tractors too", "I think he lives on his boat", "I think he lives in the house with a huge dog", "He wrote a series of articles for the local paper a few years ago", "Must be nearly 90 now", "He still drives that old black stretch Lincoln"...and on the stories went! The crowd grew.
By now we had a small crowd of City Hall staff. My photos were passed from hand to hand. One of the staff recognized the pillars in the photograph and dragged us into the council chambers (where a meeting was taking place). We were a showstopper! Everyone was now in on the story. The pillars matched! Another staff member looked at the photograph and recognized the banner as belonging to the Elks. Someone else knew that the City Hall building had once belonged to the Elks but was sold to the city in the 1930ís when an extra storey was added. We all left the council chamber and went to look at the pictures of the old City Hall and sure enough the letters BPOE were carved above the door. Another amateur detective remembered that Harry Lomasí father and grandfather had been very active in the Elks lodge. Harry Wallisí father was a Mason in England so it would make sense that Harry would gravitate to a similar organization in his new country.
We were given Harry Lomasí phone number and strongly urged to call him. A boring summer afternoon at City Hall had been lightened by our genealogical enquiry. After an exciting hour with these kind people we still didnít know anything new about my great uncle except that he was definitely buried in Anacortes and his casket had been displayed in the Elks Lodge, a building which was now City Hall. Where did Harry Lomas fit into all this? As we went to the phone to call Harry Lomasí number I thought about two coincidences. What if the very pregnant lady who remembered the name Harry Wallis had been away on maternity leave? What if the now elderly Harry Lomas was dead? Oh, and in all the excitement we had forgotten to get the exact location of Harry Wallisí grave!
To be continued in the next issue...
Births marriages and deaths as contained in the Grande Prairie "Herald" newspaper. Continued from the March, 1999 issue of "Heritage Seekers".
Jan 3, 1922 Issue:
- "Notice to Creditors and claimants in the Estate of Charles Bradford WILSON, late of Grande Prairie, AB, Merchant, Deceased Ö who died 13 Nov 1921 Ö"
Jan 10, 1922 Issue (Tues.):
- "Miss Jean STEVENS of the local teaching staff Ö
her sister passed away."
- "Notice to Creditors and Claimants in the Estate of Charles
E. COOK Ö at the Grande Prairie Hospital age 58 years and
9 months Ö Funeral at the Methodist Church by Rev. Mr. THORPE,
assisted by Rev. QUARTERMAN, the English Church Clergyman Ö
Laid to Rest in the Beaverlodge Cemetery on the eve of the last
day of 1921."
Jan 17, 1922 Issue:
- "Born to Mr. and Mrs. W.J. TENNYSON, a daughter on December
28th."
- "At the home of Fred SAUL Ö wedding on January 2,
1922, when Mary, third eldest daughter of Frederick and Marguerite
SAUL was united in marriage to Jean LOZERON. Father SERRAND officiated
Ö bride assisted by her siste rruth and the groom by his
brother Peter Ö "
- "In the Matter of the Estate of Gerald Henry PATTERSON
of Clairmont, AB, Farmer, Deceased Ö who died 15 July 1916
Ö "
- "In the Mater of the Estate of Samuel Leo ARMSTRONG of
Hythe, AB, Farmer deceased Ö who died 12 July 1920 Ö
"
Jan 24, 1922 Issue:
- "Born to Mr. & Mrs. J.E. FORTIER, Jan. 19th,
a daughter."
- "Born to Mr. and Mrs. A. THORPE, Jan. 18th,
a son."
- "Born to Mr. and Mrs. J.B. OLIVER, Jan. 16th,
a son."
- "At the home of the bride's parents, January 17, 1922,
Ethel Fannie HUNSKOR married James Albert RATH of Clairmont. Rev.
LITTLE officiated Ö bride attended by the groom's sister,
Gladys RATH, and the groom gy Edgar ELLIS Ö They will make
their home in Clairmont where the groom is employed by the Union
Bank."
Jan 31, 1922 Issue:
- "Born to Mr. and Mrs. Ross BEATTY of Lake Saskatoon, a son, January 24, 1922."
Feb 7, 1922 Issue:
- "Born to Mr. and Mrs. D.D. McARTHUR of Sturgeon Lake,
a son, Jan. 17, 1922."
- "At the home of Peter ROBIDEAU of Bezanson, Feb. 2, when
Mabel ROBIDEAU, young daughter of Mr. and Mrs. ROBIDEAU, married
George Leon WHALEN. Rev. Father SERRAND officiated Ö bride
assisted by her sister Henrietta and the groom by his brother
Edward Ö bride's sister, Mrs. L.J. NELLIS Ö their home
to be on their homestead across the Smoky."
Feb 14, 1922 Issue:
- "Born to Mr. and Mrs. Sandy PEEBLES, a daughter."
(no date given)
- "Born to Mr. and Mrs. George A. DUNCAN, a son on Feb. 8th."
- "In the Estate of Napoleon DUPRAS of Spirit River, AB,
Merchant, deceased Ö on 17 Oct. 1920 "
- "In the Estate of Allan Emmanuel McDONALD, late of Spirit
River, Farmer, Deceased Ö on 28th day of Dec.
1917."
Feb 21, 1922 Issue:
- " Ö death of Mrs. Anne Jane CLARKE Ö at the local hospital on Jan. 14, 1922. The deceased is the mother of J.J.E. CLARKE, Addountant of the Union Bank of Canada here and C.W. CLARKE, a fur buyer with John MCAULEY. the deceased came from Ireland last July with her son C.W. CLARKE Ö interment in the Flying Shot Cemetery. Rev. FORBES officiated."
Feb 28, 1922 Issue:
- "Hillhead News: Born to Mr. and Mrs. Harry SCOTT on Feb. 10, 1922, a son."
Guess What! The first 36 reels of the 1881
Canadian census for Ontario are catalogued and in the filing cabinet
with the rest of the 1881 films. Please note that the films for
Ontario are all negative copies. This means when you look at them
the writing is white on a black background. To make copies you
will have to put the negative ink cartridge in the microfilm printer.
A librarian will help you with this, if needed. So far:
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The 3 volume set of books, The Central Canadians 1600-1900 has been available in the Isabel Campbell room since mid April. Hopefully, everyone got a chance to look at them. Margaret Kay will be taking them back to the AGS office in mid June. We will borrow another set in September.
Barb Moreau has informed me that the Friends of the Library and our branch, made approximately $6000.00 at the Spring Gala and silent auction. Well done! The library has ordered the new microfilm reader/printer. You can still make contributions by purchasing "a balloon" for $5.00 at our next branch meeting. All prizes are guaranteed to be worth a minimum of $5.00.
While at the AGS Conference '99, I talked with Penny Christensen and made arrangements with her to purchase one copy of each of the books published by "Heritage Productions". These books will be on display at our June and September meetings. If anyone is interested, we will be taking orders. When we have enough orders, we will send in a bulk order to save on shipping charges. Price lists are available and we will collect the money when we receive the books.
Some of the new items in our library collection during the past year are:
The "Genies in the Library" program is now on summer break. Many thanks to my faithful partners, Paulette Hrychiw and Jane Littleton If you need help over the summer, you can make an appointment with Paulette or myself. We will be back in the library in October.
Have a great summer.
We extend our condolences to our members and their families who have recently lost family members:
May your memories sustain you in this time of sorrow.
From Ann R. Beutler, 4439 North Meadow, Waterford, MI 48329
We originally heard from Ann Beutler in 1995 when she was looking for information on her grandparents, James W. LONG and Eva May (ANDRES) LONG, who had lived in the Whitelaw, Alberta area. (See the query and reply in the September 1995 issue of "Heritage Seekrs").
In 1996 Ann told us of all the successes in her research. This we published in the September 1996 issue.
In 1998 Ann wrote again. She was then looking for descendants of Christiania (LONG) THOMPSON, a sister of her grandfather James LONG. Christianiaís obituary said she lived in Calgary, Alberta; was born in 1853 at Haldimand County, Ontario, and married John THOMPSON at Jarvis, Ontario in 1870. A son, Arthur W., of Calgary, Alberta, survived her.
In the past, I have received great help and information from Research Correspondent Myrna Waldroff of the Alberta Family Histories Society in Calgary. I therefore suggested to Ann that she contact Myrna for some assistance in her search for Christianiaís descendants.
In April 1999 I received a letter from an ecstatic Ann. Myrna Waldroff was a big help. She got a death certificate for Ann of Christiania THOMPSON and now Ann knows Christiania was also call "Ann"! Myrna also provided Ann Beutler with an address in Haldimand Twp; OGS and that gave Ann a gold mine. All kinds of "LONGís" lived around that area. From that, Ann gained the knowledge of where her grandmother is buried and when she died.
At the end of her letter, Ann says, "Thank you so much for your help. The people of Canada have done so much to point me in the right direction."
June 15:
Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
Program: "Celebrating our Heritages"July 14: Study Group Meets at 7:00 p.m.
Write a short story about an
Interesting or favorite ancestor
Topic: "People in Uniform"August 11: Study Group Meets at 7:00 p.m.
September 8: Study Group Meets at 7:00 p.m.
September 14:
Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
Program: tbaAll programs are preceded by a
short business meeting.Genies in the Library:
On Summer Break - please ask the staff at the Grande Prairie Public Library for contact information.
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August 26, 1999