It seemed to me that Mum was always watching for the mailman. As soon as Cliff and I saw Mr. Hill stopping at the mailbox and opening the flap and shoving in the letters and papers, we raced to the box to get the mail for her.

Since I was older, I got to carry the letters while Cliff grasped the newspaper in his hand. When we came running through the backdoor, Mum stopped her daily chores. Letters were opened first and then she picked up the newspaper. I would watch a smile play over her face as she read the advice of Dorothy Dix. Next was the page of births and deaths followed by a quick skim of the headline news. The mail was her daily contact with the outside world.

Like mother like daughter appears to apply to me, for I also look forward to the mail each day but my E-mail postman brings me letters and magazines several times a day and even during the night. I don't look out the window to see if the mailman's car is coming down the Deacon's hill,  I just connect to the internet.

The genealogical magazines that I subscribe to are free, but they aren't called magazines, they are referred to as Mailing Lists. The two terms mailing lists and subscribe made me think I would receive something by regular mail, or in my new net jargon - snail mail. To me, subscribe meant sending money for a subscription. It is about as difficult to teach an old retired teacher new methods as it is to teach an old dog new tricks, but I am learning.

First I went to the URL   http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/index.html  and scrolled down to the heading  INTERNATIONAL and chose Canada and this took me to Canada Mailing Lists at  http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/CAN/  I was feeling very proud of myself, this seemed quite easy.

I scrolled way down until I found:  New Brunswick  and with a click on it - I saw NewBrunswick Mailing List  with the URL http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/CAN/NewBrunswick.html   You  must be a subscriber to post to the list. To subscribe, send the word "subscribe" (without the quotes) as the only text in the body of a message and as the subject line to Subscribe to NewBrunswick-D (digest)   or to Subscribe to NewBrunswick-L  (mail)‘

Now I had to make a decision - mail mode or digest mode. This was getting confusing! After a quick phone call for some advice from Kathy Cormier, who was on old Pro at mailing lists, I decided to subscribe in the digest mode as this meant I would receive several messages at the one time.

I waited anxiously for my first New Brunswick Genealogical Magazine in the digest mode to arrive. I had no idea what to expect.

A pleasant surprise awaited me. This magazine was made up of several messages called postings on New Brunswick families. One person would give details of the stumbling blocks in their research and other people would answer them with suggestions. Some folk posted interesting sites on the internet that they had visited.

Every Post Office needs a post master to look after the administration duties but here the person is called the listowner. Derek Nichols is presently the person who holds this position. He told me this mail route has about 850 subscribers, all interested in families with roots in New Brunswick. Unlike the old rural delivery route that followed one country road, these mailboxes are all over the globe.

Most lists have an archival system that enables one to search the archived messages that have been posted, thus locating others with the same genealogical interest.

For New Brunswick:
Search the NewBrunswick archives      or    Browse the NewBrunswick archives

Each day, I look forward to reading about not only New Brunswick families but those in Maine, P.E.I., Boston-States, County Fermanagh and the lists go on.

Mum's connection to the outside world may have been the daily newspaper or the Family Herald but I can sit in front of the computer and connect to others all over the world who willingly share their genealogical information with me.

* * *
Query 98-641
Clark - McKenzie: I am looking for information on George Wilbur Clark and Amy Ann McKenzie who were born about 1884 in West Saint John, N.B. George Wilbur Clark was the second husband of my grandmother, Amy Ann McKenzie who was first married to my grandfather, George Edwin Clay Cameron who died at the age of 22 from pneumonia in West Saint John. They were married June 8, 1904. They had six known children; Charles Herman Clark (1905); Herbert F. (Bob) Clark (1906); Alice Mae Clark (1907) married Gladstone William Carr; George William Henry Clark (1908); Cecil Hazen Clark (1910) and Gilbert Clayton H. Clark (1911). Any information on George Wilbur Clark and Amy Ann McKenzie or their parents would be greatly appreciated.
 -Gordon C. Cameron, 145 Coldbrook Crescent, Apt. 5, Saint John, N.B., E2J 3Z3. Telephone (506) 696-8191.

Query 98-642
Wilson - Johnson: I am seeking information on John Wilson, who immigrated to New Brunswick in 1823. In 1828, he married Sarah Johnson and settled in the Chipman area. Their children were: Elizabeth (1830); John (1832); Stephen (1835); Isabella (1837); Christopher (1837); Sarah (1843); Jane (1845) Martha (1847) and Thomas (1851).
 -Ray Wildon, 749 Rte. 890, Smiths Creek, N.B., E4G 2T5.

Query 98-643
Theale - Hamm - Colwell: Charles Hamm was born in 1799, the first son of Andrew Hamm, United Empire Loyalist of Westfield. (The Family Bible says born in Germany) and died in 1811 in Carleton. His wife was Mary Theale, the daughter of a Loyalist, Charles Theale. They had five children and they married into the Colwell and Brittain families. I am seeking information on the burial place of Charles and Mary (Theale) Hamm.
 -Sylvia A. Hamm, 52 Needle St., Sussex Corner, N.B., E4E 2Z3. Telephone (506) 433-5210.

Query 98-644
Palmer - Golding: I am looking for information on my great-great-great grandparents Thomas and Margaret Palmer of French Village. I believe they were both Loyalists. Thomas was born around 1762 and died Nov. 27, 1844. Margaret was born about 1772 and died Oct. 11, 1850. They are both buried at St. Paul's Anglican Church, Hampton. They had seven children: Katherine (1801); Thomas (1804); Margaret (1806); James (1809); Jonathen (1813); Francis (1815) and Elizabeth - my great-great grandmother, was born in 1811 and died in 1864, who married William Golding (Goldie) in 1841. They had three children, William, Margaret and David. I am interested to know where Thomas and Margaret Palmer originally came from and where as well as Margaret's maiden name. Any information would be helpful.
 -Jack Golding, 18 Douglas Dr., Quispamsis, N.B., E2G 1N6. E-mail to kevincar@nbnet.nb.ca.

Query 98-645
Monteith - McCrea: I am seeking information concerning Thomas Monteith (1829-1889) of Wickham and his wife Catherine McCrea (1837-1918).
 -George Shaw, 162 Bay St., Cobourg, Ont., K9A 1P6. E-mail to georshaw@enoreo.on.ca.

Query 98-646
Bailey - Schoales:  James Bailey was the son of John Bailey and Mary Bonner. Eliza Schoales was the daughter of Thomas Schoales and Hannah McCausland. They married in Ulster, and had at least two daughters there, migrated to New Brunswick in1825 or 1827.  In the 1851 census of Sheffield, he is 60 and she is 58. The names of seven children are known. I seek exact vital statistics, further parentage, and any other data. Is there a connection to the McCausland family of Tyrone, Strabane? I am willing to exchange information.
 -James Churchyard, 1694 Santa Margarita Drive, Fallbrook, CA., 92028-1639. E-mail to  churchyj@nctimes.net.
 

Ruby M. Cusack is a genealogy buff. Send your queries to her at rmcusack@nbnet.nb.ca. (Please put Yesteryear Families in the subject line.) Include your name and mailing address for the benefit of those who do not have access to E-mail. Queries should be 45 words or less.