The Thrill of the New Brunswick
Genealogical Hunt
Calm,
cool and collected was how Mum described Gram. I really didn't
understand the words but I knew Gram laughed a lot and never seemed to
lose her temper. But this certainly didn't apply to her one day when we
dropped in to visit.
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She was in a real stew. Aunt Sadie said she had dumped out her sewing
basket 10 times and gone through her dresser drawers 100 times but to
no avail. Her lapel watch, which Gramp had given her many years before,
was missing.
She had worn this piece of jewelry at every dress-up occasion,
including family weddings and funerals.
Cliff and I went on a hunt of every nook and cranny in the house.
Finally, just as we were ready to give up, Cliff put his hand down the
edge of the cushion of the big chair and gave a yelp. You might say the
pin on the watch found him.
In searching for lost relatives, we are often ready to give up when all
of a sudden some important fact is stumbled upon. This happened to me a
week ago as I was reading microfilm of the Kings County Record and had
mistakenly reversed the month with the date but something found me. It
was the wedding of Gramp's sister in September of 1903 that had taken
place at the family farm known as Brookside. An added bonus was the
listing of the guests and the gifts they had given. That list caused me
lots of headaches as I tried to figure out the connections to the bride
and groom of each one.
I am certain Gram was wearing her lapel watch that day as she did at
her own wedding on the lawn of her home in June of that year.
Obituaries often provide a listing of the donors of flowers which is
another way to discover the names of cousins, friends and neighbours.
I spent hours on Gram's autograph book given to her in 1902 by her
future mother-in-law. I still have not figured out the connections of
some of the people who wrote a verse.
My aunt's autograph book from Normal School gives insight into the gals
who were heading out to teach throughout New Brunswick.
Websites are springing up with all kinds of information on families.
Sometimes you need to be a good detective to determine if the truth has
been written. But then that is the way one learns the most.
Lots of information can be found on the New Brunswick Genealogical
website in the First Families section at http://nbgs.ca/firstfamilies.html
which is a compilation of information received by the Provincial
Archives of New Brunswick on 7,414 of the first families to arrive in
New Brunswick.
Diane McLeod has added a New
Brunswick Clues Repository to her website at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~dimcl/.
One section is titled Family Trees. Of interest to me was the "Descendants of CALEB SPRAGG" that
contains many photos such as one of Ann Spragg who was born on May 3,
1799, in Springfield and died on Feb. 10, 1883, having been married to
Daniel Scott from Scotland who died April 1839. Another is that of
Nancy Waters with her "LINES OF DESCENT"
of Reid and Allaby. Lots more can be found on Diane Mcleod's site.
The Raymond Paddock Gorham Collection (PANB MC211) with notes on
Loyalist Grantees at
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~nbpast/KI/ki-gorham6.html is most
interesting.
Another great stopping place for Loyalist roots is R. Wallace's Hale "Fort Havoc" at http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/halew/
where CDs can be ordered. There is also free information such as the
Banishment Act of the State of Massachusetts.
The 1901 and 1911 census records have been transcribed by volunteers
and placed on http://automatedgenealogy.com/
with links to the original handwritten census and other records.
New Brunswick Genealogy Links at http://new-brunswick.net/nbgenlinks/
is your gateway to online genealogy for New Brunswick, the Maritimes
and beyond. It provides thousands of links to online New Brunswick
records
Last but not least is our own Provincial Archives of New Brunswick site
at http://archives.gnb.ca/Archives/,
with 1,702,127 records on its database, 5,043 photographs, 55,002
digitized documents plus lots more free information.
Family research means being a detective, using every clue you can find
to solve and document your work. At times, the fun part is proving
others right or wrong in their compilations.
***
Query 1565
Kilpatrick-McElwee:
William Kilpatrick was born circa 1800 and arrived in New Brunswick in
1824. In 1840, he married Rosanna McElwee in Saint John. She died in
1854 at age 33 and is buried in the Church of England Cemetery in Saint
John. As of the 1851 census they had the following children: Joseph
(Captain, died 1926 in St Andrews), John, Margaret, Alexander (died
1916, Penobsquis) and Henry Kilpatrick. I am interested in finding and
sharing any information about the family.
KEITH KILPATRICK
3 Merret Dr.
Oromocto, NB
Canada, E2V 2L8
E-mail kkilpatrick@rogers.com
Query 1566
Kirkpatrick-Saunders:
Andrew Kirkpatrick and Charles Saunders migrated from Scotland and got
a grant for 200 acres of land along the Kennebacasis River. This was
recorded in 1789. The land would become known as Kirkpatrick Acres. Any
information would be appreciated.
JUDY KIRKPATRICK
E-mail judygailh@hotmail.com
Query 1567
Cassidy-Brown:
Rosanna Cassidy, who was born Dec. 24, 1824, in Ireland and came to New
Brunswick in 1832, got married on March 5, 1846, in Saint John, to
James Brown who came from England in 1836 at 18 years of age. Rosanna
died Nov. 18, 1912, and is buried in Fernhill Cemetery, Saint John. I
need to know where in Ireland Rosanna was born and who her parents are.
BOB BROWN
E-mail jmb1955@earthlink.net
Query 1568
Brevard-White-Lawson:
I would be grateful for any information about my great-grandparents
Andrew and Margaret (Brevard) White, who came from Queens County, New
Brunswick, to Michigan about 1868. Andrew was the son of Philip and
Catherine (Lawson) White. Is Andrew referred to in E. Stone Wiggin's
book The History of Queens County?
ANDREW WHITE
253 E. 10th Street
Traverse City, Michigan
49684, USA
E-mail woodstructures@hotmail.com
