Y is for you... your research starts with YOU
Some points of my life...
: I was born in Dundee, Scotland..
: I moved to Greenock and then Port Glasgow, Scotland with my Dad,
brother and sister when I was around 5 years old
: I attended Belville Street Primary School for a short time
: My dad got remarried when I was around 8 years old
: I then went to Clune Park Primary
: My High School was Port Glasgow High
: Finished school at age 16 and went to work at Wovenair
: When I was 17 years old I went with my friend Jean to look for the church we were interested in,
best decision ever...
: Age 18 moved to Edgeware in England and worked there as Nanny
: Also worked at Butlins holiday camp in Minehead, England for a short time
: Age 20 got a Nanny job in Toronto, Canada
: Met my husband, got engaged and married that same year
: Moved to Calgary a year after we got married
: Had our first son almost 2 years after we were married
: Adopted our daughter a year and a half after our son was born ( she was almost 12 years old )
: 7 months after that, we had out second son
:Two and a half years after that we had our third son ( lost 5 babies in between having all our boys )
: Moved back East in 1986
: Moved back out West in 1988
Wont go into anymore except to say that, we have 10 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren
Next year is our Ruby anniversary
" Its a Wonderful Life "
Monday, April 27, 2015
Saturday, April 25, 2015
A to Z Book of Me Challenge X ( Marks the spot )
X marks the spot...
Did any of our ancestors not know how to write, and therefore instead of
their name, they would put an x there instead.?
Or...
due to an injury or maybe an illness they were unable to write their name,
so put an x
So far with the documents that I have , my ancestors have actually
written their name... but I don't really have anything that goes really, really far back.
I think that before the early 20th century, it would be quite common for most
people to not know how to write.
If we do come across that with our own ancestors, to know if they could write
at all, we could search other documents, eg: wills, birth certificate etc and see
if they wrote their name on that, or just put an x instead.
Did any of our ancestors not know how to write, and therefore instead of
their name, they would put an x there instead.?
Or...
due to an injury or maybe an illness they were unable to write their name,
so put an x
So far with the documents that I have , my ancestors have actually
written their name... but I don't really have anything that goes really, really far back.
I think that before the early 20th century, it would be quite common for most
people to not know how to write.
If we do come across that with our own ancestors, to know if they could write
at all, we could search other documents, eg: wills, birth certificate etc and see
if they wrote their name on that, or just put an x instead.
A to Z Book of Me Challenge W is for Who, What, Where, When, Why and Who am I ?
We need to understand all these things in relation to our Ancestors.
Who they are...
What they did..
Where they lived
When they lived there..
Why they did something..
My Ancestors are McGowans, Newmans, McCullochs, O,Neills..Menzies
and O'Briens I have other names, but these are the main lines.
In doing my research, my McGowans and O'Neill's they originated in Northern Ireland,
and then moved to Scotland ( Greenock ).. I only have my Great Grandparents
there, as I can't get back further. ( so far ) They were married in a place called Ahoghill.
The year was 1880 that they were married.
The furthest back I have my Newmans is 1790.. Benjamin Newman was
married to Ann Law.
He married her August of 1810...
His son Andrew Newman ( My Great Great Grandfather ) was a
salmon fisher.... He drowned. I wonder , even though he
was a fisherman, that maybe he couldn't swim.. They lived in Arbroath.
My Newmans always lived in Arbroath, Scotland, but my Grandfather
David Scott Newman came to Greenock... I'm not sure the reason why.
He would have met my Grandmother Agnes McGowan there...
Most of my Menzies were also from Arbroath... although my earliest
was Thomas Menzies, born in 1744 in Strachan, Kincardineshire, Scotland/
My McCullochs and O'Brien's also originally came from Ireland.. I heard
from my Uncle Ally, that it was County Mayo and County Cavan, but \I
haven't been able to get them there yet.
They did both end up in Dundee, Scotland
I dont know why they left Ireland and came to Scotland.
This is my Great Grandparents
George Walsh McCulloch 1876 to 1936
Helen Edwards ( McCulloch ) 1880 to 1939
Who am I ?
I am a Wife, Mother, daughter, aunt, cousin, sister.... friend
I am a lover of purple and blue
I am a lover of all things pasta
I am a thinker ( sometimes too much )
I am a Homestay mom
I am a childcare giver
I am an animal lover
Sensitive ( too much so )
Lover of Autumn
Music lover
Child of God
Scottish
Canadian
shy
Introvert
picture taker
Christmas Lover
Family Historian
Dreamer
Who they are...
What they did..
Where they lived
When they lived there..
Why they did something..
My Ancestors are McGowans, Newmans, McCullochs, O,Neills..Menzies
and O'Briens I have other names, but these are the main lines.
In doing my research, my McGowans and O'Neill's they originated in Northern Ireland,
and then moved to Scotland ( Greenock ).. I only have my Great Grandparents
there, as I can't get back further. ( so far ) They were married in a place called Ahoghill.
The year was 1880 that they were married.
The furthest back I have my Newmans is 1790.. Benjamin Newman was
married to Ann Law.
He married her August of 1810...
His son Andrew Newman ( My Great Great Grandfather ) was a
salmon fisher.... He drowned. I wonder , even though he
was a fisherman, that maybe he couldn't swim.. They lived in Arbroath.
My Newmans always lived in Arbroath, Scotland, but my Grandfather
David Scott Newman came to Greenock... I'm not sure the reason why.
He would have met my Grandmother Agnes McGowan there...
Most of my Menzies were also from Arbroath... although my earliest
was Thomas Menzies, born in 1744 in Strachan, Kincardineshire, Scotland/
My McCullochs and O'Brien's also originally came from Ireland.. I heard
from my Uncle Ally, that it was County Mayo and County Cavan, but \I
haven't been able to get them there yet.
They did both end up in Dundee, Scotland
I dont know why they left Ireland and came to Scotland.
This is my Great Grandparents
Helen Edwards ( McCulloch ) 1880 to 1939
Who am I ?
I am a Wife, Mother, daughter, aunt, cousin, sister.... friend
I am a lover of purple and blue
I am a lover of all things pasta
I am a thinker ( sometimes too much )
I am a Homestay mom
I am a childcare giver
I am an animal lover
Sensitive ( too much so )
Lover of Autumn
Music lover
Child of God
Scottish
Canadian
shy
Introvert
picture taker
Christmas Lover
Family Historian
Dreamer
Friday, April 24, 2015
A to Z Book of Me Challenge V is for Validation
Is it important to validate the research and photo's etc that we have ? ... it is..
I had never seen a photo of my grandmother ( Agnes McGowan ), I tried asking
several family members at that time, but no-one seemed to have one.
When my Aunt Helen died, it was awhile after, when I recieved a package in the mail
and inside was this photo...
I had never seen a photo of my grandmother ( Agnes McGowan ), I tried asking
several family members at that time, but no-one seemed to have one.
When my Aunt Helen died, it was awhile after, when I recieved a package in the mail
and inside was this photo...
I cried....
it was from my cousin and his wife..
If I had seen this picture, I would not have known that this was my grandmother
but it was validated for me from my cousin.
I'm sure that my Aunt Helen had probably shown this photo
to her sons... they would know who this was...
I'm just excited to have it.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
A to Z Book of Me Challenge U is for Understanding and Umbrella
Do we understand the situations that our ancestors lived, .. they would have had
to make tough choices, and sometimes those choices were not choices at all... they would
have been a matter of survival... do we understand that dilema or do we pass
judgement on them ?
Honestly.. I try not to pass judgement on anyone, but I know at times
..... maybe I do...
I don't really know all the situations that my ancestors lived..
We have all at some point had to make a tough choice.. just this morning
I was talking to a friend about a tough choice that I had to make recently, and
honestly, I know the reasons I made it, but I would hate to be judged by someone
who " thought " they knew the situation, when actually they did'nt, and so
judged me on what they think they knew.
We all want understanding, don't we ?
Umbrella... think of it open.... your going to hold the umbrella so that
it is on the ground , and the pivotal point is on the ground.. who in your family
is that pivotal point , and who are the spokes coming off from that point ?
I would have to say my Gran was the pivotal point.. the spokes coming
off would be myself, dad and brother, and my Aunts, Uncles and cousins..
When I was a wee girl, my Gran would take me to visit my Aunt Helen
and Uncle Jimmy, and I would therefore see cousins as well.. they were all
quite a bit older than I was. I would also visit with my Aunt Lily... also
other Aunts, Uncles, cousins etc would come to my Gran's home, so I would
get to see them ... my Gran was the pivotal point in me see other family members.
When my Gran died, the umbrella folded slightly... not all the way, but slightly.
We didn't have that connection anymore. I was here in Canada when she died
and other family members were also living far away as well.
I'm glad that the umbrella didn't close all the way.. I am now in touch with
family members again, and so glad that I am... closer with some than
with others... love my family x
to make tough choices, and sometimes those choices were not choices at all... they would
have been a matter of survival... do we understand that dilema or do we pass
judgement on them ?
Honestly.. I try not to pass judgement on anyone, but I know at times
..... maybe I do...
I don't really know all the situations that my ancestors lived..
We have all at some point had to make a tough choice.. just this morning
I was talking to a friend about a tough choice that I had to make recently, and
honestly, I know the reasons I made it, but I would hate to be judged by someone
who " thought " they knew the situation, when actually they did'nt, and so
judged me on what they think they knew.
We all want understanding, don't we ?
Umbrella... think of it open.... your going to hold the umbrella so that
it is on the ground , and the pivotal point is on the ground.. who in your family
is that pivotal point , and who are the spokes coming off from that point ?
I would have to say my Gran was the pivotal point.. the spokes coming
off would be myself, dad and brother, and my Aunts, Uncles and cousins..
When I was a wee girl, my Gran would take me to visit my Aunt Helen
and Uncle Jimmy, and I would therefore see cousins as well.. they were all
quite a bit older than I was. I would also visit with my Aunt Lily... also
other Aunts, Uncles, cousins etc would come to my Gran's home, so I would
get to see them ... my Gran was the pivotal point in me see other family members.
When my Gran died, the umbrella folded slightly... not all the way, but slightly.
We didn't have that connection anymore. I was here in Canada when she died
and other family members were also living far away as well.
I'm glad that the umbrella didn't close all the way.. I am now in touch with
family members again, and so glad that I am... closer with some than
with others... love my family x
A to Z Book of Me Challenge T is for Trust
Trust.... do I trust the research I've done, do I trust the evidence ?
Do I trust the notes I've took ?
Do I trust the information I was given ?
I know mistakes can be made accidently, but I know that I mostly trust
the information I have been given, and will probably continue to do
so unless it has been proven otherwise.
If I ever find something wrong in the information or work that I have,
I'll just correct it and move on... :)
Who is the absolute person that I trust the most, and why ?
Well that would have to be my husband... I can tell him, and talk to
him about anything, and I know it wont go anywhere else.
I also have a friend that I can do that with as well... its really important
to have someone like that... sometimes we just need a sounding board,
and need someone there to listen, while we get it off our chest.
I dont really trust easily, and hope that if I do open up to someone, I hope
that I dont regret it... especially if it was a sensitive subject..
Do I trust the notes I've took ?
Do I trust the information I was given ?
I know mistakes can be made accidently, but I know that I mostly trust
the information I have been given, and will probably continue to do
so unless it has been proven otherwise.
If I ever find something wrong in the information or work that I have,
I'll just correct it and move on... :)
Who is the absolute person that I trust the most, and why ?
Well that would have to be my husband... I can tell him, and talk to
him about anything, and I know it wont go anywhere else.
I also have a friend that I can do that with as well... its really important
to have someone like that... sometimes we just need a sounding board,
and need someone there to listen, while we get it off our chest.
I dont really trust easily, and hope that if I do open up to someone, I hope
that I dont regret it... especially if it was a sensitive subject..
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
A to Z Book of Me Challenge... S is for Secondary Sources and Sports
What is Secondary Sources in Genealogy....it is documents or records that were not created
at the time the event occurred . It could be someone who is telling about the event
in the past, and it may not be completely accurate.
It could be from letters or books that a relative may have.
For example... some of what I've written, is just from memory and may not
be completely accurate...
Some sources can be Primary or Secondary... have I confused you yet??
I think I've confused myself... haha
Sports : This isnt a hard one... I really don't like sports much at all..
I only watch Hockey when its the play offs ..and I root for the
Calgary Flames to win... my husband is the same... we just are'nt Sports fanatics.
My dad loved football ( here its called soccer )
He was a Morton and a Rangers fan
at the time the event occurred . It could be someone who is telling about the event
in the past, and it may not be completely accurate.
It could be from letters or books that a relative may have.
For example... some of what I've written, is just from memory and may not
be completely accurate...
Some sources can be Primary or Secondary... have I confused you yet??
I think I've confused myself... haha
Sports : This isnt a hard one... I really don't like sports much at all..
I only watch Hockey when its the play offs ..and I root for the
Calgary Flames to win... my husband is the same... we just are'nt Sports fanatics.
My dad loved football ( here its called soccer )
He was a Morton and a Rangers fan
My dad also loved the wrestling... I remember him watching it
on TV... I even remember one of the names of a wrestler... it was
Mick McManus...
My Uncle George loved the Football as well, he liked the Greenock JR
and he also liked Boxing
My Uncle David loved Golf..... I don't know about other family members..
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