The Secret of Tracing Your Ancestors Back to the Old World

In my great-great-grandfather's death record, I was able to determine his exact date of death: 20 February 1877 along with his age, 78 years old. Although significant, the next door that was opened was the listing of his parents, and where he was born, (the latter of which I already knew from the 1871 census return).

The names of his mother and father, my great-great-great-grandparents was extremely important. I now had the link to the old world and could take my family, on my father's side, at least back to somewhere in the mid to late 1700s.

But before doing so, I wanted to flesh out more data, if I could, on the settlers who emigrated to the New World. I decided to unfold another layer: Provincial Land Grants of the 1800s and Ship's Passenger Records of the early 1800s.

What I found turned out to be very exciting and gave me a greater picture of the family situation at that time.

To be continued . . .

Gary

Here is a Method that is Helping Identify Hidden Ancestor Treasures

When I opened the 1871 census return, I was pleasantly surprised to find not only both of my great-grandparents, the four daughters, but also an elderly man, who was my great-grandfather's father - my great-great grandfather!

The information regarding him identified him as a carpenter, and born in Nigg, Ross-shire, Scotland. I was also able to get his birth date, which was invaluable in latter searches.
I deducted that he had probably died after 1871 and before the census taking in 1881, since he was not listed in that return.

I now had enough good material to venture elsewhere for more information.

In the provincial archives I was searching for two things: death records and land grant records. The first would be easier since I could reasonably tie the period down to the decade framing the 1870s. The other would be a bit more difficult to pin down but, with some reasoning, a band of years could be framed.

Having been born in 1798, it would be reasonable that he not likely would have qualified for a land grant before his twentieth birthday. Thus, a lower frame would be around 1818. Since he was 73 years old in 1871, it would be reasonable that he likely had his land grant prior to age 40. So, a upper frame would likely be 1831.

First though, I focused on the death records, which, to my surprise and glee, revealed something quite significant.

To be continued . . .

Gary

The Secrets of Census Returns and How to Use Them to Your Advantage

In the 1891 census return I was able, once again, to find my great-grandfather who now was ten years younger. With him was his daughter, who was then thirty-one years old. For her occupation, she was listed as a spinster. There was no one else attached to the family. I decided to try the 1881 census return.

In the 1881 census return I was able to find, with a little bit of detective work, my great-grandfather's name. Not only was he alive and well, but so was his wife, my great-grandmother.

From the census return I was able to find her age, birth date, literacy level, religion, and country of origin. Amongst the interesting tidbits was the fact that she was Roman Catholic and my great-grandfather was Protestant. That must have caused some heated issues with other members of the family, particularly at that time, when tolerance was very thin. Perhaps they found themselves quite isolated at times - from both sides of the family.

Living with them were four daughters, the names of three of which matched exactly the names of those that I had discovered in the cemetery not far from where my great-grandparents were buried. At that moment in time, all seemed well. It was good that they knew nothing of the terrible tragedy that was about to rip their lives to shreds.

Since my great-grandmother's name failed to appear in the 1891 census return, I could only surmise that she was dead by 1891. Maybe the death of her three daughters, all in their twenties, which occurred in the 1880s, took a great toll on her life and perhaps was a significant factor in her early death.

I gleaned the facts about all of them and then decided to try the 1871 census return to see what that might reveal.

To be continued . . .

Gary

Here's a Quick Way to find Your Ancestors

Hi again,

One of your best friends in tracking accurate data, beyond the living, is the government. For decades and, in some cases, for centuries, governments have been keeping data on their subjects.

The first place to start, now that you have concrete facts on some of your ancestors, which you accumulated through older living relatives and the graveyard, is your provincial or state archives. Archived files such as: birth records, marriage records, land grants, ship's passenger records, death records, and census returns are all readily available and, often, on line.

For me, it was my choice to start with the census returns. I knew the county, the province, and the last known time when the individual was alive at census time. I determined this from the death date on the headstone. The death date of the last person my grandmother remembered, and that I had confirmed in the cemetery, was 1906.

Census returns in Canada occurred every ten years and were normally done in the first year of the decade. So, returns were done in 1871, 1881, 1891 , and 1901. I checked the 1901 census for the correct province and county and, lo and behold, found my great-grandfather. His age was a perfect match.

The census return revealed a wealth of information concerning marital status, literacy, occupation, religion, and country of origin. Under marital status, he was listed as a widower.

Excited by the success, I now did a search in the 1881 census, when he was ten years younger . . .

To be continued . . .

Gary