Look out Canada, we're coming!!

[Dunaruna]

My wife has had an all consuming passion for the past 10 years or so, genealogy. so far, she has traced and followed our family tree to 9 different countries, it's beginning to look like a weeping willow on steroids.<br /><br />Her current line of investigation is based on a rumor, an aunt migrated to Canada shortly after the first world war. This particular branch has proven to be very frustrating for her, until now.<br /><br />On the weekend she discovered a name (very long story), 4 hours of googling later - a phone number. Of course she is way to embarrassed to make first contact, so it's up to me to make the call. We wait until 9am sunday morning (Saturday afternoon in Ottawa), the lady that answers the phone has a Scottish accent. <br /><br />She is the wife of my fathers aunts second son (don't worry, it confuses the hell out of me too!). Until now, a line of the tree that we didn't know existed (only rumors). She was in tears for most of the 3 hour phone conversation. You see, her husband had recently passed away, can you guess her husbands first name.......<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />Aldo. <br /><br />Part of this Canadian branch moved to New York during the second world war. Anyone got a white pages handy <br /><br />Aldo

 

[Link]

Re: Look out Canada, we're coming!!

Thats a lot of work.<br />Tried finding my father once.. <br />Lemuel Augusta Ray thought it would be a cake walk with a screwed up name like that... HA!<br />Just one stateside search turned up around 10 with exact matches! Uggg

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Look out Canada, we're coming!!

So did you find him?

 

[crab bait]

Re: Look out Canada, we're coming!!

that's pretty neet..!!

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Look out Canada, we're coming!!

Thats awsome. Like finding a needle in a haystack. Will they keep in touch at all now ?What a fantastic tool the internet is. Wouldn't have been possible without it. Got me thinking now about doing a family tree ..... Hmmmmm

 

[dolluper]

Re: Look out Canada, we're coming!!

Could be a neighbour of mine imagne got phone books ,maps know the city well been here a long time Great to here good for you

 

[PW2]

Re: Look out Canada, we're coming!!

Many major libraries carry phone books.<br /><br />If no luck there, you can always call the local NY phone co and order one from them...for a fee, of course.

 

[Link]

Re: Look out Canada, we're coming!!

Originally posted by Dunaruna:<br /> So did you find him?

Yes and Id say the internet took about two years and countless hours off the search.<br />It still took over a month and dozens of phone calls and letters.<br />As PW2 said most major libraries have phone books and one here in Tacoma has a genealogy section where a friend of mine volunteers a couple nights a week helping people trace their history.<br /><br />I use the last name of Jackman and have been contacted several times over the years by people tracing their family history. <br />In 1977 I had just got back from Germany and was stationed at Ft Lewis. Got a phone call one night from a guy tracing his family. I explained how I took that name but he was so interesting to talk to that I stayed on the phone with him for almost two hours. Example the name Jackman can be traced back to the days when Knights used to fight. And to a certain town in France. What a lot of people dont know is that the Knights also had large armies on each side shooting arrows at each other and these soldiers were called Jacqmanns or (men of many hides) as they wore 6 and 7 layers of hides to keep the arrows from peircing them.<br />The weird part was that I had just been in that town a few months earlier.<br />Genealogy can be a great way to learn a lot more than just where you came from.

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Look out Canada, we're coming!!

My comment about the white pages was tongue in cheek. Phone books are readily available online it's just sometimes they are not up to date.<br /><br />One of the best worldwide resources for genealogy is the church of LDS especially with the every increasing use of the internet. Immigration shipping records are also very good. The next best investigation tool is to write to local county churches (and include a donation!), it's amazing how much information they keep.<br /><br />Link, I know what you mean about discriptive surnames. On my wifes side of the tree there is a line of Wheatland. She has traced them back to 17th century England and they were...You guessed it, wheat farmers.<br /><br />Aldo

 

[Link]

Re: Look out Canada, we're coming!!

Kinda chuckeling here. My friend I mentioned and the others (most) are members of the LDS <br />I'm talking him via amateur radio as I'm typing and he says the LDS has a family history libary just for that also. He works at both.<br /><br />Link