Motivational Monday - Free Canadian Records at Ancestry Was Great Help

    Well I don't know if you took advantage of the "Free Canadian Records Weekend" at Ancestry the other weekend; but I did. I found 35 records I didn't previously have. Birth, Death and Marriage records. Which added not only new info to my family genealogy records; but a few new people also. The marriage records lead to parents I didn't previously have info on and even new multiple great grandparents. I am now trying to add that info into my records. 

    Along with that there were a few new Facebook groups started this last month or so for the Nipissing, Ontario; Sturgeon Falls, Ontario; Sudbury, Ontario areas. I joined them since my mother's side of the family is from this area and some of them still live there. I posted the family names I am researching there and had several hits within days. One of them is a distant cousin. We share my Great  Great Grand parents as relatives. Her through one of their daughters and I through a son. Anyway I sent here a preliminary e-mail with pictures of my Great Grand Parents (the Son); their son, and then his daughter (my mother), then of myself with my kids. To fill her in on the line and let her know a bit about us. She was on vacation and didn't get back to me for a few weeks; but when she did, she sent some photo's and basic info also. The best part was she had photo's that included My great great Grand father. No one I know of in our family line has any pictures of him. This alone was worth the contact, if nothing else comes of it (which I hope is not the case). 

   

   So two great events this month have helped me move my family Genealogy record forward. I can't wait to see what comes next. Have to say that if you haven't been using Facebook for your genealogy research, you should.  There are all sorts of groups on their site that might help you too. I continually check into the message boards/forums on the genealogy sites and they have helped; but I wouldn't have made this contact without Facebook. This cousin hasn't been on the forum's to the best of my knowledge. 

Eldege / Ildege Lafleur 

Born - Oct 30, 1861 - Quebec, Canada

Thanks to distant cousin Diane Ertl for the picture.

Here is the church marriage record of Eldege Lafleur to Elmire Lemay.

St. Philippe, Chatham in Quebec 

between 1882 - 1885

Thanks to free Canadian records at Ancestry.com

This is the Marriage record of Eldege's son Eugene Lafleur to Marie Louise Trudel.

Nipissing, Ontario - Aug 28, 1918

Thanks again Ancestry.com

    I have been contemplating a membership at Ancestry.  Have to say that if I can come up with the fee, I am more likely to sign up now that I have seen this sample of what they have available for me. Maybe I could smash some of the brick walls in my records. The biggest being my dad's dad. John F. Goodwin of born in Aurora, Illinois back in 1908. That is all we really know about him. Anyway its been a busy month and I haven't blogged for nearly that long, but I have to say I "Remember When...." I use to visit Great Grandpa Eugene and Grandma Marie Louise; and it is good to have a picture of his father now. I hope this helps others to get motivated to check out the other resources they may be avoiding. 

Shopping Saturday - Downtown Windsor Kresge Store

The above picture was taken in July 1958 of Ouellette & University Ave. of Downtown Windsor, Ontario. I was looking for a picture of it to go with this blog and found it online at "internationalmetropolis.com"; thanks to Andrew for allowing me to use it here. Check out his blog if your interested in this area or researching about family in the area, it really is a good site. 

     I use to go to the Kresge Downtown all the time when I was a kid and into my teens. As a kid my grandmother Elva (nee Dennie) use to take me there to help with her shopping and or to get me clothes. She always called it "The Dime Store" though. She would say "Let's go to the Dime Store and get you some new pants for school"; and I knew we were headed for Kresge's. Of course when I went there it was a little later then in the picture above. It was in the 70's through mid 80's. So the only real difference was the cars and clothing/hair styles. Back then though downtown was the place to go on a Saturday to shop. The mall in Windsor was smaller at the time and was not the main destination to go shopping yet. It was the secondary place. Kresge's was the Walmart of it's time. They had everything there, toys, clothing, house hold goods, and some food stuff, tools and a dessert counter up front. To the one side, front right was a lunch counter with all the red vinyl top stools spaced out along it. People that worked downtown where always there. When I got older after my parents divorced and I moved in with my father, he got a job at the Book Center downtown. It would have been about half a block down behind where the guy was standing to take this shot. I later worked there on Saturdays going to the bus station on to pickup the Toronto Star bundle of papers when they came in on the Greyhound bus. My friends and I use to always go to Kresge's to shop. My mother's one brother (my Uncle) Mark got his first real job at Kresge's. I remember going in and seeing him there in his white uniform (kitchen staff). 

     My grandmother Elva died on my 26th birthday. The first home I remember with my parents was the apartment above her home on Highland Ave. My parents moved in there to get started out as a young couple. My grandfather Vic use to babysit me and I have fond memories of those early days. Grandma was Quite the character and I will always miss her. However when I think of Saturday Shopping I will always think of her and "Remember When....."

Matrilineal Monday - GGGrandma Sarah Walker *Actually Maria Chappell - Updated Dec 12, 2016*

     I was looking for info. on my Great Great Grandfather George Dennie and following him back in time through the Canadian Census'.  I got lucky and found him in the 1901 Census of Halton County, Nelson Township in Ontario.  The Lucky part was that he and his wife Sarah where living with her father William Walker. I now had her Maiden name and her father's. I was able to trace him back in the census records and find his wife and kids too. All in all a great find. I expanded my lines and opened a new branch I really had no info. about or hope of finding at that point. I now knew my relations definitely go back to Ireland. This was something that had been passed down as part of our family heritage, we are part Irish, Scottish and French Canadian. I  now know we are. Research...never know what your going to find. Remember(ing) When.....

The Wrong Family / Wrong Record

  *Well I have to report that I made a mistake back here. When I was doing my research for this line I found this record and it fit the facts as I had them at the time. My family lore had said that Great Grandpa Dennie had been born in 1901 and was actually to young to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force to serve in WWI. On his Attestation papers we were told his mother had lied for him and said he was born in 1899 so he could enlist; knowing he was determined to go. It said his mother was Mary Dennie. Again an assumption was made that she went by her baptized name of Mary and her given name was Sarah. However I have since come across other forms (his marriage License and such) that give his mothers full name (maiden name) and they state clearly she was Mary Chappell. So I have expunged my records of the Walker lineage and the mistake and have corrected it to the Chappell lineage. Goes to show you that when your dealing with information handed down, often the truth is not always "Remembered When ..." properly.  Make your corrections and move on with the facts. updated Dec 12, 2016 by the blog author - John Goodwin*

The right family and right record.

Marriage Record for William George Dennie to Gladys Forwell showing his Mother as Maria Chappell.

Funeral Card Friday - Grandpa Wilfrid Lafleur

    In my last post (Wordless Wed.) I posted a picture of Great Grandparents Eugene Lafleur and Marie Louise (nee Trudel). Today I post the Funeral Cards for one of their sons, my grandfather Joseph Wilfrid Lafleur and I am also posting a notice from the paper at the time, the Death Cert. and the Funeral Directors Statement of Death.. As a bonus I am posting a copy of the front of his Birth Certificate that I hold as the Family Genealogist. The end of life, and the beginning, such as it were. He was born in the Nipissing area and then moved to Windsor to raise his family. Some of them stayed and the family grew grew here (myself and others), and others moved elsewhere (Kitchener & Saskatchewan) as well as back to the Nipissing area. Where I still have family I visit and keep in touch with to this day. Wilfrid returned to Sturgeon Falls with his wife (my grand mother) Desneige (nee Ouellette - also from the Nipissing area) to retire. They are buried in St. Mary's cemetery in Sturgeon Falls (Their tombstone I will post on a Tombstone Tuesday coming up).  You can see a picture of him in earlier post (namely my first). Grandpa will always be a great man in my memories. A man who's family was always important to him. I will always 'Remember When...' we spent time with family at their home.

Wordless Wednesday - Great Grandparents - Eugene Lafleur & Marie Louise Trudel

Military Monday - GGrandpa Dennie's WWI Military Record Part2 *Updated Dec 12, 2016*

    Well as I promised last week here is the second part of the Great Grandpa Dennie's WWI Canadian Expeditionary Force's Record. I found on line this week a web site with all sorts of military info. about the different Battalions and where they served etc. It is really cool called "The Regimental Rogue". I really like it, it didn't fill in much more for me as they really didn't have a lot about the last part of the War and the last groups of recruits coming over. They did have a section on underage troops, but I am still trying to see if they have a section for submitting info.  I will continue to sift through the site, as there is a lot there, and who knows what I might learn. They do have downloadable info. such as a pdf that breaks down the enlistment/ID # of the Recruit. Telling you what Battalion they would have been in and when they joined therefore.  I leave it to you to sort through. I think it is safe to say that if you have an ancestor that served in the Canadian forces during WWI, it is a great site to check out. You just may find other records with their name in it, and this will all help you to 'Remember When....'
   * The section in Yellow Highlight speaks to the believe that my Great Grandfather lied about his age to join the Canadian Forces. However I have since found the correct information and evidence that He did join at the proper age of 18. I have updated the information and shown the records for the correction in the previous blogs as well. Updated Dec 12, 2016 by the blog author - John Goodwin.*

Final Medical Examination Upon Leaving the Service (Above)

Final Examination Form Signed in England and then Canada (Above)

Record of Separation and Assigned Pay (Above)

File of Pay Particulars (Above)

File of Pay Particulars Part 2 (Above)

File of Final Pay Dispersal (Above)

Funeral Card Friday & Great Grandpa Ouellette

      This is the funeral Card for Great Grandpa Ouellette, that I have posted about before. Although I didn't get to go to the funeral, I was given the card by my mother. It is in french (obviously). It also list his predeceased wife (my Great Grandmother) Aldea (nee Gervais). He died at the age of 86 having been born on Dec. 25, 1900.  I am glad I knew him, and wish I could have known him better. Really wish I would have had the insight to ask about and record the family history he could have told me about.  Unfortunately I was still young and not into genealogical research yet.  I will always fondly think of him and 'Remember When....'