"Heat, ma'am! it was so dreadful here, that I found there was nothing left for it but to take off my flesh and sit in my bones."
from A Memoir of the Reverend Sydney Smith by his daughter, Lady Holland [Saba Holland], with a Selection from his Letters, edited by Mrs. Austin. 2 volumes. (New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1856).
from A Memoir of the Reverend Sydney Smith by his daughter, Lady Holland [Saba Holland], with a Selection from his Letters, edited by Mrs. Austin. 2 volumes. (New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1856).
Now that the unreasonable and unseasonable heat (for our area, at least) has cooled, thoughts turn inevitably to the end of summer. Can it be August all ready?
I remember still how, at the beginning of my school holidays, summertime seemed to stretch on so far ahead. Even as a girl, I made plans - to study more French during one summer, I recall. How much did I really learn? Je ne sais pas!
But I have made a plan for this month, August, to do some more personal genealogy research, before fall is upon us again with all the usual demands.
I remember still how, at the beginning of my school holidays, summertime seemed to stretch on so far ahead. Even as a girl, I made plans - to study more French during one summer, I recall. How much did I really learn? Je ne sais pas!
But I have made a plan for this month, August, to do some more personal genealogy research, before fall is upon us again with all the usual demands.
When I travel away for research, I am usually very organized. I look at any catalogues or finding aids available to me ahead of time. I write or e-mail ahead, and, of course, I cram in as many visits to relevant archives, libraries, museums, etc. as possible, depending on distance and transit.
When familar institutions with relevant records are near to home though, one doesn't always plan as closely, but many times, it will pay to do so. Checking out the website of a familar library or archives, for instance, you may see a notice of something new and useful, either in the collections or regarding research or other policies.
And, I'd advise always double checking open hours ahead of even a local trip. The person who could help you the most might just be on holidays this week, after all. (But don't accept everything you read though -
WorldCat told me the book I've quoted from above is available 36 miles away at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. About 2800 miles off, I think, since I'm in Vancouver, BC. When I tried again, the Google library link took me to Library and Archives Canada, showing me that the LAC copy is lost. Must have been the heat!)
I chose three main objectives for August. Two require visits to particular places, one may involve a mix of visits. I intend to fit in a trip to the British Columbia Archives in Victoria too.
1. to visit Chown Memorial Church in Vancouver (now known as Chown Memorial and Chinese Church), our church when I was in school, and the church where my son was married. I especially want to take some photographs of the memorial garden where my Na's ashes were scattered.
When familar institutions with relevant records are near to home though, one doesn't always plan as closely, but many times, it will pay to do so. Checking out the website of a familar library or archives, for instance, you may see a notice of something new and useful, either in the collections or regarding research or other policies.
And, I'd advise always double checking open hours ahead of even a local trip. The person who could help you the most might just be on holidays this week, after all. (But don't accept everything you read though -
WorldCat told me the book I've quoted from above is available 36 miles away at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. About 2800 miles off, I think, since I'm in Vancouver, BC. When I tried again, the Google library link took me to Library and Archives Canada, showing me that the LAC copy is lost. Must have been the heat!)
I chose three main objectives for August. Two require visits to particular places, one may involve a mix of visits. I intend to fit in a trip to the British Columbia Archives in Victoria too.
1. to visit Chown Memorial Church in Vancouver (now known as Chown Memorial and Chinese Church), our church when I was in school, and the church where my son was married. I especially want to take some photographs of the memorial garden where my Na's ashes were scattered.
2. To research my childhood neighbourhood further in Vancouver street directories. I have copies of the listings for the streets around our house already for several years, but would like to have more information. This project I can do at various libraries here, including the BC Genealogical Society's Walter Draycott Library.
3. To visit the City of Vancouver Archives to research
a. Vancouver School Board in the 1950s when my father was on the Board.
b. the names of the previous owners of both houses we lived in when I was young.
4. In addition, I'm looking this month at the BROWN/IRWIN/LEITCH and IRWIN/RICHES/ROPER families. This involves some new Internet research, but since some of these relatives ended up in British Columbia, I'll be doing additional directory research and looking up birth, marriage, death and cemetery records.
For these trips, I've bought a brand new notebook - one with three sections. This is the kind I like to use - one for each travel trip. I used to use one for each repository, but that was back in the days when few copies were possible and we had to transcribe everything on the spot.
I've pencils, erasers and a sharpener, coins for copies, identification, money and a credit card in case I want to order additional copies or photograph reproductions, etc. and I'll have my camera and brand new batteries. Since it's been hot, I've just added some 'wet' wipes, sunscreen and a water bottle to my research bag. Even on urban research trips these come in handy, and Mountain View Cemetery may be often on my route. It can be very hot researching there outside.
I'll likely take pedigree and family group sheets for the families I'm interested in for 'backup' when I go to the Vancouver City Archives, not my computer. (It's heavy and I worry about security.) My research 'to do' list for the Archives already includes the physical addresses and legal descriptions of the houses I'm interested in, as well as relevant information about Vancouver School Board records gleaned from the Archives's on-line databases - for Board minutes, photographs, annual reports and scrapbooks to start.
If you had relatives in British Columbia, Canada, particularly any in the Lower Mainland, or if you are planning a trip here to do genealogical research, I recommend the book "Planning a Genealogical Trip to the Vancouver Area: A finding aid to historical sources in British Columbia's Southwest corner", compiled by Judith Argent and edited by Stephanie Kurmey, and published by the Surrey Public Library . This is available from the BC Genealogical Society Boutique or from the Cloverdale Branch of the Surrey Public Library.
What are your family history goals for August?
4 comments:
You have a well-organized plan, Diane. I wish you luck with your research!
My plan for August is to obtain secondary information on various relatives. I've requested from LAC issues of the Glengarry News, from 1892 through 1956. I'm compliling a list of various events that took place in my ancestors lives, and will look to see if the event was recorded in the paper. I'm hopeful that there will be, in the case of death notices/obituaries, the names of other siblings, spouses, children, cousins, etc that have yet to be discovered.
You have a well-organized plan, Diane. I wish you luck with your research!
My plan for August is to obtain secondary information on various relatives. I've requested from LAC issues of the Glengarry News, from 1892 through 1956. I'm compliling a list of various events that took place in my ancestors lives, and will look to see if the event was recorded in the paper. I'm hopeful that there will be, in the case of death notices/obituaries, the names of other siblings, spouses, children, cousins, etc that have yet to be discovered.
Excellent, Pearl. I love old newspapers - hope you find lots and lots of info on your people.
Did you schedule in some time to sleep?
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