Wednesday, May 27, 2020

A Birthday Book - Day 14 - 21 Day Family Connections Experiment

Today is Day 14 of my 21 Day Family Connections Experiment.


Today I'm looking at our Irwin-Carmichael Birthday Book. 


This Birth-Day Forget-me-not book is what I consider a real Family Treasure. It was given to my maternal great grandmother, Janet Carmichael, in 1881 before she and her husband William Irwin, and their little daughter, 'Minnie', left Islay, Fenelon Township, Victoria County, Ontario, Canada to live in the Northwest (Newdale, Manitoba). Family and friends signed their names on their birthday pages. Some of those people Janet never saw again, but a few later joined the migration to Manitoba or moved or retired to the Coast (Vancouver, British Columbia). 

She kept up the book throughout her life, and my maternal grandmother, Janet's daughter, Amy Estella, inherited it. She kept it up, adding birthday dates and some of the marriages and deaths of friends and family. And clippings, mostly funeral notices. My brother and I were the last names Na entered. After that the book was put away. By that time, it was too fragile to be held. 

When I first became 'serious' about doing genealogy, Mum let me index all the names, dates and messages in the book. She kept a watchful eye while I transcribed everything written in the book and it gave us a chance to discuss what she knew about the people. 

William and Janet Irwin (née Carmichael) and baby Minnie - Mary Jane, born 1879.  Carte de visite, Scott and Andrus Artists and Photographers, Cor. Kent & Williams Sts, Lindsay, [James A. Scott and Mortimer I. Andrus, Ontario, Canada.]

The Preface to the Book, page 1-2




An example of a page: August 16 - Maud Oliver; Mrs. Tom McIntosh; 
August 17 - James Murchison; August 18 - James Carmichael.

If you see a name you think is 'yours', contact me and I will send you a scan of the page. 



BIRTHDAY PAGES
ROSE Alice M. 
CARMICHAEL Alexander
MURCHISON Janet
BROWN Mr. R
GILCHRIST Maggie
GRAHAM Alexander
MURCHISON John
BATES Edward
MACALLISTER John
SCOTT Samuel
GRAHAM Lindsay
GILCHRIST Lizzie
DOUBEK? Sadie
SCOTT Janet Muriel, Capt.
ROGERS George William, Major
WALLACE Walter O
CARMICHAEL Maggie
SCOTT Janet Muriel 
LAWRENCE Agnes (Mrs. A. J.)
IRWIN Esther
SCOTT Janet
GRAHAM Peter
MCTAVISH John Donald Charles
ROGERS George William
CARMICHAEL Margret
GILCHRIST John
GILCHRIST ?
SCOTT Hattie
IRWIN Etta S.
CAMPBELL Chas. G.
DRUMMOND Lawrence Steele
BRIMACOMBE Richard
IRWIN Doris Genevieve
CARMICHAEL J. A.
MCCALLUM C.W.
MCNABB Diana
CARMICHAEL Lila
CARMICHAEL Mary
MUIR Mary
IRWIN C.E.
CAMPBELL H. S. 
SMITH Gregory Alan
MCNABB Annie
ZURCHOW Elsei Louise
IRWIN Janet
BRIDE Ronald Wayne
MCNABB Colin
IRWIN Geraldine Clarica
DRUMMOND William Ernest
KINGDON Leslie Gayle
IRWIN Margaret (Margret)
CONKEY Mary Ann
[IRWIN] Minnie
CARMICHAEL Dannie
GRAYSTON Mary A 
TRIPP Margaret M
CARMICHAEL Johnny
BROWN F. R. 
SCOTT Mamie Stella
IRWIN Maggie J.
IRWIN William Howard
DRUMMOND Donald A.
BRIDE Sally Ann
GREEN Robt L?
[IRWIN] Willie James
IRWIN John
PACE Jean Bates
CONGDON Margaret Isabelle
GILCHRIST Lizzie
YOUNG Maggie
YOUNG Janet
BATES Kenneth
IRWIN Patricia Jean
MCLEAN Maggie
IRWIN William Howard
PARNELL Robert
BROWN Wm. 
KAATZ Wendy
BROWN Edgar
MURCHISON Christina
CARMICHAEL Duncan
IRWIN Nellie G.
GRAHAM Duncan
GRAHAM Jennie
IRWIN Beverley Grace
MARK John
IRWIN Wm. M. 
IRWIN William James
MCDOUGALL Flora
DRUMMOND Allan Scott
MCTAVISH Myrtle
HARPER Mamie Stella
SCOTT Samuel Bates
ASSELSTINE Matthew W.
IRWIN M.A.A.
DRUMMOND A.S.
COUTTS A.B.
GOWENLOCK R.
IRWIN Janet Grace
BURLINGTON J.C. Mrs.
BROWN Joseph F?
IRWIN Willie H. 
CONGDON Robert Edward
PACE PHILIP E.
MCTAVISH Aileen
IRWIN Frances M.
PACE John L. 
SCOTT J. Walter
PATTISON Eva
LAVERY Mr. & Mrs.
ELLIS?  George
CAMPBELL Nettie
IRWIN Jacqueline Louise
BROWN Eliza? Mrs. 
ZURCHER Edward Wallace
GREEN Bella M. 
CONGDON William Lawrence
CONGDON Sadie Hunter
CASSADY Mrs. John
DRUMMOND Lizzie
BROWN Thos. A.
CONGDON Ch
PATTISON Elizabeth
MURCHISON Mrs. Mary
WILSON Maggie J.
BATES Kenneth Scott
STEWART Mary
PARNELL Mary E.
SAUNDERSON Wallace
CARMICHEAL Daisy
BROWN Minnie Ellie
OLIVER Maud
MCINTOSH Mrs. Tom
MURCHISON James
CARMICHAEL James
KINGDON Margaret Ann
ROSE Ethel
LAVERY Agnes Mae
BRADLEY Annie
KAATZ Judith Vinetta
GILCHRIST Duncan
GILCHRIST James
CARMICHAEL Donald  
PATTISON George Henry
ROSE Kate
CONGDON Freddie
PARKER John J.
STORMS W. P.
IRWIN James
IRWIN Mrs. Mary J.
GRAHAM William
DRUMMOND Janet Mary
DRUMMOND Margaret Agnes
CARMICHAEL Jessie
CASSADY John
DRUMMOND Alex 
[IRWIN] Maggie Annie Alexina
[IRWIN] Baby
IRWIN Mary Jane
IRWIN William Charles
IRWIN Robert Charles
MURCHISON Annie
MCALLISTER Ann Jane
IRWIN Mary Jane
IRWIN James
ZURCHER John Donald Charles
MURCHISON Neil
MURCHISON William
IRWIN Robert Brian
MURCHISON Malcolm
SMITH Dean Alexander
MARK Maggie
MURCHISON Christie
IRWIN Clarence Campbell
IRWIN Amy E
SCOTT J. W.
SAUNDERSON Sadie
BATES Mary Lou
PARNELL Hannah``
IRWIN twins
IRWIN James Jr.
LAVERY Morris
ANDREW Agnes
ZURCHER Ronnie
ROSE Rachel
WALKEY Maude
IRWIN Amy Estella
MCGREGOR Lena
SCOTT Annie P.
ZURCHER Beatrice Bates
BATES Marshall E.
BATES Marshall  
IRWIN Maggie F?
MURCHISON Ella
LAND Emma
GRAHAM Margaret
ROGERS Diane
MCDOUGALL Maggie
RICHES Russell
MCTAVISH Robert Edward Douglas
IRWIN David
ROGERS David Scott
CLULOW Joseph   
PACE Donald Preston
GORDON Samuel S.
IRWIN Mrs. James Jr.
PACE John Edward
GILCHRIST Annie
CURRINS J. D. 
ROSE Margaret Edith


NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS (loose - in front of book)
CRAIK Mabel Henrietta 
KENNEDY Sarah  KENNEDY
COOPER Eileen Honorah WILLIAMSON?
SHEPPARD William A.
BENNETT Evangeline Bertha
CHANDLER Mrs. Dorothy
IRWIN Jacquline Louise
ALLEN Randall
DONALDSON Rev. David
MACCORKINDALE Alice S. GROSS?
MCDIARMID Lotty DOUGHTY
BENNETT Catherine
DAVIS Dorothy Marguerite
ORR Ella Maude GROPP?
STOCKDALE Catherine Mae GARRISON
MCGILL Margaret Helen
STEWART Muriel Scott STEWART


For more about the 21 Day Family Connections Experiment, see my first Experiment article here.

1 comment:

DixSterling said...

What a wonderful treasure to have. We have one from my late Mother in Law. It has far fewer names but was full of clues when I started family history.