Treasure Chest Thursday - Schoolbook, 1928

Since school's just in again, I've picked an old school book from my collections for this Treasure Chest Thursday. This is one genealogists will appreciate.

Neighbours Unknown, with short stories, by Charles G.D. Roberts. (Toronto: The MacMillan Company of Canada Limited, 1927.) Authorized for use in the Province of Manitoba.

Roberts is sometimes called the Father of Canadian Poetry. This book was originally published, I believe, in 1911.

What makes this interesting to me is that my Mum used it. I know that because she has written right though the book - something, I assure you, that she never allowed me to do. To this day I don't doodle, scribble or even highlight in books!

You'll see the book is damaged and, especially inside, discoloured. That's mainly because it still has its plain brown paper cover, likely made by my mother, glued to the corners of the book, and certainly written and doodled on by her.

On one of the front blank pages she's written a date, Jan. 17, 1928, and her own name, her birth date, her parents' names and when they married, and then their parents' names as well. Elsewhere she has 'doodled' the names of other family members. Not in sketches, that's all in writing.

Found in the book were some pieces of paper - a spelling 'mistake' practise list and a double-sided sketch of a house plan.

On a back of a book blank page is also a sketch of a 'bungalow'. Now that one looks like something she's copied from another book (especially since it has a title) but the little sketch looks suspiciously like what she told me about the family house in Newdale, Manitoba, Canada, particularly the 'shelf' on the stairs. Perhaps I will never ever know for sure.

In the meantime, I can enjoy this momento of my mother's misspent youth. There are people who collect 'Forgotten Bookmarks' and 'Found Bookmarks'. I wonder if someone has begun collecting examples of family related bookmarks like these?

Treasure Chest Thursday is a regular Genea-Bloggers activity. Join in!

See Geneabloggers for all the recent Treasure Chest Thursday posts.

Oldest Relatives and My Genealogy Luck

Yesterday, The Genetic Genealogist posted this question:

"Who Is The Oldest Relative You Remember Meeting?

Did you know any of your great-great-great-grandparents? Great-great-grandparents? Who is the oldest relative you remember meeting?"

See his post and the comments for his answer as well as other people's answers.

I met & remember three of my grandparents - also a great aunt.

My paternal grandparents, Grandpa Rogers and Grandma Rogers, née Saggers, were born in 1877 and 1878; they died when I was five. I do remember them, but not well, I'm afraid.

My great aunt, Maggie Drummond, my 'Auntie Grandma', née Irwin, was born in 1881; she died when I was 18. My maternal grandmother, my 'Na', Amy Scott (née Irwin), was born in 1884 and died when I was in my mid 30s. Both I remember well.

As my mother told me several times, many relatives attended my christening, so I must have 'met' a few relatives who would have been born earlier than these, but I was just too little then to pay attention and it seems no one took any group photographs that day either. I do have my baby book with a list of relatives (and presents) in it.

I found the Genetic Genealogist's question very interesting. I've wondered sometimes myself if life would have been a bit different if I'd had more time with my paternal grandparents, (and not just because I could have got Grandpa Rogers to answer some thorny genealogical questions).

I never knew my Grandpa Scott as he died before I was born, but I know I was lucky that my Na lived long enough to know my children and lucky that she talked so often about family things, both to my mother and later to me. I'd never had had such a good start to my family research without the information she gave me when I was younger and it certainly seems highly unlikely that my Mum and I would have been able to identify so many family photographs without Na.

In fact, I feel very lucky that my maternal great grandmother, Janet Irwin (née Carmichael), lived so long too. In her later years, she lived a lot with my grandparents and my mother said her great grandmother talked about family history to her. Great grandmother Irwin lived from 1851 to 1927; my mother was 13 when she died.

Mum could hardly have remembered her grandfather William Irwin though as he died when mum was four.

Mum never knew her paternal grandfather, Walter Scott, as he died in 1892, but she did know her paternal grandmother, Mary Janet Scott, née Wood, who was born in 1858 and didn't die till 1944 when mum was thirty.

I don't think great grandmother Scott talked to Mum much about family or if she did perhaps it was only what she wanted known. I do know my mother overheard a family secret at Mary Janet Scott's funeral - one I didn't hear from Na - or from Mum till I started seriously researching family.

My mother knew and remembered other relatives too, especially, I think, her great aunt, Maggie Graham, née Carmichael, born in 1863.

This post is really my answer too for Randy Seaver's latest Saturday Night Genealogy Fun question too! He asked

"When have you had a dose of good genealogy luck?"

Have a look at the comments to his post to see people's answers.

And now, Randy, start scanning, photographing and writing about your 'lucky find' family treasures and don't forget to share them on Treasure Chest Thursdays!

Mother's Day - 1914 - Manitoba, Canada

My mum and her mum (my Na) on the farm in Newdale, Manitoba, Canada, 1914.

Mothers' Day in May 1914 in Manitoba seems to have been an occasion for reflection and remembrance.

Mothers' Day

Yesterday was a double decoration day. Soldiers heaped flowers at the graves of comrades who had fought the good fight even to the death, for their country and thousands wore a fragrant little flower over their heart to do honor for soldiers of a far different stamp, soldiers who have struggled or are still struggling not to take life, but to give and guard it. That flower seemed to cast on the crowd, something of the brightness and tenderness it commemorated, and on the wearer a sort of exultation as though in remembering his mother he remembered the best in himself.

The observance of Mothers' Day was not left exclusively to the sons, not by any means. Many daughters of all ages, some now mothers themselves, wore the little emblem as proudly as their brothers.

Lest they forget, these busy grown up sons and daughters, members of the Mothers' association were stationed Saturday at 14 strategic points throughout the city, with 6,000 carnations, which were quickly bought up by the passersby. Passengers getting off their trains at either station, matinee crowds at five of the theatres, afternoon tea drinkers at the Royal Alexandra hotel and Fort Garry hotel were reminded by the flower venders that Sunday was to be dedicated to the little mother heroes as well as the big stalwart military heroes. The receipts from the flowers were something over $700, of which the $300 or so profits will go to the Day Nursery which helps so many of these brave little women to keep their small families together.

The ministers were also asked to observe Mothers' Day at one service at least. This was done at nearly all of the churches by sermons, music and flowers. And the worship was none the less reverent or uplifting for that observance. [ p.9 ]

A special service was held at Grace Church in the morning... Rev. J. E. Hugheson, B.A., spoke on the subject of "Mother," and addressed what he had to say largely to the young men away from home. "Write Home" was his message, and "do not let mother fret because she knows not what you are doing." In the address to the children, Mr Hughson told stories emphasizing the importance of respect and reverence to mother. [p. 22]

Winnipeg Free Press, Monday, 11 May, 1914


Within a short period afterwards, Canada would suffer two disasters - on May 29 the Ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sank in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and over 1000 lost their lives; in June, an explosion at a coal mine in Hillcrest, Alberta killed 189 men; and then in August, alongside Great Britain, Canada would be at war.

This post was written for Mothers! - the 72nd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. Watch for the full Carnival lineup to be posted at Creative Gene on May 15th, 2009. You can still participate - the deadline is May 15th. Look for submission guidelines on Facebook at the Genea-Bloggers Group or go to Blog Carnival for information.