The Blogging from A to Z Challenge is to post everyday (except Sunday) in the month of April 2016 starting with the letter A and going all the way to Z. The theme I chose is Genealogy Tips. At the end I will give a related post from my blog Genealogy: Beyond the BMD.
NOTE: My comments somehow got turned off at the Letter L ... it is working again and I always value and enjoy your comments. Thank you.
N is for Neighbours
In small communities especially, people depended on their neighbours. They saw each other in church and at community socials. They helped each other in need and also traded what they produced on their land.
My grandfather Herbert Mavor's uncle John was married to a Carbee, and his aunt Jean was married to a Swanson. The Mavors, Carbees and Swansons were all friends and neighbours. Jean's brother-in-law was a land agent for the west and that, I discovered, is probably the reason John Mavor and his buddy Edwin Carbee headed west to get some land. Once John was settled in Alberta he went home to marry is sweatheart, Edwin's sister Ruth Carbee.
One of the Carbee boys moved to the United States and on one of the US censuses a Swanson boy was lodging with him. If I was only researching Swanson's or just Carbees, I may not have made the connection, because there t no other link between the Carbees and the Swansons.
Also without checking the neighbours, I would not have been able to find the origins of Hannah Meade and why she was living with my Seale family in Barriefield, Ontario.
In my previous post for the letter L for Loyalty Oaths I see many of my ancestor's neighbours on the list of those that took the oath of fealty in Kingsbrige.
Related Post: Who is Hannah Meade
Making it in Alberta
Along the Crocus Trail, the history of Daysland and Districts
I struggled with coming up with something for the letter N., so admired your originality with Neighbours.
ReplyDeleteYou did well with Needle(work) - I would think a lot of our ancestors made their own clothes. I have a great grand aunt who lived in a family's house all winter to do all their sewing - clothes, linens, etc.
DeleteEnjoyed your N Challenge Dianne :D I too have been able to put some history/facts together when looking at neighbors of ancestors. Census are great for find out all sorts of things :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Cathern!
DeleteI have used neighbors to help me find ancestors too. Usually my ancestor's name was indexed incorrectly. One of my great-grandaunt's divorce proceedings are online and many of the neighbors testified on her behalf. It's interesting tracing some of those names and seeing connections even later on.
ReplyDeleteVisiting from AtoZ
Wendy
Jollett Etc.
Oooooh I wonder if I could find an ancestor's divorce proceedings online. He established residence in Detroit to get a divorce. Another avenue to pursue! Thanks.
DeleteYes, neighbours in census records have helped me to locate the correct family members. Very relevant :)
ReplyDeleteYep - neighbours are very important indeed. Today and in the past. We are blessed to have such good neighbours.
ReplyDelete