A to Z Challenge - J

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.

J is for Joiners


Our ancestors were joiners. They joined church groups, sports clubs, fraternity orders like the Masons and the Oddfellows, and social clubs.  Even with all the work they had to do and the children they had to raise, they liked to be part of a group of like minds.

Verdun United Church Ladies Aid Society 1910

All the ladies names are written on the back, my grandmother age 16 is far left first row. Her mother, my great grandmother age 43 is the far right middle row. I adore all the hats. The minister took the photo.

Some members of fraternal lodges have their symbol engraved on their tombstone. This is the gravestone of my 2x great uncle Thomas and it has the symbol for the Masons at the top.

To find out if your ancestor joined a club, society order or lodge, check for the group's publications at the local library.  Also take a look at the links below I have quite a few listed with lists of members.

Related Posts:  Clubs 

                      Societies, Orders and Lodges

A to Z Challenge - I

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.

I is for Inventions

I never would have thought to look at invention patents to find my ancestors. That's not the kind of people we are.  Ha!  Was I surprised to find my 2x great grandfather was granted a patent for his method of making a secret pocket in trousers!  Then I got another surprise. The paint and varnish company my grandmother owned hired a neighbour inventor to devise a way of making silk screen posters. You just never know where you are going find your ancestors hiding!

1891 Patent for perforated toilet paper roll (and the right way to hang it)

While you are looking up your ancestor names check out other patents, some are quite amusing. Also you don't want to write about anything in your family story that hadn't been invented yet!

You may find invention patents at your country's patent office and notices in the official gazette. If you don't find one of your ancestors, try a company they owned or worked for.




Related Posts:  Patents on Google,  Canada Patents and Who's Bright Idea Was That?

A to Z Challenge - H

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.

H is for Heraldry

I see many people putting coats of arms on their family trees, and its all pretty and all, but may not be correct. Not everyone with the same surname is entitled to the coat of arms.

The Royal Proclamation of 1417 stated more or less: "...no man should assume arms unless he held them by right of inheritance or by the donation of some person who had the power to give them."

If you believe your ancestor was granted a coat of arms, it is a great resource to check for answers, as the heralds had to travel to the petitioner's place of residence and do a thorough investigation (background check, if you will) into the genealogy of the person requesting the arms. 

I did some asking at the London College of Arms where my ancestor would have been granted his arms, and if you have some basic information plus an image of the arms a search would be about 125 US$ (subject to change, and possibly more if all you have is a name and place). That was the price for me, as a cousin gave me a photo of a drawing of our family coat of arms that was hanging in our ancestral home. And I had a little more info. It will be interesting to see who is the last person that was entitled to our coat of arms.(My grandfather always wrote his S's like that below, now I see why!)

Amor Patriae Omnia Vincit ~ Love of Country Conquers All.

Is there a coat of arms in your ancestry?

Related Posts:  Disclaimed Gentlemen and Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica