Elgin County Ontario Genealogy

East Elgin Veterans of World War I

2010-11-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

Elgin OGS is pleased to announce the release of "We Will Remember Them - The Men & Women of East Elgin Who Served in the First Great War, 1914-1918"
Published in four volumes, arranged alphabetically by surname, these books detail the lives of World War I veterans from Aylmer and the Townships of Malahide, South Dorchester and Bayham. See the Elgin OGS website - www.elginogs.ca for purchase details

"new" Elgin OGS site

2010-06-15T15:45:00.001-07:00

The Elgin County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has moved its domain name (www.elginogs.ca) to a Google site. On our "new" site you will find all the information from our previous site plus lots more! The greatest benefit to this move is the search engine provided by Google, which now searches all our content.
Jim McCallum, Chairman, Elgin OGS

photos of East Elgin World War I veterans needed

2009-11-15T13:48:00.000-08:00

As a continuation of the project resulting in the book "Age Shall Not Weary Them", giving information on the men who gave their lives during the First Great War from East Elgin, Elgin OGS is publishing at least four more volumes on the men and women who served in that conflict from the Townships of Bayham, South Dorchester, Malahide and the Town of Aylmer. Much of the biographical material has already been collected, but photographs are needed. A list of the people featured in these publications will be posted to the Elgin OGS website: http://www.elginogs.ca/WWIphotorequest.html Anyone with photos (doesn't have to be of the person in uniform) is asked to e-mail Jim McCallum at jmccallum@rogers.com

A Tour of the Fingal #4 Bombing and Gunnery School Historical Area

2009-03-07T14:05:00.000-08:00

FINGAL WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA

The #4 Bombing and Gunnery School, 34469 Fingal Line, Fingal, ON was in operation from November 1940 to February 1945. This unit was one of 105 Canadian and British Air Schools that were a part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in Canada. There were 50 temporary buildings, a large drill hall and 6 steel framed hangars. Three hard surfaced runways were laid out in a triangle. Bombing targets were located at Dutton, Melbourne, Frome and Tempo. There was a Marine Section at Port Stanley and bombing and gunnery ranges along the north shore of Lake Erie. During this period over six thousand non-pilot aircrew graduated from this school. These students and their instructors came from several countries, mainly United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Free France, United States and Canada. Nineteen men lost their lives due to accidents involving airplanes and their names are listed on a commemorative plaque at the entrance to the old RCAF site. The RCAF abandoned the site in June 1961 and the Federal Government sold the site to the Province of Ontario in September 1965.

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Elgin County Stewardship Council jointly manage the Fingal Wildlife Management Area (FWMA). At present, 390 of the 720 acres at the site are devoted to agriculture, employing conservation farming methods and the remaining space is managed for wildlife habitat and human enjoyment.

In September 1992 the Kettle Creek Conservation Authority started a project to collect funds to erect the memorial plaque at the entrance and also as part of that project, to provide an interpretive walking trail and thus the War to Roses Trail was established in 1994. The 1.5 km trail follows part of the old Air Force road system and combines nature along with history and takes about 40 minutes to walk. We can all thank Ian Carmichael, Gord Longhurst and Lorne Spicer for their efforts in constructing the trail. As we remember our history and enjoy the sites and sounds of nature around us, the War to Roses brochures ask us to “Please remember the hiker’s creed: take nothing but photographs; leave nothing but footprints.”

ELGIN COUNTY BRANCH OGS, JUNE MEETING

Tour: 27 June 2009

Time: 2:00 p.m.

Speaker and Tour Guide: Lorne Spicer, Naturalist

Meet in the Parking Lot, 34469 Fingal Line, Fingal, Ontario, approximately 2 kms west of Fingal.

Submitted by Pat Temple

Find Your Roots workshop

2009-02-14T20:01:00.000-08:00

Elgin OGS is hosting a workshop to help beginner genealogists learn how to trace their family tree. It is being held on Saturday, April 18, 2009 from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Carnegie Room (downstairs) at St. Thomas Public Library, 153 Curtis Street. There is no charge, and pre-registration is not required, but anyone wishing to sign up can e-mail us at info@elginogs.ca or phone Jean at 519-773-9405
The workshop will show you how to fill out a pedigree chart and family group sheet as well as describe the type of material to gather and where to find it. An introduction to using the Internet for genealogy will also be given.

Elgin County Funeral Home Records - Indexes now Online

2008-12-14T17:54:00.000-08:00

The Elgin OGS has now posted indexes online for several of the Elgin County Funeral Homes.

Elgin OGS has records from various funeral homes and undertakers throughout Elgin County in their holdings.

We can provide an extraction of genealogical information from these records, which will not include the cause of death or any financial details.

The extent and type of information varies with each funeral home. The usual information expected would be date of death, date of burial, age, date of birth, place of birth and death, place of burial and sometimes parents’ names and names of survivors.

The funeral homes / undertakers records from which we can provide lookups are:

Atkinson, Hughson & Kebbel, Aylmer -

Evenden Funeral Home, St. Thomas (c1873-1880 -

George A. Allen, Aylmer (1920-1950) -

Moedinger Funeral Home, Sparta (c1899-1911) -

P. R. Williams Funeral Home (1893 - 1910) -

P. R. Williams Funeral Home (1911 - 1920) -

P. R. Williams Funeral Home (1921 - 1927) -

P. R. Williams Funeral Home (1928 - 1935) -

Towers Funeral Home, St. Thomas (1909-1940) -

For information on how to order extracts of data from these sources please see the lookup policy at : http://www.elginogs.ca/funeralhome/index.htm

Civil War Veterans of Elgin County

2008-12-13T17:50:00.000-08:00

It may surprise some researchers how many Ontario residents went south to fight in the American Civil War. Bob Moore and Bruce Johnson have identified over 50 Civil War Veterans who were at one time residents of Elgin County. Check out their research online at: http://www.elginogs.ca/onlinepubs/civilwarvets.htm

One Veteran, William Whitesell, born at Malahide Township, Elgin County enlisted as a private on the 26th of September 1861 at St. Charles, Illinois in the 52nd Regiment, Illinois Volunteers Company “G” to serve 3 years. He was mustered in at Geneva, Kane County Illinois in October 1861 by Capt. F H Bowman of 52nd Illinois Regiment Company”G”,. He began service 19 November 1861 at Geneva, Illinois. Whitesell was described as a native of Elgin County, Canada West, age 26 years old, 5 feet, 8 ½ inches tall, darkish complexion, brown eyes, black hair and by occupation a farmer,

He died of typhoid fever at Camp Montgomery near Corinth, Mississippi. On the muster Roll of Company “G” for the months of July and August 1862, it is reported "Died in Hospital at Camp Montgomery, near Corinth, Miss. July 7, 1862." He was buried at the Corinth Mississippi National cemetery

12 Copies of the Alma College book For Sale

2008-11-21T15:38:00.000-08:00

Alma College, St. Thomas Ontario Centennial Book 1877 -1977

by Katherine Dobson Ridell / Alma College, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada

St. Thomas, Ontario: Phibbs Printing World
Alma College, 1977
181 pages, illustrated with b&w photos

This book can be found at the Elgin County Library and the York Region Library

_________________________________________________________

FOR SALE

12 Copies of this Book are available from the Elgin OGS - $30.00 each

Send orders with Cheque to

Elgin OGS
Box 20060
St. Thomas, Ontario, N5P 4H4,
Canada

See more info at our web page at:

http://www.elginogs.ca/onlinepubs/almacollege1877to1977.htm

_________________________________________

The special gravestones for Nicholas C. Brown's three wives

2008-10-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

If you are ever researching or just visiting the Dunboyne Cemetery south of Aylmer, Ontario you might want to take the time to take a close look at the gravestones of Nicholas Carter Brown and his three wives, all lined up in a row in the center of the cemetery.

Nicholas Carter Brown with grandaughter Margaret Chase - circa 1915

Nicholas C. Brown was my great-great-Grandmother's older brother who lived to age 94 and kept a diary of the weather and his major daily events for most of his life. He married three times. Four of his eight children survived to adulthood but he selected and placed the gravestones for all of his 3 wives. His children were successful and accomplished in medicine, law and military service. Education and religious faith were always very important for him and his family (although he wasn't particularly proficient at spelling).

What is particularly interesting about the gravestones of his wives are the carefully crafted sculpted images on the monuments. When I first looked at the stones many years ago I thought "how nice" - a carving of a mother and her children on the gravestones.

Nicholas' first wife Mina Maria Backhouse, died 30 March 1867. In his diary Nicholas gives.

March 1867 23 S[at.] Wife very ill give her clothing and keepSakes to [Trier?]

28 T[hur.] Wife Deceas at 10 oclock ev was last words to me ["] I am geting cold and if I never get warm I shall be glad and you nead not be sory for the Lord will take care of me ["]

29 F[ri.] Arange for Funeral

30 S[at.] Funeral gathering large conducted well 2 oclock ?? of j. Walker coffin and thence and Teams to carry her corps to meeting House [she was a Quaker] Miss Catherin Kusling Niece agrees to Keep house for us this season for one dollar per week.

23 November 1867, Sat.; "Go to receive Tombstone wrongly inscribed rejected."

6 December 1867, Received Wifes Tombstone a little short - $85.00.

29 April 1868, Wednesday; "Fix Tomb Stones plant Roses by graves."

The gravestone for his first wife, Mina, that Nicholas was so particular about was apparently carefully designed with specific criteria. It depicts a a Mother seated reading a book to two standing boys, one who could be 11 years old and one who appears younger, maybe about 8.

Father and us miss you dear Mother - Mima Maria / Wife of / Nicholas C. Brown / Died / Mar. 28, 1867 / Æ 35 ys. 1 ms. / & 6 ds. / And so the actions of the just / When memory has sustained them / Breath upward from decay and dust / And leave sweet scent behind them / Teale & Wilkens / London.

After Mina died Nicholas married second, Margaret Williams, a sister of his cousin's wife. He had 4 more children by her but one died before wife Margaret died on 22 March 1877.At the time of her death he laments in his diary:

"S[un.] 18 March 1877 Good Sleighing Wife very ill Children better

M[on.] 19 Draw saw logs, Send for Dr. j Williams Wiffes Brother got here 10 oclock

T[ue.]Doctors McClay and Williams here. Wife sinking

W[ed.]Wife still sinking at Six oclock this morning she called for her Family and Friends one after another and talked with them and bid them goodby asking them to meet her in Heaven.

T[hur.] 22 Wife Margaret Died this morning at half past one oclock her end was peasce She sayed all was well

F[ri.] 23 Wifes Funeral they laid her away at half past two oclock P.M. large gathering day very warm Snow turns to slush and slop

M[erritt] & L[eopold] got home from Montryall (sic-Montreal) time for Funeral Return from Funeral with my two large and three small Motherless Children their prospects dreary no apparent way for me to keep or care for my Family my way appears entirely hedged up."

The inscription on her tombstone, at the Dunboyne Cemetery, a white marble rectangular stone on cement base, with sculpted mother and three children reads as follows.

Mother's Love and Farewell / Margaret / Wife of / Nicholas C. Brown / Died / March 22, 1877 / Aged / 35 y'rs. 11 m's & 20 d's. / Pa! take good care of the children./ I want you all to be kind to your / Father / Hutchinson Aylmer.

I never really thought that there was any special significance to the sculptures on the stones until recently when I was studying the ages of the children. I then realized that when Mina died she left behind 2 boys, Merritt age 11 and Leopold age 8. Two other of her children had died before her.
When second wife, Margaret died she left 3 children, Cora, age 8, Walter age 4 and an infant baby, Franklin about 9 months old.

Lately I came to realize just how these stones were meant to comfort the mourning children. The words on the stones were meant to be the mother speaking to her family when they visited her gravesite and the children on the stone represented her children and how she was to be remembered by them. They would see themselves with their mother and be reminded of her love and affection for them. What a thoughtful and deliberate father Nicholas must have been.

Nicholas married third (another "M") Martha Ruth Birdsall in 1878. She Died in 1909 and her gravestone is inline with the first two wives. She is represented like the first two wives on her gravestone, apparently seated and possibly at some task (maybe carrying a basket). There are no children in the sculpture since no issue occurred with this marriage.

Entered Into Rest/Martha R./wife of Nicholas C. BROWN/died/March 8, 1909/Aged 80 y'rs. 6 mo's & 8 d's

.

Nicholas had very neatly represented his family who survived to adulthood in his purchases of the 3 gravestones for his 3 wives. When Nicholas died in 1920 his surviving four children erected a gravestone next to his three wives (their two mothers and stepmother). On his monument is an open book, inscribed "Holy Bible." For a man of strong Christian faith who attended his own nearby Methodist Church regularly and supported generously all the area churches including his father's Quaker meetings the sculpted Bible was the obvious choice.

Nicholas Carter/BROWN/Died/Feb 19, 1920/Aged 94 years/Son of/Walter & Jemima/

The transcriptions for the gravestones for Nicholas's 4 children who preceded him and who are buried at Dunboyne can be found at : http://www.elginogs.ca/cemeteries/malahide/dunboyne.htm

Bruce Johnson
Elgin OGS

Book Review of David Porter's new book on the Pearce Letters

2008-09-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

Here is what Dr. Colin Read, Prof. of History, Huron University College, London, Ontario has to say about David Porter's new book From Almondsbury to Aylmer: The Pearce Letters.

History is about the great, the good, and the not-so-good: kings and queens, prime ministers, prelates, merchant princes, and the like. David Porter's From Almondsbury to Aylmer: The Pearce Letters provides yet another powerful antidote to this tired and tiresome argument and hence should be read widely, especially by the historical illiterate, too many of whom occupy positions of power. Those who would argue, for example, that Sir John A. "built" the Canadian Pacific Railway, even though he worked not at all on it, not even swinging the sledge hammer that drove the last spike, would benefit mightily from immersing themselves in this well-produced, well-written, well-illustrated, well-mapped volume about "ordinary folk" on either side of the Atlantic who, like unrecorded multitudes, led lives of consequence. The ordinary is ever significant.

The principals of Porter's piece are, in the first instance, William and Emma Pearce who left the southwest of England in 1852, settling, first, in Malahide in Elgin County, where they joined, according to the 1851-2 census, 176 others from England and Wales then in that township. Chain migration had played its part in their coming, as friends had preceded them and made them aware of the possibilities inherent in the new land. Pushed by the prospect of landlessness in Almondsbury and attracted by the pull of real property, William and Emma struck deep roots in Elgin, eventually acquiring a farm in the west part of Yarmouth, not far from Aylmer. With deft strokes, author/editor Porter sets the scene, establishes needed context, tells the tale, and provides genealogical data. The key part of his book, however, consists of the twenty-five letters discovered in the 1960s between the Pearces and their English relatives, especially William Pearce senior. Though nibbled by mice, these letters provide a rich banquet for those interested in real people who populated a world that is receding in time and memory yet connected still to the present.

On the latter score, does any of this sound familiar?: the call of greener pastures with its promise of land and prosperity, the heartbreak involved in family members leaving for distant places, the fragility of life, the search for solace in the face of death through the promise of life eternal in heaven in company with the newly-departed. All this and more, as the author/editor points out, is to be found in these letters. Particularly poignant is the family falling-out that developed over a small bequest left to William by his departed father, despite the elder William's having done all he could to assure that his three sons would be treated fairly. The journey to this particular family hell was clearly paved with good intentions.

From Almonsbury to Aylmer provides the stuff of lives lived, far more than do many accounts that have those deemed "historically important" swaggering upon the world's stage.

For an index of names in the book see the Elgin OGS web site page on the book.

From Amondsbury to Aylmer: The Pearce Letters

2008-09-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

There will be a book launch for David Porter's new book From Almondsbury to Aylmer: The Pearce Letters at the Aylmer Town Hall Library, Wed., Oct. 8, 2008 at 7:30PM.

The book describes the six-week voyage of a newly married couple in 1852 from Bristol, England to New York in a former slave ship, the 600 mile trek to their destination in Elgin County, Canada West (Ontario) and what the emigrants found there.

Twenty five letters from Pearce family members in England to William Pearce of Elgin County touch on political events and social changes in Britain, and articulate the strong Charistian beliefs of their writers, Anglican and Methodist.

Copies of the new book will be made available at the book launch and through Campbell's in Aylmer. More details to follow on distribution.

(photo courtesy of Norm and Liz Pearce, Jaffa, Ontario)

New Elgin OGS book launch

2008-09-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

There will be a book launch for Jim McCallum's new Elgin OGS publication "Age Shall Not Weary Them - The Men of East Elgin Who Made the Supreme Sacrifice in the First Great War" on Saturday October 18, 2008 at the Military Museum in St. Thomas, Ontario.
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This 300-page book details the lives of about 150 men from the Townships of Malahide, Bayham, South Dorchester, and the Town of Aylmer who died while serving their country during World War 1.

Full of genealogical, biographical and military history, this book also contains hundreds newspaper articles on these men and their families, and many letters from overseas that were printed in the local paper. Photographs of these heroes are included where available.

The book will be launched on Saturday, October 18, 2008 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Elgin Military Museum, 30 Talbot Street, St. Thomas, Ontario.

To see an index of the Elgin County veterans mentioned in the book check out the Elgin OGS web site at:

http://www.elginogs.ca/greatwarmen.htm

1881 Census now online at Libary and Archives Canada site

2008-09-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

Library and Archives Canada has now made the 1881 census images available on line.

See: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1881/001049-100.01-e.php

Note that if you are an Ancestry subscriber that you can link an ancestor 1881 census image under the "Web Links" feature

Web Links

1881 census image for Humphrey

1924 Cummins Rural Directory Maps

2008-09-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

1924 Map for South Dorchester Township (double click image to enlarge for reading lot owners)

The 1924 Cummins Rural Directory is a source that may be helpful to Elgin County Researchers

Here is a sample of the maps given in the Directory. This map is for the historical township of South Dorchester. Note that Concession numbers are given in both margins as Roman numerals. Lots start on the left margin with Lots A and B then number 1 through 24 right to left.

The 1924 Cummins Maps are available on ILL from the Public Archives of Canada
Our thanks to Elgin OGS member Fred Prong for directing us to this source.

See the entire Dorchester map at: http://www.elginogs.ca/onlinepubs/1924ruraldirectory.htm

Elgin County Gravestone images posted to Elgin OGS Flickr account

2008-09-08T17:06:00.001-07:00

The new Elgin OGS Flickr account is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/elginogs
Photos that are posted to this Flickr account are being linked to various Elgin OGS cemetery transcription pages.
For an example see the Dunboyne Cemetery page at: http://www.elginogs.ca/cemeteries/malahide/dunboyne.htm

The Elgin OGS Flickr account also manages the Elgin County Gravestones pool at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/742742@N20/

If you would like to contribute photos of Elgin County gravestones to this pool simply asked to join and an invitation will be sent.

The Elgin OGS Flickr account allows the branch to link thousands of gravestone images at a small cost off the branch server to the transcription pages. Give it a try!

A redesigned OGS web site with new content

2007-11-29T15:11:00.000-08:00

The latest issue of News Leaf indicates that the OGS web site has been redesigned and gives us a glimpse of what new content will added during the year.

Next the online store will begin to appear, followed by the "Members-Only" area. As the year progresses, more branch cemetery transcriptions, etc., will be put online. We will begin the "Members-Only" area with digitized past issues of Families. This will be followed by some of the digitized OGS resources and the Memorial Project.
.....
In time some of the information from the IOOF insurance papers will be available to members.

We at the Elgin OGS are delighted to see the OGS starting to post original content on their web site. This will certainly increase awareness in the OGS web site and the OGS in general.

burials without monuments

2007-04-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

Recently added to the Elgin OGS website are hundreds of names taken from cemetery records for persons buried in the Old English Cemetery on Walnut Street, and the St. Thomas Cemetery on West Ave., who do not have markers in the cemeteries.

Union Road Company Stockholders Book

2007-03-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

We have just published Bob Moore's transcription of the Union Road Company Stockholders book. Check it out at http://www.elginogs.ca/onlinepubs/unionstockbook.htm

"Stock books such as the Union Road Company help to track the very transient population of Elgin County during the 1850s even though we have both the 1851 and the 1861 census of Southwold Township to aid us . The stock list also give us some indication of the financial means of the stockholders in 1853."

If you would like a photocopy of an ancestor name on the list please send a request to the Elgin OGS per the lookup fee policy outlined at the bottom of the Union Stock Book page.

Ships built at Port Burwell 1834 - 1875

2007-02-13T04:08:00.000-08:00

From the St Thomas Journal, April 29 1916:

List of Ships built at Port Burwell - 1834-1846 'Sir Robert Peel', 'Lady Colburn', 'Chapman', 'Amity', and 'Royal Tar'; 1847 'Sterling'; 1848 'Hagard'; 1849 'Royal Oak'; 1850 'Pine'; 1860 'Ada'; 1861 'Florence'; 1862 'Almina', 'Ellen Theresa', '. Cornwall'; 1863 'D. M. Foster', 1864 'Homeward Bound', 'Laura Emma'; 1866 'Arabian', 'Sarah Jane', 'George Suffel', 'A. C. Storrs', 'Y. W. Emery', 'Ariadne'; 1867 'W. W. Grant'; 1868 'Two Brothers', 'Leviathan'; 1869 'D. Freeman'; 1870 'Argo', 'E. A. Dunham'; 1871 'Vienna'; 1872 'Edward Blake', 'Clara Youell', 'Lady Dufferin'; 1873 'Craftsman', 'Lady McDonald', 'Erie Belle'; 1874 'Lilly Hamilton', 'Mary Ann Lynden', 'Grace Amelia', 'G. W. Suffel', 'Annie M. Foster'; 1875 'Hercules'

The article also has a photo of the car ferry 'Ashtabula' leaving her dock at Port Burwell.

Newspapers posted on line

2007-02-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

I posted Vital Statistics St Thomas Journal, January thru March 1916 on the web-site today.

George Light, a seaman of Port Burwell

2007-01-18T08:57:00.000-08:00

In 1917 a Port Burwell man by the name of George Light was drowned in the harbour at Erie, Pennsylvania off the ship 'Earl Bess' of Port Burwell. It was the 4th time in his seaman's career he had been involved in a mishap with a ship on which he was employed. His first time was on the ship 'Erie Wave' of Port Burwell 30 years before.
The story of the 'Erie Wave' can be found here:

http://www.halinet.on.ca/GreatLakes/Documents/HGL/default.asp?ID=s087

His second mishap, he wrecked off Ashtabula and had to swim ashore. His third was in Lake Huron off Sand Beach when a schooner ran on the rocks. He rescued the captain's wife and child using a rope.

A story of George Light can be found in the St Thomas Journal, 11 April 1917.

Elgin County Link to the Titanic - McAdam Family

2007-01-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

Henry W. McAdam who was born in St Thomas in the early 1880's married a woman whose father was a Swedish mining engineer who died in the sinking of the Titanic. Henry's father is buried in West Ave Cemetery, St Thomas.
See the story of the Titanic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Titanic

See the obituary of Henry W. McAdam's father Joseph McAdam on the website.

One of Joseph's daughters, Agnes McAdam also married William Folger Nickle, MP for Kingston. Nickle was famous in his time for trying to push through legislation to ban the peerage being bestowed on Canadians. Nickle's second wife was the daughter of the principal of Queen's University.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmpubadm/212/212we28.htm

Does the information on the Elgin OGS web site offer genealogical proofs?

2007-01-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

We have sometimes heard from researchers that information from our web site proves a relationhip. Unfortunately genealogists and researchers do not get proofs from our web site transcriptions. The branches of the OGS transcribe the inscriptions on gravestones and provide written extracts of many types of original documents but these transcriptions and extracts themselves do not constitute genealogical proofs. They are only aids to locating the original source documents. While there are no proofs of relationships that I know of on our Elgin OGS web site, there is much information that will hopefully lead a researcher to locating the evidence in primary sources that will provide the needed proofs.

What was a sparrow match in 1921?

2007-01-05T09:32:00.000-08:00

In the St Thomas Times Journal in 1921, the young people of Eden where catching sparrows for the sparrow match to be held in the near future.
Does anyone know how a sparrow match was conducted?

Presbyterian Church, Port Burwell 1868

2007-01-04T16:24:00.000-08:00

St Thomas Times Journal, Dec 15 1921, Page 8, c2 - In making a search for some old title papers in his office, D. H. Connor of Aylmer found some interesting old documents. One of them shows an old deed of a building site granted for building thereon a Presbyterian Church at Port Burwell for the nominal consideration of one dollar. All the parties to the document are now dead. The grantors were Mr and Mrs L. Burwell, parents of Mrs George Youell, who gave a liberal subsrcription to the building fund. One of the managers appointed to accept the property was Alexander Sutherland, whose granddaughter is Miss McKenzie, one of Mr Connor's staff. He is described as a lighthouse keeper but was better known as a magistrate, his sons looking after the work at the lighthouse, which is still done by his grandchildren. The deed is on a form printed for the Canada Presbyetrian Church and is dated Mar 1 1868, the conveyance being done by W. A. Glover and the witness, John R. Glover, his son. The latter's brother, now living at Chattanooga, was an Aylmer visitor last summer. A commodious church was built, but owing to removal of prominent members such as the Pousties and others, it was found impossible to carry on, so the congregation sold the building and it was moved to the front street and used as a livery stable till it burned about 8 years ago. The building site was sold later and since formed the lawn of a residence which stood behind the old church.

Photos of Ancestors from the newspaper

2007-01-04T00:34:00.000-08:00

These photographs are usually of poor quality to copy, but are easily recongnizable. The web-site index from the Times Journal will list the name of the person and usually the context for which the photograph was taken.

Elgin County Church Articles

2007-01-04T00:30:00.000-08:00

Many articles were written in the St Thomas Times Journal about the churches in Elgin County. To see an index of these articles, type in the name of the church in the search engine on the main page of the web-site.

News Items of Special Interest

2007-01-03T05:40:00.000-08:00

Web-site has indexed many news items of local interest. Some examples - the Alma College newspaper, type in doughnut or just college to get all the indexed items; Waterworks Park, type waterworks; St Thomas Collegiate Institute, type collegiate or institute. Many schools from the county published a list of honor rolls, type the word honor in the search engine.

Google Maps address links now from the Elgin OGS Cemetery Page

2007-01-01T21:56:00.000-08:00

The Elgin OGS web site now has cemetery address links to Google Maps. Go to the Elgin OGS Cemetery Page to see these links.

Here is a quick sample of what the location of the Dunboyne Cemetery looks like in Google Maps.

FLICKR photos can now be linked to the Elgin OGS Cemetery transcriptions

2007-01-01T21:42:00.001-08:00

Gravestone for Levi NICKERSON
Originally uploaded by BruceandLetty.

We are now able to link your Flickr photos of Elgin County gravestones to the appropriate Elgin OGS cemetery transcription page. This photo of Levi Nickerson is linked to the Dunboyne Cemetery page.

If you have gravestone photos and would like them linked let us know.

Welcome to the Elgin OGS Blog Site

2007-01-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

Hello Elgin OGS members and all those interested in Elgin County, Ontario Genealogical research. We have set up this test blog site for you so feel free to try it out. If you have comments and opinions on the Elgin OGS web site, researching your roots in Elgin County or helpful hints for other Elgin County researchers this is the place to share your opinions and knowledge with others interested in genealogical research in Elgin County, Ontario
Regards
Bruce Johnson
Web Publisher Elgin OGS