As one walks into any pubic library, it can be a daunting task to figure out where to spend one’s limited time in family history research. A few libraries may have a section dedicated to genealogy and put all their volumes and tapes into that area, but many do not. There are private libraries of course, even genealogy ones, which will prove of great worth, but this is an introduction to understanding the  resources,  and location of family history related subjects.

Although there may be an occasional Gillespie author on various subjects, the author’s subject may not relate to your study.. This is not the time to enjoy the fiction section, which is usually in an area by itself with books arranged by the name of the author.

Time is often a factor regarding free subscriptions that libraries may offer on their computers for  access to big genealogy websites.   During the pandemic,  my local library only allowed half an hour visits in total. So, where might one look to access material to help in one’s ongoing search for information?

History books are listed under the wall plaque number 900, and is in the non fiction area of a library. That area uses a different coding system than in the fiction section. Most books for genealogy will be located here, not all, but a good selection. Others may be in Travel for example, or even Biographies

Hopefully, any births, marriages,  deaths and census records will be in print and indexed, There may be guides in print as  free handouts that will help you skim the library’s collection to see what is available in this location for this type of thing.  Land records, school records, area histories in book form will be of great interest, but smaller public libraries may not have those.  Look for the biggest libraries in an area for your main visit simply because they probably offer more services and content. Many delightful discoveries have been made in simple, rural libraries, so never discount them.

I once spent a week going through very early, Irish parish records  without any index while at the Mormon library in Salt Lake City.  Exhausting,  and my eyes blurred and the effort tired me. I learned a great deal the week I spent in daily visits to this huge building. It had floors for various countries of the world and all the records from there.  Many volunteers help continue the work of copying records to the main Mormon website at www.familysearch.org. The best family history library in the world, in my opinion, and certainly the largest. On their website homepage, use search to bypass the introductory wizard and pull up a world map, with links of all records to those areas.  You can also inter-loan microfilm of records from this Mormon library to their church libraries around the world, but you do not have to be a Mormon to use that service. I have found them very helpful and do not hesitate about entering a Mormon church to go to their library. Times of library hours should be on a website, or sometimes posted on the front door of the church. I am not a Mormon.

Many libraries maintain an online presence, so that you do not always have to visit a library physically to obtain an understanding as to what it’s catalogue contains.  I found many records while visiting the online access to the New York Public Library from my computer. Staff hired in libraries often includes  a technician to maintain the library website.  I have had some excellent conversations with their technicians to learn more about the systems used in that location. Systems also include the cataloguing service, which most patrons never think about.  These have changed over the years and will do so again, with constant upgrades.  If interested staff will explain the current ones being used.

I commend Cobourg Library in Ontario for developing its very own genealogy database,  which saved me hours of work looking through card catalogues. There are still some libraries maintaining records on file cards. I copied most of them in my travels over the years,  all Gillespie ones that is. But they take up so much physical space, they are are being phased out for computer usage.

May I suggest that you first chat with a Librarian as she may give you some directions and suggestions, even bring you books or videos relating to your research.  That saves a lot of time figuring things out in a strange place.  Ask her about the printer and if you need a card, which you may have to buy and add funds  to. Do the copies go behind the staff desk for later pickup?  Cash payments are rare now for printed copies. You can use only black ink printouts to save money.

A few people may bring their own handheld scanner with them, and others may prefer to use a USB stick to save files. I like the records in print, and usually found  it cheaper to print them at the library rather than doing so at home in my office until I got a bigger laser one.  It was only five cents a copy at the Mormon library but would have cost me 25 cents per page at home.  I often find information on those printed pages long after my visit, sometimes years later. So,  I always print out a whole page of information in cemetery records, instead of only the line about a Gillespie contact.

Forget hand copying records unless you have perfect script.  I did that for awhile,  until I later couldn’t read what I had sprawled.  So frustrating, cause even if  you have a copied page, old handwriting is so difficult to interpret. Always identify the source of the information you are copying. Years later you may want to revisit that record,  or someone asks you for it.

If your focus is in looking at microfilm,   the librarian can explain how the volumes in the area are arranged in the drawers, and show you how to operate their microfilm reader, if needed.

All the books on shelves are arranged in a specific way, and there is usually a computer available that will pull up the location of any subject, author, even book title you request. Write the number down on a slip of paper, then head to the shelves under the main coding numbers, Then look more closely to the labels on the spine of each volume.  Just as 1, 2, 3 is easy to understand, so is 1.1, 1.2.  1.3 etc is also. There is a numbering order consistent throughout the library. 900, 901, 902 and sub categories for example, and volumes for history will be higher in number, especially in the 970s.

Also remember that there will be a bar code sticker somewhere on each volume, which will sound an alarm if you try to walk out of the library without checking out a book at the staff area. R on the label means reference, and these books remain in the library for viewing.

Many public libraries use the Dewey Decimal System for cataloguing their volumes, to make it easy to add more books without disturbing the others.  This numbering system gives a title for subjects.

• 000 – Computer science, information and general works
• 100 – Philosophy and psychology
• 200 – Religion
• 300 – Social sciences
• 400 – Language
• 500 – Pure Science
• 600 – Technology
• 700 – Arts and recreation
• 800 – Literature
• 900 – History and geography

Printed maps are normally in a place of their own but near the main tables where people sit to work.  Same with city directories and telephone books, all of which can be helpful.  City directories gave names and residences long before telephones came into being. I have many maps of Gillespie properties yet to be added to this website. Early maps indicated routes that were taken in earlier times, but these trails may no longer exist.  I have walked farms and woods trying to trace one across Western Ontario to Barrie. Remember the waterways played a vital role in early travel. So think of the pleasure paddling these waterways, retracing the steps of those who came before us, even famous explorers.  You will probably find the map of the route in the the library.

If wanting to find the route taken by ancestors, ask a librarian who may have deeper local knowledge that will direct you to the appropriate volume, video  or even web page. I was especially helped in my early beginnings of research when I didn’t really know what was available,  and felt a bit lost in far away libraries.

My local library provided photography training and the equipment needed,  then sent me out filming old buildings, cemeteries and even filming World War II vets. That was a very special time, as those people are now dead. I commend those libraries that are preserving the history in their region. We brought in local people to film who could  expand the story of the early years in our local area and tell their own family history. They also provided old photographs,  with permission to copy them. Hence,  there may be events going on linked to a library that are unknown to you in a strange place, but may prove both fascinating and fulfilling. So another reason to talk with staff.

Historical volumes from the 1800s are wonderful treasures as they often include a history of each county and a listing of every land owner on their lot and concession ID.  These volumes for Ontario are now online for viewing. Maps in print from other countries are worth while viewing as well, and a search engine on your computer should find them for you if they have been published online. Ireland maps are important in this regard if you want to locate your ancestor’s property.

Select  a desk and chair to sit down and begin reading or writing, and take a moment to glance over nearby tables because other people may have finished with a publication that might interest you. I once discovered the earliest records for Ireland this way and would have missed them otherwise.

Usually people have learned that there is a section, often a whole floor,  that is dedicated to children and youth.   Remember that children’s books can also have wonderful stories of long ago, thinking of both Ann of Green Gables in Prince Edward Island series and the Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House On the Prairie stories of her pioneering family in the Dakotas.  She lived 1867 to 1957.  Family history is telling a story about the past. We are the story tellers of our generation.

Washrooms are clearly marked, and because of the pandemic some people may still wear masks for protection. Some Canadian libraries have been very helpful in helping people with obtaining vaccination record cards, even laminating mine. I know of a library that has begun an equipment rental service for tools, all in efforts to raise funds to support their work. There are knitted hats, gloves, mitts and scarves to give away for those in need, I love the magazine racks to enjoy at leisure,  which usually has at least one genealogy and history magazines. Tables and comfortable chairs are available to rest and snack times. A television may provide the latest news.

Snacks may be available in vending machines, and some big city libraries offer cafeterias for meals while you are visiting.  But eating is frowned upon in the stacks area, although water bottles are not anymore.

If handling very fragile newspaper or other articles, you may be required to wear cloth white gloves. It is tragic to see pages crumble from age, so these items are usually withdrawn from public view and kept in carefully controlled environmental rooms to help preserve them.  They have been copied before doing that, so that the record is not lost. The best example I had of this was in Dublin at the University Library when I went to see the famous  Book of Kells and there was even a security guard to watch over visitors passing through.

In some situations, you may have to request that staff bring you material that is not available in the open research area. You submit at a service desk a request on a slip of paper to identify it, and wait for it to be delivered to you. You have to be very careful with this material, that nothing is lost or damaged.

Used books and videos are sometimes marked down for sale, if there is limited demand for them. They usually appear on a cart near the entrance, or even outside, with payment by donation, which helps buy new material.

Libraries are changing slowly, trying to stay abreast of current events and society. But controverses are challenging their right even to exist.  I want to thank management and staff of all the libraries I have enjoyed over the years as they have helped me uncover a world of knowledge and solved many mysteries for me.

This website represents the change from a physical place to a digital footprint in space.  There is much to learn about that change, May you enjoy the protection and preservation of records about family history for Gillespies and their families from across the world. We work together to do that, and as another generation disappears, who will stand forth to keep it going?

For a wider exploration of libraries than just genealogy for the layperson, here are some important links of interest.

World Digital Library of Congress

I just enjoyed a delicious fish and chips supper in memory of happy times in my youth.  I sometimes would have breakfast as a child with Charlie, an Englishman who kept geese on his rural property beside a river near our house. He was our guardian after my Daddy died when I was  nine. Charlie was a terrific cook.

Tonight,  thinking of those times, I put a piece of frozen battered halibut on a greased pan in the oven set at 400F for 30 minutes. I  used fish I bought instead of doing the whole recipe from scratch.  Cause that wasn’t tonight memory.

It was the French fries that was Charlie’s  specialty. I peeled two  potatoes and sliced them intothe usual long, thin shape,  and then dried them thoroughly in a clean tea towel. Meanwhile, I put about two cups of  canola oil  in a small pan to warm up.

When I thought the oil was hot enough, I tested things with one chip, then dropped the remaining potatoes into the hot oil. Did they sizzle. They remained at the bottom of the pot until each formed a crust, and started to brown. I stirred them once in a while. Suddenly all floated to the top of the hot oil and I knew my French fries were done. Took about 10 minutes cause I wanted a lovely golden colour on the chips. The longer they stay in the hot oil, the darker they will become.

Meanwhile I had prepared a container lined with brown paper (lunch bags came in handy), and dumped the fries into it to drain off some of the grease. Charlies taught me how to do all this, about 60 years ago or so. I  haven’t made any in a long time, thanks to cholesterol.

Just about then the fish was ready, and I added it to my plate and a bit of Diana Sauce for dipping, as I prefer that to regular ketchup. I also had to have a bit of salt, cause without it the taste just isn’t as good .  Horrible for my diet, but hey, this was a one-time dish in memory of a happy period of my life.

On my trip to the British Isles in 2014, I had researched Charlie’s family history and hunted for his family’s graves in Torquay, England where he was raised. He had died in Ontario when I was about 17.   Torquay was also the summer home of Agatha Christie and family, my favourite authoress. I also got on a local bus and let it take me around the community. That is always an interesting way to see a place.

Memories become more and more important as you age, I discovered.  I was challenged recently to think, What gives me joy?

I am recreating some of the things from my youth that do that.  Without really intending to, but due to covid restriction on hair salons, I am growing out my hair again, so I can wear it in a pigtail down the left side of my neck. A pigtail at your age? Don’t you want to be fashionable?  Not particularly.  Anyway, long hair can be swirled up into many lovely styles. Last time I had a pigtail I was in my twenties and had just walked out of the church where I had  sat in Abraham Lincoln’s pew in Washington, DC. This was a very moving moment.

Lincoln’ suffering and all the soldiers, their families,  and slaves during the Civil War touched me deeply. He struggled to find a leader to win the war, and discovered it in an insignificant person in  Grant, whose great leadership brought it to an end. Then Lincoln’s own tragic death, and Grant’s  dying in poverty after being the President of the United States,  speaks to life’s greatest challenges.  Sometimes it takes a certain event for someone to find their greatest moment in life.  Many great leaders have suffered terrible humiliation in their careers.  I think anyone who rises above the agony of that, or any betrayal and still goes  on, develops a depth of knowledge of humanity that can propel them to greater strength.

Some memories of the past can pain us too much, so let go of all that deliberately, and replace the pain through the joys of better moments.  Each day is a brand new day offering new beginnings, fresh starts to find our destiny in this life.

Lincoln & Grant

I enjoyed that  Washington trip,  including a tour of the White House.   I’d love to visit some Civil War battlefields even today.  reopening.

Have you asked yourself  what brings you joy?

Guilt flared up in me briefly cause aren’t we being selfish to think like that? No, not at all.  It is probably left over from days when my focus was the needs of others.  Many mothers struggle with that. Fathers have their strains, too. I believe there is balance for everyone so we can walk guilt free, enjoying every day life.  Your idea of joy may be completely different than mine, so reach deep into your memory and see if recreating some of them might bring pleasure into today. Make sure they don’t hurt anyone. Does that statement ever define the present day crisis around the world.

This memory adventure is fun. Life isn’t all about genealogy, but one of my favourite past-times is filming tombstones in cemeteries. I also still have three boxes of tack from my horse training and showing days. My tack reminds me of that great trip riding Sheba,  in a long train ride from Niagara Falls to Toronto with a group of Americans in  August 1978 to celebrate the USA Bicentennial. We actually drove right up the hill to the US border to start our trip before swinging back to cross the Niagara region on back roads.

I was the outrider on the left side of the Canadian wagon that led the ride. The first day my mare, Sheba. saw her first cross-walk sign on the ground she balked,  refusing to keep moving. I urged her on strongly. She paused, head down,  then leaped over it, and nearly unseated me. She must have studied what the other animals did, cause she seemed to accept them after that. Here is the photo of the lead wagon. I was outrider for the left side of wagon as we travelled.

I especially remember the tension coming down the escarpment hill into Hamilton. I expect we had ropes wrapped around our saddle horns from the wagon to help control that steep descent. Glad mine is a roping saddle with a double cinch.

There was about a mile of horse-drawn heavy wagons behind me, and ours was the first one to attempt it.  Each wagon had at least two outriders. I had a lot of fun chatting with the guys behind me. I remember being jerked awake more than once overnight while sleeping under the wagon on the ground. The two horses tied to it would rub  their faces against it,  and shake the wagon above my head.  We were at Centennial Park on the shores of  Lake Ontario for that overnight.

Most Americans travelled with a RV and the comforts of home,  and those vehicles moved ahead of us every day. When our approaching trail ride finally saw those vehicles at night fall, the horses would begin to nicker a greeting, looking for their welcoming oats.

A few days later, I had to calm myself and my horse at all the yells and honking horns from vehicles on the QEW passing us by, on the lane next to us on on the highway. The noise increased as we came along  the Lakeshore Blvd and more people spotted us. Then there was a big swing into the CNE grounds in Toronto to meet dignitaries. From here the trip ended and folk left to head home. Yes, I am a cowgirl at heart. Here is a photo of Sheba  and I on the trip.

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Yes, memories can be precious, thinking of my little two-year-old granddaughter meeting my chickens for the first time. I added that video already on this website in an earlier year.

Hard times may come upon us,  and we have to wait out the winter of our lives as we near the end. But life isn’t over yet, and spring is almost here. Oh, I want to be out and doing so much.  A few limitations to overcome yet. When trials come, remember that is the period for inner growth. Just as I ask myself, consider the hard question: Is life making me bitter or better?  Then choose to look for the good around you.

Create new happy memories, especially with children and grandchildren. What about a scrap booklet to celebrate their lives,  or one for them of your history? Preserving old, precious memories while having a few new ones is my focus just now.  Let’s go riding again.  I would need a step ladder to get on a horse now I expect, but I’m willing.

Just remember that spring inside of us, bubbling up in joy,  is just as important as seeing its arrival outwardly.  The birds are singing, the sun is shining,  and hope and love are the wonderful messages of spring.

QUIZ

1. Where did the earliest Gillespies to Canada settle, what Province?

2. In what years did the Potato Famine in Ireland rage, and to what main country did a million Irish flee?

The Great Irish Famine

3. Who was the Gillespie General who fought on the Plains of Abraham (Quebec City) in the battle between the British and the French for control of Canada? He later brought his family to Renfrew County in Upper Canada to settle.

3. British soldiers, fleeing the American Colonies with its anti British feeling after the American Revolution, were called Loyalists. What Gillespie family from New Jersey was part of the movement and became some of earliest settlers to Norfolk County in today’s Southern Ontario near Lake Erie.

5. Who was the Gillespie soldier who guarded Napoleon on the Isle of Elba where he was marooned, and who (the soldier) later came to settle in Upper Canada (Ontario)?

6. Irish peasants who were jailed for crimes in the 1700s were sent far away to what country in punishment?

7. Name two Gillespie Captains who were in charge on ships that travelled the world seas during the 1700 and 1800s.

8. There was a flood of young Gillespies 18 to 25 year olds, who left Ireland just before World War I. From what Irish country did they originate,  and where did they all go? Hint, they boarded ships at Londonderry.

9. During the American Civil War and the fight for black emancipation, Gillespie served on both sides of this conflict, with brothers from the same family sometimes on opposite sides. Name two Gillespie Leaders in this conflict, one from the South and one from the North.

10. Who was the famous poet, a young fighter pilot of World War I who was born in China, but was with the Canadians in England. He was killed in an accident when another training plane hit his plane? He wrote, O, I have slipped the surley bonds of earth… 

11. In World War II, a Canadian Gillespie family lost husband and two sons on opposite sides of the world. Where are the men buried?

12. During the British rule in India, what famous Gillespie General was killed when leading an attack in the North? A statue of him is found in County Down, Ireland.

13. What Gillespie rose through the ranks to lead the Australian Army for many years?

14. What Gillespie was the US Ambassador that spoke directly with Saddam Hussein?

15. Where in Scotland did most of the Scottish settlers to the Province of Ontario come from in its earliest years, then called Upper Canada, or Canada West? Another Scottish group from same area went to the American Colonies, to what state?

16. Does the Gillespie Name originate with one individual and from him all the rest of us are descendants?

Score out of 20: ________________________

P.S. Whoops. Did I  just made a mistake with one item in adding these photos? For an additional 10 points, can you spot it? Who has the sharpest eyes?  Just a touch of fun.

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. Newfoundland – came for the fishing
2. 1843 to 1848 with peak 1845 – all came on ships to Canada
3. General James Gillespie from Scotland
4. William Gillespie 1747-1835, wife Ann Everingim and families
5. Thomas Gillespie later died in Canada. A Roger Gillespie from Co Antrim, Ireland fought at the battle of Waterloo in Belgium in 1815, led by British Commander, The Duke of Wellington. Roger died in Suffolk, England (this last info from NZ researcher, Sue) 
6. Australia
7. Daniel, James
8. Co Donegal, Ireland to New York, USA
9. South: George Lewis Gillespie from Tennessee; also 2 Colonels from Texas, another Colonel from Tennessee, 1 from Alabama. North – none specifically found yet.
10. John Gillespie Magee – parents Anglican missionaries.
11. Two boys are buried in France; father buried in Philippines
12. Sir Robert Rollo Gillespie
13. Army Chief Ken Gillespie
14. Ambassador April Glaspie
15. Isle of Islay, Argyllshire, Scotland. North Carolina
16. No one individual began us all for last name.

Whoops  No 12- that is Sir Robert Rollo Gillespie all right, but not the one that was killed in India and whose statue is in Co Down. That famous man was a generation earlier. Here, below is his photo and dates of his life.

21 January 1766 – 31 October 1814

He is buried in Meerut Cantonment Cemetery, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India.  His full history is found on this website , and many other places.

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Hey! Who was the other soldier in the photo? That was another British soldier:

Major-General Robert Rollo Gillespie (1830-90) c.1882

He served in the Anglo-Egyptian war.  From the collection of Queen Victoria.

Sooner or later a researcher in family history will hit a road block. No record can be found to extend one’s study.  It happened to me when I was tracing the roots of my paternal Atkinson relatives from Canada to Ireland,  especially in County Sligo. I was  confident I had the correct family in Canada, as I had proven  that my great grandfather, William Gillespie  had arrived from overseas and was working on the Rideau Canal in February 1829. I found the name of his wife,   Eliza Atkinson,  on another record, so was taking a hard look at all the Atkinsons in the Ottawa area in that time period. The McCabe List is a wonderful document listing all the workers on the canal and provided the origins of each Irish worker: County, Parish, Townland.

Just as there were only two Gillespies on that list,  that also matched an immigration document and land records in the area, there was only one Atkinson on records, so I began thinking he could well be related to Eliza.  So I was enjoying trying to find the locations listed for Robert Atkinson’s origin in Sligo.

An early map showed me that this  man came from near the sea just north of the main town in the county. Then I found a listing in Ireland records of two other Atkinson families who had lived in that same area in the correct time period.  However, both men had the same first name, and that brought my study to a halt rather abruptly.  I could not distinguish between them, probably father and son I thought to myself. I  twisted and turned many ways to try to get past this blockade to no avail.  So I laid it aside.

Sometimes one can find a new path and sometimes one cannot.  The problem in Ireland is that so many early records were destroyed by rebels when they burned down the main document repository in the 1920s. Since then a lot has been done to find alternative ones in replacement,  and some of these are now on the Internet. So time is a huge factor,  so we continue learning new skills, and hopefully find other avenues of search as they are developed. So, sometimes laying aside your study for awhile, and then picking it back up will refresh your own look at it.

The Naming Pattern is  a great encouragement as one tries to uncover the names of earlier generations. The Scots in particular named their children according to their birth order in a specific way to honour themselves and previous generations.  This lasted hundreds of years, but finally watered down around 1850 to today. The Irish did the same but were not as strict about it, and made a few slight changes. Both patterns are discussed on the Internet on several sites.    If one can get a full listing of a family’s children in birth order, one can  recognize the first names of the grandparents of an earlier generation, and other family members.

In thinking of someone just beginning their research of family history, a few suggestions to consider. What kind of person are you? Detailed, precise, thorough? Or laid back, taking life as it comes and hating the tediousness of too much detail?  Basic attitudes and abilities mesh differently in people, and there is no one perfect way to do family history. Each person finds their own way in time. Most people welcome helpful hints.

Here are the important things I want to share  after a life-time of researching records.

1. Get organized in your office as you gather records, so you have a system of recording them so they don’t get lost. Maybe type records into a computer genealogy program you can buy. I used Family Tree Maker for years and can recommend it, but there may be better ones,  but I no longer keep up on that. However, one might  use one offered free by the big genealogy giants. Be very careful with these giants, as I had my own work stolen by one who produced it as though I was a willing participant,  and then wants to charge me to access my own information.

As a visual learner, I like things in print, so prefer to store records  in two-inch binders, sometimes using plastic sleeves for protection of important pages. My own family history is stored this way,  with a backup on the computer and on discs.   I’ve also published one book about my family history. I’ve tried using file cards, file folders with loose papers; hand writing on family group sheets and pedigree charts. Now I use Access databases and MS Word Documents and prefer transferring all records to a website so others can share in my discoveries. Having someone protect and manage that website and extend it beyond my own life matters to me.  Also protecting the work of others shared with me.

Who will prolong and protect your own family history? Give careful thought to that, and even update your will so your work will not be lost.  Updating your records in this library’s archives would be helpful. I also recommend sending it to the Mormons in Salt Lake City, which I consider the best genealogy library in the world. I am not a Mormon. Make sure your records are stored safely, possibly in several locations where they will not be destroyed by fire, flood, or the aging of the passing of time. Having them stored in several media types will help with that.

2. Begin with yourself by gathering documents to prove who you are. Do the same as you expand your search outward to your own siblings, and then your parents. Don’t just assume from personal knowledge. There may be secrets to uncover. Oh did that happen to me.   Family members may not want to share information, such as birth certificates, marriage records and so on. Always guard private information about anyone who is still living. Remember this if you choose to post your family history over the Internet or want to tell others. There are hackers who are stealing confidential information for their own illicit purposes.

3.  In time you will find it helpful if you focus on one side of your family, be it the father’s line (paternal) or mother’s (maternal) line in research. Always try to find a document to prove every step of your research, but be aware that not all information will be accurate on those records. It depended on the person providing the information and sometimes that recorder made mistakes. I am remembering a travelling minister who performed a marriage but later recorded the witness as the groom and groom as witness.  Also,  questions asked on records may have changed from year to year,  so watch for that on census studies in particular. Finding more than one record to prove something helps clarify things. On this site, I have done that with official government records taking precedence over others.

4. It may be your family history has already been researched by someone else.  Have you checked with this office?  Be sure to look at Rootsweb.com for its databases. In particular,  many Gillespie family trees have been  researched yet I see people inquiring about them as a newcomer without realizing that.  However,  the other person’s research may not  completely agree with what you find in your own studies. That is true of my own family history. Don’t be upset; Just use it for ongoing deeper research, a challenge to ensure greater accuracy and understanding.  Figuring out the genealogy puzzles of life, and having greater appreciation for the history of the past bring great satisfaction.

5.  Finally, family history research can provide some of the happiest moments in life. Visiting cemeteries, communicating with others across the world,  and travelling to Scotland and Ireland to visit the land of my great grandparents,  who arrived in Canada as early as 1828,  are the highlights for me,  as well as the work on this website.