family history – Page 2 – The Ginger Genie

Mayflower Descendent – Me?

October 11, 2014 VickiLeave a comment

Researching my family history has become a supreme passion of mine. It has opened my mind to exploring history to which I never fostered an interest in growing up, and it has shed light onto my being and identity.

Recently, I discovered my 11 X great-grandparents were John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley. So what? Unless you know a bit about American History, these are probably just another set of names. They were to me … at first.

As a subscriber to Ancestry.com, I’ve created a family tree by inputting individuals and information. From those entries, connections get made by linking my data to records that Ancestry.com has in its database. As new records are added to the database, “hints” are issued for individuals that I have posted in my family tree who are connected to those records . Because my tree is quite large (from several hours of inputting and exploring) I get many “hints” a day on various ancestors. When I got a hint for Desire Gorham, a 9 X great-grandmother, I reviewed it and added her to my tree without much thought. When one goes that far back in a line, records become rare and many hints are just other genealogy enthusiasts who have your ancestor on their trees also. So, when all of a sudden there were about 16 “hints” for Desire Gorham, I thought I’d better do some investigating because individuals born in 1644 didn’t generate that kind of record data because of the lack good record keeping that far back.

When I went back to have a closer look at Desire Gorham, I noticed her place of birth was listed as Plymouth, Massachusetts. Although American History is not my forte, I do remember learning about the Mayflower coming from England to Plymouth with some of the first colonists to come to the “New World”. I thought it was worth investigating because if I knew if I were to travel there for ancestry research there would be lots to see and do because of the history of the place.

Reviewing more of the hints for Desire, there were connections to her parents who were listed as Desire Howland and Captain John Gorham. With them, pictures were given as “hints”. As a visual learner, I was quick to open them. Low and behold it was a picture of a headstone listing the children of John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley, Pilgrims of the Mayflower. Desire (Howland) Gorham was one of them. WHAAAA…????

I couldn’t believe it. There in front of me was evidence that I was a descendant of the Pilgrims that came on the Mayflower. Of course, I have started to delve into who John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley were and what their significance was to this prominent point in history. Apparently, John fell overboard during the voyage and was rescued. There is a painting that depicts the dramatic rescue of John Howland. His name is also on the “Mayflower Compact” which served as the first governing document of the pilgrims. It is so exciting to learn that I am a descendant of those who left such a legacy. What would these ancestors say if they could see the world that they helped start? Fascinating.

This now opens up questions for how did a Mayflower descendant end up way over here in Southwestern Ontario when the original landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts? More research to do! More stories to explore! More to come…

Bibliography:

“Mayflower.” Wikimedia Commons. Last modified August 20, 2011. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mayflower#mediaviewer/File:MayflowerHarbor.jpg . (photo: “Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor” by William Halsall, 1882)

“Mayflower.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Last modified October 6, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower .

“Noels-Cornish Family Tree.” Ancestry.com. Last modified October 11, 2014. http://home.ancestry.ca/ .

Scottish Heritage

September 19, 2014September 24, 2014 Vicki2 Comments

I’ve known from an early age that I had strong English roots on my mother’s side. Her mother’s father was from Kent, England and her mother’s grandmother was an orphan that came from England as a British Home Child. And up until 2 years ago, I assumed that Mason, my mother’s father’s name, was English too. I’ve always identified with my English heritage. I chose to go on a study-semester to London, England during my 3rd year in university to immerse myself in the world my ancestors walked. Although it was incredible and I could feel the energy of my forefathers amongst me, it was a weekend trip to Scotland that caught my attention. I felt connected to the people, the landscapes, the atmosphere. I was drawn to Scotland.

Turns out, the Mason’s that my family’s ancestry comes from, is from Scotland. I was a bit surprised but pleased. Perhaps this could explain the strong connection I felt when visiting there. From what I have uncovered through Ancestry.com, my 3 X great-grandfather, John Mason, came from Dunbar, Scotland. There were several John Mason’s as one can imagine so I hope that I have the correct one. The one that I have been following is listed in the 1841 Scottish census as having an address of Little Pinkerton, Dunbar, Scotland. I’ve looked it up and it seems to be a small settlement close to the East Coast of Scotland and East of Edinburgh. Records show that he married Mary Hislop in 1846 in Ancrum, Scotland and they had 4 children beginning in 1847 when John was 22. Their first son was Charles, second Walter, a girl Christina and the youngest, William born in February, 1856. It looks as though they began their trek to Canada only weeks after William was born. The family shows up on the passenger list for the ship, Ontario, that departed from Liverpool and arrived in New York on May 21, 1856. Sadly, William is indicated as having died during the journey.

John and his family settled in Perth County, Ontario in the Township of Elma. He was a farmer. Many of my ancestors were farmers. He is buried in Donegal cemetery in Perth county having lived a short life of 40 years. I wonder why his life was cut short? I have travelled through Donegal in the past completely oblivious to the fact that I am a direct descendant of someone who used to breathe the air there. I have got to get there to do some research and just be present. I’d also like to be able to get further back into the lifeline of John Mason from Dunbar, Scotland because the Mason name has some rich history and I have a feeling there is more to learn.

Alice Stone – A Mystery

September 2, 2014July 2, 2018 Vicki4 Comments

John and Elizabeth Dowding (nee Stone) with Richard and Mary

As you may have noticed from my tagline, I love genealogy. It has morphed from a simple hobby to an all-out obsession. Years of research, making connections, emailing, travelling and documenting has led to the creation of one magnificent family tree. One where each branch has its own characters and stories that would entertain even the most unenthused individual.

Currently, I am stuck on one particular branch; my maternal grandmother’s. My mother’s mother’s mother’s mother or, for a better understanding, my 2X great grandmother, came over from England in 1871 as an orphan. She was, what we now call, a British Home Child. I’ve had many of chats over tea with my mother about how she remembers her grandmother talking about the tormenting life her mother had had. When she came to Canada, she travelled with her sister. They only had each other and when they arrived, they were separated. My gg grandmother was sent to live with a family as a servant and her sister went somewhere else. My gg grandmother never saw her sister again. The stories tell of a life of beatings and hard work for my gg grandmother and she longed for the companionship of her sister. When she was 18 and no longer had to endure the life she had come to hate, she left the family she was with and married.

I have been able to track my gg grandmother back to her arrival upon the ship Prussian from Liverpool to Quebec in 1871. There she is on the passenger list, named as Elizabeth Stone and just above is a listing for Alice Stone. Both indicated as 8 years old. Twins perhaps? I’ve made some connections to find Alice but nothing has been successful thus far. So, I find myself exploring a great mystery; one that has survived in my family for over 140 years. What happened to Alice Stone? I welcome any leads should someone read this and have clues that might lead to solving this mystery.