Genealogy Gains
Sep. 21st, 2023 10:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
calzephyrMy genealogy spree has come to an end for now. I'm working from home Friday, but it was so fun to be fully absorbed in my ancestors while waiting out this cold.
Today I found out more about R and C's family. By using a family nickname for one of the boys, found more clippings about him and his grandson who has the same name. Mom confirmed one of the seven original boys was a funeral director. The funeral home is still operating and I found a nice portrait of him on their website. He looks like such a kind, caring man.
It sounds weird, but I feel I still have a relationship with those who have passed on. To remember is to always keep them close.
Speaking of remembering, I dug into my great-grandfather's sister's daughter's son (my 1st cousin 2x removed) as well. He died in 2013 and my only clues were someone else's family tree and a legal notice from 1977 saying three of his children would be put up for adoption if he did not respond. I was able to get the children's birthdays and names from the ad, but it bothered me greatly that I couldn't find an obituary for his wife.
It seemed like she didn't exist at all and I wondered if it was a bad mashing of metadata--it happens on Ancestry when the wrong people are connected. The other family tree alleged she died in 1982. Ancestry had no hints and I could not find an obit. I found the obits of the her brothers, nephew, and father, but none of them mentioned her name--Sylvia. Nor did her husband's obit, which is how I confirmed I had the right man; the children's names were the same names as the legal ad.
This troubled me and fortunately Family Search had a reference to her death certificate. Later today, I tried British Columbia's vital stats website and was surprised birth, marriage and death certificates could freely and easily downloaded. The available period is far more recent than Alberta's too. Sylvia's death certificate was digitized! Dang. I didn't have to pay anything at all! She died of respiratory failure at a private hospital at 45. Her husband's name matched and the claimant was one of the matching names in the legal ad.
It was humbling and sorrowful to read the form, which noted she also had rheumatoid arthritis and "organic brain syndrome", which is called neurocognitive disorder today.
This poor woman--had she been in an accident at the time of the legal ad and unable to care for her children? What happened? I found her two daughters on Facebook, but I don't want to be the ghost of the past unexpectedly entering their lives. Rest in peace Sylvia. I see you! I remember you! I care about you!
Today I found out more about R and C's family. By using a family nickname for one of the boys, found more clippings about him and his grandson who has the same name. Mom confirmed one of the seven original boys was a funeral director. The funeral home is still operating and I found a nice portrait of him on their website. He looks like such a kind, caring man.
It sounds weird, but I feel I still have a relationship with those who have passed on. To remember is to always keep them close.
Speaking of remembering, I dug into my great-grandfather's sister's daughter's son (my 1st cousin 2x removed) as well. He died in 2013 and my only clues were someone else's family tree and a legal notice from 1977 saying three of his children would be put up for adoption if he did not respond. I was able to get the children's birthdays and names from the ad, but it bothered me greatly that I couldn't find an obituary for his wife.
It seemed like she didn't exist at all and I wondered if it was a bad mashing of metadata--it happens on Ancestry when the wrong people are connected. The other family tree alleged she died in 1982. Ancestry had no hints and I could not find an obit. I found the obits of the her brothers, nephew, and father, but none of them mentioned her name--Sylvia. Nor did her husband's obit, which is how I confirmed I had the right man; the children's names were the same names as the legal ad.
This troubled me and fortunately Family Search had a reference to her death certificate. Later today, I tried British Columbia's vital stats website and was surprised birth, marriage and death certificates could freely and easily downloaded. The available period is far more recent than Alberta's too. Sylvia's death certificate was digitized! Dang. I didn't have to pay anything at all! She died of respiratory failure at a private hospital at 45. Her husband's name matched and the claimant was one of the matching names in the legal ad.
It was humbling and sorrowful to read the form, which noted she also had rheumatoid arthritis and "organic brain syndrome", which is called neurocognitive disorder today.
This poor woman--had she been in an accident at the time of the legal ad and unable to care for her children? What happened? I found her two daughters on Facebook, but I don't want to be the ghost of the past unexpectedly entering their lives. Rest in peace Sylvia. I see you! I remember you! I care about you!
