| As you build your family tree, you will soon | | | | letter from his aunt in Dublin attesting to the fact |
| become proficient in finding birth, marriage, and | | | | that his parents - her brother and wife - were |
| death details of your ancestors. But to enrich | | | | Irish. Who knew this was done? I would never |
| your family tree, you will need to go past this | | | | have thought to ask for such records. But I have |
| basic information. Here are some ideas on digging | | | | found that librarians love to dig and delve into |
| deeper, and finding those interesting details that | | | | records if asked politely. And I always add |
| make your ancestors come alive! Remember that | | | | interesting Canadian stamps to my letters of |
| every document or piece of information you find | | | | request - someone in the area will like to save |
| can be mined for more clues to follow. | | | | stamps, I'm sure! |
| What can you find about the education of your | | | | Take the time to try to find out information such |
| ancestors? You may have little difficulty in finding | | | | as the items discussed above, in relation to your |
| out the education experiences of your parents, | | | | ancestors' education. And read the census column |
| possibly of your grandparents too. You may even | | | | which lists whether or not a person could read, |
| have a school photo of your parents in school, or | | | | and could write. My great grandparents' marriage |
| at graduation. But further back could be rather | | | | record shows only an "X" as "their mark" |
| tricky. | | | | witnessed by the minister who married them, so |
| If your grandparents (as children) are listed on a | | | | clearly they were not able to read or write. |
| census as "scholar" or "at school", you have a clue | | | | However, a census 10 years later, has their eldest |
| to follow. Looking at the address (left side of the | | | | two sons attending school "scholars", so it is clear |
| census page), see if you can find it on a map of | | | | that education was becoming more common. |
| the town. Is there a school nearby? Search for a | | | | Look to see when children began to work at paid |
| history of that nearby school. Also look for a | | | | jobs. My father's father's family shows that |
| history of the town and see if there are schools | | | | children as young as 13 years old were working |
| listed. Contact the Archives of the town and write | | | | as "jute weaver", for example. In fact, the census |
| requesting any information there may be available | | | | lists all members in the family as working except |
| about an early school in the decade your | | | | the wives, and the youngest children. |
| grandparents attended school, and in their area. | | | | Read down the occupations of neighbors on the |
| Ask if there are records available, or photographs, | | | | census page as well, to get a sense of the social |
| or histories. Always offer to pay for copies | | | | context of your ancestor family. There are often |
| & mailing costs. Keep track of your | | | | directories of businessmen, available on the web, |
| searches, and of your correspondence, so that | | | | or in local libraries. See if you can find |
| you can follow up. | | | | advertisements or listings of your ancestors |
| From a letter I sent back East, I was able to | | | | based on the census information. For one family I |
| receive the record of my greatgrandfather from | | | | was able to find both home and office addresses |
| a college he attended briefly, from the archivist of | | | | of the father, who was a physician. By checking |
| the college. It turns out he was very bad at math | | | | this information out on a map, I could see that his |
| and had to drop out after his first year even | | | | home was only two blocks away. This gives me |
| though he did very well in his other subjects. | | | | an image of his walking from home to work each |
| Hmmm. I know that I have a math disability - and | | | | morning! Searching on historical library sites, I was |
| I wonder if he did, as well. He ended up publishing | | | | also able to find a photograph of the street |
| a community newspaper, and did extremely well. | | | | approximately 10 years later. While it is not |
| The archivist of the college also sent me photos | | | | exactly contemporary with my ancestor, it still |
| of the college building (there was only one), and | | | | provides me with a context of his life. |
| the residence building, as well as a brief history. | | | | Do these suggestions give you ideas of how to |
| Another relative from Nova Scotia attended a | | | | look for further information and records of your |
| particular university in Ireland in the late 1800s and | | | | ancestors' lives? RootsBasic for Beginners in |
| became a physician. Apparently his parents had | | | | Genealogy is a very useful booklet with practical |
| come originally from Ireland, and this helped him | | | | forms to help you in your family tree research |
| be accepted at this university. By writing to the | | | | (see web link). By digging deeper and thinking |
| archivist/librarian of the university, I was able to | | | | outside the box, you will enrich your family tree |
| get his record, plus a copy of a hand-written | | | | adding value for generations to come. |