A Great Day

Today I had the opportunity to drive down to Fergus to visit the Wellington Archives.  Took two kids to school and two others to a friends.  I have been to the archives once before.

I was able to find some information.  It really does feel ominous being where you know all the answers lie it's just so challenging to find it all.
Here is what I found:
Ida Blackwell (1880-1973) married Elmer Samis (1879-1951) had Lomer who took over the farm which had been in the family for four generations ( Solomon, William, Elmer and Lomer).  Solomon Samis had 6 children: Elizabeth (Betsy), Jane, Nancy, Annie, Hettie, Arthur and William.  I need to do some work on finding more about this family.

Ida E.Blackwell was the daughter of John Irvine's sister Martha (daughter of Andrew Irvine and Hannah Brintnell)

John W Hefkey (1885-1969) married Ethel Cunningham (1892-1972) John W is the son of John (1854-1933) and Susan Irvine the sister to John Irvine who married Rebecca Caldwell who are the parents of my great grandmother Lottie Victoria Irvine.
John came from Waterloo County to work in Drayton as a shoe repairman and eventually took over the business.  His son took over from him.
John and Susan had 6 children:
John W
Irvine (died in 1951)
Ethel (married Mr Bechtold)
Eva Lillian (died 1911) have a picture of her headstone at Drayton Cemetary died of burns
Mabel (married Herman Quick)
Florence (married Brock Philip)
I found that Irvine married Sarah Maria Fothergill.  In Bellville they had a stillborn baby names Thomas John Hefeky on 12 March 1938, I don't know anything more.
I also found all their birthdates in the 1901 census.

There was a Percy L Irvine who became a doctor and moved to Toronto in 1924 he married Myrtle Coam (her father was the publisher of the newspaper Mr Jabez Coram) and they had tow daughters Francis and Phyllis - need to figure out if we are connected here.

Then in a random scan in the Drayton Advocate ( Sept 17, 1925) I spotted a little news item: Mrs. M Blackwell and niece Jane Blackwell left for Willows and Howard Sask last week after spending a couple  of months at the home of her daughter Mrs E. Samis and other friends.  This must be Martha who married Micheal Blackwell (28 April 1879 in Drayton).  Not sure about this because Samis's had a four generation farm however this could be one of the sons who had to find his own land and went out West to find his fortune, just has Lottie's Uncle Thomas Caldwell did in.  I also just noticed that John Dennis Blackwell (son of John Blackwell and Ann O'Brien) moved to Harding, Manitoba... is this the connection?

So many questions...so good.

Plodding Along

Picture of the town of Drayton, ON in 1878 around the time that Annie O'Brien was married to Thomas and raising her family. 

I have been continuing my tradition of Sunday night researching.  I really look forward to this night wvery week as I know I will be on the look out for more info.
I have been concentrating my efforts on the Annie O'Brien (1831 Ireland) Thomas Caldwell (1811 Scotland) union of Aug 9, 1861 in Drayton ON.
Something I did not realize was that Annie O'Brien was married to John Blackwell born in1823 in Louth, Ireland.  They married in Drayton, ON and had two sons: Francis born 1849 and John Dennis Blackwell born 1856 in Drayton.  John then died in 1860.  Annie remarried my great great great grandfather Thomas and had 4 children: Caroline, Lottie, Thomas and Rebecca (she is my great great grandmother).
I will be visiting the Archives once again this Thursday in hopes to obtain more information on these families.
The search continues...   

Sense of Humour

When I was a little girl I didn't appreciate my grandma's sense of humour.  As I got older and started to see her with new eyes I really learned to appreciate it more.  I also found that the older she got the less worried about the little things she became.

The other day I was in the office and one of her old binders with 'treasures' fell down and this slip of paper fell down.  Instead of rushing to pick it all up and continue on my way, I decided to sit and read my grandma's handwriting and see what she thought was worthwhile to write out and save.

At first I did not understand the 'joke' however being 7 months pregnant caught my attention even further...
so all of you out there who may be pregnant or want a good joke via my late Grandma Hazel, here it goes:

A woman 7 months pregnant got on a street car and sat next to a gentleman.  She noticed him smiling, being humilated, she changed her seat this time his smil changed to a grin.  She changed her seat again.  He seemed more amused than ever.  When for the fourth time she changed her seat he burst out laughing.  She could not bear it longer, so she complained to the conductor and had the man arrested.  The case came up in court and the judge inquited of the man if he had anything to sy.
"well your Honour, it was like this," he replied "When the lady sat beside me, I could not help but notice her condition, and she sat under a sign which read, "Use Sloans liniment to reduce that swelling"

 and I had to smile to myself.  Then she moved under a sign which read, "Gold dust twins are coming".

This made me grin.  Then she moved under a sign which read, "William's stick did the trick" I could hardly hold myself and then when she moved for the fourth time and sat beneath a sign which read, "Goodyear Rubber would have Prevented this Accident",

 I just laughed out loud.
"Case dismissed", said the Judge.

For the record. this joke came from My Grandma Hazel.