Charlotte Butler Nelson memorial window dedicated at First Baptist Church 2

As I said in my post here about the church stained glass window dedicated to my great

 

grandmother, in all the references I found about this, she is referred to as Mrs Elias Nelson.


When I contacted the First Baptist Church in Truro hoping to have a photo of
the window, I referred to my great grandmother as Charlotte Butler Nelson. They had trouble finding anything until I sent them an excerpt from the dedication service program and a newspaper story about the event.

Success. I soon received two photos. You can see why they had trouble finding the window.

It's a beautiful window that remains installed in First Baptist Church to this day, almost 53 years after it was dedicated.

I'm glad that women are now known by their own names, and not those of their husbands, and understand that it was different era, but it really wasn't that long ago.

The never ending story continues....













© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2018 All rights reserved

Are you sure? Is it this Donald Smith or that Donald Smith?

Experienced genealogists know well the peril of integrating people found in another person's unsourced family tree into their own, and then using that unsourced tree as their source. This is a big red flag, and often creates an endless loop of wrong information. It happens even more now, with the explosion in the popularity of genealogy as a hobby. I go out of our way to always avoid this black hole.

Now, imagine how much further complication is introduced when you're working with a name like Donald Smith. Well, I don't have to imagine, because my 3rd great grandfather is Donald Smith (abt 1774-bef 1841).

not my 4th great grandparents

Some Ancestry trees are linking my Donald to an unrelated couple as being his parents. Because of this, with the introduction of the otherwise fabulous Ancestry ThruLines earlier this year, I'm now seeing a Donald Smith, farmer, Cnoc of Croughly in Banffshire and a Janet Stuart as being my potential 4th great grandparents. But they're just not. And my Donald is not their son. There are no source documents attached to the trees in which these people are found, except for "Ancestry trees".

Now, I'm the first to admit that I don't know who my Donald Smith's parents are, but they're definitely not Donald Smith, farmer at Cnoc of Croughly and Janet Stuart. Their son is another Donald Smith, specifically, one Donald Smith, who was born and baptized on 14 Sep 1775 at Kirkmichael, Banffshire. There's a baptismal record saying so. This Donald Smith married another Smith (I know!), Margaret Smith, who was born and baptized in 1779 also in Kirkmichael, Banffshire. As a matter of interest, this Margaret Smith's mother was also a Smith. This Donald and Margaret had a family of at least seven children:

Cnoc -- or Knock -- of Croughly was a place in Banffshire in Scotland, I learned from Scotland's Places. In the 18th century, this and Ballcorach in Kirkmichael, Banffshire, where the above family were born, would have been a fair distance from Tulloch, in Strathspey, Inverness-shire.

I wrote about the children of my 3rd great grandparents, Donald Smith (who was a stonemason) and Margaret Davidson here but here's a chart too.

I know these are small images, but I use these to illustrate the overlapping similar names in both families. Aside from the fact that both families are led by couples named Donald and Margaret, there are Anns, Donalds and Peters in both families.

Naturally, the similar names would lead some to think that they've got the right family when they come across Donald Smith and Margaret Smith of Ballcorach in Kirkmichael, Banffshire. But this is not the right family. Here's what Scotland's Places says about Ballcorach's location.

Scotland's Places - about Ballcorach, Banffshire

And here's the description of Tulloch:

Scotland's Places - about Tulloch, Inverness-shire 

I have a paper trail of my Smiths, including baptismal, marriage and death records and censuses. I've also found a similar paper trail for the children of Donald Smith and Margaret Smith. These are two, separate and distinct families living in adjacent counties but not close, as the crow flies, as they say.

The kicker that the Balcorach Smiths are not the parents of my 3rd great grandfather, Donald Smith of Tulloch was finding the Will of Donald Smith of Ballcorach. His bequests to his children by name did it for me, in terms of confirmation.

With special thanks again to Scottish genealogist Jenny Blain for her much appreciated research assistance and on the ground knowledge too.

The never ending story continues....




© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Found! Isabella Smith's baptismal record

I'm lucky to live near the excellent Toronto Reference Library and that it is a partner library of FamilySearch, the genealogical records mecca based in Utah.

A few weeks ago, I took myself to the Toronto Reference Library to look at the image attached to the FamilySearch baptism transcription of my maternal 2nd great grandmother, Isabella Smith (1817-1915).

Jackpot! I found the Old Parish Record that confirmed details about both Isabella and my 3rd great grandparents, Donald Smith and Margaret Davidson.

I needed help making out the specific place name before the word Tulloch seen above. I learned that this is Tomghobhain, Gaelic for Smith Hill, a place that is mentioned in this Electric Scotland page, In the Shadow of Cairngorm, which also mentions Abernethy, and place mentioned in many of my Ross and Matheson records.

I knew from Margaret Davidson's obituary, which you can see here, that Donald Smith was from Tulloch. In another great online resource, Scotland's Places, Tulloch is described as:

 "a well-known district on the west side of the River Nethy in the County of Inverness".

Nethy is a place where many of my ancestors lived.

Slowly the pieces of the puzzle of my Smith ancestors is starting to unravel.

With special thanks to Scottish genealogist Jenny Blain for her much appreciated research assistance.

The never ending story continues....




© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Charlotte Butler Nelson memorial window dedicated at First Baptist Church 1

photo courtesy of Karen Nelson

My Nova Scotia great grandmother, Charlotte Butler Nelson, was a devout Baptist. She joined the First Baptist Church in Truro in 1886, and remained an active member of the congregation for the rest of her days -- that would be 60 years in all.

In 1966, 20 years after her death, Charlotte's son Robert donated a stained glass window depicting the Resurrection to the First Baptist Church in her memory. As was the practice of the time, in all references to this event, she is referred to as Mrs Elias Nelson. Times changed.

Truro Daily News

The window was dedicated at the church is a special service on 10 Jul 1966, and reported on in the Truro Daily News.

Sadly, I don't think the window is installed any longer. I've contacted the church on Facebook, hoping to have a photo of the window. I provided them the story you see here, together with the dedication service program.

They're still looking. What happened to the window, I wonder?

The never ending story continues....

© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Ancestor photos are always the absolute best finds of all

courtesy of Nona McKeever

In all my research, I often regret the absence of images of my ancestors, direct or indirect, as these so help to bring each ancestor to life.

I wrote about the Very Rev James J Dougherty (1843-1906) of Kingston, New York here. A 4th cousin once removed is in the process of organizing a household move (never something for the faint of heart), and came across an old event program listing all the pastors of St Joseph's Catholic Church in Kingston since 1868. The program includes this photograph of James in 1868, the year he was assigned St Joseph's first pastor that year. James was 25 years old in 1868.

James is a great nephew of my 2nd great grandfather, Marcus Dougherty, and my 2nd cousin once removed.

And the never ending story continues ....



© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Elias Nelson and Charlotte Butler celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary

Updated 17 Jul 2019

My second great grandparents, Elias Nelson and Charlotte Butler, lived long lives, as I recounted here in 2016.

A cousin recently sent me the story below, published on the remarkable occasion of their 60th wedding anniversary in February 1937. The story tells me more about their lives than what is written about them in their respective obituaries in 1942 and 1946.

Truro Daily News, February 1937

I learned that Elias lost his leg in an accident in the Truro railroad yard in 1913. I never knew that. My cousin tells me that he hated his artificial leg, and rarely wore it. I can only imagine how uncomfortable and heavy artificial legs were in the early 20th century. When he lost his leg in 1913, Elias was 59 years old. He was in his 92nd year when he died in 1946. How difficult the rest of his life must have been.

As an employee of the Canadian National Railway, Elias was able to travel by train at a discount. Charlotte was also able to travel on his pass too.

While they were married by a Presbyterian minister on 15 Feb 1877, Elias was a lifelong Anglican, while Charlotte was a devout Baptist. As their children grew up, each adopted either the Anglican or Baptist traditions. I suppose the Presbyterian minister was a neutral territory decision, perhaps?

photo courtesy of Karen Nelson

The Nelson homestead referred to in the story was originally in Salmon River. It is where my grandmother and all of her siblings were born. Yes, Elias and Charlotte lived at the same address from 1877. Elias may have been born there. At some point after 1921, Salmon River was absorbed into Truro proper.

The photo of the house (see left) was taken in 1968. The original structure had been added on to, more than once, over the years. As of July 2019, the house is still standing.

Google Street View July 2015

The never ending story continues ....




© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Whatever happened to Horatio Nelson?

Updated 26 March 2020

No, not that Horatio Nelson.

My Nova Scotia great grandfather, Elias Nelson (1854-1946) had an older brother, Horatio, who according to the 1871 census was born about 1848, making him six years older than Elias. I've no doubt that my 2nd great grandparents Charles Nelson (1812-1892) and Sarah Anne Forbes (1819-1889) had other children, but we know only of these two sons.

When the 1861 census was collected in Nova Scotia, only the names of household heads were recorded, with just the number of males and females and the total number of people in each household. The 1871 census is the only record we have of Horatio, who appears as a 23 year old.

1871 Census, Truro, Nova Scotia

At some point after 1871, family lore is that Horatio "ran away from home and was never heard from again". There may have been an incident where he got into some sort of trouble, and that sent the sheriff to his parents' farmhouse. Family lore is that Horatio's father, Charles, put his axe in the middle of the door step and said something along the lines of the first person who crossed the doorstep would have to deal with him. These words and the axe were apparently enough to send the sheriff on his way. Soon afterwards, Horatio disappeared.

Horatio Nelson, Salmon River, Nova Scotia

Let's face it. Disappearing before the mid-20th century was a remarkably easy thing to do for anyone. No one left any digital footprint after all. Statutory births, marriages and deaths were hardly consistently universal in what became Canada. Disappearing ancestors are a thing in my family history. I have a 2nd great aunt who disappeared from her family farm in Quebec's Eastern Townships after the 1861 census.

Did he ever write to his parents or brother to let them know where he was? We don't know. If he did, they took that secret with them to their graves. Did he go out west where so many Nova Scotia men went in the late 19th century? Or did he go to the US, where so many Nova Scotians went? He probably changed his name. After all, in the 19th century, how many Nelson parents named a son Horatio in honour of Lord Nelson and his victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805? There were many Horatio Nelsons, trust me. I've done a lot of research over the years, trying to find out what happened to my great uncle Horatio.

Through AncestryDNA, I recently connected with a 2nd cousin, who is a granddaughter of the only brother of my grandmother, Alice Elizabeth Nelson.

My new cousin shared the tintype picture you see here of Horatio, in which he looks like a young man -- perhaps anywhere from 17.

He was a very good looking young man, wasn't he?

Update: After writing this, I received a partial Nelson family history book compiled in the 1980s/1990s. I say partial because it covers primarily the descendants of the sons of Alexander Nelson, and of those, only those who remained in Colchester, Nova Scotia. The entry in that book for Horatio is brief. But note the word “giant”. I don’t imagine Horatio was a true giant, the stuff of fairy tales or fantasies like the Game of Thrones books or epic series. No, he was probably a tall man, over six feet. Perhaps 6’5”? Who knows. It must have been very hard for a tall man like Horatio to just disappear.

The never ending story continues....






© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Who was Elizabeth Diana Pattison's mother?

Updated 8 Aug 2021 For many years, off and on, I've tried to solve this mystery. It is at times, a search that has consumed hours of my time at a stretch.

I know that a second great grandmother on my mother's side is Elizabeth Diana Pattison (1830-1903), who was born in Ramsgate, Kent and baptized there on 14 Feb 1830. She had an older sister and a younger brother.

Elizabeth's birthplace is important -- this is a confirmation that appears consistently in censuses from 1861 onward in Berwick upon Tweed.

You'll see that Elizabeth's father is listed as Clement 'Patison', and he was a mariner. The name Pattison, Patterson or Paterson is an old Northumberland and Borders name that goes back generations, as does the name Clement in the Pattison family. The name Clement appears in multiple families and multiple generations. In addition to Clement the mariner, I've found a Clement who was a ship's surgeon and a Clement who was a solicitor. It seems from newspaper stories I've found that mariner Clement's father was solicitor Clement.

There is no record of a marriage between Elizabeth (last name unknown) and Clement the mariner, who, based on Elizabeth Diana's baptismal record is my 3rd great grandfather. They had at least three children together, based on baptismal records I've found. I wonder if they married at all, sailors being sailors...... Each of the Clements in my research were born in Berwick upon Tweed. Mariner Clement was probably born around 1800 to
Clement Pattison and an unknown mother.

I've never found a record of Clement the mariner's death that fits any timeline, but as a mariner, he was at sea for months at a time, and could have died anywhere. Here's a London newspaper notice about one of his voyages, to Smyrna, which today is in Turkey.

In 1836 and 1837 ship registers, Clement was master of the "Jane, out of Berwick upon Tweed".

Another genealogy researcher did some digging through old London newspaper records and found reference to a November 1836 criminal court case involving a woman named Louisa, identified as the wife of Clement the mariner, charged child abandonment. This would have been the son, who was born in 1835 -- but according to the report, Clement may not have been the biological father. Perhaps Elizabeth also went by Louisa or perhaps neither was her true name.

The story goes on at great length in florid, lurid early 19th century detail and involves referring to Louisa/Elizabeth as a 'common trull' and habitual drunkard" and being infamous. Skipping ahead, the magistrate sentenced Louisa/Elizabeth to "two months imprisonment and hard labour at the House of Correction".

That is the last we know about this woman.

What we know is that Clement sent or brought Elizabeth Diana and her older sister to Berwick upon Tweed, where he left them with family, I'm perhaps presuming, to raise. Margaret died in the Berwick workhouse in 1851, just 23 years old. Of the male child baptized as Clement Charles Pattison on 1835, there is no further record.

Elizabeth Diana married fisherman Peter Cowe Young (1828-1903) before 1852, which is when their eldest child was born. My 2nd great grandparents had eight children in total, including my great grandfather, Robert Alexander Young. In a perfect world, their marriage record would list the bride's parents' names. But finding that marriage record has been impossible. As I said earlier, her birthplace is important. There is a record of a marriage between a Peter Young and Elizabeth McBride in Berwick. That Elizabeth McBride was not born in Ramsgate, and her parents' names aren't Pattison

They had a long marriage, living mostly in 'the Greens' in Berwick upon Tweed, except for a few years early in their marriage when they were nearby at Eyemouth. Elizabeth died in March 1903, and Peter died in December that same year.

But I do wonder who Elizabeth's mother was, and whatever happened to her. Did she survive her two months hard labour? Did she come to a bad end? Did she turn her life around?

The never ending story continues....


© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Gathering new found Scots cousin ancestors 4: Grace Smith & John Dow and family

Grace Smith (1814-1891) was my 2nd great grandmother Isabella's older sister, part of the family of Donald Smith and Margaret Davidson. I never knew about Isabella's family until just a few years ago. According to several censuses, Grace was born in Abernethy, Inverness in about 1814. I have nothing more specific than that.

On 23 June 1838, in Inveraron, Banff, Grace married John Dow (1812-1884), who went on to become a farmer at Cardockhead, Knockando in Moray. According to the Old Parish Records marriage register found on Scotland's People, at the time of their marriage, both were in service. Grace was indicated as being from Cromdale. A new clue, as I'm now seeing that my Smiths moved around a fair bit. Grace and John had eight children:

• James (1840-1916), who was a brewer (I'm assuming a whisky brewer, given that he lived for many years in Aberlour, home of one of those many fine Highland whiskys.)
• William (1842-1913), an insurance agent
• Margaret (1845-1893), who was in service
• Ann (1847-1928), who cared for her own large family
• Donald (1850-1898), who was a carpet salesman
• Janet (1852-1917)
• Peter (1854-1931), a school master
• Grace (1857-1932)

Their children in turn married, and gave their parents many grandchildren. Some of those served Great Britain in the Boer War, First World War and Second World War and some lost their lives doing that. Others became educators, doctors and nurses. So far, I've connected with just one Dow descendant, thanks to AncestryDNA. Hope springs eternal that I can learn more about their stories.

The never ending story continues ....

© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved