When you go on the ancestry roots search, be prepared to dig in for the long haul.
This is especially true when you are only going on slight memories from others, trying to remember dates and names not written down anywhere at hand.
Then after hours of looking at records you are finally rewarded!
At the least its a start into finding out a bit more about my dads mothers side of the family.
So far I haven't found any birth records but I have found these copies of landing papers from their home in Belfast to Montreal...
The first to come was my grandma in 1923. She was 18 and had 3 pounds to her name.
Next came her sister, Susie in 1924. She was 18.
Then came my Great Grandma in 1924 who had a total of 6 pounds to her name.
I found out that she was a nurse at the time. Her husband died of influenza back in Belfast and because of religious differences, his family had never accepted their marriage and took the body from her when he died.
I suspect this would have been part of the reason why the young widow with 5 children left Belfast.
That and the turmoil in Northern Ireland at the time.
One odd thing about her papers though, is that she lists her birth place as Innisbaro. I have looked and looked for this place on the internet and can't seem to find anything with even a similar spelling in all of Ireland or the UK, so there the mystery remains...for now.
I found out that she was a nurse at the time. Her husband died of influenza back in Belfast and because of religious differences, his family had never accepted their marriage and took the body from her when he died.
I suspect this would have been part of the reason why the young widow with 5 children left Belfast.
That and the turmoil in Northern Ireland at the time.
One odd thing about her papers though, is that she lists her birth place as Innisbaro. I have looked and looked for this place on the internet and can't seem to find anything with even a similar spelling in all of Ireland or the UK, so there the mystery remains...for now.
And finally her 2 sons came to join her and the rest of the family in 1926.
They landed in Halifax. They were 22 and 16 years old.
Funny thing about the older one, Wilson, his trade was labled as a golf cub maker!
They landed in Halifax. They were 22 and 16 years old.
Funny thing about the older one, Wilson, his trade was labled as a golf cub maker!
So its good to have a bit more info and I will keep digging and see where the next trail leads...In the meantime, I think of them all on the streets of Belfast, Falls road where we went to get a feel of where they lived, possibly walked in the same parks as they did....Oh lovely spirits...come out and wander...
