Well it's about time I caught up. Seems that time is slipping by so fast and there's still so much to do.
The side trip to Sheffield is arranged - flight and accommodations arranged. I will notify the archives when I'll be arriving and what documents I want to look at so I can get down to business quickly. I'll be staying at a B&B about a 20 min walk from the Archives so will get in a little exercise. I'll have the Sunday to look around the city itself.
I've continued to work on Aggie's Dash and the more I write and edit the more research I seem to do. Not sure when I'll decide that I've finished. I wish Don would reconsider giving me some stories to include. It is a tribute to Nanny and I would like as much input as possible. Alas that's not going to happen.
Two friends are reading the story for me and suggesting changes in wording which is very helpful. It's a case of finally deciding I've collected all the information and stories and starting the formatting and inclusion of photos and their layout. There is no chance now that I'll have it done as a Christmas present.
In the past couple of weeks the importance of two particular homes in Aggie's life have taken on greater meaning. The first is 146 Lebreton St which it turns out was built by her grandfather, not her father, in the 1890s. The other is 279 Bayswater which was bought (built?) by her husband Harry in the 1920s. It has taken a while but it seems that the best option is to use the microfilm at the Ottawa Land Registry Office which should have the history of the two homes. I hope to go on Monday afternoon to see what I can find out.
To the same end, I went to the Ottawa City Archives this afternoon in a search for information about the expropriation of 146 Lebreton. What I did find is that since it was expropriated by the Ottawa Separate School Board, it would not be found in the minutes of City Council. The province doesn't seem to keep the information and previous inquiries to the school board went nowhere.
However, as I was re-shelving the minute book I happened to notice the headline on a bunch of old newspaper articles that another researcher was examining. It said "Old Time Stuff" and is from the Saturday Citizen of the 1920s. I remember finding one article in that series that was written by E.P McGrath, my great grandfather. I have an image of the article that I clipped from a digital archive that no longer exists. However, the archives have three boxes of those articles. Now I just have to wait for the other lady to finish with them and I'll be notified. I am excited about what I might find in those old columns.
This evening I decided to contact a DNA match from ancestry.com - a distant match but I noticed that she is from a very small town in NY State, Brooktondale. Bing!! I have another cousin who lives there. He is descended from both a brother and sister of my great great grandfather Edward Burns. I doubt that he is a common connection. Anyway I sent off a message hoping for a reply. Immediately afterwards I was browsing a Kehoe/Keogh message board on ancestry and found one from the same person I match on DNA. Could we be related through the Kehoes? So, I answered her post there too. Now I just sit and wait.
Christmas is almost on us and I have some cooking to do this week for next weekend's celebrations with Tom, Susan and family. Keeping in mind preferences and allergies I hope to come up with something a bit different for dessert. The veggies are a no-brainer. It will be a lot of fun.
Well I'll sign off now and hope to get back before I go winging off to Eire.
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