I’ve been so busy trying to find answers, I don’t seem to have time for much else. And, I never seem to catch up… there is always a new question to answer.
My family tree now has more than 2,000 people in it, and often when Ancestry sends me hints I no longer know who the heck they are talking about.
I focus on one or two particular “thorny questions” and move on to the next one when I can’t find a satisfactory answer. Or, after I’ve found that elusive record that explains it all…
What’s your thorny question?
Lately, mine involve Aberdeenshire, Scotland… My father’s father’s side of the family came to Canada from Rhynie in 1855, setting sail on the “St. Lawrence” in Aberdeen with high hopes for a better future in the New World.
James Law and Helen Massie, my great great grandparents, and their 6 children ended up on a farm near Winterbourne, Ontario… and from there, two of their sons continued the family’s migration. One to Moose Jaw, and it seems, the other south to Chicago in the USA. And, a grandson, my grandpa, came to Winnipeg.
James Law and his family arrived before Canada became a country. I am fifth generation Canadian according to my sisters, as James and Helen were naturalized Canadians. Third generation in my thoughts, as I am the third generation born on Canadian soil…
James Law was a common name back then, just like it is today, and finding out more about his parents and grandparents is challenging. Figuring out the fate of his eldest boy, also named James Law, has also been difficult. I am still hoping for a DNA match to confirm my theories for sure.
The two boys who went west in Canada – their story is a family favorite. It starts with …”Two brothers married two sisters… Robert Law married Mary Ann, and William Law married Elizabeth Burnett” … and goes from there.
What’s your family’s favorite story?
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