Ruth Blair – Page 133

Do Not Believe Everything You Read!

It is important not to take everything you read at face value even if it is from a reputable source.

Humphrey Charles Minchin was my four times Great Grandfather. The Minchin family was from county Tipperary. Their family history is found in “Burke’s Irish Family Records”

According to this reference book Humphrey Charles Minchin first married Frances Catherine Sirr on 14 Jan 1775 in Dublin. Humphrey’s second marriage was to Arabella Ashworth in 1812. Above the notation to Humphrey’s second marriage is a reference to his daughter Louisa Arabella and it says she was born in 1821 and married Walter Bourne.

scan0009 — Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, editor, Burke's Irish Family Records (London, U.K.: Burkes Peerage Ltd, 1976)

This information would suggest that Louisa Arabella is a daughter from Humphrey’s second marriage. How many people would take this information as it is found?

The truth about this family is that Humphrey and Frances did marry on 14 Jan 1775. They had six children before Frances died in 1810. Their last child Louisa Arabella was born circa 1800 not 1821. This is where the information needs to be unraveled.

Louisa Arabella Minchin married Walter Bourne on 6 Aug 1821 in the Parish of Taney. The record is found in the parish registers. Louisa died on 2 Jan 1882 and her death certificate says she was 82 years of age. Her first child was born on 22 Aug 1822 and baptized shortly thereafter.

Humphrey married Arabella Ashworth on 6 Jul 1812 in the parish of St. Peter’s in Dublin. A reference to this marriage was found in the parish register at the Representative Church Body Library for the Church of Ireland.

The notation of b is probably a typo and should read m.

Please remember not to believe everything you read. Reference books are a great resource but please research further to verify the accuracy of the information.

Happy Fourth of July!

Twelve Months of Genealogy – July

Leave a Comment / By Ruth Blair

July is the month that Canadians and Americans celebrate the birth of their nations. Canada’s birthday is July 1st and the United States is July 4th. Canada will be 144 and the United States will be 235 this year.

There has been a long relationship between the two countries. Many of our ancestors have crossed over the borders in each direction and some of them several times.

The first week we will look at places to find out more about the history of Canada. You can find links to some of the more well known parts of Canadian history at Canada Online.

The name Canada first showed up on a map in 1547 and referred to the land that was located north of the St. Lawrence River. Did you know that other names for Canada could have been Victorialand, Cabotia, Superior and Tuponia which stands for The United Provinces of North America.

The second week let’s look at the history of the United States. You can find a lot of information on Wikipedia. There are many different topics and historic moments discussed on this website.

The National Archives have a website that provides information on the history of the Constitution. You can find out more about their online exhibits here.

During the third week we will look at the history between the two countries. You can find a historical timeline of the history of the two countries here. There is a history about the boundaries of the United States that you can find here.

The last week of July let’s look at how to find information on the border crossings between the two countries. There are no official Canadian records until 1908 when the Canadian government officially started to record immigrants coming into the country. You can find the Border Crossings: From U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935 at Ancestry. Ancestry has the Canadian Border Crossing Collection which dates from 1895 to 1956 and contains information on those crossing from Canada into the United States. You can find the Detroit Border Crossings and Passenger and Crew Lists, 1905-1957 on Ancestry.

Enjoy all the family gatherings, picnics, historic events and fireworks this holiday weekend. If you are in New York or Ontario why not drop by and enjoy the Friendship Festival where both countries share and enjoy their birthdays. If you are in the area of the Peace Bridge on July 3rd there is “Hands Across the Border” so why not join in.

Author name: Ruth Blair