Down To Serious Business

by F.E. McConvey

Published: 16 December 1987

After setting down the basic data about your family, as outlined in a previous column, it becomes necessary to complete the missing details by seeking other sources.

One of the most important features in genealogy is being able to verify your information. If anyone questions a name, date or place, you will want to be able to tell him where it was obtained. For this reason, it is essential to maintain a reference file. Too late I realized this and now spend much of my time backtracking in order to authenticate my facts. Believe me, it is much simpler to do this exercise properly from the very beginning.

Naturally, there are several methods of setting up a reference file, but a system using three-ring binders and loose leaf has worked well for me.

At the top of each sheet I write the person's name, surname first. In the case of females, I used the maiden name, if known, and cross-reference to her married name. As information is found on this person, it is recorded on the sheet, or additional pages as required. In this way I can locate the source of any bit of information I have recorded.

By filing these sheets alphabetically, any reference record is quickly located. In addition, any correspondence about that person can be filed beside his sheets.

Here is a sample of the Reference Sheet on my great-great-great-grandfather.

McCLELAND, MARTIN

REF: Lena Lawrence 1944

Martin McLellan married Margaret Leslie in Ireland, probably about 1820.

Children: Nancy, also called Ann m. James Arvin, California; Jane , Chrisopher Greenlaw, Lower Bayside; Margaret m. James Greenlaws, Upper Bayside; Ellen Louise m. James McFarlane, Lower Bayside; Sarah Matilda m. James Ross, St. Andrews.

He was a North of Ireland Scot. Presbyterian. He was forty years old when he married Margaret Leslie. They came to Canada and took up a grant of land in Bayside.

Martin was a weaver and worked his trade at home. His daughter Margaret living on the homeplace with her husband and continued the work of weaving.

REF: Greenock Presbyterian Church Records, St. Andrews, NB

Baptised Oct. 21 1842, daughters of Martin McLelland and Margaret Leslie by the Rev. H.? Thompson

Nancy born February 12, 1822

Jane born March 1, 1824

Margaret Ann born February 11, 1826

Helen Lousia born August 10, 1828

Sarah Matilda born June 10, 1830

REF: Land Petition 1827 - Reel #F4210

A British subject. Born in Ireland. Has resided in this province for five years. Aged 32. Is married and has three children. Two hundred acres includes a small improvement and log house made by petitioner.

Date December 5, 1825 at St. Andrews

Signed by Colin Campbell and Martin McCleland.

REF: 1851 Census St. Andrew Parish, Charlotte Co., NB Page 91

McLellan	Martin	56	Ir	Widower	Farmer	1829
	Jane	26	do	Dau.	do	-
	Ellen	24	do	do	-	do
	Sarah	21	NB	do	-	-

* * *

Bringing all the data together enables any inaccuracies to be spotted more easily.

For instance, the statement that Martin was 40 years old when he married, has to be wrong. When he petitioned for the land grant in 1826, he was only 32, making his birth around 1974. The 1851 Census report also fixes his birth around this time.

From this record, it is also evident that Martin McCleland did not arrive in this country in 1829, as indicated by the census report. He had been on his land as early as 1922. We can also perceive that it was impossible for the daughters Jane and Ellen to have been born in Ireland.

Note also the various spellings of the surname. I prefer the form he used in his signature. When recording data, write the names exactly as you find them in the original documents.

It is wise to develop the habit of carrying a notebook and pencil constantly because one never knows when he might stumble across something of interest pertaining to his family. A notebook eliminates the necessity of pawing through stacks of irregular scraps of paper on which notes have been taken.

My personal preference is a coil-bound, three ring page, lined scribbler measure 6"x9" because it fits easily into my purse.

Wooden pencils always require sharpening; therefore, I avoid them, a dull pencil being indicative of a dull mind, and use the mechanical type that require the 0.5 mm refills. They are always dependable, sharp and ready. Extra leads can be stored inside so there is never the possibility of running out or breaking at a crucial moment.

Always write the source and date of any entries in your "field book". Once home, the information can be transferred to your reference sheets.

QUERIES

12. THOMAS B. ADAMS: b.ca 1815. Married HARRIETT C. LLOYD. 1851 lived in Bayside, NB. CH: FRANCES, EMMA ALINDA and THOMAS CALVIN. Went to CA in 1850's. May have been captain of the PAVILLION or JOHN ENDERA. d. 1882 in Eastport, ME at home of daughter, MRS. EBEN HOLMES. Seek any info on his parents, siblings, birth, where married, etc, and on his sea-faring life.