Purpose: Genealogy
by F.E. McConvey
Published: 30 December 1987
On Saturday, Dec. 5, a genealogy workshop, conducted by Ann Rigby, was held at the Charlotte County Archives in St. Andrews.
An excellent cross-section of genealogists turned out for the occasion, with a good mixture of young and old; inexperienced and "old pros." The communities of St. Andrews, St.Stephen and surrounding districts were well represented, but there was a noticeable absence of anyone from the St. George area. Is nobody from that part of the county involved in genealogy??? SOURCES was the topic of this gathering.
Ann pointed out that genealogy consists of more than just one assembling of names and dates. The history of the a family, plus the stories about its members are the details that make these relatives from the past seem "real" to the present generations. Local historical events also play an important role in the account of one's family.
Any information that one can obtain from the oldest members of his family is good. These relatives can often supply details about births, marriages and deaths. Often, they will possess bibles which contain the family records. If they will allow these pages to be photocopied, you are very fortunate, indeed. If not, carefully record the details, making certain there are no errors in your transcription.
Write down the family stories as well. Ann related a story about a Captain McCurdy who stopped at the Ledge to visit his family. He then sailed off into the Saxby Gale, never to be seen again.
Basically, the facts of this episode are correct. There was a Captain McCurdy- and, her was lost at sea. However, it was during a hurricane that occurred in 1847 rather than the Saxby Gale which swept this area in 1869.
Memories dim with time, so the teller of the story of a story may have the wrong person, or even the wrong time, but the bare facts are generally true.
A good point presented was the importance of having a methodical system of keeping your information. Ann went over the use of PEDIGREE CHARTS, which show several generations at a glance, and FAMILY GROUP SHEETS that contain data on a father and mother, plus their offspring.
It is good to remember that mistakes do occur, even in official records. These sources are only good as the information that has been supplied to the recorder. People have been known to lie about their ages.
Elinor Mawson recounted a tale about one family who attempted to disguise that fact that a son was mentally handicapped. They pretended that he was younger than his actual age. In later years, when the proper time arrived for this person to apply for his Old Age Pension, he encountered numerous problems brought on by his family's deceit.
Briefly, I shall highlight the other sources covers:
CENSUS RECORDS from 1851-1891 are now available on microfilm. Films for the entire province are housed at the Provincial Archives in Fredericton and are available on inter-library loan. The reports of Charlotte County can be viewed at the local archives.
Previously to 1851, the census reports were statistical reports and only names listed were heads of households. Once exception is Grand Manan which produced an informative census in 1821.
After 1851 more data was given on the families, including names, ages, origins, religion, etc.
MARRIAGE REGISTERS. Before 1820, only the Church of England could perform marriages in New Brunswick. On occasions when it was impossible for a bride and groom to travel to a distant church, a magistrate was allowed to perform the rite.
Sometimes, the marriages were not turned in. Therefore, it is possible to find a marriage in the church records, or announced in the local paper, but not in the marriage register.
BIRTH RECORDS . In 1887, the Province of New Brunswick commenced recording all births. Before this date there were no official records. Family bibles and christening records are the only available sources.
DEATH RECORDS were not registered by the province until the same period. Searches before that time must be made in church records, family bibles and cemetery records.
During the span of year from 1889-1920, the County of St. John kept detailed death records. They often disclose the cause of death, last residence, and the father's name. They are on microfilm at the Provincial Archives.
LAND PETITIONS. There are indexed alphabetically, by year, at the Provincial Archives. The earlier petitions given more information about the petitioner than the ones after 1850.
REGISTRY OF DEEDS. The originals for Charlotte County are located at the Registry Office in St. Andrews. Those who have researched these records reported that Dalton Johnston has been most cooperative and will make photocopies, if he has time. There is a fee for searching these records. Microfilmed ones are available at the Provincial Archives.
ASSESSMENT RECORDS. The older ones have been microfilmed. One can shuffle through a great deal of film to find the information, but it is usually worth the effort.
TEACHER CERTIFICATES. Information on certificates, payments and recommendations are available at the Provincial Archives. They have been indexed. In 1844, a survey was done on every school in this province.
PASSENGER LISTS. There are very few available, but they keep turning up. The ones that can be viewed at the Provincial Archives cover a period from the 1830's to 1840's. They give information about families, ages and origins.
The New Brunswick Genealogical Society has just published a book on Passengers Lists.
VITAL STATISTICS. This department of the Province of New Brunswick is not very genial to genealogists -- plus, they charge a fee of $25 to conduct a search covering a three-year period. If that exact date is known and a certificate is required for legal purposes, the charge is only $10. It is worthy to note that only a certified birth certificate lists the names of the parents.
SUPREME COURT RECORDS. These are now available at the Provincial Archives to 1820. Unfortunately, they are not microfilmed. Often the information is found on little snippets of paper.
DIRECTORIES were frequently prepared for cities, towns and counties. Boston has directories from a very early date. The directories of Calais for the years 1890, 1986, and 1901 also contain listings for St. Stephen.
PREVIOUS WORKS. Always check to see if someone has already done the research of your family. Never accept these works as fact, even though they may look quite impressive in print. Use them only as guides for your own research.
Here, everyone broke for coffee and doughnuts and we never did return to the meeting room, as a group.
In every corner were people exchanging information and ideas. Experienced researchers showed beginners how to look up microfilms and gave them instructions on using the readers. You will be sure to hear more from some of the conversations that took place. From all indications, there was a definite interest for the formation of an informal genealogical group. If you have any ideas to offer, please let me know.
This workshop was so successful, there are bound to be more in the future--keep watching for them.
Note: In-Laws, Outlaws and Kinfolk articles have been published on this site with the permission of the St. Croix Courier. Special thanks goes to the Courier for allowing me to reprint my mother's articles.