Annie Leontine Chipman and a Census Mystery

It has been a while since I last wrote a blog post. Until fairly recently my research has been of the mundane sort of finding and updating information on the many various branches on my tree. 

However, that was until a few days ago when I was waiting for a presentation I was giving on "Chipping Away at the Brick Wall" for the Southeastern Branch of the New Brunswick Genealogical Society to begin. In that talk I give examples of assumptions I've made in my research and Annie Leontine Chipman, my 1st cousin three times removed (and my 4th cousin 3 times removed...in two different ways...yes, my Chipman line is "interesting" at times), is one such example. I also like to periodically look for information about her since she led an very interesting life and constantly challenges any assumptions I've made in my research. Even her grave marker told an interesting tale since she is a recipient of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

 Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167501062/anne-leontine-chipman : accessed 18 January 2022), memorial page for Anne Leontine Chipman (11 Feb 1864–10 Mar 1937), Find a Grave Memorial ID 167501062, citing Oak Grove Cemetery, Kentville, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada ; Maintained by LMK (contributor 47573469).

However, this time it is about her being found in two places in census records of two countries almost at the same time.

Early on in my research days I had found her in the 1881 census of Canada in Kentville, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada. That census was taken on April 4, 1881.

1881 census of Canada, Nova Scotia, district 17, sub-district F-1, Kentville, p. 2, dwelling 5, family 5, Annie L Chipman; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 Feb 2013); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-13173.

There I found her in the household of her father Leverett DeVeber Chipman, her mother Nancy, and siblings Wilford (Wilford Henry Chipman), and Eva (Lena Evangeline Chipman). All simple and very straightforward...or so I thought.

As I mentioned, she keeps throwing me curve balls in my research and she did it again in the 1881 census. While waiting for the meeting to begin I pulled up Annie's profile in Ancestry and clicked on the search button not really expecting to find something. Yet I was in for a shock when Ancestry pointed me to an 1881 census in England for an Annie Leoline Chapman who was born about 1864 with "Nova Scotia Kentville (British Subject)" as the place of birth attending as a student at Kilburn College in Kilburn, Middlesex.

1881 census of England, Middlesex, Parish of Willesden, Kilburn, Ecclesiastical Parish of St Johns, folio 54, page 23, Alice Leontine Chapman; digital images, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 18 Jan 2022); citing PRO RG 11/1364.

Once I looked at the image I could see that it wasn't "Leotine" but there was an "n" added beneath that word as a correction so it read "Leontine". The place of birth and the age was right so just how was this possible? The 1881 census of England was taken on April 3, 1881 but she is recorded as being in the household of her father on April 4, 1881. There were no airplanes in 1881 so how did she travel more than 4,500 km in a day?

That is when I recalled Janice Nickerson's great presentation she gave titled "Ontario Census Fundamentals" for the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society in November 2021. She had mentioned that the Canadian censuses use the "de jure system" of enumeration. 

So just what does this mean?

In the "Manual containing The Census Act, and the instructions to officers employed in the taking of the second census of Canada, (1881)", of which a copy can be found on the Internet Archive, they state:

"The principle adopted for the registration of the population is that which is called by statists the population de droit or de jure ; that is, the population legally domiciled within the territory of the Dominion, and including all persons who may be temporarily absent from their place of abode, whether at the fisheries, at sea, or in the forest wilderness, &c."

Great.

But how does this really get applied in Annie's situation?

You have to keep reading further in the Instructions to the Enumerators where it states:

"Therefore, the names of seamen at sea, college students and school children, of the sick in hospitals, of inmates temporarily present in educational, charitable or penal institutions, are to be taken down in their own provinces, at their own domiciles or homes, and not at temporary abiding places or institutions. In other words, all living members of one family are to be registered as being present at the family abode, unless they are settled in homes of their own, or have left the country with intention not to return."

This matches Annie Leontine Chipman perfectly. She was attending school and she had left the country but she was going to return back to Canada after school.

How about the 1881 Census of England and Wales? In the "Census of England and Wales, 1881. Instructions to the Various Officers as to Their Duties in Taking the Census" the census was to be "...every living person who abode in every house on the night of Sunday the third day of April one thousand eight hundred and eighty-one..."

It would seem that Canada and England used different rules for determining who shall be enumerated where. That is how Annie can be in two widely separated places almost on the same day.

Of course, in the 30 minutes before I was to give the presentation I was madly creating a new slide for the assumptions section since this assumption of how the Canadian censuses were taken really bit me!

My Top 10+ Free Genealogy Sites

 

In my post "My Top 10 Fee-Based Genealogy Sites" I limited myself to only 10 fee-based genealogy sites that I regularly depend upon in my research. However, in the case of the free genealogy sites, as I started making the list, it quickly got out of hand and I just couldn't keep the list at ten sites. So here is my top 10+ free genealogy sites that I regularly check. 

Remember, these are my top free genealogy sites and I've selected them based on the names, places and time periods that I'm researching. I am positive I'm missed at least one of your favourite sites.

There is one site I didn't put on the list since its focus isn't on genealogy. That site is Google. Often when I get stuck looking for information I will use Google to explore what is out there. Often I come across those genealogy and family history gems buried on page two or three of the returned results.

1. FamilySearch

With your free account you have access to millions indexed abstracts and images along with their one world tree where anyone can contribute or correct information FamilySearch is a key tool in my genealogy toolbox. Yet there is a whole bunch of images not indexed and once you get comfortable with using their catalogue what is available to you is phenomenal. Although some of the image collections may not be viewable from home once their Family History Centers reopen many more digitized records will be accessible.

2. Library and Archives Canada

If you are researching your ancestors that at any time settled in Canada then Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is a site to visit. You may be disappointed that a vast majority of their collections are not digitized but I've found that the real value from LAC is from their various subject matter pages such as Census and the Military Heritage pages. Those pages help point you to where you can find the information, whether at LAC in Ottawa or on partner sites. Also, much like with FamilySearch, once you become familiar with using the catalogue search system so much more can be found.

3. Internet Archive

I make use of the Internet Archive to locate those out of copyright books that are often referred to as sources in family history compilations or in online databases. But that's not all that there is on the site. Maybe you are looking for the Canada Gazette for 1898-1899, you can find it here and can even download it in PDF or even EPUB format for reading on your computer later. You just don't know what is available unless you look for it. The other reason I use the Internet Archive is the Wayback Machine. This is an archive of over 477 billion (and growing) web pages on the Internet. A number of times when a web site has disappeared from the Internet I've been able to find an older copy in the Wayback Machine's archive.

4. Canadiana Héritage

First of all, this is not exactly your usual friendly genealogy web site. If you think of it as a collection of digitized microfilms that may or may not be name indexed or even fully catalogued then you will have set your expectations appropriately. Yet this has become an important site for my Canadian research. Many of the "C", "H", and "T" microfilms from Library and Archives Canada may be found here. In these often frustrating COVID-19 times where we can't get to an archive to review a microfilm, having any digitized microfilms can be wonderful. You will even find parish records from some churches in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba.

5. Provincial Archives of New Brunswick

I wish all provinces were like New Brunswick when it comes to the free availability of indexed vital statistics records with images. It isn't just those birth, marriage, and death records that make the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (PANB) site so invaluable in my research. You will find indexes to land petitions and grants, very early port returns from 1816-1838, marriage bonds between 1810-1932, Daniel F. Johnson's Newspaper Vital Statistics collection, and a lot of information contributed by Wallace Hale in the Fort Havoc pages concerning the Loyalists in New Brunswick. Those are just a few of the highlights on this site. If you have New Brunswick ancestors you really need to visit the PANB site.

6. BC Archives Genealogy Collection at the Royal BC Museum

It seems that in the various branches of my family tree sooner or later a group goes to British Columbia to live. Ancestry may have their British Columbia birth, marriage, or death indexed but the BC Archives Genealogy collection hosted by the Royal BC Museum has the births (1854-1903), marriages (1871-1944), deaths (1872-1999), colonial marriages (1859-1872) and baptisms (1836-1888) index is searchable with many of the records having images of the documents available for you to save to your computer.

7. WorldCat

WorldCat is one of those site that doesn't provide the records that we are so often looking for in our research. Instead it can help us find those sometimes hard to find books that have those transcriptions in libraries, archives, and museums. I remember one time looking for a book on the family of Simon Baxter and learned that the Canadian Museum of History had a copy in their reference library. I didn't even know that they had a reference library. A few days later I was able to review that book and learn more about that line on my family tree.

8. Commonwealth War Graves Commission

When researching one of those 1.7 million men and women of the Commonwealth forces who gave their lives in the First and Second World War then a visit to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site is a requirement. There you will learn where the person is buried or memorialized, their service number (so important to later research), unit, and possibly other personal information. There may be additional documents such as what was to be recorded on the marker or panel.

9. Find A Grave

Find A Grave is one of those sites I either really love or hate depending on what I find and my mood. I love it when I comes across a memorial page that has the image of the marker that is readable or at least correctly transcribed. I hate it when there is no marker image but someone has created a memorial and they haven't stated where they got their facts. So I have learned to treat Find A Grave like a user contributed tree on Ancestry, don't trust but verity everything. That said, those memorials with images have helped me considerably in my own research. Even those without images have been handy as possible pointers to find the key records.

10. Public Libraries [Ottawa Public Library in my case]

Many of public libraries have genealogy databases available to anyone. These databases are often specific to the area and help point the way to find documents in the library. For example, if you have ancestors in the Belleville area of Ontario, Canada then checking out the Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes from the Belleville Intelligencer might be a really good idea. In these COVID-19 times many of the libraries, courtesy of Ancestry and ProQuest, have made available the library version of Ancestry to use from the safety and comfort of your home. Some libraries will even help you locate a copy of an obituary in the local newspaper as long as you provide the key details. As always, be polite when asking for help.

 

The next set didn't make my top 10 list of free resources but I couldn't leave them out. So here is the "+" list.

Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics

If you have ancestors from Nova Scotia and you are trying to find their birth, marriage, or death registration then you need to visit this site. It is free to search and view the various registrations. However, unlike PANB or the BC Archives Genealogy Collection, you need to pay to download the registrations. So be prepared to create your own abstracts unless you want to spend the money to have an electronic copy of the record.

Archives of Ontario

The Archives of Ontario don't have the birth, marriage, and death records on their site (go to FamilySearch or Ancestry instead) but where the Archives of Ontario shines for genealogists and family historians is in their research guides. Are you trying to find a divorce record in Ontario, then you need to read Research Guide 210. Looking for a birth registration and you don't know if has been released to the Archives of Ontario then Research Guides 202, 203, and 204 probably need to be read. Are you trying to figure out the districts and counties in Ontario over time? Then a visit to "A Guide to Boundaries, Names and Regional Governments" page is a good place to start. Did your immigrant ancestor come through the Toronto Emigrant Office between 1865 and 1883? Check out the Toronto Emigrant Office Assisted Immigration Registers.

WikiTree

I've been using and periodically contributing to WikiTree for about a year. This is a "one world" family tree much like what is found on FamilySearch. With a free account you can add people and update existing entries. What sets WikiTree apart from other trees is in their encouraging of making sure the information in a person's profile is sourced. This allows you to locate new sources of information in your own research.

IrishGenealogy.ie

The Irish Genealogy site should be one of your go to sites if you have ancestors that were in Ireland. They have the civil registrations for births (1864-1919), marriages (1845-1944), and deaths (1871-1969) in addition to church records of baptisms, marriages, and burials for a number of counties in Ireland.

The Ancestor Hunt

If you are looking for free archives of newspapers, yearbooks, or city directories for Canada and the United States then dropping my The Ancestor Hunt will make your search a lot easier.

The Ontario Name Index (TONI)

Courtesy of Ontario Ancestors (also known as Ontario Genealogical Society), TONI is one of those databases that can help you out in your Ontario research. As a name index it is important to realize that the database itself is just an index and will point you to where you can find the information. Most of the resources that TONI has indexed are documents held by the various branches but there are pointers to records from from other sites.

Bower-McBurney Genealogy

In addition to TONI, the Bower-McBurney Genealogy site has become an invaluable resource for my Ontario research. It isn't because I have any relatives related to that family but Wayne Bower has made available the images from the Wesleyan Methodist Baptismal Register and also the digitized microfilm index pages for the Ontario Birth Registers for 1914-1917.

Trove

Trove is just that, a treasure trove for those researching their relatives in Australia. There are digital copies of newspapers, government gazettes, maps, magazines, and newsletters. The newspapers and gazettes, especially the family notices in the various papers, are often where we as genealogy researchers head to first but don't forget to search the other collections for other nuggets.

Papers Past

Much like Trove for Australia, Papers Past is the source for New Zealand newspapers, magazines and journals, letters and diaries, and parliamentary papers. I don't have many distant relatives in New Zealand but for the branch that did settle there the newspapers have helped answer questions about their lives.

FreeBMD

FreeBMD is a searchable database of the birth, marriage, and death civil registration indexes for England and Wales. Even though fee-based sites may have this index, often from FreeBMD itself, this is the free version. Where I often find it of value is being able to see the original image of the index page and also to learn what places are within a registration district. Combined with the General Register Office (GRO) site for ordering the registrations I've been able to discover "missing" children that were born and died between census enumerations.

CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project

Much like Find A Grave, the CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project is a free and searchable listing of cemeteries. However, it is focused only on Canadian cemeteries. If I can't find the image of a marker that is in a Canadian cemetery in Find A Grave I always head to this site to see if a volunteer has photographed and placed the picture of the marker here.

JewishGen

One of my connected American branches has Jewish roots and the JewishGen site has been useful in providing clues about the family. The JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry even has images of some of the markers along with providing location details about the cemetery.

National Library of Scotland

Along with ScotlandsPeople, the National Library of Scotland is one of those must use sites if you have Scottish ancestors. There are two items that I often use are the Maps and the Scottish Post Office Directories. However, there is much more to be found on this site.

 

There are many other free sites that I use in my research so this is really just my highlights list. I'm certain that I've not mentioned one of your favourite free genealogy sites. If so, leave a note in the comments since I'm always looking for new resources to help break down my various brick walls.

Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867

One resource I've started to see used more by those with roots in Nova Scotia is Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867 that was compiled by Col. Leonard H. Smith Jr. and Norma H. Smith and published in 1994 by the Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. We are fortunate that this two volume collection has been available since 2007 on Ancestry so that we can review the books at home if you have an Ancestry subscription.

The easiest way to find the two volumes on Ancestry is via a search of the Card Catalogue. Just search for the title" "Nova Scotia Immigrants". Alternately, the links below point to the collection on Ancestry.ca.

• Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867, Vol. I
• Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867, Vol. II

The inclination by almost of us is to jump in and start searching for the names of our ancestors. However, don't do that, at least not yet.

First of all, visit the title page and the following page and record the details about the volumes. This will help you out later when you create your source citiations¹. Next, read the page with the Abbreviations. Most of the abbreviations we may be used to but some, like "Sr." and "Jr.", might have a context that you aren't familiar with. Both of these sections can be found at the beginning of the volumes. Also, take a moment to read the preface and introduction since those sections explain why this two volume set came into existence.

However, there are two very important sections that you will need to consult once you do find your ancestors mentioned in the books and those are the Bibliographies. These sections will help you to decipher where the compilers found the information.

On with the searching!

Here is an example of one such entry I found for Mary Cantfield².

Col. Leonard H. Smith Jr. and Norma H. Smith, compilers, Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867, 2 vols.(Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogy Publishing Co., Inc., 1994); digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 Jun May 2020), 2:46.

As we can see, there is quite a bit of information that has been abstracted. We learn that Mary Cantfield is the daughter of Denis Cantfield and Catherine Ryan and the family was of County Kilkenny, Ireland. She married Richard Dunphy in Halifax on 29 Nov 1839. The "q.v." reminds us we need to look up the entry for Richard Dunphy in the volume.

Col. Leonard H. Smith Jr. and Norma H. Smith, compilers, Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867, 2 vols.(Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogy Publishing Co., Inc., 1994); digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 Jun May 2020), 2:84.

In doing so we learn that Richard Dunphy is the son of Patrick Dunphy and Mary Moran and the family was of County Kilkenny, Ireland .

Yet where did the compilers find this information. That is in the parenthesis at the end, the "(34:129)". To figure that out we need to refer to the bibliographies I mentioned before.

Col. Leonard H. Smith Jr. and Norma H. Smith, compilers, Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867, 2 vols.(Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogy Publishing Co., Inc., 1994); digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 Jun May 2020), 2:258.

Here we see that the information came from an article "Some Irish Immigrant Weddings in Nova Scotia 1834-1840" by Terrence M. Punch in the 8th edition, issue 2, of The Irish Ancestor published in 1976.

Using PERSI, the PERiodical Source Index, found on Findmypast I was able to find the details about the article and the publication but, after much searching, no online edition was easily available. But that's OK. A check of Worldcat pointed me to Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa where I could view The Irish Ancestor. In the pre-COVID-19 days I would have hopped on the bus since I reside in the same city and gone to LAC to read the article with the details extracted found on page 129. Now, it is a bit more of a challenge.

What other clue is there?

How about that the information came "from records at Catholic archdiocese at Halifax"?

Well a flight to Halifax, Nova Scotia is out of the question for me at this time. Maybe there are some Catholic Church records online. On Ancestry that might be in the "Acadia, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1757-1946" collection. However, I didn't see any records from Halifax listed.

So my next go to site is FamilySearch and their catalog. A search for "Canada, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Halifax" as a place revealed a list of 14 church collections. One specifically caught my attention, that of the "Parish registers, 1830-1969" for the Catholic Church of Saint. Mary's Basilica. Right time period and correct religion. Looking at the various entries I noticed that some were indexed but all were viewable from the comfort of home.

Screen capture of the catalog listing for Marriages, 1830-1873 from the Parish registers, 1830-1969 of Saint Mary's Basilica (Halifax, Nova Scotia).

That digitized microfilm isn't name indexed but that's OK, I have had plenty of practice looking through microfilms. After a bit of bouncing around the images on that digitized reel I came across this:

"Nova Scotia Church Records, 1720-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GBC2-9JV?cc=1925428&wc=M6PF-CWL%3A219772701%2C219796201%2C219809001%2C219901401 : 21 May 2014), Halifax > Halifax > Catholic St Mary's Basilica > Marriages 1830-1843 > image 192 of 262; Catholic Church and Church of England parishes, Nova Scotia.

All the details in the abstract can now be confirmed by looking at the entry from the parish register plus we know now the names of the witnesses.

It is important to keep in mind that most items listed in the bibliographies may not be available online. This is where your to-do list becomes important. Such is the case for my Starr line of Nova Scotia.

Col. Leonard H. Smith Jr. and Norma H. Smith, compilers, Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867, 2 vols.(Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogy Publishing Co., Inc., 1994); digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 Jun May 2020), 1:486.

Joseph Starr, the son of Samuel Starr and Abigail Leffingwell, is of interest to me due to him being in Connecticut at the start of the United States of America War of Independence and supposedly escaping back to Nova Scotia after refusing to serve in the Connecticut militia. So I'm always looking for information about him and his exploits.

Here I learn that the source of the information is on page 238 in the Nova Scotia Historical Quarterly, volume 7, issue 3 published on September 1977 in the article "The History of the Nova Scotia Apple Industry". There is also information in the same article about his mother and father. Although I can purchase a copy, since I'm in no rush, I'm going to wait until Library and Archives Canada is open to the public and read the article there.

A few things to take away from this little exercise:

• When using compiled collections take the time to follow the chain of sources to locate the original documents. Sometimes you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find. Sometimes it is new information not included in the abstract; other times it might be a whole new collection of documents.
• If looking at a baptism, marriage, or burial in a church parish register, take a look around for other events recorded that may pertain to your family. If a marriage, check for a baptism occurring within a few years time. You might come across a child you weren't aware of.
• Not everything is online. But it never hurts to check.
• To-do lists will help you remember what you need to sooner or later to look up. If your to-do list gets long enough you might even plan a holiday to a place that has the archive or library that houses the books or collections you want to review. While your family is out enjoy the sights you can be a time traveller and travel into the past.

---

1. Remember those? Your source citations help you remember where you found the information and helps others that may use your work to also know where you found those nuggets about your ancestors.

2. I have no relationship, that I know of, to the Cantfield family. It is just an example that I've helped find the source of the information for someone posting a query on a Facebook genealogy group.

Nova Scotia Parish Registers: LAC and Héritage

This past week I've been following the guidance of the various Public Health officials to stay at home and only go out for essential trips only. Due to that, and with the Library and Archives Canada building in Ottawa closed to the public where I'd normally go to review Thematic Guide 1206 to Parish Registers, I've been creating my own indexes from the various Parish Registers microfilms held by LAC and now freely made available online via the Héritage project.

I started with the Ontario Parish Registers and continued with the New Brunswick Parish Registers. Now it is Nova Scotia's turn. However, I didn't just come across Nova Scotia records in these digitized reels but also some parish records for New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Ontario are hidden within.

For those not familiar with the Héritage site, this is not a genealogy site like Ancestry, Findmypast, MyHeritage, FamilySearch, or other commonly used sites by family historians and genealogists. Instead, Héritage is probably more along the lines of a repository of digitized microfilm reels. Instead of typing in the name of a person when searching you focus on the descriptions of the material found in the catalogues. To help you out a bit in using the site please read my post "Old School" Research With a Modern Twist.

There are not all of the microfilms that Library and Archives Canada has for Nova Scotia Parish Registers. Only the C, H, and T series have been digitized and made available on Héritage. There are also the M series microfilms that are available only at LAC.

Many of the microfilms contain typed or handwritten transcriptions of the original records but there are a few volumes that have images from the original books. Even though in the index I often use B, M, D as abbreviations, remember that these are parish registers and are typically Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials. Also, my apologizes to my French speaking friend for I didn't include the accents where applicable. There are also a few "strange" microfilms in the mix that don't appear, at least at first glance, to have anything to do with parish registers and those are the shipping registers.

The indexes below are not generally found at the beginning of the digitized reels of microfilm but have been created (any typos are my fault) from reviewing the description pages at the start of the various sections or from looking at the details at the bottom of most of the pages.

Description of M.G. 9, B 8, volume 23 from microfilm C-3026 on Héritage.

C-1346

• MG 14 B 11-1 (1b) - Nova Scotia Town Records Annapolis Town Meetings 1790-1853
• MG 14 B 11-1 (1a) - Nova Scotia Town Records Annapolis Grand Jury 1786-1800
• MG 14 B 11-1 (18a, b) - Nova Scotia Town Records Windsor Town Meetings 1799-1845
• MG 14 B 11-1 (17) - Nova Scotia Town Records Wilmot 1749-1894 BMD, Ear Marks, General Sessions

C-1449

• MG 9 C2-10 (2) - Registre de la paroisse Ste-Anne de Restigouche, 1759-95
• MG 10 B 11-2-1 Vol 1 - Nova Scotia Church Records - Acadia - Divers Registres, 1755-1799

H-1806

• MG 9 A 11-18, File 4 - Shediac Cape, New Brunswick: St. Martin's-in-the-Woods (Anglican) Church, Dundas and Wellington Parish Register 1868-1874
• MG 9 B 8-15 - Milton, Nova Scotia: The Milton Baptist Church of Queens County, 1821-1870
• MG 9 B 9-22 - Douglas Township, Nova Scotia, 1799-1880
• MG 9 B 9-24 - Horton Township, Nova Scotia: Douglas E. Eagles Collection, Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths 1751-1895; The Churches and Cemeteries of Horton Township (1974)
• MG 17 D 1 - Moravian Brethren: Labrador Missions (selections only), Church Books of Marriage Registrations, 1904-1933
• MG 23 D 1 - Chipman, Ward, senior and junior (selections only)
• Volume 72 - Notebook 5
• Register of the Parish of Woodstock, BMD 1791-1816
• Register of the Parish of Northampton, BMD 1792-1815
• Register of the Parish of Queensborough, BMD 1792-1814
• Register of the Parish of Prince William, BMD 1792-1815
• Roll of Communicants in Dibblee's Mission: Woodstock, 1803-1820; Northampton, 1803-1819; Prince William, 1803-1820
• Old Tombstone Recordings, Annapolis, NS, D 1720, 1740; Digby, NS, 1810-1849, Kingston, NB, D 1793-1873, St. Stephen, NB, (Old Christ Church Burial Ground) D 1816-1824, St John, NB (Old Fernhill Cemetery), D 1787, 1812; Woodstock, NB, D 1838, 1853
• Volume 73 - Notebook 10
• Trinity Church, Kingston, NB - Memorials in the Church and Epitaphs in the Churchyard
• Volume 74 - Notebook 24
• Registre de la mission de Ste-Anne-d'Ekoupaheg, en la Riviere St-Jean, comte d'York (mission catholique) BMD 1767-1768
• Volume 75 - Notebook 41: L. Allison's Graveyard Book, ca. 1890-1895, of New Brunswick Cemeteries, mainly in Kings County
• Sussex Burial Ground
• [Tisdale, Lyon]
• William Watson
• Charles Anderson's Burial Ground
• J.R.S.
• [From Alexander Currie]
• Fredericton
• Lower Penobsquis Burial Ground
• Lower Sussex Cemetery, Presbyterian Church
• Roman Catholic Cemetery. Ward's Creek
• Salisbury
• New Cemetery, Salisbury
• Milliken
• Hampton
• Smith's Creek (John King)
• Old Triangular Burial Ground [Coates, Kent Co]
• By Smith's Creek Meetings House
• James W. Nowlan's Burial Ground
• Lester Burial Ground
• Apohaqui Episcopal Cemetery
• St. John Rual Cemetery
• Volume 78 - Notebook 78
• Register of the Rev. John Beardsley, S.P.G. missionary at Maugerville, Burton, etc., NB : B 1787-1803, M 1787-1803, D 1788-1801
• Register of the Rev. Richard S. Clarke, First Rector at Gagetown : BM 1786-1792
• Ten receipts to John Beardsley, 1773-1776
• Statistics of the Rev. John Beardsley's Baptisms at Maugerville, 1785-1802

C-1869

• MG 9 B 8 Vol 12-1 - Nova Scotia Church Records - Registres de la paroisse St-Charles des Mines a la Grand Pre, baptisms 1707-1748
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 12-2 - Nova Scotia Church Records - Registres de la paroisse St-Charles des Mines a la Grand Pre, baptisms 1707-1748 [continued]
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 12-3 - Nova Scotia Church Records - Registres de la paroisse St-Charles des Mines a la Grand Pre, marriages 1709-1748
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 12-4 - Nova Scotia Church Records - Registres de la paroisse St-Charles des Mines a la Grand Pre, burials 1709-1748
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 24-1 - Nova Scotia Church Records - Registre de Port Royal 1708-1728, Tome 1

C-1870

• MG 9 B 8 Vol 24-1 - Nova Scotia Church Records - Registre de Port Royal 1708-1728, Tome 1 [continued]
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 24-2 - Nova Scotia Church Records - Registres des baptemes, mariages et sepultures pour la paroisse de St-Jean Baptiste a Annapolis Royal dans la Novelle Ecosse on Acadie
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 24-3 - Nova Scotia Church Records - Registres des baptemes, mariages et sepultures pour la paroisse de St-Jean Baptiste a Annapolis Royal dans la Novelle Ecosse on Acadie

C-2103

• MG 12 A 1 Vol 413 - Shipping Register - Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia [continued]
• MG 12 A 1 Vol 449 - Shipping Register - Baddeck, Nova Scotia

C-2573

• Registres de l'Etat civil de Louisbourg, 1754-1756
• Registres de l'Etat civil de Louisbourg, 1756-1758
• Ile Royale - Hopital de Louisbourg 1756-1757
• Etat Civil - Canada - Ile Royale - Laurent le Bec, La Baleine, Port au Basque, Havre St Esprit, 1715-1756
• Canada - Ile Royale - Havre St Esprit 1728-1737 - Lorembec
• Lorembec - Port au Basque 1740

C-3021

• FM 9 B 8 Vol 1 - Acadie et Gaspesie, 1679-1686, 1751-1757. Registres de l'etat-civil. Catholique
• Cote de st. Ange 1680
• Beaubassin 1679-1686
• A la Riviere St. Jean, Jemsek 1681
• A la Riviere des Mines 1684
• Aux Mines 1686
• Peticoudiac er Chipody 1755-1756
• Missions de Nouveau-Brunswick 1755-1757
• Pabos 1751-1757
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 2 - Annapolis, 1835-1854, Methodist register of baptisms and marriages
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 3 - Annapolis, St. Luke's Anglican, 1782-1817, B 1782-1817, M 1782-1794, 1807-1817, D 1808-1817
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 3 - Annapolis, register of marriages at Clements, Granville and Dalhousie, 1806, 1813, 1817-1834
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 3 - Annapolis, parish of Annapolis, register of baptisms, 1833-1888
• MG 9 B 9 Vol 4 - Aylesford, Nova Scotia, St. Mary's, Anglican, register of baptisms, 1817-1861
• MG 9 B 9 Vol 6 - Chester, Nova Scotia, St. Stephen's Anglican, register of baptisms, 1762-1841
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 7 - Register of Clements, Annapolis County, 1841-1911, Anglican,  1841-1873, M 1841-1911
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 8 - Cornwallis, Baptist Church, register of marriages, 1801-1821
• MG 9 B 9 Vol 9 - Cornwallis, Methodist Church, register of baptisms, 1814-1827
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 10 - Cornwallis, St. John's Anglican, parish register, 1783-1920, B 1783-1902, M 1783-1911, D 1830-1920
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 13-2 - Register of the parish of Granville, Anglican, 1790-1879, B 1790-1801, M 1790-1801, 1814-1879
• MG 9 B 9 Vol 13-3 - Register of the parish of Granville, Anglican, 1790-1918, B 1790-1801, 1829-1918, M 1790-1801, 1814-1882, D 1828-1918

C-3022

• MG 9 B 9 Vol 13-3 - Register of the parish of Granville, Anglican, 1790-1918, B 1790-1801, 1829-1918, M 1790-1801, 1814-1882, D 1828-1918 [continued]
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 14 - Horton, St. John's, Anglican, register of baptisms, 1823-1876
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 16 - Liverpool, Methodist Church, register of baptisms, 1796-1889 and marriages, 1816-1886
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 17 - Liverpool, Trinity Church, Anglican, 1819-1869, B 1819-1869, M 1820-1869, D 1821-1869
• MG 9 B 9 Vol 18 - Londonderry, St. Paul's, Anglican, 1873-1889, BM 1873-1889, D 1874-1889
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 19 - Lunenburg, Baptist Church, register of baptisms and births, 1802-1872, marriages, 1819-1856, burials, 1817-1858
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 20 - Lunenburg, Methodist Church, register of baptisms, 1815-1837 and marriages, 1815-1836
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 21 - Lunenburg, Dutch Reformed (Presbyterian), B 1770-1819, 1837-1870, M 1770-1818, 1837-1855, D 1771-1818, 1837-1854
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 22 - Lunenburg, St. John's, Anglican, register of baptisms, marriages and burials, 1752-1869

C-3026

• MG 9 B 8 Vol 23 - Mahone Bay, St. James, Anglican, register of baptisms, marriages and burials, 1844-1870
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 25 - Rawdon, St. Paul's, Anglican, The register contacts entries cfor the Parish of St. James, Newport and Douglas, B 1793, 1809, 1815-1880, M 1814-1889, D 1815-1920
• FM 9 B 8 Vol 26 - Baie-Ste-Marie, Nouvelle-Ecosse, registre des baptemes, des mariages, et des sepultures de la paroisse Ste-Marie, catholique, 1799-1801
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 27-2 - Shelburne, Christ Church, Anglican, register of baptisms, marriages and burials, 1783-1869
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 28 - Sydney, Cape-Breton, St. George's, Anglican, Register of baptisms, marriages and burials, 1785-1813
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 29-1 - Wilmot, register of the parishes of Wilmot, Aylesford and Bridgetown, Anglican, B 1789-1832, M 1790-1832, D 1790-1900
• MG 9 B 8 Vol 29-2 - Wilmot, register of the parishes of Wilmot, Aylesford and Bridgetown, Anglican, 1789-1909
• MG 9 B 9-1 Vol 3 - Annapolis, town register of births, marriages and deaths, 1747, 1774-1874, 1884
• MG 9 B 9-1 Vol 4 - Annapolis, town register of births, marriages and deaths, 1747, 1774-1874, 1884
• MG 9 B 9-1 - Nova Scotia Local Records, Annapolis, Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1747, 1774-1874, 1884

C-3027

• MG 9 B 9-3 - Chester, 1762-1830, records kept by the town consisting of the "Publishments" of births, marriages and deaths
• MG 9 B 9-4 Vol 2 - Cornwallis, record of births, marriages and deaths, 1720-1885
• MG 9 B 9-5 Vol 2 - Falmouth, town record of births, marriages and deaths, 1747-1825
• MG 9 B 9-6 Vol 1 - Granville, town register of births, marriages, deaths and ear marks, 1720-1881
• MG 9 B 9-6 Vol 2 - Granville, town register of births, marriages and deaths, 1720-1881
• MG 9 B 9-7 - Horton, town register of births, marriages and deaths, 1751-1895
• MG 9 B 9-11 Part 1 - Newport, township register of births, marriages and deaths, 1752-1858
• MG 9 B 9-12 - Onslow, town register of births, marriages and deaths, 1761-1896
• MG 9 B 9-15 - Truro, town register of births, marriages and deaths, 1761-1851
• FM 9 C 8-1 - Prince Edward Island, Rustico, Saint Augustin de, catholique, Registres des baptemes, mariages et sepultures, 1812-1824

C-3028

• FM 9 C 8-1 - Prince Edward Island, Rustico, Saint Augustin de, catholique, Registres des baptemes, mariages et sepultures, 1812-1824 [continued]
• MG 9 C 8-5 - Prince Edward Island, Belfast, St. John's, Presbyterian Church, Register of baptisms, 1823-1849. The register also contains some baptismal records of Cape Breton and Nova Scotia
• MG 9 D 7-3 Vol 1 - Ontario, Cornwall, Trinity Church, Anglican, Register of baptisms, 1803-1846
• MG 9 D 7-3 Vol 2 - Ontario, Cornwall, Trinity Church, Anglican, Register of marriages, 1803-1845
• MG 9 D 7-3 Vol 3 - Ontario, Cornwall, Trinity Church, Anglican, Register of burials, 1813-1846
• MG 9 D 7-4 - Ontario, Dundas, certificates of marriages performed by license by the Rev. Andrew Bell at Dundas, Ancester and West Flamboro 1848-1852 and at L'Orignal, 1854-1856
• MG 9 D 7-5 - Ontario, Fort Hope, District of Patricia, register of the Anglican Church, baptisms and burials, 1895-1899, marriages 1895-1896
• MG 9 D 7-7 - Ontario, Glengarry, St. Raphael's, Roman Catholic, register of baptisms, marriages and burials, 1805-1831

C-3111

• MG 1 Series 22 Vol 406 part 1 - Archives des Colonies, Serie G 1 - Etat civil, Louisbourg, Ile Royale, naissances 1722-1728, Mariages 1722-1728, Deces 1722-1728
• MG 1 Series 22 Vol 406 part 2 - Archives des Colonies, Serie G 1 - Etat civil, Louisbourg, Louisbourg 1728-1738
• MG 1 Series 22 Vol 406 part 3 - Archives des Colonies, Serie G 1 - Etat civil, Louisbourg, Louisbourg 1728-1738 [continued]
• MG 1 Series 22 Vol 407 part 1 - Archives des Colonies, Serie G 1 - Etat civil, Louisbourg, Ile Royale, Louisbourg 1738-1742
• MG 1 Series 22 Vol 407 part 2 - Archives des Colonies, Serie G 1 - Etat civil, Louisbourg, Louisbourg 1742-1745

C-3112

• MG 1 Series 22 Vol 407 part 2 - Archives des Colonies, Serie G 1 - Etat civil, Louisbourg, Louisbourg 1742-1745 [continued]
• MG 1 Series 22 Vol 408 part 1 - Archives des Colonies, Serie G 1 - Etat civil, Louisbourg, Ile Royale, Louisbourg 1746-1752
• MG 1 Series 22 Vol 408 part 2 - Archives des Colonies, Serie G 1 - Etat civil, Louisbourg, Isle Royale, Louisbourg 1752-1754

C-3175

• RG 12 A 1 Vol 6 - Shipping Registers - Guysboro, Nova Scotia
• RG 12 A 1 Vol 7 - Shipping Registers - Guysboro, Nova Scotia
• RG 12 A 1 Vol 8A - Shipping Registers - Guysboro, Nova Scotia
• RG 12 A 1 Vol 8 - Shipping Registers - Guysboro, Nova Scotia
• RG 12 A 1 Vol 100 - Shipping Registers - Yartmouth, Nova Scotia
• RG 12 A 1 Vol 101 - Shipping Registers - Yartmouth, Nova Scotia

I hope that you find these table of contents/descriptions of some use in your genealogy and family history research.

Finding Loyalists Claims Online

Back in 2014 I wrote a post about Online Resources for Your Loyalist Research Project and in several of my other posts I've touched upon using land records to help you in your genealogy research.

Recently I came across this query in the United Empire Loyalists Association  (UELAC) Facebook  group and decided to see what I could find using just online resources since, with COVID-19 restrictions, brick and mortar archives and libraries are pretty much off limits. I'm also going to look at other sources of information to see what also can be uncovered.

My Orange County, New York ancestor John Darrington settled in May 1783 in King's County, New Brunswick. Does anyone know where I would find details of his 1787 claim to the British Government for his losses as a loyalist? There is a very helpful paragraph in Dubreau's New Brunswick Loyalists - a Bicentennial Tribute (1983), but Dubreau didn't cite any sources beyond a bibliography. I've purchased a copy of the most likely item in that bibliography but it came up short. Any recommendations appreciated.

I took a look at Sharon M. Dubeau's book "New Brunswick Loyalists - a bicentennial tribute" published in 1983 by Generation Press to make sure no key details were missing from the query. The paragraph on John Darington does include the statement that he settled along the Kennebecasis River in Kings County along with the death of his wife, Joanna, in Portland (Saint John) in 1840 at the age of 95 years. What is interesting to me is that the New Brunswick Genealogical Society's "First Families" sources Dubeau's book for their entry but spells the name "Darlington".

For the various claims made by Loyalists we have to look at the Audit Office AO 12: American Loyalist Claims, Series I and AO 13: American Loyalist Claims, Series II to see if we can locate the documents. These are held by The National Archives in England but fortunately Library and Archives Canada have a microfilm copy of the files. Even better, LAC has had the microfilms digitized as part of the Héritage Project. The challenge for us is that AO 12 and AO 13 on the Héritage Project site aren't really indexed for searching. We can manually review the various pages in the microfilms but there is an easier way.

On Ancestry there is the "UK, American Loyalist Claims, 1776-1835" collection which has name indexed both AO 12 and AO 13.

A search of that collection returns three possible records:

Screen capture of Ancestry search results from the UK, American Loyalist Claims, 1776-1835 collection for John Darrington.

Yes, there is a name difference but that is often not unexpected.

There is also another challenge we face with the collection on Ancestry. When I viewed the first record the source citation stated:

The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; American Loyalist Claims, Series I; Class: AO 13; Piece: 025

However, on the side of the image it states A.O.12 /25

Screen capture from Ancestry image from UK, American Loyalist Claims, 1776-1835 collection for John Derington, Account of Losses.

I've actually verified that it is from AO 12/25 by checking the same entry from the Héritage Project. Please bear with me since, as I mentioned, the microfilms that have been digitized by the Héritage Project are indexed by name and I'm going to use their images..

First I had to find volume 25 in AO 12. After a bit of jumping around in the images I found that it started on image 404 on microfilm C-12904. The index started on the next image and that is where I found John Derington listed.

Extract of index from AO 12/25 on Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-12904, image 405.

The first number is the page for the Memorial with the next number being the page for the evidence.

Here is his claim for £209 and 12 shillings.

Claim of John Derington, p 389, AO 12/25 Claims, American Loyalists - Series I, Evidence, New York, 1786-1787; citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-12904, image 757.

The next page was the sworn statement by John Derington stating his service to the crown.

Evidence for John Derington claim, p 389, AO 12/25 Claims, American Loyalists - Series I, Evidence, New York, 1786-1787; citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-12904, image 758.

Here we learn that according to John, he joined the British soon after Fort Washington was taken. That event took place November 16, 1776 at what is now Manhattan, New York City. So we know approximately when he joined the forces on the side of King George III. He served in the 55th Regiment of Foot as a Private.

There is also the Minutes that Ancestry returned when we searched for John Darrington in the collection. Again, Ancestry's source citation references to AO 13/98 but, like the Account of Losses and Evidence, it is actually found in AO 12/98.

Minutes pertaining to John Derington Memorial, p 302, AO 12/98 Claims, American Loyalists - Series I, Various, Minute Book, Halifax and Nova Scotia, 1785-1888; citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-12904, image 2020.

One thing to note about the images I've shown above and those on Ancestry. These images from Library and Archives Canada appear to be transcriptions from earlier records. Below is the image from Ancestry for the minutes from AO 12/98 for John Derington that is taken fro mthe collection at The National Archives in the United Kingdom.

Audit Office., AO12: American Loyalists Claims, Series I, Piece 098: Minute Book, Halifax and Nova Scotia, 1785-1788, p 302, minutes pertaining to John Derington.

However, where else can we look? How about the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick? If we search using the Federated Database Search we will probably either want to search for all of the variations of the Darrington name we can think of, or we can with the Soundex Utility link on the Federated Database Search page to do some of the work for us. There the Soundex search finds 39 possible name variations based on the Soundex algorithm. Most don't apply to this name but there are some interesting possibilities.

In Daniel F Johnson's New Brunswick Newspaper Vital Statistics we find the entry for the death announcement of Johanna Darington, the wife of John, from the January 29, 1840 edition of The New Brunswick Royal Gazette:

d. Thursday morn., Short Ferry, Portland (St. John) age 95, Johanna DARINGTON relict of John DARINGTON, Hampton (Kings Co.), one of the British Loyalists. 

For the surname Darrington there several records concerning land that are of possible interest:
Index to New Brunswick Land Grants, 1784 - 1997 (RS686)

Name	DARRINGTON, John
Volume	NS-1
Page	9
Grant number	3
Place	Kingston Township
County	Sunbury
Date	1784-12-27
Accompanying plan	Yes
Acres	200
Microfilm	F16300
Comment	Re-registered NS Grant of 1784/07/15: Plan 150 Rs. *2/39

[This grant had 26 other names associated with it.]

Index to Land Petitions: Original Series, 1783-1918 (RS108)

Name	DARRINGTON, JOHN
Year	1796
County	Kings
Microfilm	F1039

[This petition has 4 hours names associated with it.]

Index to Land Petitions: Original Series, 1783-1918 (RS108)

Name	DARRINGTON, JOHN
Year	1798
County	Kings
Microfilm	F1040
See petition of	DICKIE, HECTOR

[This petition has 9 other names in addition to John Darrington.]

The first record from RS686 is interesting since that is a re-register of a Nova Scotia grant. Just to refresh your memory, until August 16, 1784, New Brunswick was known as Sunbury County, Nova Scotia. We are fortunate that the Nova Scotia Archives has digitized the early land papers in their collection Nova Scotia Land Papers 1765-1800. Even better, the collection is name searchable!

There I found the image of the grant along with the surveyor's report and certificate, all available for download for free. This was a grant for a total of 4509 acres on the River Kennebeccasis in the Township of Kingston. County of Sunbury (now Kings County, New Brunswick) for 27 people.

John Darrington (Gaynor, James and others  —  year: 1784  —  place: New Brunswick); Record Group 20, Series A, Land Petitions and other material; digital images, Nova Scotia Archives, "Nova Scotia Land Papers 1765-1800," Nova Scotia Archives (archives.novascotia.ca : accessed 31 Mar 2020).

What about those land petitions in RS108. I logged in to FamilySearch and looked at the catalogue for "Canada, New Brunswick" and came across an open set of digitized microfilms in the "Land petitions, 1783-1857" collection. Within the digitized microfilm "1793 Lee, Samuel - 1796 Knox, John" on DGS 8191398 (FHL 1288461) starting at image 738 I found  the land petition from the New Brunswick microfilm F1039.

Darrington, John et al, 1796; RS108, Land Petitions; Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, Fredericton; FHL microfilm 1,288,461, image 739.

The next page has an important note on it concerning John Darrington where it states "...In the survey made by Jno. Wetmore 25th Sept 1798 only John Darrington is included"

Darrington, John et al, 1796; RS108, Land Petitions; Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, Fredericton; FHL microfilm 1,288,461, image 740.

What about the second land petition from RS108? That can be found a few microfilms further down in the one titled "1796 Leonard, George Jr. - 1798 Raymond, Samuel". In this case you don't look for John Darrington but for Hector Dickie. There, starting at image 647, we find the file folder for that that petition. If you read it very carefully you will see that it is signed (yes, a real signature!) by John Darrington junior. So this is possibly the son of the John Darrington from New York that served in the 55th Regiment of Foot.

Yet another source of possible information concerning land, and even wills, are the Deed Registry Books for New Brunswick. In this case we want to check the New Brunswick, Kings County, deed registry books, 1785-1920; index, 1785-1992 also on FamilySearch.

"New Brunswick, County Deed Registry Books, 1780-1930," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6S6X-WX?cc=1392378&wc=M69X-RM9%3A13841801%2C16555201%2C22610502 : 21 May 2014), Kings > Index book, grantor-grantee > 1785-1880, A-L > image 314 of 781; County Office of Service, New Brunswick, Canada.

Here we see there are several instances where John is recorded as the grantor. The one that grabbed my attention was the will for John Darrington Senior found in book G-1 starting at page 238 that was written on February 21, 1798. There a copy of his will has been recorded in the deed registry book since the will involved real estate. In the will John Sr. mentions his wife Johanna and his son John, most probably the John Jr. that signed that second land petition in RS108.


There is also Lorenzo Sabine's work "Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of the American Revolution, with an Historical Essay", published in 1864, where he records in volume I on page 359:

DARINGTON, JOHN.  He emigrated to New Brunswick at the peace, and died there. Joanna, his widow, died in Portland, in that Province, in 1840, at the age of ninety-five.

Finally, if we look at the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada web site in the Loyalist Directory we find an entry for John Darrington that referenced NYGBS; V36 N1 Jan 1905. That translates to the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society Record, volume 36, number 1, January 1905. You can find a copy on the Internet Archive and on page 27 you will find the one line entry about him.

There are many other resources that can be examined but I think we have answered the query in full and then some.

I hope that this helps in your own research into the Loyalists that settled in what later became New Brunswick, Canada.

Transcriptions and Their Sources...An Adventure

One the many challenges often faced by genealogy and family history researchers is finding the original source of those transcriptions we often use in our family trees. Over the past week that has been a consuming task for me as I prepare to work on updating and creating source citations for the entry of my 4th great-grandfather Joseph Starr (1757-1840), son of Samuel Starr and Abigail Leffingwell, on Wikitree.

Starr's Point Cemetery ( Kings County, Nova Scotia), Joseph Starr (died 8 Jul 1840) marker; personally photographed and read by Ken McKinlay, 17 Sep 2009.

Up until very recently one of the resources I turned to for early records in the area of Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada that my Chipman and Starr branches originally settled in in the 1760s has been the "Township Books, Kings County: Aylesford, Cornwallis, Horton" compiled by Lorna Woodman Evans in 1996¹. It is still an important reference book for me since it lets me quickly locate information on the families I'm researching in that area.

On page 120 in the compilation by Lorna Woodman Evans she recorded:

"Joseph Starr died at Cornwallis in 8th inst. aged 84,
one of the oldest inhabitants of that port of N.S.
- Haligonian of 18 Aug. 1840."

This would mean he died on 8 Aug 1840 but his marker says he died on 8 Jul 1840. An ugly conflict that needs to be resolved.

With the digitization project by FamilySearch of the microfilms in their possession I've been able to find copies of the Horton Township book, 1751-1895 and the Cornwallis Township and church records, 1720-1920 on FamilySearch.org.

This is where my latest research adventure really starts.

When I reviewed² the digitized copy of the Horton Township book found on FamilySearch I couldn't locate that entry for Joseph Starr. Of course, what made it more of a challenge is the Township book isn't exactly in alphabetical order by family name. The older part of the book is mostly sorted by family name but later sections are a mishmash with family groups interspersed with pages listing deaths for a specific year. After much reading I was able to locate all the other Starr entries in Horton Township except for one...Joseph's. So I went back to the beginning, the beginning of the compilation that is, and read the explanatory notes by Lorna. There she wrote:

"The Horton Township records are preserved in copies of at least four slightly different books. Three copies are found in the K.H.S. Family History Library: one is a photocopy of an original book kept by the Horton Dyke Commissioner, another is a microfilmed copy of a handwritten book with added margin notes and the third is a microfilmed copy of a very neatly handwritten record with entries as late as 1895. In addition to these three copies Douglas Eagles mentions a transcript of the Horton Town Register held at the Public Archives of Canada³ in Ottawa."

"We want to thank Douglas Eagles for allowing the use of his Horton Township Records which he published in 1974. Nearly all of the Horton information recorded here came from his work, with the exception of a few details found in the third copy of the township book previously mentioned."

Based on the handwriting and the FamilySearch description that third copy of the township book appears to be the one that FamilySearch microfilmed and recently digitized. The beginning of the digitized microfilm states that it came from the "Public Archives of Nova Scotia, Halifax.Can." with the title recorded as "Horton Township MG-4 Vol 74." This matches the description found on the Nova Scotia Archives page for the Township book of Horton Township, Kings County.

Since I reside in Ottawa I figured I'd check if a copy of Douglas Eagles' book was available at Library and Archives Canada since it appears they heavily relied on his work. A search using LAC's Aurora system revealed that his "Horton Township records, Kings Co., Nova Scotia : register of births, marriages and deaths, 1751-1895" was available. I was doing this research from home but with the new Aurora system I could place my order without having to visit LAC. However, with it being a preservation copy it could take between 2 to 5 business days to be retrieved. To my surprise I received an e-mail the next day stating the book was waiting for me at Library and Archives Canada. A day later I popped into the Special Collections room and quietly began to check out Mr. Eagles book. This time I started at the beginning and came across this little but significant note on page iii:

"Notices of a few marriages and obituaries gleaned from the "Haligonian" and the "Nova Scotian" by Ross Graves of Upper Stewiacke, N.S., and 'bible' information on several families contributed by John Duncanson, 193 Queen St. Sarnia have been included and gratefully acknowledged."

I also came across the entry for Joseph Starr's death on page 77:

"Joseph Starr d. at Cornwallis on 8 inst aged 84 years, one of the oldest
inhabitants of that part of N.S. Haligonian of 18 Aug. 1840."

Could it be that those several days of reading and rereading the digitized microfilm was for naught? Could it be that Mr. Eagles added information not found in the Township book? It seems that way.

What about the Haligonian newspaper? Could I find a copy at Library and Archives Canada? No such luck. Maybe at Nova Scotia Archives? Well...sort of. They only have the 7 Aug 1840 edition of the Haligonian and General Advertiser. That's "annoying". A search using Worldcat reveals that both Acadia University in Wolfville and the University of Kings College in Halifax have copies. But they can only be consulted on-site and popping over to Nova Scotia, as much as I would love to, just isn't in the cards for the immediate future. So yet another to-do item goes into my genealogy research software.

However, if the notice was in one newspaper might it be found in other newspapers of the time in Nova Scotia?

On the shelves of the Genealogy Services room at Library and Archives Canada you can find a number of books with transcriptions and family histories. I found "Vital Statistics From Halifax Newspapers, 1840-1843" compiled by Jean M. Holder and assisted by Grace L. Hubley and published by the Genealogical Association of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society in 1985 in Halifax. There on page 27 I came across:

"A.R., Sat., 15 Aug. 1840
454. + 8 July at Cornwallis: Joseph STARR, 84"

From checking the list of acronyms at the start of that compilation I learned that "A.R." is the Acadian Recorder. I also know that Nova Scotia Archives in their Nova Scotia Historical Newspapers collection has placed online a digitized copy of that newspaper. Even better, they have the 15 Aug 1840 edition available. Here is the entry clipped from that edition of the Acadian Recorder.

"Died - Joseph Starr," Acadian Recorder, 15 Aug 1840, p. 3, col. 1; digital images, Nova Scotia Archives (https://archives.novascotia.ca/ : accessed 19 Oct 2019), Nova Scotia Historical Newspapers.

Hmmm, "8th ult."not "8 inst". This puts his death as occurring on 8 Jul 1840.

Now I at least have the information on the grave marker which states he died "July 8th 1840" matching up with at least one newspaper. That's a good thing. I still need to review the Haligonian at some point in the future to see if the transcriber made a mistake or the newspaper was in error when originally printed.

During this research escapade I also took the time to check Thematic Guide 1206 to Parish Registers⁴, Volume 1 found in the second floor Reference Room of LAC. I often consult that guide to see if there are parish registers held at Library and Archives Canada that might help me out in my latest quest. Unfortunately they haven't digitized this 2 inch binder so it can only be reviewed onsite. However, I did see that they have listed several entries for Horton, Kings County, Nova Scotia:

• C-3027: Civil registers BMD 1751-1895 (MG 9, B 9-7)
• C-3021: St. John's Anglican Church, Cornwallis, Annapolis Co. B 1783-1902, M 1783-1911, D 1830-1920 includes Horton, and Wilmot.
• C-3022: St. John's Anglican Church B 1823-1877
• H-1806: Eagles' Compilation of Township Registers, etc. BMD 1751-1895
• H-1806: Eagles' Cemetery Recordings for 19 Horton Township cemeteries BD 1767-1873

Could the "Eagles' Compilation of Township Registers, etc. BMD 1751-1895" be the same as the book I read in the Special Collections room?

It just so happens that the Héritage Project site holds digitized copies of a number of the C, H, and T microfilms from Library and Archives Canada. It isn't the easiest site to navigate but when it comes to being able to research from the comfort of your home I'm not going to complain too loudly. A quick check and I discover that H-1806 is in fact digitized and available on the Héritage site. After a few minutes of bouncing around the 810 pages of that digitized reel I found the start of Mr. Eagles book (explanatory notes starting on image 151). So now you too can review his material from your home.

A few lessons to take with you if you've made it this far in my post:

• If you have conflicting information then take the time and effort to resolve the conflict. You might be surprised at what you find.
• Always read the introduction pages to any transcription books. You may find clues as to where they got the information. You might even discover new facts and sources.
• If a book cites another book, make sure that you review that book also (repeat as often as necessary to get to the original source).
• Not everything is digitized and online but it is getting better over time.

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1. Evans, Lorna Woodman, compiler. Township Books, Kings County: Aylesford, Cornwallis, Horton.  Kentville, Nova Scotia: Family History Committee of The Kings Historical Society, 1996.

2. Not just once but I looked through that digitized copy for many hours over several days!

3. Now part of Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa.

4. Yes, I keep asking the Genealogy Services staff when they will have that guide available online since it is invaluable to those using the Héritage Project site.