Norman Crowder UE, K. BA, MA, MBA 1926-2009

from the Loyalist Trails newsletter:

Last Post: CROWDER, Norman K. BA, MA, MBA

CROWDER, Norman K. BA, MA, MBA, United Empire Loyalist Captain (retired) Canadian Army Ordnance Corp-Korean War Veteran Federal Government – Treasury Board
Peacefully at St. Vincent Hospital, after a lengthy illness, on Thursday, October 22, 2009, aged 83 years. Beloved husband of Ruth (nee Haberl) and dear father of Pat Hall (Des), Doug (Gail Snider), Marilyn Hingorani (Suresh) and Bob (Debbie). Loving grandfather of Rob (Cara), Suzanne (Sebastian), John (Sara), Brian, Robin, Michael, Asha, Lisa, Vinay and Gina.Great-grandfather of Emily, Danny, Logan, Owen and Reese. Predeceased by his parents Joseph and Grace Crowder of Renfrew and by brothers Arnold, Dalton, Allan and sisters Phyllis and Florence. Norman was a member of the Ontario Genealogical Society, a founding member of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa, and authored several genealogical books and publications. Friends may visit at the Pinecrest Visitation Centre, 2500 Baseline Road on Monday, October 26, 2009 from 7 to 9 p.m. Service in the Chapel on Tuesday, at 11 a.m. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations to the charity of your choice would be appreciated. Condolences can be made online at www.colefuneralservices.com
Published in the Ottawa Citizen on 10/24/2009
Member of The St. Lawrence Branch
Submitted by Lynne Cook.

Norman Crowder Memorial Book

Filed under: Genealogy, Loyalists, Obituaries, Loyalist Trails newsletter, Obit Norman Crowder UE

Tidbits Gleaned From Small-Town Newspapers

I thought maybe I’d find some family births, marriages and obits when I started searching the old newspapers, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. The Essex Free Press is a small-town weekly newspaper filled with all of the news from the county. If you want to find out who bought what farm for how much and where the previous owners were relocated to, you read the Essex Free Press. When the December exams and June report cards came out, the students’ grades were published in the paper. There was nothing that wasn’t newsworthy, so and so had a cold, stop the presses!

My family has been in Essex County for over a hundred years and some were involved in local government. I was surprised to find so many references to my ancestors and their daily lives.
I discovered that my greatgrandfather’s family moved to Alberta in the spring of 1918 because of my greatgrandfather’s health. He had suffered from gall stones for years and at that time, Alberta was the place to go for health problems. Maybe it was the mountain air, or the warm spring water in Banff, but, for whatever reason, they went there. They returned in October, with no improvement to his health. He passed away in December of 1918, when my grandmother was six years old.

Another article gave me a lot of information about my grandmother’s family, my dad didn’t have much information about them to share as he would just sit on the front porch while my grandmother visited because he didn’t understand French and their family just came to Ontario from Quebec in 1890.

My granduncle was the first casualty of the First WW in the town of Essex:

There is over a century of my family’s history here, some amusing, some embarrassing, some tragic, but all in all, I’d rather read a small-town newspaper and learn alot more about the people than a big-city paper that doesn’t have the time or space for all of the everyday events that occur in a small-town.

Filed under: Genealogy, Obituaries, Research Resources, family history, Genealogy, Small-town Newspapers

COG #77 – God’s Wrath

My mother was babysitting her seven year old younger brother, Glen, on Friday, June 14th, 1946, the day before her mother’s birthday. She was nine years old at the time and was fairly responsible for her age. Suddenly, he ran out into the street and was struck by an automobile, and was killed instantly. She felt responsible for his death, but it wasn’t her fault, it was just an unfortunate accident.

On the following Monday, the day of his funeral, June 17, 1946, there was a tornado in Windsor, Ontario, that killed 17 people and injured hundreds. She was one of the injured, a brick wall fell on her and her knee was crushed. She had to have it surgically repaired and a pin remained in her knee for the rest of her life, as a reminder of what she’d done. She told the story many times over the years how God had sent the tornado as a punishment for her not keeping a closer watch on her brother.

Here is more information about the tornado that hit Windsor and Tecumseh that day:
Archives.CBC.Ca
GenDisasters

Filed under: Carnival of Genealogy, Carnivals, Fairbairn, Family Files, Genealogy, O'Neil/Neil, Obituaries, COG #77, Disasters, God's Wrath, Windsor tornado 1946

Obituary of Lt. Col.John Butler’s wife, Catharine Bradt Butler, May 29, 1793

DEATH OF MRS. BUTLER.

“On Wednesday, the 29th of May
last, died Catharine, wife of 

John Butler, Esq., first judge of the Court of
Common Pleas in Niagara, Lieutenant
Colonel of the old Rangers and chief
agent for Indian affairs for Upper
Canada, etc., etc. Few in her station
have been more useful, none more
humble. She lived fifty-eight years
without provoking envy or resentment
and left the world as a weary traveller
leaves an inn to go to the land of his
nativity”A marble tablet to the memory
of Colonel Butler is in St. Mark s church,
Niagara-on-the Lake.

from Toronto Landmarks 1914

Filed under: Brat/Bradt, Family Files, Genealogy, Loyalists, Obituaries, Catharine Bradt, Col. John Butler family

The Last of a Generation

Last night my mother’s sister, Doris Jean Neil Rupert Noland passed away. She was born on September 20, 1929 in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. She was the oldest of eight children, four of whom reached adulthood. She lived in the Essex-Kent area all of her life. She was the mother of six children, four daughters and two sons.

Doris’ family
(one son is absent)

A recent picure of Doris and her daughter.

Filed under: Family Files, Genealogy, O'Neil/Neil, Obituaries, Neil, O'Neil