A new question asked by the 1931 Census of Canada was “Has this family a radio?” I love this question, it’s so Harold Innis. The answer, whether “Yes” or “No,” was recorded under Column 10, as one of 6 questions…
Continue reading →CS Beauty Queen Contestant As I’ve said before, newspapers are not just for obituaries. For example, perhaps your aunt was a runner-up in the 1952 Civil Service Beauty Queen Contest? You may find a notice in an Ottawa newspaper, with…
Continue reading →If ever you asked him what position he had played for the Ottawa U Gee-Gees, my father would invariably reply, with his characteristic diffidence and self-deprecating sense of humour, “What position did I play? Benchwarmer!” Well, whatever his position,…
Continue reading →Edward Francis (“Frank”) Finnerty was born at Arnprior, Renfrew Co., Ontario on 7 January 1885, the fourth of the nine known children of John Finnerty and Catherine Benton. He was baptised on 9 January 1885 (St. John Chrysostom, Arnprior), with…
Continue reading →On 26 June 1847, The Ottawa Daily Citizen published a list of “Names of persons who contributed to the relief of the suffering poor of Ireland.” This list had been supplied to the newspaper by “the Rev. Mr. O’Connell, Catholic…
Continue reading →While it may seem a glaringly obvious point, it’s a point worth keeping in mind when you discover an ancestor’s obituary. That obituary or death notice1 that you discovered for your ancestor didn’t just write itself. Somebody had to write…
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