Deathbed wills are documents that were dictated orally by a testator who was in imminent peril of death, who did not expect to make it through the night, who did not hope to see another day. There is a more technical name for them -- noncupative wills[1. See, for example, Sharon DeBartolo Carmack, Where There's … Continue reading Deathbed Wills
A reader (and distant cousin) has sent me two photographs, one of Walter Morin/Moran and the other of Walter's wife Ada Costello. Walter Lee Morin (1885-1966) was the son of John Moran and his first wife Elizabeth Malcomson. Ada Mary Costello (1888-1977) was the daughter of James Costello and of a Mary whose maiden name … Continue reading Walter Morin/Moran and Ada Costello
Because Canada really is the second home of the Scots, every Canadian province has its own official tartan, of course. When I was not yet two years old, my father went to Halifax (Canada), and brought me home a kilt in the Nova Scotia plaid, with matching socks: I still have that Teddy bear, by … Continue reading The second home of the Scots
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 notice[1. There's no bright line, no hard and fast rule for distinguishing, between a death (or mortuary) notice and an obituary. In general, a death notice was very brief, perhaps … Continue reading Obituary for Thomas and Alexander Moran
John J. Vallely (1861-1935), son of Michael Vallely and Mary Ryan, was born 21 January 1861, in Lanark Co., Ontario, Canada. He emigrated to Grand Forks, North Dakota about 1882. Anna Lillian ("Lila") Moran (1861-1915), daughter of Alexander ("Sandy") Michael Moran and Mary Ann Leavy, was born 17 May 1861, at Huntley township, Carleton Co., … Continue reading The Children of John Vallely and Anna Lillian Moran
Meant to post this on the 6 September (my Dad's birthday), but got busy and distracted.... My dad spent the last few months of his life at an assisted living facility above a brew pub. Yes, only Johnny Moran would agree to not go gentle into that good night above a damn brew pub. It … Continue reading 17 Years of Cheers, and No Green Beers
I was very interested to read Dave Allston's 80 years of history at the Carleton Tavern (Kitchissippi Times). The Moran family that he references is none other than my own: The Morans immediately converted the house back into a grocery store. Thomas Moran and his family resided upstairs, while a series of shopkeepers operated the … Continue reading Carleton Tavern history
A reader is looking for information on Thomas Dooley. Thomas Dooley was born in Ireland about 1810, possibly in Co. Kilkenny. He emigrated to Canada in the early 1830s (the 1842 census of Upper Canada records that he and his first wife had been in Canada for 10 years), where he settled on a farm … Continue reading Thomas Dooley (abt. 1810 – 1891)
