Falling For Lanark’s Heritage — Thanks for the Memories

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Genealogists are time travelers. St. George’s Church in Clayton, Ontario.

Genealogy: In the end, it’s all relative. I am sure there were many relatives in this 100+ crowd!

A genealogist’s bad heir day is when you can’t find what you are looking for. There was no doubt these people knew what they were looking for at the Guthrie United Church in Clayton.

Family tree research is one giant step backwards and one giant step forward—usually at the same time. That’s would be trying to answer an important phone call and not watching where I was going. I fell backwards and forwards down the steps of the Guthrie United Church and landed on the Main Street of Clayton.Genealogy is sometimes about proving that bad family traits came from the other side of the tree! I am known in my family as a klutz. If there is something to fall or trip over— I am your woman.
If you shake your family tree, watch for the nuts to fall. I had been emailing Jayne Monroe Ouimet for many months and wanted to meet her in person. I did. As I stared up at the blue sky after falling, Jayne looked down at ‘the nut” lying on the pavement and said, “Hi Linda, I’m Jayne!”

I grabbed her leg to get up, and she dusted off my backside. I can proudly say we are “close friends” now.

If someone’s picture looks like they don’t belong in the family tree, well, maybe they don’t. Three buses left to view  a guided tour of the historical quaint village of Clayton and its important landmarks.

Can a first cousin once removed be returned? What about Joe Baye? Seems his wife Ellen was jilted by a former lover and said she would marry the next man who offered, and along came Joe Baye the Native Indian.

I can’t find my ancestors, so they must have been in a witness protection program! Hopefully they never ran  over the floating bridge that I wrote about in Clayton.

Can’t find enough ancestors? No problem. Let me adopt you. I’ve got more than enough to share.The Munro Line and its homesteaders. Native Burial grounds, Tatlock Marble Mine and other points of interest along the route. What a great ride!

I brake for ancestors– and I had to sit in the bus as my leg was way too sore. That’s okay, I talked to a wonderful bus driver from the Barr Bus Lines Ltd. in Pakenham, Ontario. She told me what it was like to drive the bus on Lanark County Roads in the wintertime. Brave souls!
Genealogy is like a magic mirror. Look into it, and pretty soon, interesting faces appear— or illustrations of what once was.

Genealogists do it in libraries or in trees– or they dig a lot.

If your family members won’t talk about a particular relative, a seasoned genealogist knows they are keeping mum about something very interesting. Early settlers home of the Coulter and McMunn families, and the private family cemetery, those long forgotten places,

A great party is when everyone joins in the gene pool– a catered Lunch,  and roundtable discussions

After 30 days, unclaimed ancestors will be discarded or claimed by another family. It was an opportunity to view the history of the One Room School through the publications by Archives Lanark..There are a number of publications still available for purchase Rural school books for sale

Fran Cooper is one smart woman. I had never met her, but she recognized me and thanked me for doing the stories on The Dunlops. That touched my heart.

 Family research zone. Disturb at your peril. I would never ever disturb Marilyn Snedden.

“Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” —Mark Twain. Thanks to the Lanark County Genealogical Society for one great time.

Jayne Munro-Ouimet said this:

Linda, I just can’t stop laughing… We had a perfect day for the Bus Tour. It was good to rekindle your friendship. Quite an unusual meeting- here I am in a godly place when you flew down the stairs. Thank goodens the door of the church did not quite close, as I turned around to close all I saw was a black shoe to the right and a foot to the left. My heart did a little pitter and the defib didn’t go off What the heck? opening the door and looking out – their you were curled in a ball with only one leg, laying head face down in crushed pit stone on the Clayton Main Street. Flash Cadillac, was my fav store and the life sized manikin in the store front window once scared the*sh* out of me, and darn it all she did was roar with laughter