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 you are going.
I think some of you will remember that I fell backwards and forwards down the steps of the Guthrie United Church and landed on the Main Street of Clayton in October during the historical bus tour of Clayton and surroundings.
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 from the Lanark County Genealogical Society for many months and wanted to meet her in person. I finally did that day in October. 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.
As Jayne said, “We had a perfect day for the Bus Tour and it was good to rekindle your friendship (even if I was lying like roadkill while the trucks on their way to hunt drove around me). Quite an unusual meeting Jayne said- here I am in a godly place when you flew down those stairs.
Thank goodness the door of the church did not quite close, and as I turned around to close it all I saw was a black shoe to the right and a foot to the left. My heart did a little pitter and I said What the heck? Opening the door and looking out – there you were curled in a ball with only one leg, laying head face down in crushed pit stone on the Clayton Main Street”.
Genealogists do it in libraries or in trees– or they dig a lot. Writers write and write and write-and they stop for no one. In May I finally turned on my vacuum cleaner for the first time in months. I’m an honest person, and I’m going to admit that hunting down facts and writing about local history has become a physical and mental addiction and way more important than the marvels of my Dyson vacuum cleaner. Dysons are way over rated by the way, but not history.
Local resident Edna Gardner once said “If you don’t know where you come from, you don’t know who you are!” So I began to write about Carleton Place and Lanark County last February and soon I will be writing about Leeds Grenville also as I assume a regular historical column about Lanark and Leeds County in Hometown News.
So if you have nothing to do next Saturday come on down and listen to me go on and on about history and mingle with the most interesting people.
Lanark County Genealogical Society
Saturday, December 5, 2015 – Annual General Meeting with Potluck Luncheon
Location: Drummond Community Hall/Archives Lanark, 1920 Drummond Concession 7 Rd., Drummond Centre, Ontario.
(hall capacity 50 people)
Potluck Luncheon Table set up commences at 12:15 pm. In an attempt to decrease the amount of plastic and styrofoam used at our meetings, please bring your own cutlery, dinner plate and beverage cup/glass.
Luncheon Guest Speaker: Linda Seccaspina. Linda is the Author of: Tilting the Kilt – Vintage Whispers of Carleton Place; Flashbacks of Little Miss Flash Cadilac, and four other titles. She is the blog writer for the Facebook page Tales of Carleton Place. Linda will be bring copies of her publications to sell and $5.00 per book is being donated to LCGS.
Annual General Meeting and Election of the 2016 Board of Directors to follow the Guest Speaker’s presentation.
Archives Lanark Silent Auction. The Archives will host a Silent Auction during the meeting. Proceeds will assist them in furthering their funds. Make cheques payable to Archives Lanark. If auction items are to be shipped, additional costs will apply.
lindaseccaspina 