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Born on St Patrick's Day: Happy 115th Mary

They say that its good luck to be Irish, and that the luckiest of all are those who are born on St Patrick's Day. No doubt this is what was said the day that my great grandmother was born. However, her life was not necessarily filled with the good luck that the superstition had predicted. As much as she had a hard life, her life was also an "ordinary" one of a young British immigrant to Canada. Despite that, the simple life she led in youth was filled with fun. She embrace the changing times, new found freedoms, and innovations. Its the heirlooms from that chapter of her life that fascinate me the most because they show a side to her that none of my relatives knew - a woman who was happy. So today, I am going to share the side of her - that one that the heirlooms tells. I have a small black autograph book that was hers.  At almost 100 years old, the book binding has all but disintegrated yet the leather cover is in near pristine condition and the partially bound pages are...
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6 Tips to get the Most out of City Directories

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When I first learned that many city's had made their old directories available online, I thought they were only useful if you knew your ancestor's exact address. Over time I have learned that they have far more uses than just that. I personally use Internet Archive when working with directories because it has a vast range of cities and years.  1. Family movement This is by far the most obvious use for a directory. Just as their name implies, they tell us where people lived which means we can use them to chart our ancestor's movement. What I find most fascinating is when these addresses are plotted on both a timeline and a map. Together this dual plotting approach gives us an idea of how frequently they moved and how major each move was. It also can tell us if they ever returned to an address.  I have taken the mapping a step further and added the people in an ancestor's FAN club. This can give a better idea of where and when an ancestor may have met that person. The cl...
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