Happy 110th Anniversary to my great-grandparents Allan Vansickle and Ella May Young. They were married on October 15, 1913 in Jerseyville, Ontario.
Allan Vansickle was a 27 year old farmer at the time of his marriage. Ella May Young was 20.
The witnesses for the occasion were Allan’s sister Ethel Pearl Vansickle and Harriet Isaac. The marriage ceremony was performed by John Isaac of Jerseyville.
Two for the price of one this week. Here are a couple photos of two people I have great memories of: my Nan and her sister Olive.
Rose Margaret Power was born August 19, 1919 and Olive Mildred Power was born September 16, 1923. They were both born in East Jeddore, Nova Scotia – daughters of Earl and Alice (Baker) Power.
My Nan lived up the road from us on the Beach Strip in Hamilton. Aunt Olive lived in Stellarton, NS and would come up to Hamilton once or twice a year, so I knew her quite well.
The upper left photo was taken during her first visit to Ontario.
The above photo was shared on the Ancestry tree of a distant cousin named Marian Ormont. Recently, I’ve been in touch with a gentleman working on her family tree using DNA to try and figure out who the father of James Finch was.
This photo is of David Finch and his family. David, second from the left in the second row, was my great-great grandfather Elijah Wright Finch’s brother.
David Finch was born 1833 in Upper Canada. He married Deborah Clark in 1854. They had twelve children. The family resided in Glanford Township in Wentworth County, Seneca Township in Haldimand County, Leamington in Essex County, and later Brantford. Like many of the Finches, he was a labourer and a farmer.
David died in 1904 and is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Brantford.
Thanks Marian for sharing this wonderful photo.
A few years ago while researching my great grandmother Arabella Mitchell, I discovered that she and her first husband Isaac Gaetz Greenough had a daughter while they were living in Chelsea, Massachusetts.
According to the birth registrations for the City of Chelsea, this baby girl was born on September 29th, 1893. No first name was given to the child at the time of the birth registration. However, I eventually learned that her name was Helen. According to the book Eastern Shore Families: Genealogical Notes on Petpeswick by Kim Stevens, her middle name was Gertrude, but I can’t find any documentation confirming this.
There is a photograph of an unidentified baby in my great grandmother’s photo album. The photo was taken in Boston (across the Mystic River from Chelsea). It makes me wonder. Is this a picture of Helen Greenough?
I did know that Helen Greenough died as a child. That was pretty much all I knew, though. There is a passing reference to her in my great grandmother’s obituary but nothing in way of any details. Unfortunately, there is a thirty year gap in death registrations for the Province of Nova Scotia from 1878 to 1907. So, you often need to rely on obituaries or grave markers for information during this period. No obituary exists as far I can tell, but my late mother told me that she was “pretty sure” that she was buried at the Riverside Cemetery in Musquodoboit Harbour beside her father.
Recently, the good folks at Eastern Shore Archives sent me a photograph of Helen’s grave marker at the Riverside Cemetery. I always find it heartbreaking seeing the grave marker of a child. My mind travels back in time imagining what the circumstances were surrounding their untimely death. According to her grave marker, Helen Greenough died on May 16, 1900. The inscription reads, “Helen Greenough. Died May 16, 1900. Aged 6 years 8 months. Budded on Earth to Bloom in Heaven.”
Additonal Links:
Find A Grave Memorial for Helen Greenough
Wikitree Profile for Helen Greenough
Grave marker of Doris Elaine (Mills) Finch, White Chapel Memorial Gardens (Hamilton). Photo by Amanda Finch.
It took a little longer than expected, but the good folks at White Chapel Memorial Gardens in Hamilton finally located and installed my Mom’s grave marker. OK technically it’s my Dad’s too, but he wants to wait a bit before rejoining Mom.
My parents purchased their marker and burial plot years ago. A good idea. I think they chose well. The round piece in the top centre pulls up and becomes a vase for flowers.
Doris Elaine (Mills) Finch was born August 26, 1949 in Oyster Pond Jeddore, Nova Scotia. She died July 20, 2023 in Oakville, Ontario.
My 2nd great grandparents Colin Mitchell and Nancy Hurley were married on September 13, 1863 at Jeddore by Rev. Robert Jamieson. Above is a photo of the marriage bond filed by Colin and his father Alexander Mitchell.
Wikipedia has a good article on marriage bonds and their use. Basically, they were a means for the man to legally affirm his intention to marry a particular woman and confirm there was no legal impediment to the marriage. If the marriage didn’t go through, he and the co-signer were on the hook for the amount listed on the bond (£100 in this case).
Fun fact. Colin and Nancy were not only husband and wife; they were also first cousins – not an uncommon occurrence on the isolated Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia
The above photograph of David Greenough was published in the Halifax Evening Mail on September 30, 1922. He was my great grandmother Arabella Mitchell’s brother-in-law from her first marriage to Isaac Gaetz Greenough. David and Isaac’s parents were George Greenough and Annie Baker (so they are blood relations to me through Annie’s line).
The Greenough family are Acadian, and I believe the original surname was Grenon. Some of them ended up in the Petpeswick area along Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore.
After Arabella Mitchell and Isaac Gaetz Greenough were married, the couple moved to Chelsea, Massachusetts. David Greenough and his wife Martha Christy lived here, as well. Both David and Isaac were lathers (workers who installed the framework systems on ceilings and walls for plastering).
David and Martha had several children including an actress known as Peggy Marsh (you can read all about her here: https://www.jazzageclub.com/the-curious-tale-of-peggy-marsh/499/)
I don’t know what became of their marriage, but they appear in separate households in the 1930 United States census. She is buried in Malden, Massachusetts whereas he is buried in Musquodoboit Harbour, NS. David Greenough sadly spent the final six months of his life at the Halifax County Home and Mental Hospital and died in 1941.
Here is a picture of my Grandad Alan Mills (left) and his friend Sam Mitchell. Sam lived up the road from my Grandad in Oyster Pond, Halifax County, Nova Scotia. Not only were they lifelong friends, they were actually distant (third) cousins.
Alan Victor Morash Mills was born 11 September 1915 in Gays River, NS. He died on 20 January 1995 after a brief battle with lung cancer. Samuel William Harvey Mitchell, son of Archibald Daniel Mitchell and Emma Cox, died on 31 January 1995 – only days after attending my grandfather’s funeral.
Today is my Mom’s birthday. She would have turned 74. I love this photo of her and Nan about to share what looks to be a delicious birthday cake. Growing up, birthdays were a big deal. Mom would always make a cake for us – often from scratch. And, we got to choose which flavour we wanted! Happy Birthday, Mom. Hope you and Nan are enjoying your day.
My Mom Doris Elaine (Mills) Finch was born on August 26, 1949 in Oyster Pond, Halifax County, Nova Scotia. Her mother/my Nan Rose Margaret (Power) Mills was born on August 12, 1919 in East Jeddore, NS.
Surrounded by the love of her family, Doris passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 20, 2023 in her 74th year. Loving wife to Carl for nearly 52 years. Devoted mother to Carl (Donna), Robert (Monika), and Amanda. Beloved Nanny to Alessa. Doris will be dearly missed by her sister Beulah (Murray Philip), several nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends. She is predeceased by her parents Alan and Rose (Power) Mills, and her siblings Rose Andrews (the late Edward), Bertha Marshall, and Gladys Mills.
Doris was born and raised in Oyster Pond Jeddore, Nova Scotia. She moved to Ontario in the early 1970s and lived most of her adult life in Hamilton, residing on the Beach Strip. Doris was able to visit places she long dreamed of, including the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and the Grand Ole Opry. She even met Queen Elizabeth II. Doris enjoyed reading, puzzles, baking, watching TV, and most of all, pampering her cats.
Special thanks to the medical care staff at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital who showed determination and compassion.
Visitation at SMITH’S FUNERAL HOME, 485 Brant Street, (one block north of City Hall), BURLINGTON (905-632-3333), on Friday, July 28, 2023 from 12-1 p.m. Funeral Service will be held in the Chapel at 1 p.m. with interment to follow at White Chapel Cemetery. For those wishing to participate virtually, a livestream link will be available on the funeral home’s website. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to The Kidney Foundation, Diabetes Canada, or Canadian Sepsis Foundation would be sincerely appreciated by the family.
The above obituary – along with the Memory Wall and Photos – can be found on the Smith’s Funeral Home website: https://www.smithsfh.com/memorials/doris-finch/5237565/
It was also published in the Hamilton Spectator: https://obituaries.thespec.com/obituary/doris-elaine-finch-nee-mills-1088587061