Links Family History Blog

Who Remembers Fairview Farm? On discovering that one of my Hutchinson relatives was married at her father's (Cuthbert Hutchinson, 1864-1951) farm in Grey Township, Huron County, Ontario, and that the farm had been known to some as "Fairview Farm," I was intrigued.  I put out the call to elder family members and asked what they might know about the Cuthbert Hutchinson farm (located at Lot 18, Concession 5), or if they had any knowledge of a location called Fairview Farm.  My cousin Steve - a lifelong resident of Ontario, with close family connections to Hutchinson uncles, aunts and cousins in Grey Township - had these fond childhood memories to share. Memories Of The Cuthbert Hutchinson Farm What follows is a summary of my cousin Steve's thoughts and memories, communicated to me on 19 February 2024, when I asked him if he knew of a Fairview Farm in Grey Township, or anything about the wedding of  Grace Jane Hutchinson (1890-1968) -  our great-granduncle Cuthbert Hutch...

My Personal Approach To Getting Organized. In the inaugural post for this DIY Genealogy Series  I gave an overview of the tools and methods (my do-it-yourself "system") that I use for my research, resources, and family treasures. W hen starting my family history journey years ago, o ne of the biggest questions I had was: How on earth do I keep track of all my "stuff"? In this post,  I share my personal approach to getting and staying organized by using logs. Letting Logs Do the Work. Do any of these situations sound familiar? You "just know" that six months ago you saw the perfect website listing your 7th great-grandfather's affiliation with a military regiment, but couldn't find it again.  You triumphantly open the mail for the birth certificate proving your great-grandmother was born in Leicestershire and not Staffordshire, England, but on filing it discover you already had a forgotten copy, acquired 10 years ago. You remember buying that book on...

The Mystery of E. Dorsett. On 8 June 1892, a Mrs. E. Dorsett, between 60 and 70 years of age, drowned in Manitoba's Assiniboine River. She was buried at Methven Cemetery in the Sutton family plot, under the name Eliza Sutton. Curiously, she wasn't listed in any censuses as being part of the Sutton household and all of the known "Eliza Suttons" were already accounted for. So, who was E. Dorsett? It was a family mystery that I simply had to investigate. Marriage Witness in London, England In the 1867 parish register recording the marriage of my Elder family ancestors (refer to blog page, " The British Side "), 3rd great-grandparents Eliza Emma Essex (for more information see my earlier post on this ancestor in the Family Line Founder series ) and Henry Charles Sutton, two people signed as witnesses ( see Figure 1 below ): John Essex (probably the bride's half-brother); and  an unknown individual, E. Dorsett.  This is the earliest known incidence of the my...