Exploring Our Ancestry – Genealogy Internet Resources

CanadaGenWeb

GenWeb projects now exist for dozens of countries worldwide. The purpose of each GenWeb Project is to create a global library for genealogy research on the Internet. The CanadaGenWeb Project was established in 1996. The goal was the collection and distribution of genealogical data available online. Researchers in Canada are very fortunate because there is an enormous amount of Canadian information available on the Internet. The role of the Canada GenWeb Project is to assist researchers in locating this information, as well as to add to the existing online data. CanadaGenWeb is organized into regional GenWeb’s. The national site is the gateway linking to each Canadian province and territory GenWeb.

Family Search

FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use these records, resources and services to learn more about their family history. To help, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through more than 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

FamilySearch has 6.875 billion historic records on microfilm that are being digitized and eventually indexed. These records contain an estimated 20.6 billion names. FamilySearch has over 200 digital record preservation camera teams in 45 countries who produce more than 100 million new digital images for free online publication each year. The FamilySearch Indexing program is available in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish with more language interfaces and international projects coming.

McConnell Ancestry - The Story of Harold William McConnell (1900-1988) and Marjorie Uldean Latta (1905-1988)

Harold McConnell and Marjorie Latta, c1922

The McConnell family emigrated from Ireland to Canada in 1826 (refer to the previous post about the McConnell Ancestry – Ireland to Canada). Harold William McConnell, a farmer, was born on July 30, 1900 in Percy Township, Northumberland, Ontario. He was the youngest of ten children born to William McConnell (1846-1930), when he was 54, and Mary Ann Bloomer (1856-1932), when she was 43.

Harold William McConnell, c1907

The Latta family emigrated from Ireland to Canada about 1850 (refer to the previous post about the Latta Ancestry – Ireland to Canada). Marjorie Uldean Latta was born in Toronto, Ontario on April 28, 1905. She was the second child of Walter James Latta, a cheesemaker (chaumber), who was born on August 12, 1873 and died on April 3, 1932, aged 58 in Healy Falls, Northumberland, Ontario. Walter was married to Sadie Elizabeth Coulson, who was born in 1881 in Hastings and died in 1941, aged 59. Walter and Sadie had two children. Their first child, James Cyril Latta, was born in 1901 in Northumberland.

 

Marjorie Uldean Latta, c1917

Marjorie Uldean Latta and Harold William McConnell were married on January 9, 1924 in Campbellford, Ontario. According to the Ontario Marriage Certificate (see the image below), Marjorie’s older brother, Cyril, signed as a witness. Harold was 23 and Marjorie was 18. Their marriage lasted 64 years, during which time they had nine children, six girls and three boys.

 

McConnell-Latta Marriage Certificate 1924

Harold William McConnell lived a long life and died on April 21,1988 at the age of 87. Marjorie Uldean Latta died in November 1988 aged 83.

 

Marjorie (Latta) and Harold McConnell, 1963

About Ralph Douglas Apted (1919-2016) and Catherine Boyd Duff (1923-1987)

Ralph Douglas Apted and Catherine Boyd Duff, c1944

Ralph Douglas Apted was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on March 30, 1919 and lived there his entire lifetime. He was the son of George William Apted and Edith Mary Walker. George was born in 1884 in Brighton, Sussex, England and emigrated to Canada in 1906. Edith was born in April 1885 in Ayrshire, Scotland and emigrated to Canada in 1906 (see Apted Ancestry – England and Scotland to Canada).

George and Edith were married on February 17, 1909 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As their family tree shows, they had three sons – Ronald Austin, Ralph Douglas and Ross. The 1940 List of Electors states that George Apted (stationary engineer) was still living there with his wife, his son Ronald (a Hydro layman) and his son Ralph (a mechanic).

George William Apted and Edith Mary Walker - Family Tree

Ralph Douglas Apted married Catherine Boyd Duff who was born on June 21, 1923 at Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland (see Duff Ancestry – Scotland to Canada). Ralph and Catherine (Kay) had two sons. 

Catharine was the daughter of Peter Duff, a miner, (1901-) and Margaret Davies (1901-), both of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Catherine had three brothers Alexander, Peter and the youngest, John (Jack). The Canadian Passenger List and Canadian Immigration Form dated April 25, 1928 states that Catherine Duff, who was 5 years old, arrived on the ship Antonia departing from Greenock, Scotland and arriving at Quebec, Canada. Accompanied by her mother Margaret (age 27) and brother Alexander (age 4), they were to meet her father, who was already settled in Toronto.

The 1957 Canada Elections Act Voters List states that Ralph Apted (manager) and his wife Catherine lived in the City of Toronto along with Catherine’s brother John Duff and his wife June. The 1972 and 1974 Voters Lists state that Ralph and Catherine had moved but still lived in Toronto. 

Ralph and Catherine 1968

In his spare time, Ralph enjoyed playing the piano. For his 90^th birthday, his family gave him a special gift. They provided him with the time at a local studio to showcase his talent by recording a music CD of his favourite piano songs. Kay is remembered for her cheerful attitude at home and while working in the food services department at a major grocery store in Toronto. She died almost instantly (from an irregular heart beat) at the age of 64 years on December 20, 1987 in Toronto. She was cremated.

On November 20, 2016, Ralph Douglas Apted passed away at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, Ontario at the age of 97. His obituary notes that his passing was announced "with heavy hearts" and that "he will be sadly missed by all family members and many friends." His cremation was followed by a celebration of life!

About Margaret Cecilia Mumford (1922-1998)

Margaret Cecilia (Mumford) Smith 1969

Margaret Cecilia Mumford was born on November 4, 1922 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her christening was on December 27, 1922 and her confirmation was on May 27, 1934 at St. Mary’s Cathedral. She was one of five children of Ernest H. Mumford (1886-1957) and Margaret Cecilia Naylor (1886-1965) who were married in Halifax on March 2, 1908. Ernest and Margaret were both 21 years old when they wed. Their marriage lasted 49 years, during which time they had five children (Margaret “Peggy” Louise, Ernest Patrick, Bernard Joseph, George and the youngest child, Margaret Cecilia).

Margaret married Russell Cannon Smith (1920-1995) during a major snowstorm on December 28, 1944 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They needed special dispensation to marry because she was marrying a soldier during war time. Russell was 24 and Margaret was 22. Their marriage lasted 50 years. They had five children: one boy (the oldest child) and four girls (one died when she was only nine years old).

The Canada Voting Records for 1945 show that Margaret was living with her older sister, Peggy Louise who was also married to a soldier. At that time, there was a severe housing shortage. The population of Halifax nearly doubled during the war as service personnel poured into the port city by the tens of thousands. Many of the military resented the overcrowding and strained facilities. Bad feelings, combined with the poor preparations by military and local authorities for VE Day, turned spontaneous celebrations into riots and rampage on May 7-8, 1945 (see Halifax VE Day Riots newspaper reports and the short film VE Day Riot 1945). The reports stated that 564 businesses suffered damage and 207 shops were looted. Three rioters died. A federal inquiry later blamed the navy for poor discipline of its personnel and the navy’s top officer on the east coast was fired.

Being an “army wife” Margaret and the family moved to Victoria, British Columbia, then back to Halifax, on to Ottawa, Ontario and then Oakville, Ontario where they stayed. When Russell retired from the army in October 1965, they bought their “dream house” with a large back yard in Oakville. To help pay the bills, Margaret went to work doing various jobs, including office cleaning. For a number of years, she also worked in the freeze-dried food preparation business, which she seemed to enjoy. The freeze-dried process was first developed in WWII as a means of preserving blood serum.

Russell Smith and Margaret (Mumford) Smith in retirement 1980s

Margaret and her husband had similar passions, such as eating steak and potatoes, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. Russell was a long-time member of the Royal Canadian Legion so, after all the children had moved away, they spent many hours at the Legion enjoying the company of their army friends and associates. In her later years, she suffered a severe brain aneurysm but, after several years of rehabilitation, she recovered. Margaret Cecilia Mumford died on April 12, 1998, aged 75, in Oakville, Ontario and is buried next to her husband at Trafalgar Lawn Cemetery, Oakville.