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Notes from the Chairperson
The Branch needs your help! Yes, it is that time of year again
when we appeal to you to consider volunteering to help co-ordinate
Branch activities in order to keep things operating effectively. None of
the executive or committee positions is that onerous; however, since
many of us are facing medical challenges or are pulling double duty,
we need your help and your ideas. Specifically, we need a Vice-
Chairperson and a Membership Co-ordinator, but we would happily
consider volunteers to assist with any of the executive and committee
positions. This is your Branch. We need your input so that we can
continue with activities and effectively promote family history research.
A year ago we were also experiencing a shortage of library volunteers. Fortunately that situation
has improved immensely and we did not have to close the Log Cabin on any scheduled days, except for
immediately after the August tornado. We were extremely fortunate that neither the Museum nor the Log
Cabin were hit. Our sympathies go out to the many people whose homes and businesses were damaged
during that August storm.
The newspaper indexing project is continuing but we still need help with data input. We are
approaching the local secondary schools to inquire about students who might consider helping us as a
way to complete their volunteer hours.
Thank you to the Huron Branch executive for their help and support in 2011. To everyone, my
best wishes for Christmas and the New Year – and happy researching!
Arlyn Montgomery
Can You Help with East Ashfield History?
Marian Zinn (519-528-3710), Bell Hackett (519-528-2865), and Debbie Bauer (519-529-7820) have
been doing the initial work toward the next edition of the history of East Ashfield Township. They are now
asking for volunteers to help with correcting errors or omissions in the previous publications (“Bush Trails
to Present Tales, 1980" and “Frontier Ways to Modern Days, 1976"), to submit East Ashfield family
stories, and to work on typing, proofreading, research, checking facts, and much more!
New Books from OGS
1) Crime and Punishment in Upper Canada, A Researcher’s Guide by Janice Nickerson – This book
provides genealogists and historians with context and tools to understand our early criminal justice system
and to locate sources on criminal/justice activity from 1791 to 1841. Chapters include details on
inventories of available records, published transcripts and indexes, online transcripts, and suggestions
for additional reading. Also included are engravings, maps, charts, and documents examples.
2) Education and Ontario Family History, A Guide to Resources for Genealogists and Historians by
Marian Press – This book outlines the resources available for education from about 1785 to the early 20th
century, examining both electronic repositories and traditional paper and archival sources for finding
information on teachers, pupils, schools, textbooks and curricula in historical Ontario.
3) The History of Your Home, Researching its Past by Lesley Ciarula Taylor – This book is another of
the OGS Beginner’s Guides, written to help one research the history of a home, with directions to
resources available throughout Ontario.
New Books in the Log Cabin Genealogical Library
1. Goderich Township Families 1985, 2nd edition
2010, 380 pages
2. Descendants of Owen Doan & Mary Shea, 16
pages
3. Descendants of Felix Hanlon & Catherine Blake,
18 pages
4. The Hoskin Family, 22 pages
5. The Parson Family, 89 pages
6. The Sheere Family, 47 pages
7. The Treble Family, 45 pages
8. The Morris Families of Colborne Township, 26
pages
9. Our Family Tree – John A. Smith & Ann Clegg,
71 pages
10. The Smiths – County Tyrone, Ireland to
Dungannon, Huron County, 60 pages
11. The Story of Port Albert, 175 Years, 476 pages
12. Researching Canadian Land Records, 164
pages
13. Parishes & Registration Districts in England
and Wales, 282 pages
14. The Untold Story: the Irish in Canada, 554
pages
15. The Family of Joseph Livermore, 225 pages
16. Index to St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Clinton,
Baptisms 1899-1918, 31 pages
Ian Hulley – The Clinton Cemetery
(Programme Notes for September 7, 2011)
Ian Hulley of Clinton was born in Hullett Township and has lived in the area all his life. In 1964
he began digging graves in the Blyth cemetery with his father Ken. Ian still digs graves. Ian began
working for Central Huron when Hullett, Clinton, and Goderich Township amalgamated; for the last eight
years he has been the supervisor at the Clinton Cemetery.
The Clinton Cemetery started circa 1855-1861. Previous burials in the Anglican Church Yard (St.
Paul’s, Clinton) were supposedly re-interred in the new cemetery, although it is thought that some may
still remain on the church property. The new section of the Clinton Cemetery was opened in 1955. The
original part of the cemetery has 16 sections (A-I, K-Q); the newer part has blocks 2-4 and then New
Sections A and B.
The old records listed the purchasers of the lots but not the names of those buried there. Lots
were sold in parcels of 8, with one plot number per parcel. The old sections were each laid out with a
centre space left as a park until more spaces were needed for burials. The old section maps showed the
lot numbers with Xs marked on for the burials. There is no easy way to verify whether or not the old lots
are all full. A large T-shaped rod can be used to find vaults; 2/3 of burials have cement vaults. Any other
methods for attempting to determine grave occupancy would be too costly.
Ian has been trying to sort out all of the existing fragile old records, and then using Huron Branch
OGS transcriptions to reconcile the information, a task which Ian estimates is 75% completed. Judy Dixon
at the Central Huron office has been computerizing the data.
Central Huron workers have been refurbishing the cemeteries at Clinton, Kinburn, Londesborough,
Ebenezer, and the German Cemetery (Co. Rd. 25) – straightening stones, repairing the cement pads.
Flynn’s Catholic Cemetery is not municipal. Burns, Balls, Hope Chapel, and Blyth cemeteries each have
their own governing boards. At the Holmesville Cemetery the fence is now partially gone, and many trees
and weeds have grown up.
One very interesting fact: one does not buy ownership of a cemetery plot; instead one buys
interment rights.
After Ian’s presentation, people were able to ask questions and view the old cemetery maps and
records.
John Hazlitt & Rhea Seeger – The Power of the Maitland
(Programme Notes for October 5, 2011)
The project by John Hazlitt, Ted Turner, and Doug Culbert began with John reading an article in
The Goderich Signal-Star about the Mighty Maitland, and then asking – just how mighty was it? So began
five years of research on early dam sites in the Maitland River watershed, which covers a large area of
Huron, Perth, and Wellington counties – tedious checking of early un-indexed land records to find any
mention of dams and/or mills 1801-1899, trying to learn about the families who built the dams, contacting
current land owners for permission to go to the actual dam sites to record any remaining physical
evidence, trying to determine where the original watercourse might have been in areas where bridge or
road construction rerouted the water, and then organizing the resulting information.
John and historian Ted Turner did the initial research on paperwork in archives in Goderich,
Listowel, and Fergus. They visited the land registry offices in the three counties. They viewed air photos
from Ottawa. Surveyor Doug Culbert got involved in the project. They contacted land owners, hoping
to find family histories, stories about the old mills, and perhaps photos of the dams or mills, although they
had to limit the family research to only the first family for each dam. John and Ted learned that not all
dam builders owned the land where the dams were built.
Then came the huge task of visiting the 78 identified dam sites to document the physical evidence.
Rhea Seeger, book publisher, who also went to some of the sites, described the process: boots,
backpacks, waders, digital cameras, and a measuring stick were necessities. Documenting the dam sites
usually involved hiking through the fields or bush, along the banks of the river or even along cliffs, and
likely into the water itself. Rhea showed the sturdy measuring stick, marked with paint, which was used
in the photos to show the size of the earthworks, dam remains, etc.
Rhea helped organize the massive amount of information which went to the printer on October
3rd. There will be a limited press run, and no reprints. During John’s presentation, Rhea showed slides
of some of the dam sites.
John hopes that The Maitland Valley Conservation Authority can use his research to apply for a
historical designation for the watershed.
In response to some questions:
– the book is indexed only by names of the land owners
– the paper research will be divided up among the archives in the watershed
– digital photos will be converted to paper for the archives
– they did find some marine life and sent data to the MNR
– two dams were used for producing electricity: a dam in Wingham, and one which Gordon McGavin built
in McKillop after the 19th century
– there were some deaths at the dams: at the Lawson site where the dam provided power for an up-anddown
saw, the mill owner’s son fell into the flume and drowned in the 1840s; at Ethel a man drowned
trying to retrieve logs after a severe storm (also proof that the river was used to drive logs)
– Runciman in Goderich built mill machinery
– on April 19, 1883 a huge storm with 6" to 12" of rain falling in 24 hours flushed out many dams and
many were never rebuilt
We look forward to the book The Power of the Maitland, Powering pioneer settlement in an Ontario
River Watershed.
New Vital Statistics Microfilms
Microfilms of Huron County registrations of births 1914, marriages 1929, and deaths 1939 as well
as the Ontario-wide indexes for those years are now in the Goderich Library, Montreal Street.
US 1940 Census to be Released
The 1940 US Census is scheduled for release on April 2, 2012. Ancestry.com personnel will
then begin indexing the more than 3.8 million images by 45 fields, enabling searches by name, street
address, county, state, parents’ birthplaces, and more.
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