"...to seek and to find the past, a lineage, a history, a family built on a flesh and bone foundation."

Friday, November 12, 2010

The coolest thing happened to me this morning

This morning I was working on a Tuesday's Tip post about researching Irish records from this side of the pond, both online and off. I decided to do a random search on one of the sites I am going to include in the post, so that I could talk about the process. I took an educated guess (based on birth dates of the intendeds and their children) at the date for a marriage document for one of my many men named Thomas, and his wife Mary. Although I have birth records for their children, and know all the details of Thomas's side of the equation, I have never been able to decipher Mary's last name on the birth records of her children.

Anyway...long story short, I found their marriage record.

Mary's full name is Maria Teresa Hynes. HYNES, finally! Previously when I have looked at her children's records I thought her surname might be Lynns, or Lynes, or Bynes, or Bryan, or a lot of other surnames. Now when I look at the birth records of their children I can clearly see the name HYNES. It's funny how the brain works.

Happy Hunting Everyone!
Cheers! Jennifer

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Remembrance Day: 11 November: 'Lest We Forget'

In Canada every year on the 11th day of November we commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war. We call this day 'Remembrance Day'. On this day there are ceremonies held at the Cenotaphs in most Canadian cities and towns with the laying of wreaths to honour the war dead. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on this date in 1918. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.

In the days leading up to 'Remembrance Day' you often see Canadians, particularly those of the older generations, wearing red poppies in their lapels. Over the years this day has been both widely celebrated and ignored. The notion of remembering dead soldiers has become politicized by some who choose to recognize it as a sign of support for war, particularly in light of the current participation of Canada in Afghanistan.


The red poppy is in fact a symbol of peace, or perhaps the desire for peace is a better way in which to frame it. The wearing of the poppy, together with an understanding of the phrase 'Lest We Forget", is meant to invoke a willingness to work together in order to create a peaceful world. Lest we forget the terrible price of war, we wear the poppy as a reminder of that cost. Perhaps it is an irrational notion to hope that human beings can actually learn from history, and stop trying to annihilate one another; the poppy stands as a marker of that hope. In my own life I have worked as a peace activist and wear the poppy as a symbol of my desire for peace.

Today I will wear it in tribute to the members of my family whose lives were affected by war, whether they were soldiers or citizens.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

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