Randy Majors "Ancestor Search" Yields Surprising Results

Randy Majors created an online tool called "Ancestor Search" for genealogists and it is one of the BEST search engines that I regularly use and one that often yields surprising results. 

Today, while using "Ancestor Search", I found another Broderick family history researcher (at Irelandxo) AND an obituary for my 3rd great-grandfather Michael Broderick (1801-1889) for the very first time.

Those two findings inspired this blog post in the hope that this method can help others locate their ancestors as well.

The thing that I like most about Randy Majors Ancestor Search Engine is that I can enter a lot or a little information about the ancestor who I am searching for.

In the case of my 3rd Great Grandfather Michael Broderick, I entered his name "Michael Broderick"; his spouse's maiden name "McNally" and optional details like Place "Ontario" and year "1889"

What Randy Majors search engine does is that it translates what you know about your ancestors into the Google search engine using language to maximize your results that looks like this:

"Michael Broderick"|"Broderick, Michael" " McNally"|"McNally, " "ontario" 1887|1888|1889|1890|1891

My simple search yielded 488 results (in 0.55 seconds) and three of the top results caught my attention:

1. A link to my 2019 blog post on Finding Our Broderick Ancestors in Co. Clare, Ireland
   
2. A link to someone searching for Patrick Joseph Broderick (b 1828) on Irelandxo who has information on the same Michael Broderick in my family tree. 
3. A link to an OGS Essex Branch publication for the newspaper, the Amherstburg Echo that lists the issue where the obituary for Michael Brodrick was found. An obituary that I have never seen!

OGS Essex Branch INDEX Leads to Obituary

I had searched for many years for an obituary for Michael Broderick without any success. 

When it comes to Essex county ancestors obituaries, I generally go to three newspaper websites:

1. Newspaper.com which has the Windsor Star 1893–2021  https://www.newspapers.com/
2. Our Ontario Newspapers which has several Essex Co. newspapers dating back to 1838 http://ink.ourdigitalworld.org/
   
3. Google News Archive which has several Windsor newspapers https://news.google.com/newspapers
   

Because Martin Broderick died in 1889, the Ontario Newspaper portal was the only website that I searched and I did not get any results.

However, Randy Majors Ancestor Search pointed me to the Essex OGS index for the Amherstburg Echo Deaths (1880-1889) that indicated that there was an obituary published on the 21st of June 1990 (Michael died on the 2nd of June)

Amherstburg Echo Deaths 1880-1889

Michael Broderick's 1889 Obituary

I then returned to Our Ontario Newspapers and this time I selected "The Amherstburg Echo (4,722 issues/45,744 pages) - Nov. 20, 1874 to Dec. 29, 1982" where I was able to select "List of Issues" and then the June 21, 1889 issue and read through the eight pages and I located the obituary below.

It is easy to understand why the search engine did not pick up this obituary when I searched previously. The Optical Code Reading (OCR) ability of any software is effected by the quality of the scan.

I am therefore grateful (AGAIN) to Essex OGS volunteers who have created so may indexes (like this Amherstburg Echo Index) and published them online. 

I learned a great deal of NEW INFORMATION from this obituary. This NEW information along with the information from the fellow Broderick researcher at Irelandxo means that I have some more work ahead of me, but what a great find! 

Please give Randy Majors Ancestor Search a try and do invest in a membership with the Essex OGS whose volunteers (past and present) work tirelessly to create and publish information about our Essex County ancestors. By becoming an Essex OGS member, we are ensuring that indexing, scanning and publishing continue.

Michael Broderick (1801-1889) Obituary 

(Transcript)

An old resident of Sandwich West, Michael Broderick Sr., died at his home in that township on Sunday June 2nd, at the ripe age of 88 years and 9 months.

The deceased was born in the county of Clare, Ireland in 1801. In 1847 (1817), he, together with his family, embarked for America, where many were then going "to seek their fortune".

After being tossed about for many weeks in one of the old-time sailing vessels, he was safely landed in Quebec, from which place he pushed westward, resting a short time at Montreal and Kingston and at last anchor in Sandwich West, Essex County.

Here, he settled on a bush farm and began to hew down the sturdy oak, and by the time his sons became of age, he was "woli" able to give each a son's share.

Those who knew him best, knew him as a steady worker, and a good, honest, sociable citizen. 

Since age has deprived him of a great amount of that strength and energy, which carried him safely through the many hardships experienced by early settlers of this country, he has resided with his son Martin.

About twelve years ago, he was deprived of his great comfort by the death of his beloved wife Margaret. He was then under the ever careful attention of Mrs Martin Broderick.

Surviving him are his two sons, Martin and Mark, and Mrs. Cavinan of Detroit. Also fourteen grandchildren, and one great grandchild.

The Broderick Family

This family (below) cared for Michael Broderick from the time of Michael's wife Margaret (McNally) Broderick's passing in 1875 to Michael's death in 1889.

The family includes my 2nd great grandparents Martin and Mary ( Hussey) Broderick and our great grandmother Mary (Broderick) Moynahan.