 |
| My Wallaceburg, Ontario Annal Family (Left to right: Back: Joe Hess, John Annal, William Annal, Gabriel Hess; Front: Mary Jane Annal, Mary (Hess) Annal, James Henry Allan Annal, unknown, Elizabeth Annal) |
Lifelines Research (aka David Annal) tweeted that his "Great Aunt, Margaret Sinclair ANNAL, was born on 3 November 1904. She became the keeper of the family stories and I was always told when I asked questions about the family that Aunty Margaret would have known. Unfortunately she had died in 1973." to which I tweeted back (replied), "I have Annals and Sinclairs in my family as well ...."
This casual twitter exchange continued and eventually led me to David's website: "The Annals of the Annals" which David writes:
"Welcome to The Annals of the Annals, a website dedicated to research into the Annal surname. The site was first launched in 2002 and was relaunched in October 2017 as an 84th birthday present for my father, Eric Annal.
The aim of the site is to provide a home for the research that I’ve carried out over the past 40 years but also to act as a focal point for all researchers who have a shared interest in the name and its origins."
After looking quickly at David's website, I immediately learned that my Annal family tree is found in David's Group G of his Annal family groupings from A to P.
Today's blog post looks at what I learned today and the benefits of doing a one name (or one-surname) study such as the one David has done for the past forty years.
My Annal Family Research
My Annal family research would be nowhere had it not been for a Wallaceburg (Ontario, Canada) woman (name withheld for privacy) who has collected Annal and Hess photos, news-clippings, stories over the years and who has also recently traveled to the Orkney Islands.
My Annal family research has also benefited from the research undertaken overseas by "Annal" genealogist Don Hollaway who published his Annal Family History in the Orkney Family History Society newsletter (No. 80 Dec 2016).
"The Annals of the Annals" Research
My Annal family research has benefited even more today having found David Annal's website where I learned that there are Annals from this branch (Group G) in Edinburgh, Scotland, a fact I wish I would have known when I traveled to Edinburgh with my daughter in 2019.
I also learned that sadly, with respect to Group G Annals, "There are no descendants left in Orkney today".
Reviewing the Group G Annal Family Tree, I know that I will need document verification for my 3rd great-grandmother Betsy (Wylie) Annal whom I had assumed died in 1892 in South Ronaldsay based on the Commemorative Biographical Index (Sutherland) below.
 |
| Commemorative biographical record of the county of Kent, Ontario (p 513) |
David's records indicate that Betsy died in 1892 Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland.
- Betsy (Wylie) Annal died "17 Oct 1884: Grimness, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, Scotland: Age 71, widow of James Annal, fisherman. Parents: William Wylie (dec) and Isabella Spence (dec). Informant: James Annal, grandson"
- James Annal died "12 Jan 1875 • Eastside, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, Scotland ; Age 61, fisherman, married to Elizabeth Wylie. Parents: John Annal, farmer (dec) & Molly Sinclair (dec). Informant: Alexander Annal, nephew (present)"
- John A. Annal 1783-1869:
- Mary "Molly" Sinclair" (1783-1863)
- John Annal 1761;
- Barbara Stewart 1761:
One-Name Studies
I am so grateful to be connected to David Annal's forty years of research. I have benefited from the fact that David has been researching the "Annal" family name and collecting information even if there was no evidence that the Annal family he was researching was actually related to his own Annal family tree.
 |
| Source: The Guild of One-Name Studies |
I realized that I have been doing this informally - a one-name study - of Moynahans for some time now ... collecting Moynahan biographical information even if I doubted a connection to my own family tree. I've been posting some of the stories in my "Moynahan Scrapbook" which is very different from the work that David is doing for people connected to the Annal surname.
My hope always was that DNA would pick up where Irish records could not take me (pre-1800). I was curious if David Annal was also doing this? If there was an "Annal Y-DNA" project or an Orkney DNA project underway?
DNA matches with an Annal surname, DNA matches with "Annal" in their family tree and "shared matches" with connections to "Annal" are plentiful on ancestry. And while one should ALWAYS exercise caution when reviewing Ancestry "ThruLines", the example below of a shared ancestor in the Annal line demonstrates the potential.
 |
| Example of Ancestry's (DNA Match) "ThruLines" indicating and "Annal" common ancestor |
The International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) rightfully claims that "A full one-name study can be daunting" particularly if it is a common surname.
Thankfully "Annal" and "Moynahan" are not that common and are therefore well-suited to this exercise.
"One-name studies are often one-person initiatives, so publishing the findings is the best way to ensure that the many years of work that go into them are not lost when the researcher dies. There may be no one else with a high enough commitment to continue writing reports, but there will always be a number of appreciative readers." (Source: ISOGG: One-Name Studies)
And that is me ... an appreciative reader of David Annal's tweet this morning and a grateful reader of "The Annals of the Annals" website.
My Previous Annal Family Blog Posts
- James Henry Allan Annal (1849-1930): My 2nd great-grandfather James Henry Allan Annal was born on the 28th of March 1849 in South Ronaldsay, Orkney Islands, Scotland. He was a sailor all of his life (until 73 years of age) and his obituary revealed that "he had an interesting and varied sailing career, as a boy was on a whaling expedition for three years in the Arctic." He emigrated to Canada in 1870 with his sister Jemima (Annal) Sutherland.
- James Annal (1873-1921): Fire Chief and Ice Dealer: My great grand uncle James Annal was "hale and hearty" and "took charge of rescuing parties in drowning accidents and was tireless
and determined in this worthy work and was most successful as his
endurance and skill was exceptional." Everyone was shocked by the news of his death.
- John Annal (1875-1960): My great grand uncle John Annal was the last living of my great grandmother Coughlin's Annal clan (parents & brothers & sisters). He was a bachelor until he was 51 years old. He was a sailor on the great lakes, a carpenter, and a farmer. He cared for his parents (sailor James Annal and Mary Hess) in his home in their final years and his nephew Lawrence Coughlin was a flower bearer at his funeral in 1960.
- Nellie (Annal) Simpson (1899-1962): My first cousin (twice removed) Nellie Annal was the only daughter of James (Fire Chief and Ice Dealer) and Maggie Annal. Her two sisters both died before their second birthdays. Descendants of this family have been generous sharing information with me over the years.
- The Annal & Sutherland Emigration to Canada 1870: My GG James Henry Allan Annal traveled (at twenty-two years of age) in steerage aboard the ship Columbia with his sister Jemima's in-laws the Sutherlands. Tragically, not all of the family made it.
- Distant Cousins From the Annal-Hess Clan Part I: Fellow family historians/genealogists from the Simpson and Hess branches of the family tree.
- Distant Cousins from the Annal-Hess Clan Part II: Fellow family historians/genealogists from the Sutherland branch of the family tree.I learned more about 3rd great-grandparents James and Elizabeth (Wiley) Annal
- "Annal" Genealogist Don Hollaway Article: In 2017, I was surprised to receive and email containing an article published in the Orkney Family History Society newsletter (No. 80 Dec 2016) about the Annal family. Uncanny resemblances noted.
- Family Heirlooms: The Annal Model Ships: My 2nd great-grandfather James Henry Allan Annal "sailed every windjammer on the Great lakes a hardy and fearless sailor, and very expert in the construction of ship models."
- Our Museum: James Annal's Model Ship: In 2020, my brother, who is in possession of the family heirloom, worked to clean and document it.
- Hess and Annal Feather Renovators (1906):
No comments:
Post a Comment