My Moynahan Genealogy Blog: Moreland

Showing posts with label Moreland. Show all posts

Thursday, August 12, 2021

Four Moreland Children - Three Continents

I often refer to the four Moreland children (Jemima, Catherine, John and Mary Jane) as "orphans" but that is not entirely true.

The children's mother, (my 2nd great grandmother) Agnes Bell (Hind) Moreland died at thirty-three years-of-age in 1888 in Springburn, Glasgow, Scotland. The children's father Charles Moreland was a steam ship fireman sailing between England and Australia and away at the time of his wife's death. Agnes' aunt Mary (Bell) Weir (1825-1893) was the informant on their mother's death registration and took charge of the children in the father's absence.

Springburn, Glasgow as seen from Breeze Tower (Source: Lost Glasgow FaceBook)

Grandaunt Mary (Bell) Weir (1825-1893) would also ultimately decide the fates of the four children Jemima (11 years), Catherine "Kate" (9 years), John (7 years) and Mary Jane (5 years) and by 1914, these children would be located on three continents: North America (Canada), Europe (Scotland) and Australia.

What follows is their story of separation, reunion and many unknowns.

NEWSFLASH: British Newspaper Archive FREE

Yesterday, one million pages on the British Newspaper Archive site have become free and DO NOT require any subscription payment to view. There are 158 titles currently on offer, ranging from 1720 to 1880.

Image source: https://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2021/08/09/introducing-free-to-view-pages-on-the-british-newspaper-archive/

Part II: The Curds of Dover, England

My maternal grandmother Dorothy Claire (Moreland) Creighton (1909-2000) never really knew her mother Florence Mary (Curd) Moreland (1886-1915) because Florence died at the very young age of 28 years after suffering for two years with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Dorothy Claire (Moreland) Creighton (1909-2000) and her mother Florence Mary (Curd) Moreland (1886-1915)

What I love about the Curd family story is how loved and close Dorothy felt to her mother's sisters (Dorothy's three aunts: Frances, Alice and May) despite the fact that Dorothy's mother died when she was only six years old and Dorothy was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia and her aunts lived their entire lives in England.

Florence Mary (Curd) Moreland's sisters Frances, Alice and May Curd of Dover, England (Source: Chandler Family Archives)

The Halifax Explosion: A Tomlin and Moreland Update

On the morning of December 6, 1917, there was an explosion in the Halifax Harbour that injured 9,000 people and killed 2,000.

This blog post is an update to previous posts about the impact of this explosion on our ancestors:

My grandmother Dorothy Moreland was only seven years old and was living with her sister Florence at a foster home because her father John Miller Moreland was overseas fighting in WWI. The foster home at 500 Gottingen was destroyed.
My 2nd great-uncle Francis Clifford Tomlin was a tinsmith at the Hillis & Sons Foundry and searched day and night through the ruins of north end Halifax and the next day's blizzard looking for the bodies of his daughter, mother-in-law, 4 sisters-in-law and their families; 3 brothers-in-law; all those who worked with him at the Foundry. He died of meningitis on March 21, 1918 and when the Halifax Relief commission refused to give his widow, Maggie a survivor's pension, she was angry and made a point of carving into her husband's headstone that he was a victim, putting the date of the explosion before the date of death. This post is the story about his family that survived.

Another Mystery Solved: John Miller Moreland's Second Wife

My great-grandfather John Miller Moreland's (1882-1940) life story has always been filled with some surprises, some challenges and even more unknowns.

John Moreland was only six-years-old when his mother Agnes Bell Hind died and, because his father was at sea (worked on ships as a "fireman" and later remained in Melbourne Australia), John was sent with his sisters to a Scottish workhouse and later enlisted in the British Army.

My great-grandfather John Miller Moreland (1882-1940)

Into Tuft's Cove: Aunt Barb Floats About Until Rescued By Nana!

In August 2019 I finally posted a draft blog post from 2016 about my trip with my maternal Aunt Deb to visit my other maternal Aunt Barb in Ohio in 2016. Things I Learned About My Nova Scotia Roots (in Ohio)

In that blog post I wrote about the story that I heard about my Aunt Barb nearly drowning in the narrows of Halifax Harbour when she was a baby and that made it to the front page of the newspaper

With thanks to my Aunt Deb, my sister Kelly and my cousin Jodie, I have added it t the original blog post (Things I Learned About My Nova Scotia Roots (in Ohio)) and I am posting the story here as well.

The Visitors From Australia - NOT Our Moreland Kin

In 2015, while visiting my aunt Barbara in Ohio, I was shown the picture below that was taken in Tuft's Cove, Nova Scotia presumably in the summer of 1941 and is known as "Visitors from Australia" . This blog post describes my attempts to confirm the identity of the three Australian visitors.

UPDATE: In less than twenty-four hours of posting the photo, an Australian descendant of Susan (Marrinan/Willis) Moreland (her grand-daughter) wrote that:

"Thanks for the photo. I don't think this is my family in the photo... In 1941 the war was on and my mother was living with my Nanna Susan Moreland (her mother-in-law). She ... definitely didn't go overseas then or to my knowledge ever. Ena Mary Moreland (that's what written on her death certificate) did die on 26th August 2010. She was 17 in 1941. She was the daughter of Charles Moreland and Susan Moreland. Ena was deaf and had no children. She never went overseas, that I know for sure..."

Rather than delete this blog post about our Australian Moreland ancestors, I have decided to leave it here to honour Charles, Susan and Ena Mary Moreland (who died August 26th )and hopefully one day, I will find photographs to add to our tree.

Picture known as "Visitors from Australia" taken at Tufts's Cove, Nova Scotia
In the private collection of Barbara (Creighton) Huston
Picture taken summer 1941 with Dorothy (Moreland) Creighton and her children: Kenny was 1 (born Aug 1940), Barbara 7, Claire 11 and three visitors from Australia

John Moreland's Sister Jemima Hind: Was She Sent To Canada?

Between 1870 and 1933, over 100,000 juvenile migrants from the British Isles went to Canada, with around 7,000 children coming from The Orphan Homes of Scotland. (It is estimated that there are around 250,000 descendants of these emigrants living in Canada today.)

I have never felt a direct connection to the British Home Children except that I supported the movement to lobby the government of Canada to have them Declare a National British Home Child Day

On February 7, House of Commons motion M-133, sponsored by Conservative MP Guy Lauzon (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry), passed unanimously 294–0 in Parliament. The motion declares September 28 national British Home Child Day.

I have never felt a DIRECT connection until this morning when I got curious about my great grandfather's sister Jemima Gray Hind.

Undated/Unsourced photo of British Home Children found online at https://www.donnaward.net/british-home-children-in-canada/4/2921/resources.php

On This Day: October 10: John Miller Moreland Died

I developed a daily practice that I call "On This Day" (or OTD for short) as a means to:

honour the life events of my ancestors
revisit my previous research,
check for new information online (i.e. on ancestry and Family Search)
update any of my previous blog posts if new information was found
share these #OTD memes on social media like my Facebook page (to share with family) and on twitter (to share with other genealogists)
In some cases, I create new blog posts. (See: https://moynahangenealogy.blogspot.com/search?q=otd)

Today, October 10, my great grandfather John Miller Moreland died in 1940 in Kingston, Ontario.

My Great Grandfather John Miller Moreland

(1882-1940)

My great grandfather John Miller Moreland (1882-1940)
with his daughter (my grandmother)
Dorothy (1909-2000)

52 Ancestors No.32: My 32 3rd-Great-Grandparents

Did you know you have 32 3rd-great-grandparents? Did you know that "By the time you hit those seventh great grandparents, you have a whopping 1,022 slots on your family tree to try to fill."? (Source: The Legal Genealogist)

Professional Genealogist Christ Cowans says, "at roughly 25 years per generation — your seventh great grandparents lived only about 300 years ago." That's not really that long ago but I am far away from knowing all 1022 of my grandparents!

Fan Chart

This fan chart has 30 spaces for your 2 Parents, 4 Grandparents, 8 Great-Grandparents and 16 2nd Great Grandparents. How many spaces can you fill in?

Free Genealogy Fan Chart

I have been doing genealogical research since 1981. That's over thirty years and I still have huge gaps in my research. This is common among genealogists!

My filled fan chart (excluding all living family members)

My Paternal Grandparents

My Maternal Grandparents

My 32 3rd Great Grandparents

I inherited this photograph from my grandmother Rhea (Coughlin) Moynahan and on the envelope was written "Great Grandmother". This means that this is a photo of one of my 3rd Great Grandparents.

The problem was that on my paternal side of my family tree, this photo could have been one of eight women. Luckily, I had help from my distant cousin Vicky Hess who identified this enchanting woman as Mary *Steinbraun* (*see notes at bottom on spelling).

Mary Ann Hess' mother: Mary *Steinbraun*

26/32 3rd-Great-Grandparents

At the end of the day, I know some information about 26 of my 32 3rd-Great-Grandparents and I have a picture of only one - Mary Steinbrun (1829-1873). I love genealogy because I love discovering new ancestors and the research NEVER ends!

More on Mary Steinbraun

* From Kim Simpson: "I really think Mary Ann Hess’ mother’s name was Mary Steinbraun....... On Gabriel Hess’ marriage record it reads as Mary Steinborn; on Joseph Hess’ death it reads Mary Steinbrum;"
* From Vicky Hess: Oral family history has her being born in " Alsace Lorraine. French and German both claimed Alsace, so searching has been a problem. The relatives also said they came to Canada from/thru Pennsylvania."

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Happy Fathers' Day

Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Most countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June.

The history of Fathers' Day started with a petition in the early 1900s following a mine tragedy that left 1000 children fatherless but it really did not gain wide scale recognition until the 1970s.

Source: The Spokane press., June 16, 1910, Image 12

This means that most of our male ancestors never experienced a Fathers' Day celebration in their lifetime so I will give them thanks and honour them today.

These men were glassblowers, farmers, sailors, soldiers, firemen, Justice of the Peace, autoworkers and stevedores. These men loved their families and were loved in return.

I am grateful for the wisdom, inspiration and strength that flows through my blood from my many men ancestors: the men ancestors I have known in my lifetime; the men ancestors I have located through my genealogical research and the men ancestors whose name and stories I have yet to find and those I may never know.

Happy Fathers' Day

Link

THE JOY OF GENEALOGY: Remember our fathers and the sacrifices they made
The Library of Congress answers: “Is the history of Father’s Day similar to Mother's Day?”

Sunday, November 23, 2014

52 Ancestors #46: Beloved Matriarch: Dorothy (Moreland) Creighton

No Story Too Small has issued a New Year's Challenge: "Have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.”

This week's post is about my grandmother "Nana" Dorothy (Moreland) Creighton. She was a beloved matriarch who:

was born to a father who was a military man with the Royal Garrison Artillery and fought in World War I (WWI)
lost her mother when she was only six years old
grew up in a foster home in Halifax while her father served in WWI
survived the Halifax explosion by having the good fortune of visiting out of town that day with her foster family
wrote poetry and had it published in the newspaper as a young girl (12 years old)
raised seven children in Tuft's Cove and later on Chester Avenue in Halifax
devoted herself to the Anglican church
seperated from her husband and moved away from Nova Scotia in the 1950s
was a single mother
went back to school at 53 years of age to earn a nursing degree
was a prolific "crafter" knitting and crocheting for family and charity

It has been challenging to gather the information on Dorothy's life and there are likely some errors and/or omissions. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to see something added or corrected.

1909
Dorothy Claire Moreland is Born

Dorothy Moreland with her mother Florence Mary (Curd) Moreland

Dorthy Clara Moreland was born the 14th of March 1909 on McNab's Island Nova Scotia. to soldier John Moreland and mother Florence Mary Curd.

McNabs Island is the largest island in Halifax Harbour.

1915

Dorothy's Mother Dies

Dorothy's mother Florence (Curd) Moreland died on February 3, 1915 of tuberculosis at 29 years of age. She had been suffering with the illness for two years. Dorothy was only six years old when she died.

1916

Dorothy's Father Serves Overseas

Dorothy Moreland with her father John "Jock" Moreland

John Moreland fought in WW1. John re-joined the RCGA with the 8th Siege Battery in 1916 and was sent to France until Dec 1919. Seven year-old Dorothy and her baby sister Florence were sent to live with a foster family in Halifax.

1917

Dorothy Survives the Halifax Explosion

Dorothy's foster family was out of the city visiting when the explosion happened. The house they were living in was destroyed.

1921
Dorothy's Poetry Published

When I conducted an oral history interview with Dorothy in 1988, and I asked her about her childhood, Dorothy was most proud of a piece of poetry she had written that was published in the Halifax newspaper when she was twelve years old. Efforts are being made to locate the poem and I will post it here when I find it.

1929
Dorothy Marries Frederick Creighton

Dorothy Claire Moreland (20 years) married Frederick Doughlas Creighton (22 years) on the 15th of October at Trinity Church in Halifax Nova Scotia.(Trinity Church no longer exists. It was torn down about 5 years ago. It’s now a parking lot.)

Trinity Anglican was torn down 4-5 years ago,
It is the white church steeple in the lower right. Now it's a parking lot,

1930-1953

Fred, Dorothy and Dawn Creighton

Dorothy Raises Her Family

Fred and Dorothy's children

Fred , Dorothy, Claire, Jack, Fred Jr

The Creighton family lived in Tuft's Cove and later at 23 Chester Avenue in Halifax. There were seven children: three boys and four girls.

1953

Dorothy Devotes Herself to the Anglican Church

Above is a newspaper article from The Halifax Mail-Star (1953, now the Chronicle Herald) where Dorothy as St. Philips Church of England Choir Director presents a gift to John Whittaker.

Dorothy played a role in St Philip's Church (now the Anglican Church of the Apostles) and when the church celebrated an anniversary in 19**, Dorothy returned to Halifax for the celebration. Dorothy's name appears on a cornerstone there.

1953

Dorothy Creighton, Myron Huston and
Dorothy's youngest daughter

1957

Dorothy in Courtenay-Comox, B.C.

1959

1962
Dorothy Becomes a Registered Nursing Assistant

1962

1963

Dorothy Passes On the 6th of December 2000

Every year, my father places a wreath on Dorothy's grave

Glendale Memorial Gardens

Halifax, N.S. Links

Nursing Links

Archives of Ontario: Ontario Association of Registered Nursing Assistants fonds

Dorothy's Sister

Florence May (Moreland) Smith

1910-1995

Florence's family: Martin - Pearson - Smith

L to R: Florence (Moreland) Smith, Dawn (Creighton) Moynahan
and Dorothy (Moreland) Creighton

Saturday, November 22, 2014

52 Ancestors #47: Frederick Douglas Creighton (1907-1976)

No Story Too Small has issued a New Year's Challenge: "Have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.”

This week's post is about my maternal grandfather Frederick Douglas Creighton who was born 29 May 1907 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and died 19 October 1976 (in Halifax).

1907

Frederick Douglas Creighton's baptismal certificate

Frederick Douglas Creighton (1907-1976) was the son of Charles Creighton (1884-1911) and Effie Tomlin (1886-1947). His father was a stevedore (a person employed, or a contractor engaged, at a dock to load and unload cargo from ships.) Effie was the daughter of a coal dealer in Halifax.

1911

Frederick's father Charles died on the 28th of December 1911 (from mitral regurgitation after twelve days in the hospital) when Fred was only four years old. At the time, the family was living at 18 Cornwallis St., Halifax.

1916

William and Effie (Tomlin) Melhuish
(circa 1940)

Frederick's mother (Effie) later remarried (the 31st of October 1916 at St.George's Anglican church) William Melhuish and they had three children together: Arthur, Edith and Gladys.

The Family Tree: Tomlin/Creighton/Melhuish

1929

When Frederick Doughlas Creighton was 22 years old, he married Dorothy Claire Moreland on the 15th of October at Trinity Church in Halifax Nova Scotia.(Trinity Church no longer exists. It was torn down about 5 years ago. It’s now a parking lot.)

Frederick's signature

1930-1940

Between 1930 and 1940 Frederick and Dorothy were raising their family of three boys and three girls in various locations in Halifax, Nova Scotia

In the early years, the family lived in Tuft's Cove and the voter's list for that period showed that Frederick was initially employed as a butcher and later as an iron worker. Tufts Cove looked very different in the 1930s than it does today (it is now an energy Generating Station).

1935

1935 Voters List

1940

1940 Voters List

Undated photograph of Frederick with daughters

Undated photograph of
Frederick and Dorothy (Moreland) Creighton (and Dawn)

Undated photograph of
Frederick and Dorothy (Moreland) Creighton

Undated photograph of Creighton children

1945-1956

Between 1945 and 1956 the family of Frederick and Dorothy moved and lived at 23 Chester Avenue. Frederick was employed as an iron worker.

1945 — Age: 38 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

1945 Voters List

1949 — Age: 42 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

1949 Voters List

1953 — Age: 46 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

1953 Voters List

1956

By 1956, Frederick's wife Dorothy (Moreland) Creighton

left Halifax with their youngest daughter.

1956: Frederick with daughter (my mother) Dawn Maureen Creighton

1956: Frederick with son-in-law (my father) Ernest J. Moynahan

1962-1976

Frederick went though periods of unemployment and finding work in the shipyards and as a crane operator. Also at this time, Frederick underwent heart surgery and had a pacemaker implanted.