Ancestree Detectives

Bell telephone operators were essential workers in Canada during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918. They would win a higher wage later that year, though it was a struggle. This parallels the situation of certain essential workers today, like grocery store and nursing home workers. In Canada, 55,000 people died of SF in 1918 and 1919. What stories do you have, good or bad, from now or passed down through your family? Please share with us here.

National Tartan Day April 6th Who doesn’t love a man in tartan? This cheeky celebration originated in Canada in the mid-1980s. Over 15% of Canadians are of Scottish descent. It’s now held in many countries including Scotland, which just began celebrating in 2004 if you can believe it. The date is significant because it was on April 6th, 1320 the Declaration of Arbroath was signed. In Australia, they celebrate on July 1st, the anniversary of the repeal of the 1747 Act of Proscription that banned the wearing of tartan. Want to learn more about your clan and tartan? We can help you at [email protected]

Legend has it that St. Patrick was kidnapped as a 16-year-old slave in Wales by a fierce warrior now known as Niall of the Nine Hostages. The first High King of Ireland, Niall Noigiallach, was a powerful ruler and so epically promiscuous that researchers have proven that today 1 in 12 men in Ireland are descended from him as well as fully 6% of Scottish men. So, that means a lot of Irish people all over the world. Want to find out what ancient intrigue you have in your background? We can help you [email protected] and https://www.facebook.com/ancestreedetectives

National Inventors Day is celebrated on February 11th in the United States in honour of the birth of Thomas Edison who filed over 1,000 patents. Using patent records is a great way to get inspired and learn more about the career of an ancestor, or put to rest the myth about great uncle Frank tinkering away in the garage. Who knows, you may be related to the inventor of the Slinky or the egg carton! In the U.S. your resource is US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) http://bit.ly/383FPsX and in Canada, it’s the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) http://bit.ly/31uT5Ez

Marie Marguerite Rose National Park in her honour: https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=12005... Marie Marguerite Rose, a woman from what is now modern Guinea was sold into slavery in 1736 when she was about 19 and arrived in Louisbourg on Île Royale (modern Cape Breton Island) the same year as the property of Jean Chrysostome Loppinot, a French naval officer stationed at Louisbourg, who fathered a son by her in 1738.[27] In 1755, she was freed and married a Mikmaq Indian who upon his conversion to Roman Catholicism had taken the name, Jean-Baptist Laurent.[28] Rose, an excellent cook, became the most successful businesswoman on Île Royale, opening up a tavern that was famous for the quality of its food and brandy all over the island.[28] When she died in 1757, her will and inventory of her possessions showed that she owned expensive clothing imported from France, and like many other women from 18th century West Africa had a fondness for brightly coloured dresses.