Emily Michaels: Daughter of the Commonwealth

Do you ever fall so far behind on so many projects that you become crippled with indecision about where to begin and how to catch up? And the inability to make a decision means you willingly chase down every distraction you can find?

That's where I've been for several months on sharing one of my newest and greatest discoveries... because it's not quite finished yet. And maybe never will be.

As I've mentioned previously, neither one of my grandmothers knew their biological fathers. I've just talked about my maternal grandmother and her Italian roots. Finding that family and getting to know their story has been in the works for fifteen years, and has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I was walking on air for weeks afterwards, burying myself as deep into Italian research as I possibly could until I couldn't do anything else.

I was so hyped up on that discovery, I couldn't be stopped. I decided that once and for all, I was going to solve the mystery of my paternal grandmother too. And having ruled out the cousin matches from a major section of my tree, I felt confident that there was no reason I couldn't succeed. I didn't care how many nights of sleep I lost. I would do it because fifteen years is long enough to stare at a gaping hole in your family tree. I wanted that part of my identity to be filled in, and I was tired of waiting.

 So I spent hundreds of dollars on additional testing. I worked the DNA Day sales to death. I won't tell you how many kits I purchased. But I'd learned from researching my Italian family that the drop-off rate for cousin matches over even a single generation was much more than I imagined. It was likely my sample just wasn't pulling in the cousin matches I needed to solve the problem. I needed to fish in someone else's pond who had DNA I just didn't inherit.

My sister was among the people I tested. And sure enough, she had the matches I was missing. None of what I'm about to share would have come together without her. And true to the same pattern I followed with my mother's family, I found the ancestors I had in common with my cousin matches, then worked forward through their descendants until I arrived at the correct family who is related to me.

The unique thing about this case is that, in the process of doing that, I was actually able to document various older branches of this tree long before I narrowed Emily's connection to any specific list of men. And in many ways, I'm much more sure of my great grandfather's ancestors than I am of his identity at the moment, having documented his lineage across the Commonwealth.

Emily Michaels: She's British!

Let's pick up in 1939 in Ontario, Canada. That's where my grandmother Emily Michaels was born. She was born to Muriel Ince Michaels, who was abandoned by her husband several years previously, which I've talked about before. And unlike the rest of her Caribbean family, Muriel was the only person living in Ontario province. Everyone else was in Montreal, having moved there together from Halifax, Nova Scotia during World War II. Living apart from the entire extended family was not typical for them. How she came to be in the area surrounding Toronto and why is a mystery I've not yet solved. But I do know she gave birth there.

I may not know who her birth father is yet, but I do know who his parents are--and by extension, much of his heritage. To get to this point, I had to find the relationship between several different cousin matches I knew had to be related to Emily because they weren't related to anyone else. And for a long time I couldn't find any relationship between those matches, even though they were all supposed to be related. Then I got a much closer cousin match who tied them all together, and started working from her tree. If I could find the relationship between her and all our shared matches, I could narrow down who in her tree had to be Emily's birth father.

So that's what I did. I made a copy of her tree and went to work. The closer I looked at her tree and our shared matches, the more certain I was that I was on the right track. Based on the amount of DNA we shared and our relationship estimate, I was pretty sure I'd found our common ancestors. The only way for us to share the cousin matches we had, spread across England and Canada, was if she and I shared Charles Newman-Jones and Ada Cheffins in our trees.

Charles Richard Newman-Jones was born in Kent, England, which he left as a young man to start a new life in Canada. He met and married Ada Maud Cheffins, who descends from an English father and a mother whose stock goes back to early settlers in Canada. Charles and Ada were married in Regina, Saskatchewan, where they had their children and spent their lives together. They moved to the Northumberland region of Ontario some time between 1921 and 1924. Charles died and was buried in St. John's Anglican Church Cemetery in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada.

Put a pin in that last piece of information. We're going to come back to it.

They had four sons: Eric, Lewis, Charles, and Elton. I'm still working out which one of them is Emily's father and how he would have come to know Muriel. My theories up until now have all centered around brief encounters and accidental conception, with no further contact and a birth father who had no idea my grandmother existed.

The one thing that makes me question that now is a single record I never saw until after my grandmother passed away.

The Cradle Roll certificate for Emily Michaels
From Saint John's Anglican Church in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada

It took me a long time to figure out what this certificate was because I'd never heard of a Cradle Roll before. An archivist explained to me that it was a children's auxiliary in the Anglican church, and this certificate would have been issued after she was baptized. And you'll notice the church it was issued from is...

(Wait for it)

...Saint John's Anglican Church in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada.

Charles Newman-Jones was buried at the same church where my grandmother was baptized. Whatever the full story is, it's not as simple as a connection between two people who never saw each other again.

Getting Closer

The only way to narrow down the situation from here is to analyze DNA from descendants of each Charles and Ada's children. And to date, we've been able to document DNA from two of them. It may not be possible to obtain a sample from the youngest because he has no known biological descendants, having lived as an openly gay man. That is not to say he has no descendants. It would be inappropriate to exclude him from consideration based on his sexuality alone. Gay men throughout history have been involved with women and conceived children. But based on the conversations I've had with members of his extended family, they know of no children he may have had. And for all we know right now, my grandmother could be his only descendant.

It's strange to think that it's possible to fill in our family tree with perfect certainty around and beyond this one person because of DNA. Everything I've learned from traditional research is screaming at me that it shouldn't be possible to just skip a generation like this. But I've said it before and I'll say it again: DNA doesn't care about your feelings and hang-ups. All it can do is tell the truth.

And the truth is, the story that's emerging is stranger than fiction. And I can only hope that more answers are out there, just waiting to be uncovered.

Missing Daughter: Grace Darling Pinheiro

No matter how much you think you know about a family, always be prepared to discover more. And also be prepared for that knowledge to come after you've spent several hours making a tribute video, which is not easily edited.

In my last post, I shared a video I created about the Charles Pinheiro/Lester Ince families of Halifax, Nova Scotia. After entering into contact with the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia and the city of Halifax, I now have to make substantial edits to that video.

Why? Because Charles and Rose Pinheiro had another child I knew nothing about.

Camp Hill Cemetery, 1879

Their daughter's name is Grace Darling Pinheiro. She was 5 years, 3 months old when she died. She doesn't appear in the vital statistics records from the city of Halifax. She doesn't appear on any of the census records with her family. The only place I've been able to find her so far is in the burial records of Camp Hill Cemetery. Apart from the certainty that she was born and raised in Halifax city, I knew next to nothing about her.

Or did I?

Sometimes what you don't see is it's own clue!

Closer inspection of the birth and death registers of Nova Scotia reveals the problem. From 1877 to 1908, there was a lapse in birth and death registration in Nova Scotia. Halifax city deaths are the only exception, having kept their registers from 1890 to 1908.

I pulled out an index card and drew out the ranges. I had a feeling I could figure this out.

First, I drew out the window of conception for Grace's mother, Rose: beginning in 1882 with her marriage to about 1897. Then, I drew brackets around the time it was possible for Grace to have been born within that window of time, and not show up on the 1891 census. Two ranges of possible birth years emerged: 1882-1886, and 1891-1896. I didn't exclude 1886 as a birth year, even though that was the year her sister Ethel was born, in the event that they might have been twins.

Using her age at death, I created two possible death year ranges: 1886-1891, and 1896-1901. Because the death registers are intact for Halifax city from 1890 onward, and Grace is not recorded therein, we may logically presume that she did not die in or after 1890. The second range and the latter part of the first range therefore becomes unlikely. If she died no later than 1890, she could be be born no later than 1885. This eliminates the likelihood of her having been a twin sister to Ethel.

Calculating in the earliest possible birth for marital conception, Grace was likely born some time between 1883 and 1884, and died between 1888 and 1889. She was buried in a segregated part of Camp Hill Cemetery. Her parents, sister, and nephew would later join her in that same plot.

I've submitted the plot information to FindaGrave.com--Division 1, C-S plot 43--and still have hopes that the photo request will be answered. I confirmed with Halifax city that there is a grave stone.

It may not be in the best condition. It may not even be legible anymore. But knowing it was a tribute, purchased by Charles to honor and remember three generations of his family makes it incredibly special to me. That alone makes me eager to see it someday.

Charles Pinheiro and the Caribbean Diaspora

A diaspora is a spreading of an entire generation or population from its home into foreign lands. Many nations throughout history have experienced diaspora, including many of the Caribbean islands throughout the mid-to-late 1800s. In the generations following the fall of slavery, many African-Caribbean freedmen left the islands, in search of a new home.

Cities throughout Canada became attractive places for men and women alike from the Caribbean. Two of my ancestors, Charles Henry Pinheiro and Lester Edgar Ince, decided to settle in Halifax, Nova Scotia between 1875 and 1900. From what I can tell, neither of them ever returned to Barbados--but both of them surely left family members behind.

I made this video to honor them, to tell their stories. But I'm also hoping to connect with their relatives and descendants in Barbados, if any exist. 

Fun fact: I just realized that Lester Ince lived to see the day in 1966 when Barbados created this flag!

Pinheiro is a rare name to find in Barbados because it's a Portuguese name, likely dating back to the European Jews of that name who kept slaves. I'd be interested in connecting with anyone in Barbados, black or white, with that surname.

Lester Edgar Ince was born 5 August 1881 to Frederick and Mary Ince in Saint Peter, Barbados. He lived an incredibly long life in Canada, dying on 15 January 1974 in Montreal at the age of 92. If he had any siblings and they lived anywhere near that long, someone somewhere might remember him or his family. 

I would love to connect with anyone in Barbados with information about either of these two families. If you're in Barbados and interested in helping me find members of my family, please reach out and let me know!

Lester Edgar Ince, Died Age 92

FindaGrave.com, Lester Edgar Ince, Sr, digital images (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=108173529 : 8 Jul 2015) headstone image for Lester Edgar Ince, Sr., taken by FindaGrave volunteer Graceti.

So excited to discover that Lester Ince lived a long life! He had me worried there for a while, seeing as he up and disappears after he returned home from World War I. I had no evidence at all to support that he survived the Halifax Explosion, and was working on the theory that his was an unaccounted death.

But no! He relocated with his children to Montreal, and was buried in the same cemetery as his daughter, Muriel Ince Michaels. In fact, when I searched the Mount Royal Cemetery database for her, I recall checking at some point to see if other family members were also buried there. I came across Lester's name, but had no way of confirming who he was because only the death date was given. For all I knew, someone in the family might have named a child after him. And I refuse to make assumptions.

Once the wonderful volunteers at Find a Grave fulfilled my photo request, I had the confirmation I needed to say that was my 2x great grandfather. I'm so grateful that his age is on his headstone, because that little bit of basic math is what provides the confirmation!

Now all I need is his military service file, which is in the process of being digitized by Library and Archives Canada. Waiting for them to reach box 4688 is making me lose all kinds of diplomacy.

I won't comment on anything else until I get it. Because whatever the rest of his story is, I know it's worth the wait!

Freemasonry Records for Genealogy

Because Freemasonry is one of the oldest fraternal organizations still in existence, odds are good that you'll come across someone in your family who was a Freemason. The next question that immediately comes to mind for someone who is a genealogist is what kinds of records do Freemasons keep of their members, and can I access them?

Records of membership, if they were kept at all, were recorded in the person's home lodge. What the lodge chose to do with those records is as wide and varied as the interests of the individuals in the lodge. There may be scrapbooks, journals, ledgers, histories--or there may be nothing at all. Depending upon how recently the person was a participating member in the lodge will also determine what you find.

The challenge then, is two-fold: finding the person's lodge, and figuring out what sort of records were kept at the time he was a member there. Sometimes lodges are reorganized as their numbers fluctuate, so the people who currently attend the lodge may not be able to tell you where the records of an older lodge are kept. Finding anything in detail about a Freemason ancestor is mostly a question of luck and persistence.

So now that I share the mother-load of all Freemasonry hauls, know that I simply got lucky.

Where to Begin? Finding the Proceedings

Freemasons publish a set of records for their local lodges every year. The lodges submit a summary of their leadership to their Grand Lodge, who then publishes them in a sort of annual almanac. Their "Return" includes the officers, the past Master Masons who attended that lodge, and some basic information about when the lodge was formed and when it met. If your ancestor was an officer or a Master Mason, their names will appear on these Returns for each year they actively attended their lodge.

These books of records from the Grand Lodges throughout the world can often be found in various libraries. You can use WorldCat.org to locate them. They can also be available online in places like Google Books, which is where I found the ones I used. They're usually titled Proceedings of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of Nova Scotia, or whatever the location may be. Determining the jurisdiction/Grand Lodge which would have serviced your ancestor, therefore, is important--especially since it doesn't always follow obvious geography. For example, the Grand Lodge over east Tennessee for quite some time was actually based in North Carolina.

The Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia, Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of Nova Scotia (1897), p. 123; digital images, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=7-sqAAAAMAAJ : accessed 5 Jan 2015).

Not that I gave that any thought when I found these records. It was the pure power of the search engine which pointed me to Charles Pinheiro on these lists. Simply inputting his name with combinations of Union Lodge, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Masons produced several results of interest on Google Books.

In 1897, Charles Henry Pinheiro was a Senior Deacon in the Union Lodge. Note that officers were elected for annual terms, and it could be common for the lower-ranking officers to shuffle around quite a bit, especially in a lodge that wasn't stable. You can gain a lot of insight into the lodges your ancestor belonged to by reading the information recorded in these books.

You can also find other family members, since being a Freemason was often a family tradition. Note that on the 1897 list, one of the Past Masters is William T. Bailey, Charles' brother-in-law.

Learning something about the officers and their responsibilities will reveal how they spent their time in the Lodge, and who their friends were.

Upon winning an election for a position, a symbolic jewel was given to the officer to set them apart from other members. The Senior Deacon's jewel was the square and compass, with a Sun in the middle. His responsibilities included being a messenger for the Worshipful Master, escorting new initiates and visitors, and playing several different roles in Masonic ceremonies. The exact details of some rituals may not be available because as part of their membership, Freemasons vow not to reveal certain details of what they do.

The Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia, Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of Nova Scotia (1898), p. 129; digital images, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=7-sqAAAAMAAJ : accessed 5 Jan 2015).

As long as Charles continues to be re-elected, I will have a record of his presence in the Lodge, and by extension his location in time. Understanding the circumstances and climate of the Lodge can be valuable, because it can reveal the nature of some of the changes you see from year to year. The purpose of this book was to let other Freemasons in the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia know how each local lodge was doing. They have brief descriptions about the challenges and successes that each lodge faces. Some limited detail was also given about lodges from around the world, so it may be valuable to look at a book from a similar time period as your ancestor, even if it's published from a different Grand Lodge than your ancestor's lodge.

Get Familiar with the Lodge's Past

One particular challenge for the Union Lodge revealed in the text was a lack of stability in attendance, even among the leadership. The attendance dropped off so heavily among the more seasoned members that the lodge didn't have enough people to perform the rituals and essential functions. Such was the case in 1896 when William T. Bailey was Worshipful Master. Attendance was so low, they did not appoint a Junior Steward.

This difficulty continued throughout the next several years, until of Union Lodge, no. 18 it was said in Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Canada, 1903, page lvii:

"This Lodge (which you all know is composed entirely of colored brethren), has been for a long time in a most deplorable condition, many of its older and better informed members having either retired or absented themselves from the Lodge, leaving its management under the control of members nearly all of of whom are quite incapable of conducting its affairs in a satisfactory manner, hence its gradual decadence, until it is now unable to get a sufficient number to attend to open Lodge."

One of the reasons for this (rather abrupt) assessment stemmed from the financial burden for men who could not pay their dues. Those who did not pay their dues could not be officers, and likely did not want to be reminded of the fact. From Judith Fingard's From Sea to Rail: Black Transportation Workers and Their Families in Halifax c. 1870-1916, we can confirm that finances were at the root of the Union Lodge's struggles.

"In March 1898, for example, a major controversy occurred over the employment policies of the Intercolonial Railway. The perceived redundancy of sleeping car porters on the Maritime express, operating between Halifax and Montreal during the slack season, resulted in the dismissal or demotion of seven black porters, six of whom, including James Daniels, were domiciled in Halifax. Their duties were added to those of the white conductors. Two other Halifax men, employed as assistant cooks, one of whom was Charles Pinheiro, were also affected. All eight Halifax men were freemasons." (emphasis added)

The Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia, Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of Nova Scotia (1907), p. 155; digital images, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=TDkwAQAAMAAJ : accessed 5 Jan 2015).

The gap in the books available to me right now means I have no insight into the Union Lodge between 1898 to 1905. Google Books has copies of the 1905 Proceedings, but Charles does not appear. He was likely unemployed or underemployed throughout this entire period.

He reappears in the Proceedings of 1907 and 1911, where Charles Pinheiro is listed as Senior Steward and Junior Steward, respectively. Those positions were appointed, not elected. He was primarily responsible for assisting the Wardens and overseeing the kitchen. Seeing as Charles was employed as a cook several times throughout his life, he must have been a good one to be given such an appointment.

It also makes me wonder if they appointed him because they decided they would rather have him there without his dues than to have him stay away. Seeing as he went from Senior Steward to Junior Steward, I could see that being the case.

As a Steward, he would have born one of the matching Stewards Jewels. The cornucopia, or "horn of plenty" has an obvious connection to the preparation and enjoyment of food. Although it could have been seen as a lowly position, unlike other leadership his efforts would have been more sincerely received (and praised) for a job well-done. The need for, and appreciation of, good food transcends any kind of social status.

I learned from the Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia's website that Union Lodge, no. 18 no longer exists. Knowing that I can never see the fruit of Charles Pinheiro's labors, a modern continuation of what he tried to build, is disheartening. But because of that, I feel even more fortunate that his name was remembered in these books. Without them, I would never have known what role freemasonry played in his life.

There are literally dozens of Proceedings from various states, countries, and time periods on Google Books. If you are looking to discover something about your ancestors and their links to freemasonry, it is an excellent place to start.

Hannah Quinn Bailey

"Historical Vital Statistics," database, Nova Scotia Archives (https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/ItemView.aspx?ImageFile=8-161&Event=death&ID=68704 : 18 November 2014), entry for Hannah Bailey, 1909; citing death index, no. 967, Halifax County.

Awesome Finds, Big Ships, and the Great War

Lester Edgar Ince Sr is one of those ancestors I have on the back burner. I've had him there for some time, but it always amazes me the way breakthroughs can still happen in ways you didn't expect.

HMS Ariadne, provided by Wikimedia Commons

According to the 1911 Canadian census, he immigrated from Barbados (then the British West Indies) to Canada some time around 1900. I have not yet located him on the 1901 census, which could be because he immigrated after the census was taken. The absence of proof makes me question when exactly he immigrated to Canada, and how I can prove it.

To answer that question, I need to understand more of how he spent his life before moving to Canada, as well as the policies controlling immigration between the British West Indies and Canada. 

One new find has given me what I need to begin painting the picture of his life before immigration. He served in the Royal Navy aboard the ship HMS Ariadne, and his service record provides me with some crucial missing information.

Discovery, digital images, The National Archives - Kew, (http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D6795093 : 27 October 2014), Entry for Lester Ince, citing ADM 188/551/362251

Check out that Place of Birth. Lester was born in the parish of Saint Peter!

Barbados is divided into regions called parishes, and all local records in Barbados are organized according to parish. Anyone who does research in the Caribbean knows that if you don't have a parish, you are out of luck. No parish = No happy dance!

Gettin' that parish!

And I can tell you from personal experience, these Royal Navy records do not always include parish information. This was pure luck. Finding someone's parish usually is.

I also find it interesting that Lester was a jeweler, especially since his father's occupation on his marriage record was given as a cooper. How does the son of a barrel maker become a jeweler? You know there's an interesting story at the other end of that question.

As for policies limiting immigration between the British West Indies and Canada, both countries were territories of the United Kingdom. From what I can tell, they all held British citizenship. There was no legal requirement for British subjects to be naturalized upon immigration to other British territories. This makes tracing his or anyone else's entrance from the Caribbean into Canada a unique challenge.

Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics, digital images, Nova Scotia Archvies, (https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/ItemView.aspx?ImageFile=1821-16&Event=marriage&ID=69164 : 27 October 2014), Entry for marriage of Lester Ince and Ethel May Pinheiro, citing Halifax County, Nova Scotia, "Registration Year 1909, Book 1821," p. 16, line 228.

In 1909, Lester Ince married Ethel May Pinheiro. They lived with her parents, and gave birth to five children in the harbor area of Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

Soldiers of the First World War: 1914-1918, digital images, Library and Archives Canada, (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/first-world-war-1914-1918-cef/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=487849 : 27 October 2014), Attestation papers for Lester Edgar Ince, citing RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 4688 - 18 [Page 1 of 2.]

After the outbreak of World War I, Lester Ince Sr. enlisted for military service. He was not the only black man to do so, but was one of the few who were chosen. He was assigned to the 60th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. Colored regiments were formed after he enlisted, and there is no record to suggest he served in a colored regiment.

The records that would shed more light on his military service are available at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa. All of the World War I service records are in the process of being digitized and published online. They anticipate finishing with the project some time in 2015.

But thanks to Ancestry.com, I recently discovered a passenger list that is shedding some light on the end of Lester's military service in World War I.

Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935, digital images, Ancestry.com, (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1263 : 27 October 2014), Entry for L. E. Ince entering Halifax, Nova Scotia on 14 November 1917, citing Library and Archives Canada RG 76-C, T-4756

Note that L. E. Ince's number (458117) matches the number on his attestation papers. This is the same man married to Ethel May Ince, of 54 Gerrish Street in Halifax. Although the list title says it's of medically unfit men, that's an oversimplification. Browsing through the list reveals men being sent to Canada for non-medical reasons. The reason for discharge given for Lester Ince is "Dis. of A.G." I have been searching for over an hour for some clue as to what that is, or 1Que Reserve unit, or Military district 6, or classification 3.

Ancestry.com gives the arrival date of the Olympic in Halifax, Nova Scotia as 14 November 1917. One notable fact about the Olympic is that it was a massive ocean liner, a sister ship to the Titanic.

RMS Olympic, image provided by Wikimedia Commons

I think it is safe to assume Lester Ince arrived in Canada alive, given that no note is given on the passenger list of his death. So the question becomes, what happened to him between November 1917, and when the 1921 census was taken? Why didn't he return to his family? And if he did return and left, why and where did he go?

I have a feeling that I won't have all of the answers until I see his full service file. But of course, you never know. I said that before, and I have this much more information without it. Sometimes patience done properly has its rewards.

The Disappearance of Alfred Michaels

Finding Alfred Michaels has been for me an exercise in chasing shadows. Every time I think I've got what I need to figure out how he disappeared, he disappears again.

I recently discovered Alfred on eighty U.S. passenger lists coming in and out of Boston from 1933-1937. And needless to say, they've painted a more complete picture of his life.

Postcard from the RMS Lady Somers, Canadian ocean liner

Alfred worked on the Lady Somers, a cruise ship that traveled between Canada and the Caribbean. It made frequent stops in Boston, but also included stops in Havana, Cuba; Nassau, The Bahamas, and Kingston, Jamaica. As you can imagine, making port in this many countries greatly increases the chance of finding passenger lists. Ancestry.com has the lists as they made port in Boston, and Alfred appears on lists for both the Lady Somers and the Lady Hawkins.

Alfred's career begins aboard the Lady Hawkins between 1929 and 1930, but the records pick up in January 1931, beginning with making port in Boston after setting sail from Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is listed here as a general steward, among the bottom of the cruise line hierarchy. But notice that all of the General Stewards are not listed together on this list. They are organized by what part of the ship they work in--and Alfred is a General Steward somewhere in or around the garden lounge.

"Massachusetts, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1963," Ancestry.com (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8745 : accessed 13 November 2014), digital image, "List or Manifest of Aliens Employed on the Vessel as Members of Crew" [Vessel: Lady Hawkins, arriving at Boston, Mass. on January 22, 1931], p. 3; citing NARA T-938, roll 132

These particular rooms on the ship gave Alfred access to the passengers--a responsibility which was only given to those who were well-trained in terms of social etiquette, grooming, and personal refinement. While the stark social separation between blacks and whites would have been felt in these positions, we can also determine that Alfred was not a typical manual laborer. He likely had some education, and previous experience which would have gotten him the job. He also would have been reasonably well-trusted in terms of access to the guests.

The story continues in much the same way throughout 1931 until Alfred begins to change positions in that section of the ship. His first change happens when he becomes a smoke room steward in May, then a lounge steward in August, and eventually as the garden lounge steward in September. The higher up on the passenger list you were, the closer you were to the captain. The separation was not only one of distance on the ship, but of pay and skin color. The social order of the 1930's becomes tangible through this crew list, and we see that Alfred was concerned about getting ahead.

Imagine a roll call in which a man with a ledger passes systematically through the ship. That's the way this list is organized. We see check marks next to the names as the roll was taken. Also notice that the garden lounge room and the library are next to each other. This becomes relevant as Alfred continues moving his way up the passenger list.

Alfred remains a garden room steward for a year, between December 1931 and December 1932. We can also question whether it was a position of authority, whether the general stewards answered to him through a chain of command. If so, this was one of the few positions of its kind available to him because of his race.

"Massachusetts, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1963," Ancestry.com (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8745 : accessed 13 November 2014), digital image, "List or Manifest of Aliens Employed on the Vessel as Members of Crew" [Vessel: Lady Hawkins, arriving at Boston, Mass. on September 3, 1931], p. 3; citing NARA T-938, roll 140.

The library steward position is one he would have had easy access to observe, if not receive some mentoring from the library steward on the Lady Hawkins. For the duration of the time that Alfred was the garden lounge steward on Lady Hawkins, William Dixon was the library steward. They would have seen a lot of each other throughout this time, and might have been friends. William Dixon was between 5 and 8 years older than Alfred, and had been on the ship between 3 and years. While William Dixon's entries vary widely, it's clear that he had been around longer than Alfred. Assuming he didn't want to take his friend's job, the only way for him to continue his upward momentum was to seek work elsewhere.

In December 1932, Alfred changes ships. Whether this was through reassignment or a voluntary change, we can't say based on these records. But once Alfred begins his service on the Lady Somers, he is working as a library steward.

On these lists from 2-3 January 1935, when some new details emerge. Alfred has also dropped 20 pounds, and now has a tattoo on his left forearm. There's no more mention of the mole on his forehead that was his only defining feature on the lists from the Lady Hawkins. And life, as they say, appears to be smooth sailing from here on out. He makes no more changes in position for the duration of his time aboard the Lady Somers. Whether he could not advance or simply didn't want to, the records don't give any hints as to the reason.

"Massachusetts, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1963," Ancestry.com (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8745 : accessed 13 November 2014), digital image, "List or Manifest of Aliens Employed on the Vessel as Members of Crew" [Vessel: Lady Somers, arriving at Boston, Mass. on January 3, 1935], p. 3; citing NARA T-938, roll 180.

In 1935, Alfred is attempting to enter Halifax, Nova Scotia. He petitioned for entrance into Canada on the grounds of meeting his fiancee, Muriel Ince. The record is dated 31 January 1935, so by that time we can see that they've met and become engaged. But how long they've known each other or how they would have met is still a mystery. We also see that he has been denied entrance, for reasons that the records do not make apparent. They've provided codes that correspond to reasons, but I've yet to find a resource that will explain them.

"Border Crossings: From U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935," Ancestry.com (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1344 : accessed 13 November 2014), digital image, "Canadian Immigration Service, Report of Admissions and Rejections at the Port of Halifax, N.S., for the Month ending January 31, 1935" , p. 12; citing Library and Archives Canada RG 76-C, roll T-15390.

Here is an interesting story as we read between the lines. Recall the record of his marriage to Muriel Ince. They were married on 1 February 1936, a year and a day after he was not permitted to see her.

Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics, digital images, Nova Scotia Archvies, (https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/ItemView.aspx?ImageFile=80-43&Event=marriage&ID=223308 : 13 November 2014), Entry for marriage of Alfred Michaels and Muriel Ince, citing Halifax County, Nova Scotia, "Registration Year 1936, Book 80," p. 43.

I have a passenger list that states Alfred was aboard the Lady Somers in Boston on 30 January 1936--just two days before he was married in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Muriel must have been a nervous wreck wondering when he'd show up. And we see that a major aspect of their relationship would be his repeated and prolonged absence because of being aboard the ship.

The last record I have of Alfred aboard the Lady Somers is from 11 December 1937. It's also the last record I have of him alive. Beyond this point he disappears, and I've never had any clue as to where he went. But if you look closely at this list, you can see there's a scribbled word next to his name.

"Massachusetts, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1963," Ancestry.com (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8745 : accessed 13 November 2014), digital image, "List or Manifest of Aliens Employed on the Vessel as Members of Crew" [Vessel: Lady Somers, arriving at Boston, Mass. on December 11, 1937], p. 3; citing NARA T-938, roll 219.

Deserted.

Vincent Lambert has the same word and some additional details next to his name. I didn't know what to make of this. His notes almost seemed like legal notes in relation to some sort of case. I don't know why I thought that, or where I got the idea to explore the other images Ancestry.com had in this collection. But I decided to scroll through the other images to see if they didn't say something else about Alfred's desertion.

Maybe it was divine providence, because I finally got an answer:

"Massachusetts, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1963," Ancestry.com (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8745 : accessed 13 November 2014), digital image, "Letter from Patterson, Wylde & Co. Attn: Mr. Ambrose," [dated December 15, 1937], p. 177; citing NARA T-938, roll 219. [Unindexed, Image 249 in Ancestry.com viewer]

Alfred Michaels was reported of participating in a robbery. And here's where we need some legal help. In our current English vernacular, theft is theft. We treat robbery and burglary as synonyms for theft. But the actual legal definition of robbery (as provided by Dictionary.com) is, "the felonious taking of the property of another from his or her person or in his or her immediate presence, against his or her will, by violence or intimidation."

These records do not reveal if Alfred is guilty. Perhaps exploring Vincent Lambert's final outcome would reveal more details of the incident. But it certainly explains why Alfred doesn't show up in any aspect of his family's life on paper beyond that point.

But the question of where Alfred went beyond this day in Boston becomes very interesting. Did he return to Jamaica to his family? Did he flee from Boston and remain in the US? Did he return to Halifax to be with his wife? Each possibility carries with it certain risks of discovery.

Sometimes being a genealogist requires us to think like a fugitive-weighing pros and cons we would never imagine in any other way. In the meantime, I have to use what I know. Vincent Lambert is a perfect stranger to me, but finding out more about him may be my only chance of finding Alfred from here.

Using Facebook Groups for Genealogy

Facebook is something I’ve been trying to use for genealogy for a long time. It has always seemed like it has so much potential. Because a significant portion of the entire human population uses Facebook on a semi-regular basis, it could be one of the greatest untapped genealogy goldmines in existence.

But HOW to go about using it? That’s what I couldn’t decide. After a failed experiment to create a profile for my great great grandmother, I decided to use a more traditional approach. I set up a new profile for myself, and tried to find as many useful features as possible--including Facebook groups.

What groups should I join?

When I was looking for groups, I wanted to find historical societies, and County/Municipality/City genealogy research groups. Use the search bar at the top and use different combinations of search terms. “Pittsylvania County Historical Society,” or “Halifax Genealogy,” keep searching until you find what you’re looking for.

If you think this is the only person
to talk to on Facebook, think again!

Be as specific as you can with the group search. Don’t just search for a Virginia genealogy group, there are at least 4 or 5 of them. I found one for both Pittsylvania County and Grayson County, Virginia. I didn’t see one for Claiborne County, Tennessee so then I opted for a plain Tennessee Group. If you don’t see a group you need, you can try starting one and see how it plays out.

For my Canadian research, I wanted to find a Halifax city research group because that’s how centralized my research is for those generations. But sometimes it may be enough to branch out by country. I haven’t explored any sort of Jamaican or Barbadian research groups yet, but that’s enough of a niche that a basic group may help me get started.

What are the limitations of using Facebook groups for genealogy research?

Facebook Groups are like a step back in time in terms of research. It’s a lot like working on the message boards of yesteryear, throwing out some information and hoping something sticks. However, Facebook is NOT a message board. If you treat it like a message board, you won’t be likely to find very much.

Whereas a message board is public and can be accessed/found through Google searches, Facebook groups are often private and can only be accessed by the people in the group. Facebook groups are also timeline based, which means it functions the same way your personal Facebook timeline does. 

Within 30 days whatever you posted to the group is going to be buried inside the timeline. The only way to access it after that is through lots of clicking and scrolling. And because many groups are private and limited only to those who are members, you may have to repost things a few times in a few different places.

I know this is what you're thinking. Stay with me.
It gets awesome in a minute ;)

Facebook groups are like a genealogy roulette wheel. There are some things you can do to increase your odds, but a lot of it is simply being in the right place at the right time. Because when it pays off, IT REALLY PAYS OFF!

How can I increase my chances of getting a hit on a Facebook group?

Your post needs to be directly worded, and focus on a question. If you have a question about Annie Fenity, limit your inquiry to only that question. Maybe include one or two helpful pieces of information you have in relation to that question. Include a picture if you have one. It helps if the people you’re researching are at the center of something interesting or controversial. Make your inquiry engaging so people want to read it, and then want to help you.

Facebook: It's not just for cat ladies anymore...

If you have another question, make another post. If you didn’t get any responses, maybe ask the Admin or the group itself if they know anyone who is researching the surname you’re trying to find. Generally speaking, most people will only try to answer the question you asked. If one question didn’t work, try a different question, or at a different time of day. The more people who see your post, the more likely you are to find someone who can help you.

Is it worth the trouble?

Absolutely. Yes. 100%. No question.

This week I posted a simple inquiry to a Facebook group. I wanted to know who Annie Rorer’s parents are. I provided a picture of Annie and her husband Pomp Fenity. I briefly told how Annie was raised by her aunt and uncle, how her uncle killed her aunt in 1906, and Annie never knew who her real parents were. Family mystery, we want to know the truth.

Within a few minutes I met a distant cousin of mine, not even related to me through the lines I was asking about. He still lives in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Not only did he point me in the right direction to some people who knew my great grandfather personally, he has been doing research for me at the county courthouse. He found more information about Annie’s aunt and uncle I didn’t have. He also helped me locate an old family cemetery for another line in my family that has never been mapped. He’s pointing me to court cases and things in the probate I had no idea existed until I talked to him.

My new cousin also put me in touch with a woman who wants to help me with my research. She wants to see what sort of documentation exists to explain why Annie and John were placed with such questionable relatives. She also has been putting genealogies together for families from the county for years now. My information is becoming a part of a county history, which has been my goal from the very beginning.

All because of one Facebook post. It's good enough to become my latest obsession.

Why should we bother exploring what Facebook has to offer your research? Because the connections you could potentially make may prove to be absolutely indispensable. You’ll never know unless you look. And that kind of curiosity is what got most of us into this mess…

…and is in itself the greatest reward.

Impossible?

At any point, I could have stopped. I could have said I had enough information on Charles and simply called it quits. But I didn't. I'm stubborn/persistent/obsessed, whatever you want to call it. As long as there's something else out there for me to find, I'm going to keep searching until I find it.

And that's why I'm good at what I do.

Behold, ladies and gentleman, my 3x great grandfather Charles Henry Pinheiro

Charles Henry Pinheiro

Born February 1856 in Barbados
Lifetime resident of Halifax, Nova Scotia
Died 13 July 1944 in Montreal, Quebec

Which is to say, the obituary from Halifax Public Libraries came in today!

Charles Henry Pinheiro's obituary
The Halifax Herald, 22 July 1944. pg 18

I was expecting the obituary. But I had no idea it would have so much detail, be so well written, and include a PICTURE. Pardon my French, but I never imagined I would see a picture of Charles Pinheiro at all! As a black man, I didn't imagine that a picture would have ever been taken, or would survive, or make it to a newspaper. I was still reeling from the fact that he even had an obituary. I never entertained the possibility that he would have the best obituary I have EVER seen!

I can't take all the credit for this find. HPL's footwork is the only reason it's in my hands today. Also to Judith Fingard for the source citation that took us in the right direction. I wouldn't have made it anywhere close to this moment without her. Mad props to them all!

And of course, you know what time it is now...

Happy dance time!

Genealogy in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Doing genealogy for Halifax, Nova Scotia has been like a frolic through a genealogical sunny meadow. I've never seen a place that made it so easy to find original records, to use a new website, or trace multiple generations of a family. Quite frankly, when I die and go to genealogy heaven, it's gonna look like Canada.

There's an essential trifecta which allows this to be the case, and our friends to the North deserve mad props for a job well done. So if you're doing Maritime genealogy, there are three resources you need to be using.

Library and Archives Canada

Before you sign up for Ancestry.ca, get your census records here! They have census records available for free, which you can download. The only one you have to pay to see is the 1921 Canadian census, which LAC sold to Ancestry.com. But if you take a visit to a local Latter-day Saint family history center, you can search the 1921 census there for free.

LAC is also your first stop for doing war research, especially WWI. My great great grandfather Lester Ince was one of the few black men admitted to the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in 1915. I got free access to his attestation papers, which I could also download for free. When I looked into what it would cost to buy copies of his personnel file, I was a little irritated to see it was .40 a page for a file of 25-75 pages. But it didn't last long, because I discovered that all of these personnel files are being digitized in honor of the 100th anniversary of World War I. By next year, I'll be able to download this information for free.

More countries should be taking lessons from Canada. 

Nova Scotia Archives, Historical Vital Statistics

The Nova Scotia Archives website itself is average. Every time I go onto it I find myself in a new section for the first time, not sure how I got there, and not really where I intended to go. But that's not the website on which I want to focus.

Buried in that website is THIS treasure trove: novascotiagenealogy.com

Not only can you search for birth, death, and marriage records... but you can search for them all on the same website... and you can see the originals!

I know, right?! Unheard of! But now that I've seen that someone has managed to do it, I can't for the life of me figure out what is wrong with the rest of the world.

Halifax Public Libraries

So my 3x great grandfather was a pretty amazing dude. He didn't let any sort of racial prejudice keep him from being a successful provider for his family. He lived a long life, fought the good fight, and after his death he actually had an obituary. And you wouldn't believe the struggle I've been through to find it.

I won't describe it, it's painful to my cerebrum.

Within 24 hours of contacting the Halifax Public Library and submitting my inquiry, they found the obituary I wanted. With incorrect information to search with, I might add. And not only are they going to send me the bill WITH the obituary, they're only gonna charge me $5 Canadian.

They didn't come at me with some nonsense about hiring a genealogist, or let's charge you $30 a year to be a part of our genealogy society first, or refuse to help me because I'm not a resident of their library system. Heck, I'm not even a resident of their country. But they gave my request their full attention until it was resolved, and they barely asked me for anything in return. And because of that, I'm going to give them a donation.

The Virtues of Asking for Help

I sent another message to Judith Fingard recently. I asked for some help in obtaining the obituary for Charles Pinheiro, and she directed me to the Nova Scotia Archives. I was excited to see her message, because in it she included a photo I've never seen before.

The International Hotel on Hollis Street (far left)
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Charles Henry Pinheiro worked in that hotel earlier on in his life. He worked there as a waiter at the time he married my great great grandmother, Rose C. Bailey Dallas. (Note: Rose was not a widow, Dallas was her step-father's last name.)

Marriage record for Charles Henry Pinheiro and Rose C. Bailey Dallas
21 March 1882--Halifax, Nova Scotia

This record answers a lot of questions for me. Not only does it provide the name of Charles' parents in Barbados (Henry and Caroline) it also gives me Rose's father's name (James Bailey.) All of the census records I have for Rose show her living with her step-father, Augustus Dallas. On her death record, it says that her father's name was John Delless from Grenada. But this appears to be a combination of her father and step-father, because Augustus Dallas was from Jamaica. I have no knowledge as of yet about where James Bailey comes from, but now I have a possibly theory that he comes from Grenada.

I'm still trying to obtain a copy of Charles' obituary. I figured out that the Halifax Chronicle likely refers to the Morning Chronicle. As far as I can tell, the Nova Scotia Archives are the only place with these records. Judith told me it's available on microfilm, so it involves physically going to the archives to get it. Since I'm not in a position to do that, and the Archives do not accept research requests, I have to find someone to do it for me.

I sent out a message on the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia Facebook page, and found someone who was willing to help out tomorrow night. I'm excited to see what she finds! That would only leave finding his burial and any immigration documents from when he moved to Canada left to find.

The GANS has indexes and images of the Camp Hill Cemetery I'd be interested to see, but it's behind a pay wall for members only. I don't like the idea of paying $30 when I'm not able to verify that they actually have information I need. All of the other perks they'd offer me are useless to me because I live in a different country. I might suggest a web-only membership. Even if they charged $10 for a month of web access, or even $5 for a week, I'd rather pay that than $30 for a year's worth of benefits I will never use.

Tracing Rose Bailey Dallas Pinheiro

As I continue to make my way backwards in the records for the Pinheiro family, Judith Fingard's article has given me some needed confirmation for Charles' Pinheiro's wife, Rose. If you'll look back to her death certificate, you'll notice that her parents are listed as John Delless from Grenada and Hannah Quinn from Nova Scotia. But it wasn't until I found Fingard's article that I was able to do anything with that information.

Augustus Dallas on the 1871 Canadian census for Halifax, Nova Scotia

The citation in her article pointed me to this census image from 1871, where Rose appears with her parents, Augustus Dallas and Hannah Dallas. I had suspected that Delless was a misspelling of the name Dallas. It was nice to see my instincts confirmed on that.

Fingard mentioned that Rose has a step-father and a step-sister named Catherine. Based on these images, I'm not sure when or how this information comes into the picture. So I decided to do some digging.

Hannah Dallas on the 1871 Canadian census for Halifax, Nova Scotia

On the 1881 Canadian Census for Halifax, Hannah appears with her two children Rose and Augustus. William was already old enough to have left home. But their father is visibly absent, and returns for the next census. His absence was likely related to his job, seeing as he was a seaman.

Augustus Dallas on the 1891 Canadian census for Halifax, Nova Scotia

By 1891, Augustus Sr. and Hannah appear alone on the census. So the question of where Rose's step-father and step-siblings come from would have to come from somewhere else. Fortunately, I was able to contact Judith Fingard and she'll be able to provide me with some information on these lines in the next couple of weeks. I'm surprised how much I was already able to discover without her help. She clearly knows much more than I do about Rose and her parentage.

I'm looking forward to talking to Judith in the coming weeks. Although, the questions I had when I first contacted her and the questions I have now are certainly very different. Either way, she'll still be able to fill me in with many details I do not have.

Now the only trick is waiting patiently until then...