William Bruce Hillman's Blog – September 2009 Archive (4)

John D. Reid in his blog “Anglo-Celtic Connections” (Sept.24, 2009) outlined a two new essay competitions by the Ontario Genealogical Society aimed at young people.



The Dr. Don Brearley Genealogical Essay Prize is open to secondary school students in grades 11 and 12. For this, the first year, it is open to Toronto District School Board students only. In future years it will be available to students in other Ontario school boards. Submission deadline is February 26, 2010.

The… Continue

From Randy Seaver’s “Genea-Musings” is Saturday Night Genealogical Fun. Divide your father’s age by four and round off the number. Find the ancestor in your pedigree chart that has been assigned that number.



Father is 89 and still alive. Divide his age by 4 = 22.



22 on pedigree chart(Legacy 7.0) is Hugh Hillman (born sometime in 1844 in Upper Canada to John Hillman and Isabella May. Died 6 Mar. 1894 Rodney, Ontario). He was my grandfather’s uncle. Married Sarah Campbell(9… Continue

Sheri Fenley's blog (The Educated Genealogist) and Randy Seaver's blog (Genea-Musings) both introduced me to a Trading card challenge. Let it not be said that I am slow when it comes to having fun!

Well now this is a challenge. One hundred years ago my ancestors were well established in Ontario. Where were they two hundred years ago. It is hard sometimes to describe Upper Canada as it was two hundred years ago. It was a British colony and utterly dependant on Britain. The majority of the people in Upper Canada were what we call United Empire Loyalists. Population was centered around the Niagara and Kingston. London did not exist. The Talbot Settlement along Lake Erie was just getting… Continue