Genealogy Chat

Lisa, Yes, I think we have 'chatted' before - and thank you again for your offer of help and local knowledge. I'm on the edge of my seat until this latest arrival cousin grills his grandma for info!! And, Gerri, lurve the billboards ... not sure how I'd look with a tan from the knees down and neck up ... although I guess most of your arms are free. Hey, this means we wouldn't need to pack much ... apart from the billboards ... can I have a yellow one please, much more my colour than pink! G'night to all. Annie

Gerri: When I first started researching, I was told my dad's father's side was originally from France. At one point the family left France and stopped long enough in England to anglicize the name, then immediately left England and settled in Toronto. Well, the name change process must have been slow in England, as they weren't there for 2 or 5 or even 10 years; they lived in England at least 130 years! Sometimes there is truth to the family stories, sometimes there isn't. Apparently your immediate family was not connected to the hotel, but perhaps a distant relative was? I'll let you know when I have my billboard ready. :)

Wow! you girls have been busy!...:-)) Thankyou to all that gave us some links. I'll be looking at those some time next week when I have more time. I read every word about the Stevens Hotel and it has left me feeling a tad angry....Angry with my Stevens half siblings for telling me a load of porky pies!!! (lies) I cannot think of one good reason for doing that! except that maybe they wanted to impress me?...hey! they sure did that! .........not! lol ...never mind....thats another chapter in the life of me.Done and dusted! Moving on...... I'm sorry i wasnt around today but I was busy making bill boards. Ann, do you want a pink one? lol ERNEST..LY SEEKING THOMAS SANDYand KIN and ANY STEVENS FROM SCOTLAND, MANY MOONS AGO? ....and a 3rd bill board.. ANNIE and GERRI WAVE TO LISA IN TORONTO. Lets plan it for the summer girls, get a sun tan at the same time lol Deb Vancouver..re: phone book, Thats a great idea for looking for the living. many thanks. Thats how i found my real father in the first place! I rang number after number untill one day when I was feeling like a 'phone robot' a voice on the other end said..'yes, thats my father' I was so used to getting know where, I almost put the phone down lol It was my oldest half sister! Met them 3 years later. The rest as they say....is history! Off to have a peek at these new sites....have fun everyone. Gerri xx

Annie, feel free to keep me in mind if you find additional information from your rellies. In the meantime, I'll check around tonight for your Sandy, but I remember the name (either I read your thread; or, tried to help and wasn't successful) and don't think I could come up with any suggestions. But, as I said, I'll look around again tonight in case there is something out there. I think it's always helpful when someone knows a bit about the search area, and since my family lived in Ontario for over 100 years, I've come to find a few websites. ;)

Lisa & Deb, Thank you for your support and words of wisdom. And, yes, Lisa I'll be sure to let you know if Gerri and I head across the pond with our billboards!! Good luck to both of you with your own trails meanwhile! Regs Annie

HI Gerri - this should help. It is the Ontario Vital Statistics website: www*archives*gov*on.ca/english/interloan/vsmain.htm Also - there are a couple of online phonebooks www.mytelus*com www.canada411*com If I have time I'll do a search.... Deb

Annie and Gerri: I started researching before the internet came along. I've learned far more about my ancestors during the past five years than I did during the previous 20. Once we bought our computer, I haven't stopped researching. However, before that, I only worked on the tree for a few months at a time then would stop, sometimes for a few years. If you can't find something now, don't give up - it may surface in the future. I've found that to be true sooooo many times in the past. Annie, if you do go with billboards, let me know and I'll go too, but I'll stand in downtown Toronto. PS Annie, when I started, I wrote to almost everyone in the Toronto phone book who had my (unusual) surname. Almost all who responded were related to each other, but not to my family. Turns out, I'm about 97% sure we ARE related! It can't hurt to write to people -- you never know what you might find out.

Gerri, Sorry I've been away from the PC ... The family name I'm looking for in Hamilton is SANDY - in fact, Suffolk Sue helped me a lot (**waves to Sue gratefully**) with various bits of info but there's recently been a new cousin on the scene (UK-side) who's really closely linked, so it's prompted me to get stuck in again. I have a Thomas who treks out there in about 1887, marries and has kids - he's the main and obvious target. Then two brothers (his nephews) were shipped out under the British Home Children programme - one came back, the other (Ernest) stayed I think ... he really IS the mystery man. Writing this reminds me of that Oscar Wilde play ... perhaps he'll turn up 'in a hand-bag'!? I'm awaiting some more info from his family elders, if they'll know or give it. Then, I'm going to take a view on some sort of mailshot using the Canadian White Pages (they're online). Scattergun approach, I know, but I'm pretty certain the family name should have persisted ... several male children - surely ONE of them must have procreated!? Apart from that, I'm kind of stumped ... I don't THINK there's any further direct info that our wonderful GR colleagues can offer and I added to the thread to bum a few extra ideas. Now, I'm greatly discouraged by the timelag and method of getting stuff - good on yer Lisa for persevering with yours! Perhaps, Gerri, we should both go and stand in the main square in Hamilton wearing billboards?? LOL Annie

Found an article about the Stevens/Hilton Hotel. It doesn't sound like your family, but perhaps there might be a connection somewhere. http://www*law.northwestern.edu/news/article_full.cfm?eventid=1917 A brief history of Chicago Hotels: http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/603.html I'll try to think of other places to search.

Soldiers of the First World War http://www*collectionscanada*ca/archivianet/02010602_e.html (replace * with .) There are several Albert Stevens, but not taking the time to see if they're yours. (You can view the actual image.) Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid http://www*islandnet*com/ocfa/ Stevens listed, but without additional information, difficult to tell if they're yours. Ontario Marriages 1800-1924 and some births. Didn't see yours, but I could have missed it. (Very few of my ancestors have been found on this site.) http://homepages*rootsweb*com/~maryc/ontmarr.htm Canadian census for 1901 and 1911; you can view the actual images. (Don't know enough info to determine if your family is there.) http://www*automatedgenealogy*com/index.html Ontario birth registrations. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb*com/~births/Sta_Sti_Surnames.htm ANNIE: I'm sure Deb or Sue would try to help, as would I, if you'd llike to post your information.

Thanks Lisa I have to pop out for a little while. Will check back here later. :-))

Annie Ag Lab Have you got anywhere with your Canadian line? Gerri x

Gerri, I've started looking. Nothing on 'InGeneas'. I can't promise anything, but it's fun looking around Ontario. I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks Lisa No I havent looked at any Canadian sites yet...but will have a look when i have the odd 25 years to spare! lol If I have to wait more than two weeks for a cert....I start attacking the postman!! lol I dont think my nervs could stand having to wait 9 months! Maybe I'll look out some old phone numbers of my now 8 half brothers and sisters... Many thanks for your time. Gerri x

Gerri: I started researching over 25 years ago (stopped and started along the way). All of my ancestors/family lived in Toronto, so all research was done long distance. In those days, you would make guesses (we were given 5 year periods to choose), wait for the mail to arrive with no results, then guess again. It was a long process but it eventually worked. Thank goodness for computers, eh? Have you looked at any Canadian/Ontario websites? If not, I will check and let you know what I find or don't find. There is also a posting on the Records Board for Canadian lookups. PS I believe there are volumes and page numbers, but no central location like you have.

OMG! 9 months! The only info I have so far is this.... My father was Canadian. Hamilton Ont. Albert Gerald Stevens b12/05/1913. I'm not bothered too much about getting his cert but Id like to cross reference from his father backwards... His father was Albert Stevens c1891. Not sure of the facts of this man but maybe he was in Gosher or Goshen New York before he went to Hamilton. He was a corn feed merchant.This was either Alberts info or his fathers before him. One of them MAY have even come from Scotland! I wish I knew...and he married a woman from Surry England...but this is all OLD hearsay! Sorry i dont have much info but thats all I do have :-( ...execpt maybe this.....The chigargo Hilton Towers Hotel was once named 'The Stevens Hotel'...Rumour has it that this belonged to my Stevens family. That Stevens man married a Mrs. Palmer.He died before her and she renamed it 'The Palmer' she died not long after him and it was sold to the Hilton empire.Mr Stevens died about 1948/49/50 I think. I know this as my father had to travel back to canada to collect his inheretence when I was 10 months old....I was born in 1949.The Palmer estate paid off all the Stevens family. The Canadian goverment were not as silly as ours...once they got him there, they took his passport. (he already had a wife and 5 children there) He had been over here with my mother for 9 years. I have since been over there when I was 42 and met him and all his family. There REALLY was an inheretence! Thanks in antisipation Gerri x PS...can you get volume and page numbers of births over there for ordering certs like we can here? (England) I cant think how you do your family research without them!

You can order the certificates, but it may take awhile to get them. Two years ago when my dad passed away, my mum tried to get a copy of their marriage certificate (from Toronto, Ontario). After several phone calls and emails to the government (with no responses), my cousin, who lives in Toronto, told my mum that certificates usually take about 9 months. Depending on what decade you want (the older the better as the information isn't as protected), you might be able to obtain information elsewhere. Perhaps you can post the information and we can look?

What names are you looking for.

Nudging 'cos I'm interested in same place .... Hamilton ... too! Regs Annie

Hi Deb Hamilton Ont. Sorry diddnt get back sooner. Gerri.