The Walling Map
An old map put together by H.F. Walling, offers detailed information for genealogists
Ruby M. Cusack
I attended a one-room school with eight grades. Understandably, the teacher did not have much time to spend with any one grade. So, when my work was finished, I was supposed to sit quietly and wait until the teacher rotated back to me. Sitting quietly, though, was not one of my best traits. I had to focus on something to occupy my mind.On the side wall of the school there was a roll-down map of the Maritime provinces. One might say it was delicious to look at there were pictures of Nielson chocolate bars all around the border. Each county of New Brunswick was a different colour. It was a beautiful map.
I spent many hours looking at that map. In so doing, a love affair developed between maps and me, and the embers have never cooled.
Many years ago at a country auction, my husband bought me a very old roll-up map. It was the1862 Walling map. Although I no longer sit in the one-room school, I have spent days studying this map too.
The Walling map is a topographical map of the counties of Saint John and Kings. It is from the actual surveys under the direction of H.F. Walling. If you had ancestors living in this area in 1862, it is a map for you to study carefully. It shows the name and the location of residences, churches, schools, tanneries and other places of businesses. Business directories of several communities are also included.
Much information can be gained by the genealogical researcher taking an imaginary walk down the roads of yesteryear on this map. Start where your ancestor lived and then stop to visit each nearby household.
The late Harold Beyea told Bill Titus an interesting story concerning the compilation of the names on the Walling map. The compiler is said to have walked the roads of Kings and Saint John counties, pushing a wheelbarrow that contained his kit of materials and the wheel had a measuring device to record distances. He would stop at each household or business for a subscription for their name to be placed on the map. Barter was prevalent in those days, so often a meal or night's lodging was exchanged for his service.
The Walling map is available for viewing at the New Brunswick Museum on Douglas Avenue. Another one is on display at the Kings County Museum in Hampton.
Queries have been grouped together to cover the year 1998 and can be viewed at Queries-1998
Ruby Cusack is a genealogy buff living in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Readers are invited to send their New Brunswick genealogical queries to Ruby at rmcusack@nbnet.nb.ca. When E-Mailing please put Yesteryear Families in the Subject line. Please include in the query, your name and postal address as someone reading the newspaper, may have information to share with you but not have access to E-mail. Queries should be no more than 45 words in length.
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