Using the Database of Vital Statistics from
New Brunswick Newspapers
-
based on over twenty-three years of work by Danny Johnson
Mum
said Dad was just like a kid getting a new toy when the cream separator
arrived. He had been talking for weeks of all the advantages of
electricity over the arm powered crank one he had been using for years.
It seemed to take forever to get all the parts out of the box.
Mum suggested he read the instructions before starting the assembling
but he did not think that was necessary. To him it was much faster to
just start doing the job.
A few week ago, I wrote about the Database of Vital Statistics from New
Brunswick Newspapers, based on over twenty-three years of work by Danny
Johnson that is now available on the web site of the Provincial
Archives of New Brunswick at http://archives.gnb.ca
From the messages that I have received, it seems some users were so
anxious to get started extracting the information from this database,
they didn’t the take time to read the instructions.
One way to do the search is by using the “Name Index” where you start with
selecting the first letter of the family name you are searching. I
chose “C” and up popped 2,317 names. The surname “CUSACK” was there but
also “CUISACK”, “CUSAC”, “CUSICK” and “CUIK”. By clicking on the
surname, I was able to get information such as:
In the November 9, 1885 issue of The Daily Telegraph of Saint
John: “There was raised on the farm of Michael CUSICK near Barnesville
Station a yellow top turnip which, after being neatly trimmed, measured
38 1/2 in. and weighed 21 3/4 pounds.”
The October 24, 1878 issue of The Daily Telegraph gave us not
only some information but left us with an unanswered question as to why
the California newspapers were requested to publish a copy of the death
on Tuesday eve. 22nd inst., of John CUSACK second s/o James CUSACK and
Esther CUSACK, age 17. (California papers please copy) Funeral will
take place from his father's residence St. Patrick St. Thursday half
past 2 o'clock.
The use of “filters” can narrow your search by surname as there are
311,514 unique names with 640,984 names in the indexes. Personally I
like to look at all the first names as one never knows what name could
suddenly ring a bell.
The Full-Text Search which enables limiting by county, place,
year and newspaper is really a tool that words will not do justice to.
I thought I would take a look for CROUCHVILLE and was pleasantly
surprised at the results.
By using the words “mill” and “accident”, I discovered some of the
terrible tragedies involved with this occupation as on April 22,
1874, The Daily Telegraph reported “a fatal accident occurred at
Messrs Trites saw mill at Upham (Kings Co.) on Monday afternoon, 20th
inst., by which James McCULLOUGH, an employee in the mill, lost his
life. It appears that McCULLOUGH's head, when he was in a stooping
position near the circular saw acme in contact with it and was entirely
split open. He lived four hours after the accident.”
By using “marriage” and “honeymoon”, I found in the April 21,
1895 issue the New Brunswick Reporter and Fredericton Advertiser that
on “April 19th, in New Maryland - John MORGAN, a popular young widower
of this place and Mrs. Mary CARSON, a blooming young widow of
Fredericton, were united in marriage by Rev. Freeman at the residence
of the bride, Wednesday 10th inst. After spending a few days of their
honeymoon at the home of the bride on Charlotte St., the couple drove
to their new home at New Maryland.”
The scope of information you can ferret from the Database
of Vital Statistics from New Brunswick Newspapers is unlimited.
I suggest you sit down at the computer with plans to spend hours of
searching the web site of the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick at www.archives.gnb.ca
where you will also find 1,676,898 entries on their other databases;
5,042 photographs; 55,115 digitized documents and a database guide.
By the way, take time to read the instructions that are given on the
web site.
***
Query 1520
Pierce: Looking for the
first name of the Pierce mentioned in the 6 May 1869 edition of the
Morning News which reported, “On Tuesday morning a carpenter named
Pierce employed at Jewett's Mill, Drury Cove (Saint John) was caught in
the machinery and whirled around the shaft breaking his ribs,
destroying one lung, dislocating his left ankle and breaking his arm in
several places and cutting him so dreadfully that Dr. Earle pronounced
his recovery hopeless.”
DAWN DiPIETRO
29600 Island View Dr. #200
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
90275, USA
E-mail ddipietro@cox.net
Query 1521
Jack - Carmichael - Wyer - Hunt:
I'm interested in any biographical information that anyone can share
about my family line of Robert Melville Jack born 5 May 1837 in New
Brunswick, his wife Mary Carmichael born 2 Sep 1864 and Robert's
parents, David William Jack born 25 Feb 1785 in Scotland, settled in
St. Andrews circa 1802 and his second wife, Mary Wyer born19 Oct 1801
in New Brunswick and Mary's parents Thomas Wyer born 15 Jun 1744
Charlestown, MA and Mary Hunt born 1764 and settled in St. Andrews, New
Brunswick in 1783 as Loyalists.
DON PETERS
3116 W Spirit Dr
Anthem, AZ
85086 USA
E-mail dwpeters@us.ibm.com
