Following footprints Vonda Adams traces the Reid family of Kings County As Cliff and I walked home from school, the bright sunshine of late March beamed down on us.
Where there had been slippery ice on the road last week, little trickles of water now ran everywhere. We tried to stop those little streams with our rubber boots, pretending we were damming up large rivers. If the boots leaked, we trudged home with wet socks.
When we opened the back door, the smell of freshly baked pies and bread made our mouths water.
But alas! We were soon disappointed. This baking was not for us.
Mum was preparing the food to feed the woodcutters. She had to put on a really big spread, as the woman of the house was judged on how great a meal she provided for this crew as it went from farm to farm.
As we were leaving for school the next day, Len and his dapple grey team of horses arrived with the huge woodcutter. Lem and George accompanied him. Other men would soon follow.
We sat in the little school house with our ears perked up, listening for the one-cylinder engine to start its putt, putt and then the whining of the saw as it sliced the maple and birch. We hurried home at the end of the day to find a new aroma in our yard - sawdust.
In the coming days the splitting of the wood began.
Men were judged by the size of their woodpile. The higher the woodpile, the higher the esteem of the neighbours.
If books were judged by the same yardstick as woodpiles, then "Footprints in Kings County, The Reid Lines" by Vonda Adams would certainly rank highly.
She is the daughter of the late Garfield and Jean Reid and grew up in the Sussex area. Vonda has spent more than half of her life in Western Canada, has travelled widely, but her heart and spirit have always remained rooted to her family lines in Kings County.
Through the years, she has done extensive research on the families of James Reid and Olive Scribner, who lived for a time on a government grant at Nerepis. James became the jail keeper at Kingston, and was holding this position during the imprisonment of Henry More Smith, the well-known Lunar Rogue or Mysterious Stranger.
James and Olive Reid moved to Salt Springs and the family farm was passed down to the next three generations of Reids.
"Footprints in Kings County, The Reid Lines" by Vonda Adams contains more than 2,800 names and 800 marriages in its 400 pages as well as many pictures of family descendants. Vonda's road of genealogy never ends - she is continuously updating births, marriages and deaths.
By the way, also in her woodpile of genealogy, Vonda has compiled "Family Ties" on her husband's families and presently is busy researching and organizing information on the Stackhouse family for publication in the future.
Vonda has donated copies of "Footprints in Kings County, The Reid Lines" to the New Brunswick Archives, the Harriet Irving Library and the Kings County Museum.
If you have information to share with her, send a message to ev.adams@shaw.ca
- Query 98-376
Beckett: I am looking for information on Alexander and Rachel M. Beckett. Alexander was a seaman, born in Glasgow, Scotland. Rachel was born circa 1811 in St. John River, N.B. By 1860, Rachel was living in Eastport, Me., with children: Emily J., born 1836, and John Alexander, born 1841, both in New Brunswick. In the 1880 census, Rachel was still in Maine and she stated that her parents were born in New Brunswick.
Diantha B. Howard, 57 East Shore North, Grand Isle, Vermont 05458. Or E-mail to dhoward@zoo.uvm.edu
- Query 98-377
Patterson - Race: George Patterson was married on April 20, 1855, to Margaret Patterson, born in 1829, the daughter of James Patterson and Margaret Race. Her brother John, born in 1831, married Elizabeth Cochrane. Both couples eventually came to Australia to settle in a small place called Greta. George may have been the George Patterson listed as arriving in Saint John in 1847 from Ireland at age 21. The couple had children: William (1858); John (1860); George (1862) and Elizabeth (1866) all born in Canada. Another daughter, Mary Jane, was born in Greta, Australia, in 1870. Therefore, they departed Canada sometime between 1866 and 1870. They are listed as Primitive Methodists. I am most anxious to find out exactly where they were married and if there are any descendants of this branch of the Patterson family still in Saint John.
Jim Collins, 43 Canterbury Rd., Blackburn, 3130, Victoria, Australia. Or E-mail to my friend Anne Ringer at raringer@melbpc.org.au
- Query 98-378
Wetmore: I am researching the Wetmore family. They were Loyalists and were scattered from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick. Could anyone suggest periodicals or books that would be useful? I would like to make contacts with others researching the Wetmore family. I would be most appreciative of any information that could be sent to me regarding this family.
Dana Callis, 2416 Lofurno Rd., Chesapeake, VA, 23323. Or E-mail to djcallis@webtv.net
- Query 98-379
Brown - Burden - Wilson: I am seeking information on the family of a John (James) Brown and his wife Susannah Burden. Their children were: James Burden Brown, born Oct 4, 1796, at Queensbury, York Co., and died January of 1891; William, 1800-1844; George, born in 1801; Denphy, born in 1805, Thomas B., May 1806-July 12, 1896); and Susannah. James became a colonel with the Charlotte County militia and justice of the peace. James, Thomas, Denphy and George were all long time residents of Campobello. James Burden Brown married Thankful Wilson and had a large family of 10 children. I have extensive information on James Burden Brown's descendants should anyone be interested.
Heather Waddingham, 342 Owens Crescent, Kingston, Ont., K7M 8H8. Or E-mail to lilman@king.igs.net
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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