Mrs. Hiscott ~ Mystery Woman

Mrs. Hiscott

This digital photo is a scan of the original held in the collection of the Niagara Historical Society Museum and is identified only as ''Mrs. Hiscott''. The question is which Mrs. Hiscott is she?

• Mary Simpson (1790-1852), 1st wife of Richard
• Martha Reed (1803-1860's), 2nd wife of Richard
• Elizabeth Ann Coleman (1804-1878), 3rd wife of Richard
• Hannah Maria Read (1828-1912), wife of James
• Elizabeth Clement (1830-1897), wife of Thomas
• Catherine Ann Depotie (1838-1928), wife of Edward

I can try researching the style of dress and bonnet that she is wearing and try to date this however these are all 19th century women so narrowing it down to one may be impossible. Unless of course someone recognizes her and can let me know who she is.

Weekend in Niagara ~ Sunday

Sunday morning, we headed to Niagara on the Lake. The short drive there from St. Catharines was spectacular. We took Lakeshore Road which has a lot of orchards along it and the trees were in full bloom. It was a sea of beautiful colors and flowers...(duh, I didn't take any pictures).

Niagara on the Lake

This photo taken from Queen's Royal Park in Niagara on the Lake, looking across the Niagara River at Fort Niagara in Youngstown, New York. This is the point where the Niagara River and Lake Ontario meet. Imagine in 1812, the Americans and British lobbing shots at each other across this river.

HISCOTT House

This is the former home of Richard HISCOTT, Sergeant in the 76th Regiment of Foot of the British Army. Richard is my 4th great-grandfather and headed one of the founding families of the town of Niagara. The house is a designated heritage property, circa 1817 and is located at 78 Prideaux Street, Niagara on the Lake. I'll go back and take another picture when the street construction is finished and the bright orange fences are gone.

St. Mark's Anglican Church and Cemetery

St. Mark's Anglican church, founded in 1792 is the oldest Anglican church in Ontario. It was the church of my HISCOTT family and the churchyard cemetery contains the graves of many of my relatives and ancestors. The church was used extensively by both the British and the Americans during the war of 1812. According to the St. Mark's website, the Americans occupied the building in 1813, dug rifle pits in the cemetery surrounding it and gutted the interior before leaving.

While walking around the cemetery in the churchyard, we spotted some prying eyes on us. This foxy little guy would take a few steps, stop and stare at us, take a few more steps, stop and stare and on and on until he finally decided to run off. I don't think I've ever seen a fox running wild before and really didn't expect to see one in the middle of a town.

Fort George National Historic Site of Canada

We decided to go on a walking tour of Fort George, a National Historic Site of Canada. The fort was built by the British between 1796 and 1799 to guard the strategic river mouth from an American invasion. This fort played a pivotal role in the War of 1812. After heavy fighting between Fort George and Fort Niagara on the American side of the river, the Americans took over and occupied the fort during the summer and fall of 1813. They eventually abandoned the fort and returned to Fort Niagara.

The fort has since been completely re-constructed to re-create it's pre-1813 appearance. The only original structure that survived the War of 1812 is the Powder Magazine. It would take several hours to tour the entire fort. It is very large and contains many buildings to go through, battlements and great views of the Niagara River. You can do it on your own or take advantage of a guided tour by staff in period costume.

Niagara Historical Society Museum

It was getting late in the day but we stoppped at the museum because there were a few items I wanted to see and take photos of. I started chatting with the curator and discovered that the items I wanted to see were in their inventory but not actually on display.

After more chatting and a pile of questions from me, he did a search on their database using my HISCOTT surname and found that they have about 80 items tied to that name, some of which were photographs. Photographs that I didn't have. I do now though *grin*. The museum has a research room so I'm going to set aside some time in the future to go there and check out these 80 items they have.

After leaving the museum, we got the phone call about Mom so we quickly headed home to get ready to go to Winnipeg.

Weekend in Niagara ~ Saturday

A few weeks ago we went back to the Niagara area for another Genealogy weekend. It was while we were there that we got the call about my mother in law being ill so things have been on hold for a while. Just wanted to share some of the things we did and saw while we were there...

Louth United Church and Maple Lawn Cemetery

Our first stop was at the Louth United Church and Maple Lawn Cemetery. This was my first visit to this church and cemetery. It is located on Third Louth Ave in St. Catharines, ON and is the final resting place of many of my maternal ancestors, particularly the HAYNES family. These are descendants of Adam HAYNES, UE and his wife, Elizabeth FROELICK who I wrote about here. Both my 3rd and 4th great-grandfather's are buried here.

The church was built in 1878 and has been in continuous operation until very recently. Apparently it has been closed due to lack of membership. Many family weddings, baptisms and funerals took place here over the past 100 years. The small graveyard behind the church is called Maple Lawn cemetery. I took a ton of photos here because there were just that many relatives. It seemed like almost everyone had a name that's in my tree.

After visiting this church, I realized that I have a collector's plate with a picture of the church on it. It belonged to my mother and it's been put away in a drawer for about 25 years because I had no idea what the significance of it was or why she had a plate with a church on it. When I returned home I got it out, dusted it off and hung it on the wall in the dining room. So now I know...

One thing I wasn't expecting to find was the gravestone of a boy who was a childhood friend. Our backyards backed on to each other and our families were good friends. I was stunned to see this so later in the day, I looked up his parents and gave them a call. I had a really nice long conversation with his Mom who I hadn't talked to since I was about 12 yrs old.

Christ Church McNab Church and Cemetery

Christ Church McNab is an Anglican church located on McNab Road at Lakeshore Rd in Niagara on the Lake. It is the burial spot of many of my HISCOTT ancestors. It is a beautiful country church surrounded by it's own cemetery. The church was built in 1853 and is still in full operation. Again, many photos were taken here and I spotted a couple of surnames posted by fellow Indiana Genea-blogger and newly discovered cousin, Tina from Gen Wish List so I shot a few for her as well.

Warner's Cemetery

Warner's Cemetery is located on Warner Road along side the Queen Elizabeth Way (a major highway) in Niagara Falls. It took us three tries to find it but we were rewarded in the end. This cemetery contains the plot of the VAN EVERY family including the grave of it's founder in Canada, McGregory VAN EVERY, UE. It is thought that McGregory's gravestone is the oldest in Ontario.

My interest in going here was twofold. First, I knew that fellow St. Louis Genea-blogger, John of TranylvanianDutch  is a direct descendant of McGregory VAN EVERY and thought he would like some more photos. Secondly, McGregory's great-grandaughter, Eliza Jane VAN EVERY married my 1st cousin 5x removed, Rev. Frederick HAYNES. The old headstones were built into the interior of this 2 foot brick wall to preserve and protect them from further damage due to the proximity of the cemetery to the highway. I think the VAN EVERY plot with it's brick wall and built in headstones is the coolest plot I've seen yet.

St. Paul Street United Church (The Silver Spire)

We stopped by the St. Paul Street United Church in downtown St. Catharines after taking a coffee break. I wanted to take a look because I have come across this church many times in my maternal research and then I realized this was the same church where my own mother was baptized. I will be doing much more research on this church in the future but for now I just wanted to get a close up look and take a few pictures.

Justina ''Jennie'' Thiessen (1925-2010)

This past week heaven got another angel. My mother-in-law Justina ''Jennie'' Thiessen passed away peacefully in the hospital in Winnipeg.

Jennie was born in Altona, Manitoba on June 28th, 1925 to Heinrich Wiebe and Elizabeth Driedger. Her parents were part of the migration of Mennonite immigrants who came from the steppes of Southern Russia, sponsored by the Canadian government to settle the southern part of Manitoba along the Red River between the US border and Winnipeg. Jennie was one of 8 children (7 girls, 1 boy) and grew up on the Wiebe farm just outside of Altona. She had a typical Mennonite education and worked on the farm with her family and took odd jobs until she was married. She was fluent in both English and the low German dialect of her ancestors. She loved to ride the horses and enjoyed the tractor so much, her Dad bought her one of her own.

While working as a waitress in Altona in 1944, Jennie met David Thiessen of nearby Rosenfeld, Manitoba, a young farm boy who had recently enlisted with the Canadian Army in the war effort. They were married on the 27th of October, 1944 just prior to David being sent off and stationed at Camp Shilo. Jennie remained at the family farm and in October of 1945 she gave birth to her first son (my husband). In 1946 David returned to civilian life and the young family moved to a house in the town of Altona where two more sons were born. Around 1950 the family headed north to the city of Winnipeg where two daughters and another son were born. They were now a family of 8.

They were a hard working family and did what they could to raise 6 children. My husband recalls that the kids would meet other kids in the city who sometimes needed some help or a place to stay and Jennie always took them in and cared for them. She loved to play the guitar and sing and dance. She had a very entrepreneurial spirit and found various ways to earn extra money for the family. She loved to buy and sell things and her outgoing personality made this easy for her. She was a natural sales woman.

Her husband David passed away on the 22nd of February, 2004. At that time Jennie sold the family home and moved into a Senior's residence where she lived until the time of her death. Jennie passed away on Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 at the age of 84. She is survived by 6 children, 17 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, 2 sisters and many loving nieces and nephews. My husband and I will miss her greatly. She was loving, giving, funny, feisty, and smart. I could not have asked for a better mother-in-law.

When her husband passed away 6 years ago, my husband started a tradition of calling his Mom every Sunday after dinner. We live about 1300 miles away so this was his way of giving her something consistent to look forward to and he made that call faithfully every week. It was a joy listening to these calls and hearing them laugh together. This Sunday will be the first one since she passed that he can't make that call and it just happens to fall on Mother's Day. It's going to be a tough day. Happy Mother's Day Mom, we love you. May you rest in peace ♥

Treasure Chest Thursday ~ My Fortune Cookie

My husband proposed to me (a long time ago) at a beautiful Chinese restaurant called The Mandarin. He had taken my son and I out for dinner and in between the meal and dessert he pulled a diamond ring out of his pocket and asked me if I would marry him. Of course I said yes and cried and we were all very excited about what had just happened. Eventually we settled down enough (well, I didn't) to continue our dinner with coffee and dessert, followed by the opening of our fortune cookies. On that night, in that place this was the fortune I got...

It's a keeper, just like my husband and will remain in my memory box forever!
(PS - He swears he didn't *rig* this and I believe him)


© 2010 Kindred Footprints

Treasure Chest Thursday ~ The Case of the Missing Pocket Watch

My husband who is a man of very few material wants or needs decided that he would like to bring something 'special' home for himself as a keepsake of our trip to Ireland. He finally decided on a pocket watch, and after looking at several, he found 'the one' in a little shop in Connemara in the west of Ireland. It was made by Mullingar Pewter in Westmeath Co and is embossed with an image of the Ha' Penny Bridge in Dublin.

We got home and unpacked our bags and then he realized that something was missing. His watch was not there. We searched and searched through our bags until we finally accepted the fact that it just wasn't there. He was so disappointed because this was the one memento he had to remember this trip.

Since we had last seen the watch on the bed in our hotel room in Dublin when we were packing, we decided to email the hotel to see if there was any chance it had been turned in. Much to our amazement, we received a reply that they had checked the room and had actually found it on the floor near the bed. It must have been knocked off when we were packing. About a week later my husband was ecstatic to receive a package in the mail from Ireland containing the missing pocket watch.

It was 'meant' to be his ;-)


© 2010 Kindred Footprints

Wordless Wednesday ~ Hiscott & Vine

© 2010 Kindred Footprints

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Asphyxiation by Gas

Mary Louise Hiscott (St. Mark's Anglican Cemetery, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario)

From the Hamilton Spectator
HISCOTT (Toronto, Ont.) Feb. 19, 1897 - Miss Mary Hiscott, who with her younger sister, Miss Harriett Hiscott, daughters of Major Hiscott, M.L.A. were found on Wednesday morning in their room at the Grosvener house in an apparently lifeless condition from asphyxiation by gas, died this morning about 3:30 o'clock. There is no improvement in the condition of the other Miss Hiscott.

Note: Thankfully the other Miss Hiscott DID recover from this tragedy...
The Misses Hiscott are my 1st cousins 4x removed


© 2010 Kindred Footprints

Destination: Thorold, ON

Locks 4, 5 & 6 at Thorold, Photo courtesy Welland Public Library

We set out Monday morning for a day trip to Thorold, Ontario where we were meeting a couple of cousins that I recently discovered and connected with. Thorold is the location where our Irish ancestors finally settled after leaving Ireland in the 19th century. It is located atop the Niagara Escarpment between St. Catharines and Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada. It is where the ships ''climb the mountain'' on the Welland Canal to travel between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, bypassing Niagara Falls. The cousins I met are the great grandchildren of Francis J. Manley who was the youngest brother of my great grandfather, John J. Manley. I love day trips to the Niagara Peninsula because it is where I was born and raised and all of my family roots on both my mother's and father's sides are there.

Photo courtesy of LSImages on Flickr

We started at Lakeview Cemetery which is divided in two sections, the 'old' and the 'new'. When you drive in the main drive you can see the 'new' sections. If you didn't know about the 'old' section it's not likely you would ever find it. There is a small opening in a fence with what looks like a narrow road going off in the distance and ending at a forest, but if you actually take that road it leads you right into the forest which is really the 'old' cemetery. It sits right along the Welland Canal and is the most beautiful hidden gem you've ever seen. This is where most of my paternal family is. I showed them the grave of our Irish Ancestors, Edward and Margaret Manley and from there we walked around and I pointed out everyone else that is there. There are many and they are all very close together.

From there we headed over to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary RC Church. This is the church that so many of our ancestor's attended. The cornerstone was laid in 1876 but it was not consecrated and ready until 1892 in an effort to avoid debt. My ancestors would have attended this church from it's beginning and the last family funeral that was held there was in 2002 when my Aunt Mary passed. One of the original stained glass windows is dedicated to the memory of our 2x great grandmother Margaret (Dixon) Manley. Even though I didn't attend this church I can remember being there many times throughout my life for weddings, baptisms and funerals.

Church photo's courtesy of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

Our next stop was at the Thorold Museum, maintained by the volunteers of the Thorold and Beaverdams Historical Society. The museum isn't open to the public a lot so my new friend Cathy arranged to have Diane from the society meet us there. I've never had a private tour of a museum before. It was awesome. The museum is located in a house called Chestnut Hall that was originally built in 1862 for John McDonagh who had a lumber business. My ancestor Edward Manley worked for Mr. McDonagh for many years according to his obituary in 1903. This building is now a designated 'Heritage' property.

Photo courtesy of the Thorold & Beaverdams Historical Society

The rooms in the house both upstairs and down are filled with local history including household items, linens, quilts, jewelry, tools, license plates and just about every imaginable item you could think of. The walls are covered in photographs and maps. There are books and binders filled with local news articles about people and places and events. It was a family historian's dream come true. I asked if I could move in for a while ;-) We were told that there are a couple of boxes full of beautiful portrait quality photo's in the attic that are unidentified. How I wish we could identify these photos.

We ended the afternoon by gathering at a local watering hole for a drink with Cathy. Since she and my cousins are also cousins, she had some information that she wanted to share with them. It was nice to watch their enthusiasm talking about family history and getting to know each other. It's great to come from an area so rich in history.

Thanks to Cathy, Frank, Marian and Diane for another great road trip!


© 2010 Kindred Footprints

Ancestor Approved

Another award is making the rounds among the Geneablogging community. Many thanks to Southwest Arkie for passing along the "Ancestor Approved" award to me. I would send it back to you but I know you've already got it. Thanks also to Ancestors Live Here who initiated this award.

My instructions are to list ten things I have learned about any of my ancestors that has surprised, humbled, or enlightened me and to then pass the award along to ten other bloggers whom I feel are doing their ancestors proud so here goes...

1. Surprised to discover that I have a Great Grand Aunt, Mary Flynn who became a Mother Superior (Mother Monica) and founded St. Joseph's Hospital in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

2. Surprised to learn that my paternal surname, Manley was actually Munnelly before my 2x Great Grandparents came to Canada from Ireland.

3. Surprised to uncover the story of my Great Grand Uncle, Hugh Manley who died as a result of injuries he received while performing a heroic act to prevent a boiler explosion in a school full of children and that a High School in Chicago is named in his memory.

4. Humbled to learn that my 2x Great Grandparents were part of the mass exodus from Ireland during the potato famine of the 19th century and the struggles and challenges they faced.

5. Humbled to discover that I have a Great Grand Uncle, Roger Manley/Munnelly who was born and died at the immigration center known as Grosse Ile in Quebec and that his name is listed on the memorial wall with other Irish famine victims.

6. Humbled to have been able to travel to Ireland and visit the ancestral homeland of my 2x Great Grandparents in County Mayo.

7. Enlightened to learn how many Ancestor's I have that arrived in Canada as United Empire Loyalist's (UEL's) during the time of the Revolutionary War and that there might also be Patriot's from the same families.

8. Enlightened to realize that my maternal line, Vine that originated in England is almost all American and that I have cousins all across the United States from this line. Only two out of ten children settled in Canada and of course, I am descended from one of them.

9. Enlightened to learn the occupations of my male ancestors. My paternal ancestors were mainly involved in the construction and dredging projects of the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Welland Canal while my maternal ancestors were largely Farmers and Butchers.

10. Enlightened to have discovered the geographic origins of many of my family lines in England. I now have several little English villages to visit spread across the United Kingdom.

I'm passing the ''Ancestor Approved'' Award to these blogs that do a phenomenal job of telling their Ancestors stories...if you're not following them yet, you should be!

1. On a Flesh and Bone Foundation: An Irish History
2. They that go down to the sea
3. Finding Our Ancestors
4. Family Stories
5. Desperately Seeking Surnames
6. Lessons From My Ancestors
7. Reconnected Roots
8. Dreaming About Home
9. Gen Wish List
10. Kinfolk News

© 2010 Kindred Footprints