Boom and Bust in Saskatoon
by Andrew Frowd
Andrew Frowd's English grandparents tied the nuptial knot in Montreal in 1912 and embarked on a whirlwind voyage to settle in booming Saskatoon. After starting a family, their fortunes were reversed in the Saskatoon "bust" of 1913 and they returned to the U.K. only a month before the outbreak of World War I. The why-and-wherefore of their reappearance in a small town in the English county of Suffolk provides ongoing fascination.
About the Speaker
Dr. Andrew Frowd started his career as a plant pathologist and has lived in Canada since 1972. Four years later, he was invited to join a team of researchers in Burkina Faso (then known as Upper Volta) working on improved varieties of cereal crops. Since then, he has completed long-term development assignments in Mali, Ghana and Chad. Andrew has also worked extensively in the federal government and for the Government of Saskatchewan. He has lived in Gatineau since 1992.
Trailed Rich Man to Italy
by Susan Davis
When Waymer S. Laberee recorded facts about his uncle Oscar in the Laberee Family History, he quoted from an article in The New York Tribune which highlighted Oscar’s successful business career as a capitalist and railroad president. What he didn’t record was the fact that his uncle had married twice and a Los Angeles Times article published in 1920 probably explains why.
About the Speaker
Susan Davis grew up in a military family but enjoyed summer holidays at her grandparents’ home in Quebec’s Eastern Townships where the Laberees settled in 1798. It’s quite possible that Oscar’s brother Avery is responsible for Susan’s love of family history. Avery began recording Laberee history and his son Waymer became the family historian. Susan is carrying on her grandfather Waymer’s research and is BIFHSGO’s Communications Director.
The Henderson Boys: They all Died at Sea
By Duncan Monkhouse
John Henderson Junior (1840-1906) had a family of 8 children. Each one represented a set of challenges to determine the lives that they lived. There were six boys and two girls in this Henderson Family. A granddaughter of one of the girls was told by her grandmother that “All her brothers had died at sea”. Not so, as I am descended from one of those brothers. By looking at the stories of the Henderson family children, Duncan will highlight the brickwalls that he encountered and the great moments that cracked them.
About the Speaker
Duncan Monkhouse works as an investigator, Electronic Evidence Officer, for the Canadian Federal Government and in his spare time investigates his family’s history. Duncan’s interest in the family history was peaked in 2008 when a colleague visited Shanghai, China, where his maternal grandfather had lived. Fortunately, Duncan’s mother had worked on researching the family genealogy and had completed a large portion of the tree. By expanding the branches sideways and with the coming online of vast genealogical databases, Duncan was able to break down many brickwalls discovering new cousins, interesting lives, and getting some invaluable photos.
They Weren’t All Heroes
By Myra Conway
While researching her cousin’s family, Myra Conway came across unusually complete documentation in the Burnt Records of WW1 British servicemen. Two brothers joined up to serve their country but then their paths took very different routes. One died in the trenches of Flanders and the other never left the British shores. One is memorialized and the other was found in dereliction of duty. Rabbits, bastard children and farmers all form part of this story of two brothers.
About the Speaker
Born and bred in England Myra Conway’s roots go back deep into London’s past and, on her father’s side, to the Huguenot weavers and skilled craftsmen. Myra is a retired public servant and former nurse who became interested in family history about five years ago. She has been a member of BIFHSGO for about three years. This all consuming hobby allows Myra the thrill of the hunt, the possibility to pursue her fascination with social history and the satisfaction of finding people from the past and putting at least a little flesh on their bones.
