Friday, September 26, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
1891 Kamloops, British Columbia Census
A few weeks ago, in August, I decided to see what ancestry.com had new for Canada. (usually they don't have anything) I found that they had the 1891 census. Knowing that I have Hugh in 1881 living in Durham, Restigouche, New Brunswick and in 1900 in Skykomish, King, Washington, I have always wondered how he came into the United States. His father, and two of his sisters had settled in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, so I thought it was possible that he had come into the country through the eastern U.S., but then again, he was living in Washington, so he could have come west through Canada down into Washington. I just didn't know, but I had thought that the latter was probably correct. I just wasn't sure if he even had anything to do with his father or that side of the family.
One Saturday in August, I looked his name up in the 1891 Canadian census, it it came back with a top result of a Hugh McIntosh in Kamloops, Yale, British Columbia. It was the right hit. He was 24 and it listed New Brunswick as his birth place, and it listed his employment with the Canadian Pacific Railway as a Brakeman.
I was so excited, that pretty much summed up that he had come into Washington from British Columbia, probably to work for the Great Northern Railway.
One Saturday in August, I looked his name up in the 1891 Canadian census, it it came back with a top result of a Hugh McIntosh in Kamloops, Yale, British Columbia. It was the right hit. He was 24 and it listed New Brunswick as his birth place, and it listed his employment with the Canadian Pacific Railway as a Brakeman.
I was so excited, that pretty much summed up that he had come into Washington from British Columbia, probably to work for the Great Northern Railway.
Where my research has led me to...
My grandfather George was born in Skykomish, King, Washington on 15 Sept. 1906. He always said that he remembered that the road was in front of the house, and that the river and mountains were behind the house. This description, stuck with him his whole life. I think he was about 4 or 5 when he left Skykomish and moved to Cozad, Nebraska.
I remember my dad and I trying to find the place on a map. Couldn't find it. For a time, we thought it might have been Snowhomish or Skyhomish, but I remember finding it on a map one day and being so very excited.
In a way, it has been such an incredible blessing that we have been able to live in Oregon and be so close to Skykomish. I have made three separate trips, and each have been so memorable. Through contacting the Puget Regional Archives, King County Archives, State of Washington, and local libraries, I have been able to add so much to my knowledge of Hugh and of the town. This last trip to Skykomish, hooking up with the Skykomish Historical Society has been a big blessing. We found a lumber picture with Hugh and an envelope from a music company in Seattle addressed to H.J. McIntosh dated 1905.
In 2007, I did my BFA for Multimedia design on Hugh. I think it was a bold move, most people don't understand why I did it, but I felt that this person had a story to tell, and if I wasn't going to tell it, who would? Eventually, my BFA accumulated in a book about Hugh and a gallery showing featuring pictures of Hugh on the wall, with a table, light, and a chair to set and look at the book. Also, I had recorded Hugh's daughter and his grandchildren talking about him, so I felt that really added to the showing.
I am currently still doing more research, as it is an ongoing process and working on refining the book so that it can be made into a hardbound edition.
I remember my dad and I trying to find the place on a map. Couldn't find it. For a time, we thought it might have been Snowhomish or Skyhomish, but I remember finding it on a map one day and being so very excited.
In a way, it has been such an incredible blessing that we have been able to live in Oregon and be so close to Skykomish. I have made three separate trips, and each have been so memorable. Through contacting the Puget Regional Archives, King County Archives, State of Washington, and local libraries, I have been able to add so much to my knowledge of Hugh and of the town. This last trip to Skykomish, hooking up with the Skykomish Historical Society has been a big blessing. We found a lumber picture with Hugh and an envelope from a music company in Seattle addressed to H.J. McIntosh dated 1905.
In 2007, I did my BFA for Multimedia design on Hugh. I think it was a bold move, most people don't understand why I did it, but I felt that this person had a story to tell, and if I wasn't going to tell it, who would? Eventually, my BFA accumulated in a book about Hugh and a gallery showing featuring pictures of Hugh on the wall, with a table, light, and a chair to set and look at the book. Also, I had recorded Hugh's daughter and his grandchildren talking about him, so I felt that really added to the showing.
I am currently still doing more research, as it is an ongoing process and working on refining the book so that it can be made into a hardbound edition.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Hugh's origins
My dad always told me that my grandfather, George always said that Hugh was supposedly from a french speaking providence in Canada. Whenever Hugh would start talking about his family or previous life in Canada he would get angry and stop talking about it altogether.
After getting the death certificate, it told us that his father was Robert McIntosh born in Scotland and his mother was Margaret Barkley, birthplace unknown. It also said that Hugh was born in Bathrush, Canada. My wife and I searched and searched. There were to many Roberts born in Scotland and we couldn't even find Bathrush in Canada. It simply didn't exist.
I naturally started looking at eastern Canada, like Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. All I could find that was close to Bathrush was Bath and Bathurst. Then The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints put the 1881 Canadian census online. I put Hugh's name in and it came back with a Hugh James McIntosh living in Durham, Restigouche, New Brunswick. It had to be him, it was his full name and right age, except I didn't recognize the people living with him. On the census with Hugh was Joseph, William, Mary, Catherine Euphemia McIntosh, and Mary McIntosh, widowed age 64. Who where these people, I just didn't know.
I figured that Bathrush was really Bathurst, New Brunswick. I left a posting on Ancestry's message board for Restigouche. All my success started after we moved to Oregon. I received a reply to my message from Darlene Campbell, who told me to look at Ira M. Beattie's website, where she said I would find Hugh's family. I looked it up, and I was so excited. I found Hugh listed with his parents, Robert McIntosh and Margaret Barclay (which I thought might have been the right spelling). Ira had done quite a lot of research, sadly though, he had passed away about a month before I found his website and research.
Since then I have learned a lot about Hugh's family. His grandparents were David McIntosh and Mary Freer. On the 1881 census, Hugh was living with his Grandmother Mary and her children. So the people listed were his Aunts and Uncles, and Grandmother.
After getting the death certificate, it told us that his father was Robert McIntosh born in Scotland and his mother was Margaret Barkley, birthplace unknown. It also said that Hugh was born in Bathrush, Canada. My wife and I searched and searched. There were to many Roberts born in Scotland and we couldn't even find Bathrush in Canada. It simply didn't exist.
I naturally started looking at eastern Canada, like Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. All I could find that was close to Bathrush was Bath and Bathurst. Then The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints put the 1881 Canadian census online. I put Hugh's name in and it came back with a Hugh James McIntosh living in Durham, Restigouche, New Brunswick. It had to be him, it was his full name and right age, except I didn't recognize the people living with him. On the census with Hugh was Joseph, William, Mary, Catherine Euphemia McIntosh, and Mary McIntosh, widowed age 64. Who where these people, I just didn't know.
I figured that Bathrush was really Bathurst, New Brunswick. I left a posting on Ancestry's message board for Restigouche. All my success started after we moved to Oregon. I received a reply to my message from Darlene Campbell, who told me to look at Ira M. Beattie's website, where she said I would find Hugh's family. I looked it up, and I was so excited. I found Hugh listed with his parents, Robert McIntosh and Margaret Barclay (which I thought might have been the right spelling). Ira had done quite a lot of research, sadly though, he had passed away about a month before I found his website and research.
Since then I have learned a lot about Hugh's family. His grandparents were David McIntosh and Mary Freer. On the 1881 census, Hugh was living with his Grandmother Mary and her children. So the people listed were his Aunts and Uncles, and Grandmother.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Hugh James McIntosh
I decided that I should create a blog to keep track of my research into my great grandfather, Hugh James McIntosh. I guess I'm really obsessed with him. I started when I was a teenager, after the death of my grandfather, George. I guess curiosity really drove my early interest in him. I never met him or knew him. I have come a long way since my first document in the mail, Hugh's death certificate.
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