3% - Sunday, January 21, 1990 - North Shore News

TRAVEL

Searching for roots
good excuse to travel

IF YOU haven't already begun, tracking your family roots
might be a fascinating project for 1990. Besides, what better
excuse for travel? — providing you need one.

I’ve always had a keen interest
in roots, probably fired by some of
the stories my Dad used to tell.
According to Dad, our family had
its fair share of rogues and scoun-
drels, which balanced the rest who

Barbara McCreadie

appeared to be hard working,
God-fearing and otherwise dull as
dishwater.

I was disappointed when I found
out that some of Dad’s stories —
like the one about my ancestor
who was allegedly killed in a bar-
room brawl while trying to shang-
hai a crew for his ship — were
more imaginative than truthful.
Looks like the old boy just up and
drowned, unaided.

I’ve other motives for digging
around in family cemeteries.

First, ] have an urge to ‘‘shang-
hai’’ all three of our daughters and
go on a rooting expedition. They
all have an interest in genealogy
and a curiosity about largely
unknown sectors of their
backgrounds. In fact, the only part
of the family that is well
documented is my paternal side —

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the Mason-Salsman family.

As for the McCreadies, they’re
almost a total mystery and nearly
anyone who could shed any light is
long gone.

Another reason is a medical one.
[t is well known that families pass
along genes that can predispose
later generations to various traits
— and disease. Even the Windsors
have their share of downright od-
dballs. Diabetes lurks in our histo-
ry, but what else?

ake

Assuming that most of your his-
tory is a blank page, where do you
start?

After you've squeezed every bit
of information from relatives and
local records, it’s time to use other
resources.

Probably the finest research cen-
tre in the world is conducted by the
Church of Jesus Christ of Lutter
Day Saints, more commonly
known as Mormons.

I talked with Elaine Sanderson,
one of their knowledgeable volun-
teers at the centre in Burnaby
(5280 Kincaid, tel: 299-8656).

The centre is open to the public,
at no charge, Tuesday to Friday,
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (10 p.m. Fri-
days). After 6 p.m., they try to
reserve the facilities for church
members.

Their access to records is simply
immense and so detailed that in
five minutes of conversation,
Elaine and I were able to track two
places where our family paths
crossed in Nova Scotia. We are
complete strangers to each other
but quite possibly distantly related.

All materials are available to
anyone — the only charge is post-
age, should materials need to be
shipped from the headquarters in
Salt Lake City.

Elaine told me about another
excellent reference centre — the
Cloverdale Public Library. Here
again, no charge except possible

SEA

postage.
If medical concerns are your
primary interest, look to the

Halifax Archives — (Mr.) Terry
Punch has assembled an extensive
reference collection of medical
pedigrees.

it is wise to do all your
homework before you start buying
tickets to old family seats. Much
of the tedious werk has already
been done by scholars who have a
far better understanding of old re-
cords and migratory patterns than

you or me.
Anyone who has visited an old
graveyard can tell you — you'd

better know what yeu’re looking
for or you won’! finu anything. |!
visited several old graveyards in
the Halifax area and found
See Travel
Page 37

Join us on our journeys
of discovery.

Free Slide Presentation at
Scottish Cultural Centre
8886 Hudson Street, Vanc.
Wednesday Jan 31st 7:30 pm
R.S.V.P (604) 980-3227

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