"History isn’t a myth-making discipline, it’s a myth-busting discipline ..."

Sir Richard Evans FBA

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Mary Hairsine


On behalf of BC Hydro, who'd lost information about its location, I recently revisited a grave on Hairsine's old property. Charles Miller writes that the grave "was Thomas Hairsine's lasting rememberance of his wife..." and that Hairsine "would climb to the grave site every morning or afternoon and sit and meditate, drinking in the beauty of the view. " In fact Mary's husband was Joseph Robson Hairsine. "Thomas" was the name of one of her children. Mary Hairsine was a daughter of William Magnus and Mary (Salunimia) Cromarty. William Cromarty was cooper of Fort Langley. Mary Hairsine left three children: Thomas Malcolm, William Gowan, and Margery.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Brodie (work notes) II

http://web2.gov.mb.ca/cca/vital/Query.php Edith in England was given this link for vital information from the government of Manitoba.

Here she found the registration of the mariage of John Brodie and Janet Dickson (first names) Beattie in Portage la Prairie on 15 April 1891. She also found a registration of the death of a John Dickson Beattie at Shoal Lake on 7 March 1907. The inclusion of the name Dickson as a first name suggests a family relationship. Purchase of a copy of the certificate may be necessary to find out.

Janet Dickson's death certificate shows her birthyear as 1842 so she was around 50 when she married John Brodie. Her father's name is given as John Dickson. His daughter, Janet Dickson could have been married to a "Beattie" before she married John Brodie (is John her son) or did her mother have married a Mr. Beattie?