Pardon the pun!LOL

Might be interesting for history buffs.............or not!LOL

Sort of running related in that I was prompted to do some digging on family history in January after hubby and

I booked a group trip to Ireland to run a marathon in Sept 2013. Of course when one is planning a trip to Ireland

the idea of family connections comes up immediately. Well I guess that is if you are born and raised in what is

considered "the most Irish city in Canada".

I knew from family "lore" that my Father's Mothers family originated in Ireland  but not much more than that.

After doing some digging in the government internet archives I comfirmed that my Great-Great- Great Grandfather

emigrated from Country Kerry in 1840.  He then  lived all of his life (and several of his children and Grandchildren)

on the street where my Grandmother was born ( only 2 miles from where I grew up). I knew that my Grandmother

was born there but didn't know how far back the family went at that location.

My Father's Fathers family has lived on the street where I grew up for over 130 years and my Father was born in

the house where I grew up and where my Mother still lives.

I had already done extensive research into my Mother's side of the family and there is a lot of public

documentation of those families, as they arrived in Canada  with the exodus of the  Loyalists from New York

around 1785. Two loyalist families ended up  merging in the form of Great-Great-Great Grandparents on my

Mothers side.  So I am of Loyalist descent on both sides of her family.

I found it fascinating and unusual that in this day and age of families moving around so much that  on both

sides of my family we have lived in the same city (within a few miles of each other) for over 225 years on one

side and 173 years on the other side.

Or maybe we just don't like change. The Irish are like that you know!LOL

I also discovered that my Grand parents and Great Grand parents were married in the same church as hubby

and I. I knew my family had been going to that church for a long time but never dreamt the history went back

so far.

I can't help but think in a city with a base population of 70,000 at it's height, and living in the same area,  that

members of these families on each side must have encountered each other many times over the generations

prior to my parents marrying.

And being a huge history buff the thought of that is both fascinating and somehow comforting. To literally be

walking in the footsteps of my ancestors all of my life feels very special to me.

Sorry for the long ramble but I've been saying I was going to look into my Irish connections for years and years

and now finally ended up doing it............because of running!!

Or maybe we just don't like change. The Irish are like that you know!LOL

Which makes it all the more remarkable that millions of them were moved to abandon their homeland and sail across the sea for an unknown new life.  That tells me conditions were pretty bad for them in Ireland.

I think it's so cool that you are running a marathon in Ireland!  I look forward to hearing all about it.

Very cool, Beth!

I have more Canadian roots (Nova Scotia) than Irish roots, but one of the things I found when visiting Ireland was that if you had any Irish connection, even the most tenuous, you were part of the family.

Great post Beth, and so interesting.

 

I just wanted to ask something. It's interesting that many aspects of your life today are directly linked to your ancestors. Do you think that coming from Loyalist ancestors still influences your view of things today?

Thanks and great question! I hope you don't mind very long winded answers! You did ask!LOL

I don't think so from a political perspective. Many of the older people still feel a strong connection to the

monarchy but more from the modern day Commonwealth connection as opposed to the Revolutionary

War connection.

But definitely from the perspecitive of how people here feel connected to this place. If you are born and brought

up here you definitely grow up with a sense of place and an appreciation of our history and what it took for our

ancestors to establish themselves and thrive here, both the Loyalists and the Irish, especially with the harsh

climate..

I know for myself and my husband, that although we have travelled (and love to) and had chances to move

elsewhere this is our place and we belong here. It's in our DNA.

Our history is celebrated in our culture and festivals ,place names etc. We really remember and honor the

founders and the important people in our history. And you better believe St. Paddy's Day is a big deal

here!LOL  We even have a St. Paddy's Day run that ends with beer and Irish Stew at a local Irish pub

(one of many)

Also we are a very laid back people. We don't get worked up about a lot but when we do you will know it. Maybe

this comes from our history of upheaval? We see a lot of things with a "this too shall pass" attitude.

It's one of those rare places (maybe much like Quebec City) where we actually still actively live in our history. The

first city market in Canada is the place where I got my coffee every day for years and still has all the open

fruit/vendor/meat stalls in much the same format that existed when it opened around 1875. Many of our public

buildings still in use date back to the 1870's. Our very large "in city" public park was founded in the 1870's and is

still the main recreation area for outdoor activities.

The oldset burial ground, established in 1783 is now a public park with walkways and benches and much used

every day. We literally walk beside the bodies of our ancestors every day. Sort of creepy but pretty cool too.

We are also an extremely friendly city and visitors comment on that constatnly. We are welcoming to everyone and

will go out of our way to help people, newcomers, visitors, those in need. I honestly think this comes from our history

on both the Loyalist side and the huge population of Irish that came before and during the famine. They all came

here out of hardship and need and I really believe that down thru the generations has been passed the idea that

we have a responsiblity to help people in need.

We are also well known for our rescourcefulness and all the "firsts' in Canadian History and well as the many

inventions that originated here.......such as the first cable ferry, the first variable-pitch aeroplane propeller, the first

dump truck, the first vortex flushing toilet, and on and on.........

Also the man (John Peters Humphrey)  who wrote the original draft of the Delcarlation of Human Rights  in 1948,

under the commission of a group chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, was born here.

Notable firsts

• 1785 – First quarantine station in North America, Partridge Island, established by the city's charter.^[50] In the early

19th century, it greeted sick and dying Irish emigrants arriving to the New World with inhospitable conditions.

• 1830 – The first chartered bank in Canada, the Bank of New Brunswick.
• Canada's oldest publicly funded high school, Saint John High School^{[citation needed]}
• 1838 – First penny newspaper in the Empire, the tri-weekly Saint John News, established by George E Fenety.^[61]
• 1842 – Canada's first public museum, originally known as the Gesner Museum, named after its Nova Scotian founder Abraham Gesner, the inventor of kerosene. The museum is now known as the New Brunswick Museum.
• 1854 – The world's first automated steam foghorn was invented by Robert Foulis.^[62]
• 1870 – Canada's first Y.W.C.A. established by Mrs. Agnes A. Blizzard in a house on Germain Street.^{[citation needed]}
• 1872 – First monitor top railroad cars in the world invented by James Ferguson. The original model is in the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John.^[64]
• 1880 – First clockwork time bomb developed in 1880.^{[citation needed]}
• 1906 – First public playground in Canada which was started by Miss Mabel Peters.
• 1907 – First orchestra to accompany a silent moving picture on the North American continent was by Walter Golding in the old nickel theater, May 1907.^{[citation needed]}
• 1918 – One of the first police unions in Canada, the Saint John Police Protective Association, was formed in Saint John.^[67]

So there you have it!! or not!LOL I'm not sure if I was able to properly answer your question but I did give you

a good history lesson!LOL

Beth, I'm back in my hotel room in Kingston, from that Hip concert I was talking about this morning. I am sitting here, reading your post, and all I can say is: I love my country so much. I love the Irish, the Scottish, the English, the French and all those other great people of different origins who arrived here later on, in search of a better life, ready to help build this country of ours. Forgive me, I'm a tad drunk... I blame the Hip.

Great post, Beth. The Irish are very similar to French-Canadians in character. My ancestors were already in America in 1638.  America is in my veins, this is my land. We explored it from coast to coast. In 1838, two of my ancestors fought the British establishment in the province. They were caught and hung and their lands were taken away from their families. 21 years later, they were recognized as heroes of the country by the future government of Canada. A monument with their names on it was erected in 1859 in a cemetery in Montreal, on the mountain. With their political demands, they helped pave the way for our new country. I am very proud of them. I wish Canadians knew their history better... To understand yourself, you have to know your past... And now I want to drink a Kilkenny beer to celebrate your post!

Are you doing the Dingle marathon? I don't think the date coincides... Which one is it?

I wish Canadians knew their history better... To understand yourself, you have to know your past... And now I want to drink a Kilkenny beer to celebrate your post!

 

Are you doing the Dingle marathon? I don't think the date coincides... Which one is it?

Lily, I find history fascinating. Probably because I grew up with a Dad who did also and an Uncle who was a history

teacher. And of course living with history around me every day helped.  Our house was full of books on history and by

Farley Mowat and Pierre Burton books!LOL

One of the Loyalists families I descend from actually started in France and came to Tarrytown NY around 1680. So

in reality I am also of French descent way way back.

I will have a sip of Kilkenny beer for you. That is one of the towns we will be stopping in and our hotel that night

is in a castle.

We are moo-ing this marathon in Letterkenny..............and believe me the jokes are flying fast and furious and I am

determinted to win the costume trophy. WE are up to 35 in our group now.

From what I have read on a few race reports the hills in the first 7 miles will make Bermuda look easy! Definitely one

just to take my time and enjoy the incredible scenery.

http://www.mooathon.com/index.html

Very cool, Beth. Ancestry history is so fascinating.

 

I found out that a multiple-great ancestor on my Dad's side (back in the 1500's) was on the losing side of a war and got imprisoned in Scotland. He escaped to Ireland, changed his last name and married an Irish lass. His children, lots of them, came to America, where they went west. There is a county in Tennessee named after one of his grandchildren and it is also the middle name of the men in my family.

 

I can't wait to read about your trip and experiences to 'the old country'.

Flarunner, very cool!  My brother's middle name a surname that was passed down on my Mother's side every 2nd generation from the Colonel who came here after being expulsed during the Revolution.