A couple of decades ago, I had no idea who my ancestors were when a niece brought me copies of my parents' colourful, elaborate circa 1890's baptism "scrolls" written in German, from Second St Peter's Lutheran Church, Brant Twp., Bruce Co., Ontario (her father, my eldest sibling prior to his demise apparently had possession of them), I became intrigued. The names on these scrolls introduced me to both sets of grandparents. (Wilken, Sachs, Fischer, Monk, Manto, Froek, Procknow, Weidendorf, Becker, Stade, Leifso, Misch, Kreuger, Bauer, Zarn, Buehlow, Fahning, Rody, Kolpin,and many other surnames; a rich and vibrant history.)
Next came my husband's kin. Rich in Huguenot (French protestant heritage including the Thibeaudeau kin who appear in Burke's Landed Gentry as anglicized version of "Tibeaudo" with multigenerational references to service in the British military, constabulary, judicial and clerical systems. Appearing firstly in Port Royal Acadia (traditional Thibeaudeau spelling), then 1699 Ireland with many "entailed" landed estates. After resettling in Australia (1830's) & Canada (1850's), some reverted back to traditional French spelling. "Cousins" from County Antrim, UEL Rapelje with Dutch origins [another Huguenot connection], Thompson and Carmichael from Scotland, Howson from Yorkshire, Baldwin from Ireland, Bell from Scotland and Ireland). All became part of the diverse cultural heritage we know as "Canada". Learning and sharing their stories has become my passion. Using my Ancestry trees as a tool to link families within the strictures of find a grave venue is always a rewarding challenge.

A couple of decades ago, I had no idea who my ancestors were when a niece brought me copies of my parents' colourful, elaborate circa 1890's baptism "scrolls" written in German, from Second St Peter's Lutheran Church, Brant Twp., Bruce Co., Ontario (her father, my eldest sibling prior to his demise apparently had possession of them), I became intrigued. The names on these scrolls introduced me to both sets of grandparents. (Wilken, Sachs, Fischer, Monk, Manto, Froek, Procknow, Weidendorf, Becker, Stade, Leifso, Misch, Kreuger, Bauer, Zarn, Buehlow, Fahning, Rody, Kolpin,and many other surnames; a rich and vibrant history.)
Next came my husband's kin. Rich in Huguenot (French protestant heritage including the Thibeaudeau kin who appear in Burke's Landed Gentry as anglicized version of "Tibeaudo" with multigenerational references to service in the British military, constabulary, judicial and clerical systems. Appearing firstly in Port Royal Acadia (traditional Thibeaudeau spelling), then 1699 Ireland with many "entailed" landed estates. After resettling in Australia (1830's) & Canada (1850's), some reverted back to traditional French spelling. "Cousins" from County Antrim, UEL Rapelje with Dutch origins [another Huguenot connection], Thompson and Carmichael from Scotland, Howson from Yorkshire, Baldwin from Ireland, Bell from Scotland and Ireland). All became part of the diverse cultural heritage we know as "Canada". Learning and sharing their stories has become my passion. Using my Ancestry trees as a tool to link families within the strictures of find a grave venue is always a rewarding challenge.