My Maternal Great Grandparents

I really enjoy surfing the web, researching or just "searching". I don't know names on my father's side but I do have some information from my grandmother's side of the family. Below is what I found just by keying in my great-grandfather's name and his occupation.

12713-91 Thomas STEVENSON, 34, harness maker, Canada, Hamilton, s/o Thomas & Isabella, married Ida RICHARDSON, 28, Canada, Hamilton, d/o James & Ida, witn: John GREY & Mary CURSER, both of Hamilton, 4 April 1891 at Hamilton

This meant so very much for me to find because it's impossible for me to trace much of my ancestry. It was an emotional shock to see the ancient notice of the marriage of my great-grandfather and my great-grandmother. I'd never known the names of my great-great-grandparents and here they were. I'd been told that my great-grandmother's name was Ida Marie and knew that one of my aunts had been named after her.

My grandmother, Theresa, was born in 1894 and went on to have 3 daughters...Ida, Arvella (known as Isabel), and Rose. It thrills me that the "Isabel" (my mother) came from my great-grandfather's mother.

I've often identified with adoptees who know little or nothing of their ancestry because I know nothing about my family on my father's side. It will always make you feel as though a part of you is missing. Just learning this little bit about my maternal great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents makes me very happy.

Thomas and Isabella Stephenson, parents of my great-grandfather, Thomas.

James and Ida Richardson, parents of my great-grandmother, Ida Marie.

You are all part of me, my children, my grandchildren, and my great-grandchildren.

Note: Further research found the following article naming businesses back when my great-grandfather had his...

Harness Makers Fraser, Johnson & Co., John street north ; Thomas Clohecy, Kerrick street ; Coy & Co., King street west ; Wm. Dunlop, John street south ; John Finlayson, King street east ; Jos. Jolley & Sons, John street south ; Robert Kirkpatrick, Mar ket street ; W. E. Murray, Marnab street north ; Philp & Son, Yoi k street; Thomas Stevenson, Jo.in street south.

Finding this little bit of history and ancestry just thrills me to no end. I've been to the building where he ran his harness shop and it's now a bar. I told the manager a story I'd been told by my grandmother about how my great-grandfather had buried money in the backyard but couldn't find it when he'd tried to dig it back up. It could still be there or it could have been stolen many, many years ago.

Apparently GG Thomas was fairly well off because, besides owning the building that his business was in, he also owned the building next to it where he called home. I lived there for a while when I was a baby and the story goes that my great-grandmother was coming downstairs with some coins for me when she tripped and fell to her death.

Drama, good and bad, occurs in all lives and all generations.