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Research in Other Countries => Canada Lookup Request => Canada => Canada Lookup Requests Completed => Topic started by: KarenM on Monday 05 December 05 17:30 GMT (UK)
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Hi there,
I am looking for Joseph Heffernan who was born around 1878 in Guelph, Ontario (or it could say Nichol Twp.) I have him in the 1901 census living with his parents, Jno and Francis Heffernan in Guelph.
I then have a postcard dated 1907 saying:
"Arrived at Lang Sept. 22, 1907, Blanche Allene H"
I also have another postcard dated April 1911 from Lang Sask. addressed to
"Cousin Joe" in Guelph (my grandmother's brother) from what looks like Orland (no last name written).
I have checked the 1911 census but cannot find any of the names.
Any help in tracking these names down would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Karen
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Karen,
Have you asked family members to check old photos and address books, etc., for these given names?
I believe "Jno" is short form for John (although that's not one of the names you were asking about).
Is "Cousin Joe" Joseph Heffernan?
Regards,
Josephine
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Hi Josephine,
There really are no family members to ask anymore (except my mother and I think at this point I know more than her ;D). I have 100 old photo's (of course nothing written on them) or so and tons of postcards dated 1907 through to 1911. I found them in my grandmother's house in the attic when she passed away, the same house that Jno and Francis Heffernan and Joseph lived in.
The cousin Joe referred to is actually Joseph Bowman.
The only clue I have is these postcards that mention Lang Sask.
Karen
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Karen,
It looks like Saskatchewan's Vital Statistics is putting indexes to their older records online:
http://vsgs.health.gov.sk.ca/vsgs_srch.aspx
They've got births up & running so far. I don't expect that will help you but if you keep an eye open over time, perhaps some death records might reveal something, although at this point it sounds like you don't know if those folks moved to Saskatchewan or just visited.
Saskatchewan GenWeb:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~cansk/Saskatchewan/bmd.html
Have you been in touch with the library in Guelph in case they might be able to help? They should have city directories, at the very least.
Regards,
Josephine
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Thanks for those sites Josephine. I will keep checking back with Sask. Vital Statistics.
I am pretty sure he never came back to Guelph after leaving, but never say never!
Thanks again,
Karen
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You're welcome, Karen! Good luck!
Regards,
Josephine
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Hi Karen
Just in case it might help... I have requested (via inter-library loan) the book "Lang Syne, A History of Lang, Saskatchewan" by Lang Syne History Book Commitee (1980) ISBN: 0889252092
I'm certain that I'll find mention of your Heffernans + other names! It might take a week or so for me to receive.
Happy new year :)
Donna
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Hi Donna,
Thanks, that would be great. Please let me know if you find any mention of them. I don't know for sure, but I imagine Lang is not that big. One of the postcards I have is a photograph of the Lang School.
Happy New Year
Karen
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Hi Karen
you may already have seen this but just in case
in the 1906 Prairie Provinces Census there is a Joseph Hefferman in Lang Saskatchewan - looking at the actual page the last name could be Heffernan and he is listed as born in Ontario and the post office is Lang
21 6 Hefferman Joseph Head M M 26
22 6 Hefferman Isabell Wife F M 23
23 6 Hefferman Joseph O. Son M S Apr.
based on where they were in 1906 here is a link to the 1911 census pages that cover that area - they have not been transcribed yet so each page will have to be looked at
http://automatedgenealogy.com/census11/Test2.jsp?sdid=4565
this may be his homestead reference (close to Lang)
SW 12 11 15 W2
Part Section Township Range Meridian
Reference:
Liber: 554
Folio: 290
File reel number: C-6378
Names: Joseph Heffernan
it was granted during the following dates so was likely filed originally in about 1908
554 May 14, 1913 - May 26, 1913 C-6377-C-6378
you can order the homestead file from this site
775198 Heffernan, Joseph SW 12 11 15 W2
http://www.saskhomesteads.com/copies.asp
here is the main site where you can search
http://www.saskhomesteads.com/search.asp
hope some of this helps a bit
Thelma
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I'm Hijacking this to say Hi Thelma!!
Hope you had a good Christmas!! :) :)
(Nice job - by the way!! :))
Annie
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Hi Thelma,
Thanks so much for that information. I will follow up with the Homestead information.
Karen
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http://www.lin.ca/resource/html/biblio.htm
Hockeystories from the "Heffernan Scrapbook." 1923 Could be related
Donna's find is also mentioned ( What great reading those old town histories are)
Not always accurate, though, as they rely on oral history, but wonderful none the less.
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From an old listing dated 2000...?
Found here!
http://www.canobits.ca/
HEFFERNAN--Blanche Allene, 92, Regina
YAY! Another site for us to use...I shall add this to our resources in Canada list!
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Could this also be a relative of some kind?
http://www.rootsweb.com/~cansk/SaskatchewanAndItsPeople/VolumeIII/HeffernanJohnH.html
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JJ!!
You are a star. Here is one of my postcards, signed Blanche Allene H, saying arrived in Lang. On the other side it's address to Jno Heffernan at my grandma's house. I'm so excited! Now I need to figure out how to read the obit, 2000 is not that long ago.
That's interesting about the Hockey scrapbook.
In the spirit of the game tommorrow night Canada vs. Russia, did you know that the term "hat trick" originated in Guelph, Ontario. The Biltmore Hats Company would give a new hat to the fellow who scored three goals in one game, hence a hat trick.
Karen
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What a wonderful postcard...
It looks for all the world like copper tooling with all the debossing!
Uh, Wait a minute...
So this Blanch was a sweetheart? 1907? I am afraid, then that this little
Blanche must have been a daughter as 2000 minus 92 is 1908...?
( could the mother have written it on behalf of a one year old? )
O.K. Now I am confused....Here is where the stories get interesting...and tough!
P.S. Thanks for the hat trick info...I did not know that!!!!
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It's actually a piece of leather. It has on the back ...... Co. New York.
I see now that perhaps this must be a daughter? Here is another postcard from Lang, Sask. which notes "my sisters and I". It's addressed to the same address, but to my great-uncle Joe Bowman. However I can't figure out what the first letter of his name is _rland? Any suggestions.
If I assume this is a daughter-in-law (Joseph's wife) to Jno Heffernan, why is she sending him a sweethart card in the month of October? Hmmm, although through the different postcards I have, they had quite the sense of humour.
Karen
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Well I thought it was a stylized "E" but there is one earlier in Easter...
This person has fun trying to make capital letters, so probaly never wrote often
I found an Orland Cole in the 1906, but don't know how to see where he
was from in Sask... (South Forkpost office) -. 8. 21. 3. 1. 5. 31.
He is 59 and born in England... Long shot, but just in case this is a family name....
At least we know the name Orland was actually used.!!!
There are some handwriting experts in the England threads....they are quite amazing...as I don't see what they see until they point it out to me... J.J.
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Ah! It just occurred to me that it probably took months for mail to get across
2 Provinces back then ...so perhaps they were trying to be timely...Haha...
Now that would have been snail mail...we are so lucky to have this instant
form of messaging, and only a hundred years later...
The mind boggles! J.J.
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Today is the first time I have noticed this posting...so in a rush I might have this all wrong. To me it seems like:
From 1906 Census there is a family living in or around Lang, Sask.
Joseph Heffernan
Isabelle
Joseph O. Heffernan
It would then appear that they send A Birth Announcement of their new daughter Blanche Allene H. (H being for Heffernan of course) to Mr. Jno Heffernan Grandfather of the new Blanche (his new little sweetheart) The card for some odd reason seems postmarked Guelph and not Lang which is very confusing. Time frame now 1907 which would fit in beautifully with the Obit found for Regina 2000, but also unfortunately mean that Blanch probably didn't marry.
Another post card is sent to Joseph Bowman (apparently a relative on the maternal side??) Is it possible that because of the number of Josephs in this family that the writer of the second card, which seems to be signed by "Orlando" is actually Joseph O. son of Joseph Heffernan in the 1906 Census in Lang. If they did indeed write humorous cards to each other maybe one of the parents wrote the card for Joseph O. to an older cousin? and this being 4 years after Blanche's birth that another sister has arrived??
If this is all out to lunch....I am sorry to have wasted your time.
dollylee
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Hi Dollylee,
When I woke up this morning it wasn't alarm clocks it was bells going off in my mind. It finally dawned on me the exact scenario that you just described! That yes, it probably is a birth announcement of Blanche to her grandparents and of course any new grandchild would be a sweetheart forever.
And the idea of there being too many Joseph's and going by his middle name Orlando makes sense as well, since that does seem to be a trait in the family at that time to have a first name but go by your second name.
Also on the side of the postcard that has two one cent stamps tere is a post mark from Lang Sask.
Thanks Dollylee for your post, it wasn't a waste of time, but a great help!
Karen
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There you go, sounds quite logical...didn't want to say outright that
Blanche was a spinster...Sometimes people get mad at us for jumping
to these conclusions....so I try not to dedeuce those things too early....
Yes the middle name thing makes sense also....
My third generation of Thomases did the same thing
and used his middle name as did half the siblings...which is why I am
glad few bother with this method of naming sons after fathers...makes
it so very confusing for descendants...
Haha... I was too taken with the cards themselves to catch on to any
postmarkings!!!
Well Done Dollylee
Best of luck with the rest of your searches, karen! Once Sask has more
info online it should fall into place for you. J.J.
P.S. There is a Heffernan Drive in Regina Sask...likely named after the
fellow, or his family, from an earlier posting...
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I just rec'd this email from the Village of Lang. Thelma you were right on the money.
Karen
Heffernan, Joe and Isabelle
Joe and Isabelle Heffernan came to Lang in 1905 from Guelph, Ontario. The town of Lang was booming at that time.
Joe was on tha Lang town Councilwhen he died in 1919.
Following Mrs. Heffernan's death in 1934, the family moved to Regina, Sk.
They had a family of three and all went to the Lang School.
Orland - now retired from government work and lives in Regina
Rowena - married and living in Medicine Hat
Blanche - lives in Regina
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Ahhh...there are the three! How lovely when people share information.
http://findaperson.canada411.ca/
You can find a few Heffernans in Regina, and perhaps get more information...
if you are so inclined to reach out to strangers...One never knows....
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LOL!! I have already called 2 and the others are not home right now!
Karen :)
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Well I'm so excited and just wanted to share that I have spoken with Joseph Heffernan's granddaughter, her mother was Rowena.
Thanks again everyone for all your help!
Karen
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What an exciting thread, Karen!
What a great ending! Congratulations! :)
Happy day,
Donna
P.S. I'm still gonna look at the Lang history book ;)
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Congratulations Karen !!! What a nice way to start off a New Year being able to put so many piece together. Hopefully Rowenas daughter will have more to add to your information.... ;D
It's so exciting when it works ;)
Sincerely
dollylee
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YAY!!! Way to go, all.... ;)
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Hi again Karen
I've finally received the Lang history book. The Heffernan family history is just a thumbnail sketch... exactly as the Village of Lang had emailed to you.
There is, however, two group pictures... one including Orland and one including both Blanche and Rowena. I'd love to send them to you if you'd like.
Also, there are these interesting words:
"About April 20th, 1906, Messers Cave and Heffernan went into partnership and were the leading carpenters and contractors for Lang."
Happy day to you,
Donna
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Hi Donna,
Thanks very much for that. I would love to see the pictures. I'll send you a PM.
Karen