Genealogy Corner: Facebook and Genealogy

Issue 18.17

Facebook has closed groups you can find and request to join. I saw one called Glengarry County History and Genealogy. My great grandfather is from Glengarry County, Ontario, Canada so I have researched the area and thought this might provide information. I joined the group.

Recently a Jennifer posted: “I have a genealogy puzzle. My great -grandfather was Daniel Alexander Kennedy born in Canada on 19 Apr 1859 and moved to Ironwood, MI about 1892. He went back to Canada to marry Margery Campbell at St. Raphael’s May 21, 1895. She was from Kenyon. I found one wedding record on Ancestry but it does not list where Daniel came from, but that his parents were Alexander Kennedy and Catherine Kennedy. Most records seem to say which lot and concession a person’s family resides, but they only list him as from Ironwood. I have him connected to an Alexander and Catherine Kennedy of Glengarry on my Ancestry Tree, but I fear that I did it all wrong and connected him to the wrong people. In the census records, the family does not ever list a “Daniel.” Would they call one son Daniel if he was really Donald, but they named a second son Donald? Yet, other clues have led me to think I have the right family. I need help.”

My second great grandmother from Glengarry’s surname is Campbell, so this caught my interest. I checked my database and found I had her Daniel Kennedy and Margery Campbell was my 1^st cousin four times removed. This led me to consider her question, correspond with her and check FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com for more information on the family. It turns out I found several new family members to add to our tree. I found census records showing Daniel was born in Canada, that he went by Dan, and that he had a son named Donald. I answered her query about the Daniel Donald conundrum and explained the Scottish naming pattern and how they do name children in the same family the same name and give them nicknames because if there were two fathers or grandfathers named Donald, then it would be perfectly fine to name one child after one of them and the other after the other.

You can search with Facebook’s search. Sign into Facebook, look in your left sidebar and click Groups > Find New Groups. Do a search on wording dealing with things, or places you are interested in.

For more information, contact Shanna Jones shannasjones@msn.com