It's a Good Thing!

Oh what an exciting day today has been. A few weeks ago I sent away to the Province of Manitoba for some records relating to my grandparents' (both sides) marriage registration. I am particularly interested in tracing my roots down the Wilson line. Unfortunately there has been very little information about my grandfather Charlie Wilson. My own mother could not provide me with much valuable information other than to say that her dad worked primarily as a mechanic and was from Chicago, coming up to Canada working on the railroad. I have received some little bits of information from another descendent of the Stiver line (Stever, Stober often name is changed). Previously I received a copy of the wedding notice that was published in the local paper at that time. The notice unfortunately did not provide me any information about my grandfather other than what he wore. Today, after a few weeks, I finally received a copy of the marriage registration. I could barely hold back my glee to find not only the name of my great-grandparent Wilson from Chicago but also..... wait for this...... my grandfather had been married before!!!! The registration indicates that he was a widower at the time of the marriage when he was listed as age 34. My grandmother was listed as age 22 (thus shattering the long held belief that my grandfather was a good 20 years older than my grandmother). It also narrows down a bit what year my grandfather was born. Although the registration does not indicate birth dates, at least we can do the math. Charles Henry Wilson's father is listed as a Harvey Wilson employed as a "sea captain" and born in Chicago; his mother's name is listed as Hannah Williams and also born in Chicago. Exciting stuff huh? Oh and the wedding took place in Elgin, Manitoba on May 24, 1921 and witnessed by the bride's sister Lola Anderson and Lola's husband Victor. The social event took place in Oak River, MB where the couple would reside after the wedding.

The other piece of information that I received was my grandparents marriage registration on my father's side. Although I knew their names, this information also provides the names of the witnesses, one being the bride's brother, Benjamin Nunn of Wheatland and a Lulu Johnston of Brandon. My grandmother's name was Mabel Alberta Nunn and my grandfather James Harris Foreman. They were married on October 31, 1906 (Halloween wedding) inWheatland, Manitoba. Of course I knew the name of his parents, William Foreman and Charlotte Melinda Harris. The Foremans came to Manitoba from Ontario and before that from England. Interestingly, the Foreman name actually was Forman and I discovered this weekend from sifting through internet research that it was William Foreman that altered his last name a bit from Forman to Foreman. One Canada census in the late 1800s indicates that William Foreman has a different last name from the head of the household. Don't know why he did that but there you go - mystery solved!

A third bit of information I received was information on the death of my great-grandfather Marshall Bidwell Stiver. He died March 27, 1919, ten days after seeing the doctor; he died of the spanish influenza. He died at home in Elgin with his wife Eva May Stiver (nee Park) at his bedside. Both Stivers are buried in Elgin cemetery. My grandmother Constance is buried next to them; an Anderson grandchild is buried in front of them. The Andersons (Lola and Vic) are buried not too fary away in the same Elgin cemetery. Just thought you might like this little bit of information. My mother gave us a copy of a picture of her grandmother, who must be Eva May Stiver (nee Park) as my mother did not know her father's mother.

I am having no luck uploading pictures again so will try again later.