Redwood Retro

Happy May! How is it here already?  I still haven't adjusted to writing 2025 yet. I am in the process of moving my Genealogy and Research content to another blog. I already have a zillion so whats another lol. I wanted a separate space to host the free record and genealogy look-ups I offer so it doesn't get lost in with all of my scrapbooking and photo stuff. For now the site will be hosted at   https://grisoldgenealogicalservices.blogspot.com/    This site will focus mainly on Canadian Genealogy  with an emphasis on places/sites you can search for free.      Thirty years ago, in the very early days of the World wide web, I had a site called Canadian Genealogy Made Easy. I ran it for a few years but I was fostering full-time and had my own children as well so it became a little overwhelming. Now that I am an empty-nester close to retirement I am feeling the family tree bug again and would love to help you with your family tree mysteries...

Found these notes in an old binder from when I was researching the Tobermory area. I believe these are from Manitoulin Church Records

On This Day in 1920 Toronto Newspaper clippings from January 1,1920

Free Canadian Genealogy Links -  Ontario  *I haven't posted about genealogy for a while and noticed many of the research links I use are now outdated or no longer exist. So I am starting from scratch with a new list of sites. If you know of a free / or own a genealogy site not listed please let me know and I will add it.  I try to stick to the free stuff and  FYI...a good percentage of the records on the "Paid" sites are available for free in other places..you just have to do a little digging. I do use the paid subscription sites now and then, especially if I have a tree to do in a hurry. Paid sites like ancestry make it super easy to find information, but for my own trees, I prefer to take my time and research the old fashioned way.  Genealogy is like a puzzle and to me, it is not very fun if you are given all the answers right away. *This list of links is an ongoing Work In Progress so please check back often for updates :) Toronto City Dir...

A few links to websites with online cemetery records and photos. Toronto List of Cemeteries in Toronto The Toronto Star has put together an interactive map of Toronto Cemeteries.    Pretty cool! Toronto Trust Cemeteries -  These records include an index and images from several Toronto cemeteries, including: York General Burying Ground (also called Potter’s Field), 1826-1855; Necropolis Cemetery, 1850-1912 (the index will continue to 1935); Mount Pleasant Cemetery, 1876-1933; Prospect Cemetery, 1890-1935. Mount Pleasant Cemetery - Genealogy inquiry page Ontario Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid - OCFA - Genealogy Database of over 3 million interments in Ontario Canada. Fields of Stones   - This site focuses on providing pictures of pioneer or abandoned cemeteries located in Ontario St Thomas Anglican Church Belleville Ontario Cemetery Pioneer cemetery in Belleville, Ontario photo gallery Picton Ontario - Glenwood Cemetery Burial ...

Grab your cameras and bring an empty stomach to celebrate harvest season, September 24th weekend at Toronto's Historical Fort York.  Farm to Fork On Common Ground is a family friendly feast of Food,Culture and Fun! Shop at the organic farmers market, create some art, or just sit back and enjoy the music and dance. For more information on the festival visit  http://www.torontonongmocoalition.org/ Click here for information on Fort York A freshly baked pie from the Fort York kitchen - TORONTO

I have been having so much fun turning all my family history into a series of blogs. I find it a much easier and more interactive way to share my research. I love that I can add a post and share something exciting that I have found much faster than editing a website. I can post a photo in real time from an old cemetery and get reaction or questions about the post right away, something I couldn't do with a traditional website. I do plan to add a little more creativity to my blogs. I think I play more with the layout and features than I actually post at the moment. The amount of photos and records I have to scan are unreal and I want to make sure the layout is easy to navigate to find everything. Google Patents I have added a post on my Blakely blog about my great grandfathers inventions . I knew about the inventions from a newspaper story but I didn't know that my grandfathers drawings and patents existed on Google Patents. I found the link during a random name search...

After more than 20 years of researching my family tree and procrastinating about publishing it, I have finally decided to turn my research into a series of blogs. I have far too much information to cram into a book and seeing that most of my family is online and on social media, doing it via blogs seemed to be the most logical way to go. I am going to do a blog for each main branch of my tree starting and I am starting with my maternal grandmothers side.  I have just started putting the first one together so check it out and let me know what you think.  http://bainthorntongenealogy.blogspot.ca/

I have started to transcribe photos of headstones I recently took at St Thomas Anglican Church cemetery in Belleville. It is a work in progress. Some of my photos are hard to read so I think I will have to take a few trips back and try to decipher some in person. To learn more about this cemetery and see the photos click here . Supposedly there are a few ghosts who hang out there so I think a nighttime trip is in order this summer.

I have started to update my page on Canadian Vintage advertising.  Most of these are from Ontario newspapers that I have collected over the years.