If you have ever stood in the middle of a wide open prairie, with fresh breezes blowing across your face, wondering what the country looked like to the pioneers as they arrived to their new home, you are asking a question that is very important to genealogy research. How did the new surroundings help to shape our relatives?
For some, it made them stronger, more determined, and independent. It took gruelling, back-breaking work to start a new life, but it was their own. Whether they left their old country because of poverty, war, or persecution, coming here was a fresh start to a new life. Their hard work resulted in a home they could truly call their own.
For others, the strain of the weather, the isolation, and the exhausting work required became too much to bear. They went back to more settled locations in the East, and likely never looked back.
To learn more about the lifestyle of the prairies, visit a site from the University of Alberta Libraries called “Peel’s Prairie Provinces” (http://peel.library.ualberta.ca). The home page of this site tells us that “Peel contains approximately 7,500 digitized books, over 66,000 newspaper issues (4.8 million articles!), 16,000 postcards, and 1,000 maps. These materials are extremely varied – rich in both text and images, providing an extraordinarily diverse picture of the Prairie experience. Many of the items date back to the earliest days of exploration in the region and include a vast range of material dealing with every aspect of the settlement and development of the Canadian West.”
Browse through the site; enjoy viewing amazing images of prairie life by clicking on the “featured collections” tab on the top toolbar, then clicking on “Peel’s Prairie Postcards.” The postcards are divided into categories such as activities and sports, animals, buildings, land and land use, organizations, people, and more. There are also Henderson Directories going back to 1905, and a wide variety of local newspapers.
It is important to include more than just name and dates in your genealogy research. Having an understanding of the landscape and lifestyle help us to understand why certain ancestors possibly stayed or moved to various locations.
Perhaps great-great Uncle Theodore left the area where the entire family settled to pursue other work, or to be part of a larger settlement from his homeland. Knowing the events of the time can be of great benefit and interest to family research.
Is researching your family tree a project that you have been interested in pursuing, but you are not sure where to begin? The Yorkton branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society meets on the second Tuesday of each month (except July and August) at 7:00 p.m. at the Yorkton Public Library. Meetings usually have a featured topic or speaker, and genealogists at any stage of research are welcome. Whether you are just beginning to trace your family tree or have been researching for a long time, you will find conversations and experiences that will help you on your family quest.
This summer, gather up the information you have and bring it along to the first meeting in September; the group can help you formulate your next research steps!
Every family has a fascinating story; discover yours with the Yorkton branch of the Saskatchewan genealogical Society!
submitted by
Debbie Hayward
