In this fourth episode of Series Four, host Andrew Martin meets Canadian professional genealogist and author, Janice Nickerson, who specialises her research into the families and history of Upper Canada, the Hudson Bay Company, and crime and punishment. Andrew will be finding out how she got hooked on family history, the value of court records, the challenges of researching in Canada, and the how she gets non-genealogists and children interested in family history.
Life Story - Emma Bell Chant
Janice has chosen to tell the life story of her Great Grandmother, Emma Bell Chant, whom she never met. Janice had been told that Emma was quite a formidable and stern woman, but her true personality flows from the pages of a collection of letters loaned to her by an aunt.
Emma, who was born in 1873, married and had 11 children, somehow found the time to care for her family whilst doing neighbours laundry, reading classics, and helping to push political boundaries for Canadian women.
The series of consecutive letters which span the period of 1918 to 1924 show the warmth, the humour, and the motherly advice given to one of her sons.
The Brick Wall - John George Carter
A family story has kept Janice stumped relating to her grandfather, John George Carter. John was born in 1900, and the story goes that he had a semi-professional hockey career. John, who was known as 'Jack', but also went by the name 'Nick' Carter in his hockey circles, is in Canada in 1921 and 1928, but is seen crossing the border from Canada into the USA in September 1924. Janice has heard that he may have gone to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to play hockey, but evidence is not forthcoming.
It is during the period of 1924 and 1928, that John (or 'Jack' or 'Nick') is believed to have received a head injury during a game and he vanished, but was found a while later, far from the game with amnesia. Janice has found no evidence for this incident, which surely would have attracted some newspaper, police, or medical attention.
So, did John George Carter (aka 'Jack' and 'Nick' Carter) have a professional hockey career, and did he really have a period of amnesia that caused him to go missing? Can you help?
If you think you can help, you can email Janice at the email address she gives in the episode, or make contact with her via her Upper Canada Genealogy Facebook page. Alternatively, you can also head over to our website and send her a message via our contact form.
In the meantime, Janice is keen to accept Andrew's offer of help, but she has a few questions first...
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Episode Credits:
Series Four, Episode Four:
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