The British Columbia Genealogist started their summer edition with a 14-page story by Burt McCalab Bryan, a Texan who moved to Edmonton and later to Rolla, BC at the turn of the 20th century.
He later returned to Texas.
But his story while he lived in Canada's Western Provinces is interesting indeed.
He tells about starting his homestead in Rolla, and of working on helping to build the Canadian Telegraph Line from Grand Prairie, Alberta to Hudson Hope, British Columbia.
The family names he mentions in his story are BRYAN, CLAY, FINNS, TAYLOR, TREMBLEY, and WILLIAMS.
In this issue, they also have a story of the Reverend Arthur Browning entitled, "Cornwall to Canada".
His great-grandchild, Colin Lyne, came across a story that the Genealogist recently did on Reverend E. W. White, a Methodist minister who came over in the mid-19th century, along with Reverend Browning.
The family names are BROWNING, DYER, EVANS, GODWARD, LYNE, ORCHARD, and WHITE. Colin is looking for LYNE and BROWNING relatives.
The third story they have in this publication is about a name - UDELL - the spelling that has changed at least a least two dozen times since the 12th century.
The most common spellings have been UDALL and UDELL, and this started in the 16th century.
It is an interesting history of the changes in the spelling of a name, and one that deserves a close reading, for you may have changed in your surname, too - and changes that you may not be aware of - so check.
And the BCGS Cemetery Committee is busy doing the recordings from the monuments of the Fraser Cemetery in New Westminster.
They are taking digital photographs of all the monuments, and there will be a story in the September issue of this newsletter.
If any of you live handy to the cemetery and would like to help, email Valerie Hooper at <Vjhooper@aol.com>. The website of the British Columbia Genealogical Society is <www.bcgs.ca>.
A daily blog about Canadian genealogy, heritage, and history
