Searching Far & Wide ~ Found Across Town

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 15 (DNA)

All the names this week have been changed for privacy sake since they deal with living folks. The only name that is real is mine.  I decided alias names would allow for my story to flow nicely while still protecting the privacy of my new found cousins.

I first began searching because I descend from at least 3 black sheep which resulted in my having no idea where my family came from. I waited patiently for Ancestry DNA to become available in Canada so I could finally figure it all out. The announcement was made that it would be available in Canada a few months after my birthday. My husband gave me a homemade gift certificate for Ancestry DNA in my birthday card that year. I waited patiently until I could order it. Waited patiently for the kit to arrive. Waited impatiently for the test to be processed. Was surprised when the email arrived saying the results were available about a week before expected. 

I quickly signed in to see my results feeling super excited that all would be revealed.  I was sad to see that I had a long list of extended relatives in the distant cousin range with no way of figuring out how they were related to me. I did have one closer 2nd cousin match, but I was already collaborating with him so his match didn't provide any more information. 

About a year later I convinced my dad to do his Ancestry DNA, and then later still my mom's mom and sister did theirs for me. With all of these DNA matches I was able to figure out how I was related to many of the matches, and my tree began to expand in ways that traditional paper researching may not have done for me.

Sometime last summer I signed on to Ancestry to find that I had some new DNA matches to explore. I found that I had two that the only in commons were the three of us. I sent a message to them both. 6 Months went by, and I never heard anything from either of them. Finally one of them replied saying that they were adopted so didn't have much info for me besides the name of their natural father's mother, Iris Fletcher. This person said that they didn't know anything besides the name. I immediately replied that I had grown up listening to my grandmother's Iris Tales, and had quite a bit on that side of the family in my tree. I sent an invite to my tree. I now had a little more information to send to the other match we had in common. I sent a more detailed email outlining what I knew about  our connection, and asked if they were related to Iris' sister Holly. This time I also mentioned where I lived, and added my last name.

In mere minutes I received a response asking if I was married to Carson Buchanan. My immediate thought was 'really, what does he have to do with my dad's side of the tree'. I asked Carson to come look at my computer monitor. He looked over my shoulder, and says "Oh yah, it's Rob". I'm sitting there surprised, and ask him "How do you know Robert Chapman?". Carson says "You know him too. I worked with him here before he moved back to his home community."  He then casually mentioned that Robert's mom Jenny lives across town.

I had been searching far & wide for folks on all branches of my tree, and all this time some of the answers were just across town. 

The story becomes even more shocking when I realized that Jenny had been attending a genealogy group at my work's other location. The same location I had worked at previously, and very likely helped Jenny a time or two.  At no time did Jenny's research produce the fact that I was living locally.

Then I discovered my husband sat at Jenny's table with clear view to a family photo that I have. It didn't look familiar to him because hers is large, in colour and framed. Mine is this small black & white photocopy. 

Slicer Family
Back: Jane, Peter, Dave, Lizzie (my great grandmother)
Front: Eva, Father (Peter), Jimmy, Adam, Mother (Marion nee Jack), Mary
(as recorded with the photo by the cousin who provided the photo)

The initial email exchange with Robert Chapman took place shortly before Thanksgiving 2018. That Thanksgiving we had had cousin Jenny join us. A while later Jenny's sister came to visit, and I met another new cousin. At Christmas Robert came over, and cooked us an amazing prime rib meal. Throughout all three visits the conversations revolved around how folks were related, what they were doing now, and many photos were shared. 

Since that time I was able to use Ancestry DNA matches along with MyHeritage to confirm the research in my tree. I have gotten a couple of generations further up the tree. I now have more cousins who know a whole lot more about my family tree than my side of the family ever knew.

When searching far & wide don't forget to look in your very own neighbourhood.

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

Remembering - Thomas & Elizabeth Young (nee Slicer) Thomson, and politics

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 8 (Family Photo)

Elizabeth Young (nee Slicer) Thomson was born in 1882 in North Berwick, Scotland. She married Thomas Thomson who was also born in North Berwick, Scotland in 1880. Thomas came from a traditional North Berwick fishing family.  Elizabeth's father was a Stonemason whose skills were likely in high demand in the seaside fishing village they called home. I haven't yet found the records to figure out if Thomas was a Stonemason when he met Elizabeth or if he was influenced by her father, and became a Stonemason after meeting her. 

Regardless of when it happened Thomas was a Stonemason who traveled the world creating artistic and functional stone products. This may have been how they ended up coming to Canada, and settling at 923 5th St NW, Calgary, Alberta in their newly purchased home. I haven't yet found the documents to support what year they initially arrived, but I do know when they arrived for the second time. It was important to Elizabeth to be with her family while having her first child. They rented out their home in Calgary, and set off for North Berwick, Scotland in early 1914.

Their first daughter was born in May of 1914. World War 1 broke out in July. They found themselves unable to go back to Calgary due to the war, and hoped their tennants were looking after their home while they were away. Their second daughter (my grandmother) was born in December 1915. My grandmother told me there was a baby brother who died, but I haven't found any records to indicate if he was born still or died after birth. I have found no evidence, but we remember. No one should be forgotten. Elizabeth and Thomas had no other children. When the war ended the family of 4 set sail on the 1st of October 1920 from Glasgow to Quebec on the Cassandra (I have the ship's manifest). They settled back in their home in Calgary as shown on the 1921 census. Grandma told me her parents were so happy to find their tenants had looked after the house the entire time they were gone.



Thomas was a father & husband before his time. He supported his daughters in their educational endeavors. He supported his wife in all her endeavors.  The time was 1932 when women were still expected to be caring for hearth & home, and yet we find my great grandmother in this historic photo. 

The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) was founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta. In 1961 the CCF joined with the Canadian Labour Council (CLC) to become the New Democratic Party (NDP). My great grandmother was there to start what would become the NDP we still know today. Elizabeth Young (nee Slicer) Thomson is in the white hat, second in from the left in the front row. She was a woman I am proud to call my ancestor. She is one of the many strong woman I descend from.

                         Thomas & Elizabeth Young (nee Slicer) Thomson, 1940



I began my genealogy researching in the hopes of finding my role in my own family story. I discovered that politics runs deep. During the 2014 municipal elections in British Columbia I discovered several of my newly found family members were in politics. In the 2018 elections I discovered these family members were very committed since they successfully ran again. I have several politicians in my family tree, and now know my great grandmother was part of building the New Democratic Party (NDP) which I definitely lean towards.

I had never considered getting involved in politics before I was approached to run in the 2013 British Columbia provincial election. In the end I decided that it wasn't a good fit for the party in question. The only real reason I truly pondered getting involved was ego. I was flattered that anyone would consider me a good candidate to represent their party in an election.

The most important part of being a politician I think is being sure you have no skeletons in your closet.

My personal closet is difficult to close due to things I am not particularly proud of over the years. But none of these are truly big skeletons in the big picture of life. Just stupid choices made at different times during the growing up years.

I have copies of The Vancouver Sun & Province in 1949 regarding my grandfather. The Province newspaper dubbed him 'The Shotgun Bandit' in a bold headline about a taxi robbery and pulling a sawed off shotgun on a 'Plucky Rookie Police Officer'.  

Since I have no idea what other skeletons are in my family closets due to having really no idea where I actually come from I feel unsure at the idea of politics.


BUT given that political ambitions seem to run in my family tree maybe I need to think twice before I decide life with books is enough for me.


Skeletons falling out of closets makes for interesting searching!

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of to the blog post***

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

Love - Valentine's Day, and Missing My Mom

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 7 (Love)


When you commit to blogging for 52 weeks you must blog every week regardless of what is happening in your personal life.   Due to vacation, training away from home, and a quick Valentine's getaway my suitcases have had the biggest workout they have ever had. Add to this our youngest is here visiting, and we have plans. My time with the computer has been seriously impacted this past couple of weeks.

What is a blogger to do when the BLOG MUST GO ON!

Sometimes your best is not required. Just get the damn thing done!

Words to live by!!!

Today I write about my mom who passed away in 2015. About a month before she died we were in the mall killing time (having no idea she would be gone in just a few weeks, and I would give anything back to have been more present at that very moment) between some medical tests, and she admired the colour of a pink hoody. My mom seriously loved hoodies. I left her drinking coffee (the only thing she really loved more than hoodies was coffee out), and snuck back to buy her that hoody for the upcoming Valentine's Day. I hid it in the over-sized handbag I was carrying at the time. When I gave her the hoody with chocolate and a card on Valentine's Day I had no idea it was the last present I would ever give her. I come from a family that lives to 100. There was no way I could imagine that my mom would die at 65.

Ancestry DNA was not available in Canada yet so I was unable to get her to do it before it was too late. Her mom and sister agreed to stand in, and completed their Ancestry DNA for me not so long ago. I am so grateful they did.

I encourage those researching to not necessarily choose the older folks to ask for DNA samples for genealogy testing. You never know who is currently having their last special day.

On holidays and celebrations I am keenly aware that my mom is not here to share them with me. I don't miss her less on regular days. I miss knowing she is out there somewhere EVERY DAMN DAY!


I can almost hear her voice when I think about her telling me that she loved me to the moon and back again!

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!




***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of to the blog post***

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

Surprise -- I'm Ashkenazi Jewish

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 6 (Surprise)


When you are a descendant of a black sheep there are many surprises in your family tree. I descend from three (or more) black sheep which means there are way more surprises in my research than knowns. When I start searching any one person in my tree, and find records straight off I am truly surprised. Genealogy research for me is one surprise after another.

My husband's family tree is way easier to search. There are no true black sheep in his lines, but there are many surprises.  When I become frustrated or tired while researching my bramble bush I take a break by digging on his side. It's a nice feeling to create a proper tree with clear lines. His family is well researched on his father's line due to their United Empire Loyalist connections. He is related to the husband of Laura Secord. You can read more about this War of 1812 heroine here:  https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/laura-secord
pssst --  she didn't actually have anything to do with making chocolate 

I would have to say my biggest surprises was when I found out that my grandfather was not Clyde Robertson of Scottish descent. He was not born in San Francisco as he claimed. He was not an only child whose parents died before my dad was born.

At the age of 29 (pregnant with my second child) I found out that my grandfather was actually Max Pellack of Ukrainian descent. He was born in northern Saskatchewan. His parents were both alive at the time my dad was born. He had 3 older siblings, and 3 younger siblings. 

My first success in genealogy researching was when I connected with the daughter-in-law of my grandfather's youngest brother. Finally I was making progress in repairing my fractured family tree.

At the age of 49 I received my Ancestry DNA results. 

This was my second biggest surprise. I am 12% European Jewish. Finally I understood why I tan a golden colour when I am blonde and pale skinned. The Eastern European genes are strong. My dad was positive that it wasn't from his side. He was sure it was from my mom's side. He agreed to do his Ancestry DNA since my mother had passed away.   

Surprise - dad is 27% European Jewish. One of his grandparents was Jewish. His grandparents followed the Greek Catholic faith when they arrived in Canada from Ukraine. I haven't yet found church affiliations in Ukraine for my great grandparents (Austrian Empire at the time they immigrated in 1909).

We can't be sure why my grandfather changed his name and ethnicity. It could have been because of the persecution associated with both of them. I feel sad that I didn't know my own roots. All the years that I read medical study after medical study referencing the genetics of Ashkenazi Jewish people I had no idea I had any sort of connection. 

On my list of ancestors I am seeking more information about are Lena & Clara Pellack born about 1915.  There is some confusion about the twin female infants listed in the 1916 census, but no longer present for the 1921 census. Family have suggested to me that they weren't actually the children of Alexander and Mary, but maybe neighbour children there on the day census was done. They are recorded as daughters, but it is true there are mistakes in the census records.  The idea that I have two great aunts that have been totally forgotten saddens me. I will keep searching. Maybe the 1926 prairie census will have more information for me when it is released.

No one should be forgotten. 

Still researching my role in my own family story!

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of to the blog post***

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

This lady in waiting --- too late to meet my famous cousin

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 4 (I'd Like to Meet)

Growing up I had a very small family circle. I didn't have very many extended family members. Anytime I wondered why I was told that my ancestors didn't stay connected to their families or they came from a small family. It wasn't until I started searching that I realized the lack of family connections was because I descend from at least 3 black-sheep lines.

My grandmother was born Bayes. This family line is not a black-sheep line. As far back as I knew it was a proper English line. For this reason I didn't bother searching. I thought I already knew the line was boring. 

The only exciting part of that line that I knew was that I was related to the actress Nora Bayes. This famous relative was paraded out at all family gatherings. When I first started researching I discovered Nora Bayes' birth name was Rachel Eleanora Goldberg. My Bayes family line is not related to Nora Bayes. I have told my grandmother we aren't related to Nora Bayes many times. The last time she mentioned it again, I smiled & said how exciting that was. I realized that I wan't responsible for altering my senior grandmother's reality.
Family lore is interesting. 

What would have been way more exciting to parade out at all our family gatherings is that THIS particular Bayes line includes Princess Diana. Princess Diana is my 11th cousin.  Her 10th great grandparents are also my 10th great grandparents.
The grandparents we have in common are:

Thomas Ford

BIRTH 1587 • Bridport, Dorset, England

DEATH 9 NOV 1676 • Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America
and

Elizabeth Charde

BIRTH 1589 • Thorncombe, Bridgeport, Dorsetshire, England

DEATH 18 APR 1643 • Windsor, Hartford, Colony of Connecticut, British Colonial America

I am the 10th great granddaughter of Thomas & Elizabeth through their daugher Hepzibah, and Diana is their 10th great granddaughter through their daughter Abigail.  I was delighted when I opened the library book with Princess Diana's genealogy to find my ancestors. If I was being honest I would have to admit that I really was searching for famous folks in my family tree. Through this line I found the genealogy jackpot.

To find a royal relative was beyond anything I had imagined. Until I took a moment to realize I am related to Diana through HER black-sheep line (her mom's branch of the family tree). One more black-sheep line found.

I would love to have met Diana. Not only because she was a princess, but because she was an amazing person who accomplished amazing things.

My mother passed away about a year before I discovered the family connection to Diana. Mom would have loved knowing she was related to a princess.

Have to admit I was shocked when my invitation to Harry & Megan's wedding never arrived. I guess they didn't want to invite the Canadian cousins.

This lady in waiting is watching the mailbox for the invite to the baby shower!

Diana circa 1992

Can you see the family resemblance?

Me circa 1984

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of to the blog post***

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

Secrets Exposed - Still Working Out How the Deuchars & Lambs fit

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 3 (Unusual Name)

I opened my email box one morning, and SURPRISE a 'you know nothing Deb' email arrived. It was from a brother & sister research team who had found my Ancestry DNA results on GedMatch. They let me know that I was related to many of their relatives, and none of the folks in my tree were familiar to them. They also noted that I shared more DNA with many of their known relatives than they did, and yet it appeared I didn't know any of them.

I was brand new to DNA, and had no idea what they were saying or what exactly I could do with it. They offered to look at my tree, and see what they could figure out.

They offered me an unusual name .... Deuchar as my 4th great grandmother. Elizabeth Deuchar and her husband John Lamb appeared to be my X4 great grandparents via my mother's paternal line. Yet there were no Duechars or Lambs in my family tree no matter how long I searched.

They postulated that my grandmother Nellie May Cannon was not the daughter of Jack Cannon as had been expected. Their working assumption was that Nellie's mother Edith May Lake had Nellie with John Lamb (the grandson of Elizabeth Deuchar and John Lamb through their son Charles). John Lamb (the grandson) and Jack Cannon were both engineers for the railway, and census finds the two families living on the same street in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

My immediate thought was that now I understood why there was so little Irish in my DNA results. I had been confused how I could have almost no Irish when my great great grandfather had been born in Ireland. At the time I decided that it was because of the generation distance between us. I now suspected it was because my great great grandfather was Scottish instead of the expected Irish. This began my crash course in Genealogical DNA, but first I went back to good old fashioned research.



I began by looking again at all of Nellie's documents. I discovered that the registration did say her parents were married at the time of her birth, but her birth wasn't registered until Nellie was much older. There were census records showing that Nellie had been living with Jack Cannon's sister in the United States for parts of her childhood. Nanny had told me about those years. She had also shared that she wasn't her father's favourite, and it often was obvious. Maybe Jack Cannon knew or suspected that Nellie wasn't his biological child. Or maybe Nellie just remembered from her own perspective. It doesn't take blood to be a father. 

Still not wanting to embrace this scandal if it wasn't a real one I dug back through more records. I was looking to prove or disprove the working scenario. All the details provided by my new found cousins were exactly as they stated them.

I looked at the DNA I had in common with descendants of Nellie's two known sisters. Using the in common matches (on Ancestry) and centimorgans it became quite clear. Nellie and her two sisters were half siblings. Nellie's two younger sisters were full siblings. All three girls had the same mother. Since John Lamb and his wife adopted their children I was unable to confirm a sibling match for Nellie through the father of this assumed scenario. 

I created a new tree on Ancestry that I refer to as my guessing tree called DNA - Lake/Cannon/Lamb/Deuchar Minnesota Mystery. So far no one has taken me up on my request for more information if they know anything about this story.

Edith May Lake is a brick wall for me. I have been unable to prove who her parents were. She had 4 known husbands. Records said her father was John or Fred and her mother Della Wish or Zundal Jackson. Then again maybe the records aren't for the same person. Turns out Edith May Lake isn't an uncommon name. Still I search.



When this mystery first presented I was positive that I would never really understand how to go beyond guessing when trying to figure out NPEs (non-parental events). In the past two years my understanding of how to triangulate DNA matches allowed me to assist an Ancestry DNA match determine her likely father in my husband's tree. The more you learn the farther you go.

This week's challenge has sent me back to look again at the DNA matches for the Deuchar/Lamb connections, and tug a little more to see what I can find. This week I connected my DNA to my guessing tree on Ancestry for this purpose.

Maybe you can help me with this brick wall. Do you know anything about Edith May Lake?  Do you know anything about Nellie being the child of John Lamb or any other Deuchar/Lamb descendent?

This is why I search - 

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

**************************************************************
Below are my possible X4 great grandparents, X3 great grandfather, X2 great grandfather.

Elizabeth Deuchar
1818–1887
BIRTH 25 SEP 1818 • Pitteris, Parish Craig, Forfarshire, Scotland
DEATH 26 JAN 1887 (1889) • Baker, Clay, MN, USA
and John Lamb
1804–1860
BIRTH 10 JUL 1804 • Crudie Acres, Parish of Arbirlot, Forfarshire, Scotland
DEATH 05 JAN 1860 • Crudie Acres, Parish of Arbirlot, Forfarshire, Scotland

their son:
Charles Lamb SR
1844–1929
BIRTH 30 APR 1844 • Parish of Arbirlot, Forfarshire, Scotland

DEATH 29 APR 1929 • Clay, Minnesota

their grandson (Charle's son)
John Lamb
1869–1958
BIRTH 24 DEC 1869 • Parish of Aberlemno, Forfarshire, Scotland
DEATH 08 SEP 1958 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada


***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of to the blog post***

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

First Things First - Going Back to the Beginning of My Genealogy Blog

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 1 (First)

I decided to join the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge. The challenge presents a weekly prompt for each week to help focus research and blog posts. I have always done well in follow through when I sign up for a challenge, and look forward to posting at least one blog a week in 2019 focusing on different ancestors and research strategies I have been working on.

The prompt for week 1 is FIRST.

I looked back on my very first blog (Dec 26th 2014) where I explained why I FIRST began to search for my ancestors.

It wasn't until my ancestry DNA results arrived that I was able to confirm that Clyde Robertson really was Max Pellack. I also discovered that he was Ukrainian (as I had suspected) & European Jewish (which was a surprise).

Continuing to research I discovered one of his parents was Ukrainian & one of his parents was European Jewish. They were both practicing Ukrainian Orthodox Greek Catholic.  
Connecting with cousins via Ancestry's DNA matching I was able to actually talk to two of my cousins. Both are the grandchildren of grandpa's two older sisters. Between these two cousins they had knowledge of old stories and photos. They also had documents with names, dates, and details. One of them knew about an uncle's visit to Ukraine where he visited the local government office, and was able to confirm my great grandparents residence at the time. Also confirmed was that they owned a flour mill before coming to Canada to be farmers in northern Saskatchewan. He was able to visit with family still living in the area. My great grandfather, his brother and his mother came to Canada. His father, 2 sisters and a brother stayed in Ukraine. One of my great grandmother's sister and her family arrived in northern Saskatchewan to live near her sister. The unknown DNA match mystery was cleared up with records from one of my new cousins. Pulling together all the details from many family members, and a picture begins to form.

I was also given a copy of the book Our Courageous Pioneers : History of Gronlid and Surrounding Districts of Argus, Athol, Edenbridge, Freedom, Maryville, Murphy Creek, Sandhill Creek, Taelman, Taras, Gronlid and District Historical Society, 1991.   This huge book has information (current to 1991) about all the families in the area. What a gift from a cousin I didn't know. If you are looking for details that might be in the book comment below, and I will check for you.

Still continuing to search for the family I never knew I had.
What I still don't know is where my grandfather was in the 10 years between leaving home with his birth name and meeting my grandma using his assumed name. Often I am asked if he just changed his name to make things easier in a world that was hard for folks of Ukrainian heritage. That might have been true if he didn't change his birth location too. Max Pellack was born in Gronlid, Saskatchewan, Canada. Clyde Robertson was born in San Francisco, California, United States. It appears as though his birth on the homestead in Saskatchewan was never registered. At a time when many births weren't registered it might have been easier to just become who you want to be. Still I search.

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of to the blog post***

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!