Ancestry Search (Oct. 10th, 2012)
Thirty-three years ago I started doing Newfoundland Mi’kmaq genealogies. Over the years, I’ve added and corrected information and marked changes in families. This 
weekend, I sadly updated the database with the death date for Tony John of Glenwood.
FNI President and Vice-President Tony John and Calvin White hired me to do family history research in central Newfoundland. Tony’s parents, Greg and Mary, became my “Glenwood parents.” Tony never needed help in tracing his own Mi’kmaq roots; he knew his family ancestry through his father’s side and his mother’s, the Francis family of Clarke’s Head.
Tony was instrumental in establishing a political voice in the 1970s and in getting recognition and rights for all Newfoundland Mi’kmaq. Thank you, Tony, you will be missed.
For those of you searching for information and documents about your Newfoundland Mi’kmaq ancestry, it can be difficult and time-consuming but doable. Start with the internet if you don’t have family or neighbours to ask. more…
Tempting Providence, TNL (Mar. 27th, 2012)
If you’re near London Ont. you’ve got a couple days left to see a grand play at the Grand 
Theatre. Tempting Providence, by Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador, runs until Friday March 31st.
It’s the story of Myra Bennett, a British nurse who came in 1921 to Newfoundland for a planned two years. She married Angus Bennett from Daniel’s Harbour and stayed on the Northern Peninsula until she died in 1990 at the age of 100. We saw the play several years ago in Cow Head, near where Mrs. Bennett lived. My dentist, who knows nothing about Newfoundland or outport nursing, saw it in London last week. Like us, she loved it. more…
Newfoundland Mi’kmaq Books (Feb. 22nd, 2012)
The telling of a place often is told through the people who make up the place. Conversely, the telling of a family can also be told through the place they lived. Here are books about places or families in Newfoundland that may be of interest to those who are researching their origins.
Newfoundland has many prolific writers and storytellers who have documented its past and present. There are also many historical sources on the Mi’kmaq and more recent analyses of Mi’kmaq history on the island. I have not included those here; they can be found on other websites or are already known to those interested in this topic. more…
A Tale of the Sea etc. (Feb. 1st, 2012)
In January 1883 a dory was lost at sea off the south coast of Newfoundland. On it were
Howard Blackburn and Tommy Welsh. They became separated from their schooner in a sudden storm. The Captain and crew reluctantly had to give them up for dead.
Sixteen-year old Tommy Welsh did die, but Howard Blackburn managed to put in at the tiny village of Little River (now Grey River) near Burgeo on the south coast of Newfoundland. There, through the skill of Jenny Lushman and Susie Bushney, he was brought back to health, minus his fingers and toes…
But the story doesn’t end with him. Publicity around his survival led to the reunification of a family after fifty years and the discovery of branches of the family totally unknown to each other. more…
Qalipu Band of the Mi’kmaq Nation (Sept. 27th, 2011)
Monday it was announced: Mi’kmaq people of Central and Western Newfoundland are now members of the Qalipu band under the Indian Act. It’s been 39 years since they
began politically organizing for that recognition. Hallelujah, and about time.
I’ve wondered if it actually would happen in my lifetime. I have spent my working life on and off involved in this process. I began in 1979, as a new graduate student at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Over the years, I’ve continued working for the Federation of Newfoundland Indians. The early enthusiasm I felt every time there was a hopeful word from Indian Affairs faded long ago. All we have to do is show x, y or z? Yep, sure thing. Sorry, heard that before. more…
Newfoundland Mi’kmaq Family History & Genealogy (Mar. 29/11)
The internet is a good place to find out a lot about your family history. Unfortunately, it ain’t as 
easy as the tv ads for ancestry.ca pretend. Often, those ads with cheerful people clicking on a little leaf and finding some fascinating bit of information about their great-granddaddy come on as I’m struggling to figure out whether this Peter is son of this Paul or that Paul. It’s all I can do to not throw a shoe at the television.
There is a lot of information on the big genealogy sites like ancestry.ca and genealogy.com. And there are a lot of other sites with a lot of information where you don’t have to pay a membership fee. Some have vital statistics on them – birth and death records, census information etc. Others are the product of family researchers who have compiled data and present it in chart form. Below are some sites of the second type related to Newfoundland Mi’kmaq families that I have found useful. more…
Hi Dorothy,
I was wondering if you know of a connection between a John Kendell and Jennifer Drew/Hinks. My great great grandfather’s name was John Kendell and through some research I found out he may have bought land from Jennifer Drew/Hinks in (Lynch Cove) MorrisVille in the 1900′s to establish a saw mill business, and possibly married her or a member of her family? Any information you may have would be appreciated.
hi dorothy i like to know how the mcneil from port aux basque are related to mcneil from cape breton,,ty
hi dorothy for any help you gave me,i’m looking for site to check out surnames for our micmac indian……
hi dorothy,im looking for info on the pike from st.david,,,,renoufe
Hi Lorraine, do you have any specific Pike or Renouf first names? On another question you had on FB about Marguerite Chaisson m John Gale: I have her as Mary Margaret and have her mother Sophie LeBlanc’s mother as Marguerite Cormier. Marguerite Cormier is d/o Guillaume “Big Bill” Cormier, b 1750 Beaubassin Acadia d bet 1800-1809, and Isabelle Boudreau, b Oct 1763 Brittany France d May 1845 Margaree NS. Guillaume was s/o Francois Cormier, b 1719 Beaubassin, marr 2 Jul 1742 Beaubassin to Anne Chaisson, b Jul 1722. Anne Chaisson was d/o Jacques Chaisson, b 1694 Beaubassin, marr 19 Jan 1718 Beaubassin to Marie Josephe Arsenault, b 1696 Acadia. Some of Jacques and Marie Josephe’s kids were born in PEI.
So the Chaisson family tree should be helpful to you, also the Bras d’Or families link above because the names here connect to just about all the big families in the Acadia area back to the 1600s. I’m not seeing anything jumping out from my database saying “Mi’kmaq” but the sites I mention should help you trace them. I can’t be sure the information I have is correct – some came from websites, some from a database that was shared with me. Anyway, hope this helps.
Hi looking for information on Mary Vivian (nee Alan) Born 1807 died Aug 1858. Married George Vivian Nov. 10, 1841 in Greenspond. Children were Henery Vivian, Jane Vivian, Aurthur Vivian, Emmeline Vivian, Charles Vivian, and Sarah Anne Vivian. It is believed that Mary Allan is an indian from nova scotia who came to NL when she married George Vivian. It has long been understood that Mary Allen was Mi’kmaq from Cape Breton. Would you have any information on her?
Thank you in advance.
hi dorothy can you send me links that show who been accepeted for status,,,,i greatly appricated it..ty
Hi Lorraine, google Canada Gazette Qalipu and you should see links for “order amending…” There are several with different dates. I don’t know how up to date they are, but they are official government pages.
Hi Dorothy,
I sent you an email last April 9, 2012, and just wondering if you have found anything? Can you let me know via my work email address above?
Much gratitude,
Michelle
Hi Michelle, sorry, but I have nothing on any of the Vickers, Head or Decker names you give. I apologize for not replying to you before but, to save space, I don’t reply unless I have some information. Readers often contribute if they can help out. If you have names of any siblings or anyone related, that might help locate at least one person to make connections from. I haven’t found anything in my own sources or on line.
Hi Lorraine,
I have some information regarding the MacNeil/McNeil family of Port aux Basques and how they connect to Cape Breton. Who exactly are you looking for information on?
Hi,
I’m looking for information on Mary Allen who was born about 1807. She married George Vivian in Greenspond, NL. George Vivian, Mary Allen and their daughter Sarah Vivian are in my Family tree. Would you have any information on her?
Thanks,
Cindy
Hi Cindy, I’ve been looking and can find nothing. If you have any other names in the family, that might help me or someone reading this to track your Vivian and Allen family down.
Hi Dorothy,
I’m trying to track down my great great grandparents: Jean Prosper Compagnon (Companion) and Marie Blake (Brake). I believe Marie Blake (1848) married the Frenchman Jean Compagnon (1810) in approx 1867. I have relatives on Woods Island and believe Marie Blake was full Mi’kmaq.
Any info would be greatly appreciated, thankyou.
Sam McCurdie
Hi Sam, Marie Brake (b Jul 1848 Curling, d 24 Nov 1925 Woods Island BOI) was d/o Joseph Matthews Brake (b 1812 Deep Cove, d 1 Aug 1950 BOI) and Mary (surname unknown). Joseph Matthews Brake was s/o Ralph Edward Brake (b 30 Mar 1760 Yetminster, Dorset, England, d 4 May 1842 Humbermouth BOI) and Jane Matthews (b 1773 d 23 Aug 1819 Humbermouth BOI).
There are people who know much more about the Brake (sometimes called Blake) children than do I, so maybe they will write to tell us if anything more is known about Joseph’s wife Mary. She is listed as Mary Mitchell in some genealogies, but others have Mary Mitchell as wife of Joseph’s brother Thomas. Here’s a link to the diary of Bishop Feild from his journey on the northwest coast in 1849 – http://anglicanhistory.org/canada/nf/spg21.html – he mentions Brakes on Aug. 2 and 3. Marie’s grandmother, Jane Matthews, is assumed to be Mi’kmaq due to sources such as Feild, but nothing about her parents is known for sure. Ralph Brake, her husband, is well documented as being from England. Hope this helps and thanks for writing.
Hello Dorthy,
My grandmother was Mi’kmaq and I am trying to trace down her family lineage. Her name was Bessie Blanche Tilley (Born in approximately 1912) was married to Cecil Soper, Her father was Charles Tilley and she was a daughter of his through his second marriage to Maggie Masou (not sure of the spelling, this is where I get lost in my efforts to find information). She had stories of going to visit her grand mother on a reservastion as
a child. She grew up in the Cornerbrook area.
Any suggestions as to where to look to find out more?
Best regards,
Paul
Hi Paul, Mary Magdeline (Maggie) Musseau was born June 12 1893 in Port aux Basques and died in Mouse Island. She was d/o Charles Edward Musseau (b 1846 d 1901 Nfld) and Mary Ann Randell (b Mar 1847 Burnt Is -or Port Rexton Trinity Bay, d 20 Aug 1943 PAB -or 1895). Charles Edward Musseau was s/o Joseph Musseau (b 26 Dec 1778 Quebec, d 6 Jul 1873 Mouse Is PAB) and Hannah Parsons (1801-1885). Joseph was s/o Francois Musseau (b 13 Nov 1756 Quebec, d 1855 Quebec) and Marie Madeleine Racette (b 22 Jan 1754 Portneuf Quebec, d 1793 Quebec). Francois was s/o Francois Desilet Musseau (b 31 Aug 1723 Quebec d 5 Oct 1807 Normandie France) and Marie Theresa L’Archeveque (also as L’Archeriegue) (b 30 Jan 1736 Quebec, d 1 May 1803 Normandie France).
Maggie’s mother Mary Ann Randell was d/o John Randell (b 5 Jan 1823 Trinity TB d 18 May 1888 Ship Cove TB) and Dorothy Hogarth (b abt 1822 British Hr TB d 20 May 1897). John was s/o William Randell (b 19 Nov 1798 Ship Cove TB, d May 1839 Ship Cove) and Honor Cook (b 1803 d Jun 1836 Ship Cove/Port Rexton).
That’s as far back as I have, hope it helps.
Interested in any info on the 3 Mahar’s Cora have mentioned. Henry Mahar, Catherine Mahar & John Mahar. I have also Christopher Mahar , Agnes Mahar, Mary Ann Mahar, William Mahar, Joseph Mahar are they all releated? All appears to be in the area between Flowers Cove & port Saunders.