2022 Year in review

 

2022 was a change from the years preceding it. Restrictions loosened up somewhat allowing travel. It was enough to make things feel almost normal again but not quite. My blog posts included some about travel. At least I had new photos to share. Here is a review of some of the topics covered in my blog posts in 2022. 

As the year began, I was exploring letters from my 3 x great uncle, Alexander Matheson, who had found his sister again after 40 years. His correspondence was both a window on the times he was living through and a deeper dive into their birth family's past.

In February, I took my great uncle's story further. Alexander Matheson fought as a Union soldier in the US Civil War so research into his life included an exploration of his military records, an interesting source although some of the information, especially that coming from the man himself, may be questionable. 

The Mathesons had lived in Ontario before Alexander crossed the border into the US. Early links there were explored as well as those to Scotland where the family had originated. Included in my exploration of Ontario sources was a dive into the records of the McPhersons, connections of the Mathesons and the birth family of Mrs. Clark, who figured in Alexander's story. Posts in March and April were about this exploration.

In June, Scottish research was on my mind as I prepared for a trip there that had been delayed for a few years. That was when I signed up for a Pharos course with Chris Paton about Scottish records. Also, research looked to be tricky with the new reality and I wondered if I remembered how to research on the road. There was not as much research done on the ground in Scotland as I was used to but the trip reconnected me to the country and provided some clues that will keep me busy.

From August to December, my posts were inspired by travel to my destinations of Scotland, Alaska and Puerto Vallarta as well as other things that piqued my interest. Those were things like my father's RAF records, Viking DNA and the convict bodies found on Rat Island as reported in the program Digging for Britain. I'm still following up on that clue.

Images:

A letter from Alexander Matheson plus research books

Muster rolls for Alexander Matheson

An early Ontario house

Turf house at Glencoe

Books about Vikings