The Morris-Mayor Family Tree
The facts offered in this blog post are based on a personal history written by John Muzyka, my notes from interviewing him, and Katie Morris' submission to the McCreary Milestones and Memories local history book published in 1987. Sometimes first-hand accounts and oral histories differ from documentation and records—it is hard to know which should... Continue Reading →
I thought I'd try to improve a few blurry photos I have using a AI enhancer app on my phone. I'm not sure what to think of the results! This is my great-grandmother on my dad's dad side. Her name was Mary Chupka. Her last name is some version of Ciupchishyn/Ciupchyshyn/Cupczyshyn; I supposed Chupka was... Continue Reading →
Back in April I reached out to a distant cousin, Rob Knight, on Ancestry.ca. His great-grandmother is Josephine Mayor Hutchinson. To me, Josephine, or Josie, is my great-grandaunt. Josie is Joseph Thomas and Hannah Maria Mayor's eldest and only daughter (I just realized that as first born, she was likely named after her father and... Continue Reading →
My grandfather was John A. Mayor. His dad was Harry Joseph Megson Mayor. Harry’s first cousin was Harry Mortimer Mayor. Note: If any of Harry Mortimer's Mayor's descendants have additional information, I would gladly update this post. On April 3, 1916, 23-year-old Harry Mortimer Mayor left his father’s farm and made his way to Winnipeg... Continue Reading →
I thought I'd share a few process updates as I haven't had time to do much writing. I wouldn't want any of you think I'm not hard at work figuring out our family tree! Yesterday, I went to Robarts Library at the University of Toronto to apply for an alumni library card. There are a... Continue Reading →
I know, I know. I should apply strategy to my research, write out a list of priorities and stick to them. But that sounds way too organized. I'm learning to embrace rabbit holes—it's not like I don't learn anything of value, it's just probably not where I should spend two days of research effort! Maybe... Continue Reading →
I had the photo above in my collection for many years, but no one in my immediate family was certain who they were. There was no doubt whatsoever that they were ancestors. It's uncanny how much the woman looks like my aunt Judith and there's a bit of my brother, Jordan, in the man's looks.... Continue Reading →
Growing up, I knew only a few things about my great-uncle George Mayor, 1) he was an air gunner who died in battle over Germany in World War II and 2) there was a northern lake named after him. C'est tout! His story seemed like an obvious place to start my ancestral research. I've spent... Continue Reading →
I started researching my ancestors in earnest earlier this year at the start of 2023. I am using Ancestry.ca to build my Morris-Mayor family tree*. It has quickly grown to over 1,800 people and includes other surnames like Moroz, Moad, Glowa, Muzyka, Kuderawic, Scott and many more. My eventual end goal will be to create... Continue Reading →
This past Saturday, I officially became a grave digger! When you embark on ancestry research, you can join any number of Facebook communities to help you look for obituaries, translate documents, answer research questions—you name it, there's a Facebook group that can help. One such group I belong to is the Toronto Family History Group... Continue Reading →
Researching my Ancestors 