“In different hours, a man represents each of several of his ancestors, as if there were seven or eight of us rolled up in each man’s skin,—seven or eight ancestors at least, and they constitute the variety of notes for that new piece of music which his life is.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

This summer we had a family holiday to visit my brother in New Brunswick and cousin in Halifax. While in Halifax, we went to Pier 21 to learn more about the immigrant experience and about our family. We were unable to find the records when my mother’s family came to Canada, as they came before Confederation but thanks to a relative my maternal Grandmother’s family is documented back to the 1500s. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about the history of my other grandparents. I knew my paternal Grandfather was born in Ireland, but we could not find any of his immigration records. They were able to find his father’s immigration records and gave us a copy of the passenger list and the ship information.

I left Pier 21 thankful for the experience (more information about my great grandfather), confused (not sure where my grandfather was), sadden about my lack of knowledge about my family but most importantly inspired to learn more about the de Jourdans, Conns, Meaghers and McPhees.

I’ve decided to expand my current travel blog to include travels through our family tree. My wish is for this to be a place for us to learn more about our family, share memories, stories, pictures and maybe even family recipes.