RESEARCHING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX

Percy English

1897-1959

Some time ago while researching my husband's side of the family I had pretty much exhausted all the avenues to find more family members. Most of his ancestors did not have surviving children. He did have some half siblings though significantly older than him, from his father Percy. I was in contact with one of their sons in particular who told me of the many family items he had and was going to share with us.

CATHERINE PICKLE SCHRYVER

This document is an Upper Canada Land Petition, a petition for Crown land. It is in the name of my husband's 3rd Great Grandmother, Catherine Pickle Schriver and is dated April 2, 1793.
Ontario was once part of Quebec and it didn't become a separate province until 1791. There was not much white settlement until the arrival of the Loyalists. It was at that point called Upper Canada. From 1841 until 1867 it was referred to as Canada West then in 1867 at our Confederation it became Ontario.
From this we can learn a few valuable things. Firstly it shows the maiden name of Catherine Schriver (Schryver, Schryber) as Pickle and then it names her father, John Pickle. Thirdly it states clearly that her father John Pickle was a Loyalist.

The term "Loyalist" is a reference to the American colonists who supported and remained loyal to the British Crown. During the American Revolution (1775-1783) many of them served under the British. Upon coming north some of them settled in the provinces which are now Nova Scotia, New Bruswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Ontario. Some of the Loyalists were to receive 200 acres of land upon coming here.

Those who can trace and prove their lineage connecting to a Loyalist may apply for and have the right to use the postnominal letters U.E. after their names signifying their ancestors loyalty.

On March 3, 1789¹ Catherine Pickle married George Schryver². They had 14 children that I know of.



TRANSCRIPTION OF DOCUMENT:
To His Excellency John Graves Simcoe, Esq.
Lieut. Governor and Commander in Chief
of the Province of Upper Canada, ______.

The memorial of Katherine
................................ daughter
Pickle alias Schriver ^ to John
Pickle Loyalist

Humbly Showeth
That your Excellency's memo
rialist being entitled to two
hundred acres of land agreeable
to the order of the ninth Nov.
1789~ humbly beg that the
same may be assigned to him
in the Township of Richmond
in the County of Lenox

Adolphustown } and your Excellency's Memo
2d April, 1793...... rialist as in duty bound
................................shall ever pray.
To His Excellency Katherine Pickle
J. G. Simcoe Esq.
Lieut. Governor ____
In Council

1. http://my.tbaytel.net/bmartin/langhorn.htm
2. Schriber, Schriver etc.

You Never Know What You May Find

Several years ago I was researching my husband's family and found his Father and Grandparents along with some of his father's siblings on the 1910 US Census. They were living in Tonawanda, New York at the time. I thought it would be interesting to search out the area and see what it looked like now. I did an internet search of the address from the census and couldn't believe my eyes when I came across a realtor's ad selling the same house. There wasn't a photo with the ad so I emailed the realtor and explained the situation. He very kindly went and photographed it for me.
When you are doing research you need to try looking in unusual places to find the interesting stuff.