Walking a Different Path - Helen "Nellie" Howie

I had a goal of posting at least twice a month for this year and fairly quickly into the year that went out the window due to family health issues that needed taking care of, some of which is still ongoing. I've been using my genealogy research as my "stress buster". Nought like compiling data to keep the brain in focus :)

Anyhoo, what about Helen Howie? I've been researching her, on and off, for a while now. She was my great-grandma's niece and one of the number of relatives with ancestry from the Isle of Bute. She left Scotland in 1907 to work for the Campbell family in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I was trolling through some records and found a retired "Nellie" Howie in Saskatchewan in the 1960's and though I paid attention to that information I kept getting the distinct impression that it was not right.

I had come to a grinding halt and did not know what to do next so I thought I would research the family she worked for during a good chunk of her adult life. 'Tis a good thing I don't have to actually go to all the places they lived or visited, I'd be bankrupted by now! Very interesting family with some famous Manitobans in there. I was able to find the right retired "Nellie" Howie living down the street from "her" Campbells in Winnipeg, so success with that part but I am still trying to track down her death date.

Here's a wee time line for her (since I loooooove doing time lines)
Parents - Thomas Howie and Helen McKellar
married 1875 in Rothesay, Bute, Scotland
1879 - birth of Thomas Howie jr.
1880 - Helen born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
1891 - census - 90 Eglinton Street, Govan, Glasgow, Lanarkshire
1898 - father dies
1901 - census - 52 Bridge Street, Govan, Glasgow, Lanarkshire. Single. Shop Assistant
1906 - mother dies
1907 - departure from Glasgow, Lanarkshire to Montreal, Quebec, Canada
1910 - brother Tom departs from Glasgow for Manitoba.
1916 - census - 253 Wellington Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Single. Domestic Servant in John & Alice Campbell household.
1920 - holiday to Rothesay, Bute to visit aunt Annie Kay.
1921 - census - 253 Wellington Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Single. Domestic. In John & Alice Campbell residence.
1935 - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
1940 - USA census - Colby, Kitsap, Washington, USA. Lodger in Millichamp household. Single. Alien. Residence in 1935 Winnipeg, Canada.
1958 - Dominion Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Retired.
1962 - 40 Dominion Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Retired.
1968 - 40 Dominion Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Retired.

There's gaps that still need filling and questions that still need answering but progress is still being made. As for her Campbell "family" I created a tree on Ancestry.com and in another post I will share some resources from that.

Family History Day - Saturday, April 26, 2014

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is hosting a Family History Day at their Haywood Lane building, 364 Haywood Lane, Nashville, TN 37211 on Saturday, April 26, 2014 from 9.00 am - 3.30 pm. Bring your own lunch. The event is free to the public but you can reserve a spot at www.lds.org/familyhistoryfair.

This is actually a "mini RootsTech" with videos from the 2014 RootsTech Conference held earlier this year. We will be "hosting" 8 classes which will be presented twice.

Introduction
My Tree is Full, What Next? by Carol Brennan Moss

Classes - 10.00 a.m. and 1.15 p.m.
Using Tools and Organization for Creating a Valuable Family History Blog by James Tanner
Effective Database Search Tactics by Kory Meyerink
Getting the Most Out of Ancestry by Christa Cowen
Finding Family and Ancestors Outside of the USA With New Technologies by Daniel Horowitz

Classes - 11.15 a.m. and 2.30 p.m.
FamilySearch and Beyond: New Resources for Members by Diane Loosle
Put Family in Family History: Fun Family History Activities by Jen Allen
5 Ways to Do Genealogy in Your Sleep by Deborah Gamble
Basic Online Resources for the Beginning Genealogist by Lisa Alzo

This is our first time doing a local genealogy event in this format so we are looking forward to seeing you there and giving us feedback.
I am "hosting" the hour long Using Tools and Organization for Creating a Valuable Family History Blog by James Tanner at 10.00 and 1.15. He shares a lot of excellent general information in this presentation, particularly in the second half.
So come "Connect Your Family - Past, Present, and Future" on Saturday 26th April.