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This material was gathered for a presentation to the Celtic SIG of the Alberta Family Histories Society in February 2018 and is based on research into my Palatine family roots. The story of the Palatines includes a mix of international conflict, religious unrest, politics and climatology. The following is a gathering of edited excerpts from articles found on the web that help tell their story. (sources are in the endnotes).   Diane Miller...

When I began this series of articles focused on newspaper clippings from the six months around the time of my birth, I didn’t appreciate how much insight I would gain into the challenges faced by my parents during this period and the environment that helped to shape the person I would become. I did not anticipate how much would be revealed in the pages of the Perth Courier, a local newspaper, and as a result, these posts are long. Dip...

“History Leading up to the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Perth”, Perth Courier, Thursday, November 18th, 1965; By Rev. Robert More, Jr., Pastor of the Almonte R.P.C. “I see no warrant in Scripture for using these hymns.” so spoke elder John Holliday in the First Presbyterian Church on Dec. 22, 1827. With this the first outspoken tendency toward the Reformed Presbyterian or Covenanter Church was seen in and around Perth. Since the...

Fifty years ago, my husband and I were married in St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Perth Ontario. On 29 July 2017, this congregation marked the 200th anniversary of the first Presbyterian church service in the community. I believe it was about 1992 that my father, J.R. Ernest Miller, assembled a memorial history of the Perth Presbyterian churches “175 Years of Presbyterian Worship”. I dip into his work to share the...

March 1946 Movement of troops back to Canada was well underway. Along with the soldiers, wives and families were given assistance in traveling to Canada. War Brides Arrive This term gained popular currency during WWII to describe women who married Canadian servicemen overseas and then immigrated to Canada after the war to join their husbands. It is now also used to describe women who had similar experiences after WWI. By the end of 1946, there...

Rationing of Food Items Shortly after the commencement of World War II, rationing was introduced in Canada (on January 24, 1942), to limit the use of imported food and to free up supplies and shipping space for the military and their allies. The government introduced rationing because certain things were in short supply, and to ensure that everyone got their fair share. Each household filled out an application and initial ration books were...

As an addendum to the previous post I wanted to share this article found in the Perth Courier of 14 Feb 1946. I was unsuccessful in getting a readable download of this article so decided it merited transcription. I am also sharing update info (with link) to the official web site for this Regiment. Lanark & Renfrew Regimental History Bound Up with Perth Transcribed by Diane Miller Duncan from Perth Courier, 14 Feb 1946 The proposal,...

‘The World I Entered’ posts are lengthy and probably not to every readers taste. Dip into them as you will. They are background for future posts and will allow me to provide links for family history down the road. Part 1, and now Part 2, give us a glimpse of ‘the norm’ of life during and immediately following the war. In February 1946, the post-war adjustment is becoming more clearly defined. Industries that stayed viable during the war revel...

This ‘my story’ series, is written as part of a challenge. Although many of our traits are shaped by genetics, the environment that we live in also leaves its mark on us. By looking back to the era of my birth I am gaining insights into the lives of my parents and to the person I became. I’m hoping that by sharing ‘my story’ I can encourage others in the family connection to write ‘their’ story and offer it for sharing...