Introduction: I have always had a keen interest in history, particularly the history of World War I and the Second World War. More recently, I became interested in genealogy and as a result, from time to time have researched and … Continue reading
Author Archives: wanhorn
“Lost In the Shadows”- The Untold Story of Phoebe Munro of Medicine Hat
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A recent post on the Facebook page ”If you grew up in Medicine Hat you remember when” caught my attention. Quite interestingly, the photo and accompanying post garnered a great deal of interest from the Facebook followers of the site, … Continue reading
The First Australian Medlicott
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History and Genealogy often intersect with interesting results One of the most interesting facts, which I discovered in researching the Medlicott family history, which is particularly relevant for those family members who were born in Australia, is that the family … Continue reading
The First American Medlicott
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–Genealogy and history often intersect with some interesting results. One of the most interesting facts, which I discovered in researching the Medlicott family history, which is particularly relevant for those family members who were born in North America, is that … Continue reading
Fact or Fiction: The Relationship of the Scott Family of Medicine Hat to the Famous Explorer Captain James Cook
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Fact or Fiction: The Relationship of the Scott Family of Medicine Hat to the Famous Explorer Captain James Cook At the request of my good friend Gary Scott and consistent with my unabated enthusiasm for genealogical research, I began to … Continue reading
The Discovery of a Long Lost Relative-The Untold Story of Alfred Borth
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The Discovery of a Long Lost Relative-The Untold Story of Alfred Borth One of the fascinating aspects of being an amateur genealogist and one of things for which we all aspire is to find or locate a long lost relative … Continue reading
How Many Black Sheep Are In Your Family?
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The Story of Thomas Medlicott Part of the fascination with genealogy and creating a family tree is discovering various family relationships, which you didn’t know you had. Even more interesting is discovering a distant relationship with a famous person or … Continue reading
“Now Keep The Glory!”-The Story of a Fallen Soldier from WWI
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The Story of a Fallen Soldier from WW1 and Why is important to remember them?
I have always being interested in the study of history and in particular the history of WWI. This keen interest in one of the darkest times in world history was no doubt inspired by my research into the family history of my wife’s family-Medlicott, when during the course of looking through some old photographs, I found pictures of her grandfather and great uncle, who were members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and who both served gallantly in the Great War. Unlike so many others, they both returned home from the war.
More recently, I had occasion to travel to travel to France and Belgium and to visit such historic WWI sites as Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Hill 60 and Ypres. Only in visiting such places does one fully appreciate the full nature and extent of the carnage and the terrible loss of life that occurred as so many young men who heeded the patriotic call and paid paid the ultimate sacrifice. This is a simple but compelling story of a fallen soldier from WW1 and a story which was far too often repeated in the towns and villages throughout the British Empire as the Great War raged on. Read On
DEATH, Toilet Paper and the Coronavirus
True dignity abides with him alone who, in the silent hour of inward thought, Can still suspect, and still revere himself, in lowliness of heart.
William Wordsworth
Death, to be perfectly candid is a bit of a morbid topic and one, which we typically try to push back into the dark recesses of our mind. But despite our best efforts, fear of dying is always present in our subconscious thoughts. As we grow older and particularly now that we are bombarded nightly with the unsettling news surrounding the coronavirus, it is not uncommon to think about one’s own mortality more often.
In an earlier article entitled, “Successful Aging: Develop both a Passion and a Purpose”, I outlined the several key elements to creating an environment of emotional stability as we head down the runway of life-“self-acceptance, positive attitude, creative expression, purposeful living, social engagement and spiritual awakening or connection”. I indicated that we cannot speak about “successful aging” in the context of having a spiritual awakening or connection without addressing our own mortality. We must acknowledge that we all have a shelf life; it is just not clear on “our” label, the actual expiry date. READ ON
North of the Medicine Line
The Origins and History of the Cypress Hills and a Prominent “Metis” Family from Medicine Hat
Having been born and raised in Medicine Hat and having lived there all of my life, I have a keen interest in its history. More recently, I became interested in genealogy and this interest combined with my passion for local Medicine Hat history resulted in an article entitled, “Demons of the Soul: The Origins and History of the Bliss Family of Medicine Hat and the Infamous Bill Bliss”. For those who grew up in Medicine Hat in the 50’s and 60’s, the name “Bliss” surname was synonymous with Saratoga Park, being one of the many Metis families who resided there. By some accounts, as many as 20 or 30 families resided in this area at one time[1]. Other Metis families during this era included names such as Akers, Bray, Demarais, Gosselins, Cayenne, Gaudry, Lawrence, Laframboise, McKay, Oullettes, Quesnelle and Sanderson and many generations of these families continue to call Medicine Hat their “home”.
Interestingly, many in the Metis community of Medicine Hat can trace their origins to the Cypress Hills and the arrival of the NWMP. READ ON
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