Dorothy E Warwick and the Rogers Batteryless Radio

I have been spending some time at the North York Library searching the Toronto City Directories. On this visit I was looking for a Willie Warwick, who apparently came to Canada with his family in 1921. I had a contact with a Mel Warwick in England, who was looking for a family bible that Willie may have had with him. I didn’t find any trace of Willie; but I downloaded information on all the Warwick’s for 1937. I found Dorothy Warwick, who was the Daughter of John Warwick, my grandfather’s brother. She is a first cousin once removed.  She worked for The Rogers Batteryless Co.

Radio receivers were originally operated by battery. The term batteryless radio was initially used for the radio receivers which could be used directly by AC supply

These were invented on April 8, 1925 in Canada by Edward S Rogers, Sr. who made world history, when he and his two chief engineers built the world's first AC mains-powered radio. The unit operated with 5 Rogers AC vacum tubes and the Rogers Battery-Eliminator Power Unit (power supply). This unit was later marketed for $120 as "Type 120". He established the Toronto station CFRB (an abbreviation of Canada's First Rogers Batteryless) to promote sales of the product. Batteryless Radios were not introduced into the United States until May,1926 and then into Europe in 1927.

Information from Wikipedia “Batteryless radio”

I wonder if I could get a discount on my Rogers bill? Not likely.

Just in case you were interested

Visiting the archives of Ontario

I finally got to go to the archives of Ontario, which I might have been avoiding, as I was unsure of my preparation. Like all new things you have to learn the system. It is a brand-new building, less than a year old, and seems to be well-organized with lots of space. I took the bus, as being a senior,it only cost me $1.50. The archives are located at York University, and the bus dropped me off, within 6 m of the front doors.

My goal that day, was to look up the probate and wills of four of our relatives, namely, my grandfather David Warwick, his father William David Warwick, my grandfather Frank Paige, and my grandmother Edith page, and if I had time, look up my great grandfather William Allan’s Patent (the original title from the Crown).

Needless to say, when you first start to do research in a new area, there are many delays, and unfortunately I didn't pay strict attention to the reference numbers. And I had a microfilm for Lennox and Addington County. I decided to look at some of the wills for that area. But I didn't find anybody that knew.

Eventually I came across references to our grandmother Mary Agnes Allan Warwick , and I did write down the reference number that would've sent me to the microfilm, except that you have to order it specially. Next I did find David Warwick, and went back to the reference book and found the number of the microfilm. I loaded the microfilm and quickly scanned through the information, there were 29 pages, and so the next thing you had to learn was how to get it printed. So back to the nice lady at the desk, who came and told me I had to go buy credits on a card, as each copy will cost 25 cents. Although this will not break the bank, I usually expect to pay between 8 and 15 cents. And then of course, I didn't pay attention to the size of the printing and ended up with eight copies that you could hardly read as they were so small. There went another two dollars. Naturally I did get all the copies, the right size, but my time had run out, it was time to go home.

Now what to these documents tell me, he was well off to say the least, and if he'd lived I'm sure he was a very rich man. He still owned quite a few houses, and lots, some along Danforth Avenue, and he also worked on two other streets where he had houses.

In future blogs, I will report on his properties and other investments.

Just in case you're interested

Follow up on Arthur Warwick

I waited in vain for a reply to my E-mail from the owner of the family tree, referring to Arthur. I had E-mailed through Ancestry.ca, and I assumed they would forward  it to her home address. I had noticed, that she had not logged in over 6 months. Ancestry is quite expensive to have access to, and to reply she would have to be a subscriber. So I logged onto Ancestry, sent her a new E-mail and included one of my Junk (If you want to send me garbage send it here) addresses. Just to tweet her interest, I include some information she didn’t have, about her Aunts.

Vola, back came a response. She had let her subscription lapse, and had received my first message but without a subscription, she couldn’t reply.

So I have established a contact between two first cousins, but I can’t connect our Warwick name. She told me her Warwick’s came from Ireland, ours from Scotland. Unless one of our distant relatives jumped in a boat, and rowed across to Ireland. I wonder if there are records of that?

Just in case you’re interested.

P.S. I am off to Mexico to visit my daughter-in-laws parents

Merrily off, in another direction

Arthur Warwick Family

As many of you know, my wife is very active in the dog community. Last week she was approached by a fellow dog enthusiast, with a question. Are we related? His mother's maiden name was Mildred Warwick. Of course my wife said, her husband was into genealogy, and maybe he could find out. So they found a envelope, and wrote on the back the information he had.

Mother, Mildred Warwick, Born 1924, Hamilton.

Her father, Arthur Warwick, born Canada, had three brothers.

His wife’s maiden name, Commicts, German.

Searching Ancestry, I found an Arthur Warwick in the 1901 census, born 3 Aug 1896, his mother's name is Emily, but no father was listed, he was five. There were three brothers living at home. The 1911 census, still living with his mother, no father listed.

Then I find a marriage, 20th of August 1919. His wife's name is Amelia Kohlmetz. Her father's name was Charles, and the mother Sofia Pasel. I find  a Charles Kohlmetz, in the 1901 census. One of his daughters is a Millie Kohlmetz, I assume this is Amelia, as the birth dates match. I cannot find this family in the 1911 census, possibly they changed their name. The father was of German extraction.

From the marriage records I discovered, Arthur’s father, his name is, William Warwick, actually William Frederick Warwick. So I look him up in the 1891 census, at that time there were nine children in the household, and Arthur wasn't born yet. I would assume, something happened to the father after Arthur was born. I was unable to locate any further information about him, death Etc. It looks like Arthur was raised by his mother.

Next, was the birth registration for Arthur. It shows the father is William Frederick, and the mother Emily Gore Booth. His profession was listed as huckster. Wikipedia defines it as: A seller of small articles, usually of cheap or shoddy quality, or one engaged haggling or making petty bargains, that is a certain type of peddler or Hawker. A huckster may have had different connotation at that time.

One other thing I found was, Arthur had been in the First World War. A check of Archives Canada showed no Metals or awards of bravery, but he survived.

There was a family tree in Ancestry, which listed Arthur. The family tree shows he had 4 children, only one, not listed as living. (note: the person posting the family tree would show his children as living, if she had no death information, she has to assume they are alive}.  The one listed was Lillian, and she died in 1999.

I sent an e-mail message, to the owner of the family tree, asking if she knew the names of Arthur's children. We wait for a reply,

It doesn't seem that this family is related to our family, as the parents emigrated from England, our family lived and emigrated from Scotland. But you never know, I will enter him in my genealogy program as an Orphan.

I did send this information, to my wife's, fellow dog enthusiast, to see if he could confirm any of the names listed.

Just in case you were interested.

Was the ghost of Christmas past at my desk

This is a bit late in posting for Christmas, however the busy Christmas season kept me away from my desk

Now, about that ghost. About three or four weeks ago a program for a passion play showed up on my desk, I have no idea where it came from, and I was not working on the Warwick side of the family. Where I think this came from.

I glanced at it, realized it was from Christmas, 1932/33. I didn't quite know what to do with it, just file it the garbage, or file it away somewhere, but where. So I guess I must have laid it down on my desk again. Now my desk is quite crowded, I have a bad habit of collecting documents, books, and other things on my desk. So to say the least, I was a bit surprised when the day before Christmas this program reappeared on the top of my pile. So I picked it up again, still wondering where to file it, I just happened to look at the top corner of the third page, somebody had written, do you know this lady behind us I've seen her lately somewhere. I will never find out who that lady was, but the question is who wrote the note.

My father had just started Queens University, where he met my mother, but it’s extremely unlikely she accompanied him to Toronto. My Great Grandmother and Father had passed away. So who wrote the note? I think it was Mary Agnes, my grandmother. Marie, who lived on the family farm at lakelet, during this time, told me Mary Agnes never visited in the wintertime. Who could blame her, the farm had no Hydro, and the roads would likely be impassable at times. So where would she go? She had a sister Anne in Toronto, and I would assume she remained friends with her husband’s brothers and sisters. She had lived for a period of time with them in 1910. William (Uncle Bill) was born during her stay in Toronto.

When I first started doing genealogy, I him realized my grandmother Mary Agnes, had been a strong woman, she raised five boys by herself, one had drowned when he was only six, and another was paralyzed in a gymnastics accident. So for a period of time, I called my search, a search for Mary Agnes. And when I found her grave, in St. Catherine's, I got the feeling, she appreciated my search, and visit.

So I'm going to file this program under a Mary Agnes Allan (Warwick) and hope I have it in the right spot.

Next year Christmas, I’ll open the file, take the program out, and think about Mary Agnes, and if I find more information about her I’ll post another blog.

Now, if by chance, I find this program on the top of the documents on my desk before opening the file. I'll have quite a ghost story.

Just in case you were interested

The Christmas Past

I thought I would show a couple of pictures from a Christmas past. These photos are from 1959 we are living in Conway Ontario.
The first two photos show all the family members, the only person missing would be Uncle Sid and I'm sure he is there somewhere,

The next photo shows a centerpiece. For many years Molly Purchase would send us a centerpiece for our Christmas table. They usually had a theme, and packed inside was a present for everyone. Leading out from this box were ribbons with name tags. After the meal we would pull on the ribbon and our present would be tied to the other end. I do not know how this started, or why she did it. And I'm not sure if my mother reciprocated in any way.  

From my research I learned their where several connections of the Warwick family to the Purchases. Mary Emily (Molly) married Chuck Purchase. His mother was Isabel Warwick (Purchase). Isabella was known in the family has aunt Bella, and aunt Bella was my father's aunt. Likely from this connection led to the other connection. Both families lived in Toronto, and surely they connections with common ancestor, and eventually lived in the same neighborhood.  

 

The following picture, is from the same year 1959.It is one of the very few photograph I have found showing the Warwick family posed altogether.

So this is a Christmas past, and we are enjoying or about to enjoy Christmas present, the unknown will the Christmas future.

Merry Christmas

Just in case you were interested

Photographs. A little poem, and a little advice,

by Pamela Harazim

Come, look with me inside this drawer,
In this box I've often seen,
At the pictures, black and white,
Faces proud, still, serene.

I wish I knew the people;
These strangers in the box,
Their names and all their memories
Are lost among my socks.

I wonder what their lives were like.
How did they spend their days?
What about their special times?
I'll never know their ways.

If only someone had taken time
To tell who, what, where, when,
These faces of my heritage
Would come to life again.

Could this become the fate
Of the pictures we take today?
The faces and the memories
Someday to be tossed away?

Make time to save your pictures,
Seize the opportunity when it knocks,
Or someday you and yours could be
The pictures in the box

I found the poem here

http://forgottenoldphotos.blogspot.com/2010/12/photo-number-396.html

Sitting at my desk I am haunted by the relatives silently waiting for me to pull out their photo and identify them. Many will become unidentified, and as time passes the chance of identification will disappear, and so will the photo.

I am, amazed, in awe of, and depressed by, the volume of photos in this room. There are 2500 slides from the Bresser side and I have about the same. There are boxes and boxes of actual photos, unsorted, no information printed on the back. Then there are all the digital photos in my computer, currently 7096. Many are scans of existing photos.

My next project will be to scan some of the old Bresser, DeBlaauw photos and negatives, and try to identify who is staring out at me.

In the past photos were expensive, and they were usually taken at special occasions. The person would wear their best clothes, making dating by clothing styles, or events in their lives possible. As photography

became less expensive, photos were taken at random, making dating next to impossible. The digital images have cured that problem, but at the risk of a fragile existence, with computer or disk failures.

My parting advice is, be very aggressive deleting digital photos when you download from your camera to your computer, and caption everyone. Captioning them, will help you delete.

And BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP.

Just in case your interested