by Cathie Morgan

I have in my possession my late great Grandpa Matheson’s egg basket. According to family stories, he used it to gather eggs from the hen house he and my great Grandma had in their backyard at Stony Mountain.

Alexander Matheson's Egg Basket, used c. 1920. Photo: E. Campbell

Again, I return to the AGM at the end of September this year. The newly elected Vice President of TLSARL, Roy McLeod, stopped me as I was entering the venue. He’d found some articles written by my great-aunt in a couple of old copies of Saskatchewan History, and kindly, he gave them to me. Imagine my excitement when I found her contributions were (an annotated copy of) a journal her aunt kept while on a canoe trip made in the 1920s!

A special dance known as the “Red River jig” we have never seen any one but a native of the country do to perfection. The music was always the violin played to the vigorous accompaniment of the foot, and we have known men carry with them an extra pair of moccasins, so that when one pair was worn out on the rough floor they might not be at a loss.

I realised after publishing the last dog entry that I had forgotten to mention what my plans for our new puppy, Stella, were! So just in case anyone was following the entries in order to find out….

I have two somewhat unusual hopes for Stella.

Christian Matheson & Angus Matheson, 1815 Group

The Digital Photo Archive is one of the projects I would like to see underway in the Genealogy department of TLSARL.

A lot of people email in wanting us to provide them with genealogical information – information we might have about their ancestors, or even about ancestors of their friends, for whom they are doing genealogical research.

Have any of you ever, in your travels, been somewhere and felt a deep sense of either belonging or connection to that spot?

Monday York 2nd Sept’r 1816

“…the Colonial and Cumberland House boat arrived the only intelligence of the Canadian Expedition is from the N. W. Co. as they passed the Grand Rapid Portage. They say that Lord Selkirk has gone to Red River by Faun du Lac and that Dr. Chatland has passed Fort William with four Canoes…” – Colin Robertson Journal

September is a busy month for the descendants of Selkirk Settlers! The 2012 Bicentennial Committee (not connected to TLSARL, although we have a representative on the committee) will hold its Annual Selkirk Settler Parade on the 12. The keynote speaker will be TLSARL President Bill Matheson, by the way.