Queries

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Queries and Brick Walls

Genealogical queries and selected answers are published in Generations and on our website. Or, you may post your query in our Facebook group (find the link on the home page)

Queries should be brief and to the point, or be well sourced brick wall queries. There is no charge for queries. Submit as many as you wish. Queries may be edited before publication.

Email us at queries@nbgs.ca to submit your query.

Or post them in our Facebook group.

To respond to a query by email, click the name of the person who submitted the query. If you respond to a query, please send a copy of your answer to the Queries Editor (queries@nbgs.ca) citing any sources you consulted. The responses will be reviewed and selected answers will be published.

Click here to learn "How to Write an Effective Query"

We all run into brick walls with our research and may want to ask for help from others. Whether you decide to send a query to NBGS for publication, post one on our Facebook page or engage the services of a professional researcher, here are some suggestions to make your initial query more effective.

A common mistake is to submit something that is too vague. For example,

“I’m looking for information on my great grandfather, John Smith.”

Whoever reads this query does not have any information with which to proceed. The submitter has some knowledge as to when John lived, where he may have lived, and who some of his family members might be, but the person reading the query does not. This query does not specify if John was born in 1820 or in 1920, if he lived in Miramichi or St Stephen, or anything else about him. There is no information to use to start a search. Plus, no specific question was asked. Anyone trying to help needs to have some idea of what you’d like to know.

Create a more effective version of the same query by adding a few specific details:

“I’m looking for death and burial information for my great grandfather, John Smith, who died before the 1871 census, and lived in XYZ town, NB.”

In this example, you have a specific question “looking for death and burial Information” plus an approximate date “died before the 1871 census” and a location “XYZ town, NB”. Anyone helping you can now focus on the location, date and type of record you seek, and they know you already looked at the 1871 census.

Adding even more detail can help, but adding too much does not.

“I’m looking for death and burial information for my great grandfather, John Smith, who shows up in the 1861 census in XYZ town, NB, with his wife Betsey and their four children, Mary, Robert, Fred and Sarah. In the 1871 census, Betsey, now a widow, and the children still live in XYZ town.”

In this third example you have added the names of the wife and children and the last date John was known to be alive. Now the focus can be in a specific time range (1861 to 1871) and a few names to help confirm the identity of John if documents are found. Betsey might be the informant on the death certificate. Do the names of the children add any value to this search? They may not be necessary, but might also be useful. However, adding details such as Betsey was born in Ireland or the names of her parents would probably not be useful to help find John’s death or burial information.

These three examples show how adding a bit of detail can assist those who wish to help. However, adding too much detail may not be helpful. You don’t need to include the full family history.

If you are hiring a researcher, the researcher will ask for more details once they have agreed to explore your project. For the initial query, keep it simple.

Queries & Brick Walls

Click on the bar with the name to read the query.

Q26-5907-SOMERS:

Q26-5907-SOMERS: We would like to establish the parentage of John Somers, born c.1787 "on the Saint John River". Lived in North Esk, married Abigail Tozer, died 14 JUL 1847 in Lyttleton. We have been able to establish our lineage up to John via one of his sons David Harding Somers (1827-1910), and have quite a bit of information on John's descendants as well as Abigail's family,

North of John is where things get fuzzy.

New Brunswick Family Profiles states John's parents as "possibly s/o Thomas and Phoebe Somers, Loyalists of Kennebecasis River in Kings County: he came to the Miramichi River by 1811 and settled at Lyttleton, South Esk Parish, Northumberland County."

Miramichi Families Part 4 states John's father as "son of Philip Somers" with no other information.

FamilySearch.org links John to Thomas Somers and Alice Higbee of Gloucester, New Jersey. We believe this to be an error, as John's birth in New Brunswick would be extremely odd among older and younger siblings born in New Jersey. That, and there's no evidence that that family migrated to New Brunswick.

Any help from the experts would be greatly appreciated!

Robb Haukohl

(rec'd 2 Jun 2026)

Q26-5905-MORRISON & CHASE:

Q26-5906-MORRISON & CHASE: I am hoping to find a death record for John Morrison's wife, Elspeth McKenzie (also written as Elizabeth). She would have died with the name Elspeth/Elizabeth McKenzie Morrison. Our family records say that she died on July 16, 1876 in New Brunswick. John and Elspeth were on the Castalia ship and were some of the first families of the Scotch Colony. Upon arrival, they lived in the New Kincardinshire Colony.

The son of John and Elspeth, John Morrison, who came on the Castalia with them, married a woman named Amelia May Chase. She was the daughter of John Wellington Chase and Mehalah Louise MacDonald. According to family records, Amelia was born on November 18, 1865 in French Lake, Sunbury County, New Brunswick. I am hoping to find a birth record, baptismal record, or census records for Amelia.

The 1871 census record that lists Amelia when she was about 6 years old.

Anna
(rec’d 13 Mar 2026)

Q26-5905-HITCHINGS

Q26-5905- HITCHINGS: I am looking for information on Jane Hitchings (who I believe is my 3rd great grandmother) born ca 1766 and died 21 Sep 1854, in St. David Parish, Charlotte, New Brunswick. Buried in Old Oak Bay Anglican Cemetery, Charlotte, New Brunswick. She married Samuel Thomas ca 1791. Looking for information on her parents, and any siblings she might have had.

Shelby

(rec’d 3 Mar 2026)

Q26-5904-NEVERS:

Q26-5904-NEVERS: I descend from members of the Nevers family of New Brunswick. I am reaching out because I have a copy of George Hayward's 2006 update to the Nevers Family history. I have a question about George H. W. Nevers (1800/02-1853) from page 47 of that volume and I would like to contact someone who may be familiar with this research.

The question - has the lineal descent of George H. W. Nevers since been proven to be from Samuel Nevers Jr. (1776-1870) and Elizabeth Palmer (1776-1857)? In the volume, Hayward says that he's unable to validate that relationship. Since twenty years has elapsed, maybe more information has been collected to confirm (or not) the relationship.

George H. W. Nevers' daughter was Thyrza Ann Nevers married Frederick Fox. Their granddaughter was Phyllis Vera Fox (1904-1986), my grandmother on my dad's side. And my uncle's name was Philip Nevers Brooks.

The overall purpose of this is to confirm (hopefully) my direct descent from John Alden, a Mayflower passenger.

I appreciate your help, thank you.

Bud Brooks

(rec’d 11 Feb 2026)

Q26-5903-GRADY:

Q26-5903-GRADY: My 3x great grandparents, Edward Grady (O'Grady or Gready) and Mary Leonard. I would like to know if they married in New Brunswick or Ireland? Edward b.1816 location? Ireland - d.1892 in Waterford, NB. Mary b.1816/7 in Co Cork Ireland-d-1915, Emerson, NB. It would be great to know where each of them was born in Ireland and where they were married.

Kimberly

(rec'd 4 Jan 2026)

Q26-5902-CRANDALL:

Q26-5902-CRANDALL: My grandmother had a grandmother named Helen Crandall who was from Salisbury who married Warren Price in 1853. Helen's father was John Crandall, according to Amos, Keith, and Perry in their book "The Descendants of Edmund and Jane (Webb) Price”. I am trying to connect Helen back to the Reverend Joseph Crandall through John Crandall, if there is a connection. There are two John Crandalls in the 1851 census but neither are old enough to be Helen's father. There is no Helen Crandall in the 1851 census. Can anyone help?

Kevin Kitchen

(rec’d 2 Jan 2026)

Q25-5901- ADAMS:

Q25-5901-ADAMS:

John Adams (b 1824 France), my great-great Grandfather, sailed from Saint John, New Brunswick on Ship Helen Anna arriving New York September 2, 1844. Port and ship he departed from Saint John. I’d like to find his birth place in France. Is ADAMS his birth name?

John Adams
(rec’d 6 Dec 2025)

Q25-5900 - CUNNINGHAM:

Q25-5900-CUNNINGHAM: I am working on a one name search in southern NB - Cunningham. My ancestor Hugh Cunningham (1799-1865) came to Canada in 1831 from Ireland with his wife Ann and three sons Samuel (1823-1897), John (1829-1893) and my line Thomas (1831-1883). It was told that the family landed in Saint John and scattered - brothers, cousins, and other family members. I have done my Ancestry DNA and so have a few cousins. Recently I met a fellow from Saint John whose family came in 1840's. This line is Thomas (1806-1889), who would be my Hugh's younger brother, and through DNA someone on his line matched mine. I am interested in contacting anyone who has Cunningham ancestors in southern NB. Also, a possible line is through a sister Margaret Cunningham (c1807-1900). Margaret married Patrick Slattery. If anyone in this line has done their Ancestry DNA, I would be interested in knowing.

Nancy Adams

(rec’d 4 Dec 2025)

Q25-5899-WHITTLE:

Q25-5899-WHITTLE: I’m contacting you from England and hoping that you can help to discover addresses, occupations and border crossing information for my great grandfather during the period 1919 to 1925.

Thomas Whittle was born in Bolton, England on 27 May 1884 and arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on the Teutonic on 18 April 1914. During the Great War he served with the 26th New Brunswick Battalion and was demobilised in Saint John on 30 April 1919 age 35.

1919 to 1925 is a gap in my research of Thomas’ timeline and I’m sharing the few pieces of the puzzle that I’ve uncovered.

Although married with children in England, Thomas partnered with a Canadian lady, Elizabeth Fleming (b: 20 Aug 1894 Chatham, New Brunswick) and she appears to have had 5 children with Thomas before dying following the birth of twins in 1930. I’ve no record of them marrying but from 1921 Elizabeth adopted the name Whittle.

1919 Thomas Whittle demobilised, Saint John

1921 Elizabeth Whittle, Lodger 1 June, Saint John

1921 Cossmane Edwin WHITTLE birth registered 22 June, Saint John

1923 Elizabeth Whittle, crosses from Canada to USA (December), travelling to her brother, Stephen Fleming in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

1925 WHITTLE childbirth registered 6 August in Boston Massachusetts, FATHER Thomas Whittle; MOTHER Elizabeth FLEMING (this child was Charles James Whittle)

1930 Elizabeth Whittle death 2 February at the Metropolitan Hospital, New York

1947 Thomas Whittle death 31 January at the Coney Island Hospital, New York

I’ve also failed to discover when Thomas crossed to the USA and if Cossmane Whittle survived infanthood.

I’m hoping that your knowledge of Canadian records will help to find more pieces of this puzzle and please do not hesitate ask me questions.

Thanks,

Graham Field

(rec’d 14 Nov 2025)

Q25-5898-WEBBER/ WARD/ HATCH / DOW:

Q25-5898-WEBBER/ WARD/ HATCH / DOW:

Part 1: James Webber – In Generations - Fall 2015 Edition - Diaries of Tredway Thomas Odber Miles - on page 8, Odber Miles mentions "Tuesday, April 22nd, 1817, James Webber buried today".

James Webber (1776 - 1817) is my maternal GG Grandfather. The Webber family is not listed in "First Families", and I have only found one reference to him with his brother, Jeremiah, in Burton NB land grants, and supposedly from the US.

That mention certainly indicates that Odber Miles had a connection to the Webber family. He also mentions "Mrs. Webber November 7th 1817", and Mr. Dow, and Mrs. Hatch in the same segment of his diary. Two of James Webber's daughters married into the Dow and Hatch families:

- Ruth Webber m Calvin Hatch, August 14th,1817

- Elizabeth Webber m William Ward, July 13, 1826

- Mary Ann Webber m William Dow, July 31st, 1841

At no time in all of the excerpts in Generations does he mention Elizabeth Webber or the Ward family.

The Miles, Dow, Hatch, and my William Ward families are all listed in First Families. The James Webber family is not.

Does anyone who is researching any of these families have information that connects the Miles, Dow, Hatch and Ward families to James Webber 1776 - 1817?

Part 2: Irish Farm Workers – In Generations - Fall 2015 Edition - Diaries of Tredway Thomas Odber Miles, there is a map included in the Miles diary (attached) which shows (circled) "Irish Farm Workers lived here in small cabins" on his property. Does anyone have information on “Irish Indentured Workers", especially those located on the Odber Miles Maugerville property.

Could James Webber have been one of these Irish Farm Workers?

Regards,

Earl Ward

(rec’d 10 Nov 2025)

Q25-5897-McGOWAN:

Any information about this family or identification of the other young woman in the attached picture would be greatly appreciated.

My grandmother, Mary Agnes McGowan b.08/13/1898, probably in New Brunswick, was raised to young adulthood by widow Mary Hanley McGowan of Cornhill after spending a year from 1901-1902 in St. Vincent's Orphanage in Saint John. Her earlier life before the orphanage is a mystery.

Mary McGowan's daughter Bridget Alice McGowan McGlone, also a widow, lived with her mother together with her own children, Edna, James, Mildred and Loretta. Neither the McGowan family nor the orphanage ever disclosed information to Mary Agnes regarding her birth parents, though many years later, a sister from the orphanage wrote to her that her mother was "Maud McDonald" (sp?). I have the letter from that sister, as well as Mary Agnes' baptismal certificate from 1901 without parents' names (but no birth record).

Any information about this family or identification of the other young woman in the attached picture (taken in a photography studio in Sussex, New Brunswick) would be greatly appreciated. The woman on the right is my grandmother, Mary Agnes McGowan.

Thank you,

Sandra Raviv

North Beach, Maryland, USA

(rec'd 28 Aug 2025)

Q25-5896-WORRALL & DANIEL:

I am researching my family roots in St John NB. Here is what I do know:

My 2 x Great Grandfather is Arthur Daniel. He was born in 1823 in Biggleswade, England. He came to St John when quite young to join his Uncle Thomas Daniel as well as his older brother also named Thomas Daniel. The family were merchants and had stores known as Daniel & Boyd. Arthur eventually began working with a Mr. Kirk and became part of a mill called Kirk & Daniel which had connections to the fire in St John.

Arthur married Mary Jane Worrall in 1849. Her father is one George Worrell that we believe may have been a merchant in St John. George’s wife was Elizabeth. Her maiden name is a mystery and we know that she was born in Nova Scotia in about 1791. Elizabeth & George also had a son George William Worrall who was a shipping merchant in St John. He was also a member of the Stone church.

We are very much stuck on the Worrall family. We have been unable to find anything beyond Mary Jane’s brother George. Her parents are a huge mystery for us. Any help in locating who they were would be most appreciated. They are all buried in Fernhill cemetery but the records do not show anything. We also believe there may be connections to the Maynard and Prescott families but have been unable to make the connection.

Any help is most appreciated!

Barbara Daniel Musgrave

(rec’d 24 Jul 2025)

Q25-5895-REARDON:

I have hit a wall in researching my great-great-grandfather John Reardon and am wondering if anyone can help.

According to Ken Kanner’s Early Families Revisited, John was born in Ireland in 1822. John’s birth year is listed in the 1861 NB census as 1822, and the 1871 census indicates 1825 as his birth year.

I know the following:

he purchased land from Samuel White in 1852 (White’s Cove) where there is a Reardon Road
he married Bridget Burke in St. John in 1855 and they had 4 children
he married Bridget Scallan in 1865 after his first wife died
he died between 1875 and 1881

I’m trying to find out the following:

where he was born in Ireland
when he came to NB (I’m not sure if he landed in NB or maybe the US)
did he come to Canada with any family such as parents or siblings

Thank you so much for any help you can provide.

Ann Robinson
(rec’d 21 Jul 2025)