Greetings, Leah: Leah Joys wrote: > > I have found my husband's grandfather Robert Virtue as > postmaster at Viola Dale in the Marquette District from > 1898 to 1901. Can you tell me the approximate area within Marquette? This is/was a very small place. It isn't on the current road map. That doesn't mean it doesn't still exist. If it was/is a "township", they're not shown on the roadmaps. Have you located them there on the 1901 Census? > I happened to mention to somebody originally from > Manitoba recently the particular year 1898 and she > said it was quite a common year for families to move > in from Ontario as he did for it was the year when > homesteads were offered (perhaps for the first time > - I don't really know. Is she correct? No, she isn't correct. The first homesteading opened up in the Portage Plains part of the Marquette District around or before 1870. It opened up in western Marquette (Beautiful Plains) within a few years, and settlement was well advanced by 1880. Homesteading continued throughout these regions for several decades. > Was this an area where a lot of homesteading was done ... Yes. It was almost entirely settled by homesteaders. > for I'm sure the position of postmaster was very minor > in such a region at that time. Indeed it was. The mail was delivered by horseback riders, and the stations had to be located at the staging points. Many post-offices were located in small stores, in hotels and/or way-stops. Each township covered 36 square miles, and may have included two or more p.o.'s, although some didn't include any. Most of the farmers didn't have to go more than four or five miles to pick up their mail. > I have no details on him at all other than he was born > about 1863 in Enniskillen, Ont., married an Elizabeth > Strong and their first child was born at Enniskillen in > 1887. Soon after that they must have moved to Orillia > or roundabout there in Simcoe County for some of the > family were born there ... Have you located them there on the 1891 Census? (Earlier?). I frequently get the microfilms in for Simcoe County, as that's where my own family's roots tie in. I can keep an eye out for this family. My own were located in Oro, with some connections to Tiny, Medonte, and Vespra. Orillia Township is adjacent to Oro and Medonte, and is always included on the same films, and I always look for my people in Orillia too, as some of them may easily have strayed across the township line, only three miles east of their homestead. > and then they moved on to Manitoba where presumably the > youngest children were born. This was a common pattern of migration for the late 19th C. > Robert did not live to an old age for his wife was > eventually to move to Alberta for a job opportunity > and re-marry likely in the 1930's. Part of the family > seem to be around the Carmen, Miami, Plum Coullee area > which is not in the same district as Marquette. You say "seem to be", upon what evidence are you basing this belief? Are you sure that it isn't another family of the same surname? > Can anybody help me? Where are you living? If you are in Canada, you can obtain all the same m/films through your public library that I do. Census films are obtained through the National Archives, and can be held on loan for up to six weeks. Vital Statistics films for Simcoe County are obtained from the Ontario Archives, and can be used for two weeks, with a possible two-week renewal. TTFN, Patricia Sherman -- patsherman@writeme.com or software@yellowknife.com http://www.onelist.com/community/hall-geneseekers (listowner) http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~geneseeker http://www.my-ged.com/hall-cda/ (online GEDCOM database) http://users.internorth.com/~wiccan/personal/foyer_p.htm *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* In perpetual quest of elusive British and Canadian ancestors: BEST-BOOTH-BUTTERS-HALL-HATCH-POOLE-POTTER-SHERMAN-TOMLIN-WEBB *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*