As I prepare my weather and family history presentation for BIFHSGO on Saturday, Rain Soaked Roots, I’m becoming more aware of the role of water in family history. You don’t get water on land without rain or snow.
199 years ago, in February of 1828, an early thaw and a sudden rise of the Rideau River washed away much of the dam under construction at Hogs Back Falls. In April 1828, spring flood waters washed it away again.
On 11 March 1864, the newly built Dale Dyke Dam broke as it was filling for the first time, releasing a huge volume of water that caused the Great Sheffield Flood. At least 240 people were killed, and hundreds of homes and buildings were destroyed. Subsequent dams built to harness the Derwent Valley’s waters flooded centuries-old villages.
In the late 1950s, ten communities in Ontario, many of United Empire Loyalist origins, were fully submerged, along with parts of several others, when dams were built for the St Lawrence Seaway.
A memorable BIFHSGO talk by Jane Down recounted going to Devon to find Shop Farm, where her ancestors had lived. It turned out she was seven years too late, as the land had been flooded for a reservoir. It’s recounted in her article Down Family of Ontario and Devon: Part 2 in Anglo-Celtic Roots, 2015 Vol 21 / Winter.
None of those will be mentioned in my presentation on Saturday. Weather is just too pervasive. To find out more about my Rain Soaked Roots presentation, and the preceding presentation on AI, and to register, go to https://www.bifhsgo.ca/events . It’s free.
There was a book about historical weather and family history. Do you happen to know the name? I was trying to find it once, but then forgot.
Mary: Here are two books you may be thinking of
The Weather Factor: How Nature Has Changed History by Erik Durschmied: Explores how specific, historic weather events (storms, cold, snow) altered the course of human history.
Rain: A Natural and Cultural History by Cynthia Barnett: Examines the human relationship with rain throughout history.
My great grandfather emigrated to Canada in 1880 from Ireland. He moved to the Ottawa area ten to Muskoka Parry Sound where they had a lumber mill, a general store and a family farm. The mill and store burned down according to family lore and the farm was sold to the Ontario hydro company of the time. They built a hydro plant and a dam so the farm is now underwater. The “Chute” where the water flows out of the dam is still there and was named after my great-grandfather. It is located just west of the town of Powassan.