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.