Bill's Genealogy Blog

Bill Buchanan is a long-time genealogy enthusiast, living in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada. This blog will describe my experiences as I research my family history and help others.

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Location: Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada

I am a retired online school teacher. I love family history. From 2007-2020, I spent much of my time providing part-time support for the world's largest free family history site https://familysearch.org This is very rewarding. I have helped others with the Family Tree and related FamilySearch products.
In 2010-2018 I served in the Edmonton_Alberta_Riverbend_Family_History_Centre..I have a FHC blog at Bill's Family History Center Blog Since 2020 I have been a family history consultant for Edmonton Alberta North Stake. For information on the Latter-day Saints and family history click https://www.comeuntochrist.org/

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

A Wrong Spouse, an Interesting Story

I noticed that in the FamilySearch Family Tree my cousin Annie Gertrude McMane
23 April 1916 – July 2000, was shown with two husband's who both have the surname Ingram. This seemed unusual, and her mother and grandmother had only mentioned one husband, John (Jack) Ingram. Out of curiosity, I looked at the other husband, Frank Donald Ingram, who died in 1941, Annie could have conceivably married Frank, and remarried John after Frank's death, but the more I looked at the evidence, the more doubtful I became.

Frank's military record describes a man who lived his whole life in Fernie, BC until his short military enlistment. My cousin Annie lived her whole life in Ontario, at the other side of the continent. Frank married Anna Mary (last name not given in the military records) in the United Church Manse in Fernie on 17 June 1936. Then a breakthrough! One of the pension records recorded that Frank's widow had remarried and was now Anna M,. Ursual. This is a beautifully uncommon name.

A Google search on Ursual Fernie found the gravestone that Anna shared with her second husband, Roy Ursual, along with their dates of birth and death.
Google also gave me Roy's obituary, which said he was born at Kayville, Saskatchewan.
Next a Google search for Ursual Kayville gave me his sister Ilene's wonderful obituary, which lists her brothers with the surname Ursu except for Roy Ursual married to Anna Ursual. Aha! Roy changed his Romanian family name slightly.

From there it was easy to find Roy's siblings and parents. But what was Anna's maiden name?
At last I found the starting point of the confusion:

Event Type:Marriage
Registration Number:1936-09-436050
GSU Mfilm Number:2135990Event Date (YYYY-MM-DD):1936-06-17
Event Place:FERNIE
Groom:FRANK DONALD INGRAM
Bride:ANNA MARY ZUFFA
Vital Stat Images(s): MRG_1936436050.jpg

BC Archives have numerous records of the Zuffa family.
Also see her memorial at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/121255086/anna-ursual
Which gives the names of her parents and siblings

I could now safely remove Frank Donald Ingram as a husband of my cousin and give him his correct wife. It was an enjoyable experience discovering some of their triumphs and tragedies.. Frank was one of two Canadian soldiers killed when a land mine exploded accidentally in Sussex, England. Roy Ursual served in various prominent positions in Fernie, including two terms as an alderman.


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