Review: A Call to the Colours: Tracing Your Canadian Military Ancestors by Kenneth G. Cox

A Call to the Colours:  Tracing Your Canadian Military Ancestors by Kenneth G. Cox, Ontario Genealogical Society/Dundurn Press, 2011, 337 p.

In his introduction, author Kenneth Cox explains that “A Call to the Colours refers to the flags that every regiment holds in esteem:  the king or queen’s colours and the regimental colours.” This book focuses on active military events in Canada’s history and successfully details how genealogists can obtain regimental records and historical information pertaining to the campaigns their ancestors took part in.

Most of the chapters cover one set period in Canada’s military history, such as The War of 1812, The Rebellions of 1837-38, the defense of Canada from 1866 to 1898, The Boer War, The Great War, and The Second World War. The third chapter (1866-1898) discusses service in The Fenian Raids, The Red River Expedition, The Nile Expedition, The Northwest Rebellion, and The Yukon Field Force. The remaining three chapters focus on women’s service in the military, and the unique records pertaining to Air Force and Navy service.

Military medals are often passed down through generations, and Cox has supplied a great deal of information about identifying these medals to better understand their significance. The author also provides lists of abbreviations and military terms often found in records, as well as a helpful index and an extensive bibliography.

As is often the case when reviewing older books, the website information provided can be well out of date. For example, much has changed since 2011 regarding the acquisition of military records from Library and Archives Canada. However, this book was not intended to be an internet guide to military records, even though the author does discuss web resources and provides an appendix for websites that were in place 15 years ago. I tested some of these website URLs and many are, surprisingly, still valid. But the book’s main value comes from its exploration of the types of records one might find for each military event and detailed information regarding the repositories that hold these records. The author shows how genealogists can use these documents in concert with regimental histories to create historical context around their Canadian ancestor’s military service.

Highly recommended.

 

Review: To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes by Rosie Grant

To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes by Rosie Grant, HarperCollins - Harvest, 2025, 155 p.

Tik-tokker and author Rosie Grant defines a gravestone recipe as “someone’s recipe etched into their final resting place.” Her book contains forty of these recipes, accompanied by fascinating stories about the lives of amateur cooks and bakers, now departed, as well as historical information about food, celebrations, and cemeteries. Most of the recipes included in the book come from headstones erected after 2000. This connection between cemeteries and food seems to have re-emerged in this century with the newer practice of including the deceased’s favourite recipe on their gravestone.

The recipes come from home cooks who loved to celebrate and share their culinary talents with friends and family. The stories about these individuals are touching and fitting remembrances of people who touched the lives of others through their generosity via food. From a genealogy standpoint, I would have loved to see the author include the birth and death dates in every biography. Some dates appear in gravestone images and in the text, but not consistently.

The author provides some genuinely interesting bits of historical information. Having visited hundreds of cemeteries across North America, I’m not squeamish at all about them, but I was surprised to learn that Victorians liked to picnic in rural cemeteries. It makes sense. Cemeteries are peaceful, idyllic and park-like, so, why not share a meal there?

I’m going to try some of these recipes because if someone thought to etch them in stone, they must be good. I recommend this book to genealogists who love using the oven. Most of the recipes are of baked goods, the type often shared at family and community celebrations. Will I ask to have a recipe included on my gravestone? Probably not, but I knows other who have “signature bakes” that would be worthy of such a permanent placement.

Recommended, for a fun and unusual read.

 

Review: The Way They Were: Dressed in 1860-65: A Photographic Reference by Donna J. Abraham

 The Way They Were: Dressed in 1860-65: A Photographic Reference by Donna J. Abraham, Abraham’s Lady LLC, 2008, 160 p.

I write about the photographs I find in antique stores and thrift shops on my Substack blog, Family Photo Reunion (https://familyphotoreunion.substack.com) so when I see a reference book I believe will assist me in dating pre-1927 photographs, I usually buy it. Donna Abraham’s book immediately appealed to me. Specific to cdv photographs, it covers a small window of time and only one photographic format. The back cover book blurb explains the author's intent. These images were compiled to assist costume designers, historians and students, so my specific usage (dating images) is somewhat outside the intended purpose for this book. But more on that later.

In her introduction, Abraham explains the book is “a photographic reference and companion to other documents already written about the 1860-1865 time period.” That is a crucial point. There are few words in this book. It is very much a collection of black and white photographs, helpfully organized into chapters by subject: 1) Fashions for Children 2) Fashions for Women 3) Groups 4) Fashions for Men and 5) Close-Ups.

Each chapter begins with a brief discussion about the fashion trends of the time, including fabric choices, dress style, hairstyles, common accessories and other notable details. The “Fashions for Women” chapter is understandably the longest chapter in the book, covering the many aspects of women’s fashion: fabrics, fabric patterns, dress trims, hairstyles, hats and caps, outer wear, wraps, and specialty dresses such as mourning dresses, wedding or ball gowns. Men’s styles did not change as quickly or as dramatically as women’s fashions, though there are certainly key trends to watch for.

Will this book help the genealogist who wants to learn to identify and date photographs? I believe so. I use it quite often to compare the contents with my own photographs to find similar fashion points. Abraham gives only sparse commentary on the evolution of style in this book, so it is up to the reader to observe and to note similarities and differences in the photographs. It is likely the author didn’t intend her audience to use the book in this way, but the photographs also provide genealogists with other bits of useful information, outside fashion. It also reveals how photographers commonly posed their subjects, the style of card stock available to photographers, and how to identify the types of props and settings used during this period. The book would have been more helpful if the author could have noted the specific year of each photo, if known, to show the progression of fashion over the five years. Still, photo detectives will find this collection of nearly six hundred cdv images a useful visual record of fashion and photography from the first half of the 1860s.

Review: Build Your Family Tree: A Guide for Canadians with Local and Global Roots by Lynne Butler

Build Your Family Tree:  A Guide for Canadians with Local and Global Roots by Lynne Butler, Self-Counsel Press, 2022, 222 p.

Oddly, this book’s title doesn’t mention wills or probate records even though the entire focus of Build Your Family Tree is on these types of records. I hope this oversight hasn’t resulted in it being overlooked on bookstore shelves, because this handy guide could help genealogists locate records containing rich details about their ancestors, even though these documents can sometimes be tricky to locate.

The opening chapters provide an overview of the wide variety of information that can be discovered in wills and probate records. These are often details impossible to find in other places. Since it is necessary for researchers to understand legal terms and the probate process, Butler dedicates an entire chapter to defining various probate processes and the documents they generate. In addition, she provides helpful lists of terms and abbreviations.

In Canada, there are very few online access points for wills and probate records, so in-person research is often required. More genealogists are now relying on their computer to locate records, and as a result, many family tree hobbyists are unfamiliar with researching in archives. Chapter Five provides information about visiting archives: what to expect, what to know before travelling to an archive, how to obtain copies, what to bring, the etiquette of archives, and how to create abstracts. The author also provides search strategies and tips for a successful archives visit.

Since there is not one single repository in Canada for wills and probate records, the book lists the many archives, libraries, museums, and other locations that house wills, probate records, and related documents across Canada, many of the collections are little known and specialized. There are some online sources for probate-related documents here, as well. These listings, along with the provincial resources, are hands-down the most valuable chapters of the book. The author has allotted a chapter to each Canadian province and territory and details the unique and varied collections available in those regions.

The final chapter covers International Records, which is a useful addition because so many Canadians have ties to other lands. At first glance, this three-and-a-quarter-page chapter seems far to short to cover a topic so broad. However, the author has included a “Download Kit” along with the book, accessible through an online URL, that provides information about wills and probates in other countries, complete with links to online records, as well as addresses for those archives whose records are not yet digitized. While over 30 countries have resource pages in the kit, not all countries are represented. For example, none of the Scandinavian countries are included in the downloadable files. Still, it is much like having a second book at your fingertips.

The Download Kit also includes handy blank forms, mostly for abstracting information from assortment of records described in the book.

Initially, I was taken aback by the price of the paper bound book: $49.95 CDN plus tax. After reviewing the book and realizing the scope and density of detail it contains, the price is more understandable, though it's still on the higher end of most genealogy how-to books of this type. I can recommend this title to genealogists and librarians who need a detailed, current guide on this topic. The inclusion of in-person research topics will help the book maintain its usefulness for years over titles that rely exclusively on online resources.