Family, Ancestry, and Genealogical Research

in Lanark and Carleton Counties.

Services:

Family Research : Price depends on the type of question the client would like answered on their family's past. Normally the rate is $25. The information is provided to you electronically, and includes pictures where applicable and sources. The most common questions for this price range are:

I have a lot and Concession number but don't know where that is, can you help?

OR

My ancestors lived in this small town but I don't know where they are buried, can you check the cemeteries ?

More detailed research will cost more. For instance:

Do you have any information on the Smith family ?

General questions require more sources and take more time; you will pay more and you will still receive quality work.

I am a historical researcher, not a licensed genealogist. I have accumulated an extensive library over the years and would like to use this information to help you research your family tree.

Of Course you Pay Nothing if I Find Nothing!

Cemetery and Homestead Photo's - These usually run about $20 to $25 depending on distance and location. I take several photos so you can see the subject and the surrounding area.

Headstone Cleaning - Once people see the state of their ancestors headstone they often want it cleaned. While some headstones hold up well over the centuries, others become illegible and that's what we don't want to happen. Pricing below includes Before and After pics and usually takes about 3 weeks. Price is : $25.00 for one side, and $15.00 for each additional side. Note: Some headstones are engraved on one side only, some are engraved on two, three or four sides..

Send no money up front. I will inform you by email of the costs and send you an invoice when the project is finished.

Email me at : karenprytula33@gmail.com

“The Journals of John Allen Snow"

 

 

This book will be of interest to anyone who descends from John Allen Snow; Ottawa Valley Pioneer. His father John Snow was born in England, and his mother Barbara Allen was born in Massachusetts. They met in Quebec, Canada, and had two known children before John drowned in the Ottawa River. Their son John Allen Snow grew up on the Aylmer Rd., married, had many children, and had a career as a surveyor, which involved travelling across Canada. He was involved in the Red River Rebellion 1870, had a gun pointed at him, was almost drowned, and was horse-whipped. He traveled to east and west, and died in Ottawa. He is buried at Beechwood Cemetery. His life story and the stories of his descendants are told by him from the grave. He is the great great grandfather of a great many people in Canada and in the northern USA. This 250 page book is fully indexed and loaded with pictures.

The book sells for $30, and shipping is included. Email me at karenprytula33@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing a copy of the book.

The index can be viewed at the link below; to post it here would be too lengthy.

http://thejournalsofjohnallensnow.blogspot.ca/

Reviews:

Please send me another copy of your wonderful book...M.S.

Headstone Cleaning in Lanark County and Ottawa

 

S T O N E S   U N T U R N E D

HEADSTONE CLEANING SERVICES IN LANARK COUNTY & OTTAWA

At STONES UNTURNED we help to keep your ancestors alive by bringing back to life a tangible part of their legacy, and your memory of them. In many cases only a headstone, gravestone, or tombstone is the only memorial to the existence they had on this earth. Aren’t we all afraid that the day will come when we will be forgotten? Are we not afraid that one day there will be absolutely no sign that we even existed? It’s a frightening thought and no doubt our ancestors had those same thoughts. As I walk the cemeteries and old burying grounds, I see so many forgotten graves. Some were taken care of 100 years ago, but now those caretakers are gone forever too, and the stones have fallen into disrepair and are no longer legible.

We do not repair, or resurrect broken headstones but merely do our best to make them recognizable again, legible if possible. Due to years of neglect we cannot bring these headstones back to their original state. Most are extremely heavy and have cracked and fallen off their bases. These will remain that way but they can still be cleaned up, improved, and with this preventative maintenance we can slow down the effects of UV rays and other erosives. (headstones will fall over naturally as water gets into the base, freezes, expands, then cracks the base, causing this foundation to break, and over the years the headstone topples over.) Let us improve on what there is left to work with, before its too late.

We remove decades of accumulation of moss, lichens, mould, dust, dirt, bird droppings, etc. These accumulations will do permanent damage if they have not done so already. Then we give the stone a soft buff and shine. Minor gardening is the last thing we do. We trim whatever bushes might already have been planted, rake away the dead leaves, cut out the dead undergrowth, and cleanup any weather beaten fake flowers, garbage, and dirty, busted vases. We can replace these deteriorated items with new decorations for a small additional fee.

Headstones usually give us a wealth of information especially to the family genealogist. Aside from death or birth dates a headstone can explain certain relationships, how a person died, their place of birth, and the clubs or fraternities they belonged to. Sometimes more. To demonstrate, the Harvey headstones in Laidley Cemetery, Tay Valley Township, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada say:

ANNA OF DROADEA, IRELAND

WIFE OF JOSEPH HALIDAY

GRANDMOTHER OF

EMMA ANNIE HARVEY

And on a stone close by:

IN MEMORY OF

EMMA ANNIE

DIED

APRIL 22, 1884

DROWNED AT MABERLY

DAUGHTER OF

RICHARD & JOSEPHINE HARVEY

The above transcriptions were written down 40 years ago. But today they are practically illegible. These two stones are on the list to be cleaned up.

We work seven days a week between sun-up and sun-down and during holidays as well – so don’t be shy to contact us. Contact info below.

What we need from you:
• Name of the cemetery or burial ground
• Name of the deceased
• Other supporting information about the deceased, usually year of death. This helps to distinguish between common names like Peter Campbell where their could be a dozen people of the same name buried there.
• Your contact information. Name, email address, mailing address, and phone number.

OUR FEES: Minimum charge is $25.00. The minimum charge is for a one-sided headstone or footstone that takes one hour to clean. We charge $15.00 for each additional hour The average cleaning takes about two hours so you are looking at $40.00. This includes gas and supplies.

• Footstone $25.00
• One-sided headstone $25.00 + $15.00 for each additional hour
• Two-sided headstone $50.00 + $15.00 for each additional hour
• Three-sided headstone $75.00 + 15.00 for each additional hour
• Four sided headstone $100.00 + 15.00 for each additional hour
(four sided headstones can list numerous headstones therefor the graves of several ancestors are cleaned at the same time, not to mention the wealth of information you will find on this size of stone)

Contact Info:
If you have decided to have your family headstone cleaned by Stones Unturned, please contact
Karen Prytula:

By Email: karenprytula33@gmail.com You will receive a response within 48 hours.
By Phone: 613-325-1354 This is a cell phone. Please be prepared to leave a message, as we are usually on the road or on the job when the phone rings. We will return your call as soon as we can.

Other services: Many people researching their ancestry would like a photo of the gravesite only, having never seen it before due to distance. For that we charge $20. This figure is derived at mostly because of the price of gasoline. The photo will be sent to you via email, and if you don’t have email it will be mailed to you if you are in Canada, on a glossy paper.

If you would like decorations placed at the gravesite call to discuss. Phone number above.

Stones Unturned thanks you for your interest and looks forward to helping you preserve your past for your future generations.

P.S. My apologies for any goofs in this blog, I had a hard time creating it, and it still does not look the way I wanted it to.