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Remembering Mother Martha von Bunning, 1824 – June 13, 1868

Sr. Ann Marshall, csj

In recognition of the 170 years since the Hamilton foundation, I was asked to reflect on why Mother Martha is so significant to the Hamilton sisters. Her story is poignant and instructive, and its meaning is still unfolding. Her story as a Sister of St. Joseph reflects the pascal mystery of death and resurrection. Martha followed in the footsteps of Jesus who died an apparent failure.

We first heard Martha’s story following Vatican 11 when Rome directed all religious congregations to revisit their founding charism. On hearing Martha’s story for the first time there was initial shock, surprise and a sense of embarrassment which gave way to anger/resentment. Remember this was an era of awakening for women containing new truths and insights. We symbolized our support of Martha by the removal of a large picture of the first Bishop of Hamilton, Bishop Farrell, which had been hanging prominently in the Mother House and gifted it to the Chancery Office where it now hangs in the Diocesan library named after him. A more appropriate home for His Grace.

Martha was born in Germany, emigrated to the USA, and entered the Congregation in 1845 at the age of 21. She was missioned from St. Louis Missouri to Toronto and from there to Hamilton in 1852. At 28 Martha was named the superior of the Hamilton community. Martha understood that love is expressed in service of the dear neighbour and readily accepted the challenge of caring for the typhus and cholera victims of arriving immigrants but at a cost of the lives of the sisters. Ten years into the foundation, in 1862, unjustly accused Martha was banished from the community by the Bishop. This resilient and humble woman made a second attempt at reconciliation in 1868 even though her health was failing but was again denied a meeting with the Bishop and made her way to Toronto, walking all the way. The archives are silent on this detail, however, she was warmly received by the Toronto community and died 9 days later.

I said earlier Martha’s story is instructive. She was courageous in responding to unmet needs, resilient in the face of adversity, humble and forgiving in the dark night of unjust condemnation, and uncompromising in living the charism of unity and reconciliation. It seems to me that Martha’s short life reflects our own congregation’s Chapter Statement: Moving with Love and embracing each moment of possibility as a graced path to Transformation.

Caring for your Family Bible

By Jennifer Robertson, Book and Paper Conservation Services

**19th century family Bibles (photo credit: Book and Paper Conservation Service**s)

If you are lucky enough to have a family Bible that belonged to your ancestors, you probably treasure it very much. Family Bibles are often kept and passed down through generations, perhaps with precious memories attached of reading passages together, a special place in your relatives’ home, or even with written records inside. They can be important sources of genealogical information if a family tree was kept, as many 19^th century Bibles included specially printed pages for recording births, marriages and deaths in the family. Whatever the significance they carry, it is important to keep the physical book safe from damage and deterioration, so that it can continue to be passed down to later generations.

There are three factors that should be considered when caring for your family Bible; Environment, Storage, and Handling. All have an impact on the condition of your Bible, and you can make adjustments in many ways to keep it in good condition.

Environment

A Bible, like any book or artifact, is affected by the environmental conditions in which it lives. This includes factors like temperature, relative humidity (RH) and light. High temperatures and humidity can cause damage to the paper, cloth or leather used to make the Bible. The higher the temperature, the more dry and brittle the paper and leather will become, and the more likely it is to crack. High humidity, and the change between high and low humidity that is natural as weather swings from summer to winter, causes expansion and contraction of materials, putting strain on weak areas like covers, spine and endpapers. This also makes them more likely to crack, break or peel. Light can damage materials with sensitive dyes or colourings, resulting in faded and discoloured leather, cloth or illustrations.

The ideal environment for a Bible is between 18-21°C and 45-55% RH. Too high a temperature and too low RH results in brittleness and cracking, but too high can cause the growth of mould. These mid-levels are just the right amount to keep paper, cloth and leather healthy and supple. To keep your Bible safe, avoid storing it in a damp basement or dry attic, or close to a radiator or hot air vent. If possible, run an air conditioner and dehumidifier in the summer or a humidifier in winter if your home is very dry.

A digital hygrometer with books behind it. — **An inexpensive digital hygrometer can help you keep an eye on the temperature and humidity levels in your home (photo credit: Book and Paper Conservation Services)**

Keep your Bible out of direct light to prevent fading of materials. Direct sunlight falling on a bookshelf or high ambient light in a room with many windows can do damage after only a few months. A darker, interior room is best, or else keep the Bible in a drawer or storage box when not in use.

Storage

Careful storage can help preserve your Bible by keeping it safe from light, dirt and pests. Dust or soot from a fireplace, cigarette smoke or air pollution can soil or discolour your Bible, and frequent cleaning to remove these can also cause damage. If the Bible is kept in a seldom-used drawer or box with other items, it may also be tempting to pests such as silverfish, who like to eat the starch-based materials in paper and glue. A clean, dry, protected storage location goes a long way towards preserving a Bible or any special artifact.

An archival storage box or a clean, dedicated drawer or cupboard can offer safety for a Bible, protecting it from light and dirt, as long as some precautions are taken. If the Bible is large and heavy, it is a good idea to store it laying flat, on the back cover; if it is smaller, it can be stored standing vertically on a shelf, as long as it is supported on either side by other books of a similar size.

If you choose to store it in a drawer or cupboard, make sure the space is clean and dry, and line it with acid-free tissue or mylar to prevent transfer of acidity from wood or cardboard. Make sure there are no other objects close to the Bible that might cause damage when shuffled or jostled around. Wrapping it in acid-free tissue can also help to keep it clean and safe within the storage area.

An archival box is an ideal storage solution for a Bible. These come in different sizes, and are available from Library and Archives suppliers like Carr McLean or Brodart in Canada. They are made of special cardboard material that is acid-free and won’t cause damage to books. Again, wrapping it in acid-free or buffered tissue within the box is a good idea, especially if the box is slightly larger than the book. A snug fit is best, so the book won’t slide around if it is being moved. If you want to protect it more elegantly, you can commission a custom clamshell box to fit your book exactly, and have the box decorated and labelled in any way you wish.

**Family Bible in custom clamshell storage box (photo credit: Book and Paper Conservation Services)**

Handling and Use

Improper handling and use can cause a lot of damage to a delicate family Bible. Tears and breaks in the paper, detached covers, stains and spots all result from handling without proper precautions.

If you are going to take your Bible out to read or view, first make sure you have a clean, dry space to set it out and open it. Clear a table of other objects, and especially make sure there is no food or drink close by that could spill. Wash your hands with unscented soap and dry them thoroughly. Contrary to popular believe, clean dry hands are much better than white gloves for handling delicate books, as long as you are careful. Wearing gloves can dull your dexterity, and the cloth can catch on delicate pages causing them to break. The light oils on your hands can also help to keep the leather supple on the covers of a Bible.

If you are lifting it out of a box, go slowly and use both hands. If you are taking it off a bookshelf, be careful to grasp the book using your fingers and thumb on front and back covers, with your hand across the spine; never pull the book back with your finger hooked over the top and pulling on the spine, as this is likely to rip the endcap off and damage the binding.

Person removing book from shelf with hand across spine. — **The proper way to remove a book from a shelf, with hand across the spine, not pulling from the top (photo credit: Book and Paper Conservation Services)**

When paging through the book, set it on the table and support the cover as you hold it open, either with one hand or a book cradle or support. This will help keep the book open no further than a 90° angle, and avoid cracking the spine. Try to avoid opening the pages all the way to 180°, or letting the cover bend back even further.

Be sure to use a pencil and acid-free paper to make notes, or to leave a marker in the pages. Never leave a post-it note, newsprint or other scrap of unidentified paper within the Bible, as they can transfer colour or acidity to the pages, causing discolouration. It should also be said, never use paper clips, staples, rubber bands or other objects to mark a page!

Open book with newsclipping and acid burn on pages. — **Acid burn from newspaper clipping (photo credit: Book and Paper Conservation Services)**

If you want to consult a specific page frequently, say to show the genealogical entries to family or friends, you might consider taking a high quality photograph and printing out the image, so that you can pass around a facsimile rather than putting strain on the original material. The more frequently the book is opened the more likely the binding will suffer irreversible damage, and if you are simply referencing the information you don’t need to view the original page. However, avoid the use of a flat-bed scanner to reproduce a page in the Bible, as manipulating the book to lie open on a scanner bed is a risk to the binding. A digital photograph printed out is just as good, and can sometimes be enhanced to show text more legibly than the original.

In the past, collectors recommended applying oil-based leather dressing to bookbindings to keep the leather supple and soft; however, book conservators now advise against this, as excessive or inappropriate treatment can easily cause the opposite effect on leather. Keeping books clean and dry and away from extremes of humidity and temperature is a much safer way to preserve their bindings. If you have questions about repairs or rebinding options for your Bible, consult a professional conservator, bookbinder or archivist for more detailed information.

Following these guidelines will help preserve your family Bible for many years to come!

Resources

Resources:

Book and Paper Conservation Services – Conservation and repair, clamshell boxes etc.

http://www.bookandpaperconservationservices.com

Canadian Conservation Institute: Basic Care of Books

https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/canadian-conservation-institute-notes/basic-care-books.html

Library of Congress: Care, Handling, and Storage of Books

https://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/books.html

Brodart – Supplier of Library and Archives materials, such as archival storage boxes, acid-free tissue, book supports, etc.

http://www.brodart.ca/

Carr McLean – Supplier of Library and Archives materials, such as archival storage boxes, acid-free tissue, book supports, etc.

https://www.carrmclean.ca/

International Human Rights Day

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

On December 10, each year for the past ten years, the Sisters of St. Joseph have helped to protect human rights around the world by taking part in Amnesty International’s global write-a-thon, Write for Rights.

What is Amnesty International?

After reading about a couple of students in Portugal who had been imprisoned for seven years after raising their glasses in a toast to freedom; British lawyer, Peter Benenson, launched an Appeal for Amnesty with the publication of the article, “The Forgotten Prisoners,” in The Observer newspaper, on May 28, 1961. This was the birth of Amnesty International. In 1977, all the members of Amnesty International were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for ‘securing the ground for freedom, for justice, and thereby also for peace in the world.’

Sister Norita Keenan and Sister Anne Antaya at the first Write for Rights held by the Sisters of St. Joseph in 2012

What has Amnesty International done?

Amnesty International continues to free prisoners of conscience, but also in 1980, Amnesty began its campaign to end the death penalty. In 1961, when Amnesty began, only 9 countries had abolished the death penalty. Today, 106 countries have abolished it. In 1993, Amnesty campaigned for an International Criminal Court (ICC) to bring to justice those responsible for genocide and war crimes. The ICC was established in 2002. In 2006, Nelson Mandela became Amnesty’s Ambassador of Conscience. In 2014, Amnesty was successful in bringing an international Arms Trade Treaty into force, which aims to stop the flow of weapons around the world.

Fish for Grassy Narrows human rights appeal, 2019

What is International Human Rights Day?

Following WW II, there was a need to ensure human rights were universally respected. Eleanor Roosevelt along with representatives from the 50 member states of the United Nations developed a list of 30 rights and freedoms that belong to all of us. These 30 articles became The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was adopted by United Nations General Assembly on December 10. This day is celebrated every year as International Human Rights Day, and is the day that Amnesty International holds its global write-a-thon: Write for Rights!

Sister Ann MacDonald, Karen Richens, and Sister Kitty Stafford, Write for Rights 2021

We hope you enjoy this short slideshow of our write-a-thon through the years.

Write for rights from Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives

Researching your heritage home in Ontario

By Noelle Tangredi

There are many reasons to like old houses–the architecture, the decorative details and high ceilings. but many old home lovers feel a connection to the history of their old home. Every house has its story. Wouldn’t it be great to uncover those stories and learn about the families that lived there before you? It’s not that difficult to do—and believe me, it can become a little addicting!

Things you can often find out about your old home include: the year it was built, the first owners and or tenants, the original purchase price or historical assessments, information about historic land transactions and subdivision plans. You can also piece together stories of families that lived there and what their lives were like, if any of them went to war, what kind of jobs they may have had, when they were born, married and died and more. Nothing is a sure thing and sometimes information is limited, difficult to find or interpret, but once you find something, it’s hard not to keep going. Below are some tips on how and where to start.

Start with determining the build date

Check with your local architectural preservation society about your house first and see if there’s any information written on it already. If it’s a designated heritage home, there may be a report written on it. If you are interested in the architecture of your home, a good primer on architecture styles in Ontario can be found at this link: http://www.ontarioarchitecture.com/index.htm.

The age of your house can be determined pretty closely by using several different resources:

Researching the building

Fire Insurance Plans

These are hand drawn maps that show what buildings were on a particular lot according to the date it was last revised. It provides a visual footprint of the building, what materials it was made from and if there are any outbuildings. These very helpful to pinpoint a timeframe for your house’s construction and even if there might have been another house on the lot that was replaced by the current one. The map provides clues to changes in the structure or house number or even street name changes over the years. These maps are often kept in City or County Archives or Libraries and are sometimes available online.

Fire insurance map (Detail from 1881 Revised 1888 Insurance Plan of the City of London, Ontario, Western University Archives)

City Directories

All cities had a directory that functioned as a phone book before there were telephones (and even afterwards). They have two sections. One is organized by street address (street names in alphabetical order, separated by odd and even numbers with cross streets shown). This section will show the name of the head of the household at each address. If you have an idea of when your house might have been built, start with that. If you find it, keep working backwards until you do. This will be the year it was finished and occupied. The previous year will likely be a more accurate build date based on when the information was gathered for the directory and when it was published. If you don’t find your address, keep going ahead until you do. Sometimes you’ll find it listed as “unfinished house” or “new”.

The second part of the directory is alphabetical by last name. Use this to find out the occupation of the head of the household and sometimes others living at the same residence (a wife’s name, for example). If the directory names the householder’s place of business, you can also consult the directory for more information on what kind of work was done there, the address and even sometimes an advertisement.

Directories are usually the easiest way to pin down information on your home’s history. These are usually located either in their original format or on microfiche in your local library or city and county archives. Some are even located online.

Tax assessment rolls, Registered Plans and Property Transactions

Although a little more complicated to get a hold of and understand, these documents can give you very interesting information about who built your house, when and for how much. What the land was assessed at for tax purposes over the years and even strange details like how many dogs, chickens or horses were on the property when it was assessed! It can also answer questions about whether the first occupants of the house were owners or tenants. These records could be located in your local city or county archives or possibly through your city hall.

Researching Occupants’ Lives

Canadian Censuses

Once you know the year of construction and the names of early occupants and possible occupations, you can start pulling out the stories of their lives. A good place to start is the censuses for your area. Library and Archives Canada has a searchable database here: https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/Pages/census.aspx. If you don’t come up with your people right away, try various family members and different years. Sometimes transcription or spelling errors happen in digitization. The census will reveal all of the people living in the house when the census taker visited the home. This is a good way to find out children’s names and the birthdates of family members to help with further research. You may also discover that others lived in the home, such as lodgers, other relatives or servants. Ancestry.ca also has census records and if you can’t find your people on the LAC site, you might have luck there.

Ancestry.ca

Armed with what you learned from the census will help you more accurately search in genealogy services such as: https://www.ancestry.ca/. Here you can find out birth, death and marriage dates and sometimes school info, photos and family trees. These details will help pull together various bits of information into stories, such as the lives of new immigrants, the birth of family businesses and the tragedies of early deaths due to local epidemics, war or accidents. Ancestry.ca is usually available for free through your local library.

Military Records

If you suspect that an occupant of your house may have served during wartime, you can search for and read personnel files on the Library and Archives Canada website. Ancestry.ca may have some documents but the LAC website has the complete files:
https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/Pages/military-heritage.aspx.

Attestation paper (Library and Archives Canada)

Local Newspaper Articles

Your local library or archives may have local newspaper articles available but likely not searchable. The website Canadiana.ca houses many digital documents and has a section with local magazines and newspapers. I’ve found that newspaper articles from “back in the day” usually include a lot of personal information, including home addresses. If you search these papers for you address, you may find some pretty interesting stories! Visit: https://www.canadiana.ca/collection-serials.

These are just a few places for you to start. Local librarians, archivists and historians will be able to point you in the direction of more information. Happy researching!

What do you know about your ancestors?

By Colleen Callahan Gilbert

Recently there has been an explosion of interest in the field of family history research (otherwise known as genealogy). One reason could be the uncertainty of tomorrow’s future, economically and metaphysically. We are not alone in these unsettling times. Throughout history, our ancestors encountered great depressions and extreme poverty worse than we can imagine. The events and patterns of our present day take on a new appreciation for our family’s past. For some, the study of your family’s history can bring about a feeling of stability in our ever-changing world. For others, genealogy is looked upon as an adventure. It is exciting and challenging. Regardless of whatever piqued your interest in your past, now is the time to take advantage of all the wonderful genealogical resources we have at our disposal.

Sister Veronica Brophy and Sister Immaculata Brophy

Where to begin? A good place would be in your own home where you will find evidence of your family history all around you. Begin with yourself. Start by writing down your full name, and then your father’s and mother’s full names working as far back as you are able. Always work from the known to the unknown. Remember to base your calculations on facts, which in turn will help resolve the unknown. Complete as much as possible including the vital statistics of you and your parents. You now have two generations. Now may be a good time to begin charting your new family information. Two simple genealogical charts: the pedigree chart and the family group chart could be used to start putting your genealogy into perspective. Blank charts can be found for free on https://www.cyndislist.com/us. As your tree expands, you may want to use a genealogical software program to aid in your organization.

Next, check for primary records at home. Primary records are any records created at the time of the event. These would include birth, marriage, and death certificates. Family letters, journals, and diaries could be primary sources if they are recording a particular occasion such as soldier writing home describing his war experiences or a midwife documenting the birth of a child. A death record is a primary source, but also a secondary source for the birth of the deceased. After learning all you can at home, the next step would be contacting and interviewing older relatives who could add not only more pertinent family information, but wonderful stories of the past. With their permission, an audio or video recording would be an excellent way to help document your research. Older relatives’ narratives are a great way to jump start your investigation. They can offer limitless clues for moving backward into new undiscovered territory. But remember—not all stories told are 100% factual. Your Aunt Sally or Grandma Smith may be convinced the family legend is true, but until proven, they are just clues to help you move on.

Bible records are another excellent source of family information. In the past, documenting birth, marriage, and death records were frequently done by writing in the family Bible. Before vital records were required by the county or state, our ancestors often kept their own family records. The value of the Bible records depends greatly on who wrote the records. Was he or she a witness to a birth or death? Or was this secondhand information which was later added to the Bible? Whatever may be the case, Bible records are truly an invaluable research source to the genealogist.

After gleaning as much information from home and family you are probably ready to explore outside sources such as the Internet, library, and the Family History Center. The Internet contains a huge treasure trove of information. Websites such as https://www.ancestry.c om and https://www.familysearch.org have literally millions of records at your disposal; in addition, they offer guidance in the way of classes and online seminars. While Ancestry.com is a subscriber-only site, FamilySearch is free to the public. Keep in mind, as you venture into online genealogy that you will not find everything you are seeking to complete your genealogical history. Many records are simply not online. Remember also that just because it is online does not make it true. Many genealogies posted are filled with inaccuracies. You should always do your own research and use the information posted only as a guide.

Most libraries are genealogy friendly. The main headquarters in London, Ontario has a wonderful genealogy area where library patrons can utilize the Internet just for their research. It also subscribes to Ancestry.com for in library use only, although during the pandemic, it is available by logging in from home with your library card. In addition, the library houses an extensive collection of genealogical books and old newspapers.

You’ve been warned: this is a very addicting hobby! Once you begin and find out the real story behind the disappearance of great Uncle Joe or why your great, great grandfather left Ireland in such great hurry, you will be hooked. Like a detective you may travel to archives, county court houses, and cemeteries trying to find that distant cousin who keeps evading you at every turn. If you are seeking only perfect ancestors, then genealogy is probably not for you. Like it or not, there will no doubt be a black sheep or two in your family if you look long enough.

Genealogy is for everyone: young, old, rich or poor. We all have a past which is begging to be discovered. What do you know about your ancestors?