McKenzie « Genealogy Addict

WEEK 52 – YOU

December 27, 2019 by Leanne

This week in Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, the prompt is “You”.

Writing or talking about myself is something I usually don’t like to do, but I will try my best to give a quick overview of who I am.

I was born in 1972 in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. I am the only daughter, and oldest of 3 children, born to John McConnell and Lynette McKenzie.

My family has been in the Warrnambool area for a long time, beginning in about the 1850s. The majority of my family still live within 30 minutes of Warrnambool.

Growing up, my weekends were spent visiting family, going to Football and Cricket games, or fishing. My school holidays were divided between my 2 grandmothers, Rhoda (Absalom) McKenzie and Florence (Russell) McConnell.

In 2000, I moved to the U.S. and married my American husband. Since then, I have spent most of my free time researching his family tree, as his family is scattered across the U.S., and some of his lines are completely unknown to him and his parents.

I grew up close to family, having spent time with both sets of grandparents and 2 of my great grandparents, the others passing before I was born. I think I spent more time with my cousins than I did with my friends, and some of my cousins I classed as friends, rather than just as family.

I have 3 children, 2 of whom still live at home. My oldest has her own apartment, and my son is graduating high school this year. My days are spent helping my husband with our computer business, helping the kids with their online schooling and doing genealogy, when time allows.

Just while writing this blog post, I realize that I do not spend enough time writing about family or about myself, which I must remember to put on my To-Do List for next year. Thanks for listening!

Tags: #52Ancestors, Absalom, McConnell, McKenzie, Russell
Posted in 2019, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, ABSALOM, McCONNELL, McKENZIE, RUSSELL | No Comments

WEEK 30 – EASY

July 26, 2019 by Leanne

The topic for this week’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is Easy.

Since it helps me get caught up quicker, I am going to make this weeks post really easy on me. I am just going to list all the surnames that I have proven for my lines so far.

Absalom	Anderson	Cain	Carey
Champ	Chaney	Chislett	Clements
Collins	Driver	Edwards	Foster
Gale	Gilmour	Haynes	Howard
Hunt	Hyland	Jowles	Knight
Laird	Lawrence	Lucas	McConnell
McKenzie	Mitchell	Moore	Nelis
Newman	Oak/es	Osborne	Pekin
Reeves	Renwick	Richards	Rose
Russell	Sedgley	Semple	Stagg
Thompson	Virgin

The names below are for my husband’s lines.

Bilodeau	Blanchette	Bolduc	Born
Boutin	Brinson	Buescher	Buteau
Champagne	Dallaire	Daniel	Dore
Dupre	Elliott	Elsworth	Fortier
Gornowicz	Goulet	Grenier	Grondin
Hall	Horseman	Huge	Hughes
Jamieson	Jones	Joos	Keating
Keetley	Krager/Krieger	Legare	Lessard
Nadeau	Parry	Portwig	Quirion
Rancour	Severance/Saverence	Simons	Smith
Talbot	Toussaint	Townsend	Wilson

If you have any of these surnames, feel free to send me a message. Always looking to make new connections and meet new family members!

Tags: #52Ancestors, Absalom, Anderson, Bilodeau, Blanchette, Bolduc, Born, Boulger, Boutin, Brinson, Buescher, Buteau, Cain, Carey, Champ, Champagne, Chaney, Chislett, Clements, Collins, Dallaire, Daniel, Dore, Driver, Dupre, Edwards, Elliott, Elsworth, Fortier, Foster, Gale, Gilmour, Gornowicz, Goulet, Grenier, Grondin, Hall, Haynes, Horseman, Howard, Huge, Hughes, Hunt, Hyland, Jamieson, Jones, Joos, Jowles, Keating, Keetley, Knight, Krager, Laird, Lawrence, Legare, Lessard, Lucas, McConnell, McKenzie, Mitchell, Moore, Nadeau, Nelis, Newman, Oakes, Osborne, Parry, Pekin, Portwig, Quirion, Rancour, Reeves, Renwick, Richards, Rose, Russell, Sedgley, Semple, Simons, Stagg, Talbot, Thompson, Toussaint, Townsend, Virgin, Wilson
Posted in 2019, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks | No Comments

WEEK 12 – “12”

March 22, 2019 by Leanne

This week’s post for Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt, is the number 12.

I was thinking about what I could write, and came up with a lot of ideas. Someone aged 12 years. Someone who was born or died in December. Someone who had 12 kids. #12 on an Ahnentafel list.

I decided to pick # 12 on my Ancestral Chart – my mother’s father’s father, Robert John McKenzie.

Robert was born in about 1875 in Victoria, Australia, probably in the Warrnambool area. His parents were Alexander McKenzie and Helen (or Ellen) Thompson. I still have not located a list of all his siblings yet.

In 1903, Robert married Eliza Jane Clements, daughter of John Clements and Sarah Sedgley. They had 4 children that I know of: –

Adeline Hope – born 1904
Gertrude Ivy – born 1905
Meredith Hector – born 1907
Gordon Cecil – born 1909

In 1916, his mother Helen passes away and his father Alexander follows her in 1925.

I found Robert in 18 Australian Electoral Rolls covering the years 1905-1931. His occupation is Farmer and his residence is in Woodford, Victoria, Australia at the family farm, Spring Valley.

Robert passed away on 25 October 1931 in Woodford. He is buried in the Warrnambool Cemetery with his wife and 2 of his children, Hope and Hector, both of whom never married.

I am still looking for an obituary and headstone photo.

Tags: #52Ancestors, Clements, McKenzie, Sedgley, Thompson
Posted in 2019, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, CLEMENTS, McKENZIE, SEDGLEY, THOMPSON | No Comments

WEEK 10 – BACHELOR UNCLE

March 8, 2019 by Leanne

For Week 10 of Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, I chose to write about my grand uncle, my maternal grandfather’s brother.

Hector Meredith McKenzie, or “Hec” as he was known, was born in 1907 to Robert McKenzie and Eliza Jane Clements of “Spring Valley”, Woodford, Victoria, Australia.

I don’t remember much about him as he died when I was young but there are a few things I can recall.

He lived with his sister, Adeline Hope McKenzie, who also never married, in the house they were born in. They used to bicker alot and when I look back on them, if I didn’t know better I’d have thought they were married. LOL.

He used to go to Warrnambool to play bowls, possibly croquet or bocce ball. I’m not quite sure if it was either of these, but I remember there was a box of colored balls that he owned under the bedside table.

He used to go to “his secret men meetings”, as his sister Hope used to call them. I presume this to be the Freemasons Masonic Lodge.

But the one thing that I remember most, was when I used to stay at their house during the school holidays. We used to play card games, pick fruit from the trees in their yard and he let me play with my food.

One night we had meat and vegetables for dinner. Aunt Hope was sitting at the head of the table and uncle Hec and I were sitting next to each other at the long side of the table. My aunt Hope was a lovely lady and we also had some fun times but she didn’t appreciate playing at the dinner table.

My uncle leaned over towards my plate and said something like “this is probably going to get us in trouble”. He proceeded to show me how to pile up my mashed potatoes into a volcano shape and hide all my green peas within the sides of the “volcano”. He then poured tomato sauce, or what we call Ketchup in the U.S., all over the top so it looked like lava flowing out of the volcano.

My aunt was extremely mad at him over this, and if I remember right, I don’t think we got dessert that night. Fun times!

I have located Hector in all Australian Electoral Rolls right up to the year before he died (1931 thru 1980). His occupation is always listed as a Farmer.

Hec McKenzie 1980 Electoral Roll

He died 17 September 1981 and is buried in the Warrnambool Cemetery, Row 9, Grave 047, Presbyterian section.

Tags: #52Ancestors, Clements, McKenzie
Posted in 2019, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, CLEMENTS, McKENZIE | No Comments

WEEK 8 – FAMILY PHOTO

February 19, 2019 by Leanne

This week in Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, the prompt is “Family Photo”.

This photo was taken at “Spring Valley”, Woodford, Victoria, Australia. It is of some of the Absalom descendants.

Front: Leanne, Wayne, Shane, Danial and Robert.

Back: Trevor, Lynette, baby, Rhoda and William.

I am not sure of the date but it was sometime in the 1980s. I am also unsure of who the baby is that Rhoda is holding, but it is either Kris or Maree.

Tags: #52Ancestors, Absalom, McConnell, McKenzie
Posted in 2019, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, ABSALOM, McCONNELL, McKENZIE | No Comments