It’s hard to admit at times, but yes, at 83 years of age, I consider myself a senior. Years ago, I heard the younger generation talking about Facebook and noticed them using it on their cellphones. At first, I did not pay much attention but eventually, I, too, acquired a cellphone. My daughter introduced me to Facebook, and I decided to try it. I was working on a family history project. As a member of the Alberta Family Histories Society, genealogy is one of my hobbies. Like most of us, when my parents passed, I inherited some of their treasures. In a cardboard box full of old photos, newspaper clippings, and letters, I came across a black and white photo that caught my attention. There was nothing written on the back, but the scene showed a group of suited men clustered around a man on a motorcycle. The man on the motorcycle looked vaguely familiar, remotely resembling my grandfather. The attire of the crowd suggests the 1920s.
I canvassed all my living relatives for clues and learned nothing. On a whim, I decided to post the photo to a Facebook historical group in Banbridge, Northern Ireland, where my family originated, not far from Belfast. One of my ancestors owned a cycle shop there and I thought that the motorcycle racer in the photo might just be my great uncle Samuel. My Facebook post yielded a few comments. One was from a gentleman named William Keough who said that the man on the motorcycle was indeed a Gilmore, but not my great uncle. Further, he said that the man had been shot dead trying to run a roadblock. Wow! I wrote to William, and we determined that we were cousins! Another Wow! However, William could not elaborate any further on the family legend. Nevertheless, I learned a bit, and I acquired a new cousin.
A year later (genealogists must be patient), I posted the same photo to the same group and a gentleman named Matt Bankhead suggested that I post the old photo to another Facebook group called “Banbridge Back in the Day.” I quickly received two newspaper articles detailing the fatal shooting. The man on the motorcycle was named Samuel Gilmore (but not my great uncle) and was a distant cousin who raced motorcycles across Ireland. With the help of a colleague in Belfast, I was able to retrieve the inquest records of his death to garner the gory details. He had been visiting his fiancée that night and left around midnight to drive home and encountered a roadblock nearby. The paramilitary group manning the roadblock apparently called on him to halt, but he proceeded and was shot dead.
William Keough and I continued to communicate, and I soon found that he had a sister living in Calgary only a few kilometers away. Wow! Another new cousin!
I am grateful for Facebook’s connections to distant families who supplied me with my family history, and my newly found cousins. I am sure glad that I tried out this powerful social media tool and thank goodness for kids and grandkids who helped.
