The mysteries keep coming and I could not be happier. This puzzle centres around Barrie’s neighbours to the west — the communities of Angus and Sunnidale Township.
As much as I would love to immerse myself full time into the world of local history, genealogy and mysterious family treasures, I do have a day job.
Little by little, my co-workers are learning about what I do with my off time. It appears that searching for the relatives of dead people who once owned random photographs is not your average hobby.
You may recall the story of the mystery photo album, which is still an ongoing project. I had a small bit of success with it last week. One photograph, a studio shot of a gorgeous baby boy named Orville Young, was sent to a cousin in Ohio for safe keeping.
After finding Orville’s only direct descendants, two middle-aged grandsons, I offered them the photograph. They thanked me and politely said that they “have enough baby pictures of Grandpa already.”
Yes, that happens.
As I was telling one co-worker about this saga, another co-worker was listening nearby. That is when Kym joined the conversation.
“I have a suitcase.”
That kind of announcement is music to my ears.
Quickly, I learned that Kym’s family were given a suitcase, perhaps five years ago, and it was filled with memorabilia pertaining to a man with the surname Trott. The Trotts are Kym’s father’s people.
The Trott family has long been associated the Sunnidale Township area. Unfortunately, the Trotts from this region have no known connection to the Trott people featured in the suitcase. Nevertheless, Kym’s family held onto it, with hopes that it would one day find its way home.
Not going to lie, I was really excited the day that Kym brought the suitcase to work and allowed me to bring it home to research. I was like a kid in a candy store.
The main part of the puzzle was easily solved. That is in no way a testament to my sleuthing skills. The suitcase was packed so full of information that a straight line back to a Trott family from Oshawa was easily drawn.
Albert John ‘Jack’ Trott was born in 1869 in London, England, to parents who had migrated there from the county of Somerset. After seeing action in the Boer War, Jack immigrated to Canada with his wife and children. They settled in Oshawa and Jack got work at the Chevrolet Motor Company which would later become the GM plant.
When the Great War erupted, Jack did not hesitate to enlist in the forces. At 46, he was a little on the old side for war service so he shaved a decade from his true age.
After serving only a few months overseas, Jack became ill and was sent home to Canada. Unable to sit idle as the war in Europe raged, he re-enlisted. His health declined and Jack Trott died in an English military hospital in 1917.
The suitcase contains a very large medal and a few other pieces connected to Jack’s war service, but the majority of the items relate to Jack’s son, John Albert Trott, who lived his entire life in Oshawa.
Of course, the burning question is how did John Trott’s photo albums, yearbooks, framed pictures, plaques and the military mementos of his father get to Simcoe County?
I began to take a look at our local Trotts, Kym’s ancestors. Perhaps there is an unknown link between the two family groups.
Each week, the Barrie Historical Archive provides BarrieToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past. This unique column features photos and stories from years gone by and is sure to appeal to the historian in each of us.
