Author Archives: Fred Coulson

Lord Matthew’s Honor

Here’s an interesting story that I found buried in the parish records from Rozdziele, my ancestral village on the north slope of the Carpathian Mountains. Today the village lies within the borders of Poland, but at the time these events … Continue reading

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Bublick, the Name

My great-grandfather, Joe Bublick, ran a store in Coalhurst, Alberta, alongside his wife, Julia. They sold clothing, tools, household supplies, etc. to coal miners and their families. At various times, Joe and Julia had more than one store under their … Continue reading

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Alvin’s Ashes

This is a story of four young people and how the paths of their lives crossed and re-crossed over the years. When an unpopular emperor named Peter was overthrown in a palace coup in 1762, the conspirators propped up his … Continue reading

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A Tale of Two Houses

Back in the Olden Days people didn’t move around much, and the place where you lived was as much a part of your identity as your name. In the old birth, marriage, and death records I have been studying from … Continue reading

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The Daring Mr. Melling

86 years ago today– and a decade before she joined the Allied Occupation Force in Belgium– Aunty Kay had a harrowing brush with death in the Oldman River. P.S. Rest in peace, Dr. Melling, and thanks. Heroic Medical Student Saves … Continue reading

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An Unlikely Farmer

In Finding the Family Farm, I talked about my surprising discovery that my great-grandfather George Lindley Coulson, the Yorkshire coal miner, had a brief stint as a homesteader in the Black Hills of Wyoming in the opening years of the … Continue reading

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Julia Swedish Was Not Swedish!

There’s my great-grandmother Julia Bublick, presiding over the wedding of her daughter, my grandmother, Mayre Coulson. You can tell by this photo who’s in charge here, can’t you? Julia’s husband Joe stands to her left. I didn’t know Joe and … Continue reading

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Finding the Family Farm

My great-grandfather George Lindley Coulson grew up working in the coal mines of west Yorkshire. When he arrived in North America with his wife and family around 1890, he found employment in the coal mines of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. That … Continue reading

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Kay’s 48 in Gay Paree

On this day in 1945 my Aunty Kay got away from the drudgery of her administrative posting with Canadian Army Headquarters in Aalst, Belgium, and took 48-hour leave in Paris. She had an awesome time and a few days later … Continue reading

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Happy Great-Grandmother’s Day

In celebration of Mother’s Day, I wanted sum up what I know about each of my great-grandmothers, none of whom I think I ever met in the flesh, although I have gotten to know them a little bit through my … Continue reading

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