August 22, 1943 – Merton’s War Diary

Aug. 22
Slept ashore for first time in sleeping bags on the rocks.

I can remember as a kid missing out on Cub Scout camping trips for one reason or another but to make up for it, Dad and I would ‘camp’ in the slightly wooded back yard.  There was a slight hill and the sleeping bags would slowly slide down the plastic tarp we would place on the ground to keep the moisture out.  We didn’t have a tent and it was just open air.

View on Scoresby Sund, East Greenland – by Hannes Grobe, AWI[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Scoresby-sund_view_hg.jpg  Interestingly, the metadata for this photograph shows that it was captured on August 25th, 2007 so we are looking at the same time of year as the diary entry.

Later in life, Sue and I would go camping on some of our reenactment trips.  I used to enjoy the experience a lot and we had many convenience items such as air mattresses hidden away in our very non-authentic tents.  Sleeping on ‘the rocks’ sounds like it would be the opposite of fun.  Well, it just so happened that one night in July (possibly August,) while on a camping trip in Wahnapitae Ontario, Sue and I learned just how uncomfortable the air mattress could be when a cold front came in.  Like a Thermos, the air mattress retained all of the cold air and ‘insulated’ us from any warmth the ground could offer.  The remainder of the weekend we ended up in a hotel with the hopes of warming our bones.  I do hope for my Grandfather’s sake, the rocks and bag provided some form of comfort.

In 1943 and 1944, my Grandfather, Merton Young, traveled to Greenland while working for the Merritt-Chapman & Scott Company. He wrote a brief diary of his journey and this is a piece of that story.

Notes   [ + ]

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Scoresby-sund_view_hg.jpg

ACGS Spring Conference

Tomorrow Sue and I will be headed off to the American-Canadian Genealogical Society’s annual Spring Conference in Manchester, NH.  I have copied the event announcement from their website below.

image

The start of Sue's application to join
La Société des Filles du roi.

For those of you keeping track, Sue has ancestors from New France and a Connection to the Filles du roi – The Kings Daughter’s.  My Canadian ancestry however is from Nova Scotia by way of England and Scotland.

We will be sure to report back on our trip and keep an eye on our Facebook page because you never know what trouble we may find and if you are attending… be sure to look for us and say hello!

American-Canadian Genealogical Society Annual Spring Conference

April 23, 2016
8:00AM-4PM

8:00-9:00 AM Registration – FREE Bring a friend!
Coffee, pastries, and fruit will be available during the registration period.
50-50 Raffle

Class schedule:

9:00-10:20 AM
Jeffrey Barraclough -Manchester Historic Association
Resources available at MHA Research Center for genealogical research, including
Manchester City Directories, the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company’s employee
records, and the Manchester School registers collection.
Eileen Reddy – Manchester City Library – Special Collection NH Room
An overview of the NH Room at Manchester City Library and its resources for genealogical
research including newspapers, Vital Records, and census information.

10:30-11:50 AM
Brian Burford – New Hampshire Archive
Deborah Moore – New Hampshire Vital Records

Genealogical information available in the state of New Hampshire.

12:00-1:00 PM      Lunch
For your convenience, we are offering a bagged lunch for $10. You may still bring your own
or go out if you wish. Download the Order Form for the Box Lunch here.

1:00-2:00 PM    Lineage Societies for French-Canadians
Janine Penfield – ACGS
Lineage Societies for French-Canadians
Our North American ancestors did not enjoy the same boundaries we know today, and when French-
Canadians found themselves in positions to choose sides they did. Mayflower Descendants and other
Colonial societies aren’t the only ones to enjoy Founding Fathers and Mothers to celebrate. North
American history provides a complex cast of characters in our trees. Learn how American history can
help you find a lineage society – confirmation in proving your line and finding distant cousins.
Daughters of the American Revolution, La Société des Filles du roi, and Piscataqua Pioneers will be
presented.