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A Métis buffalo hunt on the prairie, mid-19th century. Organized and communal, these hunts were central to Métis culture, economy and identity.
Alexander Murray (1839-1913). Individual lives connect the broader sweep of history to family memory, grounding national events in personal experience.
Service during and after the Second World War. Commonwealth personnel contributed across globbal theatres, supporting Allied operations at sea and abroad. Peter Smith (Petras Smilgjus) (1925-2009) completed service in the Royal Navy, and not too long after, migrated to Canada from his native Scotland.
Misericordia Hospitals were established by the Sisters of the Misericordia in both Winnipeg and Edmonton. Laura Mears (1926-2015) completed her training at the former and after relocating to Edmonton in the early 1950s began a nursing career at the Misericordia that would span 40 years.
Suburban Canada, 1966. An Eaton's delivery brings the Peter Smith (Petras family the first colour TV in the neighbourhood, capturing a moment of excitement in a rapidly modernizing, consumer-driven society.
Camp 130, Kananaskis, Alberta, circa 1944-45. William Mears (1895-1982), a member of the Veteran's Guard, quietly receives one of two handcrafted "ships in a bottle" made for him by a German prisoner of war. The names of each of the ships are inscribed as Helen and Marjorie in honor of William's two daughters. The bottles remain in possession of the family.
Pier 21, Halifax, circa 1952. A newly arrived Giannina Chiarotto (1924-2025) who is migrating from Biauzzo, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy to rejoin her husband-to-be, Francesco Pegolo (1920-2007) who has been preparing their future home in St. Catharines, Ontario over the prior two years.
North Atlantic convoy operations, early 1940s. On 12 Apr 1943 the merchant vessel Pacific Grove, part of convoy HX-232, is attacked by German submarine U-563, and sunk. 11 crew were lost, while 56 survivors, including Stan Smith (Constantinas Smilgjus) (1919-2007) were picked up and taken to Gourock, Scotland. This is the second time Stan's ship was torpedoed and sunk.
Canadian soliers advance at Vimy Ridge, France, April 1917. 22-year-old William Mears (1895-1982) is wounded twice (left leg and head) and evacuated to hospitals in France and England before finally being returned to Canada where he is discharged in December as "medically unfit." Vimy Ridge marks a defining moment in Canada's emergence as a nation on the world stage.
Louis Riel and his council meet with Canadian representatives, 1869-1870. These negotiations reflect the Métis effort to assert rights and political recognition during the Red River Resistance.
Red River Settlement, late 1860s. Métis residents observe as Canadian surveyors impose a square grid over traditional river lot lands -- capturing a moment of rising tension before resistance.
Daily life in the Red River Settlement, early 19th Century. River lot farming reflects a unique blend of Indigenous and European land-use traditions. During the Battle of Seven Oaks, on June 19, 1816, Alexander Murray (1763-?) and his wife Elizabeth (1763-abt. 1819) are tending their fields when they are taken captive by a small group of Métis and taken to their camp. They are later released unharmed.
Alexander Murray (1763-?), his wife Elizabeth (1763-abt. 1819), together with their children James (1799-1839), Donald (1905-1888), Catherine (1788-1857), Christianna (1790-?) and Isabella (1797-1868) arrive in York Factory, disembarking from the Prince of Wales on 26 Aug 1815. They are part of the second group of "Selkirk Settlers". Their older sons, John (1792-?) and Alexander (1794-?) had been part of the first group that arrived in 1813.
The Forks (now Winnipeg, Manitoba), early 1800s, as settlement starts. Prior to settlement The Forks was an important hub of the fur trade, but even for centuries prior was a seasonal destination for indigineous groups hunting big game like deer, elk, bear and during the winter, bison. The waters provided large runs fo sturgeon, sauger, walleye and other fish several times a year.
Cumberland House, York District, Rupertsland, 1775. Matthew Cocking (1743-1799) was appointed "Master" of what was an important trading post in the Hudson Bay Company's expansive empire. But competition was on the rise...
Farming in Southern Manitoba, 1960. Post WW2 the Prairie Provinces experienced a massive expansion of farmed land and new technologies were developed to increase productivity and Canada was established as a "breadbasket for the world."
Farme Colliery, Rutherglen, 1900s. Many Lithuanian migrants found work as labourers in Scottish coal mines. They were initially treated with suspicion by Scots works. It was feared that Lithuanians would keep wages low by being prepared to work for lower pay than Scots workers. Original photo: ALAMY/Clarence O. Becker Archive

This site is a living record of our family’s history – tracing our roots across Canada, Scotland, England, Italy, Ireland and Lithuania. It is both a place for storytelling and a genealogical archive for those who wish to explore deeper.

Latest Stories and Historical Context

New stories and historical context from the Smith Family Roots project.

The Smilgjus family (circa 1922): Clockwise, Ipolitas (seated), Julijona, possibly Felix, and possibly Constantinas. Photo courtesy of Emma Smith.

A Childhood Marked by Loss: The Smilgjus Family Story

A Childhood Marked by Loss Excerpts from the memoirs of C. S. Smith (Smilgjus) When you read Stan Smith’s memoirs,
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22 April 2026
Smilgjus to Smith? A funny thing happened on the way to the Airport

Smilgjus to Smith? A funny thing happened on the way to the Airport How did the Lithuanian family Smilgjus become
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14 April 2026
Vimy: The Ridge Where a Nation Found Its Voice (1917)

Canadian National Vimy Memorial — commemorating the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge, a defining moment for Canada and a solemn
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9 April 2026
Vimy Ridge: One Soldier’s War

Among the men preparing for that battle was Private William Mears, a recent immigrant to Canada whose war would be decided on
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9 April 2026
A Lifetime of First Cries

Misericordia Hospitals were established by the Sisters of the Misericordia in both Winnipeg and Edmonton. Laura Mears (1926-2015) completed her training at
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9 April 2026
The Adventurer from Hudson Bay – Part I

Matthew Cocking’s 1772–73 journal is a first-hand account of a Hudson’s Bay Company expedition from York Factory into the Canadian
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9 April 2026

Please note that this site follows standard genealogical naming conventions. Ancestors are listed based on their name at birth. Thus Mrs. Sandra Smith is listed as Sandra Pegolo; Peter Smith is listed here as Petras Smilgjus.

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Pierre Dauphinais

b. 1869

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