In the just-published Shore to Shore: A record of the Shore family of Sheffield, England, to London, Ontario, BCHNS life-member Helen Shore has written an utterly charming and easy-to-read family memoir. The 120-page book is lavishly illustrated, with many of the photographs in color. It is filled with delightful anecdotes of her Shore family relatives, whom she can follow dating back to 1440. The work completes a project to research the family tree that her father began when she was just a young child. Fascinated by his stories, Helen continued to work on the family project with him until his death. Some of the anecdotes and stories concern her relative Florence Nightingale (whose father was born a Shore, but who changed his name when as an adult he inherited the Nightingale properties). History buffs will appreciate the way she has fleshed out the bare branches of a family tree with information about the various home’s family members established throughout England and with information on the ways the various wars and other socio-economic events shaped the family fortunes.
Helen, now in her 95th year, is the last of the “Canadian Shores” and wanted to see her father’s work and the family memories preserved. Friends of Helen definitely will not want to miss this. The book is available for only $19.95 (plus shipping) through Amazon.ca.
Reviewed by Glennis Zilm, Oct. 24, 2019