Introduction

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The Book: "Who's That Sitting in our Family Tree?"

Acheson book WTSIOFT 1988.jpg

Softcover book 1988

This is a story of the Achesons and the Webbers, coming from County Tyrone, Ireland to Canada, and from Alsace, France to Alberta. The prime reference is a book published in 1988 by our aunt Gert [Webber] Lawrie, a daughter of Sarah Isabella Acheson, pictured above.

Entitled, "Who's That Sitting in our Family Tree?"[1], it is a family history book, a collection of stories and family tales, a compendium of family descendant charts, and a lot more. In private collections today, the book covers the known origins of the family line of Acheson from Northern Ireland and the Webber line from Alsace, France. For privacy purposes, any information on living descendants is hidden from public view.

The book author

Acheson -Gert Lawrie portrait.jpg

Gertrude Ethel Weber was the third child of Sadie and Rusey Weber, being born and raised in Rosenfeld, Manitoba. A studious child, Gert was a teacher in Ontario and retired in Sidney, Vancouver Island with her husband, Doug Lawrie. She always had an interest in the family's past and an enthusiasm for writing. She finally gathered all the family documents and photographs and started composing our ancestors' stories. In 1988, at a family gathering in Calgary, aunt Gert arrived and distributed a copy of the book to all who were present. This book and a supplementary booklet, have become rare treasures in private collections.

Ulster Research report 2015

The wiki author also used a professional genealogist to research original documents in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast. This helped with the Acheson story in County Tyrone and includes maps, land titles, region descriptions, birth, marriage and death records, wills and probates, hearth money rolls and more.[2]

Wiki book

Acheson wiki bookcover.jpg

The Acheson and the Webber families have grown and multiplied since 1988. The many additions and revisions and corrections would be a challenge to do with paper editions. To keep the histories and storylines current and to bring in more volunteer contributors, this Wiki site has been created, starting in July, 2018. The Wiki will be the storehouse for the narratives on the family line: the lives, migrations, raising families, the folklore and all the loose ends that make this family so fascinating. If you have a story to tell, please consider contributing.

You can also visit the family website at Acheson Ancestors and Families. This site holds the family tree genealogy of the family; the births, marriages, deaths, burials, the places and events along the history path of the Achesons and the Web(b)ers. Use the two sites together to have a full picture of all the characters.

The Wiki author

Author Jim Benedict.jpg

Jim Benedict is a nephew of the author of the book "Who's That Sitting in our Family Tree?" and a grandson of Sadie Acheson Weber, pictured on the book cover, above. He has been researching the family lines since 1988, when the book was first published. Jim lives in Calgary, Alberta. He is a member of the local genealogy association, the Alberta Family Histories Society and is their webmaster, and is also a member of the global surname society, the Guild of One-Name Studies.

The Webber descendants and a few of the Acheson descendants meet every three years in Calgary for a family reunion on the August long weekend. Attendance is growing to around a hundred nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles. Visit the Webber Reunion album page for photos.


Return to the frontcover page...

  1. Narrator: Gertrude [Webber] Lawrie; private pub. 1988; in private collections, 250 pp., illustrated
  2. Original research booklet compiled by Robert J. Williams of Londonderry, N. Ireland; October 2015, 32 pp., plus photocopies of original documents, in private collection.