This afternoon, Terry Punch, one of Canada’s greatest family historians and the leading genealogical authority in Nova Scotia, passed away peacefully at his home following a battle with cancer.
When he wrote his last column in the Halifax ChronicleHerald this past January, these were his closing words:
Dear readers,
I have visited you every issue for more than 15 years of Seniors’ Advocate and Senior Living. It has been a pleasure to write the column and to hear from so many people over the years. I am about to set sail on unmapped seas and this will be my last appearance in these pages. I’ll leave you with this blessing (Scots, I’m told): “Lang may your lum reek.
A genealogist who knew him said, “We need him for another 50 years. It will take a dozen people to replace him.”
The citation issued in September 2011 after Mr. Punch became a member of the Order of Canada sums up his contribution to the genealogy world:
“Terrence Punch has been instrumental in the development and promotion of genealogy in the Maritimes. For more than four decades, he has dedicated his time to genealogical studies and is recognized as an expert in German and Irish immigration in Nova Scotia. He has played an important role in popularizing this field through a radio phone-in show and by publishing the first comprehensive handbook on genealogical research in Atlantic Canada. His passion for, and encyclopedic knowledge of, genealogy has helped to educate Canadians on the role that family history plays in understanding the development of our country.”
Only a month ago, we learned of the passing of genealogist and blogger Elizabeth Lapointe, also from Halifax, who specialized in cross-border migration between Canada and the United States, as well as immigration to Canada from the UK and Europe.
Genealogical Research in Nova Scotia by Terrence M. Punch, Nimbus Publishing; [4th ed.], Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1998.
For more than 40 years, Mr. Punch was a speaker, teacher and writer of history and genealogy and recognized as an expert in German and Irish immigration in Nova Scotia.
One of his best known works is Genealogical Research in Nova Scotia.
Mr. Punch held executive positions in a variety of organizations, including the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society, Halifax Charitable Irish Society, Genealogical Institute of the Maritimes, and was founding president of the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia. He was a fellow of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society and the Royal Society of Antiquarians in Ireland.
He was the only Canadian to be elected a Fellow of the Irish Genealogical Research Society. He was also a resident genealogist on CBC Radio and editor of Genealogist’s Handbook for Atlantic Canada Research.
In one of the many articles he wrote, Mr. Punch said his interest in history began at an early age. “Families who don’t move house for decades accumulate a good deal of stuff. In the basement reposes the toaster that Dad was going to fix sometime. Forgotten in a cookbook is a coupon for 25 cents off a box of cereal, redeemable before December 31, 1966.
“I grew up in such a household. When it rained I pored over old books and learned all sorts of trivia.”
During the period from 1975 to 1989, Mr. Punch donated his records to the Nova Scotia Archives. The Terrence M. Punch Fonds at the Nova Scotia Archives “consists of copies of articles written by Terrence M. Punch for various historical and genealogical publications in North America and abroad; extracts of vital statistics from church registers, tombstone inscriptions, and newspapers; notes from family bibles; charts; family histories; a curriculum study on research using archival materials in high schools; correspondence received by Punch; and photograph portraits of Catholic clergymen including Archbishop T. O’Donnell and Msgr. Graham.”
Genealogists researching their Canadian ancestry, especially in the Maritimes, owe a great deal to Terry Punch. He will be missed.
The loss of Terry Punch is monumental for genealogy in Nova Scotia and Canada. His was the first genealogy book I bought some 20+ years ago and it is tagged and well worn for the valuable information it contains. Terry’s contribution to the fabric of Nova Scotia is a true gift of heart. He will be ever missed.
This is sad news. I met Terry on several occasions and listened to him many times on the radio. I never knew anyone who could recall genealogical information on so many families in Atlantic Canada as he did. His book was one the first books about genealogy that I bought.
I agree. He will be missed.
Since 1997 all I heard was Terry Punch’s name in the genealogy world. His genealogy will live on and in our hearts so will he.
Mr. Punch… My all time favorite teacher. At the start of every semester in his History Class at Saint Patrick’s High in Halifax, he’d go through all the students in class and give them what he knew of their family histories in Nova Scotia. Country and county of origin, what boat they came on, when and where they settled… Always an impressive display from a man passionate about the past.
I don’t often listen to Maritime Noon, but I always did when Terry was on.