Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Ancestry.ca is FREE for Royal Visit

From June 30th through to July 8th, 2011 when the Royal Couple are in Canada, Ancestry.ca will be offering free access.

To explore the free records and to sign up for a free 14 day trial, please visit www.ancestry.ca/UK.

The Armenian Boys' Farm Home, Georgetown, Ontario

Today, the Ontario Heritage Trust and the Armenian Community Centre of Toronto has unveiled a provincial plaque to commemorate The Armenian Boys' Farm Home, Georgetown.

"The arrival of Armenian child refugees at Cedarvale Farm in Georgetown helped to lay the groundwork for this country's international humanitarian efforts throughout the 20th century," said Dr. Thomas H.B. Symons, Chairman of the Ontario Heritage Trust. "We are proud to honour this significant event in our history with this provincial plaque."

In part the plaque reads as follows:

THE ARMENIAN BOYS' FARM HOME, GEORGETOWN

On July 1, 1923, a group of 50 Armenian boys arrived at this farm site from an orphanage in Corfu, Greece. The 'Georgetown Boys,' as they came to be known, arrived in Canada between 1923 and 1927 - 109 boys in all. The orphans were survivors of the Armenian Genocide (1915-1923). Their plight touched the hearts of thousands of Canadians, who raised significant funds and lobbied the Canadian government to bring them here. Under the care and supervision of the Armenian Canadian Relief Fund's Farm and Home Committee, the children lived at Cedarvale Farm located on this property and were taught English and farming skills. By 1928, the orphans were placed with farm families in Southwestern Ontario. As adults, most of the Armenians became Canadian citizens and chose to remain in this country. By providing assistance to non-British Commonwealth refugees, the Armenian Boys' Farm Home was the first humanitarian effort of its kind in Canada.

The unveiling ceremony took place at the Armenian Youth Centre - Hamazkayin Theatre in Toronto. The plaque will be permanently installed at Cedarvale Park in Georgetown, the site of the Armenian Boys' Farm Home.

"Canada's humanitarian efforts in aiding the 109 orphaned Armenian children who survived the Armenian Genocide of 1915 must be remembered and commended," said Armenian Community Centre President Vatche Kelebozian. "This provincial plaque will immortalize the memory of the Georgetown Boys and act as a permanent reminder of Canada's proud humanitarian tradition and its unyielding commitment in aiding Armenians."

A book has been written on the Georgetown Boys by Jack Apramian, and is featured in a 1976 article in “The Georgetown Independent" on http://www.creditvalleyartisans.ca/history.html

Miramichi Irish Festival

The 28th annual Canada's Irish Festival will be held in Miramichi, New Brunswick from July 14th-17th, 2011

The Miramichi Branch of New Brunswick Genealogical Society will be there, as well the as Provincial Archives of New Brunswick

In the information package on the website, they say they will be “Focusing on Northumberland County, we will use the Census for the years 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901; there will be transcriptions of every cemetery in No. Co. (over 130), thousands of obituaries (16,000), vital stats from local newspapers, some church records, complete family histories and much, much more. We also have several of our publications available for sale. Be sure to visit us at while attending the festival”.

According to the Festival information, The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick will have a “special digital film archive will be launched as part of the Provincial Archives exhibit. The North West Digital Film Archive created by Derry City Council’s Heritage & Museum Service, the Donegal Regional Cultural Center, Donegal County Museum & Archives and the Nerve Center will be available”.

They will also have a collection of almost 100 hours of searchable material including the census records, land grants information, historical photos and other research documents.

Some of the other events that will take place will be the The Red Hair Contest and Running of the Green Race

For more information, please visit their website at http://www.canadasirishfest.com/index.html