New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 26

Acadian Memorial http://www.acadianmemorial.org/ They have the Ensemble Encore (Together Again) Database of Acadian Genealogy onsite, plus workshops and a guide to sources.

Down East: A Maritime Heritage http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~downeast There is something for everyone here - families genealogies; birth, marriage, and death records; photographs; and links to related sites.

Genealogy of the Rose family of Ochre Pit Cove, Conception Bay, Newfoundland http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jordain The site has a surname list and family trees.

Parkdale-Maplewood Community Museum http://parkdale.ednet.ns.ca/ Visit their Memories Not Forgotten display, the Research Centre, and their Newsletter – there seems to be something of interest to everyone.

The P.E.I. Ships Database! - Index www.islandregister.com/ship_data.html Check out the ship's database for passenger lists, diaries of voyages at sea of the people from Prince Edward Island.

Grand Falls Genealogy Club (New Brunswick) www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nbgfgc This is a bilingual site (F/E), and is full of genealogical tid-bits to feast upon – from biographies, to Facebook, to early church histories.

Fraser Family Tree (Manitoba Branch) www.kenora.net/frazer The history of the Frazer family immigration to Ontario Canada in 1869, and moving on to Manitoba about 1886.

Sidney Museum and Archives http://www.sidneymuseum.ca/ This museum is operated by the Saanich Museum, and follows the history of the people who settled there.

Book Review: The Beginner's Guide to Genealogy

Fraser Dunford, the former executive director of the Ontario Genealogical Society, wrote a small yet delightful and very informative book  a few years ago on what to do as a beginner genealogist. It is to be noted that the book, The Beginner's Guide to Genealogy, is written from the point of view of Ontario records.

In the "Introduction", he says, “This book starts with some of the basic concepts used in genealogy, shows you how to start on your family tree, then looks briefly at two huge topics, evidence and ethics.”

In "How To Do the Basics", he discusses such topics as Family Tree (difference between Ancestor and Descendant trees - with examples), Family Record, BMD, and Dates.

The section, “Where to Find It”, covers Maps, Census, Religious Records, Civil Registration, Municipal Records, Land Records, Newspapers, Immigration/Emigration, and Wills.

Also included is a Glossary, and a Relationship Chart, in addition to other material not mentioned here.

You may also wish to read his companion book, Beginner's Guide to Ontario Genealogy (Toronto: OGS, 2006).

Both books are available from the bookstore at www.ogs.on.ca.

Canadian Webinars

 Although it's has taken awhile, there are now some Canadian Webinars which are coming to the Internet.  

 I came across Lisa Alzo's Webinar Canadian Genealogy for Americans to be given Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. Mountain, 5 p.m. Pacific).  

You can register at http://blog.familytreemagazine.com/insider/2012/05/23/CanadianGenealogyForAmericans.aspx.

It is sponsored by Family Tree Magazine, and there is a fee.

 And there are a series of Canadian Webinars given by Canadian genealogist Kathryn Lake Hogan about Mapping Your Ancestors' Footsteps to be given in June, and Canadian Ports of Entry: Ship Passenger Lists, Immigration Records and Border Crossing Records to be given in October.

 The Webinars given by Kathryn will be free.

To register, you can go to http://www.looking4ancestors.com/p/appearances.html

A Genealogical Day in Quebec (Seminar)

On Saturday, June 9, 2012 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Quebec Family History Society Library, 173 Cartier Ave, Pointe-Claire (Montreal), QC H9S 4H9, Lorraine Gosselin and Gary Schroder will present a seminar called A Genealogical Day in Quebec.

This seminar will explain how to find your Irish ancestors in Quebec and Ireland, including Northern Ireland. All the major sources and major genealogical resources for research in Ireland and on the internet will be discussed.

The fee is $30.00 , and reservations necessary. You can call 514.695.1502, or visit their website is

www.qfhs.ca.

2014 Will Be The Centennial of the First World War

One place where Canada is starting to plan commemoration of the First World War in 2014 is Kenora, Ontario.

Canada declared war on Germany August 5, 1914 following Britain who had declared war a day earlier.  

Over the next four years, 620,000 Canadians, and over 400,000 would serve overseas on the battlefields of France. 67,000 Canadian servicemen, and women died, and 173,000 were wounded. There were over a thousand local men from Kenora who joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

The Lake of the Woods Museum, in conjunction with the Kenora Public Library, and local genealogy group Ancestor Seekers of Kenora are undertaking a huge project of producing a data base where they will list every local man and woman who served in the First World War. They will also make biographical sketches on the soldiers, and put any other information that can be supplied by the public for each man and woman.  

Right now, there are over two dozen people who are working on the project, but more are needed.

Tomorrow at 7 p.m. the museum will be hosting an information, and training session for volunteers who would like to help with research.

If you want more information, you can go to the Ancestor Seekers of Kenora webpage at http://askgen.ning.com to read more about the project.

Indexing [Part B] Ontario Marriages, 1869–1927 Now Complete

FamilySearchh.org has told us that the Ontario Marriages 1869-1927 [Part B] is now complete.

The project have been removed from the available online indexing batches, and will now go through a final completion check process. Once this is completed, it will join the regular search feature.

To bring yourself up-to-date with the projects the FamilySeach is indexing, go to

https://indexing.familysearch.org/projtab/current_projects.jsf

30th Anniversary Party – Durham Branch OGS

Garry R. Holland, in charge of the publicity for the Durham Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) http://www.ogs.on.ca/durham/index.htm, writes and tells us that Durham Branch will hold it's 30^th Anniversary party on Tuesday June 5^th at 7:30 pm.

At the Anniversary Celebration there will be Nancy Trimble, the former president of the OGS, and she will talk on "Look to the Future - Social Networking", and Janis Carter who will talk on the history of the branch, and will present a slide-show. And there will be the all important CAKE to celebrate the 30^th Anniversary!!

Bring along your family trees, for you may find unexpected ancestor connections to others while at this meeting/celebration.

The meetings are held at the Main Branch of the Oshawa Library (basement auditorium). They hold meetings on the first Tuesday of each month, in the basement auditorium, 65 Bagot Street, just south of City Hall.

The OGS 2013 Conference will he held in Oshawa next year.

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 25

City of Vancouver Archives http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/archives/digitized/EarlyVan/index.htm All seven volumes of Major Matthews' Early Vancouver photos are now online.

The Children of Fort Langley www.fortlangley.ca Information on the descendants of the Hudson Bay Company employees who worked at Fort Langley between 1827 and 1895.

The First Newspapers on Canada's West Coast: 1858-1863

http://hughdoherty.tripod.com/victoria.htm Newspapers from Victoria, British Columbia in the years 1856-1863.

Prince of Wales: Immigration List 1813 http://tmsnyder.tripod.com/PW_LIST.htm List of Scottish passengers who in 1813 arrived from Stromness, Orkney, Scotland at York Factory. They arrived two months later at York Factory in Manitoba.

War of 1812 History www.1812history.com You can read about such items as period newspapers, military uniforms, weapons and documents, business records, letters, and clothing. There is also a blog at www.1812history.com/blog.html.

Acadia Parish, Louisiana https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Acadia_Parish,_Louisiana Although this is a parish in Louisiana, there are plenty of references made to the Acadians of Nova Scotia.

The Upper St. John River Valley www.upperstjohn.com Transcriptions of early censuses, surveys, land grants, and maps. If you go on the "What's New" webpage, you will see where the author has added many new records.  

Welcome to Al Beagan's "Genealogy Notes" http://members.tripod.com/~Al_Beagan/start.htm

Genealogy Notes of PEI, NFLD, and those that went to the "Boston States".

Nova Scotia Historic Notes... www.twrsoft.com/trivia/hist08.htm Notes from Nova Scotia from 1398 to 1995.

Montcalm Passenger List, July 16, 1936 www.daveobee.com/resources/pilgrim.html The Montcalm sails for Europe, July 16, 1936 on the "Vimy and Battlefields Pilgrimage". Dave Obee has put the passengers' names on this site.

Genealogy Research Toolbox

This has been my week for webinars! I listened to two of them from Ancestry.com, and another one sponsored by the Southern California Genealogy Society at www.scgsgenealogy.com,which featured Thomas MacEntee from Geneabloggers www.geneabloggers.com called Genealogy Research Toolbox.

First of all, i It must be said that Thomas' Genealogy Toolbox is FREE to take from his site at http://genealogytoolbox.weebly.com/index.html. I have just been to his site, and there were a few links that I am interested in, and will add to my site, and you can do the same thing.

But not to get ahead of myself, a Genealogy Research Toolbox (GRT) is a list of links that you have decided is key to your research. After you have made your choices, you can organize them in either a website, a “wiki”, a blog, or maybe by using Favorites or Bookmarks in your browser, for instance. The choice is yours.

The first to do this was visit Cyndi's List at www.cyndislist.com to see what links are there which would interest you, take them, and add them to your own Genealogy Research Toolbox.  

One site I will be adding to my list is RootsWeb Search Thingy at http://searches.rootsweb.ancestry.com. I have used this before and found it useful, but haven't use it lately, so I will add that to my list.

Another site is the FamilySearch Family History Books on Beta http://books.familysearch.org/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?dscnt=1&dstmp=1337256808838&vid=FHD_PUBLIC&fromLogin=true. FamilySearch is putting the books that they have online (most are books that were published before 1923), and I will add it to my list, and read the books later.  

If you want more help setting up your own personal research list, you can go to Genealogy Research Toolbox at www.genealogy-research-tools.com to get excellent advice on how to set one up, and how to use it to your advantage.

So if you haven't set one up already, take some time to do it so that you can find sites very easily, saving you time and aggravation in trying to find them in the wide-open Internet world.  

My thanks go to the Southern California Genealogical Society and Thomas MacEntee for putting on this webinar.

Ancestry.com Webinars

Monday night, I listened to a webinar given by Ancestry.com called “Ready, Set, Go! Family History How-To Everyone Should Know”.

Although I don't usually write on Ancestry.com (I try keep my remarks to their Canadian website, Ancestry.ca, on my blog), I made an exception this week, and listened to an introductory webinar. I wanted to hear what they had to say about researching, and Crista Cowan (the girl who lead the webinar – she is behind The Barefoot Genealogist's blog on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/notes/crista-cowan/why-am-i-called-the-barefoot-genealogist/3140686791615) gave some good tips that anyone can use – be they a beginner or an experienced genealogist.

She gave a list of what she calls “Genealogy Conventions”. I picked three conventions to write on -  

When dealing with a married couples, always put the woman's maiden name with her married name in the family tree. I always put (if I know it) her maiden name in the family tree, or in the search box. That is, if I know what it is. If you don't know what it is when searching, leave that field blank. In French-Canadian genealogy, it is preferable (because of Quebec civil laws listing all of a female's records under her birth name) to use the woman's maiden name when looking up civil records, as it will greatly increase your chances of finding her records vice finding them under her married name).

In a family tree, put the surname that you are researching in CAPS (capital letters), and leave all other names in non-caps. Now this is interesting, but it make perfect sense. The surname will leap out at you when it is in caps, and you can easily find the name you are looking for. An excellent idea!  

The trouble with place names — which seems to be a constant complaint I hear with my research work in Canada — is, how do I approach this? Crista says that it is a problem everywhere – just think about the problems in Europe!

But we have problems in Canada, too. Right now, I am researching a place in Ontario that had a name change in 1800s, plus a township name change.  

So, you must put the exact name where the event took place.  

Remember that in order to find out all the information which is on the 1851 Canada Census, you must check with the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) website www.lac-bac.gc.ca – and you must have the correct name in the search box, or else the search engine will say, “No Results Found”. Ancestry doesn't show everything on a record, so you will have to go to the LAC to find the information.

I must say that it was very good. If you missed it on the 14^th, it is going to be placed in their onsite archives in the Learning Center at www.ancestry.com/cs/HelpAndAdviceUS.

Postscript: One place to check first on Ancestry.ca to see if they have a certain record is the Card Catalog http://search.ancestry.ca/search/CardCatalog.aspx#ccat=hc%3D25%26dbSort%3D1%26sbo%3D1%26. They have all the records there, and you can check that first before deciding to subscribe to Ancestry.ca. And it's FREE!

Genealogy “Summer Camp” in Toronto

"Have you ever wondered what you can do this summer? Go to the Toronto Summer Camp for genealogists from August 12 to the 17^th!

Genealogy "Summer Camp" is a unique program (for adults) that brings out-of-town family historians to Toronto for an intensive week of tutorials and hands-on research at the many archives and reference libraries in the city. If you have ancestors from Toronto or other parts of Ontario, there are many resources here for you. Local family historians are also welcome to participate as “day campers”. We take full advantage of Toronto’s great public transit system, and we keep the group small to allow lots of help from our local experts.

We’ll help you spend more time finding information about your ancestors—and less time finding the archives.

This will be our 16th Summer Camp. More than 125 participants from England, right across Canada and many US states have attended the 15 previous Summer Camps—some more than once!

Genealogy “Summer Camp” 2012 will take place from August 12-17. The Summer Camp fee for 2012 is $230 (CDN), which covers approximately 7 hours of lectures and tutorials, 25 hours of hands-on instruction and all worksheets and handouts.

For details as to venues, resources, tutorials and accommodation, and to download an application package, visit www.torontofamilyhistory.org/summercamp.html, or contact Jane MacNamara at info@torontofamilyhistory.org.

Applications should be received by 11 June 2012."

Canada Supports Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Site

On May 14, 2012, the Canadian government announced that it is supporting Holocaust education, research and remembrance by announcing a $400,000 grant to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation in Poland. Prime Minister Stephen Harper made this announcement during the visit of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to Canada.

The press release said that “Canada’s support for the Memorial Site will help with the conservation of the buildings, grounds, and the thousands of historical objects that are endangered by erosion and deterioration. The memorial is almost 200 hectares, and includes 155 buildings, 300 ruins, including those of the gas chambers and crematoria, over 100,000 personal items that belonged to the people who were killed, archival documents, and works of art by prisoners. The Auschwitz death camp is the only place of its kind entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and more than 1.3 million people from all over the world visit the site every year.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation is a Polish non-governmental organization that seeks to preserve the former Nazi concentration and extermination camp by raising €120 million for the Perpetual Fund, whose sole purpose is to cover the conservation costs of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Site. The Foundation was created in January 2009 by Professor Władysław Bartoszewski, a former Auschwitz prisoner and current chairman of the Auschwitz Council”.

To do more reading about the Polish people in Canada, here are some websites which may interest you - 

Poles www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/022/022-905.007-e.html Dominik Barcz was the first Polish person in Canada, and he came in 1752. Read about the impact the Polish people have had on the history of the country.

Resources for Polish-American and Polish-Canadian Genealogical Research www.tc.umn.edu/~brand050/books/bookpolish.htm Ed Brant gives the researcher a overview of books and articles.

Polish Canadians http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Canadians Gives a brief history of the Polish people in Canada, and a long list of notable Polish Canadians.  

Wilno www.wilno.com Visit Canada's oldest Polish community, Wilno, located in Eastern Ontario, having been settled in the 1800s.

Two Golden Rules of Researching Documents

I have been re-reading a great resource, a book by Ottawa's own Althea Douglas, called Time Traveller's Handbook: A Guide to the Past.

In Chapter 2, "Dealing with Documents", she has two rules of research. The first one is -

"Never trust a transcript made by someone else. Wherever you can, check the original document."

I once came across a census return which said that the person I was researching was born in Canada, and his marriage certificate (which took place in Canada) said that he was born in Ireland.  

Which is true? The same person – but two different countries. What was I to do? It was important to determine that I find the correct country in which he was born because the immigration date of the family depends on it.

Possible Solution: I have decided to visit a nearby genealogical society later this summer to see if they have any primary evidence which can support the proof I need to show one country or the other.  

Conclusion: I guess I could say that I have the very beginnings of a "brick wall". Gosh, I hope not – but I have a "feeling", since the immigration took place in the middle 1800s ... 

The second rule is -

"Always remember that clerks and clergymen, census takers and directory compilers, write down what they heard – what people said to them".

And isn't this statement true! 

Once again, in researching my own family (Haley) that went from Nova Scotia to California in the 1870s, I was confused by the different names of the places where they lived (or didn't live) – Centerville, Newark, Fremont, Washington Township, etc.  

I knew that these places were in Alameda County, across he bay from San Francisco – but were they the same place?

Possible Solution: I never have really answered the question. I have looked at many maps of the area, newspapers, and land records to get a good understanding of the area, but I am in somewhat of a quandary.

Conclusion: I have decided that the lived in Centerville (later known as Newark) in Washington County, California.

The book lists the following chapters -

Chapter 1 – A Time Traveller's Frame of Reference

Chapter 2 – Dealing with Documents

Chapter 3 – Dealing with Family Tradition

Chapter 4 – What Every Schoolchild Used to Know

Chapter 5 – Money

Chapter 6 – The Value of Money: It's Not What it Used to Be

Chapter 7 – Travel in the Past

Chapter 8 – Trades and Their Tools

Chapter 9 – Work Away From Home

Chapter 10 – Family and Connections

Chapter 11 – Home Sweet Home

Chapter 12 – How We Lived Then

Chapter 13 – Health in the Past

Chapter 14 – Our Heritage

Chapter 15 – Our VIP Heritage

Chapter 16 – Our Seafaring and Military Heritage

There is an Appendix (Date of Historical Events), Notes, a Bibliography, and an Index.

In case you are interested in the book, it is available from the Ontario Genealogical Society's e-Bookstore on their website at www.ogs.on.ca.

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 24

Brenna Pearce - History Research Matters http://brennapearce.wordpress.com  $ Brenna Pearce is the Chief Family Historian at Pearce Heritage Research Associates, located near Kingston, Ontario. She does research for a fee, but also has interesting and informative information freely available on her blog.

French-Canadian (Québécois) History and Genealogy www.craftconn.com/genealogy/homepage.htm Linda Jones goes through the differences in French-Canadians and Acadians. She has a query page, and there is a list of surnames.

SaskResearch www.saskresearch.com/index.html This researcher, Joe, uses Internet researching, plus newpapers, to help you find your ancestors.

Sacred Spaces http://graveyardrestoration.com $ Professional historical graveyard restoration services - serving the U.S and Canada.

Roots: Understanding Family Photos www.canadashistory.ca/Magazine/Online-Extension/Articles/Roots--Understanding-family-photos.aspx A very good article written by a Toronto genealogist, Paul Jones, on family photos. It appears in the March/April issue of Canada's History Magazine.

Wesleyan Methodist Baptisms http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wjmartin/wesleyan.htm Ida Reed has transcribed 101,461 records of the Wesleyan Methodist Baptisms (1860-1910) in Canada.

Canada Genealogical Sleuth http://www.progenealogists.com/canada/sleuth.htm&affiliate=cyndihow&merchant=cottrill The ProGenealogiststs website offers a variety of other websites by which to do Canadian research.

Family Stories http://oldfamilystories.com/surnames-im-researching Another new blog, this one follows the families of Beaudoin (Ste Henedine, Quebec, Canada), Comartin (Ontario and Quebec, Canada), Berubé, Dupuis, Duquet, Gagnon, Barette, and Mailloux. Also, researching a variety of ethnically German and Jewish surnames from Germany (Prussia), Poland, and Austria, such as Postler, Schulz, Richter, Wenorski/Wensorski, Weizenbaum, Ormann, Friedländer, and Gänger.

The Genealogy Corner

I have started writing a genealogy column called "The Genealogy Corner" in The Review – a weekly newspaper in Vankleek Hill, Ontario. The column is geared towards beginning genealogists, but I think anyone can gain a new insight in the views that I have put forward in the column.

The column appears every two weeks in print, but unfortunately, doesn't appear on the website, so if you are interested, you will have to buy the paper or get an online subscription. The website is www.thereview.on.ca.

The columns that have been printed so far this year are -

• March 14 - Finding Your Canadian Roots
• March 28 - A Genealogical Society Is Not Just Another Society
• April 11 - It's Time to go Back to School – Year Round
• April 25 - It’s Time to Start Your Research!
• May 9 - The Year Genealogy Was Reborn In Canada

 The next column on May 23 will be all the changes that are taking place at FamilySearch.org.

MGS Celebrates Manitoba Day

Today, the Manitoba Genealogical Society http://www.mbgenealogy.com/ is holding an Open House to celebrate Manitoba Day!


They want to make their fellow residents aware of the birth of their province of Manitoba 142 years ago, on May 12th.


The open house will be at 1045 St. James Street, Winnipeg, and it will feature a resource centre tour, and advice in tracking down family histories. It will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with free admission.


In addition to the hourly tours of MGS Resources, there will be demonstrations of online sources of information, and special emphasis will be spent on how to break down “brick walls”.


Other places that will celebrate Manitoba Day are -


The Manitoba Museum www.manitobamuseum.ca/main/2012/05/07/celebrate-manitoba-day-with-us-free-admission-plus-lots-more Free admission to the galleries and planetarium, plus a foray into the world of famous Manitobans.


Western Canada Aviation Museum wcam.mb.ca “Fit For Flight” guided tour showcases made-in-Manitoba aviation innovations – including the Bush Plane.


Transcona Historical Museum http://www.transconamuseum.mb.ca/ Hands-on archeology workshop for families, held between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.


New Iceland Heritage Museum, Gimli http://www.nihm.ca/ Free admission and a talk by Johanne Kristjanson on the evolution of Manitoba.


Manitoba Agricultural Museum, Austin http://ag-museum.mb.ca/ Free admission and loads of family-friendly activities, including a picnic, horseshoe tournament, and more.

York County and the 1837 Rebellion

The York County Branch of the OGS www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onyrbogs has a new project of collecting a list of participants in the 1837 Rebellion.

The information being collected is -

• Date of birth
• Place of Birth
• Date of Death
• Place of Death
• Rebel or Volunteer
• Time in Prison
• Prisoner's Boxes Made
• Exile
• Transport to Diemen's Land
• Banished
• Escaped

They are asking if you have an ancestor involved in the rebellion, please send in the information to Patricia Blackstock at pblack-stock@sympatico.ca.

If you want a bit of information of the Rebellion of 1837, go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Canada_Rebellion.

LAC Announces New Digitized Reels for War of 1812 Records

I received this announcement from Library and Archives Canada -

"We are pleased to announce that you can now access 73,000 new images of War of 1812 records on its website.

Discover these valuable resources and other miscellaneous records for the War of 1812 with the Microform Digitization research tool. This tool allows you to browse these records page by page.

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) holds a unique and vast collection of records about the Canadian men and women who were involved in the War of 1812. Muster rolls, paylists, claims, certificates of service, medal registers, maps, paintings, and published sources are featured in LAC holdings that document this key event.

With these images now online, you have easy access to records for:

• Board of Claims for War of 1812 losses, 1813–1848, Series RG19 E5A
• Lower Canada militia nominal rolls and paylists, Series RG9 1A7
• Upper Canada militia returns, nominal rolls, and paylists, Series RG9 1B7

For more information on recent announcements at LAC, visit “News” .

FREE Ancestry.ca

Good news everyone - Ancestry.ca announced on May 1^st that they will have FREE access to Canada's Immigration Records over the May 21st holiday!

This weekend is known in Canada as Victoria Day Weekend (when we celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday as well as Queen Elizabeth's official birthday), there will be free access to passenger arrival records, naturalization records, border crossings, emigration records, passports, and convict transportation records.

Good luck in researching your ancestors!

Canadian PoW's of War of 1812

Michael Dun has has a website on which he accounts for the British, Canadian, and American PoW's of the War of 1812.

There are some 15,000+ names covered on this website.

For example, in the Canadian section, he takes the book by C.H.J.Snider, Under the Red Jack: privateers of the Maritime Provinces of Canada in the War of 1812, and he gives a brief history of the ship, and lots of names, so it is worth a read.

In the bibliography, beside listing books which may interest you, there is also the Niles Weekly Register from Baltimore which gives an account of the American side of the war, and the Lloyd’s List, which covers the British part of the war.

The site is located at http://www.1812privateers.org/index.html

Free Lecture - Sinking of Empress of Ireland

The Quebec Family History Society writes to say that there will be a special lecture on the sinking of the Empress of Ireland. It will be a FREE public lecture.

'To mark the 98^th anniversary of the Empress of Ireland's tragic sinking, join us on Saturday, May 12 at 10:30 a.m. to listen to Anne Renaud, author of the book, Into the Mist, deliver her illustrated, one-hour presentation on the sinking of the ship.

From 1906 to 1914, the Empress of Ireland, one of the fastest and most elegant liners of the Edwardian era, graced the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Remembered primarily for sinking in only 14 minutes in the St. Lawrence River and for having a greater loss of passenger life than the Titanic, the Empress’s true legacy is the significant role she played in the building of Canada."

Members, and non-members are invited. Light refreshments will be served.

They also say that they have a special promotion for Mother's Day!

For Mother's Day, give your mom a $65 gift membership to the Quebec Family History Society. 

For more information, and to take advantage of the Early Bird Special for new members, go to website of the society at http://www.qfhs.ca

Walking Tour In Morriston

The Puslinch Historical Society invites you to a Walking Tour in Morriston on Sunday May 27 2012 at 2 pm.

Exploring the history and architectural features of certain houses in the village of Morriston, Ontario. They point out that interiors not included in the tour. You are to meet everyone at the stoplight in the centre of the village.

There will also be a Spirit Walk in Crown Cemetery this fall. You can tour the cemetery, and hear the life stories - the words of people who are buried here. The tour is Monday September 17, 2012 at 7 pm.

Take Nicholas Beaver Rd (at Tim Hortons south of Aberfoyle) to the cemetery side entrance.

Both of these events are sponsored by Puslinch Historical Society, and The Wellington County Historical Society.

For info call 519-658-9923, or contact Betty Anderson at b.anderson@sympatico.ca.

Take a minute to look at the Puslinch Township site at http://www.puslinch.net/index.html.

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 23

English Research from Canada http://kippeeb.blogspot.ca/ Not a new blog, but Elizabeth Kipp from Ottawa has tons of information which you should look at to see if your family is included in her extensive research.

Meehan My Family http://mymeehanfamily.blogspot.ca/ Started in March of this year, the blog states - "My great grandfather George Thomas Meehan was born in Kingston, Ontario in 1851 and died in Toronto in 1919. He is the son of Patrick Meehan of Donegal Ireland and Elizabeth "Bessie" Magee also of Ireland. Between 1851 and 1861 the family moved from Kingston to Belleville."

Philip Norcross Gross http://norcross.ca/ Read about the Norcross, Gross, Fleming, and Drake families of Germany, England, Scotland, the United States, and Canada.

Morrow Family Tree http://morrowfamilytree.com/ The Morin family from Morin-Heights, Quebec and early records from Mackinac Island, Michigan.

Ohlhausen/Koenig (König) Family History Website www.ohlhausen.ca/index.htm This Germans from Russia website gives the family histories for Ohlhausen, Koenig, Wonnenberg, Jerke, Jans, Bauch, and Gill. All people with the last name of Ohlhausen across Canada today are the descendants of three brothers that immigrated to Canada from Russia in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Koenig side of the family immigrated to the USA through several ports but mainly Ellis Island, and the descendants today are mainly in Colorado and Idaho, with some in Alberta, Canada. You will also find family trees and pictures of these families as well as Littau, Wonenberg, Quast, and Litke.

Hastings County Cemeteries www.angelfire.com/wa3/greenwoodontario/HastingsCountyCemeteries.html This site contains a listings of the cemeteries and transcripts thereof for Hastings County, Ontario, Canada. It includes the towns of Bancroft, Madoc, and Marmora.

Talpash Family http://www.talpash.com/ Talpash family genealogy and history describes a family tree extending from a Talpasz family in Europe of the 1700s to the 1900s in USA and Canada. Tawpash, Talpas, Talpaz, Towspasz, and Tolpash are variant spellings.

Ancestry Sisters http://www.ancestrysisters.com/ $ Comprehensive genealogy research. Ancestry Sisters is your go-to source for researching your family history. Covering the US, Canada, England, Ireland, and more.

The Métis National Council (MNC) Historical Online Database http://metisnationdatabase.ualberta.ca/MNC The Métis Archival Project (MAP) research team at the Faculty of Native Studies, University of Alberta, has provided the data and digital images for the Métis National Council Historical Online Database. Since 1999, MAP has taken an innovative digital approach to archival records. MAP researchers have specialized experience with databasing, microfilm, microfiche, digital scanning and photography, and image enhancement. Over the past several summers, groups of MAP researchers have traveled to Library and Archives Canada (formerly the National Archives of Canada and before that, the Public Archives of Canada), located in Ottawa, to conduct exhaustive archival searches for relevant scrip and Métis historical materials.