"For King and Country" Project in Toronto

Gwyneth Pearce, of the Toronto Family History Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, has just sent me the following press release -

“I am writing to share some news from the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society that I hope will be of interest…

The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has added 3,000 more names and ten more schools to its on-line database of school memorials commemorating Toronto students and staff who volunteered for active service in the two World Wars and other military conflicts.

The newest schools in the For King and Country database are Brock Avenue, Hodgson, Jesse Ketchum, King George, Lambton Park, Long Branch Continuation, Oriole Park, Plains Road, R.H. McGregor and Sackville Street. The latest additions bring the total number of names in the database to just under 30,000. But that’s not all – the database also includes transcriptions and photographs of school war memorials, as well as information about the history of the schools themselves and links to other useful school and community websites.

As we all pause to mark Remembrance Day, take a few moments to explore this growing collection at www.torontofamilyhistory.org/kingandcountry

To find out more about the For King and Country project, and how you can help, contact co-ordinator Martha Jackson at kingandcountry@torontofamilyhistory.org”

I first heard about this site at the OGS Conference in Toronto in 2010, and it was just starting, and they encouraged every one to go and take a look. You may discover your ancestor there.

War of 1812 Issue of OGS' Families

Cover page from the November 2012 issue of Families, the journal of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) www.ogs.on.ca

As most of you know, this year is the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, which involved British, Canadian, American, Black, and Aboriginal forces, as well as both Army and Navy personnel, in both Canada and the United States.

The papers in this issue include –

• Six Degrees of Separation from the War of 1812 by Fred Blair

• QMSSgt Joseph Legare/Legary: War of 1812 Veteran by Bill Amell

• The War of 1812 and Its Influence of North Simcoe County by Gwen Patterson 

In fact, Fred Blair of the OGS has a resource on the Resources webpage of the OGS website at www.ogs.on.ca/services/1812-militia.php. Here, he talks about “Ontario Records and Resources - War of 1812 Documents”, and has published such transcriptions as the 2nd Regiment of York Militia – Payroll, and the 2nd Regiment of York Militia and 5th Regiment of Lincoln Militia - Flank Companies and Others.

You may contact him at fredblairorillia@hotmail.com

You can also check the name of your War of 1812 ancestor on The Ontario Name Index (TONI) of the OGS. It is upgraded monthly, and may reach as high as fifty million entries when it is finished. Note that this is an index – it does not contain the information; it just tells you where to find the information.

The website for TONI is www.ogs.on.ca/integrated/toni_database1.php

The Borrow/Buy button on the website may take you to a screen which gives you purchase options - to buy the whole book of cemetery transcripts through the e-Store, or to buy that particular tombstone transcription  through Pay-Per-View (PPV).  

Question of the Day: The York Regiment recruited young men of a certain age to be in the regiment. Between what ages were the recruits mustered? Send your answer to Elizabeth at genealogycanada@aol.com by midnight, Eastern Standard Time. Please put “booklet” in the title, and remember to submit your full name and postal address. A winner will be chosen by random draw from every eligible entry received.

For details on the contest and the booklet prize—a research guide on both sides of the War of 1812 entitled The War of 1812: Canada and the United States—please visit http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2012/11/one-booklet-to-be-won-every-day-during.html

Good luck with the draw, and happy researching!

© Elizabeth Lapointe All Rights Reserved