350th anniversary of “Filles du roi”

Arrival of the Brides Library and Archives Canada, Acc. no 1996-371-1

The Library and Archives Canada released this blog post yesterday -

"Summer 2013 marks the 350th anniversary of the arrival in New France of the first contingent of the “Filles du roi” (“King's daughters”), young women who became the ancestors of numerous French-Canadian families. A variety of celebrations are planned throughout Quebec, culminating in the New France Festival in Quebec City from August 7 to 11, 2013. The website is at www.nouvellefrance.qc.ca/index.php/en

Between 1663 and 1673, King Louis XIV supported the emigration of these young women, many of them orphans. Their passage to the colony was paid and they received an average dowry of 50 livres, along with a small hope chest containing clothing and sewing materials. In exchange, the women agreed to marry on their arrival in New France, to start a family and to help their husbands work the land. These women were instrumental in helping to populate and develop the colony.

The first contingent of 36 “Filles du roi” landed in 1663. Over the next ten years, an estimated 800 young women settled in New France under the same program.

If you would like to know whether one of your ancestors was a “Fille du roi,” there are many genealogical publications and reviews you can consult".

You can visit the website http://lesfillesduroy-quebec.org

Gwyneth Pearce, head of publicityfor the Ontario Genealogical Society - Toronto Branch, sent the following announcement to me yesterday –

The Branch will be presenting three courses between September and November – ranging from one day to eight weeks in length –

Introduction to West Indian Genealogy Saturday, 21 September: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. A fast-paced introduction to the principles of West Indian genealogical research with a focus on methodologies and records for African, East Indian and Chinese West Indian ancestors.

The instructor is Pooran Bridgelal.

The meeting will take place at North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto

Basic Genealogy and Family History Wednesdays, 2 October – 20 November: 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. For those just beginning to research or looking to upgrade basic skills, this 8-week course will cover terminology, types of sources, on-line resources, libraries and archives, and record-keeping – to help you “think like a genealogist”.

The instructor is Jane E. MacNamara

The meeting will take place at North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto

Maps and Mapping for 21^st Century Genealogists Thursdays, 7 - 28 November: 6:15 - 8:15 p.m.This 4-week course, designed for intermediate and advanced-level genealogists, will explore sophisticated ways in which maps and mapping tools can contribute to family history research, analysis and writing.

The instructor is James F.S. Thomson

The meeting will take place at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street, Toronto

For program details, speaker biographies and information on how to register for these courses, visit www.torontofamilyhistory.org/courses.html

Canadian Week in Review 29 July 2013

I have come across the following Canadian websites, blogs, Facebook, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too

Websites

Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics

As of July 2013, the following index is available online -

Births 1864 – 1877, 1908 – 1912 (delayed registration 1830 – 1912)

Marriages Bonds 1763 – 1864 Registration 1864 – 1937


Deaths 1877 – 1874, 1`908 – 1962 City of Halifax 1890 - 1908 

If you want copies of the records for historical and genealogical research purposes, you can purchase them, as e-files at $10.84 each, or paper copies at $21.74 each.

To see the web site, go to www.novascotiagenealogy.com

Blogs

Acadian Heritage News  http://afgs-acadian-heritage-news.blogspot.com/2013/07/fete-nationale-des-acadiens.html There are all sorts of Acadian festivals taking place in Canada this year, and this blog has a list of them.

Facebook, Videos, You Tube

Perth County Branch Facebook www.facebook.com/PerthCountyBranchOGS  This is a current page, with up-to-date news items. 

Newspapers Articles of the Week

Province commits $1.5M to spruce up N.S. streets www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2013/07/26/ns-street-improvements.html The Nova Scotia government is spending $1.5 million a year to help Nova Scotians upgrade streets across the province as part of a new program -  the Communities, Culture and Heritage Department.

Regina teacher travelling to Europe to visit battlefields of First and Second World Wars www.leaderpost.com/travel/Regina+teacher+travelling+Europe+visit+battlefields+First+Second+World+Wars/8705294/story.html There will be 28 Canadian educators, who will travel to Europe on a 10-day tour “to receive professional development training on the battlefields”.

Heritage Society telling story of resettlement www.thecoaster.ca/News/Local/2013-07-25/article-3327730/Heritage-Society-telling-story-of-resettlement/1 The Heritage Society of Milltown-Head Bay d’Espoir is telling the story of resettlement from the small isolated south coast communities of Grole, Round Harbour, Pushthrough Muddy Hole.

Historic Calgary Week explores past, from oil to aircraft http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Historic+Calgary+Week+explores+past+from+aircraft/8709645/story.htmlFrom July 26 to Aug. 5, the Historic Calgary Week, is telling the history of the city’s most venerable buildings and artifacts, such as the Hudson’s Bay Building, Second World War aircraft and pioneer cemeteries.

Remembering Canada’s forgotten war htto://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013-07-25/article-3328267/Remembering-Canada%26rsquos-forgotten-war/1Vincent Joyce, founder of the Pictou County Military Museum in Nova Scotia, is hoping to bring the Korean War to the forefront of people today.

Story of the Week

The Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1913–1918

Ottawa-based Arctic scientist and historian David Gray, is leading the retracing of the steps of the 1913-1918 exploration of the Arctic, in which three men -  Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Rudolph Anderson and Diamond Jenness , discovered a whole new Arctic, never before known to the world.

David Gray, Bob Bernard and their crew members are re-visiting campsites used during the 1913-18 expedition. They are collecting artifacts and scientific samples, document their journey on film and searching for clues to the answer about Capt. Bernard’s disappearance

The Museum of Civilization has a virtual exhibition called Northern People, Northern Knowledge, which has stories, photos and films on the Expedition

To see the exhibit, go to www.civilization.ca/arctic/the-expedition

Be sure to visit their blog at http://www.civilization.ca/arctic/blog?lang=en&kiosk=false

They take portions of the writings of John Hadley, who was Captain of the ship, the Polar Bear in 1913, and put it against the writings of the people on the Expedition today. A neat idea!

Reminder: Check out Canadian Week in Review every Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! The next post will be posted 05 August, 2013

Canadian Week in Review

Reminder: Check out Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in the country! 

War of 1812 and Nova Scotia

Ships Duke of Kent, Charles Mary Wentworth and Earl Spencer from a modern drawing by C.H.J. Snider. Medium: drawing Artist: C.H.J. Snider Reference no.: NSARM Photo Collection: Ships: C.M. Wentworth

The War of 1812 began in June 1812, and the remaining British North American colonies — Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island (then separate from Nova Scotia), New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Lower Canada (Quebec) and Upper Canada (Ontario) were automatically at war with the United States.

The role of Nova Scotia during the war was mainly at sea. The Royal Navy from its North Atlantic Squadron base at Halifax, joined by privateer vessels from home ports along the Atlantic coast and Bay of Fundy – like the ports of Halifax and Liverpool.

There are several virtual exhibits –

Spoils of War: Privateering in Nova Scotia – Read about the history of privateering in Nova Scotia. For example, there  are digitized original log-books for the privateers Charles Mary Wentworth (1799), Nelson (1802) and Dart (1813).

Acadian Reporter – This newspaper was published in Halifax beginning in January 1813, and this is four-page weekly newspaper. This newspaper “carried local, provincial, British and international news stories, a weekly almanac, shipping news, marriage and death notices, and a wide range of advertisements”

Black Refugees 1812 – 1834 - This is a virtual exhibit made up of 75 digitized documents, news clippings, documentary art and print items.


Go to http://gov.ns.ca/nsarm/war1812

The Ottawa Genealogist July-September 2013

The latest edition of The Ottawa Genealogists was in my mail box the other day, and it covers such events as Genealogy Research in London, UK and Attending WDYTYAL Conference 2013, Step into History: The 19^th Annual Beechwood Cemetery Historical Walking Tour, and the article Early Bytown Settlers Index.

One thing I have always enjoyed reading has been Edward and Elizabeth Kipp’s research trips. I have always found them informative, news worthy, and entertaining.  

This time, they were in London and went to the WDYTYAL where they saw some fellow Canadians from Ottawa  – Glenn Wright, John D. Reid, and Leslie Anderson – and took in some lectures while there too.

And they did some research too – on the BLAKE, PINCOMBE/PINKHAM, BULLER, BEARD families.

A good report was given of the Beechwood Cemetery Historical Walking Tour that took place on June 9^th, and the theme was the War of 1812.

Some of the people honoured was British Army Officer William Brown Bradley, and his son Edward Sands BRADLEY, Louis-Theodore BESSERAR, and Maria HILL.

It is reported that 300 people were there e to take the walk in good weather, which was led by Kurt Johnson of the Goulburn Museum.  

Jim Stanzell continues with the Early Bytown Settlers Index, and this time he covers the letters J to L.

He gives both the surname, and given name, the reference and page number, and any notes that is included in the Information column.

There is lots of other news in the journal, and you can receive The Ottawa Genealogist by joining the Ontario Genealogical Society at http:// www.ogs.on.ca/membership.php 

UPDATE: New version of the Census of 1851 (1852) database

The Library and Archives Canada has updated the 1851 (1852) census.

  

The 1851 Census marked the second collection of statistics for the Province of Canada (consisting of Canada West and Canada East). Information was also collected for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

In addition to searching by geographical information such as province, district, and sub-district, users can now also search by nominal information such as name, given name(s) and age of an individual.

In Canada East and Canada West, the census was supposed to have been taken in 1851, but was actually take in January 1852. 

So, in the Canada East and Canada West, it will be the age of the person's next birthday in 1852, not in 1851 (Column 6).

Also, in Canada East and Canada West, there was an urban and a rural census, and they asked different questions. 

In Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, the census was taken between June and December 1851.

If you are having difficulty finding the person you are looking for in the 1851-1852 census, not all schedules survived.  

Go to   

www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1851/Pages/about-census.aspx 

Kent Branch, OGS – Meeting & Event Info

Many societies are getting their fall meeting schedule out there for us to post, and I am busy with the November edition of Families, so the fall season is rapidly approaching for us genealogists.

The Kent Branch has speakers for September, October, and November, and the schedule is -

Date: Friday, September 13, 2013, 7:00 p.m.

Meeting: Kent Branch OGS

Location: St. Andrews Residence, 99 Park St., Chatham

Title of Talk: “Dealing with Conflicting Information”

Name of Speaker: Vicki McKay

Brief Info: Vicki McKay will walk us through some of her own family research challenges

Contact Info: www.ogs.on.ca/kent 

Date: Friday, October 11, 2013, 7:00 p.m.

Meeting: Kent Branch OGS

Location: St. Andrews Residence, 99 Park St., Chatham

Title of Talk: 150 YEARS! THE HISTORY OF THE CHATHAM GRANITE CLUB

Name of Speaker: Reg Johnson

Brief Info: Learn the history and the people involved in this 150 year old organization. .

Contact Info: www.ogs.on.ca/kent

Date: Friday, November 8, 2013, 7:00 p.m.

Meeting: Kent Branch OGS                                                            

Location: St. Andrews Residence, 99 Park St., Chatham

Title of Talk: “Major Telford Steele – WWII”

Name of Speaker: Ted Steele

Brief Info: Ted Steele will share the adventures of his uncle in WWll.

Contact Info: www.ogs.on.ca/kent 

What will happen to Barnardo’s Home photos?

Barnardo’s Homes is going to start digitizing their photos (of children), and then has plans to destroy the originals.  Some 30,000 of these photos are Home Children that came to Canada.

There's more at http://britishphotohistory.ning.com/profiles/blogs/barnardo-s-archive-up-for-grabs

You can help find a home for the collection by signing an e-petition; it's quick, simple and free. Here is the link

www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/save-barnardo-s-photographic-archive-find-a-new-home-for-the-original-photographs?share_id=cwjMybIulb&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition

UPDATE: Prince Edward Island/Ontario Cemeteries

The following cemeteries have been upgraded on the GenWeb site as of July 22, 2013 – 

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Queen's County:

- Hyde & Crosby Pioneer Cemetery

ONTARIO

Brant County:

- Bethany Mission Cemetery

- Hatchley Cemetery

Bruce County:

- Chesley Cemetery

Carleton County:

- Beechwood Cemetery

Essex County:

- Annunciation Roman Catholic / L'Annonciation Cemetery

- Irwin Cemetery

- St William's RC Church Cemetery

- Tecumseh Historical Museum Cemetery

Frontenac County:

- Christ Church Anglican Cemetery

- Point Alexandria United / Horne Cemetery

- St Lawrence United / Foot Cemetery

- Trinity Anglican Cemetery

Grey County:

- Boyd Cemetery

- Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Halton County:

- Colling Cemetery

Hastings County:

- Abandoned (Purchase Farm) Cemetery

Huron County:

- Maitland Bank Cemetery

Kent County:

- Christ Church Anglican Cemetery

- Duart Cemetery

- Hyatt Cemetery

- Ridgetown (Old) Cemetery

- Smith & Hopper Burying Ground

- St Thomas Anglican Cemetery

Lambton County:

- Alvinston Cemetery

- St Matthew's Cemetery

- Thedford Baptist Cemetery

Lennox & Addington County:

- Glenwood Cemetery

- Pentland Cemetery

Middlesex County:

- Dorchester Union Cemetery

- Woodland Cemetery

Norfolk County:

- McQueen Cemetery

Oxford County:

- Tillsonburg Cemetery

Perth County:

- South Easthope / Shakespeare Cemetery

Waterloo County:

- Oswald / Hoffer / St Paul's Lutheran Cemetery

- Pioneer Tower / Doon Pioneer Cemetery

- Zion United Cemetery

Wellington County:

- St Martin's Roman Catholic Cemetery

Wentworth County:

- Christ's Church Cathedral Columbarium

These updates were not be possible if not for the volunteers, such as Alison Mitchell-Reid, Elizabeth Warwick, Kate Ford, Lorna Eggert, Marilyn Whiting, Robert Gevaert, Sharon Mattiuz, and William Cooke for indexing.

Thanks to Michael Stephens, Robert Gevaert & Ed McKeon, Doug Smith, Ron Spurr, Angela M. Clatworthy, Corinna Rumble, Alison Mitchell-Reid, Sharon Mattiuz, William Cooke, Carolyn Nordin, Lanny Robinson, Lorna Eggert, Beverly Fern McKenzie, Bonnie Philbin & Patt Preston, Bruce Nuckowski, Elizabeth Warwick, Ken Monk, and Doug & Donna Gammon for photos of the cemeteries.

Go to http://canadacems.blogspot.com/2013/07/prince-edward-island-ontario-update.html

Photo Contest at The Armchair Genealogist

  

Received this news release from fellow Canadian blogger Lynn Palermo yesterday -

“Family reunions are a great summer time activity that enables family historians the opportunity to gather family together to capture stories, travel to ancestral hometowns and reconnect with family. Share your family history summer adventure in the form of a photo of a recent or past family reunion. Tell us briefly about your photo. Open for entries from Monday July 22nd 8 am EST, closed at 12 pm Sunday July 28th EST. On Monday morning July 29th Week 2, photo theme will be announced for another chance to win.

Head over to our Contest Page on Facebook and submit your family reunion photo now!  One entry, per person, per week. One winner will be randomly drawn each week and will receive a 1-year subscription to FindMyPast.com. On Monday July 29th we will announce another photo theme for week 2 and you'll have another chance to win!

Week 1- July 22nd 8 am - July 28th midnight EST - Family Reunion Summer Adventure

Week 2- July 29th 8 am- Aug 4th midnight EST.

Week 3 - Aug 5th 8 am- Aug 11th midnight EST.

Open to U.S. and Canadian residents. One entry per person per week. Check the Contest Rules for all the details".

You can also post your photo using Twitter or Instagram use hashtag #outofmyarmchair

Go to www.thearmchairgenealogist.com

Canadian Week in Review 22 July 2013

I have come across the following Canadian websites, blogs, Facebook, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too

Websites

No new website this week.

Blogs

No new blogs this week.

Facebook, Videos, You Tube

Perth County Branch Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PerthCountyBranchOGS

This is a current page, with up-to-date news items. 

Newspapers Articles of  the Week

ReviewWinnipeg walking tours offer insight into city's history and culture www.cbc.ca/manitoba/scene/other/2013/07/19/walking-tours Walk through the city’s financial district called The Exchange District. The banks the use to line the street have now been turned into nightclubs and bars.  

Nova Scotia, Canada: as bonny as the homeland www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/northamerica/canada/10191234/Nova-Scotia-Canada-as-bonny-as-the-homeland.html Travel with Nigel Richardson as he tours Nova Scotia.

Ag Museum hopes to hold on to history www.portagedailygraphic.com/2013/07/19/ag-museum-hopes-to-hold-on-to-history The Manitoba Agricultural Museum hopes to save a Canadian Pacific Railway water tower and Manitoba Pool grain elevator. Both building require new roofs.

Get out of the city and get in touch with history www.leaderpost.com/travel/city+touch+with+history/8671470/story.html

Read about the historical town of Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan. Its motto is ‘a touch of Europe in the Prairies’.

New smartphone app to help users explore Canadian history htto://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/smartphone+help+users+explore+Canadian+history/8667239/story.htmlNational online voting is underway as Canadians help choose the content for a new smartphone app.  

Story of the Week

Who is Shelly Glover?

So who is Shelly Glover, the new Minister of Heritage in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Well, she is from Manitoba, and she has served as Parliamentary Secretary for Finance, Indian and Northern Affairs, and Official Languages. She has also been an Associate Member on the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

So, she should have a grasp on the problems with the 1921 Canadian Census, and the state of the Library and Archives Canada. To date, I haven’t seen anything that she has said about either the census or the LAC. .

In fact, she has said that her first order of business is “learning her portfolio, immersing herself in briefings, meeting stakeholders and hiring staff. It’s a lot of work – but the first words out of her mouth over the phone from Ottawa involve her excitement over the tremendous opportunity”.

That is what the Globe and Mail reported in an article in the July 20^th edition of the paper - www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/shelly-glover-cultures-new-cop/article13319750/?page=2

There is a very, very short video on the Internet with Minister Glover on www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2013/07/15/mb-glover-bergen-harper-government-cabinet-manitoba.html

Maybe the first question that she will have to answer in Question Period, once parliament resumes in the fall, will be about the 1921 census!

Reminder: Check out Canadian Week in Review every Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada! The next post will be 29 July, 2013

UPDATE: 1842 Census of Canada East and Canada West

On Friday, I posted that the LAC had released the 1842 Census of Canada East (Quebec) and Canada West (Ontario), but I did not say that only certain areas (districts and sub-districts) were enumerated.

The following districts are available in Canada West -

Bathurst

Gore

Johnstown

London

Newcastle

Niagara

Ottawa

Toronto (City)

1842 Census for Canada West: Districts and Sub-districts is at www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1842-canada-west/Pages/census-districts-sub-districts.aspx

The following areas are complete in Canada East -

Beauharnois

Berthier

Chambly

Champlain

Deux-Montagnes

Dorchester

Dorchester-Bellechasse

Drummond

Huntingdon

Huntingdon-Chambly

Lotbinière

Missisquoi

Montréal

Ottawa

Portneuf

Québec

Richelieu

Rimouski

Rouville

Saguenay

Shefford

Sherbrooke

Terrebonne

1842 Census for Canada East Districts and Sub-districts is at www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1842-canada-east/Pages/census-districts-sub-districts.aspx

Muskoka Parry Sound Genealogy Group

On Thursday August the 15, 2013, there will be a meeting held by the Muskoka Parry Sound Genealogy Group from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Huntsville Public Library, Huntsville, Ontario.

The topic will be British Home Children, and the speakers will be Bernardo Homes by Carol Black and Quarrier Homes by Dona Crawford.

The Muskoka Parry Sound Genealogy Group was formed in 1985, and it covers  both the Muskoka and Parry Sound Districts of Ontario, Canada .

On their site they have maps of Muskoka Townships, and Parry Sound Townships,

Cemetery Databases online.

Their website is www.mpsgg.com

Censuses of Canada West and Canada East, 1842

In this notice received yesterday, here are the 1842 Canadian Census for Canada West and Canada West -

“Library and Archives Canada is pleased to announce that Canadians can now access the Census of Canada West, 1842 as well as the Census of Canada East, 1842 online. In 1841, Upper Canada was renamed Canada West, whereas Lower Canada became Canada East. These two jurisdictions are now known as the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Each census is partly nominal and contains the names of heads of family, their occupation and the number of residents for each family.

For the Canada West (Ontario) Census, go to

www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1842-canada-west/Pages/1842-canada-west.aspx

For the Canada East (Quebec) census, go to www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1842-Canada-East/Pages/about-census.aspx

Special Interest Groups

The Ontario Genealogical Society has, at present, four Special Interest Groups (SIGs).

A SIG is a permanent group of OGS Members with an interest in some other topic, such as a geographic location outside Ontario (e.g. immigrants from a particular country), an ethnic or cultural group (e.g. natives or a particular fraternal organization), or an event (e.g. a particular emigration scheme).

Currently, the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are

Irish Palatines - http://www.ogs.on.ca/ip-sig

Ireland - www.ireland.ogs.on.ca

Scottish  - Currently, there isn’t a website for the Scottish SIG, but you can contact scottishsig@ogs.on.ca

British Home Child - www.ogs.on.ca/SIG-BHC/index.htm

If you are interested in joining this SIG or taking on a role of responsibility, please contact OGS President, Shirley Sturdevant president@ogs.on.ca.

There is an interest in establishing a Huguenot SIG and a Métis SIG; both are currently seeking the necessary 25 Members.

E-mail the Provincial Office http://provoffice@ogs.on.ca if you would like to see one of these formed.

The website is www.ogs.on.ca/branches/sig.php