RootsTech 2014 Wrap-up

FamilySearch has put on a wrap-up of the Roots Tech Conference 2014 on their blog at https://familysearch.org/blog/en/rootstech-2014-wrapup.

They say that nearly 13,000 people attended this year’s conference, and there will be another 130,000 people are expected to attend local history fairs as they are held throughout the world in the months ahead.

I was interested to read that Dennis Brimhall, CEO of FamilySearch, talked about “the dash,” - the line between the date of birth and the date of death on a person’s tombstone or genealogical record. 

The blog says that “He described how traditionally genealogy tends to focus on names, dates, and places in a family tree. However, the expanding interest in family history today, where the vast majority of people are drawn into their ancestors’ lives, focuses on the countless stories represented by the dash”. 

I have been working on a column for an online magazine in which I discuss the question Is Family History morphing into Life Stories? I layout the process which I think has spurred the subject forward from genealogy, to family history (social history) and finally to life stories (personal history). It is now a combination of all three disciplines – ending with the life story of an ancestor. 

I will let you know when the column is published.

Seafarers of the Atlantic Provinces, 1787 - 1936

This is an interesting index to me on a personal notes, because my ggg uncle James Barclay is in the database as well as his son Andrew from Shelburne, Nova Scotia. They owned ships - James owned a schooner called the Superb in 1842, and Andrew owned three ships – a brigantine called the Argus in 1837, a brigantine called the Ina in 1851, and a schooner called the Surprise in 1862. They were in the trading business and carried lumber and fish from Shelburne to the Caribbean, and fruit from the Caribbean back to such eastern American ports as New York, then back to Shelburne for more lumber and fish.

They were descendant from the Loyalist Andrew Barclay (1738-1823) from Scotland, Boston and New York. This was rewarding to me because I had looked for these records for years, and had not expected to find them, although I knew about the records at the Maritime History Archives in St. John’s Newfoundland. So this time Ancestry.ca brought them to me! Thank you, Ancestry for putting this index online!

Here is the announcement -

“This is a fully searchable database containing data on the vessels, captains and crews of Great Britain and Atlantic Canada, 1787-1936. This index-only collection contains records of crew members, masters, and ship owners for vessels registered in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. The collection comprises several sources from the Maritime History Archive in Newfoundland & Labrador. It is fully searchable by name, and other particulars and the records include a wealth of information including birth and residence, rank, voyage departure and arrival places and dates, vessel name and registration, and even wages and deaths at sea.

Records for the following ports are included:

· Miramichi, New Brunswick (1828–1914)

· Richibucto, New Brunswick (1880–1914)

· Saint John, New Brunswick (1820–1914)

· St. John’s, Newfoundland (1820–1936)

· Halifax, Nova Scotia (1812–1889)

· Sydney, Nova Scotia (1820–1914)

· Pictou, Nova Scotia (1820–1914)

· Windsor, Nova Scotia (1849–1914)

· Yarmouth, Nova Scotia (1840–1914)

· Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (1787–1914)

Details you may find in the records include:

· name

· age

· birth year

· birthplace

· residence place

· voyage departure date & port

· voyage arrival date & port

· date joined present ship

· discharge date

· rank

· wages

· discharge description

· vessel name, type, registration place, year constructed

The Maritime History Archive will research some of the records in its custody and provide reports and/or copies of documents on request for a fee. For more information on this collection and the Archives’ research services, visit the MHA website.

The database is on http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=9275

FamilySearch has designated 2014 as “The Year of the Obituary’’

Now here is an exciting announcement that FamilySearch.org made at RootsTech 2014 -

The year 2014 has been designated as “The Year of the Obituary” for FamilySearch. We know that many family history centers have clipped obituaries from newspapers and we’d like to place these collections online on the FamilySearch website. FamilySearch will scan and digitize the collections. They will then be indexed and placed online. Digitizing obituaries will make these valuable collections easier to access and simpler to attach to FamilyTree. Information gathered from obituaries will help users to add people and data to Family Tree.

Here are some guidelines for what FamilySearch wants to collect:

· These records should be actual obituaries, not indexes.

· They must be camera-ready which means the obituaries should be attached to the same-sized cards (3×5, 4×6) or to 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper.

· If you have already indexed the collection and it is in paper format, please include that with your submission.

After the obituaries are scanned, you may request that they be returned to you or discarded.

If you have a collection you would like to submit to FamilySearch, please contact Nathan Murphy at murphynw@familysearch.org

Newfoundland Index of Birth, Marriage & Death Notices from Newspapers, 1810–1890

Ancestry.ca has announced a new database –

“This collection from the Maritime History Archive in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, includes an index to birth, marriage, and death notices from 42 Newfoundland newspapers. Entries from 1825 through 1890 were originally compiled in 13 volumes by Gertrude (Murray) Crosbie and then added to by the Maritime History Archive from newspapers dating back to 1810.

Almost all the entries are for eastern Newfoundland since the newspapers are primarily from St. John's, Newfoundland. The Newspaper notices collection can corroborate what you already know, or adds new names and/or details. It is an easy source to use to search for a family name or an individual. The database can also include disasters such as fire, outbreaks of disease and death by suspicious circumstances as well as trace the careers for members of the clergy, coroners, justices of the peace, surveyors and other government officials. People had to pay for an entry in the BMD column, so they may not include those individuals of lesser means”.

There are more than 40,000 records in the collection, which can include:

· name

· newspaper title and date

· age

· gender

· residence

· event type, place, and date

· place of burial for some deaths

· church

· cause of death

· spouse’s name and residence

· parents’ names

· comments

The website is at http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=9275

Canadian Week in Review 24 February 2014

I have come across the following Canadian websites, social media websites, 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.

Social Media

Genealogy à la carte http://genealogyalacarte.wordpress.com Gail Dever recently launched her blog, Genealogy à la carte that was inspired by conversations she had with her genealogy friends over lunch and coffee. The blog is about family history news, resources, trends, issues, and education from a Montreal point of view. While the focus of the blog will often be about Quebec genealogy, it will also include posts about elsewhere in Canada and from around the world. Congratulations, Gail!

News Articles

Why we need to rethink Black History Month http://rabble.ca/news/2014/02/why-we-need-to-rethink-black-history-month Read why this writer is feeling overwhelmed by all the publicity that Black History Month has received this year.

Pride in our nation's history: O Canada! Tour stops in Pembroke, Cobden http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/2014/02/20/pride-in-our-nations-history-o-canada-tour-stops-in-pembroke-cobden O Canada! Tour is a bilingual play that is in the midst of a 60-school tour across different regions of Ontario.

New book details Canadian Rangers history http://hqyellowknife.com/news/local/news/v/Local/351689/New-book-details-Canadian-Rangers-history The book is entitled: The Canadian Rangers -- A Living History and was launched in last Friday in Yellowknife.

Epilogue: History through quilting http://theaquinian.net/?p=17978 The University of New Brunswick ‘s Memorial Hall is hosting The Secret Codes exhibition. It is a display of colourful hand-woven quilts.

Steveston MLA backs bid for world heritage Status http://www.richmondreview.com/news/246002951.html A local MLA has added his voice to that of city council in a local bid to get Steveston Village added to the United Nations World Heritage list.

P.E.I. Heritage Awards handed out during ceremony at Eptek Centre
http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2014-02-18/article-3620517/P.E.I.-Heritage-Awards-handed-out-during-ceremony-at-Eptek-Centre/1
Read about who had won awards at P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation’s annual Heritage Awards last week.

Living history http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Living+history/9518292/story.html
The internment and relocation of Canadians of Japanese descent during the Second World War is the subject of a play The Tashme Project: The Living Archives at the Great Canadian Theatre Company during the theatre's Undercurrents 2014 season.

Author’s first book looks to the past http://www.airdrieecho.com/2014/02/18/authors-first-book-looks-to-the-past Read about how Stacey Carefoot wrote the story of Four Sisters, who were born in Victoria’s Chinatown in the early 1900s. The sisters were among the first Chinese children born as Canadian citizens.

Story of the Week

Canada Olympic Park (COP) (formerly known as Paskapoo Ski Hill) is located in Calgary, Alberta.

Canada comes up GOLD!

Yesterday, Canada won its 10th gold medal of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. It has been a good Olympic Games for Canada, and especially for our women’s and men’s hockey teams.

We won 10 gold, 10 silver, and five bronze from Sochi. Canada’s 25 medals total was fourth overall, behind Norway (26), the United States (28), and Russia (33).

The CBC has the latest on the men’s hockey win at http://olympics.cbc.ca/news/article/canada-beats-sweden-win-hockey-gold.html

The women’s hockey team is covered in The Toronto Star Canada’s golden generation in women’s hockey pulls it off one more time http://www.thestar.com/sports/sochi2014/hockey/2014/02/20/team_canada_wins_womens_hockey_gold.html

Reminder: Check the Canadian Week in Review next 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 on 02 Match 2014.

MyHeritage and a BillionGraves Announcement

MyHeritage and a BillionGraves have a new imitative to announce  -

Dear friends

I'm delighted to share with you that MyHeritage has teamed up with BillionGraves to launch a global initiative to digitally preserve the world's cemeteries.

As we know, gravestones are very important for genealogy due to the rich information they contain, such as names, dates and biographical details. But there are thousands of cemeteries worldwide whose gravestones have never been documented nor has their information been made available or searchable online.

In addition, time is chipping away at the gravestones and many are becoming unreadable over the years.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be working with our global community to preserve and document gravestones worldwide, for future generations, using the BillionGraves app. The app uses patent-pending technology to let users photograph and document gravestones, and, with the help of MyHeritage, the app will be available in 25 languages, and will support Gregorian, Hebrew and Julian dates. The app also records the GPS locations of gravestones to make them easy to find, and volunteers can easily see which areas of any cemetery remain undocumented, to maximize efficiency and avoid duplication.

The records will be available free on BillionGraves' website, and MyHeritage's search engine for historical records, SuperSearch. MyHeritage's Record Matching technologies will ensure that our users will receive notifications whenever a gravestone matches their family tree.

Best regards

Daniel Horowitz
Chief Genealogist and Translation Manager

At the same time they issued a news release in which they said –

“We’re thrilled to embark on this global initiative with BillionGraves", said Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage. “Gravestones are among the most valuable information sources for family history research, and although there are many thousands of cemeteries worldwide, most of them have never been documented, and their information is not available online. Time is chipping away at the gravestones and many are becoming unreadable over the years, so it’s up to our generation to preserve them.”

“We’re delighted to work with MyHeritage on digitizing the world’s cemeteries”, said Hudson Gunn, President of BillionGraves. “At BillionGraves we are working to provide a comprehensive family history database for records and images from the world’s cemeteries—but it’s not something we can do alone.With MyHeritage’s support in mobilizing its massive user community and working with us to launch in 25 languages, we’ll be able to provide incredible value for millions of families and preserve this valuable data for generations to come.”

Over the coming weeks, MyHeritage users will receive documentation about the project and will be able to download the application via a special website designed for this project.

MyHeritage is available at www.myheritage.com

Southeast & Winnipeg Branch of the Manitoba Genealogical Society has an on-line e-zine

Did you know that the Southeast & Winnipeg Branch of the Manitoba Genealogical Society has an e-zine online at http://ymlp.com/zvyD8n?

In the November issue, there is news about the Manitoba Probate Records, the University of Manitoba on-line collection of historical records and photographs, a calendar of events up to June 2014, and The Family Genealogy Trivia Game.

The fall Seminar was covered. Robin Shimpa and Louis Kessler were the guest speakers, and the e-zine gives a short summary of their talks.

They also have a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Manitoba-Genealogical-Society-Inc/7054423205

THE BEAUREPAIRE-BEACONSFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY

 The Beaurepaire-Beaconsfield Historical Society meets for lectures each 3rd Thursday of the month. Everyone welcome. Free for members and $2 for non-member. Become a member for just $5 per year.

For 2014, our theme is The United Empire Loyalists

There will be a lecture entitled The United Empire Loyalists: an overview and it will be presented by Robert Wilkins.

A general overview of the United Empire Loyalists, what made them who they were, their diversity(religious, linguistic and racial), and their heritage in Canada today, with a couple of specific examples, just to illustrate what they lived through and experienced during the Revolutionary War and afterwards when getting re-established in what remained of British North America (now Canada).

Lecture in English, bilingual question period.

WHEN: Thursday, March 20, 2014, at 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Centennial Hall, 288 Beaconsfield Blvd, Beaconsfield, H9W 4A4 

Information: 514-695-2502 or http://www.hist-beaurepaire-beaconsfield.com

They have a very interesting website which tells the history of the BEAUREPAIRE-BEACONSFIELD area of Quebec. There are many on-going projects, exhibits, and histories of  people who use to live in the area.

Saving Historic Buildings; A Tale with Three Endings

 The Beach & East Toronto Historical Society, along with the Toronto Public Library, is pleased to present former editor of the Beach Metro News and vice Chair, Toronto Historic Board, Carole Stimmell, as their first speaker of 2014.

Date: Wednesday February 26, 2014

Time: 7:00 – 8:15 pm

Location: The Beaches Library, 2161 Queen St. E, Toronto

Admission Free. All Welcome

Early Bird pricing for Conference 2014 will end on Feb. 28th, 2014

Until Feb 28th a full weekend package (covering Friday night, Saturday and Sunday lectures) is only $120 for members and $150 for non-members.

The price increases on March 1st, 2014.

Check out the prices and register at https://www.ogs.on.ca/conference2014/register.php

Conference 2014 committee is making arrangements for shuttle buses to operate between the Conference at Brock University and accommodations at the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus of Niagara College. More details on the shuttles and costs will be available shortly.

Registrants who will not be bringing their own vehicle to Conference are advised to book their accommodations at the Niagara on the Lake location: http://www.stayrcc.com/properties/view/index/Niagara-on-the-Lake

Tools to help you tell the Story of Your Family

Pierre Clouthier of Progeny Genealogy will give a talk at the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia on Saturday, February 22, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. in the Akins A/V room at the Nova Scotia Archives on University Avenue, Halifax.

They say that "Pierre has been programming computers since 1965, learning FORTRAN at the University of Montreal. He has programmed for the life insurance industry, computer manufacturing and sales, electronic publishing, food, transportation, telecommunications, paper, petroleum, banking, electric utilities, provincial and municipal governments. His grandfather got him interested in genealogy in the 1970s.

Progeny Genealogy was founded in 1995, to develop and distribute graphics software to genealogists in over 50 countries. Progeny has partnered with Ancestry.com, Corel, Mindscape, The Learning Company, Individual Software, and the LDS Church. Their mission is to help you tell the story of your family".

And he will be offering a 40% discount on sales of his software CDs at the meeting.

The general public is invited to join us for this free lecture!

For more information on our lecture series visit
http://www.NovaScotiaAncestors.ca or you can phone 902.454.0322 or email them at Info@NovaScotiaAncestors.ca

Canadian Week in Review 17 February 2014

I have come across the following Canadian websites, social media websites, 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.

Social Media

IRV'S LONDON http://www.irvslondon.blogspot.com The Fugitive Slave Chapel is located in London, Ontario. A group has been formed to raise money so that they can move the chapel to a new location. 

Lesser Known Databases for Scottish Genealogy Research Christine Woodcock is holding a free webinar on Thursday, February 27, 2014 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM EST. https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/155864215

The South Peace Regional Archives has produced a video of stills and film to celebrate Grande Prairie, Alberta's 100th anniversary this year. This is posted on A YouTube website http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwjra9axXEY&feature=youtu.be

3D model a virtual tour of Saskatoon's past http://www.thestarphoenix.com/travel/model+virtual+tour+Saskatoon+past/9492980/story.html Michael Swaan is using video game software to construct a virtual model of the city's downtown in the 1930s. There is a YouTube video on the news site.

News Articles 

Sleep in a First Nations longhouse
http://www.montrealgazette.com/travel/Checking+Ancient+long+house+addition+chic+hotel/9503741/story.html The longhouse is the newest addition to the Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations in Wendake, Quebec, 15 minutes north of Quebec City. Visitors, who opt not to sleep in one of the 55 deluxe hotel rooms, may sleep under bearskins on one of the bunk-style platforms in the longhouse where firepits provide heat. A longhouse stay includes a snack of bannock, dinner in the hotel, and traditional Huron storytelling. 

A virtual exhibit on the South Peace Regional Archives website that will interest family historians with Western Canadian homesteaders in their ancestry Oliver H. Johnson’s diary. From June 1908 to January 1909, Johnson recorded his daily activities about working on his homestead and interacting with neighbours. The last few pages of the diary list recipes, drugs, groceries, dry goods, and hardware. 

Digitized images of the diary and a transcription are available at http://southpeacearchives.org/publications/photo-essays/oliver-h-johnson-diary. 

Festival du Voyageur Warms Up Winnipeg - Minister Glover joins thousands of Manitobans at annual winter celebration http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1736619 The Festival du Voyageur is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. 

Black History Month: CBC readers pay tribute to inspiring black Canadians http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2014/02/black-history-month-meet-some-inspiring-black-canadians.html Every day, black Canadians break barriers, create change and evoke empowerment. Read about seven people and how they do it to give back, to speak for the voiceless or for pure joy.

Black History Month in full swing across the island http://www.westislandchronicle.com/Community/2014-02-13/article-3614925/Black-History-Month-in-full-swing-across-the-island1See how the West Island in Montreal has celebrated Black History Month. 

(Some stories were suggested by Special Correspondent Gail Dever). 

Story of the Week

Family Day at the Museum

Today is Family Day in parts of Canada, with lots of events taking place.

In the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan, it is observed on the third Monday of February. In the provinces of Manitoba and Prince Edward Island,  the statutory holiday on this date is instead referred to as Louis Riel Day and Islander Day

If you are in Ottawa, you can go to the Museum of History. Join in, play games, listen to music and learn about traditional snowshoe making. And don’t forget to visit the Snow exhibition… indoors.

Their website is at http://www.historymuseum.ca/home

Reminder: Check the Canadian Week in Review next 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 on 24 February 2014.

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on National Flag Day

February 15, 2014

Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement to mark National Flag of Canada Day:

“The Canadian flag is an inspiring and endearing symbol that unites Canadians from coast to coast to coast. It is equated both at home and abroad with a peaceful and progressive country of enormous natural beauty, prosperity and generosity of spirit. At no time is national pride in our flag more evident than during the Olympic Games, and it is certainly on prominent display in Sochi over so many podiums and around so many of our magnificent athletes. We could not be more proud.

“In keeping with the recent tradition of presenting a Peace Tower flag to deserving Canadians, I am deeply honoured to present this symbol of our country to Gordon Burke and Jan Phelan, parents of the late Sarah Burke, who are accompanied today by widower Rory Bushfield. Sarah was a gifted athlete, a trailblazer in freestyle skiing, and one of the principal reasons why the half pipe was introduced as an Olympic sport this year in Sochi, Russia. She was a great Canadian whose efforts have had a remarkable impact on the world of sport, and whose story has touched the nation. Her legacy will live on in the many athletes who take up the sport she so championed.

“On this day, I invite all Canadians to take a moment and reflect on our national icon and what it means to be Canadian.”

February 15 was declared National Flag of Canada Day in 1996. To celebrate this special day in Canadian history, each year the Peace Tower flag is presented to a Canadian who has exemplified the values our country holds most dear.

To read about the history of National Flag Day, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Flag_of_Canada_Day and go to http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1359736104513

FUNDING FOR GENEALOGICAL PROJECTS

 

The Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical society is offering grants of up to $2,500 each to support genealogically related projects within the geographical area under the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, which includes the amalgamated City of Ottawa, the United Counties of Prescott & Russell, the County of Lanark and the County of Renfrew. The total grant money available for 2014 is $5,000.

Acceptable projects will contribute to the knowledge of genealogical techniques and to the knowledge of genealogy relating to names, places, dates and family histories. This can include creating publications, developing databases, digitization of archival material collections, hosting training sessions and workshops, and the preservation of archival material collections. This grant is not meant to fund employees, or other in - house labour wages , but can be used to contract services and goods.

Only non - commercial entities may apply for this grant money including, genealogy societies, museums, archives, libraries, schools, historical societies, and community groups. An eligible applicant may submit more than one project proposal in any given year, and may apply in any year the grants are offered regardless of previous proposals or grants issued.

Successful applicants will be required to prepare and deliver a presentation related to their funded project at either a Branch Meeting or Ottawa Branch Conference. The support and funding given by the Ottawa Branch must be acknowledged with the logo, web address, and name of the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society appearing on all promotional material and/or physical aspects related to all projects receiving funding. Successful applicants must agree in writing to these conditions.

Application Deadline: March 15, 2014

Their website is at http://ogsottawa.on.ca/grants

Thanks to Gail Dever, Special Correspondent to Canadian Week in Review, for bringing this to our attention.

Heritage Day in Saskatchewan

The Yorkton Branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogy Society invites you to join them at “Heritage Day” on Sunday, February 16 at the Western Development Museum in Yorkton from 2 PM – 5 PM..

The theme of Heritage Day is “Have Fun with Heritage: Historic Places Made for Play”, with the goal of seeing the historical value of places designed for play.

The press release says that "Guest speakers will talk about interesting locations in the area that have special memories for them. You can take your genealogy work one step further and record special family stories and memories as part of your family archives.

Every family has a story: make this the year to discover yours with the Yorkton Branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogy Society”. 

The website is at http://www.saskgenealogy.com. 

The Western Development Museum where Heritage Day is being held is in the city of Yorkton. The website is http://wdm.ca

And they have a Family History File at http://www.wdmprairiegamble.com 

All Saskatchewan-based stories of family, community, organization and business history are welcome. The Family History Album is a perfect celebration of anniversaries, birthdays and family milestones like becoming a Century Farm.

Montreal’s endangered buildings

Gail Dever, Special Correspondent to the Canadian Week in Review sends us this story -

The Montreal Gazette's two-page report about the city's top 10 endangered buildings will interest genealogists whose ancestors lived in Montreal.

The first one listed is Huguenot trader Pierre du Calvet's home that was built in 1770- 71 and is located in what is known today Old Montreal. He emigrated to New France in 1758 , one year before the battle of the Plains of Abraham, and rose to prominence under British rule as a merchant and justice of the peace.

The full story is on http://www.montrealgazette.com/Montreal+endangered+landmarks/9494291/story.html

Family historians researching their Huguenot ancestors should visit Michel Barbeau's bilingual website Huguenots Database at
http://pages.infinit.net/barbeaum/fichier, where he has identified 321 Huguenotswho emigrated to New France and established residence in New France from 1604 to 1763.

Thank you, Gail.

Mapping Surnames of Immigrants

The FamilySearch blog on Genealogy Resources has a post about using the surname of your immigrant through the use of surname distribution maps to discover where they may have originated.

The blog says that “These maps graphically display locations where surnames occurred at different periods in time. This strategy provides genealogists with a starting point for research in the birth country, when that information cannot be discovered through sources recorded in the new country of settlement. It works particularly well for less-common surnames and among families that have stayed in the same European locations for centuries”. 

They have a list of countries, with links to maps, including Canada, and a world-wide map. So give it a try. 

Did it work for you?

The website is https://familysearch.org/blog/en/map-surname

UPDATE: GenWeb Cemetery Project

GenWeb Canada has posted updates to the following cemeteries in the provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec.

NOVA SCOTIA

Digby County

Waterford Cemetery

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

King's County

Peters Road Cemetery

QUEBEC

Huntingdon County

Hillside Cemetery

Labelle County

Chute-St-Philippe Cemetery

Kiamika Cemetery

Lac Saguay Cemetery 

Lac St-Paul Cemetery n

Ste Anne-du-Lac Cemetery 

 

Val Barrette Cemetery

Gatineau County

East Templeton Cemetery 

St Raphael Cemetery

Papineau County

Notre Dame-de-la-Salette Cemetery

Our thanks go out to Deb Belcher, Jim Anderson & Brenda Marchese for their help in the indexing, and to Angie Garant, Carol, Sharon Sireci and Cheyenne Kepke for taking the photos.

The full list is at http://canadacems.blogspot.com/2014/01/nova-scotia-prince-edward-island-quebec.html

Canadian Week in Review 10 February 2014

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

Websites

Dwayne Meisner Website http://www.dwaynemeisner.com. Dwayne says that the 1921 census transcriptions for all of Halifax County, Nova Scotia are now complete. If you are interested in viewing the records, visit http://www.dwaynemeisner.com/census/novascotia/index.php and click on "Halifax". Then in the dialog window, click "Halifax County - 1921". (Please note that if you are not already a member of his site, you will have to complete a FREE registration form and become a member before accessing the links.)

He also says to let him know if you spot any corrections that need to made. He is also looking for more volunteers to help with the transcriptions of the other counties. Many of the counties are already started, including Annapolis, Lunenburg, Queens, Cape Breton, Cumberland, Colchester, and others.

If you are interested in volunteering, even if it is for only one sub-district, please visit
http://www.dwaynemeisner.com/census/volunteer.php for more information.

Can you help Dwayne?

Social Media

RootsTech 2014 Videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdrGGq4qym0 There are at least a dozen videos here. Everything from Judy Russell talking about her Scots-Irish genealogy, to Dr. Spencer Wells talking about how genealogy is taking over from gardening as the Number 1 hobby in North America. So there is something for everyone. 

News Articles

Work to begin Black History Loyalists Centre http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1184489-work-to-begin-next-month-on-black-loyalist-heritage-centre?from=most_read&most_read=1184489 A new Black Loyalist Heritage Center will be built in Birchtown, outside of Shelburne, Nova Scotia. Building is scheduled to begin next month. 

Canadian military imposter turns in uniform after years of pretending to be officer http://www.torontosun.com/2014/02/05/canadian-military-imposter-turns-in-uniform-after-years-of-pretending-to-be-officer I brought you story last week, and now it seems that the imposter has turned himself in to authorities.

The Big Move: Historical barn hits the road to be relocated http://globalnews.ca/news/1128907/the-big-move-historical-barn-hits-the-road-to-be-relocated This barn was moved last week to Heritage Acres Farm Museum near Pincher Creek, Alberta. There is video at the site.

Canada's Online Archives Expand with Digitization Project, NFB Content Deal http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/news/canadas-online-archives-expand-with-digitization-project-nfb-content-deal/1002902422/?&er=NA Library and Archives Canada is expanding its digitization project with additional National Film Board collections.

Gift for all Manitobans - Books preserve First Nations teachings based on interviews with elders http://www.brandonsun.com/breaking-news/gift-for-all-manitobans-244172611.html?thx=y A new series of books released in Manitoba will bridge the gap between what has been taught in schools and the reality of aboriginal culture with the Oral History Project.

Prince Edward Island Genealogy http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Living/2014-02-08/article-3607713/Project-delves-into-descendants-of-P.E.I.s-Fathers-of-Confederation/1 See how PEI genealogists are uncovering records of those families most closely related to the Fathers of Confederation. 

How Jewish ‘enemy aliens’ overcame a ‘traumatic’ stint in Canadian prison camps during the Second World War http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/02/07/how-jewish-enemy-aliens-overcame-a-traumatic-stint-in-canadian-prison-camps-during-the-second-world-war Read how Canada housed 2,300 men of German and Austrian origin during the Second World War who had been shipped over here from Britain as “enemy aliens”. 

Music to be central theme of first National Capitol History Day http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Music+central+theme+first+National+Capital+History/9483273/story.html The first National Capital History Day will be held in Ottawa on April 4th. It is based on th National History Day in the US.

New Story of the Week

As you know, FamilySearcvh held its third RootsTech this week at Salt Lake City to astounding crowds, both those onsite, and those of us who watched it offsite, through live-streaming.

I mentioned that there were also interviews, and other bloggers who were there.

The interviews are covered in the Social Media Section on this post, but the bloggers have been summarized by Randy Seaver in his blog post, RootsTech 2014 Genealogy Blog Compendium, dated Sunday February 9 2014. 

Even M. Dane Rogers and myself are in the compendium, so be sure to take a look.

You can visit his blog at http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/02/rootstech-2014-blog-compendium.html 

Next year, from February 12-14, 2015, Salt Lake City will host the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) together with RootsTech. 

Reminder: Check the Canadian Week in Review next Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in the country! The next post will be published on 17 February 2014.

Day 3 - Rootstech 2014

Yesterday, I only had time to view only two sessions, and they were “Information Overload: Managing Online Searches and Their Results” by Josh Taylor, and “Five Ways to Do Genealogy in Your Sleep” by Deborah Gamble.

First of all, the handout by Josh should be read, because he gives a good summary of what he has talked about in the lecture.

The subject of the talk was that we must have an online research plan just like we do for our offline work. He talks about using Yippy.com because it is a more focused search than Google, and the five principles in doing online research is laid out in his handout.

I ended my day by watching the talk given by Deborah, and she told us how to use the Internet to do the searching for us while we sleep. The five ways are Google Alerts, Ancestry.com's Shaky Leaf, eBay Reminders, FamilySearch Reminders, and Find A Grave.  

Although I use some of them already, there are a couple of them I shall try.

Once again, her talk is in the handouts section on RootsTech.

Remember that you can always watch these at a later date because FamilySearch will put them on the RootsTech site after the conference ends today at https://rootstech.org.

If you would like to read about the talks given yesterday, there are hand outs at https://rootstech.org/about/syllabus-materials

I will give a summary of blogs and videos tomorrow in my weekly post, Canadian Week in Review.

Happy viewing!

Elizabeth Lapointe

genealogycanada@aol.com

Day 2 - RootsTech 2014

Yesterday, I only had time to view only one session, and it was entitled “Tweets, Links, Pins, and Posts: Break Down Genealogical Brick Walls with Social Media” by Lisa Alzo.

Lisa was her usual friendly self as she led us through the world of social media, and told us of her life as a writer of genealogy.

I got the impression that sometimes she was harried by all of the things that are out there these days as far as social media is concerned, but she said that if we pick two or three platforms to work with, we will become more comfortable to work with them.

For myself, the three platforms that I use are blogs, Goggle+ Hangouts On Air, and Facebook.

So what do you use?  

Today, I will watch two sessions, and they are -

At 3:00 p.m. EST, “Information Overload: Managing Online Searches and Their Results” by Josh Taylor.

At 8:00 p.m. EST, “Five Ways to Do Genealogy in Your Sleep” by Deborah Gamble.

Remember, you can always watch these at a later date because they will be posted on the RootsTech website after the conference ends today at https://rootstech.org.

If you would like to read about the talks given yesterday, there are handouts available online at https://rootstech.org/about/syllabus-materials

And even though I’m not there in person, it’s still great to be able to participate from afar!

So, Happy Viewing to all, and thank you, RootsTech, for making this possible!

Elizabeth Lapointe

genealogycanada@aol.com