95th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge

One just has to say "Vimy Ridge" to any Canadian, and we think of the sacrifices that our fellow countrymen have made in the First World War. And this year. Major Arthur William Currie, grandson of  famed Canadian commander, General Arthur Currie, will lead Ottawa-area cadets on a pilgrimage to Vimy Ridge.

The cadets are from the Ottawa unit of the Royal Canadian Dragoons Cadet Corps, and they will see Vimy Ridge today. They will participate in a Remembrance Ceremony organized by the government.

To find out more about the Memorial, please visit http://veterans.gc.ca/eng/feature/vimy-ridge/history.

To learn more about Vimy Ridge, visit the following websites –

Canadian National Vimy Memorial Stone Display www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/memorials/cbmr/wall_stone_display See if your ancestor is on the Memorial.

Canadian War Museum www.warmuseum.ca/home See the events and displays at the museum on Vimy Day.

If you want to find out more about your ancestor in the First World War, Glenn Wright has written an excellent book, Canadians at War 1914-1919: A Research Guide to World War One Service Records. I have used this book many times to help me answer the questions that my clients have about their ancestors in the First World War.

It is available from Global Genealogy at http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/canada/military/resources/101160.htm

Ancestry.ca Offers FREE Access to Records

I just received this press release from Ancestry.ca. In part, it says -

“Did you know that almost 40 per cent of Ontarians can’t trace their ancestry back more than 100 years, and 40 per cent don’t know when their family first arrived in Canada? Even more surprising, almost 35 per cent don’t know the maiden names of either of their grandmothers.

Family Day is an ideal time to spend with loved ones discovering the ancestors that came before you. With schools and shops closed, not to mention the chilly winter temperatures, there’s no better time to stay indoors and close to the ones you love, and to start to learn about your genealogy.

Lesley Anderson, genealogist for Ancestry.ca, is available to discuss:

· Why Family Day is the perfect time of year to begin your family research
· Tips on getting started and gathering information
.  How to use historic records available on Ancestry.ca to find your ancestors
· How to get family members – including your kids – involved in your family history project
. How to incorporate memories from this year’s Family Day into your family tree

In honour of Family Day, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca/) is providing free access to more than 28 million records. Those wishing to discover their family history this week will be able to explore all Canadian birth, marriage and death records free of charge until Monday, February 20th".

2012 Bruce & Grey Branch Family Story Contest

For the second year, the KEN YOUNG FAMILY STORY FOR GREY COUNTY and the BETTY WILSON FAMILY STORY FOR BRUCE COUNTY is being sponsored by the Bruce & Grey County Branch of the OGS. 

The story must be a previously unpublished work in essay form, 800 to 1500 words in length telling of the arrival, the life, or other interesting detail of your family in Bruce or Grey County.

The entrants must be a member of BGOGS or another branch of OGS., and the winner will be announced at the Bruce Grey Annual Fall Event in September 2012

Please submit your entry by e-mail to rdclark@sympatico.ca or by regular mail to BGOGS, Box 66, Owen Sound, Ontario, N4K 5P1.

The winners will receive a Certificate of Achievement and the Township CD of their choice. The winning stories will be published in the Branch Newsletter with the author retaining the copyright. 

The Branch is also inviting members to a fall trip for research to Salt Lake City on August 12-18, 2012.

For details, go to http://tiffanyweb.bmts.com/~bgogs/calofevent.html

Books


I have just published two booklets - The War of 1812: Canada and the United States, and Migration: Canada and the United States.

They are available for purchase through Global Genealogy at http://globalgenealogy.com, and the National Institute of Genealogical Studies at www.genealogicalstudies.com.

For more on the booklets, go to http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2012/01/booklet-1-war-of-1812-canada-and-united.html and http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2012/01/booklet-2-migration-canada-and-united.html

Canadian Genealogy on Facebook

FamilySearch.org has put Canada on Facebook! 

Although this particular Facebook first appeared in May 2011, how of us know that it existed?

FamilySearch says that is it a popular site, and “These pages and groups are run by experienced genealogy volunteers for those areas. These virtual communities are the online equivalent of asking for help at your local Family History Center. We grew from 4 communities to 59 over the past several months. With a minimum need of 2-3 admins per community--and a greater need for larger communities--we are at less than 50 percent "staffed." Advisers are looking to recruit more volunteers”.

Would you want to to help by volunteering your time to connecting researchers the world over? It looks like a good idea that FamilySearch has here. Maybe it could be a good place to post your brick wall. 

Find out about the Facebook Community by going to "Join a Facebook Research Community" at www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Join_a_Facebook_Research_Community.

Sault Ste. Marie Public Library

I see where the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library Community Access Program is offering free Ancestry.com workshops to members of the community.

The one hour workshops will be available until March 29, 2012. Morning, afternoon and weekend workshops are offered. Class sizes are limited to six participants and spots are filling up quickly.

They says that they are "pleased to bring back one of their most popular workshops “Using Ancestry.com”. This workshop will help you discover your genealogy and build your ancestral family tree. Using the library’s account on ancestry.com you have access to millions of historical records to research your family tree. This workshop will guide you through using the ancestry.com database".

And before you go to the library, check out the Genealogy Section of their website, where they have put resources in a pdf. Some examples are "The Anishainaabe: Tracing Your Ancestral Line", and "French Canadian Genealogy".

To sign up for a workshop, or for more information please visit the main branch of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library or contact the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library Reference and Information Desk at (705) 759-5236.

Their website is http://www.ssmpl.ca

UPDATE! I see where the Ontario Genealogical Society has revamped it's front page to reflect the end of the 50^th Anniversary Year, and they have put it back to the way it was before – somewhat.

If you are looking for TONI (one of the OGSs most popular pages), go to the right, and click on the page. It use to be at the front of the page in the old configuration.

The OGS site is www.ogs.on.ca.

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 17

^{Here are some of the websites and blogs that I have come across the week ending January 16, 2012.} 

The Legal Resource Centre http://www.legalresourcecentre.ca/blog/?page_id=34 The Blogosaurus Lex blog (Legal Resource Centre of Alberta) One subject covered the The 1929 Person’s Case

Kinsey Family Genealogy The Kinsey.ca Blog http://kinseydotca.blogspot.com If you are related to Stephen Vaughan Kinsey, this blog is for you. The blogger writes about a newspaper report on Google News that gives an account of Kinsey's move from Saskatoon to Manitoba in 1940.  

About Ottawa, Canada, Beechwood Cemetery Registers, 1873-1990 http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2168&cj=1&o_xid=0001029688&o_lid=0001029688

The five burial ledgers digitized in this database document interments at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa, Ontario, from 1873 to 1990. The ledgers also contain names for some people who died before 1873 (as early as 1821) whose remains were later moved to Beechwood.

Susan’s Genealogy Blog http://www.susansgenealogyblog.com A very interesting post in June, 2011 shows Joseph Mullin and his wife, Mary Ann, their five children, and how she searched the Ontario vital records to find this information.

Roots to the Past: Atlantic Canada's Genealogy Hub http://rootstothepast.wordpress.com/about Diane Tibert has started a new blog to go with her newspaper column Roots to the Past that appears in local Maritime newspapers.  

The Quebec Family History Society http://qfhs.ca Just received a press release from the society which says that "the website features several new sections, such as Gary’s Genealogical Picks, research tips, surname interests, and a bulletin board. 

QFHS members researching their ancestors in Quebec will benefit from the new Jacques Gagné Church Compilations in the members’ section. Long-time member Jacques Gagné has compiled historical information and the location of records for more than 1,000 English and French Protestant churches across the province, from 1759 to 1899".

Sask. Archives Board Photo Blog http://sabphotos.wordpress.com The blog invites the reader to look at the photo, and see are any that they recognize. They want to know if you know a location, a date? They say that they will post new photographs approximately once a week, so please come back to take another look.

Saskatchewan Probate Estate Files, 1887-1931

FamilySearch.org has just released it's update on one of the Canadian records it is putting online.

On December 22, 2011, it reports that there are now 1, 591, 193 records of Saskatchewan Probate Records Index (1887-1931) at  https://familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/1918293

These index, and images are of estate files from Saskatchewan judicial districts. The website says that the  "estate records contain loose papers relating to the settlement of estates including such matters as provision for heirs including minor children as well as distribution of funds, land and property. This project was indexed in partnership with the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society".

Launch of "Census of Canada, 1871"

The LAC has just released a press release this afternoon -

"Ottawa, August 30, 2011— The 1871 census marked the first regularly scheduled collection of national statistics, and Library and Archives Canada is now pleased to make its results available online. Researchers can access digitized images of original census returns featuring the name, age, country or province of birth, nationality, religion, and occupation of Canada's residents at the time.

The information covers the four provinces that were part of the Dominion of Canada in 1871: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec.

Access to the digitized images of the 1871 census is available online in two different ways:

Through a database that is searchable by nominal information such as Name, Given Name (s) and Age, and/or geographical information such as Province, District Name, District Number, and Sub-district Number.

The database is available at: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1871/index-e.html

Through the "microform digitization” research tool, you can browse the microfilm reels page by page.

The tool is available at: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/microform-digitization/006003-110.02-e.php?&q2=26&interval=30&sk=0&&PHPSESSID=f0v3thhcgqvau3vslaruumn2a7
For more information, please contact webservices@lac-bac.gc.ca.