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.
History Week in Canada (October 20 – October 27, 2014)
Did you know that in 1864, a group of Confederate soldiers based in Canada attacked the town of St. Alban's, Vermont? The soldiers robbed a bank of $200,000 and killed one man in their escape. The incident strained Canadian-American relations already weakened by the events of the American Civil War.
You can read about the robbery at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_in_the_American_Civil_War
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In 1818, Canada and the U.S. signed the Convention of London. The treaty established the 49th Parallel as the boundary from Rainy River, Ontario to the Rockies.
To read further on the subject, you can go to
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3406400208.html
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In 1876, the first shipment of wheat from Western Canada to Ontario left Winnipeg, and this blog posted the story of
Peel's Prairie Province releasing
Grain Elevators in Canada books online.
To read more about the grain elevators, go to
http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/10/peels-prairie-province-releases-grain.html
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In 1926, magician Harry Houdini—appearing at the Princess Theatre in Montreal—received a fatal blow to the stomach. When a McGill University student asked him if he could shrug off blows to the body; Houdini said “Yes”, but before he could brace himself, the blow was dealt. He died of a ruptured appendix 10 days later in Detroit.
To read more about this story, go to
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/houdini.asp
Social Media
(Video) Iconic Saskatoon hotel general manager set to retire
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(Video) The First World War: Excerpts from the diary of Woodman Leonard
http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/10/23/the-first-world-war-excerpts-from-the-diary-of-woodman-leonard
Read about Lt. Col. Leonard's observations during the week of March 20th.
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French In Name Only
This new blog explores the family history of the surname of French/ffrench and the surname of Grace. It also demonstrates, through family stories, the close connections between Canada and the United States.
Nova Scotia
In October, the inspiration created in and by libraries is celebrated during Canadian Library Month with the theme “Libraries Inspire!”.
Did you know that “over 21-million Canadians hold a public library card, making public libraries the most popular cultural institution in the country? Over 97 percent of Canadians live in communities served by a public library, and the library adds to the vitality of every one of these communities.”
And don’t forget genealogical libraries!
In Ottawa, we are fortunate to have many genealogical libraries in the city, and we should take advantage of them.
They hold maps, directories, books, and those ever so important family files that may hold clues to our ancestors, census, and cemetery records.
For more information Library Month, go to
http://librarymonth.ca/
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 03 November 2014.
