Canadian Genealogy News 30 July 2015

Here are some news items which have come across the desk this morning

Facebook York County Branch

The York Region Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has recently joined the Facebook Group.

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/groups/364817400304048/

And I notice that the York Branch has changed their meetings to 4 times per year – September, November, April, and June.

For the September meeting, they will have Patricia Blackstock who will talk about 1837 Rebellion in York Region Who were the People?

Patricia will introduce the Rebellion database and talk about some of the people in it, what charges were laid, the punishment and impact on families, as well as other information.

The website is http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onyrbogs/

Do you have Mennonite ancestors? 

Do you want to know who your first Mennonite ancestor was and when he or she arrived in Canada? Are you curious about your Mennonite origins?

If so, the website at Library and Archives Canada is a great place to begin your research. Here you will find a page dedicated to genealogical research on the Mennonites at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/history-ethnic-cultural/Pages/mennonites.aspx.

This page provides you with historical information, archival documents and published material from the Library and Archives Canada collection, as well as links to other websites and institutions.

Divorce Orders

The British Columbia Archives have put on a finding aid entitled How to Obtain a Copy of Your Divorce Order at http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/bcarchives/divorce-orders/ 

If the divorce was finalized in British Columbia before 1983, contact us in writing and include the following:

The names of the parties to the divorce

The date of the divorce (approximate date is sufficient)

A phone number that you can be reached at during the day

Your mailing address

If the divorce was finalized in British Columbia after 1983, contact us in writing and include the following:

The name of the court registry where the application for divorce was filed

The date that the final divorce order was entered at the court registry

The volume and folio number of the final order if applicable

The file number 

A phone number that you can be reached at during the day

Your mailing address

All requests for copies of divorce orders must be made in writing by email (preferred method), by regular mail or by fax. We do not accept requests for divorce orders by phone. Please let us know if you require a certified copy.

Email address: access@bcarchives.bc.ca

Until tomorrow, have a nice day researching!

Images of Historical Birth, Marriage and Death Records

Just received this press release from the British Columbia Archives -

Victoria, BC – People worldwide will now have easier research access to images of the original historical records of births, marriages and deaths in British Columbia.

A partnership between the BC Archives and the Vital Statistics Agency, as well as an in-kind donation by FamilySearch International, has resulted in original records being scanned, indexed and now available from anywhere in the world for printing – free of charge – through the Royal BC Museum/BC Archives website.

“Open, free access to public records of an historic nature will help researchers and writers tell the story of British Columbia and assist citizens interested in genealogy or local history,” said Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Bill Bennett. “Congratulations to the partnership responsible for making this data available digitally online.”

“Easy access to government services and data is central to our Open Government policy. Having these records online benefits our citizens and people around the world; anyone who has roots in this province can now explore their B.C. heritage.” said Minister of Citizens’ Services and Open Government Ben Stewart.

Since 1997 the Vital Statistics Agency has provided the BC Archives with annually updated indexes to publicly releasable vital event information. The BC Archives is allowed to release personal information about deaths that occurred at least 20 years ago, marriages that took place at least 75 years ago, and births registered at least 120 years ago. In the past, the photographed images of actual documents were only available on microfilm at the BC Archives reading room, at a FamilySearch International centre or through a number of libraries across the province.

“This free access to digital images of historical vital event records is long overdue,” said Kathryn Bridge, Manager of Centralized Access, Royal BC Museum. “The upload of more than 700,000 scanned and indexed documents in the first few months of test operation is unique in Canada, no other province has made this much rich data available online.”

Provincial registration of births, marriages and deaths began the year after British Columbia joined Confederation in 1871. The registration records contain information that can be used to trace a family tree, determine medical history, reveal the history of a community or patterns of illness over time. Birth registrations include name, date and place of birth, parents’ names, and the mother’s maiden name. Marriage registrations include the name, age, birth place and marital status of the bride and groom, the date and place of the ceremony, names of the couple’s parents, names of witnesses and the person who performed the ceremony. Death registrations include the name and birth date of the deceased person as well as the date, place and cause of death.

Phase 1 of this data upload is substantially complete. Phase 2, now underway, will add more images and indexed information, including pre-1872 records, deaths that occurred overseas during the Second World War, between 1939 and 1945. More than 200,000 images of death records from 1985 to 1991 and approximately 19,000 images of marriage records from 1933 to 1936 will also be added. Phase 2 is scheduled for completion by the end of the year and will bring the number of scanned records to the one million mark. Each year more vital event records images will be scanned and uploaded as they become available through annual scheduled releases by the Vital Statistics Agency.

To access the images of historical birth, marriage and death records go to http://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Genealogy/BasicSearch

About the BC Archives

The BC Archives is the oldest archival institution in Canada west of the Great Lakes. In 2003 it joined the Royal BC Museum. The BC Archives acquires, preserves and makes accessible the documentary heritage of British Columbia for its citizens and researchers around the world. Its archivists are stewards of our province’s personal, corporate and social memory.

British Columbia Genealogical Society Has Updated Two Indexes

The BCGS has updated two indexes -

British Columbia Auto Permit Holders, 1904-1905

This indexing project is on-going, and is part of a project documenting early vehicle owners in British Columbia, Canada.

This information has been extracted from BC Motor Vehicle Branch records held by the British Columbia Archives.

In some cases, additional information is available from the indexer, who would be happy to hear from those with more information about the vehicle owner or their vehicles. Please contact M. Diane Rogers at diane_rogers@shaw.ca
A headings are the year of the permit, the nunber of permit(s) given, the name of the owner, and his address.

Victoria, British Columbia Naturalization Index, 1859

British Columbia Naturalization documents from the British Columbia Archives are now digitized and available free at https://familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/2001101 which begin with Oaths of Allegiance signed in 1859.

The BC Archives has names of individuals already on-line from the Cranbrook records and FamilySearch has digitized the official Cranbrook index book.

If you would like to search for a Cranbrook name in the Cranbrook naturalization applications 1905-1923. you can go to http://search.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/sn-234C840/search

Finally, if you want to get rid of your pennies, the BCGS are collecting pennies to contribute to the fund for a Coat of Arms for the Society.

Any pennies will be accepted at all general meetings. Volunteers will roll them, if need be.