UPDATE: FamilySearch Adds British Columbia Records

FamilySearch has added 6.6 million indexed records and images in the last two weeks, and included in this, is an update to the British Columbia, Crown Land Grant Records, 1851-1874.

These records describe the sale or transfer of specific parcels of Crown land from the provincial government to private persons and organizations. Includes Hudson's Bay Company grants.

You can search by the name of ancestor, or by the place of residence.

The district/town in this collection are –

Boston Bar

Yale Colony of British Columbia: Alexandria District

Colony of Vancouver Island: Esquimalt District

Victoria District Colony of Vancouver Island: Leech River

Colony of Vancouver Island: Maple Bay

Colony of Vancouver Island: Newcastle

Colony of Vancouver Island: Newcastle

Nanaimo District Colony of Vancouver Island: Victoria Douglas

There are more than 4,567 images that can be search at
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2138499

UPDATE: Vancouver, British Columbia, Mountain View Cemetery Index, 1887-2007

Ancestry.ca has put on a “third-party database” of the burials from the Mountain View Cemetery.

You can also go to 

http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/NONMARKETOPERATIONS/MOUNTAINVIEW/burials/burials.htm

139, 897 records have been added.

The website is http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=70665

Genealogy Education in the Greater Vancouver Area

There are a number of educational opportuntes this year in the Greater Vancouver area that may be of inerest to you. They are -

Cloverdale Library - Instructor Brenda Smith teaches both “Start Searching your Family History: A Beginners' Workshop in 5 Lessons” and “Start Writing your Family History: A Communications Workshop in 5 Lessons”.

To go to their Family History page, click on to www.surreylibraries.ca/programs-services/4815.aspx and to see the program she is offering, click on to www.surreylibraries.ca/programs-services/5521.aspx

College for the Retired, Burnaby - M. Diane Rogers teaches 2 courses – both 8 week sessions, “Genealogy 202″ for beginners and those returning to genealogy after a period away from research, and “Internet Genealogy” for those wanting to learn how to best use Internet resources, including hands-on experience with Ancestry.com.

To see the two courses Diane is teaching, go to www.cccrburnaby.org/#!courses/vstc1=geneology

Maple Ridge - Instructor Rob Whitlock’s evening course through Ridge Meadows College in Maple Ridge, “Find Your Family Tree: An Introduction to Genealogy” will run first, January 31-February 21, and next, from May 14-June 4, 2013.

To go to Maple Ridge College, click omn to http://rmcollege.ca/general-interest-courses

New Westminster Continuing Education - M. Diane Rogers will teach an all day “Introduction to Genealogy” seminar through New Westminster Continuing Education, Saturday, May 11, 2013.

To see the General Interest Courses, go to http://district.sd40.bc.ca/programs-services/continuing-ed-general-interest-programs

Or you can go to the British Columbia Genealogical Society at their blog www.bcgs.ca

Duncan Family History Centre

There will be Free genealogy class at the Duncan Family History Centre at Duncan Library, Duncan, British Columbia, on Saturday, January the 26th, and February the 9th.

On the 26th, they will give the course "Beyond the Basics (or Discovering the Dash), and on Saturday, the 9th of February, there will give another free class on "Searching for Your Eastern European Roots."

To read about the family history center, go to
https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Duncan_British_Columbia_Family_History_Centre#Upcoming_Events

© Elizabeth Lapointe All Rights Reserved

Rare War Medal Find Coming Home to Chilliwack, BC

There is an article this morning in the Chilliwack Progress newspaper about how the Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society were able to bring the medals awarded to members of the Coots family back home to British Columbia.

The medals were from the First World War, and acquired at an auction at Norfolk, England in late December.

The article says that “The collection consists of 12 medals awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Leslie Coote and his son Captain Ian Vernon Coote of Chilliwack for their military service. It also includes a written account from Lieutenant Russel “Ginger” Leslie Coote — Andrew Coote’s second son — documenting his remarkable wartime experiences”.

Read the article at www.theprogress.com/news/187313381.html

If you want to learn more about the medals given to Canadians who  fought in the wars and conflicts that the country has been involved in, go to Medals, Honours and Awards at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/medals/index-e.html

Barkerville National Historic Site of Canada

The federal and British Columbia governments have announced that they will fund the conservation of two heritage buildings at Barkerville National Historic Site of Canada in British Columbia.

The press release says that “Barkerville is a provincially, nationally and internationally recognized historic site located 80 kilometres east of Quesnel. This year Barkerville is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Cariboo Gold Rush. Barkerville was the terminus of the great wagon road from Yale in 1865 and the centre of the Cariboo gold fields which were the catalyst for economic and political development in British Columbia.”

If you go on to the site, you will find that among other things, that Barkerville’s Chinatown is the largest collection of pre-railway Chinese buildings in North America and Barkerville has one of the largest Chinese archival collections in Canada.

They do have a search feature of their collection, where you can search the archives, artifacts, library, maps, and photographs.

The website is at www.barkerville.ca

FamilySearch Update: Canada, Merchant Marine Agreements and Accounts of Crews, 1890-1920

FamilySearch has updated the Canadian Merchant Marine Agreements and Accounts of Crews, 1890-1920 with 23,381added images.

As they say in their description, “This collection covers ports in British Columbia (primarily Victoria). Some records are from ports in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and a few foreign ports. The documents are organized by ship and include, among other information, the signatures of crew members, their ages and birthplaces. Each box includes a general inventory of its contents listing box and file numbers, date, ship name, location and owner. The original records are in possession of the British Columbia Archives in Victoria”.

In the records, they may have the following information -

■ Full name of crew member

■ Year of birth

■ Place of birth

■ Name of ship where the crew member last served in

■ Date and place of agreement

■ Date, place, cause of death

■ Name of ship

To go to the records, go to https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Canada,_Merchant_Marine_Agreements_and_Accounts_of_Crews_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records)

Is Your Conference Listed on Conference Keepers?

Jen Baldwin of the website Ancestral Journeys of Colorado has a website that is offering to list your conference (for FREE).

I checked the International Conference site to see if there were any Canadian Conference, and there are conferences there for British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Manitoba.

To have your Conference listed, you can connect Jen by filling out a contact page at http://conferencekeeper.weebly.com/contact-us.html

Genealogy Classes at Royal Roads University

Dave Obee is teaching two classes at Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC in February, and they are called Discovering Your Family History: An Introduction.

The course description says that “The Internet has made it easy to gather information about family histories, however, it is still important to use proper research techniques to understand the records being consulted and to flesh out the raw details of a family tree with information about the lives of ancestors. Designed for people who have already gathered the basic information on their families, this course stresses the need for research in local history and social history as well and will help participants understand how to use a wide variety of resources and plan further work”.

The courses takes place on the 2nd and 9th of February, and it cost $145 + applicable taxes. The site says it is best to register by Sat, Jan 19th, 2013.

More information is available at http://cstudies.royalroads.ca/courses/PEOI3001-Y12.htm

Library 2.0

Here is another new idea about libraries that has been brought to life by people from the north end part of the city of Vancouver! Could it be used for history and genealogical books?

The story is covered by Layne Christensen in the North Shore News in www.nsnews.com/news/Library+balancing+books+bytes/7607005/story.html   

British Columbia Voter’s List

The voter’s lists of 1875 and 1898 were taken from the Sessional Papers of the British Columbia Government, and they were extracted by Hugh Armstrong.

Voter’s lists are known as “census substitutes”, because they can be used to locate a person in a non-census year.

British Columbia only has census in the years 1881, 1891, 1901, and 1911 which is a nominal list, and the 1891 Victoria City Census which is a head of household list, so the voter’s list can help in this instance.

The 1875 list has the person’s name, their residence, and profession or trade.

For example, there is Bagnalle, John from Fort St, a music seller, and his residence was VicC (Victoria City).

And the 1898 voter’s list has the same information as the 1875 voter’s list. An example is Sabald, John, 208 Yates St, Plumber, VicC (Victoris City).

There are also directories, newspapers, strays, government sources (including public schools reports, unclaimed letters), petitions, stories and pictures on this site.

You can see all these records online (FREE) at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canbc/bc.htm
© Elizabeth Lapointe All Rights Reserved

The Cloverdale Library, Surrey, BC

Do you know that The Cloverdale Library has one of the largest Canadian family history collections in the country?

The Cloverdale Library Canadian Family History Collection is located on the second floor of the library. The Family History department includes seven microfilm/fiche reader/printers, a photocopier, three dedicated computers for Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest, 1 CD ROM station, and a general use meeting room where Family History programs are conducted.

On October the 15th, there will be a "Finding Your Roots Tri-Stake Seminar" at the Surrey Family History Centre on Saturday, October 15, 2011 from 8:30am – 4:00pm at 6270-126 St. Surrey, BC.

Be sure you look at the Family History Programs at
http://www.surreylibraries.ca/programs-services/4815.aspx


They have courses such as the following this fall and winter -

Cloverdale Library Genealogical Collection Orientations

Start Searching Your Family History - A Beginners' Workshop in 5 Lessons

Discover Your Past, Discover Yourself!: An Introduction to Family History

Third Annual Family History Show & Tell!

Were Your People Really Irish?

Start Writing Your Family History: A Communications Workshop in 5 Lessons

Victoria, BC Digitizes Newspaper

The first 100,00 digitalized pages (from 1858 to 1910) of the Times Colonist (known earlier as the Daily Colonist), the newspaper which serves Victoria, British Columbia is now on the Internet at www.timescolonist.com.

The press release says that "It is sure to become one of the most important resources for historical researchers throughout the province. It has the potential to open up many new doors in historical writing, help genealogists trace their family trees and learn about their ancestors, and even the way that history in taught in our schools".

They have the following information on the site -

- Birth, marriage and death information

- References to anniversaries, business openings and school reports

- List of passengers arriving in Victoria (the federal government did not keep records until 1905)

Dave Obee, an editor at the newspaper and the one who spearheaded the project, was at a conference in Ottawa this past summer. I had the opportunity to meet him and discuss the project with him. You can go to his site at www.daveobee.com.

He is one-half of the team that wrote the book, Finding Your Canadian Ancestors: A Beginner's Guide and he will give various talks at the Ontario Genealogical Society this summer in Oakville on May www.ogs.on.ca.

This project was made possible with the help of University of Victoria, the University of British Columbia, and the Greater Victoria Public Library.

Happy Thanksgiving!

So, please let me offer a "Happy Thanksgiving!" to our American Cousins! (I have first cousins in Maine, first cousins once removed in Texas, and first cousins three times removed in California).

Canada, in 2005, celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants, and is still going strong <www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canms/canada.html>.

There are four "colonies" in the country (in Toronto, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Alberta), with the Canadian society being the first formed outside of the United States.

They published a book for their 25th anniversary detailing their history, and it has many pictures which cover the events and meeting of their four colonies.

The site, which has had over 20,000 visitors since the website first started eight years ago, has an index on Mayflower Research Articles, Mayflower Families Corrections and Additions, and Upcoming Events & Society Meetings.

There is a List of Mayflower Passengers Who Left Descendants, Society Dues & Fees, and Application Procedure & Documentation Requirements.

They have also put online Reports of our Past Guest Speakers, Mayflower Research Articles (Index), and Mayflower DNA Projects.

For a change of pace, please read this interesting article entitled, "Were Cats and Dogs on the Mayflower?", at <http://www.petplace.com/cats/were-cats-and-dogs-on-the-mayflower/page1.aspx?utm_source=catcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_content=petplace_article&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter>.

And finally, for a bit of fun, knowing that watching football is paramount in any household this weekend (we watch it, too!), visit our Canadian Thanksgiving page at <http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2008/10/happy-thanksgiving.html> and check the graphic at the bottom.

Fall Issue of The British Columbia "Genealogist"

It difficult to believe but fall is here already, and so is the "Genealogist". It arrived the other day from the British Columbia Genealogy Society <www.bcgs.ca>.

At 148 pages, it is a hefty publication with all sorts of topics covered - some of them being the Diary of Rev. Edward White (1822-1872); Cemeteries of Hope, BC; and the biography of Robert Grenville/Granville McKamey (1836-1896).

Intersersped with these articles are one such as British Columbia Mining Accidents (1878-1889 & 1896-1942); Daniel Stanley Masset; Queen Charlotte Islands, 1911; and the Vancouver Business Woman (1929, 1930).

There are BC's 150th Birthday Crossword; the Most Improved Contest; Book Reviews; BC Genealogical Events; and Activities and Queries.

Be sure to check the Images of Army Life; World War I - Baxter; Plumper Bay Petition, 1890; and Meet the Pioneers - Grenelle and Goupill.

And all of this celebrating "BC 150 Years - The Best Place on Earth".

Even though I do not now have any relatives living in BC right now (my aunt and uncle — Fred and Annie LEE — used to live in Golden and Kamloops), I found the journal to be a good read.

I especially liked the book reviews (they are always good) and this time they review three - The Family History Toolkit by Michael Hait; You Can Write Your Family History by Sharon DeBartolo; and In Search of Your German Roots by Angus Baxter.

Ancestry.ca Launches Online the "Canadian Passenger Lists 1865-1935"

At 10 o'clock this morning (on Tuesday, September 16, 2008), Josh Hanna — Ancestry.com's Senior Vice-President — announced in Toronto that it has put the Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935 online at <http://landing.ancestry.ca/intl/canada/passenger/lists.aspx> in both French and English (simply click the language link at the top of the page).

I have been on the site (even though all of my ancestors came to Canada pre-1865) to see what it is all about, and there is 1,441 BARCLAYs who came to Canada and 178 BLADES. (To those who don't know - my father's line is through the surname of BARCLAY, and my mother's name was BLADES - both of them descendent from United Empire Loyalists who came to Canada in 1783 and 1784, respectivly, from the United States.)

The passenger lists covers the provinces and cities of Quebec (Quebec Ports, May 1865-June 1908, June 1919-July 1921, April 1925-November 1935); Montreal (April 1925-November 1935); Halifax, Nova Scotia (1881-October 1922, 1925-1935); North Sydney, Nova Scotia (November 1906, August 1908-August 1922, 1925-1935); Saint John, New Brunswick ( 1900-September 1922, 1925-1935); Vancouver, British Columbia (1905-September 1922, 1925-1935); Victoria, British Columbia and Pacific Ports (April 1905-September 1922, 1925-1935) and some eastern U.S. Ports (July 1905-1919, 1925-1928) and New York City, which covers 1906 to 1921.

When you put the name into the search engine you may get their estimated year of birth, their birth country (although many of the immigrants did not mention their country of birth), date of arrival, name of the vessel, and port of departure. You can then view the image from which the information was taken.

It appears that the partnership that was forged between Ancestry.com and the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) in May, 2007 was not adhered to in this instance because nowhere is the LAC mentioned in the Ancestry.com press release.*

But it may be worth checking the LAC site <www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/immigrants> because they have some of the passenger lists onsite, too. They also have the Moving Here, Staying Here. The Canadian Immigrant Experience online, and it's worth looking at it because it can give you the background behind immigration.

This past August, Sylvie Tremblay, Chief Project Manager of the Canada Genealogy Centre, said that the LAC has embarked on a three to five year project where they hope to develop a family history site where you will go to get the "story behind the headlines". They will make the connections for you between the databases, and the history in family history, and they are looking towards wikis to do this - so watch for that.

In the meantime, you can look up your ancestor on Ancestry.ca, and decide if you want to spend the money to do a deeper search. Remember, you can also get a 14-day trial at <www.ancestry.ca>.

*The LAC is mentioned in the CNW News Release. It refers to the LAC in that the LAC holds the official records on microfilm.