Join QFHS at Celebrating “Our Canadian Roots Day”!

This press release was sent to me over the weekend –

To celebrate our brave ancestors who came to our home and native land, the Quebec Family History Society will host Celebrating Our Canadian Roots Day on Wednesday, February 20, from 1:30 to 4:00 pm, at the QFHS Heritage Centre and Library.

This is part of the Society's monthly "Roots Days" program, created to bring together fellow genealogists in a friendly setting. You may drop in anytime for coffee, tea, Canadian sweets, and informal conversation to talk about your ancestors who came to Canada and browse books from the QFHS Canadian collection.

Bring in your books and resources about Canadian cities, towns and
communities, no matter how small the location, to share with others.

Whether your ancestors were Lower Canadians, pure laine, western farmers, Upper Canadians, Acadians, First Nations, Métis, voyageurs, gold rush seekers, British, Irish, French, Italian, or from anywhere else, join us.

Open to our members and the public. Admission is free.

Visit www.qfhs.ca/events.php

FREE Public Lecture - Institut généalogique Drouin

On Saturday, December 8th, there will be a FREE public lecture on “An Insider's View of the Institut généalogique Drouin” which will be given by Sébastien Robert, vice-president at the Institut généalogique Drouin.

He will provide a unique opportunity to learn from an insider what the Drouin records offer family historians.

The lecture will be from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm at the Briarwood Presbyterian Church Hall, 70 Beaconsfield Blvd., Beaconsfield, QC H9W 3Z3, and is sponsored by the Quebec Family History Society.

Members and non-members are invited to attend and stay afterward for refreshments and conversation

You can visit the website by going to www.qfhs.ca

You can also visit the Institut généalogique Drouin at www.drouininstitute.com It is both in French and English.

And, of course, www.Ancestry.ca has the complete Drouin Collection on their searchable database.

FREE Ancestry.ca

Good news everyone - Ancestry.ca announced on May 1^st that they will have FREE access to Canada's Immigration Records over the May 21st holiday!

This weekend is known in Canada as Victoria Day Weekend (when we celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday as well as Queen Elizabeth's official birthday), there will be free access to passenger arrival records, naturalization records, border crossings, emigration records, passports, and convict transportation records.

Good luck in researching your ancestors!

Walking Tour In Morriston

The Puslinch Historical Society invites you to a Walking Tour in Morriston on Sunday May 27 2012 at 2 pm.

Exploring the history and architectural features of certain houses in the village of Morriston, Ontario. They point out that interiors not included in the tour. You are to meet everyone at the stoplight in the centre of the village.

There will also be a Spirit Walk in Crown Cemetery this fall. You can tour the cemetery, and hear the life stories - the words of people who are buried here. The tour is Monday September 17, 2012 at 7 pm.

Take Nicholas Beaver Rd (at Tim Hortons south of Aberfoyle) to the cemetery side entrance.

Both of these events are sponsored by Puslinch Historical Society, and The Wellington County Historical Society.

For info call 519-658-9923, or contact Betty Anderson at b.anderson@sympatico.ca.

Take a minute to look at the Puslinch Township site at http://www.puslinch.net/index.html.

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 18

Here are some of the websites and blogs that I have come across the week ending January 23, 2012.

Family Photo Reunion www.familyphotoreunion.blogspot.com A wonderful blog which is an "An archive of found family photos and artifacts for genealogists and historians". Carol MacKay says that she has reunited over 300 family photos with people over the past 20 years.

Tom Hawthorn's Blog www.tomhawthorn.blogspot.com Tom is a local newspaper writer who lives in Victoria, B.C., and writes about local people and places. He also writes a twice-weekly column for the Globe and Mail.

The Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection http://chung.library.ubc.ca/news  At the Library of British Columbia, they have over 25,000 rare and unique items (documents, books, maps, posters, paintings, photographs, and other artifacts) that you can go and see.

Out and About Nova Scotia www.outandaboutns.com Photos of Nova Scotia, with a bent towards history of the province.

The Shoreline Journal www.theshorelinejournal.com/obits.html The Shoreline Journal is a monthly community newspaper based in Bass River, Nova Scotia, and serves the Fundy Shore/Glooscap Trail from Truro to Parrsboro. They have obituaries from 2009 to the present.

AuthentiCity: The City of Vancouver Archives Blog http://vancouverarchives.ca This blog provides access to authentic records about the history and culture of Vancouver.

Elmwood Cemetery: Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke County, Quebec www.interment.net/data/canada/qc/sherbrooke/elmwood/index.htm Contributed by Joan Cruickshank, with the last edition being submitted Jan 17, 2012. There are a total of 6,331 records. 

VICTORIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY YOUTH PROGRAM

Here is an interesting post from the Victoria Genealogical Society (VGS) at
http://www.victoriags.org/

"In December 2010 the Victoria Genealogical Society endorsed the development of a genealogical / family history program for school aged children. Two primary goals for the Youth Program have been accepted as recommended by the project’s Design Committee.

They are:

To introduce young people to the world of genealogy and family history research in a fun and engaging way;

and,

To introduce young people to the tools and techniques they can use to initiate their own research.

To meet these goals the Design Committee developed a series of recommendations which were adopted by the Victoria Genealogical Society Executive Committee. Key amongst these recommendations was “that the programs developed be age appropriate and welcoming to all family types and origins in the world - allowing young people to explore their family in any form they'd like”.

One program which is slated for this summer is Detective Adventure which starts on July 13th. It is a hands-on genealogy program for kids in grades 4 and 5. Summer registration now open. Call 250-360-2808. You can also download the 2011 poster (PDF format) by clicking on the detective image on the website.

Limited space so register early to avoid disappointment:

Detective Adventure 1: July 13, 20, 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Detective Adventure 2: August 3, 10, 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Resource Centre of the Victoria Genealogical Society
947 Alston Street, Victoria
Fee: $ 35, detective tools included
To Register: Email vgsprojectdirector@gmail.com