Top Canadian History Teacher is from Winnipeg

Matt Henderson, a history teacher from St. John's Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg has won the 2013 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Awards are administered by Canada’s History Society, and are awarded "to the best Canadian achievements in the field of history and heritage".

Last year, Henderson and his grade eleven history class went to the provincial archives (Archives of Manitoba Family History Research

http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/family_history/index.html) “to help them gain a better understanding of the experience of indigenous persons in Manitoba”.

“They learned about conducting research in archives, they wrote historical fiction based on what they discovered - they even published their own Idle No More textbook called Because of a Hat - Stories of Red River”.

Congratulations Matt, and the Grade 11 history class!

Go to Winnipeg teacher wins GG Award at http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/scene/winnipeg-teacher-wins-gg-award-1.2159524

Only 6 days left until …

Guess what? It is 6 days away from being debuted on Ancestry.ca, and it is the  every name index to the 1921 Canada census!

Ancestry.ca will hold an official launch party in Toronto on the 29^th. Glen Wright, Dr. Kevin James, and Mark McGowan will be there to give brief comments about the census.  

So keep the 29^th open as it will be the day that the every name index to the 1921 Canada census will become available to the world!  

October is Canadian Islamic History Month

Islamic History Month Canada (IHMC) was launched on October 25, 2007, and October was proclaimed as the Islamic History month in Canada.

The press release says that “The Objective of IHMC is to celebrate, inform, educate and share with fellow Canadians the Muslim cultural heritage and Canadian Muslim contributions to Canada and the contributions made by the Islamic civilization throughout its history; to sciences, humanities, medicines, astronomy, and other disciplines that have contributed positively to human progress. IHMC believes that it is through education and sharing positive stories that we can build a more inclusive and gentle multicultural Canada.”

A few facts about Canadian –

- The census of 1871 reports 13 Muslims in the country

- Edmonton has the oldest mosque in North America, built in 1938

- There are 1 million Muslims in the country.

Their website is at http://www.islamichistorymonth.com/ihmc2010/

They also have a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Islamic-History-Month-Canada/322440464106?ref=stream&hc_location=stream

York Region Ancestors Fall Issue

The fall newsletter of the York Region of the OGS has two articles about the Upper Canada Sundries, New Research opportunities from the Library and Archives Canada, Aliens in the Township of Markham, and the Vaughn Memorial Project.

The first two articles involve land records in Upper Canada, and gives very good advice in finding people within the microfilm.

We are reminded that there are two places to check (FREE) and they are Janice Nickerson’s website at http://www.uppercanadagenealogy.com and Michael Stephenson’s website http://www.ontariogenealogy.com/uppercanadasundries.html for sundries files.

If you have had difficulty finding aliens in the 19th century in the Township of Markham, maybe you should look at the list in this newsletter. There are fifteen names on the list for the year 1815, and they were taken from the sundries list.

The City of Vaughan Archives are putting together a Memory Project and Exhibit, and are asking people who use to live, or are living in the area to collect oral histories, and send them to the archives once finished.

The person in charge of this project is Brenda Hicock and she can be reached by Brenda.hicock@vaughan.ca

If you would like to receive this newsletter four times a year, you can join the York Region by going to the http://www.rootsweb.com/~onyrbogs

Fall 2013 Anglo-Celtic Roots

The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO)has issued the fall edition of its journal the Anglo-Celtic Roots.

There are a number of articles in this issue, and they are –

The Cowley Family Saga: From Sherwood Forest to the NHL – Part I by Christine Jackson which talks about the role that the Crowley family (they arrived in the Ottawa area from England in the 1830s) played in the development of the Ottawa Valley, and of Champlain Park, a housing development in the west end of Ottawa in the 1950s.

Found in a Monastery? by Brian D. Cook is a summary of what happened to tracing his maternal great-grandfather – Cuthbert Baker – from help by the BIFHSGO society, and genetic genealogy. .. and the records of the Benedictine Monastery in Europe.

The Cutler Genealogical Odyssey by Gillian Leitch tells of she successfully traced John Cutler from Eton, England who was employed as a clerk at the Tower of London. It is a fascinating story!

In the From the President message, Glenn Wright, says that they have imitated two projects that will result in two databases – the pre-Confederate immigrants from the British Isles (which will hold important names for researchers), and the second one will concern the First World War. So stayed tuned for developments on that front.

Betty Warburton keeps us up-to-date on the happenings at the library at the Archive of Ottawa, this month she tells us of the books on Ireland; John D. Reid talks about Canadiana.org, and the 1921 Census in The Cream of the Crop, and Ian White writes about The Ottawa City Archives: a Treasure Chest for Genealogists.

The Anglo-Celtic Roots (ACR) is available as a member benefit of BIFHSGO when you join the organization.

To join as a member, go to http://www.bifhsgo.ca

UPDATE: Nova Scotia 1921 Census

Dwayne Meisner has been hosting the 1921 census transcription on his site. I think that Halifax and Annapolis Counties are now complete, and he is looking for more volunteers to do the other counties in the province.

He says that “As a lot of you may be aware, I and others have been working on transcribing the 1921 census for Nova Scotia, and I have been uploading the finished transcriptions to my site http://www.dwaynemeisner.com/census/novascotia/index.php .

However, it a HUGE project, and so we are looking for more volunteers. I don't expect anyone to do a whole county; even just one sub-district would be a great
help!"

If you are interested, please visit his site
http://www.dwaynemeisner.com/census/volunteer.php for more information.

Is there anyone out there who can help Dwayne finish the 1921 Nova Scotia census?

1911 Census Updated

Ancestry.ca has updated the 1911 Census database.

There are now over 7-million names on the database.

This database is an every name index, and it covers the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, and two territories - the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories.

Go to the website at http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=8947

Kent County Branch Meeting

On Friday, October 11, 2013 at 7:00 pm at the St. Andrews Residence, 99 Park St., Chatham, ON, the Kent County Branch of the OGS will hold their monthly meeting at which Reg Johnston will speak on 150 YEARS! THE CHATHAM GRANITE CLUB.

Mr. Johnston with share the history and the people involved with building the curling club.
Contact http://ogs.on.ca/kent

If you can’t make it to the meeting, there is a short history of the Chatham Granite Club on their website at http://chathamgraniteclub.com/club

Call for speakers

The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has issued a Call for Speakers for a spring 2014 workshop titled Scotland and its People.

This full-day workshop for family historians, to be held on Saturday 12 April 2014, will explore the social, economic and cultural history of Scotland.

We are seeking proposals for presentations at this workshop from professional genealogists, historians, family historians, librarians and archivists.

The deadline for proposals is Monday 18 November 2013.

You can contact Gwyneth Pearce, Secretary, Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society at
publicity@toronto familyhistory.org or contact them at www.torontofamilyhistory.org.

Toronto school memorials database

Gwyneth Pearce, Secretary,Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, sent us this notice –

More than 32,000 names now in Toronto school memorials database

It’s that time again… when children, parents and teachers launch into a new school year!

And to mark the start of classes for 2013, the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has added more than 2,700 new names and eight more schools to its on-line database of school memorials commemorating Toronto students and staff who volunteered for active service in the two World Wars and other military conflicts.

The newest schools in the For King and Country database include Essex Street, John English, Rose Avenue, Lambton Mills, Lansdowne, Humewood Public and Runnymede Collegiate Institute.

We’ve also added our first independent school – St. Michael’s College School – a Catholic middle and high school with a rich history dating back to 1852. The database now contains more than 32,000 names and 88 schools, with transcriptions and photographs of school war memorials, historical background and links to other useful school and community websites.

Explore this growing collection now at www.torontofamilyhistory.org/kingandcountry/.

To find out more about the For King and Country project, and how you can help, contact co-ordinator Martha Jackson at kingandcountry@torontofamilyhistory.org.

And if you happen to be one of the many heading back to school this month, take a moment to remember the past generations of students and staff who went to war.

Elgin County OGS monthly meeting

The Elgin County OGS meets on the fourth Monday of March, April, May, September, October and November in the Carnegie Room at the St. Thomas public Library at 7:30 p.m.

Martin DeKeyzer will talk about Elgin County Postcards & Postal Memorabilia on Monday, September 23, 2013.

For further information, contact info@elginogs.ca

While you are checking out the Elgin County site. Don’t forget to go to Ancestry Indexes at

http://www.elginogs.ca/Home/ancestor-indexes. There you will find cemetery, census, land records and much, much more!

Quebec Family History Society Holiday Hours

The library and office of the Quebec Family History Society will be closed from Thursday August 22, 2013 until and including, Monday September 2, 2013.

On Tuesday September 3, 2013 the library and office will reopen and the regular schedule of opening hours will resume.

Monday to Friday 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday Evening 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

For information on upcoming events please consult our website http://www.qfhs.ca/

The Quebec Family History Society is the largest English-language genealogical society in Quebec

Dog Days of Summer Sale!

This exciting notice just came into the office - 

Save 15% from now until midnight August 15th 2013 off all products listed on the Global Genealogy website at http://globalgenealogy.com

Purchase as many items as you want -- order as often as you want!

Enter the COUPON CODE 'Summer Sale' into the COUPON CODE blank in our online shopping cart and click APPLY, or say the code when you phone in your order (1-800-361-5168).

New workshop at Toronto

They are planning a full day of lectures on Saturday, 26 October on Tracing Forward – Searching for Relatives in Recent Times – a day designed to provide researchers with new ideas, strategies and tools to help them trace members of their expanded family trees, people who might still be alive or recently deceased.

This is a brand-new workshop topic for Toronto Branch and we’re quite excited about it – we expect to have program and registration details available on our website in the very near future.

Their website at www.torontofamilyhistory.org

BIFHSGO Conference next month

Conference time (Sept 20 - 22) is nearly here, and are you ready to attend a full-day of workshops, and two days of lectures by people from Ireland, and local genealogical experts on Irish roots?

One thing which BIFHSGO does, and has done for the past two years, is to present interviews with the conference speakers.

This year, some of the interviews are -  

Lesley Anderson Previews her Pre-conference Seminar  Lesley talks about her lecture on Ancestry.ca and how it can help you with your Irish family history research.

Interview with Linda Reid Toronto genealogist Linda Reid will be presenting "Around the Brick Wall: Tracing Back an Irish Family through Collateral Lines" and "Are They Really My Ancestors? Using Autosomal DNA Tests to Confirm (or Deny) Relationships and Ancestors."

and

Success through One Name Studies Sandra Adams, Bill Arthurs and Elizabeth Kipp along with John D Reid talk about the successes they have had by pursuing their one-name studies and what you can expect to learn if you attend the Saturday afternoon session "Success through One Name Studies"

If you want to listen to these interviews, go to www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=62

If you still haven’t registered, you can register online at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=109

The website for BIFHSGO is www.bifhsgo.ca

First Ever Video Streaming IAJGS Confernce LIVE!

Mark the date August 4 – 9th on your calendar! It will be the  live streaming of 50 sessions at the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Society Conference (IAJGS) in Boston, Massachusetts.

The International Association of Jewish Genealogy Society (IAJGS) brings the best minds and knowledge in the field of Jewish genealogy to its conference. More than 1,000 attendees from 17 countries will attend. 

Anyone in any location with the desire to learn more about their Jewish family history will be able to tap into this knowledge and attend the event via the Internet.

To learn more, go to web site at www.live.iajgs2013.org

Gwyneth Pearce, head of publicityfor the Ontario Genealogical Society - Toronto Branch, sent the following announcement to me yesterday –

The Branch will be presenting three courses between September and November – ranging from one day to eight weeks in length –

Introduction to West Indian Genealogy Saturday, 21 September: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. A fast-paced introduction to the principles of West Indian genealogical research with a focus on methodologies and records for African, East Indian and Chinese West Indian ancestors.

The instructor is Pooran Bridgelal.

The meeting will take place at North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto

Basic Genealogy and Family History Wednesdays, 2 October – 20 November: 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. For those just beginning to research or looking to upgrade basic skills, this 8-week course will cover terminology, types of sources, on-line resources, libraries and archives, and record-keeping – to help you “think like a genealogist”.

The instructor is Jane E. MacNamara

The meeting will take place at North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto

Maps and Mapping for 21^st Century Genealogists Thursdays, 7 - 28 November: 6:15 - 8:15 p.m.This 4-week course, designed for intermediate and advanced-level genealogists, will explore sophisticated ways in which maps and mapping tools can contribute to family history research, analysis and writing.

The instructor is James F.S. Thomson

The meeting will take place at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street, Toronto

For program details, speaker biographies and information on how to register for these courses, visit www.torontofamilyhistory.org/courses.html

War of 1812 and Nova Scotia

Ships Duke of Kent, Charles Mary Wentworth and Earl Spencer from a modern drawing by C.H.J. Snider. Medium: drawing Artist: C.H.J. Snider Reference no.: NSARM Photo Collection: Ships: C.M. Wentworth

The War of 1812 began in June 1812, and the remaining British North American colonies — Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island (then separate from Nova Scotia), New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Lower Canada (Quebec) and Upper Canada (Ontario) were automatically at war with the United States.

The role of Nova Scotia during the war was mainly at sea. The Royal Navy from its North Atlantic Squadron base at Halifax, joined by privateer vessels from home ports along the Atlantic coast and Bay of Fundy – like the ports of Halifax and Liverpool.

There are several virtual exhibits –

Spoils of War: Privateering in Nova Scotia – Read about the history of privateering in Nova Scotia. For example, there  are digitized original log-books for the privateers Charles Mary Wentworth (1799), Nelson (1802) and Dart (1813).

Acadian Reporter – This newspaper was published in Halifax beginning in January 1813, and this is four-page weekly newspaper. This newspaper “carried local, provincial, British and international news stories, a weekly almanac, shipping news, marriage and death notices, and a wide range of advertisements”

Black Refugees 1812 – 1834 - This is a virtual exhibit made up of 75 digitized documents, news clippings, documentary art and print items.


Go to http://gov.ns.ca/nsarm/war1812

The Ottawa Genealogist July-September 2013

The latest edition of The Ottawa Genealogists was in my mail box the other day, and it covers such events as Genealogy Research in London, UK and Attending WDYTYAL Conference 2013, Step into History: The 19^th Annual Beechwood Cemetery Historical Walking Tour, and the article Early Bytown Settlers Index.

One thing I have always enjoyed reading has been Edward and Elizabeth Kipp’s research trips. I have always found them informative, news worthy, and entertaining.  

This time, they were in London and went to the WDYTYAL where they saw some fellow Canadians from Ottawa  – Glenn Wright, John D. Reid, and Leslie Anderson – and took in some lectures while there too.

And they did some research too – on the BLAKE, PINCOMBE/PINKHAM, BULLER, BEARD families.

A good report was given of the Beechwood Cemetery Historical Walking Tour that took place on June 9^th, and the theme was the War of 1812.

Some of the people honoured was British Army Officer William Brown Bradley, and his son Edward Sands BRADLEY, Louis-Theodore BESSERAR, and Maria HILL.

It is reported that 300 people were there e to take the walk in good weather, which was led by Kurt Johnson of the Goulburn Museum.  

Jim Stanzell continues with the Early Bytown Settlers Index, and this time he covers the letters J to L.

He gives both the surname, and given name, the reference and page number, and any notes that is included in the Information column.

There is lots of other news in the journal, and you can receive The Ottawa Genealogist by joining the Ontario Genealogical Society at http:// www.ogs.on.ca/membership.php 

UPDATE: New version of the Census of 1851 (1852) database

The Library and Archives Canada has updated the 1851 (1852) census.

  

The 1851 Census marked the second collection of statistics for the Province of Canada (consisting of Canada West and Canada East). Information was also collected for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

In addition to searching by geographical information such as province, district, and sub-district, users can now also search by nominal information such as name, given name(s) and age of an individual.

In Canada East and Canada West, the census was supposed to have been taken in 1851, but was actually take in January 1852. 

So, in the Canada East and Canada West, it will be the age of the person's next birthday in 1852, not in 1851 (Column 6).

Also, in Canada East and Canada West, there was an urban and a rural census, and they asked different questions. 

In Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, the census was taken between June and December 1851.

If you are having difficulty finding the person you are looking for in the 1851-1852 census, not all schedules survived.  

Go to   

www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1851/Pages/about-census.aspx