Keffer Writing Contest

Every year, the Ontario Genealogical Society sponsors a writing contest called the Keffer Writing Contest – and this year – it was something special. We had 14 entrants!

From the 14 essays – four were chosen as winners, and they are -

First Place goes to Virginia Reid, and her essay "How an Old Handkerchief Helped Me"

Second Place goes to Debra Butler Honor UE, and her essay "The Stain Glass Mystery"

Third Place goes to Anne Rahamut, and her essay "Mrs. Teepell's Tale"

and

Fourth Place goes to David Harper, and his essay "Tracing 19th Century Homesteading"

If you want to see the rules for entry, go to www.ogs.on.ca/home/essay.php

If you aren't a member, they have a special offer where you can join for $35.00 for a six month period, and be eligible to submit an essay. Plus, there is lots of records on the OGS Members Site.

There will be one essay published per issue of Families, starting with the August 2012 issue.

The deadline for the 2013 contest is November 1, 2012.

Genealogy “Summer Camp” in Toronto

"Have you ever wondered what you can do this summer? Go to the Toronto Summer Camp for genealogists from August 12 to the 17^th!

Genealogy "Summer Camp" is a unique program (for adults) that brings out-of-town family historians to Toronto for an intensive week of tutorials and hands-on research at the many archives and reference libraries in the city. If you have ancestors from Toronto or other parts of Ontario, there are many resources here for you. Local family historians are also welcome to participate as “day campers”. We take full advantage of Toronto’s great public transit system, and we keep the group small to allow lots of help from our local experts.

We’ll help you spend more time finding information about your ancestors—and less time finding the archives.

This will be our 16th Summer Camp. More than 125 participants from England, right across Canada and many US states have attended the 15 previous Summer Camps—some more than once!

Genealogy “Summer Camp” 2012 will take place from August 12-17. The Summer Camp fee for 2012 is $230 (CDN), which covers approximately 7 hours of lectures and tutorials, 25 hours of hands-on instruction and all worksheets and handouts.

For details as to venues, resources, tutorials and accommodation, and to download an application package, visit www.torontofamilyhistory.org/summercamp.html, or contact Jane MacNamara at info@torontofamilyhistory.org.

Applications should be received by 11 June 2012."

The Genealogy Corner

I have started writing a genealogy column called "The Genealogy Corner" in The Review – a weekly newspaper in Vankleek Hill, Ontario. The column is geared towards beginning genealogists, but I think anyone can gain a new insight in the views that I have put forward in the column.

The column appears every two weeks in print, but unfortunately, doesn't appear on the website, so if you are interested, you will have to buy the paper or get an online subscription. The website is www.thereview.on.ca.

The columns that have been printed so far this year are -

• March 14 - Finding Your Canadian Roots
• March 28 - A Genealogical Society Is Not Just Another Society
• April 11 - It's Time to go Back to School – Year Round
• April 25 - It’s Time to Start Your Research!
• May 9 - The Year Genealogy Was Reborn In Canada

 The next column on May 23 will be all the changes that are taking place at FamilySearch.org.

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.

OGS "Families" – February 2012 Issue

Photo – A cover photo by Janet Iles of the Greenwood Cemetery in Owen Sound, which was once known as the “People's Cemetery”. Read more about its history in “On the Cover” on page 34 of this issue.

The Ontario Genealogical Society's journal, Families (of which I am the editor) was released in February of this year.

As usual, there were two themes to this issue – Ontario Cemeteries, and Ontario Heritage.

Cemeteries

The excerpt was from the book, A Better Place: Death and Burial in Nineteenth-Century Ontario, by Susan Smart in which Chapter 6: The Establishment of Cemeteries in Three Towns (the three towns were Peterborough, Kingston, and Niagara-on-the-Lake) was reprinted in full. Plus, a book review was written about the book on page 32.

To continue the cemetery theme, two more articles about Ontario - Rambles Around Some Halton-Peel Cemeteries by Dorothy Kew, in which she gives an excellent review (with photos) of cemeteries of Halton-Peel, and an article, Changing Gravestone Motifs in Quinte and Beyond by Peter Johnson, in which he describes the “changing motif” on gravestones through the centuries – and there are fourteen photos in the paper!

Ontario Heritage

Three papers were published in acknowledgement of Ontario Heritage Day in February, and they were - Family History of a Caribbean Canadian by Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, in which he traces the life of Tom Ashby; Why and When Had Mary Ann and Joseph Whiteley Moved to Grey County by Catherine Whiteley, in which she traces the life of George Forbes; and Hunting for Hidden History: How Slavery Came to the Town of York by Hilary Dawson, in which she write an account of slavery in York Township.

One other paper, Letters Home: Upper Canada to England by Dr. Bill Mills, give a very gripping account of a homesick Christopher Stokes writing home to his family in Nottinghamshire, England.

Families is available only to members of the Ontario Genealogical Society. There are two membership packages available – a six month term for $35.00, or a full year for $60.00. Memberships are available at www.ogs.on.ca/membership.php

Full issues of Families, including an index, is also available for the years 1962 to 2006 through the “Members Only” portal at

www.ogs.on.ca/membersonly/mem_sign_in.php.

Roots to Boots Festival War of 1812

The Bicentennial Signature Event in Amherstburg, Ontario to commemorate the War of 1812 will take place on the weekend of August 3, 2012.

They say that it will be a community “totally immersed in 1812” during the festival.

There will be a Genealogy Pavilion – Ontario Genealogy Society & Certificate Program on the Saturday, as well as a Grand Parade Downtown, a First Nations presentation at Kings Navy Yard Park, and a Destiny Art Exhibit, and much more!

Go to www.1812amherstburg.com to find out about the summer long program.

Books

I have just published two booklets  -

The War of 1812: Canada and the United States, and Migration: Canada and the United States.

They are available for purchase through Global Genealogy at http://globalgenealogy.com, and the National Institute of Genealogical Studies at www.genealogicalstudies.com

For more on the booklets, please visit these links -

War of 1812 - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2012/01/booklet-1-war-of-1812-canada-and-united.html, and

Migration - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2012/01/booklet-2-migration-canada-and-united.html

Borders and Bridges:1812 to 2012 Conference

News Flash!

The program of the 2012 OGS Conference "Borders and Bridges:1812 to 2012" to be held in Kingston, Ontario the 1st to the 3rd of June has just been posted at http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference2012/program.

Details of the registration will be posted December 1^st.

Tweedsmuir Histories – Elgin County

Over the past number of years, Elgin County Archives has been digitizing the Tweedsmuir Histories of Elgin County.

When they first started at the Archives, there were 27 Tweedsmuir History volumes containing about 5000 pages. As they continued, the number of volumes increased to 50, covering over 7000 pages.

The people of the individual Women’s Institutes became the “unofficial archivists” of Ontario counties and districts. They constructed “scrapbooks”, and they present information about oral histories and photographs.

Looking at these books, there are “Family Trees”, “Pioneer Histories”, the history of schools, churches, businesses, and individual family histories. I don’t think that there are any such histories in the rest of Canada that can come up to this level of history written by ordinary people. It is, as their website says, “an outstanding resource on the history of rural Ontario”.

The counties covered are - Aldborough, Dunwich, Southwold, Yarmouth, Malahide, South Dorchester, Bayham, East Elgin, and West Elgin.

You can read them at www.elgin.ca/ElginCounty/CulturalServices/Archives/tweedsmuir/index.html.

There is also a Photo Gallery at www.elgin.ca/ElginCounty/CulturalServices/Archives/tweedsmuir/aldborough2.html

It was announced early in November that the Elgin County Archives received a donation of $6,000 from the Elgin County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. This donation will help complete the project, which is expected to be completed between January and May of 2012.

Tomorrow's Post - New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 13

Huron County Branch Newsletter

The November 2011 issue of the Huron County Branch newsletter is out, and is full of genealogical news.

Ian Hulley, in the September meeting, talked about himself being a gravedigger at the Blyth Cemetery, and he has been the supervisor at St. Paul's Anglican Church Churchyard in Clinton, Ontario.

The old cemetery was disused after the bodies were re-interred in the new cemetery, although there is a question as to if all the bodies were moved.

The rest of the story follows on what Ian has found.

At the October meeting, John Hazlitt, Ted Turner, and Doug Culbert gave a talk on "The Power of the Maitland" where they discussed the research they did on 78 dam sites in Huron, Perth, and Wellington Counties.

There is a book in the making, and it will be called, The Power of the Maitland: Powering Pioneer Settlement in an Ontario River Watershed.

The story, "The History of St. Augustine Parish", that was given at the Closing Mass on September 24th, 2006 has been reprinted in the newsletter, as well as the names of people who were involved in the "12th of July Parade", at Stratford, ON is 1938.

"A Splinter of Wood" is about a young English couple – Robert Carter and Charlotte Watson - who were both born in East Yorkshire, married, and came to Canada in 1854 or 1855. His dream was to own land, which he did in Clinton. A splinter of wood taken from their log house is shown in the newsletter.

"From the Newspapers" is devoted to names taken from The Clinton News-Record and from The Huron Expositor through the years.

You can go to their website at www.hurontel.on.ca/~ogshuron

If you are interested in joining the Ontario Genealogical Society, visit www.ogs.on.ca/membership.php.

Tomorrow's Post: Our Waterloo Kin Newsletter

Southern Georgian Bay Official War of 1812 Bicentennial Event

David J. Brunelle, the Co-ordinator, Historical Displays/Exhibits from the Celebrate Barrie Festival 2012, has sent the following press release -

He says that "On May 31st, June 1st, 2nd and possibly the 3rd, 2012, Barrie, Ontario will host the Southern Georgian Bay Official War of 1812 Bicentennial Event, and honour the Nine Mile Portage Heritage Transport Route.

The Nine Mile Portage, an ancient native trail, once formed a land bridge between Kempenfelt Bay and the Nottawasaga River, enabling a continuous trade and transportation route from Lake Ontario through to Georgian Bay for many centuries.

During the War of 1812, the British military improved the route for the transport of supplies and personnel, as the lower lakes were occupied by the Americans following the Battle of Put-in-Bay. This land route became strategically important in keeping the captured American fort of Mackinaw supplied, and in British hands.

Following the War, the route remained active, and what was known as "the portage landing" grew into the community we know today as Barrie, Ontario.

The City of Barrie will be celebrating its founding with a huge War of 1812 Bicentennial Event including a very large War of 1812 land and naval component. This potential four-day event will include two education days on Thursday and Friday, and continue with two public days on Saturday and Sunday."

If you are interested on attending the event for all or some of the days as a paid participant, or would like more information, please submit an email to David J. Brunelle at davidbrunelle@rogers.com

Archives Lanark

On Saturday November 5th, 2011, the Archives will be open at 10:30 am for researching prior to the meeting at 1:30 pm. The meeting will be held at The Archives, Drummond Centre, Lanark, Ontario.

The topic will be “Moments of remembrance - A tribute to soldiers, past and present, serving in the Armed Forces”.

The release says that “The Guest Speaker, Dr. Helen Douglas will share her father’s stories through film honouring those who fought for Canada and our future. We will pause in a silent moment of remembrance for the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace. In support of our troops on their tour of duty-Wear Red!”

The website is Lanark County Genealogical Society at http://globalgenealogy.com/LCGS/index.htm

Toronto Office Assisted Immigration Registers

The Ontario Archives has a database which is an index to the four volumes of assisted immigration registers created by the Toronto Emigrant Office between 1865 and 1883.

The chronological breakdown of the volumes is as follows: -

Volume 1
January 3, 1865 to September 20, 1870

Volume 2
September 26, 1870 to July 31, 1873 and October 2 1874 to Dec. 29, 1876

Volume 3
January 1, 1877 to January 31, 1883

Volume 4
May 24, 1873 to Oct. 2, 18

The first emigrant office in Upper Canada (Ontario) was opened in 1833 in Toronto, headed by AB Hawke.

It is not totally clear which communities other than Toronto, Kingston, and Hamilton had proper "offices" as such, but Hawke received reports from agents in Ottawa, Port Hope, Peterborough, Cobourg, Prescott, and other locations at various times.

Fields such as Date of Application, Nationality, Trade, Destination are filled in when you put a person's name in the database.

The website is http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/db/hawke.aspx

And other true stories …

I met Brian Henry a number of years ago when he was giving a writing workshop in Ottawa, and now I see where he has added a workshop on writing your memoirs, and family history.

In his workshop he will “Introduce you to the tricks and conventions of telling true stories and will show you how to use the techniques of the novel to recount actual events. Whether you want to write for your family or for a wider public, don't miss this workshop”.

He will be holding a Saturday, November 19 workshop from 1:00 p.m. To 4:30 p.m. at the Lions Club, 935 Sydenham Road, in Kingston.

You can register, and reserve a spot by writing to Brian at brianhenry@sympatico.ca .

The website is http://quick-brown-fox-canada.blogspot.com

The Friends of the Fort Frances Museum

The Friends of the Fort Frances Museum, ontario is hosting a meet-and-greet from 2-6 p.m. on Wednesday September 21st at the museum.

The group is looking for more members to get involved with The Friends of the Fort Frances Museum, form an executive, establish bylaws, and undertake the process of becoming a registered charity.

So everyone is encouraged to drop by and see what the “Friends” are all about, as well as bring along their questions or suggestions.

Everyone is welcome, with coffee, tea, and goodies to be served.

The website http://museum.fort-frances.com, and the email is ffmuseum@fort-frances.com

Under the heading of WHAT WE DO…, it says that the “The Fort Frances Museum contains a vast collection of photographs and artifacts related to the history of Fort Frances and the Rainy River District. These artifacts and specimens depict the past and the development of the area in terms of natural resources, first nations, exploration, settlement and people, industry and cultural achievement”.

Getting Ready for the BIFHSGO Conference Sept 16th to 18th

Remember those days when all you had to do to get ready for a conference was register and read over the pamphlet to see who was giving talks? Those days are GONE!

Now you have to do pre-conference homework!

I don't mind doing homework, and this is what I done -

Over the past few days, I listening to their podcasts at http://bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=59 where Brian Glenn interviewed John Reid (a fellow blogger at http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/), and this year's Program Co-Chair of the 2011 Fall Conference Committee; Brian Watson, the Co-Chair for Administration for the 2011 Conference Committee; Kathy Wallace, the Registrar for the 2011 Fall Conference; and Lesley Anderson, Director of Education all talking about the Conference 2011.

I have read about the BIFHSGO Fall Conference Speakers at http://bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=54 and listened to 10 interviews with the speakers at http://bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=62. I have kept up-to-date with John D. Reid's BIFHSGO Blog at http://bifhsgo.ca/blog/2011/06/13/welcome/.

There will be 21 exhibitors this year, and they are at http://bifhsgo.ca/blog/2011/09/08/returning-to-the-conference-marketplace, and I plan to visit each one so that I can bring you news about new holding, new books, and new courses etc.

I read their "Getting the most out of the conference" at http://bifhsgo.ca/blog/2011/09/01/getting-the-most-out-of-the-conference to make sure I covered everthing, and I think I'm ready for the Conference Friday morning!

BTW, I have been invited to blog, and tweet at hashtag #BIFHSGO about the Confernce – so stayed tuned!

If you are in the Ottawa area this weekend, please drop in to the Conference. Many people have worked a huge amount of hours to make it the best conference ever, and they would like to see a large crowd there to take in this event.

To see what is available at the Conference, go to http://bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=22 http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/

A Walk to Remember

On the 24 & 25 of September there will be a tour of St. Ann's Cemetery (established 1835) in Penetanguishene, Simcoe County, Ontario.

The press release says to “Join Deb and Pam for a walk through this historic cemetery and meet sinners and saints, the famous and infamous. We've uncovered some fascinating and interesting facts about the citizens of Penetang and we'd like to share them with you.”

The Walk starts at 2 PM each day.

Tickets are limited to 25 for each day and must be paid for in advance.

Tickets are $8.00 each, and you call the museum at 705-549-2150.

All proceeds are for the Cemetery Board for the upkeep of the grounds.

The Penetanguishene Centennial Museum and Archives website is http://www.pencenmuseum.com/events-exhibits/

The 35th Norfolklore Genealogy Fair

Simcoe is a town located in the southwestern part of Ontario, and every fall it hosts the oldest genealogy fair in Ontario – The Norfolklore Genealogy Fair.

The resource providers/exhibitors for 2011 included Colonel John Butler Branch UELAC, Elgin County OGS, Grand Erie Education Archives, Grand River Branch UELAC, Haldimand County OGS, Hamilton Branch OGS, Heronwood Enterprises, Kent County OGS, Kinfolk Finders, Log Cabin Publishing, Mayholme Foundation, Niagara Branch OGS, Norfolk Historical Society, Norfolk County OGS, Norwich and District Historical Society, Oxford County OGS, Ruthven Park National Historic Site, Waterford Townsend Historical Society.

It will be held on September 24th, and tickets will be available for $5.00, and this includes admission to both the Norfolklore Fair as well as to the Eva Brook Donly Museum and Archives where you can do some local research with volunteer help. Usual admission to the Archives is $10.00.

It will be held ay the Simcoe Seniors Centre, 89 Pond Street, Simcoe from 10 am to 4pm.

The website is http://www.norfolklore.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=20

Kingston Cemetery Repaired

On 27 May 2008 a number of Kingston citizens concerned about the deterioration of the Lower Burial Ground of St. Paul's Churchyard in the heart of the city gathered and decided to establish a non-profit corporation to be known as The Lower Burial Ground Restoration Society.

Since then, they have repaired the burial ground, and was able to repair the wall which surrounds it.

You can view the work that has been done by going to http://www.uelac.org/Kingston/lower.html

Tall Ship “Pride of Baltimore II” in Amherstburg, Ontario

The "Pride of Baltimore" will make its grand arrival at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 27, 2011, and will stay overnight until Sunday, August 27, 2011 in Amherstburg.

The 157-ft "Pride of Baltimore II" is a reproduction of an 1812-era Baltimore-built topsail schooner privateer. The original "Pride", Chasseur, defended America's freedom during the War of 1812 by serving as an offensive weapon of war and blockade-runner, capturing or sinking 35 British vessels. The British attacked Baltimore in 1814 in an attempt to destroy the Fells Point shipyards where privateer ships were built. During the September 13, 1814 Battle of Baltimore, Francis Scott Key wrote the words that became the United States national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner”.

Amherstburg welcomes the "Pride II" as part of the celebration of the Bicentennial of the War of 1812.

Complimentary tour times are as follows at Duffy’s dockside -

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Dockside Deck Tours: 2 p.m. to 7:00 pm

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Dockside Deck Tours 11:00 am to 7:00 pm

You can go to the website http://www.1812amherstburg.com

Stirling-Rawdon Genealogical Fair

Lewis Zandbergen, President of the Stirling-Rawdon Historical Society of Stirling, Ontario told me yesterday that the Genealogy Fair which is usually held towards the end of August has been cancelled this year.

Scheduling conflict of both the vendors, and speakers necessitated the cancellation. But Lewis tells me that we can check the local newspapers in Stirling-Rawdon next year for the 2012 Genealogy Fair.