Anishinaabe First Nations in the War of 1812

Alan Ojiig Corbiere, former Executive Director of the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation in M’Chigeng, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, comes to Toronto to detail his research, including interviews with elders, to uncover the names and experiences of Anishinaabe combatants in the War of 1812 – often left nameless in historical records.

The date of the talk will be Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

And the location is Native Canadian Centre, 16 Spadina Road (west side, north of Bloor), Toronto.

To learn more about the Anishinaabe people , you can go to

Anishinaabe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anishinaabe The meaning of Anishnaabeg is 'First' or 'Original Peoples' or good people - those people who are on the right road/path given to them by the Creator or Gichi-Manidoo (Great Spirit).

Anishinaabe outfit collected by Andrew Foster http://nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/infinityofnations/woodlands/242000.html There is a photo of the clothing that was worn about 1790 by the Anishinaabe.

The Waterdown East-Flamborough Heritage Society’s Book Fair and Seminar

The 22nd annual Book Fair and Seminar is being held Saturday, November 10th, 2012 from 9:30 am – 3:00 pm, with the Seminar beginning at 10: 30 am. at the Waterdown East-Flamborough Heritage Society. 

The seminar topic will be “The Importance of the Battle of Stoney Creek,” and the speaker will be James E. Elliott, author of “Strange Fatality: The Battle of Stoney Creek”.

Admission for the seminar is $5.00. Reservations will be taken up to November 5th. Fee is payable at the door.

For more information on the Book Sale, Seminar, and placing your reservation, you may contact them by phone at 905.540.5161. They are located at Fellowship Hall, St. James United Church, 306 Parkside Drive, Waterdown

The website is at www.wefhs.myhamilton.ca

Note: If you go on to their site, they have biographies of the Flamborough Nursing Sisters, C.E.F. Honour Roll for the Flamborough Area, Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Leper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, and Flamborough Home Children.

They also have the history about The Railway in Waterdown, Postcards of the area, "Let It Snow" (a very well done vignette), and the McGregor family and their impact on the Waterdown area.

They have vertical files, photographs and histories of numerous other local families in the Waterdown Flamborough area.

A Toronto Genealogy Hero

A genealogy hero, Henry Wellisch, Past President Jewish Genealogical Society of Canada (JGS Canada), turned 90 years old on Sept. 22, 2012, and he will be honoured at the meeting tonigh at the Temple Sinai in Toronto at 8 pm (doors open 7:30 pm).

All members and friends are encouraged to attend this event as well as the presentation that follows called “Travelling Over the Pond” with Harvey Glasner and Les Kelman.

To read about this event, go to www.jgstoronto.ca

Perth County Branch Holds October Meeting

Perth County Branch of the OGS in Stratford, Ontario is having their annual meeting on Saturday, 27 October 2012 from 1-4 pm.

The meeting will take place on the Upper Level at the Stratford Public Library, 19 St. Andrew Street, Stratford, and the speaker will be Lynn Matthison. She will talk about family members who fought in the Boer War, India, WWI, WWII and Bosnia, including a picture board and artifacts.

If you have war stories and memorabilia, bring them along as well.

The website is at www.ogs.on.ca/perth

Kitchener Public Library Genealogy Fair

The Kitchener Public Library is holding their second annual Genealogy Fair on Saturday, November 3 from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. There is no registration, simply drop by. FREE admission!

The Keynote Speaker will be Kevin James, Professor of History, Centre for Scottish Studies, University of Guelph, and he will speak at 10:00 am in the Kitchener City Hall Rotunda. The subject will be "Connecting Family and Public Histories"

The press release says that “Drawing on novel examples of partnerships using sources from census returns to cookbooks, Kevin explores recent efforts to connect family history and genealogy to 'public' history, and talks about exciting new directions for collaborations between historians (amateur and professional), of the family, of the state and of society. Kevin’s research focuses on comparative Scottish and Irish social history.”

To find more information about the Fair, go to www.kpl.org/programs/program_listings/all.html#genealogy

There will be more than 25 exhibits and vendors!

Perth & District, Ontario

A 64-page booklet about the town of Perth, located 60 minutes southwest of Ottawa, has been put together by the Perth & District Chamber of Commerce. Among the topics listed within the booklet is “Museum and Libraries”.

The eight are –

Matheson House – Perth Museum

Visit the 19th-century home at the museum, and beside the home, see exhibits on the Last Fatal Duel, and the Mammoth Cheese.

Outdoors is a Scottish garden containing flowering plants and shrubs true to the era (that I would like to see), and an outdoor bake oven and kitchen herb garden.

The website is at www.town.perth.on.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp?pageid=97

Hall of Remembrance Museum

This museum is on the second floor of the Royal Canadian Legion, and has artifacts of the Boer War, World War One and Two, Korea, and  Afghanistan.

The website is at www.lanarkcountymuseums.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27&Itemid=20

Lanark and District Museum

There are genealogical books in their library, as well as exhibits of early pioneers life in Lanark County. They have the archives of William Caldwell, one of the earliest lumber barons of the area.

Go to their website at www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/GetMuseumProfile.do?lang=en&chinCode=guadsp

Middleville and District Museum

Housed in a 1861 two-storey stone house, the exhibits includes a horse-drawn hearse!

There are original genealogy and family history records onsite, and a 1830s log cabin.

The website is www.middlevillemuseum.blogspot.com

Dalhousie Historic Library and Museum

This is the oldest rural library in Ontario, and it includes books donated by Lord Dalhousie in 1828, plus genealogical records.

There isn’t a website.

Archives Lanark

This archives is operated by the Lanark County Genealogical Society, and it contains deeds from 1868 to 1958, land records, newspaper clippings, and photos.

Their website is www.globalgenealogy.com/archiveslanark

Perth and District Union Public Library

This library serves the Town of Perth and Drummond/North Elmsley and Tay Valley Townships. They have genealogy books, and book clubs.

The website is at www.perthunionlibrary.ca

Lanark Highlands Public Library

This library has been in operation since 1824, and they have many books on the social and historical aspect of the Lanark Highlands.

The website is www.lanarklibrary.ca

© Elizabeth Lapointe All Rights Reserved.

Doors Open Ontario 2012

The Quinte Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, Trenton, ON will thrown open the doors to its library on Saturday September the 15th from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. during Doors Open Ontario 2012.

Their library is housed in the Quinte West Public Library, and it contains traditional printed material and microfilm records, cemetery transcriptions, census data, birth/marriage/death records and searchable databases.”

For more information about Doors Open Ontario 2012 visit www.doorsopenontario.on.ca

Spirit Walk to be Held in Puslinch

Betty Andersen has sent me the following notice -

“Celebrate the 175th anniversary of Duff's Church with a SPIRIT WALK to be held Monday September 17 at 7 pm

Come with us to visit the resting places of five of Duff's Church's first members - early pioneers in Puslinch Township, Ontario. Hear the stories of their lives as presented by some of their descendants -

Kerr

Meldrum

McCaig

McLean

McRobbie

Meet at Crown Cemetery REAR entrance which is off Nicholas Beaver Road (at Tim Horton's on Brock Road, Aberfoyle).

The SPIRIT WALK is sponsored by Puslinch Historical Society http://puslinchhistorical.ca

See Two Exhibits for the Price of One

If you purchase a special museum pass before Sept 3 at Smith’s Falls, Ontario, you will be entitled to see two exhibits for the price of one!

The tour called the Rails to Bales Tour will let you go to the Heritage House Museum and the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario in Smiths Falls .

The Legend of Frost & Wood: Outstanding in Their Field at the Heritage House Museum and A Social History of the Railway in Smiths Falls at the Railway Museum documents the development of Smiths Falls over 150 years, the people and the lasting legacy of these industries.

Heritage House Museum is open daily from 10:30 am to 4:30 p.m. until December, at 11 Old Slys Rd., Smiths Falls. Call 613.283.6311 or visit www.smithsfalls.ca/heritagehouse for more information.

The Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario is open daily from 10 am to 4 p.m. until Labour Day, and weekends until December at 90 William St. W., Smiths Falls. Call 613.283.5696 or visit www.rmeo.org for more information

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