Quinte OGS Branch Meeting

Sher Leetooze will talk about Scottish Research when the Quinte OGS Branch has their meeting on Saturday at 1:00 pm on April 20th, 2013.

Sher has been working to get her family from Ulster back into Scotland and in preparation for that day, Sher went to see just what Scottish records would tell her. Today, Sher will share with us some of that information for the lowlands and borders of Scotland, how it is divided up, where the records are kept, and how to access them.

The meeting takes place in the Christ Church Hall (ample parking available) 770 Trenton Frankford Road, Glen Miller, Ontario.

The website is at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canqbogs

Sher will also be at the OGS Conference (May 31, June 1, 2 in Oshawa where she will give a talk on Saturday morning Building Yout Family Story Using Maps.

The OGS Conference site is at http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference2013/home

FamilySearch UPDATE: The Canada Wiki

I just heard from Lisa who is a consultant at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City for the work on the Canada Wiki pages, and she has asked for our assistance

She says that “We are starting to post tasks on the FamilySearch Wiki to help us get the Ontario pages ready for a major renovation. If anyone would like to do some wiki reading and editing on the project they can find tasks at www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/FamilySearch_Wiki:WikiProject_Ontario

This project is in the beginning stages, but we hope to make the FamiliySearch Wiki a valuable place to find resource and record help for Ontario genealogists. As we finish Ontario we will move on to complete the same tasks in other provinces of Canada”.

So if you can help in any way, you can email Lisa at mcbridelw@familysearch.org

If you are already helping to read, write or edit Canadian Wiki Project pages at FamilySearch, let me know, so that I and the readers of this blog can recognize your good work.

Nassagaweya History Day, Campbellville, Ontario

The Nasagiweya Historical Society tells us that a day which focuses on Nassagaweya Township history and families, photo and local history exhibits will be held on Saturday April 6th from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.

There will also be a book launch for the new book Death Notices and Obituaries of Nassagaweya compiled by Joy Simpson.

The event will be held at the Nassagaweya Tennis Centre & Community Hall, Guelph Line/401, Campbellville, Ontario, and there will be free admission, and refreshments available.

You can either call Audrey Allison at 519.837.9288, or click on the website at www.nasagiweyahistoricalsociety.com/id9.html

Genealogy Resources Class at Oakville Public Library, Oakville, Ontario

The OPL is offering two classes in genealogy, and they are -

Ancestry Library Edition

Interested in researching your family roots?

This hands-on workshop will introduce you to Ancestry Library Edition and other library resources that will help you get started.

Tuesday, April 9 from 10:00am – 11:30am

Cost: Free

Genealogy Online

Feeling overwhelmed trying to sift through all of the genealogical information available on the web? This hands-on workshop shows you the best websites to use when researching your family history.

Cost: $5.65 to attend the class.

Thursday, May 16 from 10:00am – 11:00am

To register, go to www.opl.on.ca/blog/type/genealogy

The United Church of Canada’s Toronto Archives Is Moving

This is a press release that was released on their website on March 6, 2013, and may be of interest to my readers -

Toronto: The United Church of Canada announced today that its Toronto-based archives will be moving this summer from its current location at the United Church’s national office in west-end Toronto to the Toronto Christian Resource Centre in the Regent Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto.

In announcing the decision on the new location for the archives, Nora Sanders, General Secretary of the General Council, said, “I am pleased that this move will mean not only that we will be saving a considerable amount of money but also that as a tenant we will be financially supporting a local United Church ministry.”

Sanders says that in addition to being able to house the United Church’s archival collection now located at the General Council Office at 3250 Bloor Street West in Toronto, the new location at 40 Oak Street offers more than enough space to accommodate records that are currently stored off-site at an archival facility.

She explains the decision to move the archives ahead of the anticipated relocation of the General Council Office to Bloor Street United Church in 2018 was an opportunity that made financial sense for all parties to the five-year lease agreement.

The United Church of Canada supports a network of archives situated in eight different locations throughout Canada. The archives in Toronto manages the records of the General Council and the Central Ontario Conference records of Bay of Quinte, London, Hamilton, Manitou, and Toronto Conferences and their respective presbyteries and pastoral charges. The church’s archives outside of Ontario are not affected by the move.

The United Church’s Toronto archives moved to its current location in 2008, after more than 50 years on the campus of the University of Toronto’s Victoria University. No decision has been made about whether the Archives will move again when the General Council Office relocates to Bloor Street United Church.

Nichole Vonk, General Council Archivist, will oversee the monumental task of moving close to 20,000 boxes of records to the new site. The church will be contracting specialized movers, the new location will meet the institutional standards set by the Canadian Council of Archives, and all the records will continue to be administered by professional staff.

Although not located directly on a subway line, the Archives’ new location at 40 Oak Street is easily accessible by public transit, will have on-site parking, and is closer to the United Church’s theological school at the University of Toronto.

While planning and preparations are underway to move the collection from its current location,

•the Archives will remain open during regular public hours until June 6, 2013.

•the Archives will not receive any records deposits after April 30, 2013. Records can be donated to the Archives when it reopens in September 2013.

•the Archives will be closed to all researchers June 10–September 15, 2013, reopening in the new location September 16, 2013.

•the Archives will continue to provide reference service for certificates or legal requests while it is closed to the public.

Vonk emphasizes that, throughout the transition, the church remains committed to providing continued uninterrupted, open access to its archival records related to residential schools for the purposes of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

For up-to-date information about The United Church of Canada’s archival programs and on the move, see the Archives webpage. Questions and concerns about the move should be directed to Nichole Vonk, General Council Archivist.

The archival website is at www.united-church.ca/local/archives/on

Tracing Forward - Searching for Relatives in Recent Times

Toronto Branch of the OGS has just issued a Call for Presentations for a fall workshop titled “Tracing Forward - Searching for Relatives in Recent Times”.

The aim of this workshop, to be held on Saturday 26 October, is to offer new ideas, skills or tools to help researchers trace members of their expanded family trees, people who might still be alive or recently deceased. We are hoping to receive proposals from professional genealogists, family historians, private investigators, legal experts and heir searchers.

The deadline for proposals is Friday 31 May. 

The website is at www.torontofamilyhistory.org

Toronto Tax Assessment Rolls for 1853

The Toronto Branch of the OGS has produced an indexed transcription of the Toronto tax assessment rolls for 1853. The original assessment rolls for 1853 are at the City of Toronto Archives.

There are two parts of the assessment rolls -

The first part of the project is a searchable online index available on this web site www.ontarioroots.com/ogs

The index (more than 9,000 names of owners and occupiers) and images is available free of charge to researchers around the world.

The second part of the project is a book and CD version of the index with lots more information for researchers with interests in mid-19th century Toronto.

There are maps and descriptions of the wards and streets, vital records, religious records and cemeteries, land records, immigration, directories, published sources and historical background.

You can order the book or CD version Toronto in the 1850s: A transcription of the 1853 tax assessment rolls and guide to family history research. The ordering instruction are on www.torontofamilyhistory.org/otherpubs.html#assessrolls

One More River to Cross: Tales of the Underground Railroad

The Canadian Museum of Civilization is going to present the story of Isaac Brown, a Maryland slave. Historians and masterful storytellers Shannon and Bryan Prince bring to life this remarkable true story with hauntingly beautiful songs by Denise Pelley and Tom Starks.

It will be held on Saturday, February 21 in the theatre of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, and tickets are $5.00. They are available online, at the Museum Box Office, or by calling 819-776-7000

The website of the Black History month is at www.civilization.ca/event/one-more-river-to-cross-tales-of-the-underground-railroad?calendar_date=2013-02-23&cm_mid=2217850&cm_crmid={76C38DEF-186A-E211-9333-005056A35E1C}&cm_medium=email

Genealogy Fair

There will be a Genealogy Fair at the London Public Library, Westmount Branch, 3200 Wonderland Rd. S. London from Saturday, 16 Feb 2013 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

The Westmount Branch is planning a Genealogy Fair in honour of Heritage Week. For details, please check with staff .

No Registration Required

Feel free to drop in anytime during the day.

The web site for information is at www.londonpubliclibrary.ca/research/genealogy

Irish Palatine Group Sponsors Ontario Genealogical Tour

The Irish Palatines have the Irish Palatines in Ontario Tour in September of this year. And it seems like they will be visiting many spots of interest to the Irish Palatines in Ontario.

Here is the press release that was sent out a few days ago -

The Irish Palatine Special Interest Group (IP-SIG) is pleased to sponsor a 10-day Irish Palatines in Ontario Tour to take place September 5-15, 2013. You do not have to be a member of the IP-SIG in order to join us on the tour.

However, seating is limited and the bus is already over half full so if you want to be part of the Tour, book your seat today. Download the Tour brochure that outlines the places we will visit, as well as the cost. The tour brochure is available at http://briandunk.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/tour-brochure-final.pdf

The tour will highlight several Irish Palatine settlement areas and we will meet various Palatine descendants along the way. The tour also includes visits to many major historical and tourists sites across Ontario. Accommodations will be at quality hotels in the heart of several major Ontario cities as well as a one night stop at a lovely, large Ontario cottage country resort.

If you are interested in joining our tour, please do not hesitate to contact "Great Canadian Holidays" for details at 1-800-467-8687 (ext. 280).

They now have a WordPress page at www.ogs.on.ca/ip-sig , in addition to the website at www.ogs.on.ca/ireland

Reminder: If you want the GenealogyCanada blog updates to come to you everyday in your email, send your address to genealogycanada@aol.com with the subject heading Blog Update, and I will put you on the email list.

UPDATE: Cemetery Project – Ontario GenWeb

The Cemetery Project Section of the Ontario GenWeb was updated Feb 11th.

Additions have been made to the names, when the person born, and when they died.

The following are the cemeteries that were updated –

Brant County:

- Farringdon Cemetery

Essex County:

- McDowell Cemetery

Grey County:

- Greenwood Cemetery

- Salem Cemetery

- St George's Cemetery

Haldimand County:

- Canborough Cemetery

Halton County:

- Lowville United Church Cemetery

Huron County:

- Greenhill Cemetery

Leeds County:

- Abandoned / Brennan Cemetery

- Blanchard Cemetery

- Maple View Lodge Cemetery

- Soper's Cemetery

- Weeks Cemetery

Middlesex County:

- Oakland Cemetery

- Strathroy Cemetery

Norfolk County:

- Port Ryerse Memorial Church Cemetery

Simcoe County:

- Minesing Union Cemetery

Waterloo County:

- Elmira Union Cemetery

- Riverside Cemetery

- St James Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery

Welland County:

- Hansler's / Christ Brethern Church Cemetery

Wentworth County:

- Hamilton Cemetery

- Winona (Fifty) Cemetery

Thanks to the many volunteers who put this information, and take the photos, and to Sherri Pettit who puts it on the Ontario GenWeb site.

This is a FREE site, and the volunteers do not get paid.

You can go to
http://canadacems.blogspot.ca/2013/02/ontario-update.html

Ontario Genealogical Society’s Cemeteries Project

There will be a meeting at the Hamilton Branch of the OGS on Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 2:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the Hamilton Room, Hamilton Main Public Library, 55 York Blvd., Hamilton .

The topic will be Ontario Cemeteries, and the speakers will be Diane Clendenan and Marjorie Stuart.

The presentation will describe what is available at present in Ontario with respect to records and plans of cemeteries, photos of gravestones, and future plans for the Society’s Ontario Cemeteries Project.

You may contact www.ogs.on.ca/hamilton

Ontario Cemetery Locator http://ogs.andornot.com/CemLocat.aspx Records for all Ontario cemeteries, both existent and non-existent, cairns, columbariums, family plots, and burial registers, that have been identified by the Ontario Genealogical Society at this time

Cemeteries and Name Indexes www.ogs.on.ca/services/indexes.php This index includes names taken from transcriptions of the monumental inscriptions, cemetery records, and other sources that have been identified by various groups.

Family Heritage Day

There will be an open house at the Brant Branch OGS, 118 Powerline Rd in Brantford on February the 18th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

All our facilities will be available for examination and research.

No admission charge.

There is adequate parking.

For details and directions please call 519-753-4140 or e-mail brantogs@bellnet.ca

To go to the website, click on to www.ogs.on.ca/brant

Leeds and Grenville OGS Involved with Marking Lost Cemetery

A long-neglected cemetery connected to the House of Industry that is now Maple View Lodge near Athens, Ontario will be cordoned off this spring with a fence surrounding approximately 150 gravesites.

The facility was built in 1895, it was the first house for the poor east of Toronto, and it could hold 90 'inmates'. Among the first inmates were 38 Canadians, 15 Irish, nine English, two French and two Americans.

Leeds and Grenville Branch of the OGS has been busy with the project, and if you want to know more about it, you can go to the Brockville Recorder newspaper site at http://www.recorder.ca/2013/01/15/project-marks-lost-cemetery
The Leeds and Grenville ranch of the OGS websuite is at www.leedsandgrenvillegenealogy.com

© Elizabeth Lapointe All Rights Reserved

East Nissouri History Book – Sold Out

We get this news from The Tracer, the newsletter the Oxford Genealogical Society that “The East Nissouri History Book was published late last year and we hear that it is now sold out. However, it is not too late to submit your family story or something about the East Nissouri community. The History committee will be publishing an annual supplement that they hope will be a repository of bits and pieces of history that might otherwise be lost.

If you didn’t get your family story into the History Book and you run across old photos in the attic or if you want to share your knowledge of the history of a business, an organization or a person in your community. Please contact Patti at eastnissouri@gmail.com or call 519-539-2013.

If you didn’t get a copy of the East Nissouri History book, a copy is available for research at our Resource Centre, 82 Light Street, Woodstock.

The website of the Oxford Genealogical Society is www.oxford.ogs.on.ca

Waterloo Region Branch Will Hold Annual Meeting

The Region III Annual Meeting will be hosted by the Waterloo Region Branch on April 20, 2013, at the Preston Legion, 334 Westminster Drive North, Cambridge, Ontario.

Registration will start at 8:45 on Saturday, and at 9:30, there will be a talk by Darryl Bonk, founder “Waterloo Region Generations,” former Director London and Kitchener Family History Centres, member of Waterloo Region al Heritage Foundation, and Waterloo Region Branch Executive member, and his topic will be “What IS on the Internet”

Before the afternoon session starts at 2:00 pm, there will be vendors onsite to visit, the Waterloo Region Branch will have its AGM, and you will be able to find out what is going on at the OGS head office in Toronto.

The afternoon talk starts at 2:00 pm will feature Ruth Blair of Blair Archival Research, and she will talk on ”What is NOT on the Internet”.

To download a Registration form visit www.WaterlooOGS.ca

For further information contact the Branch at watogs@yahoo.com

Crouse-Wanamaker Lecture

Lynn Heale, Membership Co-ordinator of the Quinte Branch OGS tells us of a meeting which will take place (today) on Saturday January 19th at 1 p.m. It will be the Crouse-Wanamaker Lecture, honouring the founders of Quinte Branch.

This year, they will proudly present Historian & Author Gerry Boyce.

Mr. Boyce will speak on his project to update his book Historic Hastings published in 1967. "A lot has happened in the 45 years since Historic Hastings was published." This new book will highlight events of the past four decades and will be a companion volume to the original publication. Historic Hastings is scheduled to be reprinted with an updated index.

Mr. Boyce, who lives in Belleville and spent more than three decades in the education field, was instrumental in establishing several local museums and the Hastings County Historical Society.

The meeting will take place at the Quinte West City Hall Library, 7 Creswell Drive, Trenton, Ontario.

For more information, go to www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canqbogs

London & Middlesex County Branch of the OGS Holds Meeting

On the 5 February 2013, David R. Elliott will speak on "New Strategies in Irish Parish Register Indexing". 

David is a professional genealogical researcher, historian, author, has spent several summers recording church records in Ireland.

The Annual Meeting of the London & Middlesex County Branch, OGS, will also be conducted.

The website is http://londonmiddlesex.ogs.on.ca

PostScript: David ‘s latest book Researching Your Irish Ancestors at Home and Abroad has just been released, and it will be excerpted and a book review will be in the May2013 issue of Families.

The Ontario Genealogical Society website is at http://www.ogs.on.ca

2013 Anniversaries of OGS Branches

The following Branches of the OGS are celebrating anniversaries this year -

London-Middlesex Branch OGS is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, and they are going to have a new website. They are located at http://londonmiddlesex.ogs.on.ca

Kingston Brach OGS is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and its website is at www.ogs.on.ca/kingston

Kent County OGS is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, and it is located at http://ogs.on.ca/kent

Leeds & Grenville Branch OGS is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, and its website is located at www.leedsandgrenvillegenealogy.com

Perth County Branch OGS is celebrating its 30th anniversity this year, and its website is located at www.ogs.on.ca/perth

Sault Ste. Marie & District of Algoma Branch OGS is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and its website is located at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onogsssm/index.html

I wrote about the 30th Anniversary Celebration to be held at the Simcoe County Branch on the 14th of January in a blog entitled 30th Anniversary Celebration at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.ca/2013/01/30th-anniversary-celebration.html

Ancestry Update: Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928

Ancestry.ca has updated some of the images on their database - Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928.

Images are important because they are copies of original record and additional information may be found on them. So be sure to view the corresponding image, if there is one available.

If the ancestor you are researching does not have an original record yet, keep going back to the records to see if an image has been added. If the image has been added, more information is usually available in the images themselves than is found in an index.

For those who have yet to search these records, the database is a collection of approximately 3.2 million marriages recorded in Ontario, Canada between 1801 and 1928.

The records include -

•Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928 (MS 932, Archives of Ontario)

•Division Registrar Vital Statistics Records, 1858-1918 (MS 940, Archives of  Ontario) [However, there are very few marriages in this record set.]

•Marriage License Books, 1907-1910 (MS 945, Archives of Ontario)

•Delayed Registrations of Marriages, 1892-1919 (MS 948, Archives of Ontario)

•District Marriage Registers, 1801-1858 (MS 248, Archives of Ontario)

•Roman Catholic Marriage Registers, 1828-1870 (MS 248, Archives of Ontario) Indexed by Genealogical Research Library (no images available)

•Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1919 (MS 932, Archives of Ontario), and County Marriage Registers, 1858-1869 (microfilm, Family History Library) (the FHL microfilm is of Archives of Ontario microfilm series MS 248, reels 5-18)

The records are at http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=7921