Showing posts with label family history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family history. Show all posts
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Friday, September 6, 2013
Closed for Maintenance
The OGS e-Store site will be closed for maintenance
on Tuesday September 10th from 7 to 9 pm, so the site will not be available
during that time.
The Ontario Genealogical Society website is at
http://www.ogs.on.ca/index.php
One billion global records will be available online
This notice was received yesterday, and it says that Ancestry.com and FamilySearch is going to make a billion records available online over the next five years!
Ancestry.com and
FamilySearch International (FamilySearch.org),
the two largest providers of family history resources, announced today an
agreement that is expected to make approximately 1 billion global historical
records available online and more easily accessible to the public for the first
time. With this long-term strategic agreement, the two services will work
together with the archive community over the next five years to digitize, index
and publish these records from the FamilySearch vault.
The access to the global collection of records marks a major investment in international content as Ancestry.com continues to invest in expanding family history interest in its current markets and worldwide. Ancestry.com expects to invest more than $60 million over the next five years in the project alongside thousands of hours of volunteer efforts facilitated by FamilySearch.
“This agreement sets a path for the future for Ancestry.com and
FamilySearch to increasingly share international sets of records more
collaboratively,” said Tim Sullivan, CEO of Ancestry.com. “A significant part
of our vision for family history is helping provide a rich, engaging experience
on a global scale. We are excited about the opportunities it will bring to help
benefit the family history community and look forward to collaborating with
FamilySearch to identify other opportunities to help people discover and share
their family history.”
The organizations will also be looking at other ways to share content across the two organizations. Both organizations expect to add to the already digitized records shared across the two websites in addition to new record projects to be completed over the next five years.
“We are excited to work with Ancestry.com on a vision we both share,” said Dennis Brimhall, President of FamilySearch. “Expanding online access to historical records through this type of collaboration can help millions more people discover and share their family’s history.”
The organizations will also be looking at other ways to share content across the two organizations. Both organizations expect to add to the already digitized records shared across the two websites in addition to new record projects to be completed over the next five years.
“We are excited to work with Ancestry.com on a vision we both share,” said Dennis Brimhall, President of FamilySearch. “Expanding online access to historical records through this type of collaboration can help millions more people discover and share their family’s history.”
Thursday, September 5, 2013
NIGS appoints a Director of Professional Development
The National Institute for Genealogical Studies (NIGS), the Canadian educational company, announces that Gena Philibert-Ortega has been appointed Director of Professional Development.
In her new position, Philibert-Ortega will be reviewing, updating and overseeing the addition of courses to the program.
Louise St Denis, Managing Director of NIGS, comented that "We are excited to have Gena Philibert-Ortega's involvement in our Professional Development program. Gena has had a successful full-time genealogy career for over 12 years and her experience will assist others as they transition to professional work or continue in their careers."
Philibert-Ortega said "I'm excited about this opportunity to bring courses designed for
In her new position, Philibert-Ortega will be reviewing, updating and overseeing the addition of courses to the program.
Louise St Denis, Managing Director of NIGS, comented that "We are excited to have Gena Philibert-Ortega's involvement in our Professional Development program. Gena has had a successful full-time genealogy career for over 12 years and her experience will assist others as they transition to professional work or continue in their careers."
Philibert-Ortega said "I'm excited about this opportunity to bring courses designed for
those interested in professional genealogy. I'm looking forward to continuing to
grow the program to meet the needs of the genealogy community."
Everyone at The National Institute welcomes Gena Philibert-Ortega to her new
position and looks forward to the growth of the Professional Development
Certificate.
For more information, please visit their site at http://www.genealogicalstudies.com/
or call them toll-free in North America at 1-800-580-0165 or email them at
admin@genealogicalstudies.com
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Nova Scotia 1921 census is being transcribed
More 1921 census records have been added to Dwayne Meisner’s Nova
Scotia site.
Some of them are -
Bill Bruhm has transcribed the 1921 census for several areas in
Lunenburg
County.
County.
The areas are Northfield, which also includes West Northfield,
Cookville, Lower and Upper Northwest, Pine Hurst. He has also transcribed
the Chester Asylum, County Asylum, and the Indian Reserves.
Cookville, Lower and Upper Northwest, Pine Hurst. He has also transcribed
the Chester Asylum, County Asylum, and the Indian Reserves.
In Halifax County, the following areas have been transcribed –
Lawrencetown, County Jail, City Prison, Sable Island Portuguese
Cove in Halifax County, Ketch Harbour, Chebucto Head, Duncan Cove, Bedford
Basin, Rockingham, Mount Saint Vincent, Hammond's Plains, as well as a few
names from Fairview.
Tom Downing has transcribed the census for Seal Harbour in
Guysborough
County. The census also includes Drum Head, Coddles Harbour
County. The census also includes Drum Head, Coddles Harbour
Alan Dinn has transcribed the 1921 census for Clementsport in
Annapolis
County
County
Wendy Morash has transcribed the 1921 census for Peggy's Cove in
Halifax
County. The census also includes Hackett's Cove, Glen Margaret and Indian
Harbour.
County. The census also includes Hackett's Cove, Glen Margaret and Indian
Harbour.
There are other areas that have been transcribed, and he adds to the site daily, so check it often.
Dwayne’s website is http://www.dwaynemeisner.com/census/novascotia/index.php
Are there other areas in Canada being transcribed?
Contact me at genealogycanada@aol.com, so that I can post them. Thank you.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Announcing a new Certificate Design Competition
This press release was just received from the OGS -
"Create a design for a new Heritage Society certificate for
The Ontario Genealogical Society.
As an addition to our current heritage clubs and societies, OGS is
developing the First World War Society for genealogists who
can prove they have one or more ancestors who served with the allied forces in
the First World War.
We need a striking certificate for members of the First
World War Society to proudly display, particularly as we commemorate
the one hundredth anniversary of the start of the First World War next year.
Prize: $500
Design Criteria
Each 8.5" x 11" portrait format certificate design must
have,
- The OGS
logo present somewhere on the certificate (.jpg of the logo may be
obtained by contacting OGS provincial office provoffice@ogs.on.ca)
- Space for
the name(s) of applicant(s)
- Space for
the name of qualifying ancestor
- Space for
the date of issue and signature of the OGS president
- Room for
the OGS seal measuring 5.5 cm in diameter
Please visit the OGS site to view examples of our other
certificates. We are looking for a design that will fit into our collection.
Multiple entries are welcome.
While you may submit your entry in a format of your choice, please
be aware that the OGS office is a PC environment.
Deadline: December 31, 2013
The winner will be contacted in March 2014 and the certificate
will be launched at The Ontario Genealogical Society's Annual Conference May
1st - 4th 2014
Please submit entries and any questions you may have to provoffice@ogs.on.ca
The website is http://www.ogs.on.ca/home/heritage_societies.php
Nova Scotia Obituaries
If you haven’t been to the Nova Scotia
Roots Facebook page and the Nova Scotia Obituaries website yet by Ron Zink, you
should check it out.
The Facebook page has comments by various visitors, and vary up-to-date information on Nova Scotians that you will find helpful.
As the Facebook says "It is an open group, and shares charts, scans, and discusses various family histories".
There are over 67,000 Nova Scotia Obituaries
listed on the websitw http://nsobits.ca/nsobits/default.asp
The Facebook page is at http://www.facebook.com/groups/510478038981398
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Is your ancestor on this list?
And the OGS has a new Heritage Society Certificate on the Father of Confederation.
The certificate is open to anyone who can prove descent from one of these 36 officially-named Fathers of Confederation -
Sir Adams George Archibald
George Brown
Sir Alexander Campbell
Sir Frederick Carter
Sir George-Etienne Cartier
Sir Edward Barron Chandler
Sir Jean-Charles Chapais
Sir James Cockburn
George Coles
Robert B. Dickey
Charles Fisher
Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt
Col John Hamilton Gray
Sir John Hamilton Gray
Sir Thomas Heath Haviland
William Alexander Henry
Sir William Pearce Howland
John Mercer Johnson
Sir Hector-Louis Langevin
Andrew Archibald Macdonald
Sir John A. Macdonald
Jonathan McCully
William Alexander McDougall
Thomas D’Arcy McGee
Peter Mitchell
Sir Oliver Mowat
Edward Palmer
William Henry Pope
John William Ritchie
Sir Ambrose Shea
William H. Steeves
Sir Etienne-Paschal Tache
Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley
Sir Charles Tupper
Edward Whelan
Robert Duncan Wilmot
Go to http://www.ogs.on.ca/home/heritage_societies/Fathers%20of%20Confederation%20Society%20Application.pdf for more information on this society and an application form.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Wesleyan Methodist Baptismal Records
Starting in 1843, Wesleyan Methodist
ministers kept a book of entries for births and baptisms. Each year, they submitted
their book to the Conference Office.
Entries were then copied into the General Register, arranged by township, town, village and circuit. The records of the Wesleyan Methodist Church are from 1826 to 1910.
The United Church of Canada Archives who hold copyright on these records, but they have allowed the OGS to transcribe and sell these records through its thirty Branches located throughout Ontario.
To obtain copies of these baptismal record indexes, contact the Branch in the area in which you are doing your family research.
You can go to the list of Branches within the OGS at http://www.ogs.on.ca/branches.php
Postscript: Remember that these are copies of the original baptismal record. It is best if you can get the original record so that you can be sure that there are not any mistakes in transcribing the copies.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
90th Annual Buxton Homecoming
What
started as a one-day celebration back in 1924, has turned into a four-day
heritage event which will take place this weekend (Aug 31st to Sept
2nd) at the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum, Buxton, Ontario.
Organizers expect nearly 3,000 people will attend the events.
The
event starts on the Friday with a U.S./Canadian history and genealogy
conference at the museum. There will be three speakers and a panel of
students from York University.
Saturday
will feature a baseball tournament with the baseball teams in the form of a
family tree, and Sunday there will be an afternoon church service and an historical
re-enactments at the museum park grounds. There will also be a bronze marker that
will be unveiled in the Buxton cemetery to commemorate Eliza Parker.
Parker
was a historical figure with the Fugitive Slave Act
in the US before coming to Canada and settling in North Buxton in the
mid-1800s.
Then
there will be the North Buxton Parade on Monday, and a midway fairgrounds.
If you want to find out more about the event, you can go to http://www.buxtonmuseum.com
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Find your Ukrainian ancestor at the LAC
The LAC site says "Do you
ever wonder who your first Ukrainian ancestor was and when he or she left the
Ukraine and arrived in Canada? Are you curious about your family’s Ukrainian
heritage?
If so, the Library and Archives Canada is a great place to begin your research.
For
instance, you will find a page specific to genealogical research at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-905.010-e.html
It provides
you with historical background information, archival and published material
from the collection, as well as links to other websites and records".
Saturday, August 24, 2013
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.
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!
Friday, August 23, 2013
Some land records are being digitized
Canadiana.org is a Canadian company in Ottawa which is preserving Canada's published history and is making it available online to everyone – free!
The part of Canadiana.org which interests me is the Heritage Project.
The Heritage Project is going to take some of Canada’s most popular archival collections, such as 60-million pages of FREE primary-source microfilm images from the 1600s to the mid-1900s.
The Heritage Project is going to take some of Canada’s most popular archival collections, such as 60-million pages of FREE primary-source microfilm images from the 1600s to the mid-1900s.
I have read the list and I am impressed! What would have taken me years to find these documents in the different institution across the country, will be appearing online right in my own computer.
One of the first projects that they have done is the Heir and Devisee Commission of the Upper Canada (Ontario) Land Records.
The second commission met in York, and they were restricted to claims to land made by heirs, devisees, or assignees, not by the original nominees themselves
This commission was established by provincial statute in 1797, to clarify the titles to lands in Upper Canada.
There were actually two distinct periods which the commission covered. In the first commission, they heard from people who had originally received the land, their heirs, devisees, and assignees.
Records can include (although not always) affidavits, bonds, location certificates, powers of attorney, orders-in-council, copies of wills, mortgages, deeds of sale, and testimonial letters.
The digitized copies of the microfilm reels onsite appear in the same order as on the microfilm reels themselves. Remember, unfortunately, there is NO index by name.
Alternatively, the records are arranged by district, then by type of document, then in chronological, alphabetical, or numerical order.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Transcription of the 1921 Census
People in Nova Scotia are starting to take matters in their own
hands, and they are transcribing parts of the census themselves.
For example, Dwayne Meisner has “transcribed the 1921 census for
13 Mile House in Halifax County. The census also includes Beaver Bank, Kinsack,
Fall River, Windsor Junction, Lower Sackville, Middle Sackville, Upper
Sackville, Lakeview.
Click on "Halifax" on the map to open the dialog window, and then click on
"Halifax County - 1921". If you are not already a member of my site, you will have to register to view the data. Registration is free.
"Halifax County - 1921". If you are not already a member of my site, you will have to register to view the data. Registration is free.
It is available on his website at
www.dwaynemeisner.com
www.dwaynemeisner.com
There are other people who are doing the same thing.
Diane Tibert has transcribed parts of the Liscomb census, also in
Nova Scotia, at her blog Roots to the Past at http://rootstothepast.wordpress.com/1921-census.
If you have done the same thing, or have done it yourself, and would like to put the fact out
to everyone, send the particular to me,
and I will put it on this blog.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Archive CD Books Canada Inc. joins FindMyPast to bring Canadian Content online
Malcolm Moody has written to tell us that he has reached an agreement
between his company - Archives CD Books Canada Inc. and the FindMyPast people in
England, which will “make the content of a large number of digitized,
genealogical, and historical, document “on line” for consultation through
the excellent data delivery services of FindMyPast.
The newly available Archive CD Books Canada collection consists of
over 200 documents yielding almost 70,000 pages of select information.
“We carefully chose the documents we digitize on the basis of their usefulness
to Family Historians, Genealogists, and Historians” says Malcolm Moody, the
president of Archive CD Books Canada. “We believe people will appreciate
the care we take to provide accurate, clear, readable, images of every printed
page and to hand edit the (invisible) OCRed text to provide researchers with
the best chance of finding every occurrence of their searched for words.”
Continued Moody, “We also make sure that all illustrations and maps in our
source documents are visible in the digitized edition and are included in the
correct location, no mater what size they are.”
Malcolm says that you can still go to
his site at Archives CD Books Canada Inc. if you want to buy the complete book,
but you can go to FindMyPast if you just want a page or portion of a book that
has been digitized .
The collection can be accessed on FindMyPast website (subscription
site) at
http://search.findmypast.com/search/canada-documents,
or you can go to the Archive CD Books Canada Inc. web site at http://www.ArchiveCDBooks.ca
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Tracing Forward ‒ Searching for Relatives in Recent Times
Gwyneth Pearce, Secretary of the Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, let us
know this morning that registration is now open for Tracing Forward - Searching for Relatives in Recent Times, a special fall event
co-sponsored by the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the
Canadiana Department of North York Central Library.
She
says to “Join expert speakers and fellow family history enthusiasts for a full
day of lectures designed for researchers interested in expanding their family
trees to find living relatives. Find out why we all should build
“tracing forward” into our family history research, and discover new tools,
techniques and strategies for tracing people who are either still alive or
recently deceased. Learn how to navigate privacy and access rules and how to
connect with “DNA cousins”, pick up tips from professionals who locate people
for a living, and prepare to be inspired by stories of how family history
mysteries have been solved”.
It
will be held on Saturday, 26 October 2013 at the North York Central Library,
2nd floor Auditorium, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto.
For
full program and speaker information and to register online, visit http://www.torontofamilyhistory.org/TracingForward.html.
OGS members pay reduced fees, and an additional early-bird discount applies for
those who register before 30 September.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Ancestry.ca Clarifies Access to 1921 Canada Census
Jeri
Brown, Senior Consultant with Ancestry.ca, has written to me to make
sure that everyone understands that -
“Under the terms of the partnership with
Library and Archives Canada, Canadians will be able to access the 1921 Census
of Canada images free of charge through the Ancestry.ca website. If you
currently do not have an account or registered login with Ancestry.ca, you will
be prompted to register (for free) to access the images. Registration requires
the entry of a name and email address only. As the images are free for
Canadians only, those attempting to access the 1921 Census via the other sites
(ie: Ancestry.com, Ancestry.co.uk, etc…), will be prompted to sign up for a
14-day free trial”.
Meanwhile, how is
everyone finding the census? Is it easy to work with? Any problems?
I have heard from
some people that the census itself is rather “marked up” and some writing is difficult
to read, and that the names are difficult to decipher.
Other people have said
that they have had no problems, everything has gone as planned, and that they found
the people they were looking for, without delay.
Remember, the "every name index" will be available in 2 -3 months on Ancestry.ca
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
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).
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
FamilySearch.org reaches 100,000 mark
FamilySearch has announced a milestone in its collection of Family History Books.
One hundred thousand books have now been scanned by the
partnership of the Family History Library, Allen County Public Library, and
several other important family history libraries in the world.
These books are online and available to search and use on the
FamilySearch.org website. You can reach the collection by clicking Search
and then Books or by simply clicking the link above.
The majority of the books online are family histories, with a
smaller portion made up of cemetery records, local and county histories,
genealogy magazines, and how-to-books, gazetteers, and medieval histories and
pedigrees.
These valuable aids are viewed by more than 100,000 people a month.
To view the books, go to https://books.familysearch.org/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?dscnt=1&dstmp=1375809771058&vid=FHD_PUBLIC&fromLogin=true
Sunday, August 4, 2013
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.
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