Crowd sourcing transcription - is it useful?

Everyone knows that people have been busy at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) digitizing the service files of the men and women who enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First World War.

Now, it is disclosed that 1,000 files (which is a small sample) of the medical records section of the service files - the form of temperature charts, dental records and medical case sheets has been transcribed and given to the public.

Read about it at http://blog.muninn-project.org/node/79

The press release says that “The transcribed data generated has value for researchers in handwriting recognition, and archival and medical institutions’. What about genealogists – we use these papers in our research too! 

So how useful is this form of transcription? Is crowd sourcing transcription a good way to do it? How accurate will it be? They say it will be verified by computer.

Kingston Penitentiary inmate mug shots

The Kingston Penitentiary was located in Kingston, Ontario, and the penitentiary produced a series of Kingston Penitentiary Inmate History Description Ledgers from 1913 to 1916 in which there is detailed informant on each of the prisoners.

The ledger includes frontal and profile mug shots, the inmate’s name, alias, age, place of birth, height, weight, complexion, eye colour, hair colour, distinctive physical marks, occupation, sentence, date of sentence, place of sentence, crime committed, and remarks of authorities.

The ledger books are held by the Library and Archives Canada.

The ledger books are now on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/sets/72157649959725467/#

Information on The Kingston Penitentiary is at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingston_Penitentiary

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-23-february-2013.html

 

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since

April 23, 2012.

 

Day-long seminar at the BCGS

On Saturday, May 9, 2015, Jill Morelli, an sole proprietor of Cascade Research Services, will present talks at a day-long meeting of the 2015 British Columbia Genealogical Society (BSGS) Genealogy & Family History Seminar.

She will be giving talks on The “Push” and the “Pull”: Emigration Decision-Making in the 19th Century and From Scandinavia to the United States in the mid 1800’s: two case studies – one Norwegian and one Swedish – but interesting for anyone with European roots.

Another talk will be I Found My Family on the Internet! Now what do I do? – explore four major Internet locations and learn what to look for to determine whether it is worth using, and analyzing the records.

Doors open at 10:00 am / Seminar 10:30 am to 4:30 pm, and it will take place at South Arm United Church, 11051 No. 3 Road (corner of No. 3 Road & Steveston Highway) Richmond, BC.

Refreshments and lunch will be included with your tickets.

Early Bird Prices until April 15, 2015 – Tickets $44.00 for BCGS & Affiliate [Society] Members; $55.00 for non-members.

After April 15th, the prices increase to $55.00 for BCGS & Affiliate (Society) Members;
$65.00 for non-members.

To register, please contact Susan Snalam at 604-273-8209, email domers4@shaw.ca OR Eunice Robinson at 604-596-2811, email eunice@dccnet.com, and then send your cheque, made out to the BCGS, at PO Box 88054, Lansdowne Mall, Richmond, BC V6X 3T6 or pay at BCGS meetings.

The BCGS Boutique will be there too! You can vist the Boutique is at http://www.bcgs.ca/?page_id=23

The website of the BCGS is at http://www.bcgs.ca/

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-23-february-2013.html

 

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

 

Do you have Yukon ancestors?

If you have Yukon ancestors, and wonder if there are records to research. There are, and they are at the Yukon Archives in Whitehorse.

They hold manuscript collections that include diaries, correspondence, draft articles or books of persons engaged in exploration, transportation, the arts, politics, and etc.

Plus there are photographs, slides, postcards, stereocards and negatives, as well as movies and sound recordings onsite.

To go to the archives, go to http://www.tc.gov.yk.ca/archives.html

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-23-february-2013.html

 

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

  

So how is your genealogy?

For genealogists, these are words to live by - Don't let the internet be your first stop when researching your family history. And the words are written by someone who should know - the former executive director of the Ontario Genealogical Society Dr. Fraser Dunford. These thoughts are in a column for the Peterborough This Week online newspaper published 23 February 2015.

He goes on to say that If you use only the internet, you will have a rather pathetic family history. And a confused one, I might add.

The first objective in genealogy is to properly identify the people involved, and this means that you have to have the correct people. And this means you must do more genealogy than that offered by online databases.

H ends his column with these words of wisdom - Remember that oral information has to be verified. It will tell you what to look for but does not excuse you from looking.

So how is your genealogy? Have you done all that you can to make sure that you have put the correct person in your genealogy?  Did you check those family stories against the historical record in the library and archives?

The full article is here http://www.mykawartha.com/opinion-story/5443963-don-t-let-the-internet-be-your-first-stop-when-researching-your-family-

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-23-february-2013.html

 

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

 

 

 

Need help in finding your Canadian Ancestors?

Michael D. from Florida says that“

'Ms. Elizabeth Lapointe is an experienced professional with a broad-based detailed knowledge of the available genealogical documentary resources, together with an understanding of the colonial and modern history, economy, and sociology of the French and English aspects of Canada. For a client, she is both a teacher and a guide into the field of genealogy'.

If you do, go to Elizabeth Lapointe Research Services and see how I can help you find that elusive Canadian ancestor.

Great service. Reasonably priced. Website: www.elrs.biz

Glossary of Newfoundland terms

Ever wonder what bye-boats are? What a fishing room is? Or a Planter?

You may have come across these terms when you were doing Newfoundland and Labrador genealogy, and were unfamiliar with them, but these are words that have been used in Newfoundland speech over the years.

Now there is a glossary of terms on the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage site at http://www.heritage.nf.ca/glossary.html which can help you.

Of course, you should also visit Newfoundland’s Grand Banks at http://ngb.chebucto.org/, and Family History of Society of Newfoundland and Labrador at http://www.fhsnl.ca/

By the way, a bye-boat is an inshore fishing boats owned and operated by fishers annually migrating as passengers from England, a Fishing room is the waterfront area from which a fishery was conducted (and each family had their own 'room' as soon as they arrived from the British Isles or Europe in the spring), and a Planter was a settler in Newfoundland, rather than a migratory fisherman, who supported himself through the inshore boat fishery.

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-23-february-2013.html

 

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

UPDATE: OGS Conference – Interview No 3

­Patti Mordasewicz, Conference Chair of the OGS Conference in Barrie, Ontario interviews Kirsty Gray, known to many people around the world as one of the founder of The Surname Society, and as a founder member and Chair (now Secretary) of the Society for One-Place Studies.

She will be holding a workshop at the conference (plus two lectures), and will be the keynote speaker. 

Her workshop will be on surname studies, and the keynote address on Friday evening will be entitled If I Could Turn Back Time.

To view the YouTube interview, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGnIGx8xkVk

And to review the other interviews on this blog, you can go to the following websites -

Interview No 1 with Thomas MacEntee and Dr. Janet Few at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/update-ogs-conference-interviews.html

Interview No 2 with Dr. Maurice Gleeson at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/another-ogs-interview.html

The OGS website is at http://www.ogs.on.ca/

The Conference Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioGenealogicalSocietyConference?ref=hl

 

 

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadfian-news-in-review-16-february.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since

..                                                         April 23, 2012.

RootsTech 2015 - Day 1

So far, there has been two live videos from RootsTech 2015 at Salt Lake City, and they were -

Dear Myrt’s Mondays with Myrt – This was a 2-hour long video hosted on Monday by Dear Myrt from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Some of her guests were Hilary Gadsby from Wales, who blogs at The Edge of Snowdonia; Jill Ball from Australia, who blogs at GeniAus; and Michael Leclerc, who works and blogs for Mocavo. She also interviews David Pugmire from FamilySearch, who directs this year's Innovator Summit, which is to be held today at RootsTech 2015.

The second video was from Jill Ball, recapping Mondays With Myrt with her pictures that she took at the Family History Library. She provided a good synopsis of the meeting, and at the end of the video, said that she would be reporting on Tuesday’s supper with her friends from Australia and other Commonwealth countries.

RootsTech 2015 is on at Salt Lake City until Saturday, 14 February 2015.

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-09-february-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Nova Scotia Heritage Day Honours Viola Irene Desmond

Nova Scotia will be celebrating its first Heritage Day public holiday this month, and on 16 February 2015, it will recognize Viola Irene Desmond (née Davis, 1914-1965), an African Nova Scotian woman from New Glasgow who challenged the province's systemic racial discrimination.

This incident, in which she refused to sit in the balcony of a movie theatre, was 9 years previous to the Rosa Parks bus incident in the United States. She was convicted of a minor tax violation on her movie ticket, which was used to enforce segregation in the movie theatres of Nova Scotia.

She fought the violation all the way to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia the following year, and she won.

In the Nova Scotia Archives, they have the court case documents, newspaper coverage, and also background reading at the following sites -

Court Case Documents - http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/desmond/court.asp

Newspaper Coverage - http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/desmond/results.asp?Search=&Start=21

Background Reading - http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/desmond/background.asp

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-02-february-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Peterborough Archives to re-open soon

Did you know that the Peterborough Archives―located in Peterborough, Ontario―has been closed over the past two years in order to build a new onsite storage facility? The collections have now been returned from temporary storage, and the grand re-opening will take place on February 12, 2015.

For details on the Museum Renewal Project, go to http://www.peterboroughmuseumandarchives.ca/What_s_On/Museum_Renewal.htm

Plans are underway for a large public open house to be held on May 24, 2015.

The following records are held in the archival facilities of the museum and archives -

• Personal letters, correspondence, journals, and diaries of individuals.
• Maps, civil plans, records, and surveys
• Photographs and albums
• Early business records of notable Peterborough companies
• Early catalogues and promotional material
• Clubs and associations records and minute books
• Early Peterborough Examiner newspapers Records of Peterborough County Court, 1830-1900

The website is http://www.peterboroughmuseumandarchives.ca

Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peterborough-Museum-Archives/112608310308

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-02-february-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Manitoba Adoption Records

There is great news coming from Manitoba. They will be opening birth records related to adoption.

The changes to The Adoption Act and The Vital Statistics Act will allow for more openness with respect to birth records related to adoption. Adult adoptees and birth parents can access birth record information and protect their information.

The new legislation is expected to come into effect in June 2015. Manitoba’s new legislation will allow adoptees and birth parents to access available identifying information. It will also allow them to keep their information confidential if they wish.

You can read the press release at http://news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html?item=30552

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-02-february-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Dear Myrt’s Beginning Genealogy - Session 5

As previously promised in my blog on 06 January 2015 at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/beginning-genealogy-study-group.html, I am reporting on Dear Myrt’s Beginning Genealogy study group as it proceeds. I watched Session 5 yesterday, and the two top things that were discussed were -

1. Software – We need some sort of tree to keep the information that we find, and Dear Myrt asked us take a Google or an Excel sheet and make four columns – 1) Online trees 2) Software 3) Analysis 4) Family Search Certified.

Then fill in the spaces with the different trees that are available.

For example, there are Ancestry Trees, MyHeritage trees available for column #1; there is Family Tree Maker and RootsMagic for column #2; Evidenta and GenSmarts for column #3; and then find out which is FamilySearch Certified for column #4.

She emphasized that no matter which one of ones you chose, go with the one that your nearest genealogical group uses so that if you run into problems, or you have questions to ask, there is somebody in your group that you can go to. Very sage advice.

2. The second part of the class was devoted to the Research Records, and she briefly touched on Country of Origin, and how they would affect your method of research. The website is at https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/United_States_Naturalization_and_Citizenship

Please remember that there will not be a class next week (11 February 2015) because Dear Myrt will be at RootsTech 2015 in Salt Lake City. Class will return on 18 February 2015 with Lesson 6.

Session 1 - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/dear-myrts-beginning-genealogy-session-1.html

Session 2 - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/dear-myrts-beginning-genealogy-session-2.html

Session 3 - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/dear-myrts-beginning-genealogy-session-3.html

Session 4 - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/dear-myrts-beginning-genealogy-session-4.html

Remember to make yourself a member of Dear Myrt’s Genealogy Community before watching the YouTube Google+ Hangout on Air by going to https://plus.google.com/communities/104382659430904043232

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-02-february-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

The Home Front, 1917 exhibit

Library and Archives Canada Photographer: W.J. Topley Studio PA-042857

The Canadian War Museum will open an exhibit to the public on February 19, 2015 called The Home Front, 1917. It will how the war changed Canadian society by delving into the themes of politics, economy, industry, and family life.

 

The press release says, “Among other things, The Home Front, 1917 examines the conscription crisis, explaining how Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden initially promised not to introduce the draft, but changed his mind in 1917, when the number of Canadian soldiers killed in Europe vastly outstripped the number of voluntary recruits. It outlines the bitter debate that led to riots in Quebec, pockets of resistance elsewhere in the country and Borden’s decision to grant the vote to women whose next of kin were serving in the war in the hope they would bolster his electoral fortunes”. 

 

Two lasting legacies of the war at home were the women’s suffrage (extended in 1918 to all adult women British subjects), and income tax!!! 

 

The Canadian War Museum website is at http://www.warmuseum.ca/home

 

 

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-02-february-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

"Tracks through Time" - OGS Conference 2015

Online registration is now open for this year's Ontario Genealogical Society annual conference Tracks through Time from 29-31 May 2015 at Georgian College Campus, Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

The conference theme originates from the 130th anniversary of the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway across Canada. Many family historians have their roots in the immigrant labourers who built this railway across our vast country. Other ancestors were tempted by the transportation routes and migration opportunities allowed by its completion. Still others worked for the railway company itself, over the years to follow.

Shirley Sturdevant, past-president of the OGS, says “As researchers, we 'track' our family history through time in many ways, always attempting to ensure we are 'tracking' the right people from the right line. The variations on 'Tracks through Time' are endless”.

View program and registration details at http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference and join hundreds of other family historians seeking new methods and record groups for tracking their families though time.

Follow updates on the OGS website, http://www.ogs.on.ca, as well as Facebook and Twitter, and watch for video interviews with some of the conference speakers on the OGS YouTube channel.

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-02-february-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Update: FamilySearch.org Newfoundland Census

 

FamilySearch has made the following update to Newfoundland records as follows -

 

Newfoundland Census 1921 - https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2226517?et_cid=48696254&et_rid=839174644&linkid=https%3a%2f%2ffamilysearch.org%2fsearch%2fcollection%2f2226517&cid= 

 

Newfoundland Census 1935 - https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2246711?et_cid=48696254&et_rid=839174644&linkid=https%3a%2f%2ffamilysearch.org%2fsearch%2fcollection%2f2246711&cid= 

 

Newfoundland Census 1945 - https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2246699?et_cid=48696254&et_rid=839174644&linkid=https%3a%2f%2ffamilysearch.org%2fsearch%2fcollection%2f2246699&cid= 

 

Newfoundland is different from the rest of Canada because it did not become a province until 1949. Before that time, it was a colony of Great Britain, and the normal rules for the releasing of census records did not apply until they became a province. 

 

Also, if you want to learn more about Newfoundland and Labador, you can read up on the records at the FamilySearch Wiki page at https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Newfoundland_and_Labrador_Genealogy 

 

The two genealogy websites for Newfoundland and Labador are Newfoundland's Grand Banks Genealogy Site at http://ngb.chebucto.org/index.html, and the Family History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador at http://www.fhsnl.ca/

 

 

 

 

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

 

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-02-february-2015.html 

 

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

 

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23,  2012. 

FREE Conference to be held in Toronto

Mike Wilcox, of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, has sent this news along about the one-day conference to be held in Toronto on 07 February 2015.

The Dictionary of Canadian Biography and the Department of History, University of Toronto, are pleased to invite you to our upcoming Biography and Fiction Conference.

This one-day conference will be taking place at Alumni Hall, Victoria College, at the University of Toronto on Saturday, February 7th, from 9:30-4:00.

There are four esteemed and engaging speakers, including:

Margaret Atwood - “Whose Life Is It Anyway?”

Natalie Zemon Davis - “Marguerite de Roberval: Biographies of a Legend”

Renée Hulan - “Biography, Fiction, and the Historian’s Craft”

Mark McGowan - “When Biography Meets Clio’s Imagination: Michael Power and a Cast of Characters”

Please visit the website http://biographi.ca/en/article/biography_and_fiction.html for conference details. This is a FREE event, and there is no need to register.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Michael Wilcox at michael.wilcox@mail.utoronto.ca

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-02-february-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Canadian Week in Review - 02 February 2015

I have come across the following Canadian websites, social media websites, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too.

This Week in Canadian History

February 1, 1799 - Royal Assent is given by the British government to change the name of Île St- Jean to Prince Edward Island. It was named after George III’s son – Prince Edward Augustus.
   To read more, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Prince_Edward_Island

February 1, 1854 - Fire destroys Parliament Buildings at Montreal, Québec. The government is transferred to Toronto, and from there, it will be transferred to Ottawa in 1867.
   For more, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_the_Parliament_Buildings_in_Montreal

February 2, 1800 - Massachusetts farmer Philemon Wright—attracted by offers of free land in Canada—leaves Woburn with 25 men, their wives, and 15 children to travel by sleigh to the Chaudière Falls on the Ottawa River. They founded Wrightstown, later known as Hull, and today, it is known as Gatineau, Quebec.
   To read the full story of Gatineau, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatineau

Social Media

Toronto Custom House Records
http://wherethestorytakesme.ca/toronto-customs-house
   Jane MacNamara writes about the records of the Toronto Custom House Archives (fond 214) that are found in the Archives of Ontario.

Articles

Ontario

Fiona McKean and Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke buy Opinicon Resort
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/fiona-mckean-and-shopify-ceo-tobi-l%C3%BCtke-buy-opinicon-resort-1.2933662
   Short-term plans include reopening the Opinicon restaurant and ice cream shop for this summer.

Second bid launched to dub Manitoba-Ontario area world heritage site
http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/politics/archives/2015/01/20150126-192214.html
   Ontario, Manitoba, five First Nations, and the federal government have teamed up again to have land on the east side of Lake Winnipeg declared a world heritage site.

The man who pointed the way to the Erebus: Louie Kamookak on searching for the Franklin expedition
http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/01/23/the-man-who-pointed-the-way-to-the-erebus-louie-kamookak-on-searching-for-the-franklin-expedition
   Louie Kamookak, an amateur historian from the hamlet of Gjoa Haven, spent 30 years collecting oral histories from Inuit elders and comparing them to the journals of subsequent expeditions. He came up with a theory of where the ships might be found, one that gave the Parks Canada explorers a much better idea of where to start looking.

Portrait of Simcoe County's first judge ready to be unveiled after months of restoration work
http://www.orilliapacket.com/2015/01/25/portrait-of-simcoe-countys-first-judge-ready-to-be-unveiled-after-months-of-restoration-work
   Sir James Robert Gowan's portrait is primed for its grand unveiling. Restoring the oil painting, which measures four feet by five feet, has been a costly venture for the Barrie Historical Association (BHA) – at nearly $18,500, including tax.

On Vimy Ridge, mighty oaks will grow again — thanks to a Canadian soldier
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/01/24/on-vimy-ridge-mighty-oaks-will-grow-again-thanks-to-a-canadian-soldier.html
   No trees were left standing in the aftermath of a bloody battle that defined the Canadian effort in the First World War. Thanks to a Canadian soldier and his passionate friend, that’s about to change.

Saskatchewan

Canadian History Ehx: A look back at St. Andrews Ceylon
http://www.grenfellsun.sk.ca/Community/2015-01-25/article-4019979/Canadian-History-Ehx%3A-A-look-back-at-St.-Andrews-Ceylon/1
   The church was officially built in 1889, and was consecrated by Bishop Anson. Donations to build the church came from across the area, and as far away as England.

British Columbia

Chinese historical sights sought in Richmond
http://www.richmond-news.com/news/chinese-historical-sights-sought-in-richmond-1.1740876
   Do you know of a historically significant place in Richmond connected to the Chinese community? If the answer is "yes", the B.C. government wants to know so it can be formally recognized for its heritage value.

Stories of the Week

Black History Month

Canada joins other countries celebrating Black History Month in February every year.

This year, the Governor General has declared 2015 as the Year of Sport in Canada, and Black History Month has taken the opportunity to spotlight Canada’s black athletes as they have performed on the international stage.

I have a bit of common history with one of the people that Heritage Canada highlights at
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/black/photo-sports.asp#a10, and that is Marjorie Turner-Bailey, who won two bronze medals at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City (100 metres, 4x100-metre relay) in track and field, and went on to represent Canada at the 1976 Olympic Summer Games in Montreal.

How many people know that she used to train in the summer by running on the mile-long Crescent Beach that is part of the causeway that leads to her hometown of Lockeport, Nova Scotia? I grew up in the area, and it was always a proud thing to know Marjorie, and follow her career.

You can read all about Black History Month at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/black/index.asp

And for something completely different, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Groundhog Day!

Did you know that the tradition of our Groundhog Day comes to us from Germany? The Germans believed that the badger (their version of our groundhog) had the power to predict the coming of spring. They even watched the badger to know when to plant their crops.

February 2 is Groundhog Day in Canada, and although we don’t use it to predict when to plant our crops, we use it to “indicate’ if there will be six more weeks of winter (if he sees his shadow), or six week to spring (if he does not see his shadow).

Groundhog Day became popular in Canada, as it is today, when, in 1956, Wiarton Willie, from Wiarton, Ontario, became a household name. A festival grew up around him, and today, it is one of the largest winter festivals in Bruce County, Ontario.

Since then, other celebrity groundhogs have popped out and joined Willie from other parts of Canada, including Schubenacadie Sam from Nova Scotia, Gary the Groundhog in Ontario, Brandon Bob in Manitoba, Fred la Marmotte in Quebec, and Balzac Billy in Alberta.

And I forgot to mention last week that on 25 January 1791, the British Parliament approved the Constitutional Act which separated the old province of Quebec into Upper and Lower Canada. Before 1791, Quebec was a colony from Labrador down to the present-day border with the United States at Detroit. After 1840, Lower Canada became Quebec, and Upper Canada became Ontario.

Need help in finding your Canadian ancestors?

If you do, please go to my website, Elizabeth Lapointe Research Services, and see how I can help you find that elusive Canadian ancestor.

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Email: genealogyresearch@aol.com

And that was the week that was in Canadian genealogy, history, and heritage news!

Reminder: Check the Canadian Week in Review next Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country!

If you missed last week's post on 26 January 2015, visit http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-26-january-2015.html

The next Canadian Week in Review will be posted 08 February 2015.