New Minister for Department of Heritage

The now-former Heritage Minister, James Moore, was replaced with Shelly Glover as the new Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages during yesterday’s federal government cabinet shuffle.

Minister Glover, a Métis, is the Member of Parliament for the riding of Saint-Boniface in Manitoba.

Her profile says that “Prior to entering federal politics, Mrs. Glover served as a member of the Winnipeg Police Service for almost 19 years. She had a diverse career in a variety of positions including undercover work, child abuse investigations, youth crime and gang investigations, and general patrol. Mrs. Glover has a high level of proficiency in the French language and was the first female and bilingual spokesperson appointed by her department”.

While we welcome Minister Glover to her new post, you will notice that there is nothing in her profile which would lead anyone to believe that she will be sympathetic to the genealogy community, the Library and Archives Canada, or the 1921 Canadian Census (and its release), as was the impression given by her predecessor Minister Moore, who is now the new Minister of Industry.

But time will tell ...

Toronto Heritage Lecture

The 2013 Toronto History Lecture, titled Mary Mink: The Making of a Myth, will explore the sometimes blurred line between historical fact and historical fiction. James Mink was a successful Black businessman in Toronto in the 1840s and 1850s. His story is one of the best known tales of Black Torontonians in the 19th century, told and retold many times in newspapers and books.

In the 1990s, his story was made into a TV movie, Captive Heart: the James Mink Story, which was broadcast in Canada and the United States. In the screen version of events, Mink arranges for a white man to marry his daughter Mary and then stages a daring rescue when her husband whisks her off to the American South and sells her into slavery. The movie is said to be “based on historical records”, but as Guylaine Pétrin found out through her research, records can lie.

Admission is free, but reservation is required.

Please join us again this year in spreading the word about the Toronto History Lecture. It will be held on August 7th at 7:30 pm at the City of Toronto Archives and is presented jointly by the Archives and the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society.

For further details, including a map and driving directions to the Archives at 255 Spadina Road, visit http://conta.cc/187ZUcY. Questions may be directed to info@torontofamilyhistory.org  or Paul Sharkey (City of Toronto Archives) at 416-392-5561.

We look forward to unravelling the true story of Mary Mink with you on August 7th.

OGS Conference 2014

The OGS Conference 2014 will be held at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario (near Niagara Falls) May 1^st to May 4^th. It will be sponsored by the Niagara  Peninsula Branch OGS.

And already there is a video on the site www.ogs.on.ca/conference2014/index.php, and you can see what is available in the immediate area.

Watch for more news on the conference. It sounds as if it is going to be exciting! 

Canadian Week in Review

Reminder: Check out Canadian Week in Review every Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. The next post will be Monday 15 July, 2013

First military draft of the Second World War

On July 13, 1940, the Canadian government announced the first conscription of the Second World War for 40 days' compulsory military training on or before September 15 by the first draft under the National Mobilization Bill.

The National Mobilization Bill arose because of the stunning German victories in Belgium and France, and we felt, that as a nation, we should get ready to repel the German Forces, if they ever decided to invade out shores. The act enabled the government to requisition the property and services of Canadians for home defence.

Single men between 21 and 34 would be called up first for training. This would affect approximately 800,000 Canadians.

It was modified in August 1942 to permit the government to send conscripts overseas via an order in council after a plebiscite in April 1942. In 1944, the government passed such an order.

To read about the National Mobilization Bill in the newspapers of the day, go to www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/newspapers/canadawar/conscription_e.shtml

The individual forms are available but they cannot be released until the person has been dead for 20 years. It will cost $40.00 to get access to the record. You also need a death certificate, or an obituary notice can be accepted.

You can send inquiries to Census Pension Searches Unit, Census Operation  Division, Statistics Canada, B1E-34 Jean Talon Bldg, Tunney’s Pasture, Ottawa, ON K1A 0T6  

Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics

An additional 25,120 historical vital statistics have been added to the Nova Scotia Vital Statistics website. 

These records were released on 31 December 2012 and since then have been digitized, fully indexed and checked for quality control. 

This year's accruals include 14,378 births (1912), 4,359 marriages (1937) and 6,383 deaths (1962).

As usual, the birth records include some 'delayed' entries for individuals born in 1912 (or earlier) but not registered until a later date.

To search the records, go to https://novascotiagenealogy.com/Start.aspx

A History of Canada by Montreal Metro

Samuel Wood, Montreal native who has returned to the city after being away for 18 years of studying and teaching in Britain, has a new blog called A History of Canada by Montreal Metro.

It’s a history based on the names of Montreal’s 68  metro stations.

He says he is “inspired by my fascination with the stories that shape the world in which I live”.

The stations tell the history of both France and Britain.

“Only in Montreal could you find Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, a French Jesuit explorer and teacher of Voltaire, on the same line as Robert Peel, prime minister of Great Britain and the founder of the London police force”, says Wood.

To read his blog, go to http://historyofcanadabymetro.com 

The Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) has a new postal code!

The use of this new postal code will ensure that all correspondence and packages will be sent directly to CCI's Innes Road location in Ottawa where they can be received and handled by our trained personnel.

Please update your mailing information immediately.

Canadian Conservation Institute

1030 Innes Road

Ottawa, Ontario K1B 4S7

Archive CD Books Canada is having a MID SUMMER MADNESS SALE!!

My friends in the world of genealogy, Malcolm and Chris Moody, for a short period of time, are marking down the prices on most of their CANADIAN CD products by as much as 50%!

Still no shipping and handling charges within Canada.

Malcolm and Chris say that “We predict we won’t be able to keep this going for too long in this heat - so DON’T DELAY”.

The website is www.archivecdbooks.ca/acdbcanada.html

Personal Recommendation: I have known Malcolm and Chris over the past years in the Ottawa area, and have used their products. I can say that to have these books on a CD means that they are convenient, and easy to use ... and they don’t take up any room! All pluses in my world of books, books, and more books, and less and less room. 

Lac-Mégantic Library and Archive destroyed in disaster

I wrote in the Canadian News in Review on Monday that the library and archives at Lac-Mégantic had been destroyed in the fires resultant from the train disaster. Now word comes from the chair of the board of Lac-Mégantic’s library and archives, that they were planning to move from the two-floor location downtown to a bigger facility this fall. Now everything is gone.

To read the complete article, please go to www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/07/08/lacmgantic_casualties_include_quebec_towns_history.html

Reminder: Check out Canadian Week in Review every Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. The next Canadian News in Review will be Monday July 15 2013

UPDATED: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba & Saskatchewan Update (revised)

The following cemeteries have been revised on the GenWeb Canada website - 

ALBERTA

Camrose:

- Greenview / Rosalind United Church / Methodist Church Cemetery

Edmonton:

- Westlawn Memorial Gardens & Edmonton Crematorium

Mountainview:

- New Bergthal Mennonite Cemetery

Stettler:

- Red Willow Cemetery

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Central Kootenay Regional District:

- Edgewood Cemetery

Cowichan Valley Regional District:

- Ladysmith Indian Cemetery

Peace River :

- North Rolla Lutheran Church Cemetery

- Sorenson / Carpio Cemetery

MANITOBA

Fisher RM:

- Sylvan Public / Transfiguration Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery

Franklin RM:

- Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Cemetery

- Ridgeville / South Ridge Cemetery

Harrison RM:

- Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic (New) Cemetery

Ritchot RM:

- St Joseph's Catholic / St Norbert Koscio sw Jozefa Cemetery

- St Norbert Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery

Rockwood RM:

- Polsen St Mary's Roman Catholic / Chapel of the Assumption Roman Catholic Cemetery

- St George's Cemetery

- St Michael's Cemetery

- Windsor Cemetery

St Andrews RM:

- Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery

West St Paul RM:

- Riverside Holy Family Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery

Winnipeg City:

- St James Anglican Cemetery

SASKATCHEWAN

Excelsior RM # 166:

- Rush Lake Cemetery

Remembers to say your “Thanks” to Marilyn Whiting, Cheyenne Kepke, Patricia Green and Julia Adamson for help indexing, and to Carol Wilkinson, Cheyenne Kepke, Chris Pfeifle, Dennis Schultz, Grace Peters, Henry Martin Hamm, Ian Coupland, John Berger, Marilyn Whiting, Myron Masnyk, Patricia Green, Susan Severdija, and Walter Smelski for photos & transcripts.

You may go to http://canadacems.blogspot.com/2013/07/alberta-british-columbia-manitoba_7.html

Brant OGS Golf Fundraiser

This is a really neat idea!

On Saturday, August 31, 2013, there will be a golf fundraiser held at a local club called Fescue’s Edge, 18 Hagan Rd., Brant at 11:00 am Shotgun Start.

The cost will be $80 and it includes cart, lunch and donation to Brant OGS (Receipt for donation will be provided), and the deadline to register will be August 20, 2013.

You can contact brantogsgolf@gmail.com, or go to the web site at www.ogs.on.ca/brant

Historica-Dominion Institute to be named Historica Canada.

A press release has been released by the Historica-Dominion Institute of Toronto, in part it says -

TORONTO, July 2, 2013 - Stephen Smith, Chairman of the Board of The Historica-Dominion Institute, announced today that effective September 3, 2013 , the organization will change its name to Historica Canada.

'The new bilingual name will clearly and concisely reflect our focus on building awareness of our history and the values of Canadian citizenship, " said Mr. Smith. "These continuing priorities have formed our mandate since our two founding organizations, The Historica Foundation of Canada and The Dominion Institute, merged in 2009, and will continue to do so."

Based in Toronto with activities across the country, the organization's programs include the making of the popular Heritage Minutes - 60-second vignettes on Canadian History; The Memory Project, which provides audio, video and live platforms for the country's war veterans to relate their experiences; Passages to Canada, which gives newcomers to Canada a similar platform; the annual Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge; and Encounters with Canada, which brings more than 1,000 high school students from across Canada into Ottawa each year for a week of learning about their country. The organization is also presently building new interactive enhancements to its widely-used Canadian Encyclopedia, with those features slated to be unveiled this fall.

The new name will not take formal effect until the fall in order to allow for legal and logistical steps to be completed. In the run-up to the change and beyond, the present phone numbers, e-mail addresses, website and overall contact points for the organization will remain the same.

The webpage is www.historica-dominion.ca

UPDATED: Ancestry.ca

The following record groups have been updated –

Ontario, Canada, County Marriage Registers, 1858-1869 This database is an index to approximately 3.2 million marriages recorded in Ontario, Canada between 1801 and 1928

Go to http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=8510

Toronto Star Obituaries, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1999 - April 2000, February 2001This database is an index to over 2 million deaths that were registered in Ontario, Canada, between 1869 and 1938

Go to http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=3888

Canadian Genealogy Index, 1600s-1900s The majority of these records are from city directories, marriage records, land records, and census records.

Go to http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=7920

You should check Ancestry at least every three months to see if the records have been updated. 

Malpeque Historical Society, Prince Edward Island

Once again the Malpeque Historical Society is pleased to offer a roster of speakers for the 13th season of summer talks at Keir Museum.

The presenters will cover a variety of topics which are generally about the history of Malpeque and the surrounding area.

The talks will be held each Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. on the dates listed below.

There is no admission but donations are gratefully accepted. Come join them and bring a friend!

The events will be as follows -  

July 10 - Streetscapes of Princetown/Malpeque by Sally Hooff

July 17 - Growing up in Princetown by Olive Bryanton

July 24 - Tales from the Dead by Linda Jean Nicholson

July 31 - Horse Magic by Marian Bruce

Aug.7 - Stories of the Past by Friends of Keir Museum

Aug.14 - The Sad Tale of Maggie MacGee by Dutch Thompson

Contact Ruby Cousins for more information - rcousins@isnhighspeed.ca

The website is www.malpequebay.ca/keirmuseum.htm

Dick Eastman is coming to Nova Scotia

There is word out that Dick Eastman is coming to Halifax, Nova Scotia to give a full day of talks at the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) on Saturday, October 19, 2013.

Enjoy a day with Dick Eastman, as he present four lectures -

The Organized Genealogist

A look at various methods of organizing record keeping by use of digital techniques. The talk focuses on converting paper based record keeping to all digital records.

Cloudy, with a Chance of Genealogy

A simple and down to earth explanation of what the cloud is and how genealogists can use cloud computing to simplify their own computer usage.

Putting the Genes in Genealogy

A look at the possibility that today’s genealogists may become the lifesavers of family and loved ones in the near future.

Conservation: Keeping up with Technology

How to make sure that your genealogy data is still readable by future generations.

Cost for the Eastman Lectures:

$45.00 for members   includes lunch

$75.00 for nonmembers   includes lunch

Email info@novascotiaancestors.ca to sign up and arrange payment.

The website of GANS is www.novascotiaancestors.ca

The website of Dick Eastman is http://blog.eogn.com

Lower Canada Census 1831

The Library and Archives Canada has just sent this notice out –

“The LAC is pleased to announce that the Census for Lower Canada, 1831 database is now available online. The Census for Lower Canada, 1831 is partly nominal and therefore only contains the names of heads of family, their occupation, and the number of residents for each family.

Users can search this new database by the name of heads of family, as well as by geographical information such as district and sub-district names”.

It is available at www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1831/Pages/1831.aspx

Free Access to Ancestry.ca

This just came across my desk this afternoon from Ancestry.ca –

TORONTO (June 25, 2013) – Ancestry.ca, Canada’s largest family history resource, is celebrating Canada Day with the launch of a collection of historical records that pre-date Confederation. Dating back to 1743, these are some of the oldest records ever to become available and be fully searchable online. In addition, Ancestry.ca is offering free access, from June 27 through July 2, to more than 40 million Canadian historical records from some of its most popular collections

Among the records being made available for free from June 27 through July 2 are some of the most popular collections on Ancestry.ca, including:

·         Canadian Passenger Lists and Ocean Arrivals – These collections consist of all records of immigration to Canada by ship or overland from the United States between 1865 and 1935, a period of 70 years that saw the largest influx of immigration into Canada ever, from all parts of the world.

·         The 1871 Census of Canada – the first census Canada conducted as a nation, which gives a snapshot of the lives of the people living at the time, including their ages, their jobs, the birthplaces of their parents, their neighbours and more.

·         Soldiers of the First World War – This collection contains the Attestation papers of all 600,000+ men enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and includes information about the soldier’s birthplace, next of kin, regiment number and more.

To check out the new Pre-Confederation records please visit www.ancestry.ca/150years and to search the records being made accessible for free in time for Canada Day, visit www.ancestry.ca/canadaday.

Happy Canada Day!

Research: Information needed on abandoned or deserted buildings

Esther Pilon, a journalist and researcher from Quebec, is working on a documentary series produced by Baroque (a production company in Quebec), and she wants information on abandoned or deserted buildings in the province. The series will be broadcasted on the Historia channel in 2015.

She is looking for abandoned or deserted buildings that have either been closed recently or for some time some examples are: farms, houses, factories, country homes, chapels or churches, stores etc…

Her goals is to hopefully be able to show these places in their historic and anthropological perspective. The documentary series will present these places with the input of antique specialists and historians. Also, she would like to meet and talk with people who have worked as employees in the factories or lived in the houses and or country homes, or know the places as past clients, student or attended the churches. 

For every abandoned place there are human stories.

This documentary series is a project of Baroque, a documentary producer from Montreal. Their recent projects include a history of taverns that will be broadcasted on Historia in 2014.

To send your information or to contact Esther, please either write to her at  6255 St-Vallier, Montréal, H2S 2P6, or at estherpilonrecherchiste@gmail.com . Her  . telephone number: 514-967-9541.

Historia TV Channel is at www.historiatv.com

UPDATE: TONI (The Ontario Name Index)

Since last reporting on TONI (The Ontario Name Index) earlier this spring, nearly 2 ½ million entries have been added.

TONI, as an index, is FREE for everyone the world over. In order to access information found in the databases you must pay a small fee. All proceeds from those fees support Ontario's heritage community.

Go to www.ogs.on.ca/integrated/toni_database1.php to read more about TONI, and to see if the name who are researching, is there.