Showing posts with label genealogy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label genealogy. Show all posts

Saturday, September 28, 2013

The Niagara Peninsula OGS Branch announces new publication

The Niagara Peninsula OGS Branch is starting to take orders of their new book - More Than A Mere Matter Of Marching on October the 1st.

This will be a limited-edition book to commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812.

The press release says that “When Thomas Jefferson made his infamous prediction that "the acquisition of Canada this year... will be a mere matter of marching," he underestimated the courage and determination of the men and women of Upper Canada, including their First Nations allies.

Our book, More Than A Mere Matter of Marching contains the fascinating stories of over 60 families whose experiences during the War of 1812 may never have been in print before. The book is 323 pages, contains both colour and black-and-white images, and an index of over 1700 names.

PRE-PUBLICATION PRICE (available Oct. 1 - Oct. 31, 2013): $25.00 shipping and handling
PUBLICATION PRICE: $30.00 shipping and handling”.

For further information, please visit the Niagara Peninsula OGS Branch website: http://www.ogs.on.ca/niagara/. Just click on to the button which says War of 1812.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Gene-O-Rama returns to Ottawa

After a year’s absence, the Ottawa Branch of the OGS, will be having a Gene-O-Rama 2014 at the Confederation Education Centre, 1645 Woodroffe Av., Ottawa.

It will be held on the 21 and the 22 March, 2014, and the featured speaker will be Toronto genealogist Jane E. MacNamara.

So mark your calendar.

For more information, go http://ogsottawa/geneorama/

Sudbury District (OGS) Branch Meeting

On Monday, October 21, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. there will be a meeting at the Parkside Ctr, 140 Durham Street in Sudbury of the Sudbury District (OGS) Branch.

The topic will be The Shouldering of Arms by Gary Peck. He will discuss what led to the First World War, with the intent to help better appreciate ancestors in the context of the times.

For more info, go to http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onogs/ogs.htm

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

1911 Census Updated

Ancestry.ca has updated the 1911 Census database.

There are now over 7-million names on the database.

This database is an every name index, and it covers the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, and two territories - the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories.

Go to the website at http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=8947












Saturday, September 21, 2013

Kent County Branch Meeting

On Friday, October 11, 2013 at 7:00 pm at the St. Andrews Residence, 99 Park St., Chatham, ON, the Kent County Branch of the OGS will hold their monthly meeting at which Reg Johnston will speak on 150 YEARS! THE CHATHAM GRANITE CLUB.

Mr. Johnston with share the history and the people involved with building the curling club.
Contact http://ogs.on.ca/kent

If you can’t make it to the meeting, there is a short history of the Chatham Granite Club on their website at http://chathamgraniteclub.com/club

Friday, September 20, 2013

Grande Prairie and District Branch - Fall Workshop

The Grande Prairie and District Branch of the Alberta Genealogical Society is offering a workshop this weekend to help you find your ancestors in Canada. The workshop is offered in partnership with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

The workshop will take place on Friday and Saturday (Sept 20 and 21st), at the Family History Centre at 11212-102 Street and Grande Prairie Public Library at 9839-103 Avenue in Grande Prairie, Alberta.

Quebec Family History Society President Gary Schroder, and John Althouse will headline the weekend with discussion on searching census records, birth, marriage and death records, and passenger lists. More than 60 people have already registered for the event, and they welcome all walk-ins.

There is no cost associated with the event, but a lunch will be available on Sept. 21, for a pre-ordered price of $15.

Sign-up begins at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, to save your seat call 780-766-2920 or 780-538-9464.

For more information and a complete schedule, visit http://gp.abgensoc.ca

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Region One Annual Meeting

The Region One Annual Meeting of the Ontario Genealogical Society hosted by Lambton County Branch OGS will be held on October 19th, 2013 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the John Knox Christian School at 4738 Confederation Road, Wyoming, Ontario.

The title of the one-day conference will be On and Off the Internet Strategies for Effective Genealogical Research.

Steve Fulton, Technical Support and Innovations Committee Chair, OGS/Chair, Niagara Peninsula Branch OGS will talk on Searching the Past with the help of the .com

Alan Campbell, Newsletter Editor and Past Chair, Lambton County Branch OGS will talk about Going Totally Off-line-Almost/On-Site Researching in Libraries and Archives

Heather Lavallee, Archivist -Lambton County Archives, Wyoming, Ontario will talk about Finding the Secrets of the Archives

Advance Registration [Includes Lunch] OGS Members $30.00 CDN Non Members $35.00 CDN Registration at the Door $35.00

Register on-line at http://www.lambton.ogs.on.ca/Bulletinboard.html

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

OGS Webinars for Members Only


American genealogist blogger and speaker Judy G. Russell, the Legal Genealogist, will give the first OGS Webinar - Genealogy in Your Genes on Saturday October 5, 2013 at 4:00 pm EDT via Adobe Connect. This Webinar is for Members Only.

They say that “The key to so many genealogical secrets may be locked inside your genes -- but today those secrets can be unlocked through DNA testing. Learn about the three major test types -- YDNA, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and the new autosomal DNA testing -- and what each offers to the genealogist.

The Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL, is a lecturer, educator and writer who enjoys helping others understand a wide variety of genealogical issues, ranging from the interplay between genealogy and the law to the way DNA tests can be used in genealogy.

She is a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, a member of the National Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists and numerous state societies, and on the faculty of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University, and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh.

OGS Webinars allow you to expand your genealogy knowledge from the comfort of your own home.

This event is open to OGS members only and is free as a benefit of your membership. For more information about Webinars, visit the Webinars link in the OGS Members Only area.

The OGS website is www.ogs.on.ca

Friday, September 13, 2013

Join Italians and Italian Fans for a Record-Setting Weekend!

We have received this exciting news from FamilySearch

“FamilySearch International, Salt Lake City Italian natives and those with Italian language skills, Italian ancestors, or a love of all things Italian are invited to help index (transcribe) historic Italian records this weekend (Sept. 13-15) to make them freely searchable on FamilySearch.org.

The event, part of the ongoing Italian Ancestors Project sponsored by the National Archives of Italy and FamilySearch, will unite participants from around the world in an attempt to set a new two-day volunteer mark of 35,000 records (approximately 100,000 ancestor names) indexed.

The event will start Friday, September 13 at 6:00 p.m. (MDT) and end Sunday, September 15, at 6:00 p.m. (MDT). To volunteer, or for details and status updates throughout the event, visit the Italian Ancestors Facebook event page.

About the Italian Ancestors Project

The Italian Ancestors Project, jointly sponsored by the National Archives of Italy and FamilySearch, is the largest historic Italian records preservation and access initiative ever.

Through this unprecedented effort, more than 115 million historic birth, marriage, and death records from Italy’s civil registration (1802 to 1942) containing some 500 million names of Italian ancestors, will be digitized, indexed (transcribed) and made freely searchable online.
Indexing of these valuable records is being provided by thousands of volunteers worldwide. Working from their homes at their own pace, volunteers have already made more than two million records available. Thousands more volunteers are needed”.

For more information or to volunteer, visit www.familysearch.org/italian-ancestors.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

The BCGS Bring-A-Friend Membership Contest

I read about the Bring-A-Friend Membership Contest this morning, and think it’s a really good idea. What do you think?

The notice says that “All current BCGS members are eligible for one entry for each full membership (not associate memberships) they sign up from August 2013 to January 9, 2014.

Three Prize Baskets will be awarded at the June 2014 meeting by draw.

New memberships taken out now will run from September 2013 to December 2014 so this is a nice bonus for the new members too!”

Go to http://www.bcgs.ca/?page_id=1885 for the Contest Membership Application Form.

Call for speakers

The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has issued a Call for Speakers for a spring 2014 workshop titled Scotland and its People.

This full-day workshop for family historians, to be held on Saturday 12 April 2014, will explore the social, economic and cultural history of Scotland.

We are seeking proposals for presentations at this workshop from professional genealogists, historians, family historians, librarians and archivists.

The deadline for proposals is Monday 18 November 2013.

You can contact Gwyneth Pearce, Secretary, Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society at
publicity@toronto familyhistory.org or contact them at www.torontofamilyhistory.org.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Recent changes at the FHL, Salt Lake City

Have you heard about the recent changes made to the FHL library in Salt Lake City?

Apparently, the research consultants have been moved from behind their walls and desks, and now they will be on the floors to be more accessible to the library patrons.

In the FamilySearch blog it says that “We have moved our consultants out from behind staff doors to assist at research counters and out on the patron floor.”

At the time of writing, the change had only been made, so they are asking “for patience and understanding as we implement and refine the new patron service model.”

They say that “The Family History Library is open more hours, provides more computers, printing options, and professional help than any other genealogical library, society, or archive in the world. We remain committed to providing all of these services free of charge to patrons from all over the world.”

So, do you think that these changes will be beneficial to the patrons? If anyone is going there this fall, on your return,tell us how you found it.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Toronto school memorials database

Gwyneth Pearce, Secretary,Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, sent us this notice –

More than 32,000 names now in Toronto school memorials database

It’s that time again… when children, parents and teachers launch into a new school year!

And to mark the start of classes for 2013, the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has added more than 2,700 new names and eight more schools to its on-line database of school memorials commemorating Toronto students and staff who volunteered for active service in the two World Wars and other military conflicts.

The newest schools in the For King and Country database include Essex Street, John English, Rose Avenue, Lambton Mills, Lansdowne, Humewood Public and Runnymede Collegiate Institute.

We’ve also added our first independent school – St. Michael’s College School – a Catholic middle and high school with a rich history dating back to 1852. The database now contains more than 32,000 names and 88 schools, with transcriptions and photographs of school war memorials, historical background and links to other useful school and community websites.

Explore this growing collection now at www.torontofamilyhistory.org/kingandcountry/.

To find out more about the For King and Country project, and how you can help, contact co-ordinator Martha Jackson at kingandcountry@torontofamilyhistory.org.

And if you happen to be one of the many heading back to school this month, take a moment to remember the past generations of students and staff who went to war.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Reminder: Canadian Week in Review posted tomorrow Sept 9th

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

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Fall Seminar in Manitoba

The Southeast and Winnipeg Branch of the Manitoba Genealogical Society will be putting on their fall seminar New Directions on Saturday October 189, 2013 at the Silver Heights United Church in Winnipeg.

The speakers will be Roblin Shimpa, and she will talk on Crossing the Border –Minnesota and North Dakota to Manitoba –and back, and Louis Kessler, who will talk about Ideas and More Ideas for Your Genealogy Society.

The registration fee is $65.00 which includes a hot turkey dinner which is included with your fee.



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.”

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 
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.

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.

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

Alan Dinn has transcribed the 1921 census for Clementsport in Annapolis
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.

There are other areas that have been transcribed, and he adds to the site daily, so check it often.



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