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.

Ancestry.ca update: Canada Quaker Yearly Meeting Minutes, 1836-1988

This message has come in from Ancestry -

'Today, Ancestry has launched a fascinating new collection of Canadian Quaker records, the Canada Quaker Yearly Meeting Minutes, 1836-1988, VI collection, a database containing records form Quaker meetings in Canada.

The Quakers, a longstanding religious society of friends that believed in a strong, personal experience with God, would hold yearly meetings with the top members of the society. This database is made up of more than 184,000 records from several Quaker meetings that took place in Canada. The records come from the Canadian Yearly Meeting Archives in Newmarket, Ontario.

The collection contains a large assortment of records including membership registers, marriage records, meeting minutes, removal certificates, death records and disciplinary records. Details within the records include name, date of birth, date of death, names of parents and spouses, event dates, witnesses and more. A large majority of these records come from Ontario, however there are records from other provinces and even a few from areas in the United States as some of these areas fell under Canada’s jurisdiction at the time.

I spent sometime today going through the records, and I agree, they do appear to be very inclusive and detailed. Even if you don’t know if your ancestor was a Quaker, you should check the records to see if he/she is there – because he/she might be, or he/she may have had ties to the Quaker community'.

 The website is at http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=60521&geo_a=r&geo_s=us&geo_t=ca&o_iid=41015&o_lid=41015&o_sch=Web+Property

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.

 

Canadian Week in Review 23 February 2013

 

 

 

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

In 1932, following a 48-day manhunt, Albert Johnson, known as the Mad Trapper of Rat River, was shot dead by the RCMP in the northern Yukon.

For more information, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Johnson_(criminal)

In 1881, the Canadian Pacific Railway was incorporated.

The Ontario Genealogical Society is celebrating the CPR this year with their conference held in Barrie. The CPR was the not only operated a railraod in Canada, but operated ship’s that transvered the Atlantic Ocean 1884-1915 and they brought immigrants to Canada.

For more information, go to http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-pacific-railway/

Social Media

PHOTOS: Grain elevator moves down Manitoba back roads to museum
http://globalnews.ca/news/1839539/photos-grain-elevator-moves-down-manitoba-back-roads-to-museum/
The grain elevator was moved from a family farm to the Pembina Threshermen’s Museum.

Video: From the CBC archives: Festival du Voyageur in the '70s
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/from-the-cbc-archives-festival-du-voyageur-in-the-70s-1.2956898
With the 2015 Festival du Voyageur underway in St. Boniface last weekend, the CBC looked back at the annual Franco-Manitoban celebration in the early 1970s.

Newfoundland

Stephenville to mark U.S. heritage with 50th anniversary festivities

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/stephenville-to-mark-u-s-heritage-with-50th-anniversary-festivities-1.2956197
The U.S. pulled out of Stephenville in 1966, but the legacy of the Ernest Harmon Air Force Base is still present through the culture, architecture and landmarks of the town.

New Brunswick

Exhibit celebrates 50-year history of provincial and national flags

http://www.sackvilletribunepost.com/News/2015-02-14/article-4044366/Exhibit-celebrates-50-year-history-of-provincial-and-national-flags/1
50 Years of Our Flags: Canada & New Brunswick, on display starting on Sunday, Feb. 15, at Government House in Fredericton. from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and each weekday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until March 27.

Ontario

Tree shows how my family has evolved over 300-year period
http://www.insidehalton.com/opinion-story/5334548-tree-shows-how-my-family-has-evolved-over-300-year-period/
A keen interest in family tree research among local residents is evident to me based on the number of inquiries I have received about how my tree has progressed.

Snowbirds, including first flag seamstress, party in Florida for 50th birthday

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/news/national/snowbirds-including-first-flag-seamstress-party-in-florida-for-50th-birthday-1.1760386#sthash.VtBdXtIr.dpuf

Five decades ago, a young Joan O'Malley was summoned by her father one snowy November night to sew Canada's first Maple Leaf flag.

Manitoba

Legislative Library receives collection of rare books

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/legislative-library-receives-collection-of-rare-books-291634241.html
Manitoba Heritage Minister Ron Lemieux has announced the donation of 27 books, a gift of the Manitoba Historical Society, at the downtown Manitoba Archives.

Saskatchewan

Knock ‘Em Down

http://www.planetsmag.com/story.php?id=1825
The historic Farnam Block in Saskatoon is headed towards being torn down, as a filed demolition permit suggests at least the possibility of the buildings coming down.

Alberta

Grande Prairie’s francophone heritage gets spotlight

http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/2015/02/12/grande-prairies-francophone-heritage-gets-spotlight Along with the mayors from Moncton, New Brunswick and Lafayette, Louisiana, Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume is on a mission to shine a spotlight on cities that are historically, culturally and linguistically connected to French North America.

British Columbia

Opposition mounts to block new B.C. mine as town shuns its coal-mining heritage

http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/02/13/opposition-mounts-to-block-new-b-c-mine-as-town-shuns-its-coal-mining-heritage/
Built in the 1890s atop one of the richest coalfields in coastal British Columbia, the ground below the village’s downtown is criss-crossed with hundreds of now-flooded mining tunnels. 

News Stories of the Week

Cliff Seibel of CanadianHeadstones.com is looking for Cemetery Photos! He has put various Canadian Facebook queries out there this week,  and if you or anyone has headstone photos that they would like to share with Canadian Headstones, but you don't have the time to upload and transcribe them, let the people at Canadian Headstones know. Although they would prefer complete cemeteries, any contributions would be appreciated. Cliff also accepts photos of churches – new and old.

RootsTech, like last year, was about stories, and Dennis Brimhall, Chief Executive Officer, FamilySearch International debuted the Museum of Me, which is all based on the story of you. Apparently, it is a big hit in Salt Lake City at the Family Search Library. They plan to expand the facilitary to other cities. 

One way to do this too is through the excellent exhibits put on by Canadian libraries. archives, and museums.

For example, the Fredericton Region Museum is now hosting the travelling exhibit, “New Brunswickers and the Great War”. The exhibit commemorates the contributions of New Brunswickers during the First World War and will travel for the next two years.

If you go to visit the exhabit, you learn more about the contributions of their province to the First World War.

The news of the exhibit can be viewed at https://frederictonregionmuseum.wordpress.com/

And they have a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FrederictonRegionMuseum

 

And a new exhibit at Conrad Grebel University College (on the campus of the university of Waterloo, Ontario), showcases the work of David Hunsberger, a St. Jacobs photographer well-known for his portraits of the Old Order Mennonite community.

The exhibit, Taking Community From the Farm to the World, features photographs of barn raisings, suppers and candid portraits of Ontario Mennonite communities from the 1950s and 1960s.

The exhibit will close at the end of April. You can go to the Grebel Gallery at Conrad Grebel University College at https://uwaterloo.ca/grebel/mscu-centre-peace-advancement/grebel-gallery

That was the Canadian genealogy, history and heritage news in Canada this past week!

=====

 

 

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
 

 

The next Canadian Week in Review will be posted 02 March 2015.

Dear Myrt’s Beginning Genealogy - Session 6

As I promised in my blog on 06 January 2014 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 6 yesterday, and the top two things that were discussed were -

Software – This time, each of the people gave the name of the software that they use, and it looks like they use multiple programs to organize their genealogy. Dear Myrt said that it all depends on "personal preference".

The second part of the class was devoted to the Research Records, and she briefly touched on immigration and emigration. She said this is usually the first question that a person asks when they go to a Family History Centre, because they know that they have come from somewhere.

One thing that was discussed was the ancestors who went to Canada first, and then migrated to the United States because, for one reason, it was cheaper to go to Canada than to the United States.

The website is at https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/United_States_Emigration_and_Immigration

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

Session 5 - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/dear-myrts-beginning-genealogy-session-5.html

Remember to make yourself a member of Dear Myrt’s Genealogy Community before watching the YouTube Google+ Hangout on Air at 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/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.

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.

Want to see Canadian industrial artwork?

Today I came across some beautiful Canadian artwork that was put out there in form of posters from the Empire Marketing Board (EMB) that existed in the county from 1926 to 1933.

It was set up by the government to promote intra-Empire trade and to persuade consumers to 'Buy Empire'. It was later replaced by the Imperial Preference which was a proposed system of tariffs ot free-trade agreements between the countries of the British Empire. 

There were more than 800 poster designs produced and displayed in train stations, schools, shops and factories. The EMB visited schools, managed a library, produced around 100 films, as well as organized lectures, radio broadcasts and exhibitions.

Now some of the poster has been put online at the LAC Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/sets/72157649863392650/#

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.

Milo, Alberta Library Archives

The Milo Library Archives in Alberta has been working to put online their inventory of all historical documents.

There are plenty of descriptions of what has been done in the village over the years, including background information on groups like the Milo and District Agricultural Society, the Milo Ice Committee and the village newspaper called the Canopener.

News is that the efforts to continue digitizing and cataloguing the Milo and area history are ongoing. There are hopes to next tackle Milo area community organizations from Queenstown to Majorville, as well as schools and Lake McGregor.

You can visit www.albertaonrecord.ca/milo-library-archives to look through all the material that has been uploaded so far.

Congratulations to Milo for taking this iniatitive, and good luck in seeing this project through to the end.

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.

Another OGS society joins Facebook

The Lambton County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) has joined Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/918188561527694/

There is a survey for you to take at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=vsBJxXy2ulbJTTdms0frNfOuvrJ1CvjHYqEjNI9LRPI%3d to help the Society plan its website to get the needs of the people who have ancestors in Lambton County.

The website for the Society is at http://www.lambton.ogs.on.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/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.

LAC Update: Digitization of First World War Service Files

 

As of today, 125,954 of 640,000 files are available online at the Soldiers of the First World War website at Library and Archives Canada. So they are s-l-o-w-l-y making progress.

 

You can go to http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/first-world-war-1914-1918-cef/Pages/canadian-expeditionary-force.aspx to see if your ancestor is there.

 

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

Another OGS interview

Shirley Sturdevant, former president of the Ontario Genealogical Soiciety (OGS) has interviewed Dr. Maurice Gleeson from England who is a psychiatrist, a pharmaceutical physician, and genetic genealogy convert to genealogy. He will be the main speaker at the OGS conference which will be held at Barrie at the end on May 2015. 

He runs several DNA projects at FamilyTreeDNA, has several blogs, and has a YouTube channel devoted to videos on genetic genealogy with the aim of making the subject understandable too all.

He will give a workshop on DNA on Friday, and his after-dinner talk on Saturday evening will be entitled Genealogy 2020 – All Aboard!

The interview is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBRVUZ5Skg4&feature=youtu.be

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.

PEI kicks off Samuel Holland 250 lecture series Thursday

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the completion of Samuel Holland’s map of Prince Edward Island by holding a series of lectures and educational activities.

The highlight of the Samuel Holland 250 Commemorations will be the restoration and display of Samuel Holland's original 1765 map of Prince Edward Island which will be part of an exhibit at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery later this year.

The first lecture will take place on Thursday 19 February 2015 at 7 p.m. in Room 21C of the Charlottetown Centre, Prince of Wales Campus of Holland College. The presenters will be island authors and historians Boyde Beck and Georges Arsenault, along with Aubrey Bell, a local gallery owner who specializes in antique maps.

If there is a snowstorm, the tentative date for this lecture will be Thursday 26 February 2015 at 7 p.m.

If you go to the site at http://samuelholland250pei.ca/, you will be able to take the Samuel Holland quiz, get the answer to What’s my Lot?, and read the Recounting the Holland Survey.
 

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.

Canadfian News in Review 16 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

In 1894, Canadian fighter pilot Billy Bishop was born in Owen Sound, Ontario. He was given credit for shooting down 72 enemy aircraft in the First World War, and was the first Canadian airman to win a Victoria Cross for a 1917 solo attack on a German airfield. Bishop died in Florida in 1956.

For further information, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bishop

In 1995, Roméo LeBlanc was sworn in as Canada's 25th Governor General, the first Acadian to hold the post.

For further information, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rom%C3%A9o_LeBlanc

Social Media

For all the Canadians who were at RootsTech 2015, for the keynote speakers online, and for those interviewed by Dear Myrt’s AmbushCAM http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2015/02/fgsrootstech-2015-myrts-ambushcam.html, here is a summary of the blog posts -

• RootsTech 2015 - Day 1 http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/rootstech-2015-day-1.html
• News Flash! - RootsTech 2015 live streaming schedule now available http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/news-flash-rootstech-2015-live.html
• RootsTech 2015 - Day 2 http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/rootstech-2015-day-2.html
• RootsTech 2015 - Day 3 http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/rootstech-2015-day-3.html
• RootsTech 2015 - Day 4 http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/rootstech-2015-day-4.html

For a listing of Dear Myrt's AmbushCAM from the the National Genealogical Society (NGS) 2014 Conference, visit Randy Seaver's Genea-Musings blog post at http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/05/did-you-watch-dearmyrtles-ambushcam.html

Articles

Nova Scotia

Howe, Lewis among next 7 Heritage Day honorees
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1267791-howe-lewis-among-next-7-heritage-day-honorees
   As the province prepares for the first official day to celebrate its history, the government unveiled the focus of celebration for future years.

Ontario

70 years After the Second World War: Remembrance Endures
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/70-years-after-world-war-two-remembrance-endures
   This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, and important historic dates are dotted across the calendar.

Petrolia man finds a piece of family history
http://www.sarniathisweek.com/2015/02/10/petrolia-man-finds-a-piece-of-family-history
   Petrolia’s Don Gibson is a man with a keen interest in Canadian military history. And he’s recently solved a military mystery of sorts that involved his great-grandfather, the Fenian Raids, and a missing medal.

Navan's St. Mary's Anglican Church pleads for return of records
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/navan-s-st-mary-s-anglican-church-pleads-for-return-of-records-1.2950881
   Although no money was taken, the safe stolen from church contained birth and death records of parishioners.

Find haute and history in Toronto’s Distillery District
http://www.daily-journal.com/life/travel/find-haute-and-history-in-toronto-s-distillery-district/article_7b91fadb-2f40-5f60-9342-fcc4388b3fed.html
   At the core of the District is the history of the Gooderham and Worts Distillery, whose predecessor company started in 1831. Established in 1837 as a distillery on the shores of Lake Ontario, 50 years later it had evolved into the largest distillery in the British Empire.

How black Canadians fought for liberty in the American Civil War
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2015/01/31/how-black-canadians-fought-for-liberty-in-the-american-civil-war.html
  Many black Canadians headed to the U.S. to join the fight against slavery in 1863. Nearly 1,000 of them came from Canada West.

Discover the Moving History of the Holocaust with Insight Vacations
http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/02/11/705489/10119776/en/Discover-the-Moving-History-of-the-Holocaust-with-Insight-Vacations.html#sthash.e7W2EYCT.dpuf
   Dr. Jody Perrun will host Insight guests on an exclusive two-week journey starting June 4th through Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, and Germany to explore the locales where the events of the Holocaust unfolded in a tour named the History of the Holocaust.

GENEALOGY WITH JANICE: Genealogist Janice Nickerson shares her passion in new column
http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-story/5338473-genealogy-with-janice-genealogist-janice-nickerson-shares-her-passion-in-new-column
   Ontario genealogist and Association of Professional Genealogists member debuts a new column in Inside Toronto. As she says, “Genealogy is my life”.

Manitoba

Manitobans don kilts, skates to celebrate Canada’s first prime minister
http://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/manitobans-don-kilts-skates-to-celebrate-canada-s-first-prime-minister-1.2215088#ixzz3RCEMQWlU
   To celebrate the bicentennial birthday of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister, hearty Canadians in five cities across the country donned kilts – and headed outdoors.

Saskatchewan

Archives Week shows Humboldt history
http://www.humboldtjournal.ca/news/local-news/archives-week-shows-humboldt-history-1.1760931
   A variety of photos showing fundraising efforts and other events were donated to the museum by City Hall, and museum staff is inviting people to check them out and part with any information they may have about them.

Alberta

History on display at City Hall
http://www.meridianbooster.com/2015/02/06/history-on-display-at-city-hall
   The walls of City Hall are displaying the region’s history as part of a special visual display provided by the Lloydminster Regional Archives.

Galt exhibit on the money
http://lethbridgeherald.com/news/local-news/2015/02/07/galt-exhibit-on-the-money
   “Voices from the Engraver” will open today, and showcase more than 60 artifacts dealing with the creative process—behind the scenes, as well as the technical skill and the sheer artistry—that goes into every series of Canadian stamps and bank notes.

British Columbia

Chinese made big contribution to pioneer B.C.
http://www.vicnews.com/news/290721701.html
   In the spring of 1858, news of gold in the Fraser Canyon transformed Fort Victoria from a quiet fur trade outpost of the Hudson’s Bay Company into a booming town. Hop Kee & Co. of San Francisco played an instrumental role in the first wave of Chinese to Victoria.

Clyde Duncan: Black history is central to the beginnings of B.C.
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/02/01/clyde-duncan-black-history-is-central-to-the-beginnings-of-british-columbia
   Sir James Douglas, who in 1858 became the first governor of the colony of British Columbia, and who is known as the “Father of British Columbia,” was born in British Guiana (now, Guyana) to a mixed-race mother with African ancestry.

Black artist a trailblazer in Victoria's early days
http://www.timescolonist.com/life/islander/black-artist-a-trailblazer-in-victoria-s-early-days-1.1756470
   Grafton Tyler Brown became the first professional artist in the province when he reinvented himself in his move to British Columbia in 1882.

Stories of the Week

National Flag Day



The 50th anniversary of Flag Day was celebrated yesterday in Canada (February 15th). The (new, then) Canadian Flag was first raised over Parliament Hill 50 years ago in 1965, replacing the beloved Canadian Red Ensign http://tmg110.tripod.com/canada_flag.htm

I can remember watching the ceremony on TV, and wondered if I would ever get to see Parliament Hill in Ottawa from a small town in Nova Scotia. Now I can see this place every day in person if I want to because I live in the area.

The represents the county - strong, proud and free. It represents we have accomplished together over the years - the historical moments that have shared, and the served to define us, and to the promising future of this great country.

Share your Moment with the Flag!

Did you celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Flag of Canada by taking part in the “Share your Moment with the Flag” Challenge.

This challenge gives us an opportunity, as Canadians, to honour the National Flag of Canada, by putting your memory on the Internet. You can go to #flag50 https://twitter.com/hashtag/flag50 and #drapeau50 https://twitter.com/hashtag/drapeau50 on Twitter to see the photos and videos of everyone who took part in the challenge.

The Library and Archives Canada also put on a special page which celebrates the flag. There is a Flickr page, podcasts, and a history of the flag which can be seen by reading the Lester B. Pearson fonds. He was the prime minister of the time.

This is all available on their blog, Celebrating 50 years of Canada’s national flag, at http://thediscoverblog.com/2015/02/12/celebrating-50-years-of-canadas-national-flag

Additional blog posts about the Canadian Flag are available here -

John Matheson, 'Father' Of Canadian Flag dies at age 96 - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/01/canadian-week-in-review-06-january-2014.html

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on National Flag Day - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/02/statement-by-prime-minister-of-canada.html

May 9th will be a National Day of Honour - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/03/canadian-week-in-review-24-march-2014.html

Red Ensign flag protected for future generations - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/09/canadian-week-in-review-01-september.html

Hope Restored announced as theme for Heritage Week 2015 - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/11/canadian-week-in-review-03-november-2014.html

How social media is being used so that Canadian flags can be placed on soldier’s graves in Italy - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/11/ogs-first-world-war-heritage-society.html

Blackwell & Beddoe Lawrence: The maple leaf has symbolized Canada for 50 years, but its origins are still misunderstood - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/12/canadian-week-in-review-22-december-2014.html

In 1924, the Canadian Red Ensign was given official recognition as Canada’s official flag until the Maple Leaf was adopted in 1965 - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-19-january-2015.html

Feds spend $50K on Canadian flag birthday celebration- http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-19-january-2015.html

The federal government has allotted $50,000 for celebrations for the upcoming 50th birthday of the iconic Maple Leaf flag - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-19-january-2015.html

Canadian MP offers excellent primer on the Canadian Flag, and its history - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-19-january-2015.html
and http://www.mauril.ca/the-canadian-flag

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As well, I recently reported on the Canadian Flag on my weekly Canadian Week in Review (CWR) blog post, dated 26 January 2015 http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-26-january-2015.html

In addition to news stories from television and Canadian newspapers, there is a link to the history of the flag (including a free PDF download of a Canadian Flag poster depicting its chronology and historical background) from a Canadian Member of Parliament, the Honourable Mauril Bélanger, representing the a local riding of Ottawa East http


Celebrations around Heritage Day/Family Day and Flag Day has broken out all over Canada.

Heritage Day is a nationwide celebration that encourages all Canadians to explore their local heritage, and this year the theme is Our Main Streets and traditional downtowns are a heritage worth celebrating. As venues for commerce, entertainment, worship, shopping and more, they demonstate the community's social and economic history.

For instance, Heritage Day has been  to Heritage Week in British Columbia this week and the theme is Main Street: At The Heart of the Community. The week kicked off with the national Heritage Day designated by Heritage Canada The National Trust.

In Toronto, a plague has been unveiled honours Chinese-Canadian association
http://www.canadianarchitect.com/news/heritage-torontos-first-plaque-unveiling-of-2015-honours-chinese-canadian-association/1003450245/?&er=NA
The plaque commemorates the Wong Association of Ontario (Wong Kung Har Wun Sun Association). The Wongs have been part of the historic fabric of Toronto and Chinatown for over 100 years and the Wong Association of Ontario is the first Chinese-Canadian family association to receive a coat of arms.

That was the Canadian genealogy, history and heritage news in Canada this past week.

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The next Canadian Week in Review will be posted 25 February 2015.