The Library and Archives Canada (LAC)--in a joint partnership with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR)--acknowledged the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10th.
A Canadian, John Humphrey, wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 with the encouragement of Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The CMHR has embarked on its first virtual exhibition entitled, "Everybody Has the Rights: a Canadian and The Words that Changed the World", and the LAC has been key in the launch of this inaugural exhibition.
As the press release says, "The LAC identified archival records, offered interpretive captions for each document, digitized documents for the inaugural exhibit and provided advisory services and support for copyright permission requests."
There are four area in which the LAC website can provide you with information on human rights, and they are -
1. The Chinese Head Tax - You can find original certificates and registers of Chinese immigration and links to libraries and institutions if you go to www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/northern-star/index-e.html.
2. Black History - You can go to the "Under A Northern Star" webpage and read the historical papers of former slaves, read about the events being held at the LAC during Black Heritage Month. or see the photo of Africville, the Black community that once was part of Halifax before it was torn down in the 1960s.
3. Ukrainian History - There are immigration documents such as the passenger lists and land grants which provide a picture of what life was like from 1914 to 1939. They can be viewed at
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/framingcanada/026020-3500-e.html.
4. Aboriginal History - There are treaties records, Band and Agencies information, Government of Canada records, the database of Indian Reserves, Jesuit Records, Métis genealogy and the Project Naming web project on www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/aboriginal/index-e.html.
5. And you can go to the Canadian Genealogy Centre and view all the information there is there in a genealogical context in both official languages www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/index-e.html
A daily blog about Canadian genealogy, heritage, and history
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
450 Years of Fishing
At the recent Irish Studies Symposium held at the Library and Archives Canada (LAC), Dr. Willeen Keough——who is the Assistant Professor of History at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC——gave a talk entitled, "Good Looks Don't Boil the Pot: Irish-Newfoundland Women as Fish (-producing) Wives on the Southern Avalon".
She is in the middle of collecting the stories of the wives of fishermen who gave their lives to the industry by salting fish on the land and in giving their husbands' support. She is studying the interaction between the wives with each other, and with their husbands.
Along with this is a website which explores the fishing industry of Newfoundland called, "The Newfoundland Salt Fisheries: a Digital Exhibit" at <www.therooms.ca/ic_sites/fisheries/index.html>.
There are "Salt-Fish Essays: Life & Work in the Newfondland Salt Fisheries", which is comprised of six essays on the salt fishery in Newfoundland, and two more new ones - "Fishing the Labrador Coast" and "Growing Up in a Cove: Slide Shows", which have pictures of women's work in fishery, and in daily life. Other sections include "Photo Galleries" (over 120 new photos have been added); "Audio and Video Library: Memories and Moving Pictures of the Salt Fisheries" (listen to the people talk about their lives in the fishery; "Salt-Fish Education"; and "Maps and Manuscipts".
She is in the middle of collecting the stories of the wives of fishermen who gave their lives to the industry by salting fish on the land and in giving their husbands' support. She is studying the interaction between the wives with each other, and with their husbands.
Along with this is a website which explores the fishing industry of Newfoundland called, "The Newfoundland Salt Fisheries: a Digital Exhibit" at <www.therooms.ca/ic_sites/fisheries/index.html>.
There are "Salt-Fish Essays: Life & Work in the Newfondland Salt Fisheries", which is comprised of six essays on the salt fishery in Newfoundland, and two more new ones - "Fishing the Labrador Coast" and "Growing Up in a Cove: Slide Shows", which have pictures of women's work in fishery, and in daily life. Other sections include "Photo Galleries" (over 120 new photos have been added); "Audio and Video Library: Memories and Moving Pictures of the Salt Fisheries" (listen to the people talk about their lives in the fishery; "Salt-Fish Education"; and "Maps and Manuscipts".
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Where is Home?
The province on New Brunswick has been a place that I have travelled through on my many trips between Nova Scotia and Ontario, so it was with great interest that I turned to the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick and their website, "Where is Home? New Brunswick Communities Past and Present" archives.gnb.ca/Exhibits/Communities/Home.aspx?culture=en-CA
The study of placenames is called toponomy, and there are more than 4,600 placenames of settlements, cities, and communities throughout the province. They are described completely, including why and how they received the name - by the post office, railways, and settlers for example.
Links are provided to 4784 land grants and other maps, and there is a total of 960 photographs and 600 documents about the founding, incorporation, and development of 144 of the communities.
If you go on the site, you will also find the latitude and longitude of the settlement, the county it is in, the parish it is in, and a map giving its location.
On the "Alphabetical Listing" page is the community of placenames, a county listing, an index, and a number of definitions on keywords in their description of the place.
The "Exhibit/Home" page brings an excellent history of placenames to the researcher, and at the end, it lists the books from which this information was taken.
The study of placenames is called toponomy, and there are more than 4,600 placenames of settlements, cities, and communities throughout the province. They are described completely, including why and how they received the name - by the post office, railways, and settlers for example.
Links are provided to 4784 land grants and other maps, and there is a total of 960 photographs and 600 documents about the founding, incorporation, and development of 144 of the communities.
If you go on the site, you will also find the latitude and longitude of the settlement, the county it is in, the parish it is in, and a map giving its location.
On the "Alphabetical Listing" page is the community of placenames, a county listing, an index, and a number of definitions on keywords in their description of the place.
The "Exhibit/Home" page brings an excellent history of placenames to the researcher, and at the end, it lists the books from which this information was taken.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Transfer of Vital Statistics to PEI Archives
In May of this year, Royal Assent was given to a bill allowing amendments to the Vital Statistics Act which permitted the transfer of records after certain time restrictions have passed www.gov.pe.ca/cca/baptismal
There are time restrictions on the Vital Statistics, as follows -
Birth Records - restricted for 120 years after date of birth
Marriage Records - restricted for 75 years after the date of marriage
Death Records - restricted for 50 years after the date of death. The cause of death remains restricted regardless of when the death occurred.
Baptismal Records - All records in the post-1886 Baptismal Records Index now have been posted.
Simply place the surname you are looking for in the search box and you will receive the Child's Full Name, the Birth Date, the Baptism Date, the Mother's Name, the Father's Name, the Birth Place, and the Baptism Place.
At the present time, baptismal records are from 1777 to 1923. There are 93,000 records.
There are time restrictions on the Vital Statistics, as follows -
Birth Records - restricted for 120 years after date of birth
Marriage Records - restricted for 75 years after the date of marriage
Death Records - restricted for 50 years after the date of death. The cause of death remains restricted regardless of when the death occurred.
Baptismal Records - All records in the post-1886 Baptismal Records Index now have been posted.
Simply place the surname you are looking for in the search box and you will receive the Child's Full Name, the Birth Date, the Baptism Date, the Mother's Name, the Father's Name, the Birth Place, and the Baptism Place.
At the present time, baptismal records are from 1777 to 1923. There are 93,000 records.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Saskatchewan's "Valued-Added" Membership
The Saskatchewan Genealogical Society has put something new in its membership - a value-added package, beginning in 2009!
In a special page on their site, http://www.saskgenealogy.com/aboutsgs/Value_Added.htm , they will add the following to their regular membership -
Saskatchewan Residents Index (SRI) -
Burial Index - index of burial information of 50,000 individuals
Obituary Index - index of obituary information of 75,000 individuals
Cummins Maps - name and location of individuals in the 1920s
Change of Name Index - index of individuals who changed their name and are listed in the Saskatchewan Gazette from 1971 to 1950
RCMP Obituary Index - index of name as well as the source for the obituary
NW Rebellion War Claims Index - the names of those who requested compensation after the 1885 NW Rebellion.
Rural Municipalities Historical Documents Index - an index that will list documents held by municipalities - such as tax assessment rolls.
Plus, the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society and the Ontario Genealogical Society www.ogs.on.ca also have joined in offering a $5.00 discount in membership fees for 2009!http://www.saskgenealogy.com/aboutsgs/Value_Added.htm
In a special page on their site, http://www.saskgenealogy.com/aboutsgs/Value_Added.htm , they will add the following to their regular membership -
Saskatchewan Residents Index (SRI) -
Burial Index - index of burial information of 50,000 individuals
Obituary Index - index of obituary information of 75,000 individuals
Cummins Maps - name and location of individuals in the 1920s
Change of Name Index - index of individuals who changed their name and are listed in the Saskatchewan Gazette from 1971 to 1950
RCMP Obituary Index - index of name as well as the source for the obituary
NW Rebellion War Claims Index - the names of those who requested compensation after the 1885 NW Rebellion.
Rural Municipalities Historical Documents Index - an index that will list documents held by municipalities - such as tax assessment rolls.
Plus, the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society and the Ontario Genealogical Society www.ogs.on.ca also have joined in offering a $5.00 discount in membership fees for 2009!http://www.saskgenealogy.com/aboutsgs/Value_Added.htm
Monday, December 1, 2008
Who are the Canadian Palatines?
The Palatines were Protestants who left the German Palatine Region in 1709 at the invitation of Queen Anne of England, and they settled in various English lands and eventually, Ireland.
In the 1830s, 185 families left Ireland and settled in Canada - mainly Ontario.
Over the years, their friends and family in Ireland started to follow them to Canada, and soon you had settlements in Ontario full of Irish Palatine names such as Barkman, Dolmage, Embury, Fizzell, Heck, Lawrence, Ruttle, Switzer, Sparling, and Teskey - to name a few.
To commemorate the 1709 migration, many Palatine descendants are planning events in North America and Ireland.
If you are interested in any of the events, please email Bob Fizzell at palatines@mac.com.
During this past year, the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) www.ogs.on.ca also worked to set up an Irish Palatine Special Interest Group (SIG-IP).
This is the first SIG for the organization, and Don Hinchley, the Society's president, said they were accepted "In a unanimous vote at our Septwmber meeting, the Board of Directors approved the application of the Irish Palatines to join the OGS as our first Special Interest Group."
The SIG-IP is open to any person who would like to explore the common heritage of the German language, the Protestant religion, and migration to Ireland. The SIG will offer a website to its members and special sessions annually at the OGS conference www.ogs.on.ca/conference/index.html.
If you are interested in this new group, please contact the SIG through SIG-IP@ogs.on.ca.
I am in the middle of writing an article on this for Everton's Genealogical Helper for publication during the Palatine's 300th Anniversary in 2009.
In the 1830s, 185 families left Ireland and settled in Canada - mainly Ontario.
Over the years, their friends and family in Ireland started to follow them to Canada, and soon you had settlements in Ontario full of Irish Palatine names such as Barkman, Dolmage, Embury, Fizzell, Heck, Lawrence, Ruttle, Switzer, Sparling, and Teskey - to name a few.
To commemorate the 1709 migration, many Palatine descendants are planning events in North America and Ireland.
If you are interested in any of the events, please email Bob Fizzell at palatines@mac.com.
During this past year, the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) www.ogs.on.ca also worked to set up an Irish Palatine Special Interest Group (SIG-IP).
This is the first SIG for the organization, and Don Hinchley, the Society's president, said they were accepted "In a unanimous vote at our Septwmber meeting, the Board of Directors approved the application of the Irish Palatines to join the OGS as our first Special Interest Group."
The SIG-IP is open to any person who would like to explore the common heritage of the German language, the Protestant religion, and migration to Ireland. The SIG will offer a website to its members and special sessions annually at the OGS conference www.ogs.on.ca/conference/index.html.
If you are interested in this new group, please contact the SIG through SIG-IP@ogs.on.ca.
I am in the middle of writing an article on this for Everton's Genealogical Helper for publication during the Palatine's 300th Anniversary in 2009.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
PaperofRecord.com sold to Google
This fall, a Canadian company named PaperofRecord <www.paperofrecord.com> was sold to Google.
The original owner of the site, R.J. Huggins, started the business in 1999 (it as known then as Cold North Wind) and started with the Toronto Star. He scanned the whole paper from 1892 to present, so if you want to read this particular newspaper, be sure to register (it's free), and go to the page that the company digitized. PaperofRecord has also digitized other papers.
When I heard the news, I went on the site to search the papers in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I found the papers and the name that I was looking for - but the name was a name used for a particular wool in advertisements - so it was for naught. But I searched each and every page - so make sure you do the same or else you may have missed the name.
On most pages, the name you are looking for is highlighted in yellow, so it is easy to find.
The collection is made up of over 50 Canadian newspapers and 21-million images.
This is Google's first adventure into Canadian genealogy.
The original owner of the site, R.J. Huggins, started the business in 1999 (it as known then as Cold North Wind) and started with the Toronto Star. He scanned the whole paper from 1892 to present, so if you want to read this particular newspaper, be sure to register (it's free), and go to the page that the company digitized. PaperofRecord has also digitized other papers.
When I heard the news, I went on the site to search the papers in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I found the papers and the name that I was looking for - but the name was a name used for a particular wool in advertisements - so it was for naught. But I searched each and every page - so make sure you do the same or else you may have missed the name.
On most pages, the name you are looking for is highlighted in yellow, so it is easy to find.
The collection is made up of over 50 Canadian newspapers and 21-million images.
This is Google's first adventure into Canadian genealogy.
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