A New Article in the Canadian History Magazine

Paul Jones, a Toronto genealogical researcher and volunteer, has written the article Roots: Genealogy can be child’s play in the August issue of Canadian History Magazine.

The article is devoted to things that you can use to make it cool for kids to become involved with family history.

For example, you can use age appropriate activities such as looking through and discussing grandmother’s photo albums and heirlooms.

He explores other ideas, and this article should be read by people at genealogical societies because he has some interesting ideas. Any society could use these idea in their quest of getting younger people involved in family history.

To read the complete article, go to http://canadashistory.ca/Magazine/Online-Extension/Articles/Roots--Genealogy-can-be-child%E2%80%99s-play.aspx

Legacy Family Tree Webinars

On Wednesday afternoon, I had the pleasure of listening to a Webinar given by Judy G. Russell CG called “Building a Family from Circumstantial Evidence” put on by Legacy Family Tree.

The Webinar (which lasted almost 2 wonderful hours!) concentrated on using indirect evidence to construct a family tree.

She used a case study to show how finding all records and citing the sources of evidence, analyzing all the data, and resolving conflicts as they arise was the way to solve the particular problem she had – how to construct a family tree with a group of dates from a family Bible.

Obviously, Webinars are becoming more popular now with 1,700 people worldwide checking in to view this Webinar. And these Webinars are FREE! (for a certain amount of time after after their initial date of viewing).

It looks like I will be reserving Wednesday afternoons now so that I can take in future Webinars.

Next Wednesday, they will have Lisa Alzo (familiar to OGS people because she has talked here at different conferences), and she will talk on September 5th. The topic will be “Beyond the Arrival Date: Extracting More from Passenger Lists”.

To see which one you will want to listen to, go to www.legacyfamilytree.com/webinars.asp

Dwyers/O’Dwyers Reunion

I have received the following press release from Marilyn Dwyert concerning the Dwyers/O’Dwyers reunion. She told me that the Clan meet every 3 years and has always been in Tipperary, Ireland in the past, but this year it takes place in Williamsburg, VA in the States.

‘The reunion will gather once more in 2012, this time in the U.S. at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia from Thurs-Sat Sept 20-22nd inclusive.

The setting is indeed historic. Williamsburg, together with sister towns Jamestown and Yorktown, form the Historic Triangle and is probably the most-visited historic site in the States. The epicenter at Colonial Williamsburg comprises a fully restored town with many surviving original buildings as well as newly reconstructed replicas on over 300 acres, and claims to be the “largest outdoor museum in the world”. With period costumes and the occasional re-enactment, the visitor gets a real feel for life in the days of the American Revolution.

It promises to be a great weekend for young and old, and all those associated with the O’Dwyer name are very welcome to attend. It will be an ideal opportunity to meet new friends, and who knows, maybe find a long-lost cousin or two.

We hope to see you there”.

You can go to www.dwyerclan.com

Korean and Second World War Veterans Share their Stories with The Memory Project

This past week in Ottawa, local military veterans of the Second World War and Korean War participated in a national-wide digital and oral history initiative called The Memory Project. 

In a press release received last week, it said that “With more than 2,500 Second World War veteran testimonials recorded to date, The Memory Project Archive recently received new funding to collect and preserve the experiences of Canada’s Korean War veterans so that may never be forgotten.

An initiative of The Historica-Dominion Institute, The Memory Project Archive is creating an unprecedented record of Canada’s participation in the Second World War and Korean War as seen through the eyes of thousands of men and women who were there. It is providing every living veteran with the opportunity to preserve their memories through recorded interviews and digitized memorabilia".

Their stories are available, in both official languages, at www.thememoryproject.com

Free Ancestry.com

Ancestry.ca is offering free access to its complete collection of Historic US Censuses to Ancestry.ca members, including the new 1940 Census, from August 29th to September the 3rd. 

I  will be checking on my ancestors on both sides of my family. Will you?

Go to www.ancestry.ca/uscensus

War of 1812 Project

Niagara Peninsula Branch of the OGS would like to announce that the deadline for their War of 1812 Project has been extended until September 30, 2012.

In recognition of the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812, the Niagara Peninsula Branch, the members of the Branch is compiling a commemorative book of family stories about Ancestors who fought in or were affected by the War of 1812 (i.e. house burned, claim for losses, provided supplies to the army).

If you have an Ancestor who falls into this category and you would like their story to be included in this book please go to the Branch website www.ogs.on.ca/niagara or contact niagaraogs1812@gmail.com for more instructions. Guidelines are included on www.ogs.on.ca/niagara

The book will be published in 2013.

All submissions must be received on or before midnight September 30, 2012

New Canadian Genealogy Websites

I came across these websites this week, and they are -

Treasured Legacies www.treasured-legacies.com/home.html This is a pay site, and it is based in Calgary, Alberta. Joan Fraser is the president of the company, and she offers research services, and write Storybooks which can tell about your family heritage.

Yvonne's Genealogy Blog: A blog about my French-Canadian ancestry and my husband's Russian roots www.yvonnesgenealogyblog.blogspot.com Yuvonne writes a  refreshing blog about the French roots and her Russian husband. She explores the history of "dit names" (with her name being Belair dit Janvry), and I am sure she will tackle her Russian names in the near future.

Some items that made the newspapers this past week in Canada were -

MacLean clan gathering a show of Gaelic heritage, famed Scottish weather www.edmontonjournal.com/travel/MacLean+clan+gathering+show+Gaelic+heritage+famed+Scottish+weather/7129124/story.html Edmonton Journal journalist, Mairi MacLean, was over to Scotland this summer to attend a reunion of people with the old Scottish surname Maclean, and then travelled around southern Scotland, and visited such places as Perthshire. (accessed 26 August 2012)

Celebrating heritage on Peter Robinson Day www.emcperth.ca/20120823/news/Celebrating+heritage+on+Peter+Robinson+Day Karen Prytula, a local freelance writer, tells us about Peter Robinson, and how in 1823, he brought over to Lanark County people from Ireland to help settle this wild land of wilderness Ontario. They settled in Peterborough, which recently celebrated Peter Robinson Day. (accessed 27 August 2012)

'Memory band' features incorrect name: City may need to make a correction to permanent feature at new Pier Park www.royalcityrecord.com/news/Memory+band+features+incorrect+name/7126762/story.html

Theresa McManus, of The Record, reports that the city of New Westminster, BC will have to make a correction to a name they have put in a Memory Band at Pier Park. The name that is mistaken is that of a former mayor Beth Wood. (accessed 27 August 2012)