Canadian Week in Review

22 April 2013

I have come across the following Canadian websites, blogs, Facebook, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too –

Websites

Wesleyan Methodist Baptisms http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wjmartin/wesleyan.htm I have been to this place many times over the years, and it is still valuable site to search for baptisms. The index has been compiled by Ida Reed in 2001.

There are 101,461 records included here on almost 1800 pages. They are Vol. 1, baptisms, 1825-ca. 1860; Vol. 2, baptisms, 1840s-ca. 1870; Vol. 3, baptisms, 1850s-1870s; Locality index to vol. 3, and Vol. 4, baptisms, 1860s-1910.

Storytelling www.cyndislist.com/storytelling A new Category Index has been put on Cyndi’s List entitled Storytelling on April 1st. Currently, it is divided into General Resources, Photographs & Memories, and Vendors.

Blog

Canadiana Blogs In addition to the excellent article byJohn D. Reid called Ontario Local and Family History at Canadiana.org on his blog http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/2013/04/ontario-local-and-family-history-at.html about the Canadian site, they also have blogs at the  site.

Some of the blogs are Daniel Velarde's write about New collections coming to Canadiana, and there is Beth's blog who write about Improving access to Canada's digital heritage.

These blogs are at www.canadiana.ca/en/blog

Good blogs!

Facebook - Video – You Tube

YouTube Timeline of Quebec History www.youtube.com/watch?v=c70_b83YXUU There is a Timeline of Quebec’s History on a YouTube video. The one I watched was the granting women the vote, in Quebec and I found it worth looking at.

Newspaper Articles

Book review: A home child attempts to reconnect with her family www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/book-review-a-home-child-attempts-to-reconnect-with-her-family-1.110493 A review of a book which recounts the life of a home child at the Prince of Wales Fairbridge Farm School, a home for children from the British Isles who had been orphaned or given up because of financial hardship

Chinese restaurant exhibit in Royal Alberta Museum http://beaconnews.ca/blog/2013/04/chinese-restaurant-exhibit-in-royal-alberta-museum Chop Suey on the Prairies, the title of the exhibit at the Royal Alberta Museum, will run until April 27 next year. It will “provide detailed knowledge surrounding ownership and patronage of Chinese restaurants in Alberta, and more importantly, the cultural lessons behind their Chinese character”.

Transforming Canada's Parliament Hill www.cgw.com/Press-Center/In-Focus/2013/Transforming-Canadas-Parliament-Hill.aspx I saw this last summer and it is a show that should not be missed. It is entitled "Mosaika - Canada Through the Eyes of Its People", and it begins July 10 and ends September 7 this year.

How Avonlea Village brings Anne Shirley to life every summer www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/day-to-day/how-avonlea-village-brings-anne-shirley-to-life-every-summer/article10864971A Q & A about how Avonlea bring Anne Shirley to life every summer.

Pictures and Story of the Week

FamilySearch Launches New Site

FamilySearch put on several “site enhancements” to their website this past week.

The announcement says the site enhancements will "allow visitors to collaboratively build their family tree online, preserve and share precious family photos and stories, and receive personal research assistance—all for free."

Besides the recently released FamilySearch Family Tree, new FamilySearch.org features include -

Photos and Stories, a Fan Chart, and Live Help site. You call or chat with a FamilySearch volunteer online, or find a FamilySearch Center/Family History Center nearest your home.

So far, not everyone is pleased with the “site enhancements”, especially the more experience genealogists. There has been a problem with what is perceived as the “setting back” of research records to a secondary role. The researchers say that it appears that FamilySearch is going for a younger audience, pointing out the stories of their ancestors is first in their minds rather than researching Family History per se. What do you think? 

A good summary of Monday evening’s discussion about FamilySearch is on Dear Myrt’s blog Thursday, April 18, 2013 called Thoughts on FamilySearch Redesign http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2013/04/thoughts-on-familysearch-redesign.html

They also have a series of videos on the site, which act as the introduction to FamilySearch, and the emphasis on family stories.

On Wednesday, April 24, Legacy Webinars is having What's New at FamilySearch by Devin Ashby at http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/webinars.asp

The website says “What are the latest tools from FamilySearch and how can I use them in my research? Come learn about new products and initiatives that are making a difference in the genealogy community. Learn how to save time and money in order to get the job done”.

I will be listening!

Look for more articles next Monday April 29th.

Name Changed to The Canadian Week in Review

On April 23, 2012, I started a new post called the New/Updated CANADIAN Websites, Blogs, Facebook, and Newspaper Articles.

But the title of the post was too long and cumbersome. So for the first anniversary of the post, I have decided to change the title to a more easily remembered one. The new title will be The Canadian Week in Review.

It will still cover great Canadian genealogy, heritage, and history news from across the country, and it will still appear each Monday morning.

Elizabeth

UPDATE: OGS Conference 2013

There are two updates to the Conference 2013 agenda, and they are –

There will be free access to online databases at OGS Conference 2013.

The OGS Conference is opening up three online organizations to research. They have agreed to allow OGS Conference registrants to access their databases free of charge in the Research Room during the conference.

These are Ancestry.ca, Find My Past, and the British Newspaper Archives.

And the second update concerns the workshops on Friday.

The workshop by Richard Doherty called The Scots-Irish: Origins, Emigration, Religion, and Research Sources to be held on Friday afternoon is full.

So, a second session will be designated as A-5, and it will be held Friday morning from 9:30 to 12:00. If you have already registers for Friday afternoon, but would like to change it to the afternoon, please e-mail the OGS Provincial Office at provoffice@ogs.on.ca or phone 416-489-0734.

The conference information is at www.ogs.on.ca/conference2013/home

“Thank You” to my readers

I would like to say a heartfelt “Thank You” to all of my readers who passed on their kind words to me when my blog was named as one of the Top 40 Blogs of 2013 by the FamilyTree Magazine.

There are many things planned for 2013 with the blog, so keep  checking my blog every day.

To check all of the blog which were named by FamilyTree Magazine, click http://familytreemagazine.com/article/Top-40-Genealogy-Blogs-2013

Elizabeth

Changes Coming to Archives of Ontario Reading Room

They are calling it an “enhancement” to their Reading Room, as they will be greening their print services and adding internet access to all public computer stations in the Rotunda.

They will be

reducing the number of printers in the Reading Room and placing a 20 page limit on printing. Patrons are asked to support the Green Initiative by emailing the materials to a personal email or saving the research materials to a USB stick

But, all printing charges will remain the same. All printing will be picked up and paid for at reception.

Enhanced Internet Access:

With internet access available at all computer stations in the Reading Room, researchers will now be able to

•access the new Vital Statistics data base for 1915 Birth Records, 1940 Death Records and 1930 Marriage Records (in-house only)

•send research material via email attachments (e.g., VS database images, microfilm images, and information from webpages and web documents)

•save large size images and other research materials to an USB stick - free of charge. (You must supply your own USB stick.)

*Size limits may apply

The Archives of Ontario website is at www.archives.gov.on.ca/en

35e anniversaire de la Société de généalogie de l'Outaouais

There will be a day of celebration of the 35th anniversary de la Société de généalogie de l'Outaouais on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at the Limbour Community Centre, 288 Lebaudy, Gatineau, Quebec right across the river from Ottawa.

The schedule of the day includes –

9 am The address by Honorary President, Mr. Aurelius La Madeleine

9:15 am Launch of the DVD version of L'Outaouais généalogique, and the CD Release of the Recueil des ascendances de nos membres

9: 30 pm Opening of Exhibit Hall

10 pm Lecture: The ancestor of the family by Denis Bussieres Bussieres

12 pm Lunch

1 pm Lecture: From Quebec to Sidi Bel Abbes through Tours - The unlikely offspring Geneviève Lépine said Lalime by Raymond Ouimet

2:30 pm Tales and Legends of the Ottawa Storytellers Circle of Gatineau

3:39 pm Closing of the exhibition hall

There will be a Gala Dinner at 7:00 pm

We wish everyone of the society a Happy Anniversary!

The website is at www.genealogieoutaouais.com

Call for Speakers – OGS Conference 2014

The Conference 2014 at Niagara Branch are looking ahead to line up speakers for Conference 2014 in St. Catharines at Brock Universit. The conference will be held May 1st to 4th, 2014.

The conference theme will be GENEALOGY WITHOUT BORDERS.

They say, in part, that “Although borders are an important aspect in defining a country, they also often delineate an area of genealogical study. In the past, genealogists often had to travel across borders to complete family histories in their genealogical area. Today's genealogist can often cross these borders while sitting at a desk. We can trace the movement of settlers from European countries and from the American states and other provinces to Ontario. We invite seminar proposals with this theme in mind.

Our Saturday and Sunday, May 3rd and 4th seminar sessions are generally fifty minutes length with ten minutes for discussion. We also have workshops on Friday, May 2nd, which are of three hours duration. We invite lecture and workshop submissions on a broad range of genealogical topics which will help to solve family history problems by any of the following methods

Use of technology in genealogy (DNA, internet, software etc.)

Records at a distance (especially Eastern USA and European)

War records, 1812, W.W. 1

Land Records, census, directories

Early Ontario records, prior to 1869 and their repositories

Proposals are also solicited for the broader genealogical categories including the histories associated with the War of 1812, methodology, analysis and problem solving used in genealogy

If your proposal is accepted, you will be notified early summer and we will request that you provide a 4 page summary of your talk or workshop for our syllabus by Dec. 31st, 2013. This should include references and web addresses mentioned, sample screen images etc. It will be submitted electronically (in Word, RTF or PDF format).

Please include your approximate travel costs, economy class to St. Catharines, Ont. Canada. Besides remuneration, food and lodging will be based upon the number of lectures given and transportation expenses will depend upon the speaker's home address. Workshop fees may be negotiated.

We are looking for speakers who would be open to being streamed out from the conference to those members who cannot travel but still wish to join us. As well we are looking for speakers who may be interested in speaking but cannot travel as we can stream you in to the conference”.

Questions can be directed to conference2014@ogs.on.ca

The website is at www.ogs.on.ca/niagara