BIFHSGO Special Meeting Event

On Monday April the 2nd there will be a Special Meeting Event from 7:00-9:30 pm at the Auditorium, Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa with English researcher Simon Fowler who will give two FREE lectures.

 Called "An Evening with Simon Fowler" he will give lectures on - Researching your Military Ancestors Online, and British Emigration Records.

Simon Fowler is one of Britain’s most experienced family history teachers, writers and researchers. He specializes in military family history, with a particular focus on the First World War, and is the author of numerous well-regarded research guides and articles. Simon worked on and off for The National Archives/Public Record Office at Kew for over thirty years and edited their family history magazine Ancestors. He also teaches online military history courses for Pharos Tutors.

Come and meet experienced researchers, enjoy some refreshments and listen to this noted family history expert give two FREE lectures. The BIFHSGO website is http://www.bifhsgo.ca/.

See you there!

Immigration to Canada

The following are FREE databases online from the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) which can be used to check the immigration of your ancestor to Canada. They are -

Immigrants at Grosse-Île http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/grosse-ile-immigration/index-e.htmlThis database includes information on 33,026 immigrants whose names appear in surviving records of the Grosse-Île Quarantine Station between 1832 and 1937.

Passenger Lists, 1865-1922 http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/passenger/index-e.html Passenger lists (RG 76) were the official immigration documents from 1865 to 1935.

Passenger Lists, 1865-1922 http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/passenger/001045-130-e.html The database provides access to 21,840 references to passenger lists held at LAC.

List of Head Tax Certificates Held at Library and Archives Canada http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-905.002.02-e.html It gives the person's name, plus particulars of the Head Tax.

Immigrants from China http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/chinese-immigrants/index-e.html It provides access to 98,361 references to Chinese immigrants who arrived in Canada between 1885 and 1949.

Port of New Westminster Register of Chinese Immigration http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/chinese-immigrants/index-e.html

Newfoundland Register of Arrivals and Outward Registrations
http://www.blogger.com/goog_1118683899

Home Children http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/home-children/index-e.html Between 1869 and the late 1930s, over 100,000 juvenile migrants were sent to Canada from Great Britain during the child emigration movement.

Montreal Emigrant Society Passage Book (1832) http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/mes/index-e.html  This research tool provides access to 1,945 references to people who received aid from the Montreal Emigrant Society between May 12 and November 5,1832.

Prince Edward Island Genealogical Society

The PEIGS AGM will be at the Carriage House, Beaconsfield, 2 Kent Street in Charlottetown on April 21, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.

The Guest Speaker will be past-president of the society, Linda Jean Nicholson on the topic of "Until Death

do us Part - Stories from early Island wills and other probate documents."

Go to http://www.peigs.ca/ for more information.

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Smallman Reunion - August 4th, 5th 2012

The descendents of Joseph and Margaret/Ann (Murray) Smallman Reunion will be held on Saturday, August 4th, and Sunday, August 5th, 2012 in O'Leary, Springfeild and Cascumpec.

For information contact Darren Stretch at dstretch@pei.sympatico.ca; Kathleen (Smallman) Poirier at maurice.poirier@pei.sympatico.ca or Lola (Smallman) Stretch at lolastretch@hotmail.com.

If you wish to receive a copy of the registration form please contact one of the above with
your mailing and/or e-mail address.

We look forward to seeing you this summer.

The Diocese of Ontario of the Anglican Church of Canada

The Diocese of Ontario of the Anglican Church of Canada is celebrating their 150th year in Canada, and the Archives will be at the Conference in Kingston of the Ontario Genealogical Society June 1st and 3nd with their computerized index.

The Archives cover the five Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, Hastings and Prince Edward in Eastern Ontario.

The church registers held by the Anglican Diocese of Ontario Archives are normally accessible only at the tiny archives facility, and only for very limited hours each week. However, the Diocesan Archivist, Paul Banfield, has generously given permission for the index to these registers to be available at Conference 2012.

If they find that there are baptism, marriage, confirmation or burial records for the individuals of interest to you, they can provide you with the details (date, register volume number, etc.). You will not be able to obtain copies of the registers during Conference, as the archives will not be open on the weekend; however, you will be able to order copies by mail or email after returning home. Or, visit the archives in person if you’ll be in Kingston following the conference.

For more information, you can go to the Archives at http://www.ontario.anglican.ca/joomla/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&layout=category&task=category&id=56&Itemid=138

Archives Awareness Week

Archives Awareness Week will be held from April the 2th until April the 4th.

This year, members of Durham Region Area Archives Group (DRAAG) are working together to host their first joint event.

On April 4th, they will be hosting the first Preserving Your Family History Event. Join us at the Northview Public Library, 150 Beatrice Street, East in Oshawa from 2 pm until 8 pm.

The website says that “Members of DRAAG institutions will be on hand to assist you with repairing and preserving precious documents and photographs from your collection.  Members will also be available to assist with digitizing items and providing the most up-to-date methods for digitally preserving your family archives.  The event will have several other information stations so check back here for further information in the coming weeks”

Residents are encouraged to bring along their family photos and documents.

Durham Region Area Archives Group (DRAG) was formed in June 2011, and is made up of archives, libraries, and galleries from across the region.

For more information visit http://www.durhamregionarchivesgroup.com/ or contact the Oshawa Community Museum and Archives at 905-436-7624 ext. 100.

Discover Mail Order Catalogues

The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) says it's like going on a journey where you “Time Travel” back in time to research in mail order catalogues. They have been available in Canada since the 1880s. The LAC has them from 1880 to the 1970s.

They say “These department store catalogues provide a detailed record of many aspects of everyday life over the last century. They contain everything from household furnishings and furniture, to all manner of clothing and accessories, kitchenware, patent medicines, toys, tools, and sporting equipment.

These catalogues can be used to identify and date collectables and memorabilia; to price household items from a certain time period; to establish the approximate dates of photographs by studying fashion trends; or to research props, sets and costumes for theatre and film. The possibilities are endless”.

I put in the search for women's hats, and I got a 28 returns - everything from Eaton's Spring and Summer 1916 Ready-to-wear Hats - women's, misses', children's to Eaton's Spring and Summer 1965 Hats - women's.

You can search at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/mailorder/029006-100.01-e.php

Stone Family Gathering 2012

The descendants of George Stone & Mary Doody will meet for a family reunion July 19^th to the July 22, 2012 at Bras D'or Lakes Inn, Cape Breton in Nova Scotia.

They have a full days planned with a Ceilidh on Thursday, a “Meet and Greet” on Friday evening, a full day of activities on Saturday, including a church service at 11:00 AM at the Ecumenical Church Service at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Barra Head,  and they will have a  Family Gathering Meal at St Peter's Lions' Hall on Sunday

 It is believed that George & Mary Stone and their one year old son Jonas arrived at Sydney CB, aboard a vessel from Trepassey NL, named "the Elizabeth" on the 21st of July, 1800

 If you can’t go to the Gathering, they have various articles on their website, with photos, and a Guest Book on their website  at http://stonefamilygathering2012.webs.com/weekendschedule.htm

Canada Celebrates St. Patrick's Day

GenealogyCanada's Blog Search - Yes, using our very own search box (at the top right), just type in "Irish" or "Ireland", and see what resources or news items have been posted here. (This also works for other topics of interest).

The Irish Canadian Society http://www.irishcanadiansociety.net/ - This website etablished a connection between Canada and Ireland, and gives an account of how to search for Irish immigants.

Irish Resources at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-905.005-e.html - Canada's most recent census returns list the Irish as the fourth-largest ethnic group in Canada, with almost 4.5 million Canadians claiming either some or full Irish lineage.

Irish Ships Passenger Lists www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ote/iriship.htm

Canadian Immigration Records: Irish Immigrants www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/Canadian-immigration-records.html - Canadian immigration records on Irish immigrants.

Grandma's Family Tree http://judycorbettbarker.com/index.html - Judy Barker is tracing the surnames of CORBETT, HAWCO, COSTIGAN, FUREY, KENNEDY, LACOUR, MURPHY, QUINLAN, CRAIG, HEALEY, and SULLIVAN from Ireland. They emigrated to Chapel`s Cove, Harbour Main, and Holyrood in Newfoundland.

Emigration From Cork Island to Upper Canada: The First Peter Robinson Settlers http://webhome.idirect.com/~obrienr/cork1823.html - The website explains the reasons behind emigration to Canada, and lists other websites.

Discover Your True Irish Roots in our New Historical Records www.ancestry.ca/irish?o_iid=50529&o_lid=50529&o_sch=Web+Property - Ancestry.ca has Irish Records that you can check online. Their 14-day FREE access offer is available.

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Books

I have just published two booklets - The War of 1812: Canada and the United States, and Migration: Canada and the United States.

They are available for purchase through Global Genealogy at http://www.globalgenealogy.com/, the National Institute of Genealogical Studies at http://www.genealogicalstudies.com/, and now, in the U.S., from the Family Roots Publishing Company at http://www.familyrootspublishing.com/.

For more on the booklets, go to http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2012/01/booklet-1-war-of-1812-canada-and-united.html and http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2012/01/booklet-2-migration-canada-and-united.html

Genealogical Day in England and Wales (Seminar)

Gary Schroder, QFHS President, will give a talk on Sa turday, March 31st 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Quebec Family History Society Llibrary, 173 Cartier Avenue in Pointe-Claire.

The purpose of this seminar will be to A) examine the basic structures of family history research in England, Civil Registration of BMD's 1837-2005, Censuses 1841-1911, Wills 1858-2011, etc., and B) examine how to find your ancestors for the period prior to 1837 and how to make the best use of the English databases to found to be found on Ancestry and other commercial websites.

Reservations are necessary: call 514.695.1502, or you can visit the society online at http://www.qfhs.ca/. The fee $30.00.

Canadian Air and Space Museum Set to Close

Anna-Louise Richardson, a videographer from Toronto, has written me about the closure of the Canadian Air and Space Museum. She wrote to say that the museum has recieved notice from developers that the museum will be evicted from the old DeHavilland Building at the old Downsview airforce base in Toronto.

She noticed that this blog had posted a press release from the North York Central Library's Canadiana Department about an appearance by Keith Hyde and his talk on the DeHavilland Mosquito (Wednesday March 7, 2012) www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2012/03/dehavilland-mosquito.html, and Anna-Louise said that reading it had compelled her to write me about the closure of the CAS Museum.

There is more information available about the museum here - www.casmuseum.org/home.php

She said that the developers plan to demolish the building to put up a hockey arena. She goes on to say that it is "So sad....I have started to interview one WWII vet who volunteers there and hope to interview another who has written a book about his WWII experiences as a pilot. This place is rich in history and they need our help."

I checked the website the other day, and was impressed by the amount of information that they have made available. There is a full account of the closing of the museum, the awards that they have received, a history of the mueum, and a video and photo gallery.

She produces vidoes at http://www.treeoflifevideo.com/. There you can see interviews from two WWII pilots that volunteer at the CAS Museum. One is Philip Gray, who has written the book, "The Ghosts of Targets Past", about his time as a Lancaster pilot.

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 21

Here are some of the websites and blogs that I have come across the week ending March 11, 2012.

Family History Alive http://www.familyhistoryalive.com/ Sue Fenn has had this site for about a year now, and she sees the site as a 'where to find it' resource, providing information on what's available, and where to find it, in Canada, the UK, and to some extent, the US. You should go to the site to see what is there because it is absolutely fabulous!

Rowe Families of Newfoundland www3.sympatico.ca/john.rowe A website which follows Edward Rowe (1699-1754) of Trinity, Newfoundland; Benjamin Rowe (1786-1850) of Carbonear, Newfoundland; and Henry Rowe (1780-1833) of Carbonear, Newfoundland.

St. Columban-Irish: Our Mission: Honour Our Irish Ancestors http://www.stcolumban-irish.com/ Settlers came in the early 1820s and settled in the Village of St. Columban, Québec. In July 2010, the descendants and friends of St. Columban unveiled the cemetery monument dedicated to the original Irish settlers.

Wyemen – McKay http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~raeb Researching WYSEMAN, WISEMAN, HAMILTON, ROBERT, OGILVIE, GAIR, JAMIE, MORRICE, TIMMON. They are primarily from Scotland and the Dundee area but the WISEMAN/WYSEMAN name is originally from Essex, England.

Cape Breton Genealogy: Point Edward Grants http://charlesgrantcb.blogspot.com/ Douglas Grant has taken the Charles Grant family of Point Edward, Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia, Canada and has put the research notes on a blog. I have read though them, and they are most interesting.

 Pardon Me: A genealogy blog by Tamara Tillinghast Haskett http://pardonmetammy.wordpress.com/ Another blog just started in March which traces the family of Hasketts from Ireland that emigrated to Ontario.

Where The Story Takes Me http://wherethestorytakesme.ca/ Jane MacNamara, from the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genelogical Society, has started a blog in which she has put handouts of the talks she has given to people who have attended her Family History Library Lectures in Salt Lake City; has given her thoughts on RootsTech Conference 2012; and has posted lots of research on the site that she has come across along the way.