Alberta Cemetery Records

Have you checked the latest cemetery records at Alberta Family Histories Society?

They say that “This database, which has been recorded over the past 25 years by numerous volunteers, is based on monument and burial information from various cemeteries in Calgary and the surrounding region”.

They now have 168,565 records in the index, and you can check them online at http://www.afhs.ab.ca/data/cemeteries/search.php.

The database includes the Name, Birth/Death Years and Cemetery Name.

For a list of cemeteries transcriptions for sale on DVD http://www.afhs.ab.ca/publications/cemetery.shtml#publications

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 17

^{Here are some of the websites and blogs that I have come across the week ending January 16, 2012.} 

The Legal Resource Centre http://www.legalresourcecentre.ca/blog/?page_id=34 The Blogosaurus Lex blog (Legal Resource Centre of Alberta) One subject covered the The 1929 Person’s Case

Kinsey Family Genealogy The Kinsey.ca Blog http://kinseydotca.blogspot.com If you are related to Stephen Vaughan Kinsey, this blog is for you. The blogger writes about a newspaper report on Google News that gives an account of Kinsey's move from Saskatoon to Manitoba in 1940.  

About Ottawa, Canada, Beechwood Cemetery Registers, 1873-1990 http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2168&cj=1&o_xid=0001029688&o_lid=0001029688

The five burial ledgers digitized in this database document interments at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa, Ontario, from 1873 to 1990. The ledgers also contain names for some people who died before 1873 (as early as 1821) whose remains were later moved to Beechwood.

Susan’s Genealogy Blog http://www.susansgenealogyblog.com A very interesting post in June, 2011 shows Joseph Mullin and his wife, Mary Ann, their five children, and how she searched the Ontario vital records to find this information.

Roots to the Past: Atlantic Canada's Genealogy Hub http://rootstothepast.wordpress.com/about Diane Tibert has started a new blog to go with her newspaper column Roots to the Past that appears in local Maritime newspapers.  

The Quebec Family History Society http://qfhs.ca Just received a press release from the society which says that "the website features several new sections, such as Gary’s Genealogical Picks, research tips, surname interests, and a bulletin board. 

QFHS members researching their ancestors in Quebec will benefit from the new Jacques Gagné Church Compilations in the members’ section. Long-time member Jacques Gagné has compiled historical information and the location of records for more than 1,000 English and French Protestant churches across the province, from 1759 to 1899".

Sask. Archives Board Photo Blog http://sabphotos.wordpress.com The blog invites the reader to look at the photo, and see are any that they recognize. They want to know if you know a location, a date? They say that they will post new photographs approximately once a week, so please come back to take another look.

William Mc/MacDonald – One Name Study

Diane Tibet write that she has started a One Name Study on her great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather were both William McDonald from Harrigan Cove, Halifax County, Nova Scotia.

She says that as "many of you can testify, researching common names like this add to the challenge of locating pertinent information".

You can read about here: http://rootstothepast.wordpress.com/genealogy-news

Diane Lynn Tibert is the author of Roots to the Past genealogy column which appears in several newspapers around Atlantic Canada.

Booklet #2 – Migration: Canada and the United States

To continue from yesterday's post on my newly-published booklets, the second one in the "Canadian Series" has been published.

"Migration: Canada and the United States" discusses the exchange of people who have crossed the borders even before the borders were set, as they are today.

The first two pages of the booklet concentrate on Canadians who went to the States. Headings include - The Acadian Migration; Migration to the "Boston States"; French Canadian Migration; Migration to the Midwestern and Southwestern States; and Migration from Canada to the United States Due to War.

The second part of the booklet is about the migration of Americans to Canada. Headings include - New England Planters to Nova Scotia; The United Empire Loyalists; The United States Migration to Central Canada; The United States Migration to Central Canada; The US Migration to the Prairie Provinces & the Yukon; Migration from the US to Canada as a Result of Wars; and Migration of Blacks from the US to Canada.

These headings offer good examples of those who came to Canada, or of Canadians who left for the US, and why.

The booklet gives a synopsis of what records to look for, the books written on the subject, where to find online resources, and a bonus list of some famous Canadians who migrated to the US.

Both the Migration and the War of 1812 booklets can be purchased from Global Genealogy www.globalgenealogy.com and the National Institute for Genealogical Studies www.genealogicalstudies.com.

The next booklet to come "off the presses" will be about Ontario's genealogical societies and groups, including some lesser-known "hidden gems", all of which may have the resources you need to help flesh out the Ontario branch of your family tree.

For more on our first booklet, "The War of 1812: Canada and the United States", go to www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2012/01/booklet-1-war-of-1812-canada-and-united.html.

Booklet #1 - The War of 1812: Canada and the United States

If you've wondered why you haven't seen me around much the past few months, I've been busy writing laminated 4-page research guides on topics of interest to genealogists tracing their Canadian roots.

Why did I write booklets instead of a book? It's because I wanted to present the information clearly in a compact format that you could take on research trips without having to worry about adding yet another bulky book to your (probably) overstuffed tote bag.

The guides provide a basic understanding of the subject, as well as listings of relevant books and online information. In short, it's a primer that covers sources from Canada, the United States, and the UK.

For example, the booklet, “The War of 1812: Canada and the United States”, gives a synopsis of the causes of the War, and details the battles that took place (who, where, and when), and which included British forces, Blacks, and Aboriginal warriors who fought on both sides of the conflict.

For a list of the contents, please visit the following blog and websites -

The booklets were mentioned on John D. Reid's Anglo-Celtic Connections blog yesterday (Jan 10th), and I thank him for the review.

The booklets are available for sale through Global Genealogy's website, www.globalgenealogy.com, and are listed on their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/pages/GlobalGenealogycom-Inc/168601933226521?sk=wall, and in their free online newsletter, http://globalgenealogy.com/newsletter/2012-001.htm. You can also write them at sales@globalgenealogy.com, or call them toll-free at 1-800-361-5168.

They are also available at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies website at www.genealogicalstudies.com, by email at info@GenealogicalStudies.com, or call the Institute toll-free at 1-800-580-0165.

I am happy to say that the booklets are selling briskly!

Tomorrow Post: Booklet #2 – Migration: Canada and the United States

Sir John A. Macdonald Dinner

Wednesday, January 11 is the 196^th birthday of Sir John A. Macdonald in Scotland – Canada's first prime minister.

The Kinston Hisorical Society http://kingstonhistoricalsociety.ca/index.html has held, for the past 12 years, the dinner on his birthday at the Royal Military College's Senior Staff Mess.

The dinner's guest speaker this year is Mr. Peter Milliken, retired MP for Kingston and The Islands, and former Speaker of the House of Commons. His talk will be "Sir John A. Macdonald and the Kingston Heritage".

To find out more about Sir John A. (as he is called in Canada), here are some informative websites -  

Sir John A. Macdonald: Canada's Patriot Statesman www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/sir-john-a-macdonald/index-e.html

Sir John A. Macdonald www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/primeministers/h4-3025-e.html

Bellevue House National Historic Site of Canada  www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/on/bellevue/index.aspx

The Street Arab – The Story of a British Home Child

On January the 12th there will be a meeting of the Waterloo Genealogical Society at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 10 Lorraine Ave (corner of River Road) Kitchener, Ontario at 7:00 p.m.

Sandra Joyce will give a talk on her novel called The Street Arab – the Story of a British Home Child which is about a boy from a small mining town in Scotland, whose family is torn apart by the First World War, and resulting poverty.  

On her website http://www.sandrajoyce.com it says that "The after foraging for food one day, Robbie returns home to find his family missing and suffers a horrific accident. With strength and determination, he forges ahead and is sent, along with countless other British Home Children, to Canada to begin a new life".

To check meetings at Waterloo Genealogical Society, their website is at http://www.waterlooogs.ca/upcoming_meetings.htm

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 16

^{Here are some of the websites and blogs that I have come across the week ending January 8, 2012.} 

Toronto 1861 http://toronto1861.blogspot.com The "Old Census Scribe" continues her work in transcribing the 1861 Census, but she does more than that, she includes her "method and organization, and the social and geographical details of the area at that time". She started the blog on January 9^th, 2009.

Christopher Moore's History News http://christophermoorehistory.blogspot.com If you want an interesting view of Canada's history, then read Moore's blog.

Toronto Public Library http://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/local-history-genealogy/2012/01/jewish-genealogy.html The blog has been online since 2011, and it discovers "the history of your family, your Toronto neighbourhood, or places in Ontario and across Canada".

Diane Lynn Tibert – Handling Over the Reins http://dianetibert.com/2012/01/02/handing-over-the-reins This blog discusses history and genealogy of Nova Scotia.

Kent County GenWeb http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onkent As the site says "Kent County is located near the South-Western tip of Ontario, between London and Windsor. It was created in 1792 and from 1792 to 1849 was part of the Western District". There are lots of resources here for you to use.

Anglo-Celtic Roots - Winter 2011

The first article in the Winter 2011 edition of Anglo-Celtic Roots, the newsletter of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) www.bifhsgo.ca, belongs to Sharon Callaghan.

While reading through "Genealogy Clues – Know Your Sources", I discovered that it is the first time I have seen Quebec records explained in this way. (This is important to me. Although my husband has had his genealogy done as far as BMDs are concerned, the article goes way beyond that, with additional records).

She divides records into four distinct categories – Most Common Searches, which includes directories, censuses, and BMDs; Less Common Searches, which includes obituaries, coroner's reports, and wills; Uncommon Searches, which includes groups, institutions, and photographers; and Most Uncommon Searches, which includes newspapers, and notaries.

I will be taking this copy of Anglo-Celtic Roots with me when I go to Quebec City later this year to do more research on my husband's genealogy.

Other articles include "What Happened to the Hodge Home Children?" by Bryan D. Cook; "'Hugh' Wouldn't Thought It?" by Christine Jackson; "The Cream of the Crop" by John D. Reid; and "The Bookworm" by Betty Warburton.

As usual, another great issue!

Newspaper Vital Statistics Indexing Project - GANS

I see where the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) www.chebucto.ns.ca/Recreation/GANS has put out a call for volunteers for the Newspaper Vital Statistics Indexing Project.

They have already indexed vital statistics from 1769 to 1856, and now they need help to index and proofread the years up to 1864 because that is when the provincial government required that vital statistics be kept.

If you can help, please contact them at gans@chebucto.ns.ca.

They have published their Fall 2011 Newsletter, and some of the stories highlighted in this issue are "Between the Lines: The Story of Harry G. Cooke in World War I" by H. Day; "The Private Log of William Ackhurst, Jr., 1867-1868" by K. Lamb; "The Braines of Queens County, Nova Scotia" by D. Cochrane; and "Collins Family Bible, Digby County" by J. Fralic-Brown.

World War I Veterans of Guysborough County, Nova Scotia

A retired Social Studies teacher in Nova Scotia has started collecting the personal history of people from Guysborough County, Nova Scotia who were in World War One.

He says that his "goal is to compile a biographical sketch of each veteran who was born and/or lived in Guysborough County"

He has had the blog since November,2011, and so far he has posted "Pte. Arthur Ellsworth Armsworthy: A Wounded Soldier's Story", "A Soldier's Wage", and "Pte. Robert Burns: KIA November 25, 1915."

He says he hopes to collect this material so that it will be available to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the war from 2014 to 2018.

The blog is at http://guysboroughgreatwarveterans.blogspot.com, and if have any information, please contact him brucefrancismacdonald@gmail.com.

March Workshop in Toronto – Finding Your Great War Ancestors

Registration is now open for what may be the most authoritative Great War workshop during your genealogical lifetime!

Don’t miss "Finding Your Great War Ancestors", a packed full-day workshop to be held in March 2012 in Toronto, co-sponsored by the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the Canadiana Department of North York Central Library.

Choose one of three concurrent lecture streams – British Research, Canadian Research and “Case Studies and Curios” – or mix and match the topics that interest you the most.

Where: North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto (at North York Centre subway station)

When: Saturday 31 March 2012

Early registration rates apply until 22 February 2012, and special discounts are available for OGS members.

Simon Fowler, Glenn Wright, Linda Reid, and Brenda Dougall Merriman are some of the people who will lead the workshops.

I have just read the program, and I wish I could be there. Hopefully, some people who will attend will be able to blog about it.

For full programs details, speaker biographies and registration information, visit
http://www.torontofamilyhistory.org/GreatWarWorkshop2012.html

NewsLeaf Goes Electronic

GenealogyCanada has just received this news -

"Starting in 2012, the Ontario Genealogical Society will publish NewsLeaf in electronic format. This "green initiative" will save the environment while providing members with alternate means of receiving and storing their issues".

NewsLeaf is the newsletter of the Ontario Genealogical Society, and word is that the journal Families will still be in paper format.

The website of the OGS is http://www.ogs.on.ca

Saskatchewan Probate Estate Files, 1887-1931

FamilySearch.org has just released it's update on one of the Canadian records it is putting online.

On December 22, 2011, it reports that there are now 1, 591, 193 records of Saskatchewan Probate Records Index (1887-1931) at  https://familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/1918293

These index, and images are of estate files from Saskatchewan judicial districts. The website says that the  "estate records contain loose papers relating to the settlement of estates including such matters as provision for heirs including minor children as well as distribution of funds, land and property. This project was indexed in partnership with the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society".

Happy 4th Blogiversary!

GenealogyCanada.blogspot.com is now 4 years old!

Thank you to all who have followed this blog over the years, and those who have posted links.

A special invitation goes out to new visitors to stop by and take a few minutes to enjoy the 600+ posts.

Besides myself, there are two others who have their Blogiversary on this day -

Mary's Musings http://musingmary.blogspot.com Mary is from Phoenix, Arizona, and she started the blog in 2010. She is on google+ as Mary Warren, and she says that she is on Facebook as Mary Post Warren, if you would like to go there to see her latest news.

The Rippers www.gyrippers.blogspot.com Another blogger from Arizona, she is a Graveyard Rabbit! She has had the blog since 2009, and there are cemeteries from all over the US.

Congratulations to all my fellow bloggers who are celebrating a Blogiversary this year!

New for 2012, you can now reach me on Facebook. This is where I'll be posting extra material and photos not seen on the blog.

I invite you to drop by for a visit www.facebook.com/GenealogyCanada, and if you wish, join me as a Friend.

Thanks again for your support. It's appreciated!

Elizabeth

Happy 2012!

The past year of 2011 was great as far as Canadian Genealogy was concerned!

For the Ontario Genealogy Society (OGS) www.ogs.on.ca, it was their 50th Anniversary (which was celebrated in Hamilton), the OGS and the National Institute for Genealogical Studies www.genealogicalstudies.com started a partnership, and TONI (The Ontario Names Index) www.ogs.on.ca/home/TONI.php was started.

It was also the year of the 17th Conference of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ontario (BIFHSGO) www.bifhsgo.ca, and the beginning of covering the Conference using Social Media tools (I was one of their Official Bloggers, which included John D. Reid of Anglo-Celtic Connections blog fame http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com, and Susan Davis, BIFHSGO's Director of Communications, and presenter of her excellent and informative lecture, “A Social Media Primer for Family Historians”).

My blog was very successful this year: I published 326 posts, and I made many new friends over the year through the blog. It was the first year that I tried a series of blog postings for Remembrance Week www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/11/blogger-showcases-canadas-veterans-week.html, and it was extremely well-received.

Another year has past as Editor of Families, the journal of the Ontario Genealogical Society, and I had a year of exceptional papers submitted and published. And it doesn't look like it will slow down ...

So I wish everyone a Very Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year, and may all of those Genealogy Wishes (and you know what they are) do come true for you!

Elizabeth

Monday's Post: 4th Blogiverary

Most Popular Pages of 2011

The most popular blogs that I posted in 2011 (in order of popularity, according to online stats) represent a cross-section of topics, ranging from "Some Canadian Archival Resources" on December 29 to "Holiday Sale!" on December 27 to "War of 1812 Meetings", posted on December 22 -

December 29, 2011 - Some Canadian Archival Resources www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/some-canadian-archival-resources.html

December 28, 2011 - French-Canadian Societies www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/french-canadian-societies.html

December 27, 2011 - African-Canadian Societies www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/african-canadian-societies.html


December 27, 2011 - Holiday Sale! 
www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-sale.html

December 1, 2011 - The Archive CD Books Project
www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/archive-cd-books-project.html

 December 30, 2011 -  Some Other Ontario Genealogy Groups www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/some-other-ontario-genealogy-groups.html

 July 4, 2011 - Red River Colony genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/07/red-river-colony.html

November 29, 2011 - Historical Online Newspapers in Canada www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/11/historical-online-newspapers-in-canada.html

April 22, 2011 - Easter Treats from Ancestry.ca www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/04/easter-treats-from-ancestryca.html

December 23, 2011 - War of 1812 Meetings www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/war-of-1812-meetings.html  

If your favourite page is not listed, I'd like to hear about it - please send me an email at genealogycanada@aol.com. I appreciate hearing from my readers.

Thank you for following me in 2011, and I look forward to having you follow me again in 2012!

Elizabeth

Some Other Ontario Genealogy Groups

Besides the ever-popular Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) www.ogs.on.ca and the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) http://bifhsgo.ca, you will find other groups of interest in Ontario, such as -

The Upper Ottawa Valley Genealogical Group http://uovgg.ca They have the Timberline Newsletter Index (1990-1999), Renfrew County Cemetery Transcriptions, and a project on The Canadian Wends (German/Polish) immigrants.

The Manitoulin Genealogy Club www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onmanito/club.html This group, located on Manitoulin Island in Northwestern Ontario, is interested in collecting family histories of Howland Township.

Lanark County Genealogical Society www.globalgenealogy.com/LCGS They are located outside of Perth in Eastern Ontario. Many people from Lanark County went to Bruce, Huron, and Grey Counties in the 1850s, and later, to Manitoba and the Dakotas.

Temiskaming Genealogy Group www.nt.net/~timetrav This group is located in Northeastern Ontario on the border with Quebec, and they have many records on the English and French fur traders.

Sioux Lookout Genealogical Society www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onslgc Located in Northern Ontario, they have burial records, as well as the Tax Assessment Roll for 1913.

The Muskoka Parry Sound Genealogy Group www.mpsgg.com Covering the Central Ontario areas of Muskoka and Parry Sound, this group has the Cemetery Surname Database, which gives the date of death plus date of birth (where available), and other resources of the area.

Tomorrow's Post: Most Popular Pages of 2011