Canadian Week in Review

29 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

No websites this past week.

Blog

CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt' http://canadagenealogy.blogspot.com Read Diane’s comments on the release of the 1921 Canada Census by Library and Archives Canada.

Using Maps in Genealogy http://brantcountyogs.blogspot.com/2013/04/using-maps-in-genealogy.html Christine Woodcock tells us about a meeting she went to recently, where the topic of the talk was Using Maps in Genealogy. It was given by Denise Kirk of the Genealogy Club at the Brantford Public Library.

Facebook - Video – You Tube

Selkirk Settlers: A Rich Collection of Records http://canadashistory.ca/Magazine/Trading-Post/Trading-Post-List/Articles/Selkirk-Settlers-A-Rich-Collection-of-Records Anna Shumilak of The Hudson's Bay Company Archives, writes about the records available to the public at the Archives of Manitoba, and they are explained in an accommodating video.

Newspaper Articles

Learning about Canada’s Irish settlers http://www.haliburtonecho.ca/2013/04/23/learning-about-canadas-irish-settlers Grosse Ile, located in the middle of St. Lawrence River, Quebec, is known as Canada’s Quarantine Station, but according to Ellie MacNeil, it is not known well enough by the public.

Read what she had to say about Grosse Ile, and Irish immigration to Canada, at the Friends of the Haliburton County Public Library’s Lunch and Learn event on April 17th, 2013.

You can go to htto://www.collectionscanada.ca/grosse-ile to see the databases, which are online at Library and Archives Canada.

Historic P.E.I. resort lost to fire www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2013/04/25/pei-f-stanhope-fire-history-584.html When Stanhope Beach Resort burned to the ground on Tuesday, Prince Edward Island lost an historical landmark. It opened as a hotel in 1855, making it the oldest on the Island.

New Brunswick students participating in regional heritage fairs www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2013.04.0363.html Eleven regional heritage fairs are taking place throughout New Brunswick in April and May.

Genealogical conference coming in May www.oshawaexpress.ca/viewposting.php?view=4657 The Oshawa Express covers the OGS Conference which will be held in the city at the end of May.

Pictures and Story of the Week

Doors Open

Doors Open started in Glasgow, Scotland, and has been in Canada since 2000. It is a national program by Heritage Canada Foundation, based on the Doors Open Days concept. It welcomes everyone to come out to visit those hidden historical, architectural and cultural gems in their area. These buildings are normally closed to the public, or which charge an entrance fee, welcome visitors to look around for free.

The event which started it all off was Doors Open Ontario, which has run continuously since 2000. Other provinces having since been joined them, including Newfoundland and Labrador (2003), and Yukon and Saskatchewan (2005), for instance.

“Communities across the province open the doors to hundreds of historic buildings, places of worship, museums, private homes, industrial areas, green buildings, heritage gardens and other interesting venues,” said Liane Nowosielski of the sponsoring Ontario Heritage Trust.

This year, the theme is Cultural Expressions, recognizing the “relationship between heritage and the arts.”

Venues for the arts, including theatres, opera houses, art galleries, artist studios, recital halls and recording studios, are open for tours.

Trails and natural heritage sites are also included with walking, hiking and cycling trails, many of which feature special tours and activities.

Go to www.heritagecanada.org/en/visit-discover/doors-open-canada

The next Canadian Week in Review will be issued Monday May 6, 2013

LAC issues a report on itself

Late Friday afternoon, on April the 26th, the LAC put on its website a report entitled Library and Archives Canada makes Canada’s documentary heritage more accessible than ever.

Through this report, it expresses how the LAC is helping Canadians to access their heritage through different programs that have been instituted by the LAC.

For instance, it says that “To this end, LAC has developed a suite of tools that have efficiently contributed to this unparalleled access to Canada’s heritage. In fact, Canadians showed great interest in accessing LAC’s collections on their computer screens and handheld devices, as observed by the popularity of its Flickr sets (over 350,000 views), its podcasts (over 149,000 listens) and the size of the readership of its blog (over 63,000 views). In addition to these new tools, LAC’s website receives an average of 500,000 visits monthly. The popularity of these channels, enabled by modern technology, demonstrates how promising LAC’s approach is in reaching Canadians, regardless of where they live”.

So what do you think? Is the LAC fulfilling its mandate?

To read the full report, go to http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/news_releases/Pages/2013/documentary-heritage-more-accessible.aspx

UPDATE: FamilySearch Answers Questions

Yesterday, FamilySearch put 6 questions that they have been asked during the past week as people are getting use to a new way of doing things at the FamilySearch website.

Remember to read the comments also, because sometime they can be helpful too.

So are these the questions that people should be asking? Have you run into things which are missing, or could be better explained?

Go to https://familysearch.org/blog/en to read the questions.

Celebrating the Heritage of Cascapedia Bay, Quebec

This is a press release from The Chaleur Bay Military Museum, the Cascapedia River Museum and the Gaspesian British Heritage Village telling us of a video project which they are undertaking -

'The Chaleur Bay Military Museum, the Cascapedia River Museum and the Gaspesian British Heritage Village are working together to produce a series of videos focusing on the history of the Cascapedia Bay area. These videos will tell the story of the community and the magnificent countryside, and will be available as four downloadable video podcasts.

Each bilingual “vodcast” will take the viewer on a drive through the modern-day landscape while highlighting important sites and events from the past. Photos and descriptions of former landmarks will take the viewer back in time - the Dimock Creek ferry, logging and fishing on the Cascapedia River, one-room schoolhouses, inns and hotels, sawmills, blacksmith shops and military history, cemeteries and residences - will all be showcased. In addition, interviews previously carried out with community members will be included.

The project is financially supported by the Fonds de soutien à la mise en valeur du patrimoine culturel, a partnership between the Conférence régionale des élus Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine and the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications.

It is part of the ongoing work that the Military Museum, River Museum and Gaspesian Village carry out to ensure that the important heritage and history of the community is preserved, shared and celebrated. The three partners are very excited about this initiative and are looking forward to increased collaboration in the future.

It is anticipated that these vodcasts will be available for viewing in October 2013. If you have any photos or videos you feel should be included, please bring them by the Cascapedia River Museum or the Gaspesian British Heritage Village during opening hours".

The website of the Cascapedia River Museum is at www.cascapediariver.com/museum.shtml and the email is cascapedia_museum@globetrotter.net.

The website of the Gaspesian British Heritage Village is at www.gaspesianvillage.org, and the email is info@gaspesianvillage.org

The website of the Chaleur Bay Military Museum is at
 www.chaleurmilitarymuseum.com

Alberta Family History Society

There will be a meeting of the Alberta Family History Society at the River Park Church, 3818 - 14A Street SW in Calgary Monday, May 6, 7-9 p.m. at which Frances Swendsen will speak about Family Tree, a new feature at the FamilySearch.org website.

If you would like to view the new website before going to the meeting, you can watch a webinar on the Legacy FamilyTrees website which has given by Devin Ashby at www.familytreewebinars.com/presenter_details.php?presenter_id=39. Although one has to pay to view these webinars, this one will always be FREE because it is sponsored by FamilySearch. (I watched it Wednesday and it is very good.)

Alberta Family History Blog is at http://afhs.ab.ca/blog

Alberta Family History Facebook page is at http://www.facebook.com/AlbertaFHS

And their website is at www.afhs.ab.ca

UPDATE: CanadaGenWeb - Yukon Cemeteries

The following updates have been put online –

Dawson City

Bet Chaim Jewish Cemetery

St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery

Hillside Cemetery (Old Public)

Hillside Cemetery (New Public)

Whitehorse

Grey Mountain Cemetery

Our thanks go to Rod Carty for his volunteer work on the Yukon cemeteries, and for his work at "Find A Grave"!

You can go http://canadacems.blogspot.com/2013/04/yukon-update.html

Saskatchewan Archives Changes Their Hours

On April 1, 2013, Saskatchewan Archives changed its public hours at their reading room locations in both Regina and Saskatoon. The reading rooms will now be open from 10 am to 4 pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Both the Regina and Saskatoon reading rooms will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

So the hours are –

Monday - CLOSED

Tuesday, CLOSED

Wednesday, 10 am to 4 pm, no retrievals from 12-1 pm or after 3:45 pm

Thursday, 10 am to 4 pm, no retrievals from 12-1 pm or after 3:45 pm

Friday, 10 am to 4 pm, no retrievals from 12-1 pm or after 3:45 pm

If you require clarification about their current hours, please contact either the Saskatoon or Regina reference offices at:

Saskatoon reference office

Phone: (306) 933-5832

Regina reference office

Phone: (306) 787-4068

Email: info@archives.gov.sk.ca

For more information, go to www.saskarchives.com/using-archives

East European Genealogical Society 2013 Seminar

On Saturday, June 1, 2013 (full day and evening), the East European  Genealogical Societies will hold a full-day seminar at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), 45 Dalhousie Drive, Winnipeg, Manitoba, where the speaker will be Kahlile Mehr, MA, MLS, AG (Salt Lake City).

Kahlile worked thirty-five years at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City, most recently as Slavic Collections Manager. He visited archives throughout Eastern Europe on nine separate acquisition trips and has published over twenty articles and books, as well as presented papers at numerous international genealogical conferences.

The East European Genealogical Society includes Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, parts of Poland and Ukraine, and other former Soviet Republics.

The cost is

•Members $60.00 (includes lunch)

•Non-members $65.00 (includes lunch)

•Dinner $28.00 each

For more info, please go to www.mbgenealogy.com/news/56/15/East-European-Genealogical-Society-2013-Seminar

OGS Report 2012

For the first time ever (as far as I can remember), the Ontario Genealogical Society has put its yearly report online at www.ogs.on.ca/home/pdfs/OGS-Annual-Report-2012.pdf

It is a 44-page report which covers, in part, such subjest as Project Reports, Standing Committee Reports, Notes on Financial Statements, Financial Statements, and Where does your money go? It also includes Branch Annual Reports for 2012.

Some of the interesting things I noticed since I received the report this morning are –

An explanation of Where does your money go? The graphics used were confusing, and maybe better graphic could have been chosen. In the written explanation, they said that the operation costs each member $106.00 a year to support. We pay $60.00 per member right now. Is there an increase in dues going to be set for next year?

It looks like we will be changing to e-publication in the future. And it looks like the Publication Committee will be doing something for the First World War Anniversary in 2014, as they did with the War of 1812 Celebrations.

There will be the new website later this year, and many of the local Branches have put on new websites.

I would like to thank all of the people who put this report together, and who have made it available to everyone.

Genealogy “Summer Camp”

The 17th Summer Camp will be held in Toronto from the 16th to the 21st June, 2013. It is being held by the Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society.

In their press release, they say that “Genealogy "Summer Camp" is a unique program that brings out-of-town family historians to Toronto for an intensive week of tutorials and hands-on research, with the guidance of local experts, at the many archives and reference libraries in Toronto. We take full advantage of Toronto’s great public transit system, and we keep the group small to allow lots of help from our local experts.

If you're from out-of-town, we encourage you to stay with the group. We have arranged economical university residence accommodation.

The 2013 Genealogy “Summer Camp” will be number 17! More than 135 participants from England, right across Canada and many US states have attended the 16 previous Summer Camps—some more than once! We’ve also welcomed many local participants as “day campers”. It is an excellent way to get acquainted (or reacquainted) with the libraries and archives in our city. It is also a great excuse for a week of concentrated research.

This year’s Summer Camp is scheduled for June 16 to 21, 2013. The Summer Camp fee for 2013 is $240 (Cdn), which covers approximately 7 hours of lectures and tutorials, 25 hours of hands-on instruction and all worksheets and handouts.

For details as to venues, resources, tutorials and accommodation, and to download an application package, visit www.torontofamilyhistory.org/summercamp.html, or contact Jane MacNamara at info@torontofamilyhistory.org”.

Applications should be received by 16 May 2013.

St. Patrick’s Society of Richmond & Vicinity, Quebec

This year the St. Patrick’s Society of Richmond & Vicinity is celebrating its 135th anniversary with the publication of a book on local Irish history called Irish Settlement and National Identity in the Lower St. Francis Valley. It is written by Peter Southam, a retired history professor from University of Sherbrooke.

The book describes 200 years of Irish presence in the Lower St-Francis Valley, a section of Quebec’s Eastern Townships that surrounds the Town of Richmond. Much of the information for the book was provided by local families. Part I deals with Irish rural settlements and Part II focuses on the Richmond’s St-Patrick’s Society.

Books are available at Townshippers’ Association (819-566-5717), Black Cat Books in Lennoxville, and Papeterie 2000 or Loretta at 819-826-2658 in Richmond.

Visit www.richmondstpats.org for information on the society, and the book.

Canada Book Day

To mark Canada Book Day, the Library and Archives Canada takes a closer look at the collection of early 20th-century Canadian publications available in the Electronic Collection of Library and Archives Canada.

The website address is www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/electroniccollection/index-e.html

71st Annual National Volunteer Week Apr 21 - 27

National Volunteer Week pays tribute to the millions of Canadian volunteers who donate their time and talents to our communities.

This special event began in 1943 to draw attention to the vital contribution women made to the war effort on the home front. Although this week was largely forgotten after the war ended, it experienced a revival in the late 1960s, when organizations stressed the importance of thanking volunteers across Canada.

This is the largest celebration of civic participation in Canada.

CanadaGenWeb www.facebook.com/pages/CanadaGenWeb-Cemetery-Project/150618738362392?fref=ts On their Facebook page, CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project publicly says ‘Thank you” to its volunteers.

The Cemetery Project is a program is run entirely by volunteers, and it would not be able to offer a cemetery directory, transcripts, indexes and photos without their commitment and support.

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