Friday, August 26, 2011

Abbotsford Sikh Temple

From 1901 until 1911, about 5,000 Sikhs (the majority who were young single men), came to Canada. They mostly settled in British Columbia to work in the logging, farming and railway industries.

In 1911 they built the Abbotsford Sikh Temple or Gurdwara. It is the oldest surviving Sikh temple in Canada.

In 2002, Parks Canada designated it as National Historic Site of Canada.

Parks Canada website http://www.pc.gc.ca/culture/ppa-ahp/itm1-/page04_e.asp

East Indians http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-905.015-e.html

A Walk to Remember

On the 24 & 25 of September there will be a tour of St. Ann's Cemetery (established 1835) in Penetanguishene, Simcoe County, Ontario.

The press release says to “Join Deb and Pam for a walk through this historic cemetery and meet sinners and saints, the famous and infamous. We've uncovered some fascinating and interesting facts about the citizens of Penetang and we'd like to share them with you.”

The Walk starts at 2 PM each day.

Tickets are limited to 25 for each day and must be paid for in advance.

Tickets are $8.00 each, and you call the museum at 705-549-2150.

All proceeds are for the Cemetery Board for the upkeep of the grounds.

The Penetanguishene Centennial Museum and Archives website is http://www.pencenmuseum.com/events-exhibits/

Thursday, August 25, 2011

The 35th Norfolklore Genealogy Fair

Simcoe is a town located in the southwestern part of Ontario, and every fall it hosts the oldest genealogy fair in Ontario – The Norfolklore Genealogy Fair.

The resource providers/exhibitors for 2011 included Colonel John Butler Branch UELAC, Elgin County OGS, Grand Erie Education Archives, Grand River Branch UELAC, Haldimand County OGS, Hamilton Branch OGS, Heronwood Enterprises, Kent County OGS, Kinfolk Finders, Log Cabin Publishing, Mayholme Foundation, Niagara Branch OGS, Norfolk Historical Society, Norfolk County OGS, Norwich and District Historical Society, Oxford County OGS, Ruthven Park National Historic Site, Waterford Townsend Historical Society.

It will be held on September 24th, and tickets will be available for $5.00, and this includes admission to both the Norfolklore Fair as well as to the Eva Brook Donly Museum and Archives where you can do some local research with volunteer help. Usual admission to the Archives is $10.00.

It will be held ay the Simcoe Seniors Centre, 89 Pond Street, Simcoe from 10 am to 4pm.

The website is http://www.norfolklore.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=20

Biographical Research for Ontario Genealogists

Do you need help in learning the stories behind your ancestor's life? What was the historical events in their life at that time?

Then you need this course to help you answer the questions -

This course is for experienced genealogists who want to learn the stories behind their Ontario ancestors’ names, places and dates. Whether your ancestors were county farmers or city merchants, you can learn more about their lives using the records and techniques taught in this class. This class is ideal preparation for writing the family history book.

Schedule: Tuesdays, 6:15-8:15 PM, September 13,20, 27 and October 4, 2011 (a four week course)

Location: Toronto Reference Library, Learning Centre 1.

Instructor: Janice Nickerson

Janice is a professional genealogist based in Toronto. In addition to her private client work, she assists the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee in locating missing heirs, was the “behind the scenes” genealogical researcher and coordinator for the CBC’s genealogical TV program, Who Do You Think You Are? and is the author of the recent OGS/Dundurn publication, Crime and Punishment in Upper Canada: A Researcher’s Guide (For readers of Families, an excerpt, and review of the book was published in the February 2011 edition.)

Fee: $66 ($60 for OGS members.

Their website is at http://www.torontofamilyhistory.org/courses.html

For further information, to discuss prerequisite equivalents and to check before mailing a late application: email: courses@torontofamilyhistory.org or call (416) 733-2608 (voicemail)

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

120th Anniversary of Ukrainian Settlement

Over 1.2 million Ukrainian-Canadians are celebrating this year's events in the 120th Anniversary of settling in Canada.

They have completed the Historical Train of Ukrainian Pioneers from Halifax stopping in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Edmonton where they traced the steps of the people who came here in 1891; yesterday they honoured the annual Black Ribbon Day in which they remembered the victims of Communism and Nazism in Europe, and on the 24th of October of this year they will celebrate Ukrainian Day on Parliament Hill.

To view the history of Ukrainian-Canadians, the website is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Canadian

To view the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, visit the http://www.history.alberta.ca/ukrainianvillage/default.aspx


BIFGSGO Begins Fall Meetings

The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO)first fall meeting will be Saturday, Sept 10, 2011 at Library and Archives Canada Auditorium, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa from 9:30 - 10:00 a.m.

Tom Rimmer has done research on the Fancy Railway Stations in Westmorland. His great-grandfather was absent from his Lancashire home as shown in the 1871 Census of Rainford, Lancashire. When Tom eventually found his great-grandfather, he was building railway stations in the Lake District. Tom's granddaughter, Anne Rimmer, will present the talk.

Come early, have a coffee, and explore the Irish, English, and Scottish Discovery Tables before the talk.

The website is http://www.bifhsgo.ca/

Digging up the Parliament Building (Montreal)

On Tuesday, the CTV News http://m.ctv.ca/topstories/20110823/archaeologists-montreal-dig-110823.html had a story about archeologists digging up the Parliament Building which was burnt down by rebels of the Rebellions of 1837 in Montreal.

Reports say that they are starting to find items including a tea set, and a pair of glasses which was probably left behind by someone when the building burnt to the ground.

The ground will be turned into a green space in time for Montreal's 375th birthday, which will take place in 2017.

Read the history of the Parliament Building http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_the_Parliament_Buildings_in_Montreal

For a history of Montreal, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal

For the Rebellion of 1837 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebellion_Losses_Bill

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Ireland Canada Monument Newsletter

Over the weekend I received this letter from Brendan Flynn at brendanflynn_1@hotmail.com

“Hello Everyone,

Please find the 50th edition of the Ireland Canada Monument Newsletter. We hope you will forward it to others.

The newletter can also be downloaded from the following link at the top of the page. Go to http://irelandmonumentvancouver.com/monumental-news/

Thank You.

The Ireland Canada Monument Society"

"Ask Granny!" Genealogy Program

The Victoria Genealogical Society's “Ask Granny!” Genealogical Program which is a free seminar in retirement homes is ready for their fall season.

They have presented four seminar so far in 2011 to a total of 29 students, and it sounds like they have been very popular.

I wonder if other societies are doing this as part of their outreach program.

For further information about “Ask Granny!' email vgsprojectdirector@gmail.com or visit the VGS Programs page on this Victoria Genealogical Society's website at http://www.victoriags.org/index.htm.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Kingston Cemetery Repaired

On 27 May 2008 a number of Kingston citizens concerned about the deterioration of the Lower Burial Ground of St. Paul's Churchyard in the heart of the city gathered and decided to establish a non-profit corporation to be known as The Lower Burial Ground Restoration Society.

Since then, they have repaired the burial ground, and was able to repair the wall which surrounds it.

You can view the work that has been done by going to http://www.uelac.org/Kingston/lower.html

Keffer Writing Contest

Every year the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) has a writing contest called the Keffer Writing Contest. The deadline for entering the contest is November 1st.

The entries must be Canadian or Ontario based genealogy, and they should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words in length.

There will be three judges, and lots of nifty prized -

1sr prize $100.00 plus 2 annual OGS memberships
2nd prize $75.00 plus 1 annual OGS memberships
3rd prize $50.00
4th prize $25.00

You have to be a member of the OGS in order to enter. They have a new membership offer of $35.00 for a half year membership. Details are at are at http://www.ogs.on.ca/home/essay.php

Sunday, August 21, 2011

New Blog - Beehive Genealogy

Just like a busy bee, Erin has been writing blog post, as she puts it “It is my attempt to make sense of my ancestors, their place in time, and the communities they lived in as they moved west in Canada”.

She had been on since August the 11th , and has written such blogs as “Vic and Cassie Lloyd”, and 'The Benefits of Asking Questions and Questioning Answers”. She also does blogs on such subjects as “Friday Funny”, “Saturday Surnames”, and “Tombstone Tuesday

Erin writes with an easy and informed style, and one hopes that she keeps up the blog so that we can learn more about Western families in Canada.

The blog is at http://beehivegenealogy.wordpress.com/.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Genealogy Education




The theme of the August 2011 edition of the OGS journal, Families, was “Genealogy Education”, and it contained seven papers -

The Training of Teachers is taken from the excellent book, Education and Ontario Family History, by Toronto genealogist, Marian Press. The article and book shows us where to find the educational records in such places as The Archives of Ontario.

Childhood Forgotten: The Story of a Home Child, by Robert McCauley, the winner of the 2011 Mike Brede Genealogical Essay Prize, tells the rather tragic story of Ada Victoria Girling from London who was put in numerous homes before she came to Canada as a Home Child, and the many years it took to find her story. It's her likenesses on the cover (above), as a sad little girl, and as a striking young woman.

Genealogy for Young People: Interest, Involvement, Nurturing by OGS Vice-President, Shirley Sturdevant, is a paper by a former teacher taking us through the process of teaching children about family history.

Our Heritage … Our Past is a paper be Carol White in which she tells us about the success of Heritage Fairs in Ontario. They have gone from having one fair in 1998 to 20 in 2011!

Robert Halfyard, in his paper, Never Assume!, tells us about the people that may be related to James Miller and his wife, Jane Bradley, and how he assumed that certain people were related, but weren't.

Gwen Patterson, in Documents for the Education Sector of Ontario, recounts the history of the Ontario Educational System.

Dave Obee's Tech Tools for Genealogists is the paper you should read if you want to be brought up-to-date on Social Media. It is taken from the Conference's closing lecture that he gave in Hamilton this past May.

The upcoming themes of the November 2011 issue of Families will be "The War of 1812", and "Immigration".

The Ontario Genealogical Society now has a half-year membership available for $35.00 at www.ogs.on.ca/membership/types.php

Friday, August 19, 2011

The Dieppe Raid

The 69th Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid (also known as The Battle of Dieppe, Operation Rutter, or later on as Operation Jubilee), is today, August 19th.

It happened during the Second World War, and was an Allied (mainly Canadian), attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France.

Over 6,000 infantrymen were involved in the attack. Of those, a total of 3,623 (almost 60%) who made it ashore were either killed, wounded, or captured.

You can check the following three webpages to view more about the Dieppe Raid -

Canada in WW II http://www.junobeach.org/main.html

Canadian Forces after 1918 (including Second World War) Military Records Held by Library and Archives Canada http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-909.007

The Books of Remembrance … The Second World War http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/sub.cfm?source=collections/books/bww2

VanKleek Hill Family History Day

Family History Day will be held at the Musée Vankleek Hill Museum, 95 Main Street East, and at VanKleek Hill Community Centre, VanKleek, Ontario.

The museum has invited four guest speakers – Harold MacMillan will introduce the local Galic language history, and teach you some words in Galic; David Abderson, a local book collector will tell you what to do with the collections that you have been left; Doroth Smith will talk about her research into the early history of the Van Kleek Hill Agricltural Aociety; Denis Sequin who is president of the VanKleek Hill & District Historical Society will explain the importance of the unique Victorian built-heritage as a tourist attraction.

Ottawa genealogists Glenn Wright, President of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/ who will be there to answer your questions on immigration, the Anglo-Saxon family roots, and military history, and genealogy.

If you wish to go to the Family History Day at Vankleek Hill on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. , please follow Highway 417 to Exit 17. It is located at the crossroads at Highways 10 and 34. It is free!

The website is http://www.vankleek.ca/index.php you can email them at info@vankleek.ca, or phone them at 613-678-2323.

Last year we went to the Family History Day, and completely enjoyed it, so much so, that we will go again this year. See you there!

Juvenile Inspection Reports

I have been reading about the immigration to Canada of children from Britain, and the creation of inspection report cards as they carried out regular inspections of the children. I was interested in this because Robert McCauley wrote about a Home Child named Ada Victoria Girling in a paper in this month's Families entitled “Childhood Forgotten: The Story of a Home Child.”

Most of these reports at the Library and Archives Canada http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/index-e.html concern the British Home Children. Some 100,000 British Home Children immigrated to Canada between between 1869 and 1948.

There is usually one page in the inspection report per child, with the following details -

name
age or date of birth
year of arrival
name of ship
sending organization, and,
names and addresses of farmers with whom they were placed.

In some cases, you may have to consult the List of Abbreviations to determine the name of the sending organization, such as the Middlemore Home Children in the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa. http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=4

This series also includes inspection cards for some European children, including those brought to Canada by the Armenian Relief Association of Canada (1923-1932) and the Canadian Jewish War Orphans Committee (1920-1921).

The Juvenile Inspections Reports are available on the following microfilm reels, arranged in approximate alphabetical order by the Library and Archives Canada at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/index-e.html

T-15420 A to CARDNO, Leslie
T-15421 CARDWELL, Andrew to EVANS, Arthur E.
T-15422 EVANS, Arthur L. to HENDERSON, Ann F.
T-15423 HENDERSON, Charles H. to LOCK, Annie
T-15424 LOCK, Herbert to O'BRIEN, Samuel
T-15425 O'BRIEN, Thomas to SHAW, Victor
T-15426 SHAW, Walter A. to WEALE, Walter
T-15427 WEALLS, Eric to ZYCZYNSKI, Leon

This is the only known source for children sent by the British Immigration and Colonization Association from Britain to Canada.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Cemetery Outing

News from the Halton-Peel Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society http://www.halinet.on.ca/sigs/ogshp/tells us that there will be a Cemetery Outing to St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery on Saturday September 10th at 2099 Dickson Road, Mississauga.

They are looking for people to finish transcribing the cemetery, and if you are able to help out please contact Dorothy Kew at dkew@cogeco.ca for directions to the cemetery.

Writers' Groups in Genealogy

There are two genealogical societies in Canada which have a writer's group.

They are -

The SouthEast & Winnipeg Branch of the Manitoba Genealogical Society http://www.mbgenealogy.com/index.php?page=southeast-and-winnipeg-branch

They have just started their group, and they say “The focus of each meeting will be to help and support each other’s desire to write about our families”.
They say that they will be “Exploring writing techniques — how to find and develop a theme, how to add details to catch the reader’s interest, and how to tighten or expand our writing.

Everyone with a willingness to write and share is welcome! Bring a notebook and your favourite pen to write with”.

Contact Virginis Braid at vbraid@mts.net for more information.

The other society which I know has a writing group is -

The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa, and they hold their meetings right after the regular monthly meeting on Saturday morning at the Library and Archives Canada,5th floor cafeteria.

They are a Special Interests Groups and they meet from 11:45 am to 2:30 pm.

They say that they are “Open to BIFHSGO members who want feedback on writing their family history or memoirs, the Writing Group meets after the monthly BIFHSGO Saturday meetings. We bring extra copies of our writing to share with members. Most of us also bring a lunch to eat before we begin our”.

The website is at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/events.php, you can contact them at
queries@bifhsgo.ca

Are there any more writing groups out there? If there are, write and tell us about the group.


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

NIGS - GRADUATION CEREMONY

Even though it is still a month away, things are starting to happen for the 17th annual BIFHSGO conference! Their website is at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/

I just got this notice last night from The National Institute for Genealogical Studies, and it says that there is “Only one month to go for our GRADUATION CEREMONY. Join us in Ottawa to honour our 'Graduates'. Everyone is welcomed......

If you have not yet let us know you are attending, please do so as soon as possible. The instructions are below or you can send an e-mail to: admin@genealogicalstudies.com to indicate the number of people. Here was the original announcement:

THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO EVERYONE. The National Institute for Genealogical Studies and the Continuing Education unit of the University of St. Michael's College in the University of Toronto, invites you to come celebrate with us, with our students and our graduates. The graduation ceremony will take place at 4:00 pm, just prior to the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO)'s opening ceremony at Library and Archives Canada. You will hear from a few of our graduates and mingle with our students and instructors. Graduates, remember to invite your family and friends to attend - everyone is welcome!

Friday, 16 September 2011 at 4:00pm
Library and Archives Canada
Room 156, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario

To reserve your complimentary tickets:
please go to http://www.genealogicalstudies.com/
click on LOGIN (top right hand corner), type your e-mail address and your password, click OK,
click on SERVICES & TIPS (on the left under Other Products),
click on National Institute for Genealogical Studies,
Click on Graduation Ceremony,
click on ADD TO CART, click on SHOPPING CART,
in Quantity: change the number of tickets you would like, click on UPDATE,
click on CHECK-OUT STAND, Click on PAY BY CHECK/CHEQUE.
There will no charge. This will simply complete the request.
Or if you prefer, or have any questions, call us at 1-800-580-0165 or if local, to Toronto 416-861-0165.

Hope to see you in Ottawa...”