Wreaths Across Canada

Adorned graves at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in St. John’s, Newfoundland. (Photo submitted by Wreaths Across Canada)

I received an article written by Canadian Forces Captain, Lisa Evong, entitled, "A wreath for every Canadian veteran", about a new initiative between the Canadian Forces and Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa to be called Wreaths Across Canada.

The article says -

Almost a quarter of a million Canadian veterans are buried in cemeteries across Canada including those at rest at the National Military Cemetery at Beechwood. Many Canadians are unaware of this fact, and so the honour that is owed to them is lost. Wreaths Across Canada (W.A.C.) Incorporated is an organization determined to correct this omission starting on December 4.

“All too often when the image of deceased Canadian war veterans comes to mind we think of those buried overseas at places like Vimy, Normandy, Ortona, or Hong Kong,” says Chief of the Defence Staff, General Walter Natynczyk. “But, thousands of veterans, many of whom fought in and survived those same battles, are buried in military burial sites throughout our nation. Wreaths Across Canada is giving Canadians of every age an opportunity to play a personal and significant role in the ceremony to honour our fallen.”

Beginning Sunday, December 4 at 1:30 p.m., W.A.C. will activate its mission by placing almost 3000 balsam wreaths on the headstones of every veteran buried in the National Military Cemetery. The public is invited to participate in this most personal act of remembrance. It is anticipated that this will become an annual tradition in Ottawa and it is hoped that this ceremony of commemoration spreads to every military cemetery throughout Canada.

“Keep in mind three easy words - Remember, Honour, Teach – that is the mission statement of Wreaths Across Canada,” says General (Ret) Rick Hillier, W.A.C.’s Honourary Chairman. “We will remember those members of the Canadian Forces who lie in military cemeteries across Canada; we will honour those who have served Canada as members of our military forces; and we will strive to teach Canadian youth the value of freedom.”

No longer will it only be government and military leaders placing wreaths on memorials. W.A.C. invites you, your friends, and your family to participate in this ceremony. Families are encouraged to bring their children to the ceremony and schools are encouraged to participate. Serving members of the Canadian Forces are invited to attend in uniform and veterans attending are encouraged to wear their medals. The hope is that participants will depart with a new sense of gratitude and understanding of the sacrifice that was made.

W.A.C. is a registered charitable organization composed of a small group of volunteers who are mainly veterans. Local school boards are enthusiastic about this program and there is also a growing interest from other organizations and associations.

Fundraising for W.A.C. is now in full swing. Funds have been received from Veteran’s Affairs Canada, The McCain Foundation, the True Patriot Love Foundation, the Harrison McCain Foundation and individual donations from the general public. If you would like to make a donation to W.A.C, or volunteer to lay a wreath on December 4, please visit the website at http://www.WreathsAcrossCanada.ca, call 613-435-4294 or simply just arrive at the National Military Cemetery at 1 p.m. and you will be given a wreath to lay when the ceremony starts at 1:30 p.m.  

Postscript #1 - Glenn Wright, the former military archivist at the Library and Archives Canada, has informed me that the website, "WWI Canadian War Graves in the United Kingdom", has been put together by D. Beaupré and Adrian Watkinson. They are compiling a list and information about 3,885 soldiers who are buried in 834 locations across the United Kingdom.

The website is www.canadianukgravesww1.co.uk.

Postscript #2 - Ancestry.ca has FREE access for Canadian Military Records on its website at  www.ancestry.ca/11remembrance?lcid=4105&o_xid=37375&o_lid=37375&o_sch=Newspaper+Brand%2fPR until November 13th, 2011.

Tomorrow's Post: The Portraits of Honour National Tour, plus live streaming of the CBC's (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - Canada's public broadcaster) of the Remembrance Day Service, live from the National War Memorial in downtown Ottawa.

Canadian Soldier Sikhs: A Little Story in a Big War

A film is being made by Canada's David R. Gray about ten Sikh men who enlisted in the Canadian Army in the First World War. As the website says, the film "follows the men through the enlistment process, training, and transport to France by troopship. It features the struggles these Sikh soldiers faced and the battles they fought, including those during which two of the men were killed".

The producers of the film are looking for assistance from people who travel to India, and may be able to contact the relatives and descendants of the ten Canadian Sikh soldiers. And they are looking for photos of any of these Canadian Sikh soldiers.

You contact the producers at grayhound@xplornet.com. The website is http://canadiansoldiersikhs.ca.

Postscript # 1 I have just been informed by Sandeep Singh Brar of the website at  http://www.sikhmuseum.com/buckam which honours "Private Buckam Singh: Discovering a Canadian Hero" - the first Sikh to enlist in the First World War with an Ontario battalion. 

The website says that "Buckam Singh came to B.C. from Punjab in 1907 at age 14 and eventually moved to Toronto in 1912/1913. He enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the spring of 1915. He's one of the earliest known Sikhs living in Ontario at the time as well as one of only 9 Sikhs that we know of that served with Canadian troops in WWI".

Postscript # 2 According to a story in the Ottawa Citizen, there are a number of tunnels in France that have etchings in them. They are a reminder of the Canadian veterans who stayed in the tunnels in the wintertime while waiting to fight the Germans in the First World War.

There will be a travelling art exhibit of the etchings that will cross Canada in 2014, the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the war.

The story is found online at www.ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/French+tunnel+etchings+haunting+reminder+Canada+veterans/5666293/story.html.

Tomorrow's Post: Wreath Laying in Ottawa

Canada at War: A Guide to LAC's Websites

Private G.R. MacDonald of The Toronto Scottish Regiment (M.G.) giving first aid to an injured French boy, Brionne, France, 25 August 1944.

"Military and Peacekeeping" is one of the many topics found under the umbrella title of "Canada at War: A Guide to Library and Archives Canada's Websites Recalling the Canadian War Experience", found online at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/veterans/index-e.html.


This webpage will lead you to the many resources available on their website, particularly those who lost their lives in the First World War. Veterans' Week 2011 marks the 93rd anniversary of the armistice ending the First World War.

Sunday evening, we watched TVO's excellent documentary, "The Last Day of World War One", hosted by Michael Palin.

Although it was a British program about the last day of the war and the fighting that continued on that day even though the Armistice had actually been signed, many references were made to Canadians, including Strathroy, Ontario's own, General Sir Arthur Currie.

TVO is commemorating Remembrance Day with a month of special programming ww3.tvo.org/story/tvo-commemorates-remembrance-day-month-special-programming

Tomorrow's Post: Canadian Soldier Sikhs: A Little Story in a Big War 

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 10

Here are some of the websites and blogs that I have come across the week ending November 6, 2011 -

The War Graves Photographic Project http://twgpp.org Started in England, it now covers Canadian graves, with over 30 volunteers taking photos of cemeteries under the guidance of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and Canadian Veterans Affairs. You can research by surname and first name, and they have a photo gallery onsite, and News & Information. If you have a question about a Canadian grave, please email Vernon Mastman at vernon@twgpp.org.

The War of 1812 Website  www.warof1812.ca A well-rounded site that was started to commemorate the War of 1812 by listing the latest articles on the War of 1812, book reviews, videos, prints, maps, uniforms, and games.

The Birthplace of John McCrae and a National Historic Site http://guelpharts.ca/mccraehouse/index.php Read about the site and the events that are being held at the John McCrae House, the author of In Flanders Fields.

CFS Alert http://jproc.ca/rrp/alert.html Canadian Forces Station Alert in Nunavut is the most-northerly, permanently-inhabited settlement in the world of the Canadian military! The site gives a history of the place and the personnel, explanations of some of the equipment used, and contains some really good photographs of the station.

The Canadian International Military Tattoo New! www.canadianmilitarytattoo.ca The tattoo will take place in Hamilton to mark the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812, as well as the 150th Anniversary of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.

Canadian Forces casualties in Afghanistan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Forces_casualties_in_Afghanistan A breakdown of the Canadian casualties in Afghanistan is given as well as a history of where these casualties occurred, and continue to occur.

Avroland www.avroland.ca Dedicated to the people and projects of AVRO Canada and Orenda Engines Limited. The Toronto Aerospace Museum has completed their full-size replica Arrow, which is onsite, as well as the people who helped design and build the Avro Arrow.

Canadian Heroes (Military Heroes) www.canada-heros.com/military.html A blog which answers the question of "Who is a Hero?" Read about the Canadian heroes of yesterday and today. It also has Ginny McIlmoyle singing the song, "The Highway of Heroes", the stretch of Hwy 401 that goes from CFB Trenton to Toronto.  The song was written to honour the people who came back to Canada after they were killed in Afghanistan.

The Heroes Remember www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/hrp This website contains video interviews of Canadian Veterans of the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, the Chinese-Canadian veterans, along with some very interesting anecdotes on their experiences.

Remembrance Day in Canada: Remembering Canadians Who Fought and Died in War http://canadaonline.about.com/cs/canadawar/a/remembranceday.htm  Lots of interesting links on this site, especially on the First World War.

Tomorrow's Post: Discover the Collection: Military and Peacekeeping

Royal Canadian Navy Ledger Sheets Database (1910-1941)

Canadian Corvettes, on antisubmarine duty while escorting a WW II convoy. National Archives of Canada / PA-115350

Library and Archives Canada has just announced the launch of a new online database, "Royal Canadian Navy Ledger Sheets (1910-1941)".

The LAC says that "Through this online database, researchers can access more than 16,700 references to individuals who served in the Royal Canadian Navy and the Naval Reserve between 1910 and 1918. It also includes some records for those who enlisted between 1919 and 1941".

The database is available at the following address:
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/navyledgersheet/index-e.html

For more information, please contact webservices@bac-lac.gc.ca.

I had one uncle in the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, and his name was John (Johnnie) Turner Barclay (b. 1916 – d. 1975) from Jordan Falls, Shelburne County, Nova Scotia. He was my father's brother, and his home base was CFB Halifax.

He often talked about the stormy weather that they had as they crossed the Northern Atlantic to fight off of the coast of England in the Battle of the Atlantic. He was in the engine room, and he said that there were cramped conditions in which they lived and worked during those long days at sea.

The navy lost 24 ships and 1,797 sailors in the war.

Admiralty House Museum, Halifax, NS http://psphalifax.ca/marcommuseum/convoys.html I have been at the museum in Halifax, and it is a beautiful place. The website says, "The museum has a library of over 50,000 volumes, archives, and a permanent collection displaying historical artifacts including model ships, weapons, photos, medals and much more".

Tomorrow's Post: New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs, Week 10

Canada's Veterans' Week

Canadian Veterans' Week will remember those Canadians who are, and have been, members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Veterans Affairs Canada, www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/veterans-week, is asking us to "Make remembrance more than something you feel. Make it something you do".

This Veterans’ Week, take the remembrance challenge - "There are many ways to show that you remember and honour our Veterans". For instance -

• Pin a poppy above your heart.

• Attend the local Remembrance Day ceremony.

• Talk to a friend or relative who has just returned home from Afghanistan or who served in other areas of conflict.

• Listen to Veterans talk about their experiences.

• Create a mashup and share it on the Veterans Affairs Canada YouTube Channel.

• Visit the Veterans Affairs Canada Facebook fan page, write on our wall, and share how you remember.

• Follow Veterans Affairs Canada on Twitter and tweet about how you remember.
• 
  
• Change your Facebook profile picture to a poppy.
• 
  
• Blog, tweet or update your Facebook status about the importance of remembrance.

You can share your experiences with people who have put their experiences online in a video at the Remembrance Feed at www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/feature/remember/social?startRow=61 

You can share the experiences of the students at Westgrove School from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to the experience of Jason Peters from College of New Caledonia, Prince George, B.C., to the experience of Cindi Hachey from Maugerville, New Brunswick.

Visit the Events page at www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/veterans-week/events for more information on  the events nearest you.

As the website says, "Together, it is our duty to pass on the legacy and keep the memories of our Canadian Veterans alive."

Tomorrow's Post: Royal Canadian Navy Ledger Sheets (1910-1941)

Blogger Showcases Canada’s Veterans' Week (November 5-11)

(Ottawa, Canada - November 3, 2011) In accepting the remembrance challenge of this year’s Veterans’ Week, “Make remembrance more than something you feel. Make it something you do”, Canadian blogger, Elizabeth Lapointe, will have a whole week of Canadian military-related posts on her blog, www.GenealogyCanada.blogspot.com.

Lapointe says, “Coming from a military family, and married into one, Veterans’ Week means something special to me. It is in this spirit that I will post on related Canadian military websites and blogs, culminating with a special Remembrance Day post on November 11th.”

Some examples of the posts planned during Veterans’ Week include a post on Veterans’ Week itself, listing the different events planned across Canada; a post covering the Wreath Laying Ceremony at the National Military Cemetery at Ottawa’s Beechwood Cemetery in December; and on November 11th (Remembrance Day), there will be a post on The Portraits of Honour National Tour, which has been going across Canada since May, and which will stop in Ottawa on November 11th and 12th.

Also included will be a special “Canadian Military” websites and blogs list that will be posted on Monday, November 7th as a special edition of the “New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs” series, which is published every Monday.

“I have gone through the military websites and blogs, and have picked the ones which have special meaning and remembrance for this week. Join me as I take the journey to the best websites and blogs honouring Veterans’ Week - November 5th to the 11th," says Lapointe.

About GenealogyCanada

The blog, www.GenealogyCanada.blogspot.com, has been covering Canadian genealogy, heritage, and history since the first of over 500 posts was published in January, 2008.

At the www.GenealogyCanada.com website, there are over 30 monthly newsletters covering news on Canadian genealogy, heritage, and history, including the famous “Website of the Month”.

Tomorrow's Post: What is Canadian Veterans' Week?

Save Library and Archives Canada!

Over the past years, we have gradually seen the decline of service at the Library and Archives Canada.

Now it has come to light that the government is thinking of closing some parts of the LAC that the public now uses, and turn the space into office space for government employees.

This also involves what has been considered as "public space" on the main floor, including the auditorium, and meeting rooms. The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) meets for their monthly meetings, and conference; the Ottawa Genealogical Society (OGS) use to hold (until very recently) their monthly meetings and conferences there, and various SIGs also hold their meetings every month.

Now, a new group The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) has a website called "Save the Library and Archives Canada" at http://www.savelibraryarchives.ca/default.aspx.

They held a press conference yesterday where they laid out their concerns about the LAC, and they have set up a web page where you can read the open letter they wrote to the Daniel Caron, Librarian and Archivist of Canada. You can also leave your email address in order to be brought up-to-date with the latest news from CAUT.

John D. Reid on his blog Anglo-Celtic Connections http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/ has been keeping us informed about the LAC. Read about what he has to say today about the LAC, and the government proposed cutbacks.

Talk to be given on Home Children

A press release has just been received from Touchstones Nelson -

"Are you a descendant of a British child immigrant? Is there a “home child” in your family background? How would you know? Join historian and author Art Joyce Thursday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. at Touchstones Nelson, Shawn Lamb Archives, 502 Vernon St., Nelson, BC for his presentation "Laying the Children’s Ghosts to Rest: Honouring Canada’s Child Immigrants".

These girls from the Barnardo's homes in England were among the 100,000 British poor children who were emigrated to Canada between 1869-1939. The families of the children often had no choice in their emigration and they were forced to work on farms or as household servants until legal age for little or no money. This group is arriving at St. John, New Brunswick in the 1920s. Photo courtesy of Library and Archives Canada.

Between 1869 and 1939, 100,000 children were emigrated from Britain to Canada as a means of providing indentured labourers for newly developing farms or – in the case of girls – domestic servants for households. Tens of thousands more children were sent to Australia and New Zealand. Siblings were often separated and in most cases never saw one another or their parents again.

Joyce discovered that he was the grandson of just such a “home child” five years ago while doing genealogical research into his Joyce ancestors. Since then he has expanded his interest to include research on the history of Canada’s child immigrants, and in particular, the impact of this on families in the Columbia Basin.

He plans to compile a book based on both his family’s experience and the experiences of other Basin families who have “home children” in their background.

Joyce is the author of two books of West Kootenay history, "A Perfect Childhood and Hanging Fire & Heavy Horses", on the heritage homes and public transit of the historic city of Nelson, BC. A passage from A Perfect Childhood is quoted in the Knowledge Network’s BC Moments series and he was a popular heritage columnist for the Nelson Daily News from 1996-2000. For the past seven years he has worked as reporter and arts and culture editor for the Valley Voice newspaper in the Slocan Valley. Joyce is also the author of two recent books of poetry".

The website is at http://www.nelsonmuseum.ca/news/programming.php

A special "Canadian Military" websites and blogs will be listed here on Monday November 7th!

Toronto Branch of OGS Branch Meetings

Gwyneth Pearce of the Toronto Branch sent these meetings/workshops to me yesterday -

DATE: 28 November 2011 (7:30 pm)
MEETING: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Burgundy Room, North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE OF TALK: "Great Moments in Genealogy"
NAME OF SPEAKER: Various
BRIEF INFO: In a series of short presentations, several Toronto Branch members will share with us “great moments” in their genealogical research. $5 charge for non-members of OGS.

DATE: 30 January 2012 (7:30 p.m.)
MEETING: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Burgundy Room, North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE OF TALK: “Origins of Funeral Customs”
NAME OF SPEAKER: Susan Smart
BRIEF INFO: This talk will describe the origins of some of the funeral customs found in 19th-century Ontario and explain how they evolved through the century. Wakes, hearses, flowers and food, clothing, coffins and tombstones will all be discussed. Additional short presentation by Stephen Low: “A Little Latin for Genealogists”. $5 charge for non-members of OGS.

DATE: 27 February 2012 (7:30 p.m.)
MEETING: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Burgundy Room, North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE OF TALK: “One Note”
NAME OF SPEAKER: Jim Onyschuk
BRIEF INFO: This presentation will demonstrate the use of Microsoft OneNote, a computer program for free-form information gathering and multi-user collaboration. Additional short presentation by Greg Marlatt: “The Flight of William Lyon Mackenzie”. $5 charge for non-members of OGS.

Branch workshops/other events:

DATE: 5 November 2011
WORKSHOP: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Auditorium, North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE: "English Family History Workshop"
NAMES OF SPEAKERS: John D. Reid, Lesley Anderson, Paul Jones, Jane E. MacNamara, Linda Reid
BRIEF INFO: A one-day workshop with a roster of knowledgeable and enthusiastic speakers devoted to discovering English ancestors. Early registration deadline is 14 October 2011 – special rates apply for members of OGS.

DATE: 31 March 2012
WORKSHOP: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Auditorium, North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE: “Finding Your Great War Ancestors”
NAMES OF SPEAKERS: TBA
BRIEF INFO: A one-day workshop for family historians seeking to find out more about their Great War ancestors. Program and registration details to come.

For more information, please contact publicity@torontofamilyhistory.org, or go to their website at http://www.torontofamilyhistory.org

A special "Canadian Military" websites and blogs will be listed here on Monday November 7th!

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 9

Here are some of the websites, and blogs that I have come across the week ending October 31,2011

The Recents www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~abwcobit/index.htm?cj=1&sid=rootsweb-redirect-us&o_xid=0002921548&o_lid=0002921548 An index of Alberta obituaries, and other articles from Alberta and BC newspapers.

Canada Obituary Collection www.ancestry.com/search/obit/?ca&dbid=8961 This database is on Ancestry.com and it's a compilation of obituaries published in Canadian newspapers, collected from various online sources.

Obituaries 101 www.big101.com/canadian_obituaries_news_canada_death_notices.htm The daily obituaries in Canadian newspapers across the country

Obituaries: CANADA-OBITS Mailing List http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/other/Obituaries/CANADA-OBITS.html A mailing list for individuals and volunteers to submit or request obituary information for Canada.

Where every little obit helps (formerly known as Jan's Research & Obituary Collection) www.ontarioobits.com The website is able to help genealogists gain access to obituaries, to connect researchers with others, and to help those without access to microfilms.

Thunder Bay District 20th Century Obituary Indexing Project- AKA The Directory of the Dearly Departed http://my.tbaytel.net/pafwinfo/obituaries.htm This volunteer project began in April 2007. The objective is to index the death notices, obituaries and estate notices (notice to creditors) from the Fort William, Port Arthur and Thunder Bay newspapers for the time period 1900 - 1999.

Free Obituaries On-Line www3.sympatico.ca/bkinnon/obit_links.htm All the links below lead to obituaries, death or funeral notices,

GenealogyBuff: Canadian Obituaries Forum www.genealogybuff.com/canada-bbs Obituaries from each of the provinces

Canadian Health Obituaries Index File http://osler.library.mcgill.ca/cfstand This database lists obituaries or death notices of Canadian medical personal that appeared in various medical journals listed below between 1844 and 2000.

Online Death Indexes & Records for Canada: A Genealogy Records Guide www.deathindexes.com/canada.html An index and records in all of the provinces in Canada.

A special "Canadian Military" websites and blogs will be listed here on Monday, November 7th!

NIGS Announces New Offering

Here is a press release received from NIGS on Friday -

"As a valued National Institute for Genealogical Studies Student or Subscriber, we wanted to make you aware of an offering we've arranged for you. We recently partnered with WorldVitalRecords.com, a fast growing genealogy sites with over 4 billion searchable names. Look through some commonly found databases such as birth, marriage, death and census records, but also browse through military records, Filby's passenger and immigration lists, German and Russian immigration records, a school yearbook collection, maps, a digitized book collection, a newspaper archive collection, and so much more! This great family history resource is available to you at a terrific membership deal.

WorldVitalRecords' 1-year membership is regularly $149. But for our Students and Subscribers, they are cutting $79.05 off that price, and adding in two free months if you purchase before November 13th, 2011!

That's right... 1 year of unlimited access to WorldVitalRecords + two FREE months for just $69.95.

To take advantage of this very special and limited time offer, visit:
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/gsspecialoct

This limited time offer will expire on November 13th, and is offered exclusively to you as a National Institute for Genealogical Studies' Student or Subscriber (we've been told that you can also share it with others if you wish). Don't miss your chance to get this low price and FREE extra months on this wonderful resource.

Louise St Denis
The National Institute for Genealogical Studies
http://www.GenealogicalStudies.com

P.S. Did you know WorldVitalRecords.com has hundreds of databases that are not available anywhere else? Plus, they are adding more than 80 million new names each month. Sign up at http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/gsspecialoct for your affordable membership today!"

A special "Canadian Obituaries" updated websites and blogs will be listed here on Monday October 31st!

Victoria's Chinatown

Victoria's Chinatown, the first of the Chinatowns in Canada, received the first of its kind – its story has been told in a pamphlet that people can take with them as they walk down the streets of Chinatown.

David Chuenyan Lai, professor emeritus of geography at the University of Victoria and honorary citizen of Victoria first thought of the project. The project consists of a folded poster entitled "A Brief Chronology of Chinese Canadian History", and it covers the years from 1788 to 2010.

Lai is busy producing inserts of the other seven Canadian Chinatowns in Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Montreal.

Read the rest of the story at
http://www.timescolonist.com/travel/pamphlet+details+Chinatown+history+provides+walking+tour/5619264/story.html

A special "Canadian Obituaries" updated websites and blogs will be listed here on Monday October 31st!

Three Big Events Tomorrow

Saturday October the 29th is an eventful day in Ontario genealogy!

There will be three workshop held that day, and they are -

Region IV Annual Meeting with special speaker J. Brian Gilchrist; Niagara Branch OGS - St. Catharines.

http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/09/niagara-peninsula-branch-fall-event.html

http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/10/niagara-peninsula-branch-of-ogs.html

De-Mystifying Lineage Societies Workshop, Ottawa Branch OGS and Sir Guy Carleton Branch UELAC - Ottawa

http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/09/de-mystifying-lineage-societies.html

Kitchener Public Library 1st Annual Genealogy Fair - Kitchener

http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/10/1st-annual-genealogy-fair.html

A special "Canadian Obituaries" updated websites and blogs will be listed here on Monday October 31st!

Archives Lanark

On Saturday November 5th, 2011, the Archives will be open at 10:30 am for researching prior to the meeting at 1:30 pm. The meeting will be held at The Archives, Drummond Centre, Lanark, Ontario.

The topic will be “Moments of remembrance - A tribute to soldiers, past and present, serving in the Armed Forces”.

The release says that “The Guest Speaker, Dr. Helen Douglas will share her father’s stories through film honouring those who fought for Canada and our future. We will pause in a silent moment of remembrance for the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace. In support of our troops on their tour of duty-Wear Red!”

The website is Lanark County Genealogical Society at http://globalgenealogy.com/LCGS/index.htm

ANCESTRY.CA UNEARTHS CANADIANS’ WORST FEARS

Find out what we fear the most -

Toronto, ON (October 25, 2011) As we prepare for the spookiest evening of the year, Ancestry.ca, Canada’s leading family history website[i], has unearthed the truth about what Canadians fear the most.

Survey Results

In a national survey, Ancestry.ca asked Canadians to reveal their deepest fears. While Halloween is a celebration of our childhood fear of ghosts and goblins, survey results found that the fears of adults are a lot more real. In fact, across the country people declared that they are more afraid of the Conservative party than they are of ghosts. Here are what makes Canadians shake in their boots:
Terrorists – Not your typical Halloween costume, terrorists are listed as the number one thing that Canadians are most afraid of.

Snakes – Surprisingly, snakes are a close runner up to our number one fear; we just can’t seem to get over these slithering creatures. 

Heights – Although Canada is home to the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere, not to mention a range of sky-scraping mountains, Canadians are terrified of heights.

Public Speaking – Just the thought of standing in front of their peers to say a speech makes Canadians fearful.

Spiders – Arachnophobia ranks up there with these creepy crawlies making our hair stand on end.

Nationally, the results are startlingly different as Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec cite terrorists as their top fear. Ontario and British Columbia tied terrorists and snakes for their number one. Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island, on the other hand, find the thought of heights absolutely horrifying. And when it comes to Saskatchewan, mice and rats are people’s biggest fears. 

Additionally, out of all the provinces Quebec is more likely to fear ghosts and aliens than other provinces. Ontario is quite afraid of sharks… not exactly a native threat to the populace. Newfoundland dreads the dentist and the Conservatives. British Columbia and Manitoba detest the Liberals, and Alberta is more terrified of clowns than anyone else.

Celebrate Halloween by going to http://www.ancestry.ca to sign up for a 14-day free trial.

Mission Genealogy Club

Mission Genealogy Club, British Columbia presents "Over and Under the Radar" with well-known Mission citizen Neville Cox, speaking about his experiences during WWII as a radar technician in the Royal Canadian Navy.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Oct. 27 at the Mission Library, 33247 Second Ave.

Everyone welcome.

If you want to find out about the Mission Genealogy Club, go to http://missiongen.8m.com/index.html.

They have a history of the club, what is included in their holdings (including family histories), and their library.

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 8

Here are some of the websites, and blogs that I have come across the week ending October 23, 2011

Les pionniers de Trois-Rivières 1634-1665 (The Pioneers of Three Rivers 1634-1665) http://freesurnamesearch.com/search/canada/divers/pionniersdetrois-rivieres.html Although this is in French only, it does contain an alphabetical listing of pioneers of Three Rivers, from Séverin AMEAU to Claude VOLANT de ST-CLAUDE.

Wendy's Genealogy: Lapensée, Leroux, Cote http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wentil/index.html Three of her grandparents have French-Canadian lineage, and she traces their genealogy to the present day.

Bill's Genealogy Blog http://billbuchanan.blogspot.com and the website http://billbuchanan.byethost17.com. Bill Buchanan lives in Onoway, Alberta, and he is researching mostly Canadians of British origin, and has over 21,000 people in his database.

People on the Move: Do You Know This Girl? http://redstarline.be/eCache/MHE/30/08/175.html There is a campaign at the Red Star Line Museum in England where you are asked if you know this girl, who emigrated to New Brunswick in 1905.

Call Me-shell http://callmeshell.blogspot.com Includes French Canadian surnames such as ROBILLARD, BOUDREAU, THERRIEN, and many more.

CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt' http://canadagenealogy.blogspot.com  The blog has been up since 2005, and M. Diane Rogers continues to have many interesting posts, including her latest on Medical Family History and Genealogy.

Dawn-Ann's Explorations: Finding my Identity Through my Family's History http://www.dawnann.com/blog Read about Dawn-Ann's recent trip to Dawson City, and her Kirkpatrick family.

The Canada Directory http://www.canadiangenealogy.net/canada_directory.htm The Names of the Professional and Business Men of Every Description, in the Cities, Towns, and Principal Villages Of Canada.

Immigrants to Canada http://jubilation.uwaterloo.ca/~marj/genealogy/reports/report1887scan.html Extracts From the Immigration Report of 1887 Pertaining to Settlement in the West. These are extractions from the report of the Scandinavian Settlers.

The Marine Museum of the Great Lakes http://www.marmuseum.ca The Marine Museum was founded in 1975, and it contains the museum of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship, The Alexander Henry.

Quilt Genealogy

In the Winnipeg Free Press yesterday, there was a story about the Buhler Gallery off of the main lobby/food court of St. Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg.

They have a new showing of a quilt display called Quilts: Past and Present.

The quilts are on loan from the Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library, and one of the exhibitors is Heather Lair, an acclaimed fabric artist from Gimli, Manitoba.

Lair says that "She has a piece of advice if you've got an heirloom quilt: Interview old-timers in your family who can recall details about its making, and keep the 'quilt genealogy'".

To read the story, go to http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/arts/quilts-evoke-warmth-comfort-and-a-sense-of-community-132370098.html
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Be sure to read tomorrow's blog New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 9