NIGS appoints a Director of Professional Development

The National Institute for Genealogical Studies (NIGS), the Canadian educational company, announces that Gena Philibert-Ortega has been appointed Director of Professional Development. 

In her new position, Philibert-Ortega will be reviewing, updating and overseeing the addition of courses to the program. 

Louise St Denis, Managing Director of NIGS, comented that "We are excited to have Gena Philibert-Ortega's involvement in our Professional Development program.  Gena has had a successful full-time genealogy career for over 12 years and her experience will assist others as they transition to professional work or continue in their careers." 

Philibert-Ortega said "I'm excited about this opportunity to bring courses designed for 

those interested in professional genealogy. I'm looking forward to continuing to 

grow the program to meet the needs of the genealogy community."

Everyone at The National Institute welcomes Gena Philibert-Ortega to her new 

position and looks forward to the growth of the Professional Development 

Certificate. 

For more information, please visit their site at http://www.genealogicalstudies.com/ 

or call them toll-free in North America at 1-800-580-0165 or email them at

admin@genealogicalstudies.com

Nova Scotia 1921 census is being transcribed

More 1921 census records have been added to Dwayne Meisner’s Nova Scotia site.

Some of them are -  

Bill Bruhm has transcribed the 1921 census for several areas in Lunenburg
County.

The areas are Northfield, which also includes West Northfield,
Cookville, Lower and Upper Northwest, Pine Hurst. He has also transcribed
the Chester Asylum, County Asylum, and the Indian Reserves.

In Halifax County, the following areas have been transcribed –

Lawrencetown, County Jail, City Prison, Sable Island Portuguese Cove in Halifax County, Ketch Harbour, Chebucto Head, Duncan Cove, Bedford Basin, Rockingham, Mount Saint Vincent, Hammond's Plains, as well as a few names from Fairview.

Tom Downing has transcribed the census for Seal Harbour in Guysborough
County. The census also includes Drum Head, Coddles Harbour

Alan Dinn has transcribed the 1921 census for Clementsport in Annapolis
County

Wendy Morash has transcribed the 1921 census for Peggy's Cove in Halifax
County. The census also includes Hackett's Cove, Glen Margaret and Indian
Harbour.

There are other areas that have been transcribed, and he adds to the site daily, so check it often.

Dwayne’s website is http://www.dwaynemeisner.com/census/novascotia/index.php

Are there other areas in Canada being transcribed? 

Contact me at genealogycanada@aol.com, so that I can post them. Thank you. 

Announcing a new Certificate Design Competition

 This press release was just received from the OGS - 

"Create a design for a new Heritage Society certificate for The Ontario Genealogical Society.

As an addition to our current heritage clubs and societies, OGS is developing the First World War Society for genealogists who can prove they have one or more ancestors who served with the allied forces in the First World War.

We need a striking certificate for members of the First World War Society to proudly display, particularly as we commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the start of the First World War next year.

Prize: $500

Design Criteria

Each 8.5" x 11" portrait format certificate design must have,

• The OGS logo present somewhere on the certificate (.jpg of the logo may be obtained by contacting OGS provincial office provoffice@ogs.on.ca)
• Space for the name(s) of applicant(s)
• Space for the name of qualifying ancestor
• Space for the date of issue and signature of the OGS president
• Room for the OGS seal measuring 5.5 cm in diameter

Please visit the OGS site to view examples of our other certificates. We are looking for a design that will fit into our collection. Multiple entries are welcome.

While you may submit your entry in a format of your choice, please be aware that the OGS office is a PC environment.

Deadline: December 31, 2013

The winner will be contacted in March 2014 and the certificate will be launched at The Ontario Genealogical Society's Annual Conference May 1st - 4th  2014

Please submit entries and any questions you may have to provoffice@ogs.on.ca

The website is http://www.ogs.on.ca/home/heritage_societies.php

Nova Scotia Obituaries

If you haven’t been to the Nova Scotia Roots Facebook page and the Nova Scotia Obituaries website yet by Ron Zink, you should check it out.

The Facebook page has comments by various visitors, and vary up-to-date information on Nova Scotians that you will find helpful. 

As the Facebook says "It is an open group, and shares charts, scans, and discusses various family histories". 

There are over 67,000 Nova Scotia Obituaries listed on the websitw  http://nsobits.ca/nsobits/default.asp

The Facebook page is at http://www.facebook.com/groups/510478038981398

How accurate are French Canadian immigration records?

In August, Nathan W. Murphy, wrote a blog on the FamilySearch website, where he wondered out loud about how accurate French Canadian record are – especially French Canadian immigration records.

As he reviewed his French Canadian ancestry at FamilySearch, he realized that “some of my ancestors are literally in the database 100s of times”!

To get around this problem, he used Ficher Origine, which he explains in his blog posting. You put in the name you are researching, and there you will see the latest up-to-date information on your immigrant ancestor. It should help you sort out your ancestors, one from the other.

So give it a try.

Read this very interesting blog at https://familysearch.org/blog/en/judging-familytree-accuracy-french-canadian-immigrants/#comments

Library and Archives Canada and Canadiana.org announces partnership

Last week, I reported on the new digitization partnership between the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and Canadian.org (see blog posting of Aug 23^rd  “Some land records are being digitized”), and now it has been made official.

The LAC has agreed to a “large-scale digitization partnership involving about 60 million images from numerous collections”.   

A couple of things caught my eye –

This will be a ”10-year agreement with this longstanding partner (which) covers the digitization, indexing and description of millions of personal, administrative and government documents, as well as land grants, war diaries and photographs. There will be no change for those Canadians who wish to access these collections at LAC.

The go on to further say that “Canadiana.org also will also transcribe millions of handwritten pages, and create related descriptions. Enhanced search tools facilitating access to these records will be available to Canadians free of charge at LAC, as well as at hundreds of subscribing libraries in regions across Canada. For a small monthly fee, Canadians will also be able to use the enhanced tools online to conduct advanced searches without leaving home”

Notice that the press release says nothing about newspapers. And what will be the fee? And when will this take place?

It also sounds as if you want to see these records free of charge, you will have to visit them at the LAC in Ottawa.

To read the full report, go to http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/Pages/2013/lac-canadiana-partner-digitization.aspx 

Is your ancestor on this list?

As you probably know, Canada will celebrate its 150^th birthday in 2017.

And the OGS has a new Heritage Society Certificate on the Father of Confederation.

The certificate is open to anyone who can prove descent from one of these 36 officially-named Fathers of Confederation -

Sir Adams George Archibald

George Brown

Sir Alexander Campbell

Sir Frederick Carter

Sir George-Etienne Cartier

Sir Edward Barron Chandler

Sir Jean-Charles Chapais

Sir James Cockburn

George Coles

Robert B. Dickey

Charles Fisher

Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt

Col John Hamilton Gray

Sir John Hamilton Gray

Sir Thomas Heath Haviland

William Alexander Henry

Sir William Pearce Howland

John Mercer Johnson

Sir Hector-Louis Langevin

Andrew Archibald Macdonald

Sir John A. Macdonald

Jonathan McCully

William Alexander McDougall

Thomas D’Arcy McGee

Peter Mitchell

Sir Oliver Mowat

Edward Palmer

William Henry Pope

John William Ritchie

Sir Ambrose Shea

William H. Steeves

Sir Etienne-Paschal Tache

Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley

Sir Charles Tupper

Edward Whelan

Robert Duncan Wilmot


Go to http://www.ogs.on.ca/home/heritage_societies/Fathers%20of%20Confederation%20Society%20Application.pdf for more information on this society and an application form.

Wesleyan Methodist Baptismal Records

Starting in 1843, Wesleyan Methodist ministers kept a book of entries for births and baptisms. Each year, they submitted their book to the Conference Office.

Entries were then copied into the General Register, arranged by township, town, village and circuit. The records of the Wesleyan Methodist Church are from 1826 to 1910.

The United Church of Canada Archives who hold copyright on these records, but they have allowed the OGS to transcribe and sell these records through its thirty Branches located throughout Ontario.

To obtain copies of these baptismal record indexes, contact the Branch in the area in which you are doing your family research.

You can go to the list of Branches within the OGS at http://www.ogs.on.ca/branches.php


Postscript: Remember that these are copies of the original baptismal record. It is best if you can get the original record so that you can be sure that there are not any mistakes in transcribing the copies. 

90th Annual Buxton Homecoming

What started as a one-day celebration back in 1924, has turned into a four-day heritage event which will take place this weekend (Aug 31^st to Sept 2^nd) at the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum, Buxton, Ontario. Organizers expect nearly 3,000 people will attend the events.

The event starts on the Friday with a U.S./Canadian history and genealogy conference at the museum. There will be three speakers and a panel of students from York University.

Saturday will feature a baseball tournament with the baseball teams in the form of a family tree, and Sunday there will be an afternoon church service and an historical re-enactments at the museum park grounds. There will also be a bronze marker that will be unveiled in the Buxton cemetery to commemorate Eliza Parker.

Parker was a historical figure with the Fugitive Slave Act in the US before coming to Canada and settling in North Buxton in the mid-1800s.

Then there will be the North Buxton Parade on Monday, and a midway fairgrounds.

If you want to find out more about the event, you can go to http://www.buxtonmuseum.com

I am on vacation … sort of

I will be on vacation until Sept 3^rd, so there won’t be a Canadian Week in Review until Sept 9th.

I am scheduled to take a week of workshops on the topic of genealogical research, with homework, so I will be busy.

I have put a series of posts on the blog to cover each day, so be sure to check back to see if there is anything which interests you.

See you on Sept 3^rd!

Find your Ukrainian ancestor at the LAC

The LAC site says "Do you ever wonder who your first Ukrainian ancestor was and when he or she left the Ukraine and arrived in Canada? Are you curious about your family’s Ukrainian heritage? 

If so, the Library and Archives Canada is a great place to begin your research. 

For instance, you will find a page specific to genealogical research at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-905.010-e.html

It provides you with historical background information, archival and published material from the collection, as well as links to other websites and records".

Toronto Ukrainian Genealogy Group http://www.torugg.org

Elgin County OGS monthly meeting

The Elgin County OGS meets on the fourth Monday of March, April, May, September, October and November in the Carnegie Room at the St. Thomas public Library at 7:30 p.m.

Martin DeKeyzer will talk about Elgin County Postcards & Postal Memorabilia on Monday, September 23, 2013.

For further information, contact info@elginogs.ca

While you are checking out the Elgin County site. Don’t forget to go to Ancestry Indexes at

http://www.elginogs.ca/Home/ancestor-indexes. There you will find cemetery, census, land records and much, much more!

Some land records are being digitized

Canadiana.org is a Canadian company in Ottawa which is preserving Canada's published history and is making it available online to everyone – free!

The part of Canadiana.org which interests me is the Heritage Project. 

The Heritage Project is going to take some of Canada’s most popular archival collections, such as 60-million pages of FREE primary-source microfilm images from the 1600s to the mid-1900s.

I have read the list and I am impressed! What would have taken me years to find these documents in the different institution across the country, will be appearing online right in my own computer.

One of the first projects that they have done is the Heir and Devisee Commission of the Upper Canada (Ontario) Land Records.

The second commission met in York, and they were restricted to claims to land made by heirs, devisees, or assignees, not by the original nominees themselves

This commission was established by provincial statute in 1797, to clarify the titles to lands in Upper Canada.

There were actually two distinct periods which the commission covered. In the first commission, they heard from people who had originally received the land, their heirs, devisees, and assignees.

Records can include (although not always) affidavits, bonds, location certificates, powers of attorney, orders-in-council, copies of wills, mortgages, deeds of sale, and testimonial letters.

The digitized copies of the microfilm reels onsite appear in the same order as on the microfilm reels themselves. Remember, unfortunately, there is NO index by name.

Alternatively, the records are arranged by district, then by type of document, then in chronological, alphabetical, or numerical order.

The list of microfilm rolls are on  http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_mikan_205142, just click on the reel you want to view, and it is there for you to research.

Update on closure of QFHS library and office

Just got word from the Quebec Family History Society (QFHS) that the "Library and office of the Quebec Family History Society will also be closed up to and including Tuesday September 3, 2013.

The library and office will re-open on Wednesday September 4, 2013".

If you require further information, please go to http://www.qfhs.ca

Quebec Family History Society Holiday Hours

The library and office of the Quebec Family History Society will be closed from Thursday August 22, 2013 until and including, Monday September 2, 2013.

On Tuesday September 3, 2013 the library and office will reopen and the regular schedule of opening hours will resume.

Monday to Friday 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday Evening 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

For information on upcoming events please consult our website http://www.qfhs.ca/

The Quebec Family History Society is the largest English-language genealogical society in Quebec

Lecture Series: Canadian History, eh?

On Tuesdays in November, at 2:30 pm, there will be the Fall Lecture Series presented by Grey Roots, and Gary Weigner will give talks on the following -

November 5: European Discovery Natives and Europeans first contact: struggle was inevitable. How Europe paid for its future industrial growth on the backs of the Natives of North America.

November 12: French VS EnglishWhy is there still tension between us? Where did it begin in our history? Why did the French stay in Canada after 1763? Where do we go from here?

November 19: The Canadian IdentityBritish? American? Melting pot or Fruitcake blend? How has our history shaped our character?

November 26: From Nationhood to the Present
Explore the hot button issues about why we confederated and how we began as a player on the international stage.

A graduate in History and Political Science from the University of Guelph, Gary Weinger taught High School History, English, Law and Business for over thirty years.

For more information, go to Grey Roots Museum and Archives at http://www.greyroots.com/programs-events/events

.

They are located in Owen Sound, Ontario.

Decoration Days, Doors Open and Tours

My thanks go to Sherri Pettit for posting Decoration Days, Open Doors, and Tours in local cemeteries in Ontario.  

For example, some of the events will take place on the following dates –

Amherstburg – Christ Church Anglican Cemetery Aug 28 Open Doors

Burlington – Nelson United Cemetery Sat., Sep. 28. Doors Open.

Fairfield – Fairfield Cemetery Sun., Sep. 8. Decoration Sunday

For more information about the places where these events will be held, go to http://canadacems.blogspot.com/2013/08/decoration-days-tours.html

Dick Eastman Lectures in Halifax

This is an event you cannot afford to miss!

The Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) is presenting Dick Eastman at a day-long genealogy event at the Capt. William Spry Community Center on October 19, 2013.

Dick will talk on -

The Organized Genealogist - a look at various methods of reorganizing record keeping by use of digital techniques. Focuses on converting paper based record keeping to digital records

Cloudy with a Chance of Genealogy - what is “the cloud” and how it can simplify your computer usage

Putting the Genes in Genealogy - a look at the possibility that today’s genealogists may become the lifesavers of family and loved ones in the near future.

Conservation: Keeping up with Technology - how to make sure that your genealogy data is still readable by future generations

Our program will be from 9 am to 5 pm and will include lunch in the price.

Lectures are open to the public

$45.00 for members of GANS

$75.00 for non-members

Contact : Dawn Josey at info@novascotiaancestors.ca to register

For more information on Dick Eastman please visit blog.eogn.com/about.html

I have heard Dick speak on a number of occasions, and he always is a wealth of information!

Canadian Week in Review 19 August 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

Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants http://www.csmd.org Have you been to this website lately? I had the occasion to go to it last week and notice that they have chapters (called colonies) across the country, and they appeared to be an active group in Canada.

Blogs

Canadian Heritage Tours on The Waterways www.thegreatwaterway.com/blogs A collection of different things to do and see on the Rideau Canal Waterway in Ontario.

Facebook, Videos, You Tube

No sites this week.

Newspapers Articles of the Week

Thousands connect with Alberta's Ukrainian heritage http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/story/2013/08/12/edmonton-ukrainian-heritage-day.html The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village is located at Edmonton Alberta, along Highway 16, just 3 km east of Elk Island National Park. It is an open-air museum that tells the story of Ukrainian immigrants who settled in this region to 1930 (1892-1930). The website is www.history.alberta.ca/ukrainianvillage/default.aspx

Confederation Centre to play host to new Mi'kmaq exhibition

www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2013-08-12/article-3347467/Confederation-Centre-to-play-host-to-new-Mikmaq-exhibition/1  A new travelling exhibition highlighting the Mi’kmaq history of Prince Edward Island is set to open at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in Charlottetown.

Fort Vermilion marks 225th anniversary with a parade that touches on its historic past www.edmontonjournal.com/Fort+Vermilion+marks+225th+anniversary+with+parade+that+touches+historic+past/8775802/story.html The float down the main street in Fort Vermilion told of the start of the town as a fur trading post established by Charles Boyer with the Northwest Company on the banks of the Peace River in 1788.

Vikings exhibit coming to Museum of Civilization in 2015 www.ottawacitizen.com/travel/Vikings+exhibit+coming+Museum+Civilization+2015/8793876/story.html The exhibition We Call Them Vikings will open at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in November, 2015, and continue to the next April.

Swaminarayan sect buys 2 US, Canada churches http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-15/ahmedabad/41412652_1_churches-sansthan-mahesh-varsani The  Shree Swaminarayan Gaadi Sansthan Maninagar religion, based in India, is busy buying unused churches across the world. One such church is a 100-year old church in Scarborough, Ontario – next door to Toronto.

Key piece of lighthouse history makes it back home www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013-08-14/article-3351059/Key-piece-of-lighthouse-history-makes-it-back-home/1 Barry MacDonald, president of the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society, has donated the original lens from the second Caribou lighthouse to the Northumberland Fisheries Lighthouse Museum.  

Story of the Week

National Acadian Day

The National Acadian Day is held every year on August 15^th.  During the first National Convention of the Acadians held at Memramcook, New Brunswick in 1881, that the Acadians leaders received the directive to set the date of this celebration as August 15^th.  

A good site to bring you up-to-date on the history of Acadians is at www.cbc.ca/acadian/feature_national_acadian_day.html

Reminder: Check out Canadian Week in Review every Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! The next post will be 9 September, 2013.