90 schools now in Toronto war memorials database

Gwyneth Pearce. the Secretary of the Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society has sent us the following message -

"Volunteers with the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society have added about 3,000 new names since the fall of 2013 to For King and Country – the growing online Branch database of school memorials commemorating Toronto students and staff who volunteered for active service in the two World Wars and other military conflicts.

This searchable collection now contains 90 schools and more than 35,000 names, with transcriptions and photographs of school war memorials, along with historical background and links to other useful school and community websites. The newest schools in the database are Oakridge Public School and Danforth Technical School. Danforth Tech holds the distinction of being the alma mater of a staggering 2,235 volunteers—students, graduates, teachers and other staff—more than any other school in the British Commonwealth—and it maintains an impressive archive of records, housed in its War Memorial Library".

Explore For King and Country now at www.torontofamilyhistory.org/kingandcountry/, and contact co-ordinator Martha Jackson at kingandcountry@torontofamilyhistory.org if you would like to get involved with this project.

Search Your Chinese Roots

The Toronto Family History Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has just announced that they will be holding a special lecture on Chinese Roots on Saturday, March 22, 2014, 2 – 3:30 p.m.

This special lecture will present an overview of how Chinese family history has been recorded over the centuries and what people living today need to know if they want to find information about their ancestors in China and elsewhere in the world. Please note that this lecture will bein Chinese with English explanations as needed.

The instructor will be Grace Chan, and it will be held at North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto.

For further details, visit our website at http://torontofamilyhistory.org/learn/courses.

Their Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/TOFamilyHistory

Chinese-Canadian Genealogy http://www.vpl.ca/ccg/Migration_ON.html

TORONTO ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE

Are you making your plans for St. Patrick’s Day yet? If you live in Toronto, Sunday March 16th is a day to circle on your calendar, because there will be a parade!

TORONTO ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE

Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day (and the day before)!

On Sunday, March 16, all eyes will be smiling in downtown Toronto for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Enjoy a family friendly celebration of Ireland and St. Patrick with colorful floats, bands, dancers and marching groups. There will be a golden touch at the green celebration with Olympic gold medalist Irish boxer Katie Taylor acting as Grand Marshal.

The procession starts at noon from St. George and Bloor, heading east before turning south along Yonge to Queen where it makes a final turn to finish at Nathan Phillips Square. TTC access and parking are available at several points along the parade route.

For more information, please visit www.topatrick.com.

Canadian Week in Review 13 January 2014

I have come across the following Canadian websites, social media websites, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too

Websites

No new websites this week.

Social Media

Wanted: One Great Canadian history writer http://mauricetougas.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/wanted-one-great-canadian-history-writer/ This blogger says that maybe the history of Canada needs to have a great writer to come along to write good Canadian history books. Do you agree?

News Articles

First Saskatoon council meeting of 2014 http://globalnews.ca/news/1064849/first-saskatoon-council-meeting-of-2014/ The Gardner’s Site in Victoria Park in Saskatoon is up for designation as a municipal heritage property. The city has been asked to pass a bylaw that will designate the property under The Heritage Property Act so that a plaque can be erected, The plague will honour the early settlers who passed through this site where old bison bones were sold and it was called The Old Bone Trail.

You can read about The Old Bone Trail at http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/old_bone_trail.html

Canadian Nature Museum digitizing 3 million specimens: Museum is part of an international movement to put archives online for researchers http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-nature-museum-digitizing-3-million-specimens-1.2482826 The museum is part of an international movement of natural history museums that are digitizing their archived collections of plants and animals. So far, they have collection of three million specimens and they have entered a million of them into the database.

W.P. Loggie - a chapter in Fairview’s history http://www.fairviewpost.com/2014/01/07/wp-loggie---a-chapter-in-fairviews-history Craig Baird writes about his father in this lovingly presented tribute.

Historical society celebrates 60 years http://www.trurodaily.com/Opinion/Columns/2014-01-09/article-3570214/Historical-society-celebrates-60-years-/1 Read about how the Colchester Historical Society in Truro, Nova Scotia started in 1954.

Colchester Historical Society site is at http://colchesterhistoreum.ca/

Story of the Week

Sir John A.Macdonald

There have been many histories written about Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minster in 1867, and this year was the 199th anniversary of his birthday on January 11th.

There is a new Heritage Minutes series which feature Canada’s nation-builders, Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir George-Etienne Cartier at http://www.canada.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Heritage+Minutes+series+feature+Canada+nation+builders+John+Macdonald/9368662/story.html, and two reporters from Maclean’s Magazine went to see where he was born in Scotland.

Their article is at http://www2.macleans.ca/2014/01/10/what-would-sir-john-a-say/

Canadian Heritage has a site where there is a biography, a quiz, and his burial site at Kingston, Ontario http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1363182861019/

Reminder: Check the Canadian Week in Review next 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 on 20 January 2014.

Announcing the New FamilySearch Indexing Website

We are starting to get press releases from FamilySearch and other organizers prior to the RootsTech Conference that will be held in Salt Lake City in February. This is the latest from FamilySearch regarding indexing.

They have a newly redesigned indexing website at FamilySearch.org/indexing, and they invite you to come and take a look. This new website integrates indexing with the rest of FamilySearch.org, making it easier for indexers to know how to get started and find the help they need.

They say that “FamilySearch indexing is the volunteer program that has already generated more than a billion freely searchable names on FamilySearch.org. Changes to the indexing program over time have greatly increased the number of records that FamilySearch is able to publish. Projects that used to take years to index can now be completed in a matter of months, and as the indexing program improves, the availability of searchable records will only accelerate”.

Join FamilySearch.org at RootsTech in February to learn more about what's coming. Visit the FamilySearch indexing booth in the exhibit hall, which is free and open to the public, to get a hands-on experience with the new indexing program, or attend the session "Introducing the new FamilySearch indexing tool”.

The RootsTech: Where Families Connect website is at https://rootstech.org/

Pre-1865 Immigration to Canada

Library and Archives Canada has just issued a reminder on pre-1864 immigration to Canada -

Validating your ancestor’s arrival in Canada before 1865

“So you have searched the records, and still no trace of your ancestor? If you didn’t find your ancestor’s arrival before 1865, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has other genealogical resources that can assist in confirming an ancestor’s arrival in Canada.

Where did he or she settle?

Is he or she listed in census returns? LAC’s collection of census databases, which can be searched by a person’s name, can confirm an individual’s presence as early as 1825. Perhaps a reference exists for one of the parents (recorded as the head of the family) or for a sibling.

Many early settlers submitted petitions to obtain land where they could establish their family in Upper Canada or Lower Canada. LAC’s databases provide references to land transactions that give the person’s name, the date of the application and the county or township within a province.

Life events in records

The date of arrival in Canada can be estimated by searching birth, marriage, and death records for first occurrences such as the birth of a child to confirm the presence of the family in a location. Consult our previous blog on how to search for Birth, Marriage and Death Records.

Published sources and the genealogical community

Family histories, historical atlases and other published works can be searched in AMICUS, LAC’s online catalogue. It is also possible that your ancestor lived in a location that published a city directory.

Many genealogical societies have resources specific to where your ancestor settled. Finding aids that describe a location are valuable tools when searching for ancestors”.

Go to the Library and Archives Canada site at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/Pages/default.aspx

In the end, it all boils down to local records at local archives, local libraries, local museums, local genealogical societies.

Just as a coincidence, I have a column on this very subject in next month’s free magazine In Depth Genealogist at http://www.indepthgenealogist.com .

It will appear in the February issue.

Spring workshops to be held at local library

Oakville Public Library in Oakville, Ontario will hold workshops in the coming month, starting with a workshop today. It starts at 10:00 am.

The title of the workshop will be Genealogy Resources and the talk will be given by Heather Martyn who will introduce you to Ancestry Library Edition and other library resources that will help you get started. This will be a “hands on” presentation.

It will be free, but you must register.

The second workshop will be held on February the 18th from 7:00 to 8:20 pm and the workshop will Capture Your Family Story: Book Making With Blurb

You’ll discover how easy it is to create and self-publish a book of photos and stories that your family will treasure. We’ll share examples of published books, and demonstrate how to design your own. If you can imagine it, you can make it with Blurb.

The cost will be $7.00 per class, and you must register.

The third workshop will be Movie Night! And it will be held on February 25, 2014 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, and the cost will be $5.00.

The movie will be Seeking Salvation: A History of the Black Church in Canada in which this documentary will profile slavery in Canada from the 1600s to the Underground Railroad in the 1800s.

Written by Oakville native Lawrence Hill, this documentary has been screened at film festivals around the world, and won numerous awards.

The last workshop will be Taking Your Irish Ancestors Back Over the Pond by Ruth Blaie who will shows you the best ways to begin researching your Irish family history in Canada and show you how to use the information to help you go back over the pond to Ireland.

It will start on March 11th, at 7:00 pm, and will cost will be $7.00 per class.

You can go to the Oakville Public Library at http://www.opl.on.ca/blog/type/genealogy/

The Family History Writing Challenge

Have you ever thought about writing a family history book?

If you have, but have been waiting to have some instruction to follow, you should go to Lynn Palmero of The Armchair Genealogist, because she can help you put your family history book together.

Lynn tells us that “Learning to write your family history stories is a fantastic vehicle for compiling your years of research into a shareable format to leave as a legacy for future generations.

The Family History Writing Challenge is a 28-day focus. As a registered member, you'll receive daily emails with inspiration, motivation and education all centred around writing your family history stories. You'll have access to our writer's resources, a collection of article archives to help get you started. We have industry professionals joining us and lending their expertise and you can join us in the writer's forum where you can learn from others struggling with the same issues as well as sharing their successes along the way".

Later this week, she will be delivering some exciting news about The Companion Guide to the Family History Writing Challenge, a workbook dedicated to getting you ready to write. Watch your inbox for that information coming your way in a few days.

To get more information, go to http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com/

The Windmill Point lighthouse, a site of a bloody battle in Upper Canada (Prescott, Ontario), has been named as a heritage lighthouse under Canada's Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act (HLPA).

In 1838, it was the place where a four-day battle in 1838 between British troops and local militia defeated an invasion force of 300 American "Hunters" and Canadian rebels. It brought an end to the Rebellion of 1837-1838.

Windmill Point Lighthouse was first built as a windmill before it was used as a lighthouse in 1874.

Battle of the Windmill National Historic Site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Windmill_National_Historic_Site

BIFHSGO meeting on January 11th

The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) will meet on Saturday January 11th 2014 at the Library and Archives Canada.

9:00 a.m. — During the Before BIFHSGO Education Talk, learn from Ken McKinley about how to protect and save information stored on your computer.

10:00 a.m. — In Bibles and Bugs: My Welsh Ancestors In and Out of Africa, Gail Roger will talk about how an uncle's posthumously published autobiography about his missionary days in Africa helped and hindered her search for her Welsh ancestors. Gail will talk about her great-great-uncle and her maternal grandfather and some of the circumstances about their life in two very different parts of Africa

Come early to browse our Discovery Tables and meet with family history experts. Open to members and visitors. Free admission. Free parking is available in the lots east of the building only on Saturday and Sunday. Do not use the lot west of the building

Also, BIFHSGO has called for speakers for their 20th Annual Conference to be held in Ottawa, September 19 - 21, 2014.

The deadline is January 31, 2014, and the Conference will focus on three main topics -

• English family history;

• Immigration from the British Isles, including Home Children; and

• Genetic genealogy.

The interview with Gail Roger is at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=106

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

Canadian Week in Review 06 January 2014

I have come across the following Canadian websites, social media websites, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too

WebsitesNo new websites this week.

Social Media
No new site this week.

News Articles
Artist brings area history to mural at Galt http://lethbridgeherald.com/news/local-news/2014/01/artist-brings-area-history-to-mural-at-galt/ At the Galt Museum in Lethbridge, Alberta, Alex Pavlenko, a local artist, has installed a series of murals in a classroom onsite dedicated to education.

The Land Conservancy to accept deal to sell heritage Vancouver Island farm http://www.vancouversun.com/Land+Conservancy+accept+deal+sell+heritage+Vancouver+Island+farm/9343001/story.html The Land Conservation of British Columbia may be selling the Keating Farm, located about 60 kilometres north of Victoria near Duncan, because the Land Conservation is running out of money, according to an article in the Vancouver Sun.

What you didn’t know about Canada’s Parliament Hill http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/lifestyle/article/2000101348/what-you-didn-t-know-about-canada-s-parliament-hill A writer for the Ottawa Citizen write about parliament Hill, and tells us some things we may not know about it.

Story of the Week

John Matheson, 'Father' Of Canadian Flag dies at age 96

February 15th is the National Flag of Canada Day in Canada. Next year it will celebrate its 50th anniversary, but this year, the day will be different, because the man who lead the committee which was responsible for choosing the winning design, has died.

Beside fighting and being wounded in Italy during the Second World War, Matheson also served as an MP and judge and helped found the Order of Canada.

Social Media has played its part in reporting the death because you have a chance to see the 149 designs that were submitted for the new flag by ordinary Canadians on this news site. Plus, there are videos.

The website is http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/12/30/john-ross-matheson-dead-canadian-flag_n_4519659.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

If you want to read more about the flag, you can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Canada

If you want to read about the National Flag of Canada Day, you can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Flag_of_Canada_Day

Reminder: Check the Canadian Week in Review next 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 on 13 January 2014.

Coburg Public Library closed until further notice

Brian Gilchrist, Reference Archivist at the Peel County Museum and Archives in Brampton (Ontario), has informed us that the main branch of the Coburg Public Library has suffered major water damage due to a broken pipe, and will be closed until further notice.

He says that there has been significant damage to books, videos, DVDs and so forth, but there is no damage to the Local History Collection and Archives. Which is good news!

They do have the Coburg Newspaper Index and Archival Image Database at their webpage.

The webpage is at http://www.cobourg.library.on.ca/library_newsletter.html

Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/Cobourgpubliclibrary?ref=mf

OGS Open Forum

The Ontario Genealogical Society invites members and non-members to join in an online discussion with President, Shirley Sturdevant. Ask questions and make comments about the changing face of OGS and volunteer opportunities with the Society.

The date that the forum will be held will be Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.

This forum is open to anyone who is interested but you may express your interest and receive a reminder and your own copy of the login information by contacting the OGS provincial office at provoffice@ogs.on.ca.

Please use the subject line “OGS Open Forum.”

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

Saskatchewan Provincial Records (1879-1987)

The FamilySearch.org website has put more Homestead Records on their website at
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Saskatchewan_Provincial_Records_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records)

Eventually, they intend to including all of the homesteads records, voter lists, pioneer questionnaires, biographies, military and municipal records, teacher registries, township registers, and Henderson Directories.

Meanwhile, the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society's website has a new look - http://www.saskgenealogy.com.

Check out their cemetery index, comprised of a database containing the names and locations of over 3,486 cemetery and burial sites in Saskatchewan.

GenealogyCanada is 6 years old today!

Yes, it’s been six years since this blog was started. And each year just keeps getting better, thanks to you!

This past year, this blog was recognized as being among the best in the business by being accorded the following accolades –

Ø Named as one of Internet Genealogy Magazine’s 25 Top Genealogy Blogs

Ø Named as one of the 40 Best Genealogy Blogs in 2013 by FamilyTree Magazine

Ø Named as one of the Top 90 Genealogy Blogs from Free People Search.org

And there are plans to continue on with this success, so please stay tuned.

Last year, of course, was the Year of the 1921 Census.

It was the singular most popular subject on my blog, by the amount of traffic and comments by you, faithful readers. When the indexed version was finally released by Ancestry.ca in November, it was met with much enthusiasm by the public!

I also held a contest on Canada Day where readers were given the chance to get some help with their brick walls. There were four winners.

So, here’s hoping for another good year, full of more news from across Canada.

All the best,

Elizabeth

 

Happy New Year!

May all of your genealogical dream come true in 2014!

I know that I have a number of conferences to attend, some research projects that need my attention, and a summer full of museums, libraries and archives to visit in 2014.

It will be noteworthy year in Ottawa because it will be the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.

So what do you plan to do in 2014? 

LAC has a new version of the Naturalization Records (1915-1951)

The LAC has sent the following announcement -

“Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is pleased to announce the release of a new version of the online database Naturalization Records, 1915-1951. The nominal index has been extended with the addition of more than 93,000 names and now covers the years from 1915 to 1939, inclusively. Work is ongoing to extend the nominal index to 1951, and volunteers are welcome to help.

This database is one of the few Canadian genealogical resources specifically designed to benefit researchers having roots other than British. The reference numbers indicated in the database can be used to request copies of the original naturalization records, which are held by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Library and Archives Canada would like to thank the Jewish Genealogical Society of Montreal and its volunteers, without whom this project would not have happened”.

The database is at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/citizenship-naturalization-records/naturalized-records-1915-1951/Pages/introduction.aspx

You can write to Cdn-Nat-Coord@jgs-montreal.org

Archive CD Books - Midwinter SALE

We have just received this notice from Malcolm and Chris at the Archive CD Books site -

“Once again we are running our limited time midwinter sale:

We have marked almost ALL OF OUR CANADIAN PRODUCTS down an amazing 50% for the duration of the sale.

We are also clearing our Inventory of British (UK) products (i.e., already made and packaged) at up to 40% off.  There is only one of two of each of these and once they are sold - THAT’S IT!  (After all the idea is to CLEAR the stock - not to remake it.)

All the sale prices are marked in our online catalogue AND for your quick reference there is a temporary, new CATALOGUE CATEGORY, “Sale Up To 50% Off” so come to our web site and view the regular catalogue,

OR:

follow the link below to go straight to the complete listing:

http://www.archivecdbooks.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=store.viewCatalog&lstCtl=29&lstCat=&lstSCat=#cat29

This sale won’t last for ever but the more popular you show us it is the longer it will last!  (British CDs excepted - when they’re gone - they’re GONE!)”

Postscript: I have bought books from Archive CD Books before, and I have always been impressed with the quality and top-notch care that is taken by Malcolm and Chris in putting the books on CD. They do an excellent job of putting historical books onto CD.

UPDATE: Ancestry.ca FEE ACCESS

Ancestry.ca is giving you FREE ACCESS to more than 100 million records from Canada and around the world. Limited time only - ends December 29th.

The Canadian records are -

1921 Census of Canada

Canada, British Army and Canadian Militia Muster Rolls and Pay Lists, 1795-1850

Canada, British Regimental Registers of Service, 1756-1900

Canada, City and Area Directories, 1819-1906

Canada, Registers of Prisoners of War, 1803-1815

Saskatchewan, Canada, Residents Index (SRI), 1800-2012
Go to http://search.ancestry.ca/search/group/favourite2013