Call for Speakers – Pre-1867 Ontario

Toronto Branch is planning a day-long workshop on 11 April 2015 on Upper Canada and Canada West Research, and has just called for speakers who would like to take part.

They are asking if you have expertise in pre-Confederation Ontario family history or local history research that you would like to share?

If so, they would like to know about it.

Potential speakers are invited to submit proposals for lectures on sources, research techniques or historical background that may be helpful to researchers.

Sessions may be targeted at beginners or at more seasoned family historians.

You’ll find a link to their detailed call for presentations on their Speakers and Instructors Wanted page at http://torontofamilyhistory.org/? s=Speakers+and+Instructors+Wanted&submit.x=10&submit.y=5&submit=Search
Please note that the deadline to submit a proposal for this workshop is Saturday 15 November.

And the latest news has come out about the 2016 Conference to be held in Toronto. It will be based at the International Plaza Hotel and conference centre, close to Pearson International Airport, Highway 401, and with good connections by local and regional public transit.

Watch for announcements coming summer of 2015.

The website is http://torontofamilyhistory.org/

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/TOFamilyHistory

First World War soldiers from Township of St. Clair, Lambton County, Ontario

The Township of St. Clair has compiled the names of all of the 400 men who, from a population of 5000 at the time, joined the Canadian Expeditionary Forces during the First World War. Many of these men joined the Lambton 149th Battalion and 36 made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. 

If you have ancestors from the former townships of Moore and Sombra in Lambton County, they may have made this list. 

For more information, visit their website at http://www.twp.stclair.on.ca/world_war_i.htm 

Take a side trip to view the Moore museum at http://www.mooremuseum.ca/

Sombra also has a museum, and their website is http://www.twp.stclair.on.ca/sombra_museum.htm

Mississauga at War –New Online Exhibit

This is part 1 of an exhibit that will introduce historic Mississauga’s experience of the First World War. The site will grow until it covers 1914-1918 as seen through the pages of The Streetsville Review, photographs, and personal stories. 

The direct link is http://www.mississauga.ca/mississaugaatwar 

The site is a beginning look at these years. To learn more about local consequences of the conflict, the public is invited to contact the Canadiana Reading Room, Mississauga Central Library, at 905-615-3200 ext. 3660 or history.library@mississauga.ca. 

Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/citymississauga

Canadian Week in Review - 22 September 2014

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

History Week in Canada

In 1890, the Hamilton Public Library opened.

Read more about the Hamilton Public library at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Public_Library_(Ontario)

===================================================

In 1893, Calgary was incorporated as a city.

To read more about Calgary, go to http://www.calgary.ca/CA/city-clerks/Pages/Corporate-records/Archives/Historical-information/Historical-Information.aspx
===================================================
In 1792, Upper Canada's first legislature convened at Newark – now Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

To read more about Niagara-on-the-Lake , go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara-on-the-Lake

===================================================

In 1844, Canada's first suspension bridge, a 74-metre span over the Ottawa River, was opened for traffic.

To read more about the Chaudière Bridge, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaudi%C3%A8re_Bridge
===================================================
In 1859, the Victoria Bridge at Montreal was completed. It was the first bridge over the St. Lawrence and was opened in 1860.

To read more, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Bridge_(Montreal)

Social Media

(Photos) Fire at Quebec City’s Museum of Civilization now under control
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/09/15/fire-breaks-out-at-quebec-citys-museum-of-civilization/
Although the fire was brought under control, here are some photos that were taken while the fire was fought this past week.

New Brunswick

Fire destroys St. John the Baptist church in Edmundston
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fire-destroys-st-john-the-baptist-church-in-edmundston-1.2772801
Crews battled blaze for about 2 hours, but there was no hope of saving the Anglican church.

Tidal bore unveiling pieces of Moncton’s shipbuilding history
http://globalnews.ca/news/1564668/tidal-bore-unveiling-pieces-of-monctons-shipbuilding-history/
The Petitcodiac’s tidal bore is revealing relics from the city of Moncton’s shipbuilding in the 1800s.

Prince Edward Island

New heritage status celebrates 150-year-old family farms
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/new-heritage-status-celebrates-150-year-old-family-farms-1.2765387
Ninety-one farms on Prince Edward Island run by the same family for 150 years have received special heritage distinction recognizing their deep roots. The award was given to them by the P.E.I. Agriculture Sector Council at a special party in their honour on Friday night as part of the 2014 celebrations.

Ontario

Excerpt # 5 – The First World War: Excerpts from the diary of Woodman Leonard
http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/09/18/the-first-world-war-excerpts-from-the-diary-of-woodman-leonard
For links to the other installments, visit last week's CWR post at -
http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/09/canadian-week-in-review-15-september.html

RMS Seqwun, a historic Muskoka ship, needs tender-loving care
http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/09/16/rms-segwun-a-historic-muskoka-ship-needs-tender-loving-care
According toJohn Miller of the Muskaka Steamship & Historical Society, the immediate need is to replace the decking under the wheelhouse.

5 things Ottawa owes to Scotland
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/5-things-ottawa-owes-to-scotland
In Ottawa, about 16 per cent of the population is of Scottish origin, and Scottish heritage is an important part of Canadian history, with our first prime minister—Sir John A. Macdonald—being from Scotland.

Ship stats: Details about Canadian warships being decommissioned

http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/ship-stats-details-about-canadian-warships-being-decommissioned-1.2015581#ixzz3DsPp3zOF

The four ships being decommissioned by the Royal Canadian Navy are HMCS Algonquin, HMCS Iroquois, HMCS Preserver, and HMCS Protecteur.

Remembering British Home Children 

http://www.standard-freeholder.com/2014/09/12/remembering-british-home-children

The museum, housed at Upper Canada Village, opened last year as a joint effort between the Ontario East British Home Child Family and the Parks of the St. Lawrence. 

Sandy Hill heritage church sale raises concerns in community

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/sandy-hill-heritage-church-sale-raises-concerns-in-community-1.2766711

The former All Saints Anglican Church on Chapel Street in Ottawa's Sandy Hill neighbourhood is in doubt, and it may be sold. It was completed in 1900 and designated a heritage property in 1998.

Manitoba

Documents a vital part of our history
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Documents-a-vital-part-of-our-history-275580041.html?cx_navSource=d-tiles-4
Nearly a dozen documents, including the proclamation of Canada’s 1982 Constitution and the first treaty with Cree and Chippewa people that helped settle Manitoba, was on display at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights when parts of the museum was opened for preview tours Saturday.

Alberta

An almost forgotten village – predicted to be the 'Pittsburgh of the Prairies' – turned 100 in July
http://www.vulcanadvocate.com/2014/09/14/an-almost-forgotten-village--predicted-to-be-the-pittsburgh-of-the-prairies--turned-100-in-july
July 13th marked the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Bow City, which was located east of Lomond, on the edge of Vulcan County. The Alberta Historical Resources Foundation recently approved the placing of a permanent marker at the site of the former village.

Buzzing bees force Kemp roof repairs
http://www.innisfailprovince.ca/article/20140916/INN0801/309169974/-1/inn0801/buzzing-bees-force-kemp-roof-repairs
An investigation into an early spring buzzing bee problem at the historic Kemp House has forced town council to approve spending of more than $21,000 to fix the problem.

British Columbia 

Explore B.C. in Burnaby library reading series
http://www.burnabynow.com/community/explore-b-c-in-burnaby-library-reading-series-1.1354929
British Columbia is a land of adventure - and you can experience that adventure in an upcoming reading series at the Burnaby Public Library's McGill Branch.

Overseas ‘Angel’ to Canadian soldiers arrives in Vancouver
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/This+week+history+1938/10199056/story.html
Jenny Morris, a London boarding housekeeper who befriended thousands of Canadian servicemen during the First World War, visited Vancouver on this day 76 years ago to be feted by former soldiers who had never forgotten her kindness.

Chilliwack Poppy project will create interactive map of WWI soldiers
http://www.theprogress.com/news/275810341.html
It's historical research in the form of an interactive map, plotting the addresses of Chilliwack's war dead from 100 years ago.

Story of the Week

The newest Canadian museum opens in Winnipeg.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights opened this past weekend in Winnipeg, and there are lots to see and experience in the museum.

For instance, the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War was featured at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights when it officially opened this past weekend.

Among those attending the museum's opening ceremony on Friday was Art Miki, who was interviewed by museum staff about his experience in an internment farm during the war.

To read more, you can go to http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/internment-of-japanese-canadians-to-be-featured-at-human-rights-museum-1.2769708

There is a space where you can carry out research, and an oral history section at https://humanrights.ca/research-and-collections

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 29 September 2014.

Reminder: Canadian Week in Review

Check the Canadian Week in Review tomorrow morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. 

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at
http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/09/canadian-week-in-review-15-september.html 

It has the most up-to-date news items covered in New/Updated Websites, History, Social Media, and Newspaper Articles. 

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! 

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Missisquoi County Canada Genealogy Research Volunteer group announces 10,000 record transcription milestone

This is a notice I received this afternoon from Nancy Cunningham, concerning her group, the Missisquoi County Canada Genealogy Research Volunteer Group. They are doing great work!

‘We at the Missisquoi Rootsweb group ( * Missiquoi was an historical county located in Quebec / Lower Canada / Eastern Townships along the US border) have been for the last 10 years quietly transcribing and publishing records much needed for research in our area. The Missisquoi historic county area, although located in Quebec was heavily Protestant & English speaking with many immigrants from Great Britain and US. ( Vermont) .

This week we reached the 10,000 image milestone on our transcription project of Quebec, Non-Catholic Parish Registers, 1763-1967 from Family Search.org . The 10k mark is for the number of images transcribed, the number of actual individual parish records of births, marriages and burials is closer to 15,000.

We make them all freely available and searchable on our blogs.

We haven’t limited our projects to Family Search digital records- we have also transcribed Library and Archives Canada microfilm Notary records, Google newspapers, Internet Archive eBooks of local directories and posted images and burials to Find-A-Grave.

We use an innovated volunteer sign-up sheet system through Sign up genius, this enables volunteers to work together on projects even though they actually live all over the world.

We believe strongly in paying it forward in genealogy and think this is a little way we can give back for all the help we’ve been given by others in the past.

If anyone has folks that once lived in our area, we’d love for them to search our records and maybe get involved with our group on Rootsweb.

Don’t forget how great Rootsweb ( mailing lists and message boards) is and it’s FREE – check the groups in your areas of research- they may be doing great stuff too!'

Blog http://missisquoigenealogy.blogspot.com/

Rootsweb group http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/CAN/CAN-QC-MISSISQUOI.html

If you want to write to Nancy Cunningham, coordinator, her email address is missisquoigenealogy@gmail.com

LAC Podcast - Sign Me Up: CEF Files, 1914-1918

The Library and Archives Canada has issued a another podcast, and this one concerns the First World War Service Papers in Sign Me Up: CEF Files, 1914-1918. These papers are being digitized and are being put online.

I listened to the podcasts, and although nothing new was mentioned in the podcasts, I feel that there will be questions that will still be asked about the papers. The researcher will have to study the various papers in detail in order to reconstruct the life of the soldier. For example, if the soldier was in the Canadian militia before signing the Attestation Paper, what militia unit was it, where were they located, what was his service, or if he served in different regiments while overseas (which many did), why was this so? Who did he serve with, his time of service, in what battles was he involved, and so forth.

I had the occasion to download a complete service record a couple of weeks ago, and depending on the length of the records, it can be a rather long process from start to finish. Some of the records were difficult to read because of the use of abbreviations, and the faded ink, but some of the papers were very clear.

I think the best thing to do before one starts to read the service papers is to read the book, Canadians at War 1914-1919: A Research Guide to World War One Service Records, by retired Library and Archives Canada archivist, Glenn Wright.

This book, although it was written in 2010, is still THE book to read when researching CEF papers. If you read and study this book, you will have a good understanding of the records that you are viewing.

The book is for sale through Global Genealogy at http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/canada/military/resources/101160.htm

Don't forget to scroll down this page and see the book review I wrote for Families, the journal of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) http://www.ogs.on.ca, of which I am its editor.

Although the review was published four years ago, my opinion of his book has not wavered, and, in fact, the more I use it for research, the more invaluable I find it as a resource.

A table of contents of the book is available as a PDF file here - http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/canada/military/resources/images/101160-contents.pdf

For more on this blog, go to http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-list-of-books-for-holidays.html

To listen to the podcast, go to http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/podcasts/Pages/cef-files-1914-1918.aspx

FamilySearch.org: Campaign Aims to Gather Your Fondest Grandma Stories

This press release from FamilySearch sounds like a great idea - they will be gathering grandma stories from September 20 to 30th, 2014. They already have over 160 stories!

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH—If you could share ONE story about your grandma, what would it be? That’s the question nonprofit FamilySearch International (FamilySearch.org) is nudging people worldwide to respond to as part of its worldwide #meetmygrandma social media campaign, September 20-30. FamilySearch announced the campaign today, seeking 10,000 stories in 10 days to kick off the global initiative where descendants are invited to share and preserve online or through a mobile app the fond memories or stories about their grandmothers’ charms or idiosyncrasies.

“Heart-warming experiences with a beloved grandmother are at the heart of many fond memories from our formative years, or even adulthood,” said Brad Lowder, International Marketing Director for #MeetMyGrandma campaign. “All you have to do is ask a person to share a special memory about their grandmother, and they immediately wax sentimental as they recount a heartfelt story or wise saying they cherish from a grandmother. We want to encourage people to capture for future generations those stories that make their grandmothers so special.”

FamilySearch.org offers a free international service for families to share their family histories, memories, photos, and historic documents online and preserve them for future generations. If you are fortunate to have a grandma still living, the free FamilySearch Memories mobile app (IOS only for now) allows individuals to audio record their grandmother and save those recordings online. And there are 20 fun questions to ask your grandma to help write and preserve her personal history in her own words online.

“The #meetmygrandma campaign encourages families to have fun as each member of the family shares their personal perspectives of what makes their grandmothers so special to them,” added Lowder. Their stories, and those contributed by other family members and relatives, are saved to a dynamic online profile dedicated specifically to their grandma, along with any photos and digital artifacts submitted.

The launch of the initiative runs from September 20–30, but the campaign will run indefinitely. 

Go to https://familysearch.org/meetmygrandma?et_cid=47830250&et_rid=839174644&linkid=https%3a%2f%2ffamilysearch.org%2fmeetmygrandma&cid=em-1811

Ontario’s oldest genealogy fair this Saturday

Eva Brook Donly Museum hosts the 38th annual Norfolklore family history fair this Saturday in Simcoe, Ontario. 

An afternoon lecture at 1 p.m. will discuss the ins and outs of researching United Empire Loyalist ancestors and will be hosted by the Grand River branch of the United Empire Loyalist Association.

For the more experienced family history hunters, there’s a chance to book a 10-minute personal consultation with archives co-ordinator Robin Dickson. 

A historical walking tour through downtown Simcoe will also be offered. The tour is at 1 p.m. and is an additional $10.00. 

The Norfolklore fair runs Saturday, Sept. 20 from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m at the Eva Brook Donly Museum, located at 109 Norfolk St. S. in Simcoe.

General admission is $10 ($5 for historical society members) and includes access to lectures, genealogist consultation, exhibitors’ hall and a book sale.  

For more information or to book a consultation, visit www.norfolklore.com 

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/evabrookdonly

GANS - 5th Annual Brick Wall Busters

If you have Nova Scotian ancestors, you should be interested in this notice I received from the Genealogy Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) this morning.

On Tuesday, November 25th, there will the 5th Annual Brick Wall Busters from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Akins Room, 6016 University Avenue, Halifax, NS. 

Ginny Clark, CG(C), Dr. Allan Marble, CG(C) and Doug Cochrane CG(C) will provide information found on submitted brick wall questions. 

Please include all pertinent available information such as surname and given name, approximate dates, area of Nova Scotia, the piece of information you would like to find, sources you have already checked, and your contact information. You should present a specific question in which you require an answer or are most interested. We must receive adequate information in order to properly assist you with your query otherwise it may not be accepted. 

The query must be of a length that can be read within two minutes.

The deadline for receiving the queries is midnight October 25th, 2014. 

Eight queries will be selected to be addressed at our lecture on November 25, 2014: four from local members who will be attending the meeting and four from members outside of the Halifax Regional Municipality who are not able to attend the meeting. 

At the event, the local members will read their queries for the benefit of other attendees. A member of the GANS Executive will read the queries from the members from “away”. 

For more information, go to http://www.novascotiaancestors.ca/eventListings.php?nm=287 

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/NovaScotiaAncestors

Kirsty Gray, UK Genealogist, will talk at two workshops in Canada

Kirsty Gray will be in Toronto on November 1st where she will give lectures on Industrial England. She will explore the Industrial Revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries transformed the world and dramatically changed the lives of our ancestors in many ways. 

This one-day workshop will be co-sponsored by Toronto Branch and the Canadiana Department of North York Central Library, and will be held in the Library’s Auditorium. 

Early-bird rates apply until today and members of the Ontario Genealogical Society enjoy a further discount on the workshop fee. 

For additional details and to register on-line go to http://torontofamilyhistory.org/learn/workshops/industrial-england-workshop/  

Then she will come to Ottawa the next day where she will appear from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and she will give two lectures at the Woodroffe United Church Banquet Hall, 207 Woodroffe Ave., Ottawa ON. 

She will talk on two subjects - 

1. Searching for Names: Challenges, Pitfalls and the Downright Ridiculous 

2. Solving Problems Through Family Reconstruction 

The lectures will be sponsored by the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO). Admission is $10 per person at the door. 

A break with light refreshments will be held between the two lectures.

Contact information is available at http://ogsottawa.on.ca/ 

Immigration Conference: Getting Here

Kawartha Branch, The Ontario Genealogical Society will have a special one-day conference on Saturday, October 4 from 9 am to 3:15 pm at the Northminster United Church, 300 Sunset Blvd, Peterborough.

The speakers and the topics will be -

• Archivist Col. John Carew New Life, New Hope, and a New Land 

• Alan Brunger Corsley Immigration to Canada, 1830s 

• Elwood Jones The Cumberland Emigration 

• Peter McConkey The Robinson Emigrations 

Cost: $35 and includes snacks and lunch. 

For more information, go to http://www.ogs.on.ca/kawartha/Conference-Page 1 and 2.pdf  

To register, you can go to http://www.ogs.on.ca/kawartha/Conference-Registration (2).pdf

Italian Canadians and World War II

A special travelling exhibition organized by the Columbus Centre of Toronto/Villa Charities will visit Windsor’s Community Museum from September 19th to December 13th. 

It says in the press release that “This exhibit explores the experiences of Italian Canadians following Italy‘s entry into World War II on the side of Germany. The political consequences within Canada of Italy‘s declaration of war in June 1940 deeply affected all spheres of ordinary life for Italian Canadians. Through video, audio, and text, the travelling exhibit puts a human face to this little-known period in Canadian history”. 

The exhibit will open September 19th, with a special screening of Piazza Petawawa (Director Rino Noto), a documentary telling the story of Italian-Canadians during World War II. The event runs from 4 – 6 pm. Refreshments will be available and admission is free. 

In addition, Dr. Walter Temelini, Professor Emeritus of the Italian Studies Department of the University of Windsor will hold a lecture entitled “The Italian Canadian Experience during World War II.” This event takes place at Windsor’s Community Museum on September 27th beginning at 2:00 pm and admission is free. 

The museum is located at 254 Pitt Street, Windsor, Ontario.The website is at http://www.citywindsor.ca/residents/culture/windsors-community-museum/Pages/Windsors-Community-Museum.aspx

More microfilm put online

Canadiana.org has put on more microfilm online at the Héritage website.

I have picked out some of the microfilm that you may find interesting, Please be advised that none of these records have been indexed, although some of them may have internal indexes.

Canadian Army Courts Martial documents 

Census of the township of Augusta

Census of the City of Montreal, 1831

Census returns 1842: Canada West

Central registry files created by the Northwest Territories and Yukon Branch

Department of Militia and Defence: Yukon Garrison, nominal rolls and paylists

Department of Militia and Defence: 1903 Army Central Registry, subject files

Department of Militia and Defence: Contracts Branch letterbooks, 1895-1912

Department of Militia and Defence: Correspondence of the Deputy Minister’s office

Department of Militia and Defence: Register of correspondence of the Deputy Minister’s office, 1867-1903

Department of Militia and Defence: Special Forces nominal rolls and paylists

Department of Militia and Defence: Yukon Mortar Machine Gun Batteries

Department of Railways and Canals: Records related to Welland Canal

Department of Railways and Canals: Records related to the St. Lawrence Canals

Department of the Interior: Dominion Lands Branch: North-West Territories, Metis scrip applications

Department of the Interior: Dominion Lands Branch: North-West Territories, Index to Metis scrip applications

Parish archives for Richelieu County

Parish archives for Saint-Pierre de Sorel: baptisms, marriages and burials

Perth [Ontario] Military Settlement fonds

Peter Hunter collection and papers

Peter Robinson Collection

Port of Saint-Servan Archives 

The Héritage Portal is at http://heritage.canadiana.ca/ 

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Canadiana/115437585187018 

Tour of Nova Scotia Archives and Its Holdings

On Wednesday, September 24, 2014 the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia is inviting everyone to a Tour of Nova Scotia Archives and Its Holdings from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The Nova Scotia Archives, Akins Room (wheelchair accessible) is located at 6016 University Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia

The guest speaker will be Garry Shutlak, Senior Archivist, Public Archives of Nova Scotia

Garry will talk about the website and the genealogical resources found there followed by a tour of the 3rd Floor holdings.

Open to the general public. All are welcome.

The website is http://novascotia.ca/archives/

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

Ancestry.ca - Campbell River, British Columbia newspaper database

Ancestry.ca has put on another database and this one concerns the index of birth, marriage, and death information from three newspapers serving the Campbell River, British Columbia, area in central Vancouver Island, and they are -

Campbell River Courier, 1947–1974

Comox Argus, 1917–1945

Campbell River Upper Islander, 1964–1990

Details vary depending on the paper and type of event, but you may find the following:

· name

· birth date and place

· christening date and place

· father’s name

· mother’s name

· spouse’s name

· marriage date and place

· death date and place

· age at death

· burial date and place

Information for this index was extracted by members of the Campbell River Genealogy Society.

The website is at http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=2492

Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Ancestry.ca

Quebec City's Museum of Civilization is on fire

The CBC has reported that Quebec City's Museum of Civilization is on fire. 

Apparently, the fire started around one o’clock, and the museum had been undergoing repairs at the time. 

There are no reported injuries. 

The website for the Museum of Civilization is at https://www.mcq.org/fr/ 

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/mcqorg

Canadian Week in Review - 15 September 2014

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

History Week in Canada

On Sept 10, 1895, the Sault Ste. Marie Canal was opened.

For more on the history of Sault Ste. Marie, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sault_Ste._Marie, Ontario
===================================================
On Sept 13, 1886, the Canadian Pacific Telegram System was opened

Read about the Canadian Pacific Telegram System at http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR/telegraph/history.html
===================================================
On Sept 15th, 1922, two brothers from Hamilton, Ontario — John and Alfred Billes — started Canadian Tire. Prior to 1922, it had been called the Hamilton Garage and Rubber Company.

To read the history of this iconic Canadian retail institution, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Tire

Social Media

(Video) Gone Again | Willow Anderson on the shifting of patterns
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/gone-again-willow-anderson-on-the-shifting-of-patterns-1.2764299
Learning how to shift in and out of a lifestyle where one person is gone and then returns takes patience from each partner as well as their families and friends

(Video) Heading to Alberta? The Rockies are amazing, but don't skip the Badlands
http://canadaam.ctvnews.ca/travel/heading-to-alberta-the-rockies-are-amazing-but-don-t-skip-the-badlands-1.2003654#ixzz3DCraj5Da
Loren Christie, travel writer for CTV, tells us not to forget that the large area east and southeast of Calgary offers a variety of sites and activities that are too good to be missed.

(Video) Cherryvale’s 87-year-old covered bridge being disassembled
http://globalnews.ca/news/1553642/cherryvales-87-year-old-covered-bridge-being-disassembled/
The covered bridge has had to be removed from the Canaan River this week, after flooding and ice broke the bridge free in the spring.

The Man Who Lived Airplanes - The Life of Keith B. MacDonald
http://macdonellfamily.wordpress.com/
This is a new blog started by Bonnie Jean MacDonald from the US: she has been taking trips to Ontario to research her Loyalists ancestors.

Nova Scotia

This Week in Hants History (Sept. 11, 2014 edition)
http://www.novanewsnow.com/Opinion/Columnists/2014-09-08/article-3862007/This-Week-in-Hants-History-(Sept.-11,-2014-edition)/1
This weekly column looks at the history 25 and 50 years ago.

Bedford boy finds 1,500-year-old arrowhead on N.S. beach
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/bedford-boy-finds-1-500-year-old-arrowhead-on-n-s-beach-1.2760308
Jack Milloy from Bedford has found a 1,500-year old arrowhead on a beach in southwestern Nova Scotia.

ED COLEMAN HISTORY: How did Kentville get its name?
http://www.novanewsnow.com/Opinion/2014-09-06/article-3859222/ED-COLEMAN-HISTORY%3A-How-did-Kentville-get-its-name%3F/1
Did you know that Kentville started out as Horton Corner? In 1826, it changed its name to Kentville.

Prince Edward Island

Down the line on P.E.I.
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/150th-Charlottetown/2014-09-08/article-3861850/Down-the-line-on-P.E.I./1
A special series on descendants of the Island Fathers of Confederation leads to surprises, trends, and opportunities to remember.

Ontario

The First World War: Excerpts from the diary of Woodman Leonard
http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/09/12/the-first-world-war-excerpts-from-the-diary-of-woodman-leonard
In this installment, the fear of gas attacks on the troops grew day by day, even on their horses.
For links to the other installments, visit last week's CWR post at -
http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/09/anadian-week-in-review-08-september-2014.html

African American cemetery could get Ontario heritage designation
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/african-american-cemetery-could-get-o ntario-heritage-designation-1.2762159
A small group is working hard to try to preserve one of the 13 black cemeteries in the Windsor-Essex region by pushing for a provincial heritage designation.

Asking grandma beats online genealogical search
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/asking-grandma-beats-online-genealogical-search
Chelsea Meloche found that if she asked her grandmother to fill her in with family facts, she could start in genealogy the right way – by asking the previous generations about one's family first.

Manitoba

Newest national museum set to open in Winnipeg celebrating human rights
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/newest-national-museum-set-to-open-in-winnipeg-celebrating-human-rights-1.2004074#ixzz3DCwWQxf0
When Canada's newest national museum opens next weekend, it will mark the end of a 14-year journey sparked by one family's desire to have Canadians learn about the struggle for — and the fragility of — freedom.

Saskatchewan

Royal history to be revealed on tour
http://www.leaderpost.com/life/Royal+history+revealed+tour/10192366/story.html
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex will make his 37th visit to Canada, from Sept. 17 to 19, with stops in Moose Jaw, Regina, Saskatoon, and Swift Current.

British Columbia 

New immigrants get taste of Canada and its history
http://www.theprogress.com/community/274820991.html
A series of programs at the Chilliwack Family YMCA is doing its part to welcome new immigrants to Canada, educate them about our history, and make them feel at home right here in Chilliwack.

British Columbia moves to redress historical aboriginal hangings
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-wp-blm-news-bc-canada11-20140911-story.html
British Columbia Premier Christy Clark agreed to look for ways to redress the execution of six chiefs during the Chilcotin War of 1864.

The value of heritage
http://www.vicnews.com/news/274777541.html
The Anglican Diocese of B.C. has applied for a demolition permit of a heritage building in Victoria, causing uproar in the James Bay community.

Story of the Week

They have found a ship!

Parks Canada and their partners have been busy in the Arctic this summer looking for the Franklin Expedition (1845) which was trying to find the Northwest Passage, which would have been a shortcut to China from Europe. But on their second trip, Franklin and his ships never returned to England, and fleets of rescue ships over the years have never found them.

But this past week, one of the two original ships was found on the ocean floor. They don’t know which ship they have found so far, but at least, they have found one of them.

Here is what some of the newspapers were saying about the discovery -

Lost Franklin expedition ship found in the Arctic
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/lost-franklin-expedition-ship-found-in-the-arctic-1.2760311
Queen sends congratulations on image believed to be HMS Erebus or HMS Terror.

Manitoba history prof cheers Franklin expedition find
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-history-prof-cheers-franklin-expedition-find-1.2760722
A University of Manitoba history professor says the discovery of one of the Franklin expedition ships will change the way he teaches his course in the future.

More than 150 years later, shipwreck is found where the Inuit said it was
http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/9/6128627/150-years-later-shipwreck-found-where-inuit-said-it-was

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 22 September 2014.

Reminder: Canadian Week in Review

Check the Canadian Week in Review tomorrow morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at
http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/09/anadian-week-in-review-08-september-2014.html 

It has the most up-to-date news items covered in New/Updated Websites, History, Social Media, and Newspaper Articles.

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! 

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Portuguese Presence in Kensington Market

The Kensington Market Historical Society (KMHS) is presenting the talk Portuguese Presence in Kensington Market on October 21st from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at the Lillian H. Smith Branch of the Toronto Public Library, 239 College Street, Toronto.

The KMHS “ gathers, studies, preserves, and disseminates information pertaining to the history of the Kensington Market area. KMHS is committed to discovering and articulating the variable narratives of the Market. We hold public events, publish a newsletter, and undertake research and other projects as interest and expertise permit. We welcome and encourage involvement from the community”.

To read more about the Portuguese community in Canada, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Canadian 

To read the article Portuguese immigration reflect on 50 years in Canada at http://wx.toronto.ca/inter/it/newsrel.nsf/0/a1de0f2b56ea21d085256df60045c76c?OpenDocument

Save Norfolk County Branch – Call for Volunteers

Last week, in the 08 September 2014 edition of the Canadian Week in Review (CWR), I wrote an editorial under Story of the Week at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/09/anadian-week-in-review-08-september-2014.html noting that the Norfolk County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society was going to disband. This action has been of great concern to a number of OGS members, and I have heard from them. Somehow, they want it saved: they do not want the Branch to be disbanded. 

And now, Alan Campbell, the president of the OGS, in the OGS e-Weekly Update, is asking for volunteers to come forward to save the Branch.

Here is his message -

Reminder: Save Norfolk County Branch – Call for Volunteers

Alan Campbell

President OGS

This is a reminder that there is a meeting of Norfolk County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society on Sept. 16, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. at the Delhi Seniors Centre, 418 Queen Street, Delhi, Ontario.

This meeting is being held to vote to become an inactive Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. The vote is being taken simply because new volunteers have not come forward to fill the positions on the Executive and those of Committee Chairs. It would be unfortunate if a Branch that was chartered in October of 1987, were to move to inactive status with the resulting loss of easier access to family history materials by researchers.

Remember, you don’t have to live in Norfolk County in order to be a volunteer. Many Branches already have volunteers who live in other parts of the world, and this could be your way to contribute to Norfolk County, Ontario genealogy.

Potential volunteers are welcome to contact either Co-chair of Norfolk Branch for more information prior to the meeting –

• Marie Shull at rmb@xplornet.com 

• Shirley Godfree at sgodfree@oxford.net

The Norfolk Branch is at http://www.ogs.on.ca/norfolk/

Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research (VIGR)

In order to give my research clients the most-up-to-date information, using modern methodology—and in addition to my working towards a Certificate in Professional Development from the National Institute for Genealogical Studies (NIGS)——I have just enrolled in Michael Hait’s course in Writing a Logical Proof Argument, a course from the new Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research (VIGR).

As I wrote to the people behind VIGR, “I am really excited to be a part of the first class! This is groundbreaking in the realm of genealogical institutes, and I am so glad that it has come to pass”. 

The link to the Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research (VIGR) website is  http://vigrgenealogy.com/news/ 

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/vigrgenealogy 

My research website is at www.elrs.biz.

Nuit Blanche at the Museum

The Canadian Museum of History is partnering again with Nuit Blanche, a dusk-till-dawn celebration of contemporary art and culture taking place in multiple venues in Ottawa–Gatineau.

Come experience history with an after-hours twist and groove to music spun by our own in-house DJ, performances by the Ottawa Stilt Union, and more. Sip on a “Bypass”, the signature drink created especially for the event… and enjoy. 

Nuit Blanche is on Saturday, September 20, 6:20 p.m. to Sunday, September 21, 4:21 a.m. 

Go to the website http://nbog.ca/ to see what else is on. 

Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre - Ontario Jewish Archives-

Back in 1973, the Ontario Jewish Archives, known as the Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, started to acquire, preserve and today, it is making available documentary sources related to Ontario's Jewish community. 

Now, the Government of Canada has announced that it will be providing $195,100 through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund to support a renovation project undertaken by the Ontario Jewish Archives Foundation. With this funding the Foundation will retrofit the vault and redesign and furnish the public access space and document processing area in the Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre. 

The Ontario Jewish Archives is the largest professionally maintained repository of Jewish archival material in Canada.

You can search their archives where they have over 5,000 cubic feet of textual records, photos, newspapers, films, and oral histories. 

The website is at http://ontariojewisharchives.org/

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioJewishArchives

Niagara Peninsula has a new website!

The Niagara Peninsula of the Ontario Genealogical Society has a new website, and it is exciting because of the new features that are on the site. 

In addition to having a new website (which is very neat and well organized), they are also starting to put video of their meetings and cemetery tours under the heading of Media! 

Last evening, I watched a video of their last meeting, and I was impressed with the quality and media presence of the presenters. I was left with the thought that everyone should do this. It’s a great way to tell everybody about your Branch or Chapter for free!  

So why isn’t this an initiative from the head office? Maybe it is, and we are just finding out about it, but I don’t think so. 

The website is at http://www.ogs.on.ca/niagara/

9/11 - The day we shall never forget

There were 24 Canadians killed in 9/11 – The day we shall never forget. 

There is a list of the people plus their profiles at
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/09/07/1810996.html 

Canada on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 in 2011, started the National Day of Service. It honours and celebrates the acts of kindness that Canadians are known for at home and all over the world.

Two genealogical events at Quinte Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society

There are two genealogical events taking place at the Quinte Branch of the Genealogical Society in Trenton, Ontario this month, and they are – 

Doors Open 2014

Come and check out the holdings and resources of their Genealogical Library. Meet their volunteers and find out how they can help you in your research. 

The Open House will be held on Saturday September 13th at 1:00 pm.

Everyone is welcome!

And the second event is their regular monthly meeting which will be held on Saturday September the 20th at 1:00 pm and the topic will be Discovering the Lennox & Addington Archives . The talk will be given by Shelley Respondek, Lennox & Addington County Archivist.

Local repositories are vital for researchers, providing many collections not accessible elsewhere. Knowing what is available is important as we create our research plans.

Mark your calendars for this meeting and hope to see you there!

The venue is Quinte West City Hall Library, 7 Creswell Drive, Trenton, Ontario.

The webpage is http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canqbogs/ 

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/QuinteBranch.OGS