Canadian Week in Review 25 August 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

Black Ribbon Day in Canada
http://www.blackribbonday.org
In November 2009, the Canadian parliament passed a resolution declaring August 23rd as Black Ribbon Day, an annual day of remembrance for the victims of Communism and Nazism in Europe.

History Week in Canada

In 1541, French explorer Jacques Cartier landed near Quebec City in his third voyage to the New World.

Read about Jacques Cartier at http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jacques-cartier/

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

In 1957, Saskatchewan was the first province to complete its section of the Trans-Canada Highway.

To read more, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatchewan_Highway_1
===================================================
In 1890, Moncton, New Brunswick was officially incorporated as a city.

To read the history of Moncton at http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/moncton/

===================================================
In 1882, Pile O’ Bones was named Regina when the Canadian Pacific Railroad arrived there.

Read the history of Regina at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Regina,_Saskatchewan

Social Media

WWI: How Canada remembers its fallen

http://www.cbc.ca/news/multimedia/wwi-how-canada-remembers-its-fallen-1.2744274
The CBC News Community captures how Canada remembers its WWI fallen a century later.

(Video) The First World War: Excerpts from the diary of Woodman Leonard

http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/08/21/the-first-world-war-excerpts-from-the-diary-of-woodman-leonard

The Ottawa Sun continues with excerpts from Leonard’s diary.

Last week\s installment is at http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/08/15/the-first-world-war-excerpts-from-the-diary-of-woodman-leonard

(Video) Prince Edward Island woodworker building replica ice boat
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2014-08-17/article-3837723/Prince-Edward-Island-woodworker-building-replica-ice-boat/1

Project will see an ice boat replica as part of exhibit marking 100th anniversary of Transportation Association of Canada.

(Video) Prince Edward Island Potato Board launches video series

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2014-08-20/article-3841600/Prince-Edward-Island-Potato-Board-launches-video-series/1

The PEI Potato Board is sharing the History of the P.E.I. Potato Industry with the Next Generation centrepiece of five-video series.

(Photos) Historic Thunder Bay buildings rendered in Lego
Kieran Marcus and his Lego creations inspire an exhibit at the Thunder Bay museum

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/historic-thunder-bay-buildings-rendered-in-lego-1.2742006
The Thunder Bay museum's "City Beautiful" exhibit highlights amazing local architecture. But the inspiration for the exhibit is equally amazing, and they are made of Lego.

Newfoundland

What People Are Asking | What is the history of the transatlantic cable?

http://www.cecildaily.com/features/misc_features/article_f444fbac-53f0-5324-a43b-23b945537402.html

The man behind the laying of the transatlantic cable - Cyrus Field - is discussed.

Nova Scotia

Remembering a sad part of Canadian history

http://www.cumberlandnewsnow.com/News/Local/2014-08-18/article-3838924/Remembering-a-sad-part-of-Canadian-history/1

A commemorative plaque was laid at Cumberland County Museum on Friday as the first of 100 locations across Canada where the internment of Ukrainian and other enemy aliens during World War One happened a century ago.

Chapel Island thrilled to host 8,000 visitors to Mi’kmaq Summer Games

http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1230334-chapel-island-thrilled-to-host-8000-visitors-to-mi-kmaq-summer-games

The Mi’kmaq Summer Games takes place each summer on Chapel Island in the southwest corner of the Bras D’Or Lake in Cape Breton.

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island, Canada: where the seeds of a nation were sown

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/northamerica/canada/11050549/Prince-Edward-Island-Canada-where-the-seeds-of-a-nation-were-sown.html

Read a short history of PEI as the birthplace of Canada.

Ontario

Aborists work to keep Canada’s oldest sugar maple’s legacy alive

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/08/21/aborists-work-to-keep-canadas-oldest-sugar-maples-legacy-alive#disqus_thread

Read about how Canada’s oldest sugar maple, called the Comfort Maple, is believed to be more than 500 years old!

Dark period in Canada's history

http://www.niagaraadvance.ca/2014/08/22/dark-period-in-canadas-history

Nikola Yerich of Niagara Falls, and thousands of others who came from certain European countries, ended up in Canada’s first internment camps during the time of the First World War.

Interim councillor calling for 'O Canada' change
http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/interim-councillor-calling-for-o-canada-change-1.1970843
A Toronto councilperson has put forward motion to make 'O Canada' gender neutral passes.

HISTORY: 'Alien enemies' sent to internment camps
http://www.timminspress.com/2014/08/17/history-alien-enemies-sent-to-internment-camps
Read about the fascinating history about interment camps in northwestern Ontario.

The perilous history of Canada’s Ross rifle
http://globalnews.ca/news/1511892/the-perilous-history-of-canadas-ross-rifle
Read about the history of the Ross Rifle, that notorious firearm that was used by Canadian troops at the start of the First World War.

Canadian War Museum welcomes your donated artifacts, but can’t take everything
http://ww1.canada.com/after-the-war/canadian-war-museum-welcomes-your-donated-artifacts-but-cant-take-everything
You should call the museum first to see if they can accept your donation first before you sent the article to the museum in Ottawa.

Local historian reveals region’s stories, myths and secrets
http://www.therecord.com/news-story/4765187-local-historian-uncovers-region-in-college-course
Joanna Rickert-Hall, a local cultural and social historian, has been successful in having the Conestoga College in Kitchener to have a course on local history. It is called History of Waterloo Region 1 & 2.

Alberta

Alberta's African Americans and the cowboy maverick honoured in John Ware Reimagined

http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/08/19/albertas-african-americans-and-the-cowboy-maverick-honoured-in-john-ware-reimagined

There is a new play about John Ware, the former American slave who helped establish ranching in Alberta, and whose own skills at steer wrestling made it a popular event at the Calgary Stampede.

Park actor to retell Alberta history
http://www.sherwoodparknews.com/2014/08/21/park-actor-to-retell-alberta-history
A Sherwood Park-born actor will be starring in a play that showcases the life of the first black cowboy in Alberta.

British Columbia

Queen’s Park Stadium has significant heritage value
http://www.royalcityrecord.com/opinion/your-letters/queen-s-park-stadium-has-significant-heritage-value-1.1319803#sthash.JIhDAVL9.dpuf
In a letter to the editor, a reader of the Royal City Record says that he thinks that Queen’s Park Stadium should receive Heritage Status.

BC ghost town for sale Bradian can be yours for $995,000
http://www.news1130.com/2014/08/20/bc-ghost-town-for-sale/
This town is for sale!
It is located next to where the gold rush took more than four million ounces of gold and 1.2 million ounces of silver from the Bralorne mine before it closed in 1971.

Story of the Week

Greek Canadian History Project

The Greek Canadian History Project (GCHP) is an archival initiative that seeks to preserve the knowledge, memory, and experiences of Canada’s Greek immigrants and their descendants.

They recently held an exhibit at Toronto City Hall called Memory and Migration: A History of Greek Immigrants in Toronto, 1864-2014.

They have a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Greek-Canadian-History-Project/510739502333543

The Greek Canadian History Project is still seeking collections. If you have any questions or would like more information on how you can contribute materials to the archive project, please do not hesitate to contact them Sakis Gekas at agekas@yorku.ca or Christopher Grafos at cgrafos@yorku.ca 

They are looking collections of papers, diaries, photographs, books, pamphlets, audio, video, and other materials that will be valuable for research of the Greek-Canadian past.

The archives are at York University at http://archives.library.yorku.ca/exhibits/show/gchp

To read more about Greek immigration to Canada, go to http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/greeks/

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 September 1, 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/2014/08/canadian-week-in-review-18-august-2014_18.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.

Fall is the time to research

The fall months are a great time to hold genealogy fairs, conferences, and “back-to-school” in-depth courses in Canada. The summer is winding down, and the months of September, October, and November are usually a prime time to rekindle research for those ancestors.

Genealogy Fairs 

On Saturday, September 20th, 2014 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the Eva Brook Donly Museum & Archives, located at 109 Norfolk Street South in Simcoe, Ontario, will hold their annual genealogy fair. This is the oldest genealogy fair in Ontario. 

For more information, go to http://www.norfolklore.com/

Conferences 

BIFHSGO 

And some are having conferences, like the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa, from September 19th to the 21st at the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) on Wellington Street.

This year, the conference will include English family history, immigration from the British Isles, Home Children; and genetic genealogy.

For more information, go to http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=126

Harvest Your Family Tree 2014 

Kelowna And District Genealogical Society will hold their bi-annual genealogy conference in Kelowna, British Columbia, from September 26 to 28, 2014. 

It is Western Canada's largest genealogy conference, and boasts a full day of seminars with renowned international speakers like photo specialist Maureen Taylor (who will also be giving photo consultations) of www.maureentaylor.com as well as Dave Obee of www.CanGenealogy.com and Stephen Young of FamilySearch https://familysearch.org

Go to http://www.harvestyourtree.blogspot.com/ to get more information. 

Genealogy Courses

And some are planning family history courses in the fall of 2014, like the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. These include -

• Basic Genealogy and Family History 

Wednesdays, 8 October to 26 November 2014, 2 – 4 pm

Are you thinking of starting your family history? Or maybe you have been working on it for a while but want to sharpen your research skills? This course will cover the basics, including terminology, types of sources, the use of on-line resources, libraries and archives, including LDS Family History Centres, and record-keeping – to help you “think like a genealogist”. 

Instructor: Jane E. MacNamara 

Where: North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto

• Maps and Mapping for 21st Century Genealogists 

Thursday, 6 November and Wednesdays, 12, 19 and 26 November 2014, 6:15 – 8:15 pm 

This four-week course, designed for intermediate and advanced-level genealogists, explores sophisticated ways in which maps and mapping tools can contribute to family history research, analysis, and writing.

Instructor: James F.S. Thomson 

Where: Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street, Toronto 

For more information on these and other programs, go to http://torontofamilyhistory.org/learn/ 

The One Hundred Plaques Across Canada will be unveiled today

To mark the 100th anniversary of Canada's first national internment operations of 1914-1920, the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Foundation will be unveiling 100 plaques today on Friday, 22 August 2014, the 100th anniversary of the War Measures Act.

All 100 plaques will be unveiled at 11 am (local time) in Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, German, and Hungarian churches and cultural centres, as well as in local and regional museums and other public venues, creating a "wave" of unveilings, moving from east to west, from coast to coast. 

Dr Lubomyr Luciuk, the CTO project leader says “ I want to add that this is the first time in Canadian history that any community has attempted to unveil 100 historical plaques from coast to coast at the same (local) time. This couldn’t happen without the enthusiastic support of hundreds of volunteers in 100 communities across the country, from Amherst, Nova Scotia to Nanaimo, British Columbia, and Grand Prairie, Alberta to Val D’Or, Quebec to name but a few. We’re also very grateful to our Patriarch, the two Metropolitans, the national executive of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the representatives of the other affected communities and many of our internee descendants, for their help. 

We’re calling on people to set aside 11 am (local time) on Friday, 22 August 2014 so that they can join us in witnessing a plaque unveiling in their own community or region. Be there to remember, and to learn." 

To see where the plagues will be unveiled today, go to http://www.uccla.ca/List_of_Plaque_sites.pdf 

The website of The Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association is at http://www.uccla.ca/index.html

Do You Read Blogs?

Every week, the editors of The Weekly Genealogist—published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society—take a survey, and last week they asked their readers - “How many genealogy blogs do you follow?”

And the answers were quite interesting, as 53 % said that they did not read blogs at all, while only 3% said that they read 10 or more. I would say that I am in the latter category! 

But it goes along with what I have said for the past year or so. People just do not read blogs, but those that do read blogs – read them religiously. It seems that people who write blogs (like me) read them, too. 

So, do you read blogs? How do you keep up with the genealogy news? Maybe there aren't any news to keep up with, or do you prefer podcasts or Google Hangouts on Air rather than blogs? 

To read the rest of the survey, go to http://www.americanancestors.org/wg-vol-17-no-34/#6

Ontario Genealogical Society Branch Facebook Pages

The Ontario Genealogical Society is made up of 33 branches and SIGs, and besides their web pages, many of them also have their own Facebook pages so that they can keep in touch with members and non-members alike.

The Facebook pages are -

Bruce & Grey Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/633643046723946/?fref=tsa 

Elgin County Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ElginOGS?fref=ts 

Essex County Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006053194907&fref=ts 

Halton-Peel Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/HaltonPeelBranchOGS?fref=ts 

Hamilton Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/523462191101234/?fref=ts 

Huron County Branch, Genealogical Society Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/221555263797/?fref=ts 

Kent Branch Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/kent.ogs.96?ref=ts&fref=ts 

Niagara Peninsula Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NBOGS/ 

Ottawa Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/237267743111732/?fref=ts

Perth County Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/PerthCountyBranchOGS?fref=ts

Quinte Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/QuinteBranch.OGS?fref=ts

Sudbury Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/sudburyogs/?fref=ts

Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/TOFamilyHistory?fref=ts

Wellington County Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wellington-County-OGS/413477792099902?fref=ts

Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry is on Flickr

Did you know this - that the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry is one of three Permanent Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army? And that it is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year!

The Library and Archives Canada has 40 photos on Flickr and so far, there have been 397 views. 

The photos are at https://www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/sets/72157645766644433/

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Patricia's_Canadian_Light_Infantry 

PPCLI history is at http://www.ppcli.com/ 

PPCLI Association is at http://www.ppcliassoc.ca/

Canadian Week in Review - 18 August 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.

History Week in Canada

In 1896, the discovery of gold in the Rabbit Creek, a tributary of the Yukon's Klondike River, led to the Klondike Gold Rush. After news of the strike reached the outside world, thousands of miners poured into the territory – especially from the United States. It's estimated more than $100 million in gold was recovered in the region during the next eight years.

Go to http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/klondike-gold-rush/

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

On August 10th, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell made the first long-distance call from his home in Brantford to his assistant in Paris, Ontario. A call had been previously been made seven days earlier by the first telephone call from one building to another between Bell and his uncle.

To read more about Alexander Graham Bell, go to http://www.biography.com/people/alexander-graham-bell-9205497#passion-for-shaping-the-future

====================================================
In 1882, the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada merged with the Great Western Railway. The merger was the result of financial difficulties and American competition.

To read more, please go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Trunk_Western_Railroad
====================================================

In August 1904, Ford of Canada began building cars in a converted wagon works in Walkerville, near Windsor, Ont. The 17 men who worked there, assembled a total of 114 cars in the first year.

To read more about the history of the Ford Motor Company of Canada, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Motor_Company_of_Canada

Social Media

Vote "Like"' for your favourite site!

   It has been since this past Thursday that this GenealogyCanada blog first appeared on County-Clerks.com, a new American website, as having been nominated as one of the top 200 websites/blogs!

   Since then, we have bounced between 14th and 3rd place, so we still need help.
   You have until September 30th to vote, and you can vote for your favourite website or blog by going to http://www.county-clerks.com/genealogy-blog. (Note: The URLs for these websites and blogs are given, but they are not yet hyper-linked.)
   Vote now, and vote often, for your favourite website or blog!

(VIDEO) Historic church moved for highway

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/historic-church-moved-for-highway-1.2736564

The 150-year-old Tryon United Baptist Church in P.E.I. is being moved as the province realigns the Trans-Canada Highway.

(VIDEO) Declining Newfoundland pony bred on P.E.I.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/declining-newfoundland-pony-bred-on-p-e-i-1.2735062

Darlene Ulvstal grew up on Newfoundland with the special ponies there, and now she is doing what she can to save the dying breed.

(Video) The First World War: Excerpts from the diary of Woodman Leonard

http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/08/15/the-first-world-war-excerpts-from-the-diary-of-woodman-leonard

Read excerpts from Woodman Leonard’s diary as he fought in the battles of Ypres, The Somme, and Vimy Ridge.

Newfoundland

Site of shipwreck deep in family history for Marystown man

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/site-of-shipwreck-deep-in-family-history-for-marystown-man-1.2732589

A Marystown man paid a visit to the steep cliffs of Friday's Cove, where his grandfather narrowly escaped death because of a shipwreck 91 years ago.

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia sitting on $4M in unclaimed estates

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/nova-scotia-sitting-on-4m-in-unclaimed-estates-1.2736858?cmp=rss

Public trustee scans Christmas cards, records looking for long-lost relatives.

Nova Scotia's stunning waters

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/travel/a/24724925/nova-scotias-stunning-waters

Read an Australian writer\s first impressions of Nova Scotia as he tours the province.

Blast from the past: A look back at Kings County's history

http://www.novanewsnow.com/Community/2014-08-10/article-3829804/Blast-from-the-past%3A-A-look-back-at-Kings-Countys-history/1

Read what happened 25, 50, and 75 years ago in Kings County, Nova Scotia.

Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown nears completion

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/black-loyalist-heritage-centre-in-birchtown-nears-completion-1.2734229

The centre in Birchtown, near Shelburne, Nova Scotia, will the first of its kind in North America. It will present the black Loyalists’ journey as they fled revolutionary America to British Nova Scotia to build a better life during the 1780s.

Heritage Trust withdraws Nova Centre court challenge

http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1229230-heritage-trust-withdraws-nova-centre-court-challenge

A prominent heritage group is not going ahead with a court challenge over the construction of the Nova Centre in downtown Halifax.

Nova Scotia sitting on $4M in unclaimed estates

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/nova-scotia-sitting-on-4m-in-unclaimed-estates-1.2736858?cmp=rss

Public trustee scans Christmas cards, records looking for long-lost relatives.

Ontario

Your marching orders for August

http://www.sootoday.com/content/news/details.asp?c=77010

Explore Fort St. Joseph, a national historic site located at the southern-most point of picturesque St. Joseph Island.

Ferris-wheel highs and nauseating lows from 135 years of "The Ex"

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/cne-turns-135-ten-of-the-exs-hits-and-misses/article20017185

A history of Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition – nicknamed "The Ex" – in pictures and text.

Saskatchewan

Cree language camp at Wanuskewin Heritage Park teaches culture too

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/cree-language-camp-at-wanuskewin-heritage-park-teaches-culture-too-1.2736646

The camp celebrates its 10th anniversary.

British Columbia

A dark past unearthed

http://www.castanet.net/news/Vernon-N-Okanagan/120862/A-dark-past-unearthed

Some 8,500 Canadians, many naturalized citizens, were taken to one of the 24 internment camps across Canada, including a large one in Vernon that ran from 1914-1920. Another 88,000 Canadians were forced to register and report on a monthly basis to officials.

Story of the Week

National Acadian Day

August 15th was National Acadian Day in Canada.

As the Acadian Affairs Minister of Nova Scotia, Michel Samson, said, "National Acadian Day is a time for all Nova Scotians to experience the vitality of life that the Acadian and francophone community brings to the province."

Communities across the province are raising the Acadian flag for its 130th anniversary.

And the celebration continues.

There is the ExpoMONDE, an international showcase of the Congrès mondial acadien 2014, from Aug. 14-23 in Grand Falls, N.B.

More than 15 organizations that specialize in Acadian and francophone genealogy and history expect to greet thousands of people from around the world.

"For generations, the stories and traditions of the Acadian people of Nova Scotia have been enhanced by the many francophones from New Brunswick, Quebec, Louisiana, France, Africa, and many other parts of the world that have chosen to join communities throughout the province," said Mr. Samson. "I thank all of the organizations and volunteers at the genealogy pavilion in Grand-Falls for helping people from around the world to learn about their Acadian roots, many whose lineage began here in Nova Scotia."

To view the presentation schedule at the Genealogy Pavilion, visit http://cma2014.com/images/programmation/Pavillon_Genealogie_Presentations.pdf 

For more information about the Congrès mondial acadien 2014, go to http://www.cma2014.com/en

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 August 25, 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/2014/08/canadian-week-in-review-11-august-2014.html 

It has the most up-to-date news items covered History Week in Canada, 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.

An Act of Remembrance: World War I Publicity Posters at the Nova Scotia Archives

Credit: Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. 1983-28-826 Copyright: Expired 

Before the advent of the radio, television, and the Internet, newspapers and posters were the way that people got their news. 

During the First World War, colorful posters were produced, and soon appeared everywhere that people would see them.

At first, they were produced as a "call to action" by the government to encourage people to enlist, as 620,000 people eventually did, and then to build ‘public support for war industries, food production, and the sale of war or 'Victory' savings bonds. 

The Nova Scotia Archives say that this will be the first in a series of “online exhibits to be developed by the Nova Scotia Archives over the next four years, to commemorate the province's contribution to and losses sustained in 'The War to End All Wars'”. 

To see the posters, go to http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/warposters/

Families - August 2014

The  August 2014 edition of Families, the journal of the Ontario Genealogical Society, has just been published, and there are six articles in this issue.

The first prize in the Keffer Writing Contest this year goes to H. Nancy Holder and her article entitled, Who was Hannah FOSTER?

We find out that the author is from Arkansas, and that much to her surprise, she discovered that her great-grandmother was from Ontario!

This year's winner of the 2014 Mike Brede Genealogical Essay Prize was Chelsea H. Meloche, a graduate student at the University of Waterloo, for her winning essay, Genealogy in the Digital Age: A Beginner’s Commentary.

She wrote this article as a “newbie” who got caught up in the merry-go-round of online databases, and she wondered how new researchers will do in this world of instant genealogy. 

For Mom: With Love and Memories by Marianne Perry is the story of her family’s Italian heritage. The author has made two genealogical research trips to southern Italy, and writes about her Calabrian-Sicilian ancestry, and the new lives of her immigrant ancestors in Toronto and Ottawa. 

How a Toronto Bookbindery Girl Named Lizzie Wyllie Became a National News Headline in 1892 by Richard Deuel is a genealogical  mystery about Lizzie Wyllie, whose family migrated to the Michigan area from Bowmanville, Ontario in the late 1800s, and her supposed suicide which took place in San Diego.

The Petawawa Plains Land Clearances by Robb Gore is a piece about land clearances and the forced eviction of settlers by the Canadian government for the building of a training center in preparation for the First World War. The training centre eventually became Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, as it is today.

And the issue is completed with June Coxon's Family Stories, recollections about her mother growing up in Toronto in the early 1900s.

If you wish to become a member so that you can receive Families, along other benefits, please visit http://www.ogs.on.ca/become_a_member.php 

Quebec’s Civil Registers

Ever wonder why French-Canadian baptism, marriage, and death records are usually so complete, and that they go back to the 17th century?

Well, this year marks the 475th anniversary of the signing of the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts in 1539, which stated that priests were required to register baptisms and burials. In 1579, another ordinance was signed which required that marriages be registered. 

And in 1667, the Ordinance of Saint-Germain-en-Laye introduced a practice that has proven to be very important to genealogists – that is, the practice of keeping duplicate copies of the baptisms, marriages, and deaths. One copy was kept by the priest, and the second was filed with civil authorities at the end of the year.

Furthermore, in Quebec, civil status registers have the following characteristics -

· There are three types of acts: baptism, marriage, and burial.

· The acts are drawn up by parish priests.

· They are presented chronologically, usually within a single register.

· They are subject to two separate regulations: ecclesiastical and civil. 

The Library and Archives Canada has a very good website explaining Vital Statistics: Births, Marriages and Deaths at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/vital-statistics-births-marriages-deaths/Pages/births-marriages-deaths.aspx 

Ancestry.ca also has the Drouin Collection online, which contains Catholic baptisms, marriages, and deaths – including some Protestant records, also. 

The website is http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=1091

County-Clerks.com Nominates GenealogyCanada!

County-Clerks.com, a new American website, has nominated this blog as one of the top 200 websites/blogs! How about that?

Who are they? As mentioned in their "About Us" webpage at http://www.county-clerks.com/about-us -

"Welcome to County-Clerks.com! We are excited to share with you a vast resource of county clerk and court record information. County-Clerks.com is home to contact information (telephone number, address, email and fax numbers and county clerk websites) for all county clerk and court record offices in each of 50 states of the United States’ 3,143 counties and county equivalents.

You might be in search of a county clerk to get information about various public records, file for a marriage license, make arrangements for a divorce, research arrests and related information, public information, judicial records, probate, criminal, court, and all other related county records. This also includes records related to birth certificates, death, weddings, county specific licenses."

Needless to say, it's a great resource worth looking at, and to top it off, have started a contest to win the “top genealogy site of the web”, and we need your vote to help us reach the top!

You can vote as many times as you wish (but only once per day) from now until September 30th.

The list of online genealogy websites and blogs is varied and interesting, and worth looking at. The link for this list, and for voting for your favourite website or blog, can be found here - http://www.county-clerks.com/genealogy-blog. (Note: The URLs are given, but they are not yet hyper-linked.)

Also, if you find a preferred blog or website missing from this list, you can send a request to add it to the list. So the list may even grow a bit - another reason to stop in for a visit!

If you like to read the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning (such as the CWR post this past Monday - http://www.genealogycanada.blogspot.ca/2014/08/canadian-week-in-review-11-august-2014.html) to see what’s trending in Canadian news — genealogy, history, and heritage — then just go to the contest webpage, and hit the “like” button.

Or, maybe you like my post enough to retweet it, or add it to your Facebook page, as Elizabeth Shown Mills did yesterday with  my post, “LAC has updated the 1861 Census” at https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.shownmills?fref=tl_fr_box

So please drop in to check their website, and don't forget to vote for your favourite site, and vote often. We — the bloggers and website owners — would appreciate your encouragement!

LAC has updated the 1861 Census

Library and Archives Canada has upgraded the 1861 Census because there were apparently a “number of missing records and misplaced images were reported by Library and Archives Canada clients and staff". 

They have corrected over 133,000 entries! 

According to their blog, there were definite issues with the Canada West and Canada East.  

“In Canada West, the records for the cities of Hamilton, Kingston, London, Ottawa and Toronto were previously reported missing but the records did exist. The five cities, although enumerated separately in 1861, were tucked away amongst their neighbouring rural districts. For example, the city of Ottawa was listed under the district of Carleton and the city of Kingston was listed under Frontenac. The five cities are now correctly identified as districts and their respective wards are identified as sub-districts. 

Additionally in Canada West, the rural districts of Renfrew and Russell were also reported as missing. The records for those two districts and their sub-districts can now be searched. In the rural district of Kent, the sub-districts of Camden and Gore, the town of Chatham, and the district of Chatham have been correctly identified. The images in the districts of Brant and Dundas are now correctly linked.

In Canada East, several image linking errors were corrected, particularly in the districts of Argenteuil, Montcalm and St-Jean”.

It is good to see that the LAC is listening to our comments, complaints and they are correcting their databases. 

To go to the 1861 census, you can go to 

http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1861/Pages/about-census.aspx 

The Ottawa Genealogist July-September 2014 issue

The July-September 2014 issue of The Ottawa Genealogist is here, and the main article is Harry Waite Survivor of Vimy Ridge by John Patton.

Patton gives a very personal recounting of the life of Harry Waite, a veteran of the First World War originally from Hastings, halfway between Peterborough and Belleville. 

There is a write-up of Gene-O-Rama 2014 and a full page picture, plus a page of Ottawa people the Ontario Genealogical Society conference in Niagara this past spring, and Early Bytown Settlers Index for the letters ‘R’ and ‘S’, as put together by Jim Stanzell. 

The first meeting of the new season will be held on Saturday, 13th of September , at the City of Ottawa Archives, 100 Tallwood Drive in Ottawa.

Patti Mordasewicz, vice-president of the Ontario Genealogical Society, will be there to talk about the resources available at the Leeds & Grenville Archives in Brockville.

If you want to see more about the Ottawa Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, you can go to their web page at http://ogsottawa.on.ca/

They have a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/237267743111732/?fref=ts 

They have a blog at http://ogsottawa.blogspot.com/

Canadian Week in Review 11 August 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.

History Week in Canada

In 1930, Canadian runner Percy Williams established a then-world record of 10:03 seconds for the 100 metres. Two years earlier, Williams won the 100 and 200 metres at the Amsterdam Olympics.

Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Williams_(sprinter)

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

In 1941, Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived aboard a British battleship in Argentia, Nfld., for a meeting with U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt. The meeting resulted in the signing on August 14 of the Atlantic Charter for the “final destruction of Nazi tyranny.”

For more on the story, go to http://www.eastwaters.com/atlanticcharter.html

Social Media

Scotch Rood

http://scotchrood.com

Janet McLeod is a Canadian blogger who want to begin an “historical journey” through the pages of Scottish history. She wants to do it with “crowd sourcing, together (so) we can get access to original documents, academic research, life stories, and oral histories that bring these stories together”.

Eighteen alumni names complete U of S commemoration from WWI (Video) 

http://globalnews.ca/news/1498070/eighteen-alumni-names-complete-u-of-s-commemoration-from-wwi/

Seven years after the war begun, the University of Saskatchewan had 75% of the faculty, staff and students who left to serve in the First World War.

Elgin County Ontario Canada and Talbot Times Genealogy Blog

http://elgincountyogs.blogspot.com/2014_08_01_archive.html

On the anniversary of the 100th year of the declaration of World War One, the Hamilton Ontario Lancaster had flown to England to join up with the only other flying Lancaster on tour in Britain.

WW I-era newsboys mark Great War anniversary in downtown Toronto (Video)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ww-i-era-newsboys-mark-great-war-anniversary-in-downtown-toronto-1.2727186

Did anyone see this? A group of men dressed in turn-of-the-century newsboy costumes drew curious glances in downtown Toronto Monday as they handed out a fictitious historical newspaper to mark the 100th anniversary of Canada's entry in the First World War.

Canada’s Parliament Turns Into Massive Light and Sound Show (Video)

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/841809-canadas-parliament-turns-into-massive-light-and-sound-show-video/

To go along with the story that was in last week’s Story of the Week in the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/08/canadian-week-in-review-04-august-2014.html

Newfoundland

Touring First World War battlefields teaches students more than any history book

http://ww1.canada.com/after-the-war/touring-first-world-war-battlefields-teaches-students-more-than-any-history-book

Seeing their own family names written among the list of the dead on a war memorial in France brought home the reality of the First World War to Newfoundland high-school students.

They have also added the Virtual Gramophone on the Postmedia site where they put on sound recordings about First World War recollections.

Nova Scotia

Racist graffiti on Cape Breton's Fort Petrie 'an insult'`: Vandals have targeted Fort Petrie three times in a week

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/racist-graffiti-on-cape-breton-s-fort-petrie-an-insult-1.2730973

Fort Petrie is situated along the Sydney Harbour. It was used during both world wars as an observation post to spot U-boats, complete with gun placements and searchlights, but now it has been targeted by graffiti three times during the past week.

New Brunswick

2014 World Acadian Congress is being held in New Brunswick, Quebec and Maine

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/acadian-congress-celebrates-history-across-3-borders-1.2728380

Acadian congress celebrates history across 3 borders.

You can see the celebrations at http://www.cma2014.com/fr

Ontario

The Franklin Expedition is still our coldest case

The story of the missing Arctic explorers is as much about politics as about archaeology

http://www.macleans.ca/society/our-greatest-cold-arctic-case

They are still searching – 170 years later. Marc-André Bernier and six other Parks Canada underwater archaeologists will search the cold waters of Victoria Strait in Canada’s High Arctic for the lost Franklin Expedition.

Canada’s involvement in WWI began with a telegram from Great Britain

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4733217-canada-s-involvement-in-wwi-began-with-a-telegram-from-great-britain

Read how Canada really got involved in the First World War.

Internment camps a dark chapter in Canadian history

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/first-world-war-internment-camps-a-dark-chapter-in-canadian-history-1.1945156#ixzz39YfdlzMd

In 1914, more than 8,000 immigrants from Austria-Hungary, Germany, and the other Central Powers were rounded up and locked away in internment camps in Canada. They were imprisoned for being “enemy aliens”.

Make August Canada's Black History Month

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/christopher-stuart-taylor/black-history-month_b_5645643.html

On the 01 August 1834,Black people across the British world, and that included Canada, were set free from centuries of enslavement.

4RCR has a proud London history

http://www.thelondoner.ca/2014/08/06/4rcr-has-a-proud-london-history

The building, known as Wolseley Hall, is a Canadian National Historic Site. It was erected 1886-1888 as the first-purpose built infantry training school in Canada, designed to house and train recruits for Canada’s first permanent military force.

Manitoba

Valour Road Victoria Crosses united in Winnipeg for 1st time

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/valour-road-victoria-crosses-united-in-winnipeg-for-1st-time-1.2728763

All three soldiers lived on the same block of Pine Street in Winnipeg's West End. In 1925, the street was renamed Valour Road in their honour.

Saskatchewan

Saskatoon lawyer recalls Great War Tour

http://cjme.com/story/saskatoon-lawyer-recalls-great-war-tour/400331

Anne Wallace travelled to France, Belgium to see WWI battlefields.

Alberta

Homesteading exhibit comes to Nose Creek Museum

http://www.airdriecityview.com/article/20140807/ACV0302/308079965/homesteading-exhibit-comes-to-nose-creek-museum

The Nose Creek Valley Museum is hosting the Homesteading Alberta art exhibit from July 30 to Aug. 25, 2014.

New Heritage Marker Unveiled In Big Valley

http://albertashistoricplaces.wordpress.com/2014/08/05/new-heritage-marker-unveiled-in-big-valley/

On Friday, August 1, 2014 a heritage marker was placed St. Edmund’s Anglican Church at Big Valley.

Museum Open House
Canada's important military moments remembered

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2014/08/04/canadas-important-military-moments-remembered

Anyone wanting to know which battle and war were the most formative for Canada found no shortage of competing interpretations from re-enactors and serving soldiers participating in the annual Canadian Military Heritage Museum open house.

Story of the Week

Are there really Top 10 Genealogical Websites in Canada? 

Family Tree Magazine recently published their "Best Canadian Genealogy Websites" by David A. Fryxell. 

The four sites were -

Canadiana

It noted that is a pay site, and only mentioned the division which is getting all the press lately —Héritage — in passing. Héritage is where all the good genealogical stuff is. That is where the Library and Archives Canada has chosen to park its microfilm, and the site bears watching. 

It is true that researchers will be charged a yearly fee to see the index in the future, but the microfilm, as it now, will always be free. 

But they do say in the last paragraph that “A new Héritage project, including 60 million pages of microfilm images, is free, with a premium plan in the works’’. 

Library and Archives Canada

If you press on Library and Archives Canada, it will take you to the old URL of the site, instead of the new address. By the way, I also pointed this out in the new Loyalists post that Ancestry.com put on Friday http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/08/loyalist-resources-on-ancestry.html. Apparently, it has now been fixed. Guess I have to do the same here. 

The LAC has much more than was listed. It didn’t even mention the military service records that are going to be put on.

Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics

Yes, the Nova Scotia Archives has vital records, but this only one part of the site. It also has land records, early newspapers, census, assessment rolls. No where does it mention that this is a part of the Nova Scotia Archives, and people will think that this is all there is.

Programme de Recherche en Démographie Historique

This is the last site of the four Canadian websites listed, and although it does summaries it, I think they fail to mention that the years from 1621 to about 1700 is the foundation for French-Canadians. Most French-Canadian can trace their family back to this time.

So there you have it. What do you think? I think that Family Tree Magazine missed the mark on this one. 

In an attempt to create our own list, a number of Canadian bloggers have put on lists, such as - 

Ken McKinlay, in his Family Tree Knots blog at http://www.familytreeknots.blogspot.com/2014/08/top-10-other-genealogy-web-sites-2014.html, published his list last Sunday entitled, My Top 10 other Genealogy Web Sites for 2014.

On August 8 2014, Lorine McGinnis Schulze,  in her blog, The Olive Tree Genealogy at http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/08/top-ten-canadian-genealogy-websites.html, has put her Top Ten Canadian Websites.

and

Diane Rogers, on her blog, CanadaGenealogy http://canadagenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/07/only-best-links-for-canadian-genealogy.html, writes her views entitled, Only the Best Links for Canadian #Genealogy and Family History - right here at CanadaGenealogy.

So there you have the reaction from some Canadian genealogists. Somewhere there has been a disconnect between us and the people at Family Tree Magazine. 

Hopefully, it will be fixed for next year, and we can look forward to reading about our best websites … and more than four, please!

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 August 18, 2014.

Reminder: Canadian Week in Review published tomorrow morning

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/2014/08/canadian-week-in-review-04-august-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.

Cats/Chats

Do you have cats?

The people at the Library and Archives Canada say that there are about 4.8 million domestic cats in Canada, averaging 2.4 per cat-owning households.

They have put some photos on Flickr called Cats/Chats.

My two favorite cats - Bella (age 5) and Charlie (age 2) agree that its a lovely display of photos!

Go to https://www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/sets/72157645311211630/

Loyalist Resources on Ancestry

Ancestry.com has put on Loyalist Resources, written, it looks like, from the American point of view. 

They have a short introduction, a list of records and publications at the UK and Canada, and a list of US records and publications.  

Although it was just put on 06 August 2014, they have put on the old address for Library and Archives Canada at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/022/022-909.003-e.html and not the new address at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/Pages/military-heritage.aspx

It is at http://c.ancestry.com/cs/media/social-research-loyalist.pdf

Nova Scotia Paving Programme

Starting in 1934 and completed in 1938, the Nova Scotia Department of Highways undertook a major highway reconstruction project known as the Paving Programme. And I know this for a fact, that my father and his brothers* worked on this project as it made its way through the Shelburne-Jordan Falls, Shelburne County area, on the southwestern shore of Nova Scotia. 

When I took a look at the photos at the Nova Scotia Archives site, I even recognized some of the areas that they worked on, and where the paving plant was located in Jordan Falls. 

As you leaf through the scrapbook, do you also recognize the places today? Nothing has changed too much. The highways are wider than they used to be, and there are more houses. From what I understood, it was messy, hot work during that that summer of 1938, but they were happy to get the work. 

Now, nearly eighty years later, those albums have been digitized and are displayed here for Internet visitors to explore. There are 350 black-and-white images to be seen. 

The website is at http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/highways/


*My father was Harold Arthur Barclay, and his brothers were Perley and John Barclay of Jordan Falls, Shelburne County, Nova Scotia.