Gene-O-Rama 2015

Ontario's first genealogical conference of the year — the ever-popular "Gene-O-Rama" — is once again being hosted by the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) at the Confederation Education Centre, 1645 Woodroffe Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario (at the corner of Hunt Club Road) in Ottawa's west end.

This 31st edition of Gene-O-Rama will be held March 27th and 28th, and will feature Janice Nickerson as both the keynote speaker and lecturer.

She will give the address Friday evening, plus two lectures on Saturday, including Putting the Flesh on the Bones of Your Upper Canada Ancestors.

This would be an excellent opportunity to come to Ottawa to conduct research on your ancestors with a variety of societies and vendors, all for a very reasonable price.

This event is being held near the Ottawa City Archives on Tallwoods Drive, which is open on Saturday.

If staying another day in Ottawa, be aware that the Reading Room of the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is open on the weekend (both Saturday and Sunday) as is the Canadian Museum of History (located across the river, in Gatineau, Quebec) and the Canadian War Museum, both a short walk from the LAC.

The brochure and registration form is at http://ogsottawa.on.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/GOR2015.pdf

The website of the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society is http://ogsottawa.on.ca/

Janice Nickerson’s website is http://www.uppercanadagenealogy.com

The website of the Ottawa City Archives is http://ottawa.ca/en/liveculture/archives

The website for Library and Archives Canada is http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca

The website for the Canadian Museum of History is http://www.historymuseum.ca

The website for the Canadian War Museum is http://www.warmuseum.ca

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

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

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

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

LAC's Soldiers of the First World War: 1914-1918 Database Online

As of Thursday, January 14, 2015, 110,260 of 640,000 files of the Soldiers of the First World War: 1914-1918 database are now online at the Library and Archives Canada website at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/first-world-war-1914-1918-cef/Pages/canadian-expeditionary-force.aspx.

These are service files which can consist of pay records, injury reports, discharge certificate, the names of the places where the person served, and of course, the enlistments papers.

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

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

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

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

Acadian Museum of Prince Edward Island receives grant

The Association of the Acadian Museum of Prince Edward Island will receive $25,000 through the Development of Official-Language Communities Program.

The Museum will launch the Causeries du mardi 2015 series to explore the cultural richness of the Island’s Acadians as part of a project called “Le Musée acadien de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard, gardien du patrimoine acadien depuis 50 ans, continue sa mission” [The Acadian Museum of Prince Edward Island, the guardian of the Island’s Acadian heritage for 50 years, continues its mission].

The funding will also be used for the production of a multimedia exhibition.

The Acadian Museum of Prince Edward Island website is at http://museeacadien.org

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

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

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

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

GANS "Lest We Forget" Workshop

On January 24th, the Genealogists Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) is hosting a workshop called Lest We Forget Workshop, led by two representatives of the Halifax Public Libraries, to work hands-on with First World War military services files for both soldiers and nursing sisters.

There is no cost for this workshop.

According to their press release, "After a brief introduction to Canadian military records, each participant will be given a real Canadian Expeditionary Forces service file of a Nova Scotian soldier or nursing sister, with the task of finding out their personal war story. At the end of the workshop, participants will share their discoveries and questions with the rest of the group. Halifax Public Library staff Joanne McCarthy O'Leary and Vicki Clark will be on hand to assist with research and advice on further research. Please see flyer attached with times and location".

This is restricted to 25 participants, so register soon to secure your spot.

To register, send an email to membership@novascotiaancestors.ca

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

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

If you haven’t done so alreay, remember to check the Canadian Week in Review Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

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

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

Nova Scotia Schoolhouse Receives Heritage Designation



At November's town council meeting, a small one-room schoolhouse in Truro, Nova Scotia, received heritage designation. Originally located in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, it is now on the Nova Scotia Community College's property on Arthur Street in Truro.

The Little White Schoolhouse Museum's website http://littlewhiteschool.ca has a picture of the schoolhouse, and lots of material in their archives, such as texts “used in Nova Scotia schools and other books relating to education from the mid-1800s to the early 1970s. In addition, annual Reports of the Superintendent of Education from 1851 onwards, the Journal of Education and other publications from 1893 onwards”.

They can also assist you to research student records of the Provincial Normal School, and the Provincial Normal College from 1854 to 1946.

My great-aunt Josephine Barclay, from Jordan River, Shelburne County, went to the Provincial Normal College in 1908, and then went to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont, where she taught school. She was married to the Rev. George Gellatly.

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

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

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

The Manitoba Museum Wants Artifacts

The Manitoba Museum wants to know if you have artifacts relating to the first time women were allowed to vote in the province. 

A new exhibit called “Nice Women Don’t Want the Vote” will open at the museum on November 5, 2015. The title comes from the words uttered by former Manitoba Premier Sir Rodmond Roblin during a heated exchange with Nellie McClung.

The exhibit will commemorate the 100th anniversary when the Manitoba Legislature amended the Manitoba Election Act on January 28, 1916 to allow women to vote.

“Nice Women Don’t Want to Vote” will run until February 9, 2016 before travelling for the next eight months across Manitoba prior to open at the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa on November 17, 2016.

Anyone with artifacts or a story for the exhibit should contact Roland Sawatzky at (204) 988-0634 or by email rsawatzky@manitobamuseum.ca.

Read the history of how women won the vote in Manitoba at http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/32/womenwonthevote.shtml

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

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

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

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

Watch Hamilton Branch of the OGS on YouTube tonight

The Hamilton Branch of the Ontario Genealogist Society is meeting tonight for their Annual General Meeting, with guest speaker Pat Blackburn, UE and the topic will be What is a United Empire Loyalist (UEL)? How do you trace your lineage?

Meeting time is 7 pm. It will be held at the Lincoln Alexander School (near the LINC and Upper Gage Ave), 50 Ravenbury Dr. Rm. 1, Hamilton, Ontario.

And the meeting will be broadcast on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uHLRrO5ejo

If you haven’t done so already, remember to check the Canadian Week in Review Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

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

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

Dear Myrt’s Beginning Genealogy - Session 2

As I promised in my blog on 06 January 2014 at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/beginning-genealogy-study-group.html, I watched Dear Myrt’s Beginning Genealogy Session 2 yesterday. I will continue to watch the rest of the study group as it proceeds. 

The two main topics that were discussed yesterday were the FamilySearch Wiki, and the transcription of records.

First, we went back to the FamilySearch Wiki where we were last week, and this time, we went to the Research Process at https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Research_Process.

Dear Mryt spent time explaining the 5 steps of researching to us – 1. Identify what you know 2. Decide what you want to learn 3. Select the records to search 4. Obtain and search the records and 5. Evaluate and Use the information.

Then she went to the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) at http://www.bcgcertification.org/resources/standard.html and went through the five elements of the GPS. You must know these five elements in order to conduct ‘reasonably exhaustively research’ properly, thereby making your conclusions sound.

She asked for people to take birth, marriage, and death records and share them with us, and we saw records from Pennsylvania and Great Britain. Different aspect were then discussed, errors were noted on the certificates, and people were asked to give their ways of handling different errors in records.

The second subject was the importance of doing proper and accurate transcriptions of records, which can then point out these errors, for example.

It is necessary that to transcribe every record we come across in a record, because it helps to understand the complete record, and what it is saying to you, the researcher.

So if you want to watch this session, it is available online at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFi7sTUexhQ

Remember to make yourself a member of Dear Myrt’s Genealogy Community before watching the YouTube Google+ Hangout on Air at https://plus.google.com/communities/104382659430904043232

If you haven’t done so already, remember to check the Canadian Week in Review Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

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

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

A one-day workshop on Genetic Genealogy

The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society is planning a one-day workshop on 6 June 2015 on Genetic Genealogy and its uses in family history research.

The press release says that "We are looking for speakers who would like to be take part. The workshop will deal with the main types of DNA testing that are used by genealogists as well as how the results from genetic testing are used in conducting or supporting genealogical research. We hope to offer lectures for audiences at the beginner level as well as for people with a more advanced level of knowledge who have used DNA testing”.

The details are at http://torontofamilyhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Call-for-Speakers-Genetic-Genealogy-Workshop-June-2015.pd

The deadline is this Saturday 17 January 2015.

Meanwhile, details of the first annual Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy Colloquium, the final draft of the Genetic Genealogy Standard has officially been announced and released! They are finishing the guidelines for Y-DNA and mtDNA testing and interpretation, and they are putting together some guidance for citing DNA test results in reports, scholarship, and in general.

You can read more at http://www.thegeneticgenealogist.com/2015/01/10/announcing-genetic-genealogy-standards/

If you haven’t done so already, remember to check the Canadian Week in Review Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

It's the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

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

Saskatchewan Genealogical Society (SGS) is offering courses

Do you know that the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society (SGS) is offering certificates in the following areas of study?

Saskatchewan Record Searcher Certification Course

This course instructs you on how to conduct a search of the basic Saskatchewan sources, to write a documented research report, and conduct your business in an ethical manner.

Saskatchewan Researcher Certificate Course

This certification qualifies you to analyze genealogical research problems, to conduct research in all records sources in Saskatchewan, write well-documented research reports, and conduct your business in an ethical manner.

Instructors Certification Course

This certification qualifies you to teach basic genealogical methodology.

Aboriginal Researcher Certification Course

This course, which is divided into ten sessions, will focus on tracing Métis and Aboriginal ancestry on the Prairie Provinces.

If you require information on the following, please phone the office at (306) 780-9207, or go to the website at http://www.saskgenealogy.com/index.php/education/certification-courses/.

If you haven’t done so already, remember to check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday 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/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

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

BIFHSGO has a New Monthly Meeting Location

Over the past year, many Canadian societies have found new locations in which to hold their meetings.

The latest society to find a new venue is the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO). They moved from their former home at the Library and Archives Canada in downtown Ottawa to The Chamber, Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa (formerly Nepean). 

On Saturday, March 14, 2015, there will be their regular meeting, and then in the afternoon, they will have a special speaker from the Ulster Historical Foundation (UHF).

The morning session is free, as usual, but the afternoon is offered for a fee of $10 per head.

Tickets will be sold at the January and February BIFHSGO Monthly Meetings and will also be for sale at the door on the day for as long as they last. Seating is limited, so purchase your tickets early (and from personal experience, please do) to avoid disappointment.

The two speakers from UHF presenting the series of lectures are Gillian Hunt and Fintan Mullan.

Full details are on the website at http://bifhsgo.ca/eventListings.php?nm=127

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

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

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

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

Cape Breton website updated

Wayne Macvicar from Mira Gut, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, has been keeping two websites -
Cape Bretoners at War https://sites.google.com/site/cbatwar and Cape Bretoners in World War Two https://sites.google.com/site/cbinww2

He has updated them again, and the the website Cape Bretoners in World War Two contains an additional 34 individuals for a total of 16,110 plus 208 new pages for fatal casualties in the period Aug-Dec 1944, with photos for 17 individuals that are not on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial <http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem> website.

Although he is feeling that he is getting closer to completing the number of individuals that served in the Second World War, he feels that he has jusr the bare amount of information of those who died in service. So he is asking for anyone who has any information they would like to share to fill out the form he has provided on his general Cape Bretoners at War <https://sites.google.com/site/cbatwar> website.

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

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

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

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

Canadian Week in Review - 12 January 2015

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

In 1955, the opening of the Canadian Parliament was broadcast on television for the first time.
   To read about Canada’s form of government, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_Canada

On 1805, the first issue of the Quebec Mercury was published.

    It is interesting to note that “The Quebec Mercury was to become a key political tool for the Tories, vigorously denouncing the initiatives of the Canadian Party”.

    Read more about it at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/confederation/023001-2200.01-e.html

 
Social Media

Alex Inspired
http://alexandrafrankow.com/genealogy
   As is true with so many genealogies, you can trace ancestor’s from Canada to Minnesota, New York, California, and Ireland.

Curating Kin

http://curatingkin.ca/location/index.html

   Follow Chriss as she traces her family from Ireland to Niagara Falls, Ontario.

A Parcel of Ribbons

http://aparcelofribbons.co.uk
   This blog concerns Joseph Scott, brother of John Scott, an émigré who first went from Ireland to the New World in the 1720s, then went to Canada, where he built himself a delightful manor house at Fort Sackville, Bedford, Nova Scotia on land that had belonged to his brother, George.

(Video) Louis Gossett Jr. ‘amazed’ by Canadian story in Book of Negroes

http://www.canada.com/entertainment/Louis+Gossett+amazed+Canadian+story+Book+Negroes+with+video/10702946/story.html
   An interview with Louis Gossett Jr. and his role on the Book of Negroes, partly filmed in Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

(Photos) Halifax bookbinders recreate The Book of Negroes
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-book-binders-recreate-the-book-of-negroes-1.2893857
   Joe Landry and Katherine Victoria Taylor spent weeks creating the prop for the miniseries.

Articles

Newfoundland

Newfoundland students part of Antarctic expedition

http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Local/2015-01-02/article-3994459/Newfoundland-students-part-of-Antarctic-expedition/1

   On Friday the students and staff from the M/V Ushuaia landed by Zodiac at Danco Island, Neko Harbour, and Goudier Island along the Antarctic Peninsula.

Nova Scotia

It’s 2015, and a scalping law is still on the books
http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archives/2015/01/07/its-2015-and-a-scalping-law-is-still-on-the-books
    Britain’s colonial government issued three proclamations offering bounties on human beings. Two of those were formally repealed in 1752. The third, ordered in 1756 by Governor William Lawrence, remains. And nobody is sure that the law can be repealed.

From the shores of Nova Scotia, Israel’s first soldiers
http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/01/05/rob-gordon-from-the-shores-of-nova-scotia-israels-first-soldiers
   During the summer of 1917, Windsor, Nova Scotia was home to some of Israel’s founding fathers, and there were hundreds of Jewish boys from New York, Montreal, Russia, and Palestine who were the first to put on a uniform of the Israeli Defence Force.

The Book of Negroes, shot in Nova Scotia, debuts on TV

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/the-book-of-negroes-shot-in-nova-scotia-airs-tonight-1.2891712

   The majority of the film, The Book of Negroes, was shot in Shelburne, my hometown. It will air on CBC Television on Wednesdays until February 11th.

Book of Negroes tops ratings for its time slot
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/book-of-negroes-tops-ratings-for-its-time-slot-1.2895342
   1.7 million viewers tune in to  this adaption of Lawrence Hill's book.

Prince Edward Island

Charlottetown restoration reveals building’s heritage
http://www.dailycommercialnews.com/Projects/News/2015/1/Charlottetown-restoration-reveals-buildings-heritage-1004985W
   Read how Chris Tweel renovated an 1880s brick building in the heart of Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Ontario

Sir John A. Macdonald turns 200
http://o.canada.com/news/john-a-macdonald-572482
   Randy Boswell writes an excellent article on the supposed “birthdate” of Sir John A. Macdonald of Glasgow, Scotland.

(Photos) In a war-soaked world, Mennonites struggled for a peaceful response

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/5240671--we-could-not-take-any-part-of-it-in-a-war-soaked-world-mennonites-struggled-for-a-peaceful-response

   In the fall of 1917, as the carnage of the First World War seemed endless, a young Mennonite woman in Guelph wrote to her bishop for advice.

Historical protection of Windsor, Ont., street curbs halts driveway construction
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/historical-protection-of-windsor-ont-street-221033309.html
   In Windsor, Ontario, the presence of 130-year-old stone curbs is considered a matter of cultural heritage, and is being protected by the city.

George Daszkowski: Passionate protector of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame's archives

http://www.thestar.com/autos/autoracing_blog/2015/01/george_daszkowski__passionate_protector_of_the_canadian_motorsport_hall_of_fame_s_archives.html
   George Daszkowski, who recently passed away, believed in the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, particularly the archives. Although he was a walking encyclopedia of racing knowledge, he believed strongly in the storing, filing, and indexing/cross-referencing of photographs and documents in order to create and maintain a historical record of the sport.

 

Alberta

Delving into family history
http://www.highrivertimes.com/2015/01/06/delving-into-family-history
   For those who are curious to gain insight to their family history but don't know much about historical research, the High River Library is offering a beginner’s genealogy course in January and February.

Ukrainian Christmas festivities celebrate a rich heritage

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Ukrainian+Christmas+festivities+celebrate+rich+heritage/10706932/story.html
   Ukrainian Catholics and Orthodox Christians around the world follow the Julian calendar, and celebrate Christmas on January 7^th.

Fort Calgary uncovers mummified rat, 1890s newspaper during Hunt House restoration

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/fort-calgary-uncovers-mummified-rat-1890s-newspaper-during-hunt-house-restoration-1.2894373

   Fort Calgary workers are uncovering a wide range of rare artifacts as they continue to restore the Hunt House in Inglewood.
   A mummified rat, a child's toy, and a 125-year-old newspaper are some of the items that have been discovered in the building, and buried beneath the structure.

British Columbia

Province commissions book commemorating history of Chinese Canadians

http://ubyssey.ca/news/province-makes-plans-to-publish-book-celebrating-the-history-of-chinese-canadians-in-bc-334
   The province of B.C. has set aside $100,000 for a book that celebrates the achievements of eminent Chinese Canadians.

B.C. whaling – an uncomfortable history
http://www.vicnews.com/opinion/287142931.html
   An Op-Ed piece by on the whaling industry by Kate Humble from British Columbia.

Events to salute Alberni maritime history

http://www.avtimes.net/news/local/events-to-salute-alberni-maritime-history-1.1705487
   The Port Alberni Maritime Heritage Society is kicking off its winter season with the first of three presentations.
 

Stories of the Week

 

 

 

Do you realize that one in four Canadians cannot identify Sir John A. Macdonald as the first prime minister of Canada?

 

This sad news is the result of a recent Ipsos Reid poll commissioned by Historica Canada.

 

Not shocking enough? Well, according to the poll, 28% of Canadians polled didn’t even know the year of Confederation!

 

For readers not familiar with the year Canada became a country—including the aforementioned 28% who missed this question—the answer is 1867.

 

How about this? Forty-four per cent of respondents didn’t know that Canada will turn 150 years old in 2017. This is also disturbing, for it means that either this group didn’t know the year of Confederation (essential to do the calculation), or they did know it, and in doing the math, failed basic addition (or subtraction, depending on one’s methodology in performing calculated date functions).

 

Either way, it shows that of the 44% who got the wrong answer, 100% of this group failed rudimentary Canadian history, and/or rudimentary math.

 

Oh, my!

 

I could go on and on...

 

Maybe we need more Heritage Minutes! (An excellent series of vignettes – well-worth a look).

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Minutes
• https://www.historicacanada.ca/content/heritage-minutes/agnes-macphail
• https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1848FF9428CA9A4A

 

The full results of the poll is found here - https://www.historicacanada.ca/node/5362

 

 

Canadian Recipients of the Victoria Cross Honoured through the "Toll of War," a project that tells the stories of the valour and sacrifice of Canadians in the World Wars.

 

The press release says that the “Funding for a unique visual and educational program that will inform Canadians about the wartime actions and sacrifices of Canadian soldiers during the World Wars was announced today by the Honourable Keith Ashfield, Member of Parliament (Fredericton), on behalf of the Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.”

 

The Victoria Cross was created by Queen Victoria in 1856, and was awarded to Canadians in all conflicts up to the end of the Second World War. The last Victoria Cross to be awarded to a Canadian was in 1945. There have been 98 Canadian recipients (Canadian-born, serving in the Canadian Army, or having a close link to Canada).

 

A new Canadian honour, the Canadian Victoria Cross—which retains the same design and the same awarding criteria as the British Victoria Cross—was unveiled by the Governor General on May 16, 2008. It joined a suite of Canadian Military Valour Decorations that include the Star of Military Valour and the Medal of Military Valour.

 

 

News has reached us that Tim Cook, adjunct research professor in the Department of History at Carleton University in Ottawa, has been named to the Order of Canada http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Canada

 

You will know this name because of Cook’s work at the Canadian War Museum and for his contributions to promoting Canada’s military history as an author, researcher, and curator.

 

He is the author of eight books, including Shock Troops: Canadians Fighting the Great War, 1917-1918, a winner of the Charles Taylor prize for literary non-fiction. His latest book, The Necessary War, was published this year, and is the first of two volumes on Canadians in the Second World War. The second volume, Fight to the Finish, will be published next fall.

 

The Order of Canada, one of our country’s highest civilian honours, was established in 1967 to recognize outstanding achievement, dedication to the community, and service to the nation. Since then, more than 6,000 Canadians from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order.

 

 

Have you been following the Early Ontario Teachers & Pupil List 1838-1916 on the Olive Tree Blog at http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com?

 

Although I don’t have any ancestors in Ontario at that time, this list can be important to those people who do.

 

You might also want to get a copy of Education and Ontario Family History by Marian Press through the Ontario Genealogical Society’s online store at http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogsnewcart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=722

 

And that was the week in Canadian genealogy, history, and heritage news!

 

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 19 January 2015.

Kent Branch (OGS) Showcases New Records on YouTube

 

Yesterday morning, I listened to the Kent Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society on the YouTube Channel at http://youtu.be/UzNZo18W2C8. The Branch heard about new online genealogy records at the Chatham-Kent Library.

 

Last year, the library successfully secured a grant from the Ontario government, and published new records online at http://www.chatham-kent.ca/PUBLICLIBRARIES/GENEALOGY/Pages/Genealogy.aspx.

 

These records include -

• 75 local directories published between 1875 and 2007
• almanacs published by Soutar’s, a publishing company, between 1881 and 1890
• municipal documents
• Kent Historical Society publications
• books by local authors

So visit the Library online to view these records, and see if your ancestor is there.

 

If you haven’t done so already, remember to check the Canadian Week in Review on Monday 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/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-05-january-2015.html

 

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

 

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

Canada’s first prime minister records

It has been 200 years since the birth of Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, and our interest in him and his life has never diminished. And since we are now celebrating the 200^th anniversary of his birth on January 11th, the interest is higher than normal.

The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has an extensive and varied collection of records related to him, including a virtual exhibition that includes personal papers, photos, artwork, and publications. Within the LAC’s holdings are over 100,000 letters to and from family and close friends, which gives researchers a rare glimpse into his personal life.

You can listen to a podcast Let us be Canadians: Sir John A. Macdonald at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/podcasts/Pages/sir-john-macdonald.aspx, or you can go to the fonds at http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&lang=eng&rec_nbr=104008.

If you haven’t done so already, remember to check the Canadian Week in Review Monday 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/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-05-january-2015.html 

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

Provincial Archives of New Brunswick birth, marriage and death records

I have done quite a bit of work through the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick website http://archives.gnb.ca/Archives/?culture=en-CA over the past years, and one thing that I recommend if you are researching the births, marriages, and deaths records (BMD) is that you read the Finiding Aid at http://archives.gnb.ca/Documents/FindingAids/GovernmentRecords/RS141-EN.pdf and the Information page at http://archives.gnb.ca/Search/VISSE/Introduction.aspx?culture=en-CA.

They have added the 1919 birth and death records to the search engine in November and December of last year, and have added digitized images of the originals for that year, as well.

So good luck in researching, and let me know how you have done using theses records.

If you haven’t done so already, remember to check the Canadian Week in Review Monday 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/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-05-january-2015.html

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

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

The Archives Association of Ontario offers online courses

The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is an organization that supports archival associations, those working in archives, as well as users and supporters of archives. It is made up of 300 members from across the province. It involves itself in a network of archives and archivists providing programs, education, and advocacy. 

 

They are offering online courses, some of which may interest you.

 

The courses are -

 

Caring for Paper-Based Collections
January 20

Creating Access to Your Collections
January 27

Exhibiting Your Collections
February 10

Caring for Oversize Paper Artifacts
February 17

Caring for Scrapbooks
February 24

Writing Your NEH Preservation Assistance Grant (Free)
February 25

 

Spring sessions include new webinars on digital topics as well as caring for photographs, and emergency preparedness.

 

Registration is at https://www.nedcc.org/preservation-training/training-calendar/  

National Genealogy Conference in Canada

A travel agency from Guelph, Ontario is where you will register if you want to go to the National Genealogy Conference in Canada at Historic Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia on July 17 - 19, 2015.

The registration fee of $895.00 (Canadian Funds) per person includes the following -

• All taxes
• Full conference program with exceptional genealogy keynote and workshop speakers
• All food and beverage within the conference schedule
• The opportunity to submit personal information to have The Scotiabank Family History Centre research immigration information for your family prior to arriving at the conference.
• Guided tour plus additional on-own time at the Canadian Museum of  Immigration at Pier 21, immigration portal of Canada from 1928 - 1971
• A professionally guided tour of Halifax, including a visit to the Titanic Graveyard. Experts will be on hand to enhance your experience. Following the tour will be dinner at the Five Fishermen Restaurant, housed in a historic building with ties to the Titanic story.
• Networking opportunities and information sharing with genealogy enthusiasts from near and far.

Of course, your registration fee does not include the airfare to Halifax, or accommodation.

I am interested to know if any of my readers are going. What is your opinion on the cost of the conference? Is this a reasonable price to pay for a genealogical conference in Canada?

To register, go to http://www.visiontravel.ca/heidiwilker

If you haven’t done so already, remember to check the Canadian Week in Review Monday 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/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-05-january-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!
It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

new.FamilySearch.org Will Be Turned Off on 01 February 2015

WARNING! This does not mean that FamilySearch.org is closing down!

I think there has been confusion over the closing of new.FamilySearch.org as has been evident of Thomas MacEntee's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/tmacentee?fref=ufi&pnref=story. Only this site will be disabled and closed down. FamilySearch.org will remain open. This is planned to take place on 01 February, 2015. 

As the website says, “On February 1, all public APIs (application programming interfaces) will be turned off, as will be the ability to access the program. This step is necessary as we enter the final phase, which is to transfer and synchronize all of the remaining data from new.FamilySearch.org to FamilySearch Family Tree. It is anticipated that this final phase of data testing, transfer, and retesting will require a year to complete. Once this phase is completed in early 2016, new.FamilySearch.org will be completely shut down”.

To read the rest of the press release, go to https://new.familysearch.org/

If you haven’t done so already, remember to check the Canadian Week in Review Monday 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/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-05-january-2015.html

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

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

Kent Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society "virtual" meeting

Just a reminder of the Kent Branch monthly meeting this coming Friday night in Chatham. They would like you to join them, and if you are not in the area, then please join them "virtually" via live streaming.

Here are the details -

The meeting will held January 9, 2015 Friday at 7:00 PM on the topic "CK Library - Digital Collection". The Chatham-Kent Public Library recently launched its new digital collection. Staff from the library will tell the attendees all about this valuable resource.

Public is welcome at St Andrews Residence at 99 Park St, Chatham. Please join us live online at this link http://ogs.on.ca/kent/?page_id=688

The society’s website is http://ogs.on.ca/kent/

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

I will be joining the meeting by live streaming because I want to learn about the Chatham-Kent Public Library's new digital collection.

The genealogy page (which is great, by the way) of the Chatham-Kent Public Library is at http://www.chatham-kent.ca/PublicLibraries/Genealogy/Pages/Genealogy.aspx.

If you haven’t done so already, remember to check the Canadian Week in Review Monday 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/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-05-january-2015.html 

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

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