Irish Genealogy Workshop at Heritage Mississauga

Heritage Mississauga—in conjunction with the Halton-Peel Branch of the OGS—will present an all-day Irish Genealogy Workshop with Ruth Blair on Saturday, February 21st, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Robinson Adamson House, 1921 Dundas Street West in Mississauga.

Topics will be -

Taking Your Irish Ancestors Back over the Pond

and

Researching your Irish Family History From Afar

The cost is $25, and registration must be paid in advance by calling Heritage Mississauga at 905-828-8411, ext. 0 or by email info@heritagemississauga.org.

Heritage Mississauga was stated in 1960 by a small group of volunteers. Known then as the Toronto Township Historical Foundation, the charitable organization supported the move of the Bradley House to its present location, and worked to open the as the area’s first museum.

From its offices known at "The Grange"—the historic Robinson-Adamson House (1921 Dundas Street West, Mississauga)—the Heritage Mississauga provides the community with a comprehensive Heritage Resource Centre.

A little-known online resource is Heritage Profiles, where you will find over 50 local residents who have written profiles at http://www.heritagemississauga.com/section/?section=17.

They also have a cemetery map at http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/cemeteries, and another online resource, Mississauga; A City of Many Villages at http://www.heritagemississauga.com/section/?section=7, where one can download a map of the villages.

Their website is at http://www.heritagemississauga.com

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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-26-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.

Wellington County Museum and Archives

What a museum and archives! What a fantastic website!

Wellington County Museum and Archives is located in Fergus, Ontario, and is housed in the former House of Industry in Canada, otherwise known as the Poor House, or as a place of refuge for the poor, homeless, and destitute people in Wellington County.

It operated as a Poor House and Industrial Farm until 1947, when it became a County Home for the Aged. Later, it was transformed into the Wellington County Museum and Archives. A new Archives wing opened in 2010.

They have records of interest to those people who have ancestors who came to Wellington County to settle, such as the Women's Institute Tweedsmuir Histories, the Wellington County Historical Society Essay and Journal Collection, and the Wellington County Local History Articles. These records are at http://www.wellington.ca/en/discover/searchthemuseumandarchivesonlinecollections.asp

They also have a monthly newsletter, and every issue for 2014 is on the website at http://www.wellington.ca/en/discover/newsletter.asp

Right now, until May 10, 2015, they have an exhibit called No One Goes 2 Palmerston ON: The Collection of Chad Martin, which, at one time, was a bustling town in Wellington County. The link is http://www.wellington.ca/en/discover/exhibitsandevents.asp

Their website is at http://www.wellington.ca/Museum.

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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-26-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.

Ancestry.ca updates Canadian Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Ancestry has upgraded the Find A Grave Index on its website, and now there are over 3-million records on Ancestry.com.

Find A Grave provides users with a virtual cemetery experience, with images of grave markers from around the world, as well as photos, biographies, and other details uploaded by volunteers. You may find obituaries and links to other family members included, as well.

But I must sound a note of caution. This is an INDEX, and it is not a SOURCE. These are simply pictures of gravestones, and there can be errors in the data that is put on the stone - even the date of death can be wrong. You will need the death certificate to go along with the burial record in your genealogy.

And another important thing – the gravestone may or may not be a true record of whom is buried under it. The husband or wife may have been remarried after the death of a spouse, and is actually buried with the subsequent spouse, not with the original spouse.

So these indexes must be treated with a dose of caution, and care.

Otherwise, have fun researching, as more and more graves come online.

The website is at http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=60527

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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-26-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 conference lowers its price – sort of ...

The inaugural National Genealogy Conference—to be held in Halifax this summer from the 17th to the 19th of July—has lowered its price from $895.00 to $210.00 for the conference.

But I think if you look at the programme, they have removed the included tours, accommodations, and some extras like the Ceilidh-style reception (with entertainment) to be held Friday evening. However, these things will still be available at an extra cost.

However, it should be quite a conference. Halifax is especially lovely that time of the year.

The website is at https://www.visiontravel.ca/heidiwilker/en/national-genealogy-conference

If you want to check out my original blog post dated 09 January 2015, go to http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/national-genealogy-conference-in-canada.html

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-26-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 - 26 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


January 20, 2014 - The Sands of Time
   Someone from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts sent a bottle with a message in it to test the currents of the ocean, along with a reward of 50 cents. It found found on Sable Island nearly sixty years later.
   Read the story on http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/cseh-twih/index_e.asp

On the 7 of April 1634, the city of Trois-Rivières (Three Rivers) was founded in Quebec, and on 18 of May 1642, Montreal, Quebec was founded.
   To read about Trois-Rivières, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trois-Rivi%C3%A8res, and for Montreal, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal

Social Media

(Blog) My Moynahan Genealogy Blog
http://moynahangenealogy.blogspot.ca
   Cindi, from Ottawa, has a blog to ‘honour my ancestors: Moynahan, Coughlin, Broderick, Annal, Brennan, Hussey, Hess and Duffy. (Essex & Kent County Ontario, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Ireland, Scotland); and Creighton, Moreland, (Nova Scotia, England and Scotland); and Foreman (Ireland, Scotland and Norway)’.

(Video)Two canal boats from mid-1800s found in Lake Ontario
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/01/21/two-canal-boats-from-mid-1800s-found-in-lake-ontario.html
   A team of shipwreck explorers found the canal boat and canal scow over 200 feet below the surface, using side scan sonar.

(Photos) Canadian golf pioneer’s family donates historical pieces to Hall of Fame
http://www.golfcanada.ca/news/article/amateur/canadian-golf-pioneers-family-donates-historical-pieces-hall-fame
   At the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum in Oakville (outside of Toronto), the lasting legacy of Albert H. Murray has taken its rightful place alongside a number of the nation’s most prized and treasured items celebrating Canada’s storied history with golf.

(Video) New Brunswick Museum's park expansion bid meets opposition
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-museum-s-park-expansion-bid-meets-opposition-1.2919389
   The New Brunswick Museum wants to expand to the park next door, but that park has a monument, including trees planted in honour of soldiers who died in the Boer War.

Articles

Nova Scotia

ED COLEMAN'S HISTORY: Which is correct – Scots Bay or Scott’s Bay?
http://www.kingscountynews.ca/Opinion/Columnists/2015-01-22/article-4014063/ED-COLEMANS-HISTORY%3A-Which-is-correct-%26ndash%3B-Scots-Bay-or-Scott%26rsquo%3Bs-Bay%3F/1
   “From these temporary residents, the place got its name,” writes Arthur W. H. Eaton in The History of Kings County.

Black Loyalist Heritage Society to attend gala Book of Negroes screening
http://www.novanewsnow.com/News/Local/2015-01-23/article-4018167/Black-Loyalist-Heritage-Society-to-attend-gala-Book-of-Negroes-screening/1
   Black Loyalist Heritage Society members are picking out their wardrobe for the red carpet Nova Scotia screening of The Book of Negroes on January 28 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

New Heritage project announced in Yarmouth
http://www.thevanguard.ca/News/2015-01-20/article-4014309/New-heritage-project-announced-in-Yarmouth/1
   The Town of Yarmouth will develop Heritage in Your Hand, a self-guided activity app to promote the community's culture and heritage.

'Inspiring' month planned, African Nova Scotian affairs minister says
http://www.thevanguard.ca/News/Local/2015-01-21/article-4015786/Inspiring-month-planned,-African-Nova-Scotian-affairs-minister-says/1
   As Tony Ince, African Nova Scotian Affairs Minister, said in Yarmouth he wanted the program to be a "prelude to African Heritage Month”. He said that "African heritage should be celebrated all year long”.

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island commemorates Samuel Holland survey
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2015-01-21/article-4014766/Prince-Edward-Island-commemorates-Samuel-Holland-survey/1
   A commemorations committee has been established to recognize the 250th anniversary of Samuel Holland’s map of the province. A series of promotional and educational activities this year will pay tribute to Holland’s role in the Island’s history.

New Brunswick

Saint John art exhibit focuses on industrial heritage
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/saint-john-art-exhibit-focuses-on-industrial-heritage-1.2917640
   A new art exhibit at the Saint John Arts Centre features 13 young artists who have looked to New Brunswick's industrial heritage for inspiration.

Quebec

European Flavor, Closer to Home
http://www.417mag.com/417-Magazine/February-2015/European-Flavor-Closer-to-Home
  Consider a long weekend to Quebec City. Leave Springfield mid-morning on a Friday, change planes in Chicago, and be in Quebec City late Friday afternoon, with plenty of time to check into your room and enjoy a memorable dinner chosen from a rich list of restaurant options.

Anne Fortin invites you into the kitchen of Quebec's past
http://montrealgazette.com/life/food/anne-fortin-invites-you-into-the-kitchen-of-quebecs-past
   Anne Fortin is the owner of Librairie Gourmande in downtown Montreal at the Jean Talon Market that recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, and it’s her job to know what’s out there.

Ontario

NDP MPs Want To See More Women On Canadian Money
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/01/17/women-canadian-money-ndp_n_6482954.html
   Thousands of people have demanded that more Canadian women be shown on the country's bank notes, and at least two opposition MPs are listening.

Diving deep into history
http://www.recorder.ca/2015/01/17/diving-deep-into-history
   Read this interesting interview with Jonathan Moore, one of the divers on the Victoria Strait Expedition that discovered the HMS Erebus last summer in the Arctic.

1812 bicentennial a 'gift' to Niagara, Canada
http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2015/01/17/1812-bicentennial-a-gift-to-niagara-canada
   Was the more than $15 million that went towards infrastructure and programming support money well spent?
   The Niagara 1812 Legacy Council—the superintendent of heritage for the Niagara Parks Commission, and a senior member of the federal government that forked over a good chunk of that cash—says an unequivocal "Yes!"

ZAVITZ: The history of a newspaper
http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2015/01/16/zavitz-the-history-of-a-newspaper
   Founded by two brothers, James and William Anger, who were originally from the Fort Erie area, the paper had its office on the second floor of a small building on the west side of Erie Avenue. Printed on a Washington hand press, the first edition of the weekly paper appeared on Oct. 10, 1879.

CCAH and Town of Oakville present Black History Month
http://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/5261613-ccah-and-town-of-oakville-present-black-history-month
   The Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton (CCAH) is partnering with the Oakville Museum to host the kickoff to Black History Month.

Where is the federal support for historical church?
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/2015/01/16/where-is-the-federal-support-for-historical-church
   The Oro African Methodist Episcopal Church stands— for now—at the corner of Old Barrie Road and Line 3 in Oro-Medonte Township. The township is still looking for funding to help save the church, which was built in the 1840s and is one of the oldest African log churches still standing in North America.

Niagara Falls man thinks he has oldest hockey stick
http://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/5265713-niagara-falls-man-thinks-he-has-oldest-hockey-stick
   Art Federow suspects his stick could be just as antique as the one heralded as the world's oldest by the Canadian Museum of History.

Manitoba

South Main Street buildings are among city's oldest
http://www.thecarillon.com/provincial/building--block-288955611.html
   South Main Street, between Graham and Assiniboine Avenues, is a "key opportunity for intensification and redevelopment," and is creating a redevelopment strategy that will soon be released to the public.

Saskatchewan

Demolition likely for Lydia's building in Saskatoon
http://cjme.com/story/demolition-likely-lydias-building-saskatoon/518986 
   If the economics don’t make sense, the Farnam Block Building on the corner of 11th Street and Broadway could be demolished, according to its property owners.

British Columbia

Chinese historical sites in B.C. call for nominations
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/chinese-historical-sites-in-b-c-call-for-nominations-1.2928706
   The provincial government is seeking nominations from the public of locations with significance to B.C.'s Chinese community that would be added to a registry of historic places.

Stories of the Week

How many newsletters do you receive every week?

One of the newsletters I receive is American Ancestors from the New England Historic and Genealogy Society whose website is now as American Ancestors.

Each week in their newsletter The Weekly Genealogist, and they have The Weekly Genealogists Survey.

The survey for the Vol 18 No 2 January 18 2015, issue, they asked us about our relationship to New England. Of the 5,172 people who answered, 54% of them noted that they had “One or more of my ancestors lived in New England but was born in New England”.

That is definitely true of my family. We lived in two worlds when I was growing up – partly in Nova Scotia, and partly in the New England States. Relatives would either come to Nova Scotia in the summer time, or we would go there – there was a constant stream of Barclay’s and Blades’ across the border. There was such a strong bind that my grandfather, Lester John Blades, joined the American Army in 1917 in Boston instead of the Canadian army! *

So I understand why 54% would say that they had ancestors who were born in New England, although not all of them came from Nova Scotia.

Which brings me to one of my favorite subjects of migration, which will be the topic of my new e-book, to be published this spring. In the book, I examine the topics of migration between Canada and the Unites States, and its effect on both countries. I will discuss the history of migration, actual groups who migrated, and where they migrated to the countries. So watch for that. 

And have you heard of the National Bird Project of the Welcome to Canadian Geographic’s National Bird Project?

The goal of which is to help designate an official bird for Canada by 2017, the country’s sesquicentennial. And they want your help finding a species that can represent this nation of forest, prairie grassland, Arctic and sub-Arctic, maritime and wetland, agricultural and urban, and many other habitats, so vote for your favourite species, or contribute your own short essay today!

Right now the Loon is in the lead, but you can still vote your choice for the official bird for Canada at http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/nationalbird/#Shorebirds

* "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KZNL-N8R : accessed 24 January 2015), Lester Blades, 1917-1918; citing Boston City no 5, Massachusetts, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,684,776

Need help in finding your Canadian Ancestors?

If you do, go to Elizabeth Lapointe Research Services and see how I can help you find that elusive Canadian ancestor. Great service. Reasonably priced.

Website: www.elrs.biz

Email: genealogyresearech@aol.com 

 The next post will be published on Groundhog Day - 02 February 2015.

 

News from the Alberta Family History Society

The Alberta Family Histories Society (AFHS) is having a busy pre-spring month of February.

The Society will be offering a course on Sunday, February 1, at 2:00 p.m. at the AFHS Library (712 - 16 Avenue NW) in Calgary, Alberta.

You will learn how to find records, and what they can tell you about your ancestors. You will have time to search on AFHS computers, with individual assistance from the presenters.

There is also a DNA SIG ,which is becoming very popular.

Their newly-formed DNA Special Interest Group (SIG) has already held two meetings, which were very well-attended.

To help spread the word, the first issue of Thermometer is onsite at http://www.afhs.ab.ca/docs/thermometer-jan-2015.pdf

Their website is http://www.afhs.ab.ca

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

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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-19-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.

I love reading genealogy travel articles

To my mind, there is nothing so interesting and educational as genealogy travel articles. Don’t you agree?

My imagination tends to wander through the settlements where the writer’s ancestors once lived, and I'm hard-pressed to find anyone better in writing these types of articles in Canada than Elizabeth Kipp, and her husband, Ed.

I think I have read every one of their travel pieces, and I wasn’t disappointed when I received the January-March 2015 edition of The Ottawa Genealogist (the journal of the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, of which Ed is the editor), and there was an article entitled, Visiting Some WW II and WW I Sites & etc.: French Elegance Tour of France 2014 by Elizabeth Kipp (with the assistance of Edward Kipp).

They went on a tour of France in May and June of 2014, and they were interested in finding more information about Elizabeth’s Richard le Blak (Blake) of Rouen, and Edward was interested in going to Île de Ré and Saint-Martin-de-Ré on the Île de Ré, where his Huguenot ancestors were from. And they were both interested in the First and Second World War battlefields and cemeteries.

She takes us through the tour of what they saw on a daily basis, starting and ending in Paris. They saw the Bayeux Tapestry, the beaches of Normandy, the Chateux of Chenonecu, and Saint-Martin-de-Ré, toward the end of their trip.

It was truly breathtaking, the places that they were able to see. Do you write your travel stories up so that you can share them with people at your local society?

I can hardly wait until their next article. I wonder where they will travel this year?

The website for the Ottawa Genealogical Society is at http://ogsottawa.on.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-19-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.

Half-year memberships is becoming popular in Canada

There are a number of societies in Canada now that offer half-year memberships. I believe that the thinking behind this is that people will want to try a half-year membership, and if they find it useful, then maybe they will try a full-year membership next time. Remember, this special deal is usually open to new members only.

So now, the Quebec Family History Society (QFHS) has offered a half-year membership for the period from January 1, 2015 to July 31, 2015 for only $40.00.*

This membership will provide you with a copy of the Summer 2015 issue of their newsletter, Connections, and full member's access to their website. Also, they invite members and non-members alike (free for members) to go to their research library in Montreal to access their many books, and use special genealogy searching programs.

To join, click on the membership form below. After printing and completing the form, you can mail it to them, along with your cheque or money order for $40.00.

The membership form is at http://www.qfhs.ca/upload/files/Special_Membership_Form_2015(1).pdf

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

*Their membership year runs from August 1 to July 31. Payment received after May 31 will apply to the next membership year, beginning August 1st. For an individual, the membership costs $75.00 per year for one person, or for two people living at the same address.

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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-19-january-2015.html

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

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

Eaton’s Goes To War

Jay Young, Outreach Officer at the Archives of Ontario (AO), says that the archives has a new online exhibit entitled Eaton’s Goes To War, which shows the contributions made by the T. Eaton Company and its employees to the war effort during the First World War.

Soon after war broke out in 1914, Eaton’s contributed an unprecedented amount to Canada’s war effort. The company announced that all military contracts it received would be delivered at cost, and it even paid the salaries of enlisted employees for the duration of their service, in addition to their military wages.

In total, 3,327 Eaton’s employees across Canada enlisted, with 2,200 from the Toronto store alone.

The press release says that ‘Each time an enlistee employed at Eaton’s Toronto location was shipped overseas, a portrait was taken of him to be displayed prominently in the store. More than 2,000 of these portraits—part of the T. Eaton Company records at the Archives of Ontario—are featured in the exhibit. The faces of these men show an intimate side of the war.

These photographs are an excellent resource for genealogists who are researching their family history in Toronto. In particular, the exhibit allows users to view a list of names of Eaton’s enlistees and their portrait. You might discover that someone in your family was an “Eatonian” – an enlistee employed at Eaton’s.

Eaton’s Goes To War also asks users to contribute their own stories of ancestors who worked for Eaton’s during the 1910s. These stories will help to show how Eaton’s had a personal impact on Ontarians during the Great War.

To view the exhibit, go to http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/soldiers/remembrance_day.aspx

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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-19-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.

Name a ferry!

Transport Canada wants your ideas for the naming of a new ferry which will cross the Bay of Fundy between Digby, Nova Scotia and Saint John, New Brunswick.

Greg Kerr, MP for West Nova, at a meeting in Digby, said the name should have some regional significance, and has to mean something to people on both sides of the Bay of Fundy.

One name which he said he had heard has been Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer and cartographer who made the first accurate map of the coast of Canada. But all ideas of a name are welcome.

There are guidelines for you to follow, and some of them are -

• It should promote Canadian culture, history or geography by honouring people or places of importance to Canadians.
• It should have some regional significance. The name should be brief and easily understood by radio or phone.
• Complicated or confusing spelling or pronunciation should be avoided.
• If it is has professional or honorific titles, like Dr. or Right Honourable, and family abbreviations, like Jr. or III, they should be avoided.
• A vessel name will only be considered for persons posthumously.
• Canadian citizens can enter as many suggestions as they wish, but only until 20 February 2015.

Forms are available at the ferry terminals in Digby and Saint John, as well as online at http://www.ferries.ca/naming.

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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-19-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.

Get creative with The Armchair Genealogist!

Lynn Palermo, aka The Armchair Genealogist—a long-time Canadian blogger and family history writer—is encouraging everyone to get creative, and turn their family history research into stories by being a part of The Family History Writing Challenge - which runs from the 1st to the 28th of February.

For details on the challenge, to register, and take advantage of other incentives, such as receiving the Daily Dose newsletter, please visit her site at http://www.familyhistorywritingchallenge.com.

So how about you? Are you ready for the challenge??

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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-19-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.

Top 100 Websites of 2015

The list of ‘The Best of …’ or the ‘Top 100 Websites of ….’ are starting to appear for 2015.

The first one this year is the Top 100 Websites of 2015 by GenealogyInTime magazine at http://www.genealogyintime.com/articles/top-100-genealogy-websites-of-2015-page02.html. There are only four Canadian sites mentioned in this list.

My first reaction is that Canadian websites have a lot of catching up to do!

The four are -

• Ancestry.ca - #13
• GenealogyInTime Magazine - #26
• Anglo Celtic Roots - #97
• Global Genealogy - #100

So, on to better results in 2016 for the Canadian websites and blogs.

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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-19-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 3

As previously promised in my blog on 06 January 2015 at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/beginning-genealogy-study-group.html, I am reporting on Dear Myrt’s Beginning Genealogy study group as it proceeds. I watched Session 3 yesterday, and the two top things that were discussed were -

1. The records that we first use to study our family. 

In particular, marriage records were looked at, and we were reminded to study them carefully so as to not to make the common mistake of misinterpreting the information and dates. Remember, these records should always be transcribed.

2. Getting a Research Log set up to follow as we start to research our family.

Cousin Russ, Dear Myrt’s production man at the Google Hangouts, has prepared an outline of a Research Log at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CXE1JFJ9HJaaGsbUPe7y0iPUX6_xnakSVL7S9XBIqUo/edit#gid=632923855

The first page shows the research process, and the second and third pages encourage us to keep records of links we use to conduct research.

Next week, we will examine more about the Research Log. Dear Myrt has asked us to have our own Research Log ready to share with people on the panel.

To review my two previous summaries, go to

Session 1 - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/dear-myrts-beginning-genealogy-session-1.html

Session 2 - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/dear-myrts-beginning-genealogy-session-2.html

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

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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 this week’s edition, it is at
http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-19-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 Historic Newspapers Online

The Saskatchewan Archives, in partnership with Saskatchewan History Online, is pleased to announce the launch of a new online tool called ‘Saskatchewan Historic Newspapers Online’ (SHNO).

This is the beginning of a new multi-year project which, once completed, will provide online access to all weekly newspapers from 1878–1964 held within the Saskatchewan Archives Collection. The current release focuses on the early years of the First World War, featuring local weekly newspapers from English, French, German, and Ukrainian communities across Saskatchewan.

During the first installation of the Saskatchewan newspaper online program, it will focus on the period from 1878 through to the mid-1960s. The first stage of the project will focus upon Saskatchewan newspapers published during the Great War period, from January 1914 through to the end of hostilities in 1918.

This sounds exciting!

Be sure to drop by their website at http://sabnewspapers.usask.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-19-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 Courage to Remember: The Holocaust 1933-1945

In recognition of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27th—and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz—the Atlantic Jewish Council, in partnership with the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, presents the Simon Wiensenthal Center exhibition, "The Courage to Remember" http://novascotia.ca/archives/chase

This exhibition features 200 Holocaust photos that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. They are at the Chase Exhibit Room of the Nova Scotia Archives in Halifax until the end of January 2015.

The Nova Scotia Archives is at http://novascotia.ca/archives

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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-19-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.

Calling all Commonwealth Genealogists

Jill Ball, the GeniAus blogger, http://geniaus.blogspot.com, is calling on all genealogists from Canada who are going to RootsTech 2015 in Salt Lake City to meet her for supper Tuesday evening on February 10th. 

She, along with other genealogists, will be at The California Pizza Kitchen in The Gateway Center. Jill has provided a map to show you where it is at http://geniaus.blogspot.com/2015/01/aussies-and-commonwealth-cousins-at.html.

Jill is asking that if you are able to join her, to please drop her an email at jillballau@gmail.com (or to message her via the Rootstech App) so she can get an approximate idea of numbers.

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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-19-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.

Those pesky nicknames ...

I listened to Legacy’s 200th Webinar last week called "Expanding Your Research from a Single Fact" given by Marian Pierre-Louis. The Webinar is FREE until 23 January 2015 at http://www.familytreewebinars.com/download.php?webinar_id=280

One thing she said which caught my ear was that people went by names other than their given name in the 19th century. It was the century of ‘nicknames’, although that is a modern interpretation - most people recognized them as their ‘family name’.

In fact, there are whole sections devoted to these names on the Internet that you may find helpful in breaking down those brick walls, because today we may know a person by their “nickname”, but they will still use their given name when asked for it on an official document.

In fact, when I was growing up, I was known as ‘Beth’ and not Elizabeth, because there were two other Elizabeth’s in the neighbourhood, and one of them lived directly across the street from me. I wasn’t known as Elizabeth until I went away to university.

There are two site that I use quite frequently, and they are -

Useful English: Women's Names and Nicknames
http://usefulenglish.ru/vocabulary/womens-names

Useful English: Men’s Names and Nicknames
http://usefulenglish.ru/vocabulary/mens-names

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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-19-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 - 19 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 1891, famed Montreal heart surgeon, Dr. Wilder Penfield, was born in Spokane, Washington, USA.
   Read about him and his work at http://osler.library.mcgill.ca/archives/index.php/detail/?fondid=4661

In 1924, the Canadian Red Ensign was given official recognition as Canada’s official flag until the Maple Leaf was adopted in 1965.
   Read a chapter from the book, The Canadian Ensigns, at http://fraser.cc/FlagsCan/Nation/Ensigns.html

Social Media

Gnarly Roots
https://gnarlyroots.wordpress.com
   Mariana Pickering is transcribing from a 1927 diary that her 2x grandmother had written while living in Arlington, Massachusetts, outside Boston. She had been born in Nova Scotia.

Articles

Newfoundland

Database will recognize Mi’kmaq ancestry of soldiers who served in the First World War
http://www.thewesternstar.com/News/Local/2015-01-13/article-4004687/Database-will-recognize-Mi%26rsquo%3Bkmaq-ancestry-of-soldiers-who-served-in-the-First-World-War/1
   Maura Hanrahan, award-winning author, is putting together an online database of all the Mi’kmaq soldiers who served in the First World War.

Nova Scotia

MacNeil clan shocked as DNA checks force rewrite of history
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/macneil-clan-shocked-as-dna-checks-force-rewrite-of-history.116231580
   Modern-day MacNeils have revealed their roots actually lie with the Vikings,and not the Irish.

Don Reid has been known as the ‘keeper of the cliffs.’
http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/nova-scotia-s-keeper-of-the-cliffs-boasts-impressive-antique-bottle-collection-1.2184132#ixzz3OtU3kMp567
   Reid’s large collection of fossils helped make Joggins, Nova Scotia, a World Heritage Site, but Reid also boasts a collection of more than 2,000 antique bottles.

MORE ABOUT THIS LATER: The thread of a family
http://www.novanewsnow.com/Opinion/Columnists/2015-01-16/article-4010215/MORE-ABOUT-THIS-LATER%3A-The-thread-of-a-family/1
   Read about the Pratt family of Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and their influence on the cultural life in Canada.

Quebec

History students at Montreal university on strike
http://www.torontosun.com/2015/01/16/history-students-at-montreal-university-on-strike
   A history program at L'Université du Québec à Montréal is in limbo because the students went on strike, demanding full authority to determine the curriculum and pick their professors.

Ontario

Feds spend $50K on Canadian flag birthday celebration
http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/feds-spend-50k-on-canadian-flag-birthday-celebration-1.2190708#ixzz3P60zZLeI

The federal government has allotted $50,000 for celebrations for the upcoming 50th birthday of the iconic Maple Leaf flag
http://news.nationalpost.com/201501/15/fifty-thousand-dollars-allotted-to-celebrate-50th-aniversary-of-the-iconic-maple-leaf-flag

Canadian MP offers excellent primer on the Canadian Flag, and its history

   For more on Canada's national flag, and to download a bilingual PDF poster on the history of the flag, visit Member of Parliament (for Ottawa-Vanier) Mauril Bélanger's webpage at http://www.mauril.ca/the-canadian-flag.

Museum gets the royal treatment
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/metro/Museum-gets-the-royal-treatment-288692721.html
   Deanne Crothers recently had the opportunity to speak as the MLA of St. James to the designation that Queen Elizabeth II has given the Aviation Museum of Western Canada. The museum will now be known as the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada, an honour that is not given lightly.

Saskatchewan

Turning the Tide closing, owner fears demolition of historic Saskatoon buildings
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/turning-the-tide-closing-owner-fears-demolition-of-historic-saskatoon-buildings-1.2887448
   Turning the Tide has been located in a small, old house at 525 11th Street East, just off of Broadway Avenue, for the last 11 years. The shop, which sells books about social justice and environmental sustainability, was given until January 31 to vacate, store owner Peter Garden said.

Alberta

Alberta community loses piece of history in fire
http://globalnews.ca/news/1772718/alberta-community-loses-piece-of-history-in-fire/
   One of three old Alberta Wheat Pool grain elevators in the town of Sexsmith was destroyed by a blaze Tuesday evening. No one was hurt. Residents said the building wasn’t in use.

British Columbia

Historic church part of downtown’s heritage
http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/letters/historic-church-part-of-downtown-s-heritage-1.1733290
   Ven. Ron Corcoran, co-rector of the Church of Our Lord, wonders why the church was not mentioned in an article about downtown Victoria, British Columbia.

Stories of the Week

There are free apps at FamilySearch.org now at the AppGallery.

There are 50 apps to find those that meet their specific need, platform, operating system, and price. For example, if a patron is looking for a highly-rated app that will help them find specific records in their family tree, the app gallery will allow them to filter and find several relevant partner apps to choose from.

Dennis Brimhall, FamilySearch CEO, says “We’ve had partners for many years, and now we want to make it easier for our patrons to know about them and to find the apps they need”.

So spend a few minutes and look around the site. It is very pleasantly arranged, and I found it easy to use.

The AppGallery is at https://familysearch.org/apps/?et_cid=48528295&et_rid=839174644&linkid=https%3a%2f%2ffamilysearch.org%2fapps%2f&cid=em-1830

Tim Sullivan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ancestry.com, has recently published his “state of the Union” address to Ancestry.com users, about what has been accomplished in 2014, and what new databases are coming in 2015.

But as I read the letter to the users ― he says that we can “Look for exciting additions like 170 million searchable images of probate records and wills that might reveal your ancestor’s dying wishes, all vital records from Virginia since 1900, substantial releases from Germany, and a milestone collection of almost 80 million Mexico Civil Birth, Marriage and Death records spanning from 1860 to modern day”, ― I don’t see any mention of new collections for Canadians.

Ancestry.ca offered 26 new collections and four updated collections during 2014, but we are left wondering what will be added to the list this year.

To read the letter, go to http://home.ancestry.com

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!

If you missed last week's post on 12 January 2015, visit http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

The next post will be published 26 January 2015.

The OGS wants to know...

Mike More, of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the OGS Conference Advisory Committee, has put on a survey about their yearly conference.

They are looking for your input.

This survey is open to members and non-members, as well as those who have not yet attended the annual Conference. Please take a few minutes and fill it out online.

The survey conference is at http://ogsottawa.blogspot.ca/2015/01/ontario-genealogical-society-conference.html

I just took the survey, and it seems pretty inclusive in what they want to know – meal prices, conference venues, tours, and accommodations. It looks like they are trying to keep up to the times to make the conference as relevant as possible.

So spend a few minutes and take the survey. I am sure that they would appreciate it.

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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.