Monday, August 18, 2014

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/
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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.

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

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

Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown nears completion
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
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
Public trustee scans Christmas cards, records looking for long-lost relatives.

 Ontario

Your marching orders for August
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"
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
The camp celebrates its 10th anniversary.

British Columbia

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.
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Sunday, August 17, 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. 


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.
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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/
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Saturday, August 16, 2014

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 
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Friday, August 15, 2014

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. 

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Thursday, August 14, 2014

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!
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Wednesday, August 13, 2014

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 
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Tuesday, August 12, 2014

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/
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Monday, August 11, 2014

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.

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

Internment camps a dark chapter in Canadian history
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
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
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
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
Anne Wallace travelled to France, Belgium to see WWI battlefields.

Alberta

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
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

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’’. 


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.


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.


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.
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Sunday, August 10, 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.


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.
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Friday, August 8, 2014

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!

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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
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Thursday, August 7, 2014

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.
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Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Historical officer rank insignia reinstated

During a reception at the Canadian War Museum on August 4th, which marked the 100th anniversary of Canada’s entry into the First World War, the unveiling of the historical officer rank insignia took place. 

“The restoration of the Canadian Army’s historical identity reinforces the ties between present-day soldiers and previous generations of warriors, while celebrating our proud Army heritage. Canadian Army officers will wear these insignia knowing that they carry on a strong legacy of service, while standing strong, proud and ready for the future,” said Lieutenant-General Marquis Hainse, Commander of the Canadian Army. 

You can read about the Canadian Army at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Army
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Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Community. Education. Advocacy.


The Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) recently adopted these three core beliefs – Community. Education. Advocacy. 

The organization is a community of over 3,000 like-minded genealogists who believe in helping people who want assistance in finding their Ontario ancestors. 

They have 33 branches and SIGs throughout the province, and they have a top-notch website, with The Ontario Name Index (TONI), which is free to everyone to use at http://www.ogs.on.ca/toni.php.

The organization believes in education. Each branch holds free meetings you are encouraged to attend. The OGS hold an annual spring conference at various points in the province at a very reasonable price, and they offer courses through the National Institute for Genealogical Studies at a reduced rate if you are a member of the OGS. 

Over the past, the OGS has advocated the Library and Archives Canada on our behalf for the release of the 1921 Census, and the Ontario government for the restoration and registering of cemeteries within the province. Without this action, neither one would have received as much support as they did from members of the public. 

Every day, members are busy gathering information, indexing records, and planning the next conference. Editors are reading another paper to be placed in Families, keeping track of noteworthy news from all over the province to be placed in the various publications, and using these resources, another genealogical puzzle has been solved by a person who just wanted to find their Ontario ancestor. The OGS can help. 

If you have a chance, go to the OGS blog, and take a minute to view two videos that were recently taped. 

The first one is by Alan Campbell, the president of the OGS, and the second one was recorded at this year’s conference in Niagara. 

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Monday, August 4, 2014

Today Canada joined in the start of the First World War


The 4th Canadian Division in France, September 1918

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War. Canada joined Britain and the rest of the Commonwealth  Nations in sending our men and women overseas, and unfortunately 66,000 of them lost their lives. 

In part, Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement - 

"Today, Canadians join the international community in commemorating the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, which engulfed Europe in conflict from 1914 to 1918 and killed at least ten million combatants and millions more civilians. 

“It is a time to remember and honour the sacrifices and tremendous achievements of the more than 650,000 brave Canadians and Newfoundlanders who left their families and the comfort of their homes to serve their King and country, as well as to preserve the universal values of freedom, peace and democracy that we hold most dear. 

“It is a time to remember the more than 66,000 of our selfless men and women who gave their lives during the First World War, and the estimated 172,000 more who were wounded. 

“It is a source of deep national pride that the bravery and courage of our service members helped ensure Allied victories in important battles at places like Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele and Amiens. These efforts played a vital role in finally bringing about the negotiation and conclusion of the Armistice, which ended the First World War at precisely 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918.

“The dedication, courage and determination demonstrated by our brave soldiers, sailors and airmen, who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with like-minded allies to fight for what they believed in, resulted in Canada emerging as a proud, victorious nation with new found standing in the world". 
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Canadian Week in Review 04 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 1793, Gen. John Graves Simcoe, lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, began clearing the site for the city of York, which today is known as Toronto, the fourth-largest city in North America, and the capital of Ontario.

Previous to this, the capital had been in Newark (now known as Niagara), but Simcoe thought it was too close to the Americans, and fearing invasion, had it moved it to York.

To read more about Toronto, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto
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On July 31, 1957, the Distant Early Warning Line defence system officially went into operation in northern Canada. 

It was set up to detect incoming Soviet bombers during the Cold War, and provide the early warning system of any sea-and-land invasion. 

To learn more about the system, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distant_Early_Warning_Line 

Here is a list of DEW Line Sites at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_DEW_Line_Sites 
==================================================On July 24, 1947 a school principal is demoted over Daylight time dispute in Alberta. 

Social Media

Local links to The Great War (Video)
A cemetery, a stadium and a golf course - what is the link between these Regina landmarks and the First World War? Reporter and history buff Will Chabun talks about these strange connections in this video.

The CBC: Your Community Blog
How does your community commemorate the First World War? 

War monuments of southern Alberta are reminders of soldiers who didn’t come home (Video) 
Postmedia has done another great job in covering War Memorials in southern Alberta to soldiers who never came home. 

Newfoundland

Former Newfoundland legislature gets $22M facelift
The building was opened in 1850, and now is being restored to its former glory as Newfoundland's former legislature. 

Nova Scotia

Shubenacadie band changes name to traditional Sipekne'katik 
The Shubenacadie band, Nova Scotia's second largest First Nations group, located in central part of the province, has restored the traditional spelling and pronunciation of its name and will now be known as Sipekne'katik.

New Brunswick

No news this week. 

Prince Edward Island 

Rare Summerside Bank note selling for $54,000
This bank note was issued by The Summerside Bank of Prince Edward Island in 1872. 

Celebrating our heritage farms 
The P.E.I. Agricultural Awareness Committee has teamed up with P.E.I. Mutual Insurance Company to recognize and celebrate farms that have been in operation at least 150 years. 

Quebec 

Little fanfare for Quebec Confederation parlay 
Sir John A. Macdonald and others also held the Quebec Conference in 1850 which built on the Charlottetown Conference a few weeks earlier. Could Quebec and Ontario be forged together within Canada as had the Maritime colonies been discussed in Charlottetown?

Ontario 

The Colonization of Canada and Anishnawbek History 
Clyde Moonias gives a revealing history of how colonization affected the Anishnawbek people of northwestern Ontario.

Viceregal wife impresses with song penned by husband David Onley 
Ruth Ann Onley, the wife of Ontario Lieutenant-Governor David Onley, sang the song penned by her husband, to a packed stadium at a First World War 100th anniversary celebration Thursday. 

Canadian History for Kids: Trans Canada Highway 
On July 31st, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker opened up the Trans Canada Highway – Canada’s national highway! 

The eager doomed: The story of Canada’s original WWI recruits 
The First World War put in historical context by historian Time Cook. 

‘What a sight it must have been to behold’: Memorial, re-enactment recalls Battle of Lundy’s Lane 
Two hundred years ago on July 25, 1814, the Battle of Lundy’s Lane was fought between the American’s and the British, and it was remembered in a memorial re-enactment.

Beauty As Duty? That Really Happened 
The magazine the Worm has an article called Beauty as Duty. It was a propaganda campaign launched in 1939 and it aimed to make women believe that wearing makeup and looking polished was their patriotic duty! 

Manitoba

A new name for Civic Holiday? 
Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger suggests other provinces may want to follow his lead and change the name of the August Civic Holiday to Terry Fox Day.

Pioneer church has history behind its beauty 
St. Michael's remains a centrepiece for city's Ukrainian Orthodox community

Saskatchewan

No news this week.

Alberta

Saving Alberta’s farming icons 
Grain elevator enthusiasts promote history and preservation of historic structures 

Alberta Aviation Museum to honour WWI veterans 
A new exhibit at the Alberta Aviation Museum this weekend will shed light on the history of Albertans who served in the Royal Flying Corp

Heritage Festival gives offenders chance to repay their debt
Tom Wimbs is a probation officer with the community corrections and release program with the Solicitor General of Alberta, and his crew of adult offenders were on hand at the Heritage Festival Friday, helping set up event tents at Hawrelak Park.

British Columbia

Canadian documentary series features SFU professor 

Professor Rudy Reimer has just returned from Whitehorse in the Yukon, where he filmed Wild Archaeology, an exploration of the history of First Nations across Canada.

Story of the Week


 Parliament Hill: Sound and Light Show



You still got time to see the Sound and Light Show on Parliament Hill, and what a show it is – it is spectacular!

We went to see two years ago, and sat there in awe as the history of the county passed in front of our eyes, to be sitting there in the dusk of a summer’s evening on Parliament Hill was just breathtaking. 

If you have a chance to come to Ottawa this summer, the show is on until September the 6th, and it’s free. But be sure to get there in plenty of time because the seats fill up early. And talk to the people. They are there from everywhere – from right here in Ottawa, to places overseas. 

All of them had said that they had never seen anything like this before. 

And then as we left Parliament Hill, we stopped across the street to watch a fellow who was playing a set of drums made from plastic buckets, and learned that he travelled across the country playing the drums in the summer time.

A very enjoyable evening!

To check when the Sound and Light Show is held, go to http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1379439870049 or to the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mosaika.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 the country! 

The next post will be on August 11, 2014.
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Sunday, August 3, 2014

Reminder: Canadian Week in Review will be posted tomorrow


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

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.
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New Acadian research guide


Got this email from Janice Hamilton yesterday, the blogger who does the Genealogy Ensemble blog, and she told us the following -

“If you are researching Acadian heritage, you might find the recent research guide, Acadians of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, compiled by Jacques Gagné, of interest. It will help you find Acadian Parish Registers under the French and British regimes, as well as links to websites that shed light on various other aspects of Acadian history. 

The link can be found on the Genealogy Ensemble blog, at http://genealogyensemble.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/the-acadian-congress/

This is the latest of Jacques’ contributions to the genealogy community. He has put together similar research guides on Genealogy Ensemble, including the Catholic Churches of Quebec http://genealogyensemble.wordpress.com/2014/05/20/irish-catholic-churches-of-quebec/ and an online guide to researching your ancestors in archives in France, http://genealogyensemble.wordpress.com/2014/04/19/learn-how-to-research-french-archives/ ”

Janice
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Saturday, August 2, 2014

The OGS picks their theme for the 2017 conference!



Our Canada-Your Family: Building A Nation is the theme which has been chosen for the 2017 Ontario Genealogical Society's conference, and what a fantastic title!

And the reason that the title of the conference was chosen is that 2017 will be the 150th birthday of the founding of Canada. It will be a super busy time in Ottawa, so why not plan at attend the conference and do some sightseeing along with your stay? 

This will be the sixth time (plus they co-hosted the 2012 conference in Kingston) that Ottawa (the nation’s capital) will have hosted the conference.

They already have a small group of volunteers, but they can always have more people join them in this effort. 

You can contact them at conference2017@ogsottawa.on.ca 

Watch for news in this blog and at the Ottawa blog at http://ogsottawa.blogspot.com/ and their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/237267743111732/?fref=ts 

The webpage is http://ogsottawa.on.ca/
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Friday, August 1, 2014

OGS puts on “Ontario Locator”


The OGS has put on their website every municipality in Ontario (city, town, village, township, regional municipality) and all of the geographic townships which have belonged to a municipality.

Current and historical townships are on the website, but not the unorganized townships.

At a future date the list will be expanded to include the former Police Villages and the current hamlets.

If you are researching historical land records, the "Ontario Locator" can be used to this purpose.  

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