Genealogy Canada

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Thank you, Dick Eastman!

I read some disappointing news this morning – Dick Eastman won’t be posting to his blog on the weekends anymore! It will no longer appear Saturday and Sunday in your mail box those two days, so that he can take some well-deserved time off.

He has been publishing since 1996, when, like so many of us, his posts started out as a newsletter. He converted it to a blog in 2004 at http://blog.eogn.com/

To show you how popular the blog and Dick has been to the genealogy community, I think everyone one of us (seasoned genealogists, that is) have met and enjoyed the company of Dick.

So I am sure that all of us wish him a well-deserved rest, and may the EOGN continue forever!

You can subscribe to the newsletter at http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Sub=48932

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/2015/05/canadian-week-in-review-04-may-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

Friday, May 8, 2015

Two more Facebook pages ...

Dave Hunter, the man behind The Island Register of Prince Edward Island at http://www.islandregister.com/, now has two Facebook pages – the first once concerns photos and the second one concerns The Telephone Museum which he runs himself.

The Prince Edward Island Family Photos page in its first few weeks has 193 members, and a large number of family photos posted by its users. It took quite a jump in memberships in the last couple of weeks. There has been a large amount of information found to bolster the information the submitters had, and we are all very pleased with its progress!

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

The Telephone Museum Facebook page has also done amazingly well in it first few weeks - it had 110 members, and now has a number of discussions about various telephone subjects, and with members from the USA, Canada, Ireland, and Great Britain.

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

Calling all travellers!!!

Between June and August this year, if you are leaving and saying goodbye to someone special at Toronto Pearson International Airport or if you are waiting for someone to arrive back home – the people at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) needs your story! Your story could appear in their program called Hello Goodbye Canada.

Please fill out their very brief questionnaire and one of their story producers will get back to you ASAP!

To fill out the questionnaire, go to
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1kIYr_AhiouNfGO8IIZMfXdnH7llnqpMRsRygyLaFs3w/viewform?c=0&w=1

Early Nipissing District, Ontario Births, Marriages, Deaths Records

While at the Nipissing District Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society yesterday, I came across a site that may hold records that you have been looking for and have not been able to find. It is the are early birth, marriage and death records.

The say on the website that ‘While the old records at the Nipissing District Land Registry Office were being inventoried by members of Apolrod, three old registers were discovered which contain important information relating to early settlers. The Land Registrar gave permission for these books to be copied and the information is provided here for research purposes.

The first book contains an index of births, marriages and deaths in the Nipissing District; the second contains the original entries for 56 births; and the third contains the original entries for 27 marriages. The book containing the original entries for the 26 deaths has not been located as of November 1997.

Most of the events in these records took place in the Mattawa area and contain many first nations people. Many of the marriages were of shanty men. Catholic priests, J.M. Nedelec, J.M. Poitras, and J.M. Gueguen and Protestant ministers, John McEwan, Robert Hamilton, C.V. Forster Bliss, Silas Huntington, and D.L. MacKechnie officiated the marriages’.

The period covered by these records are

Births: February 1871 to March 1881http://www.nipissing.ogs.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Early-Nipissing-Births.pdf

Marriages: January 1871 to July 1883 http://www.nipissing.ogs.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Early-Nipissing-Marriages.pdf

Deaths: February 1871 to December 1881 http://www.nipissing.ogs.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Early-Nipissing-Deaths.pdf

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

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Extra news items

Here are some news items which have come across the desk this week -

The Weekly Genealogists Vol 18 No 17 #Whole 737 29 April 2015 had their weekly survey once again, and this time they asked about our orphan ancestors.

Of the 4,024 who answered, 58% said they were not aware of any of their ancestors having been an orphan, and 10% said they were aware of one or more of their grandparents was an orphan, and another 10% said that they were aware of one or more of their great-grandparents was an orphan.

I do not have anyone in my family, either on my maternal or paternal side who was an orphaned.

How about you?

The Ontario Genealogical Society has officially launched their Twitter service at @OGSBarrie2015, and it looks like they are getting a good response.

The website is at https://twitter.com/OGSBarrie2015

The Department of Canadian Heritage is providing $2,300 to the Emancipation Festival through the Building Communities.

This will help support the 153rd edition of their annual summer event in Owen Sound, Ontario. This year's activities take place from July 31 to August 27 and include an artist and artisan show, speakers' forum and musical performances.

The Emancipation Festival has been holding an annual Black History celebration and commemoration event in Owen Sound since 1862. The village of Sydenham near Owen Sound was the most northerly terminus of the Underground Railway from the United States.

Read more about the Emancipation Festival at http://www.emancipation.ca/

Lastly, the latest news from the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia is that they have a 3-month trial offering from Find My Past so that you can access through WIFI at the GANS office. This is a great database for finding those NS ancestors with origins in the UK. A reminder that they also have American Ancestors at the office. The research room is open Thursday from noon to 4 pm. Come access these great resources or check out the traditional library resources.

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

Would you like to volunteer?

The Manitoba Genealogical Society (MGS) will be participating again this year in this arts, culture and heritage fair along with many other community organizations, and it is called Manitoba Day Celebration.

The celebration will be held at Alloway Hall at the Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg on Saturday May 9th from 11am to 5 pm.

The celebration includes free admission to the Museum Galleries, Science Gallery and Planetarium, special educational programming throughout the day, and a new temporary exhibit featuring fur trade materials from the Hudson Bay Co. and Archaeology collections Trade: Materials and Ideas in Transition. Birthday cake (Manitoba’s 145th) and other refreshments will be served later in the day.

Why not volunteer for an hour and then take advantage of the free admission?

They need volunteers to staff their table - two volunteers for each hour (12 people could do 1 hour each). If you are available, please contact Bill Curtis (Outreach Chair) at billcurtiswpg@hotmail.com.

This is a great opportunity for MGS to inform the general public about their organization.

The website is at http://www.mbgenealogy.com/

The Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/pages/Manitoba-Genealogical-Society-Inc/7054423205

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Black Loyalist Heritage Centre opens June 6th

The Black Loyalist Heritage Centre, located in Birchtown, Nova Scotia (just outside of Shelburne on the province's’ southwest coast), will have their grand opening on Saturday June 6, 2015. The grand opening has the title of The Journey Back to Birchtown.

It will performances by African Nova Scotian artists and a multi-media stage presentation. Performers include Juno award-winner JRDN, Jeremiah Sparks, Dutch Robinson, Shelley Hamilton, Cyndi Cain, Joe Sealey, the Nova Scotia Mass Choir, the Sierra Leone dancers, Shauntay Grant, Hillcrest Academy Djembe Group and many more.

The program will also feature John Franklin of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and the Book of Negroes author Lawrence Hill.

Tours of the new facility will begin at 9 am, keynote addresses in the morning, procession of dignitaries from the Black Burial Ground, National Historic Monument at 1:30 pm and entertainment will start in the afternoon at 2 pm.

If you haven’t been to the site before, is a digital archive which you can read Our Story at http://blackloyalist.com/cdc/index.htm

To read more about the details, go to http://blackloyalist.com/

Their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Loyalist-Heritage-Centre/111527972216141?fref=photo

Would you like to transcribe?

If you would like to contribute to the transcribing effort that the Royal British Columbia Museum is undertaking, then you should go to http://transcribe.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/

The project is called First World War Letters, Diaries and Scrapbooks, and it covers letters, diaries and scrapbooks from the First World War.

The transcriptions you create will become searchable data, facilitating learning and research around the world. Whether you choose to transcribe one page, one hundred pages, or just browse our collections, you’re helping us share the stories that matter.

There is a Transcription Tips on the page that you should read, as well as
over 12 projects you can choose from to transcribe.

The Facebook page is at ia a https://www.facebook.com/RoyalBCMuseum

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Manitoba Archives blog “At home and Away”

Manitoba Archives has had a blog since 2014, and its main emphasis is on the First World War and Manitoba.

In April 2015, there are two new postings -

On the 2 April 2015, there is the Keeping a Diary in the Trenches.

George Henry Hambley was one of over 600,000 Canadians who served in the First World War. Hambley enlisted at Camp Hughes (then Camp Sewell) on 13 October 1915 when he was almost 19 years old. He was a trooper in the Canadian Light Horse and served in France, Belgium, and Germany, fighting in the battles of Ypres, Mons, Cambrai, and Vimy Ridge.

And the second post was 7 April 2015 Hudson's Bay Company & Cable Communications

During the First World War cables (also known as telegrams) were an almost immediate source of communication. The Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) utilized this form of communication on a daily basis in the early 20th century, as demonstrated in a series of inward and outward cables records titled “Cables related to Hudson's Bay Company's wartime business with European governments” from 1914 to 1916.

If you are interested in reading these blogs, go to http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/ww1blog/index.html?utm_source=T270415&utm_medium=T270415&utm_campaign=T270415

Three Canadian indexes updated at Ancestry.ca

The 1871 Canada census, an every name index to individuals enumerated in the 1891 Canada Census, has been updated.

British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec – and the Northwest Territories, which at the time was comprised of the districts of Alberta, Assiniboia East, Assiniboia West, Saskatchewan, and Mackenzie River. Other unorganized territories are also included.

The website for the 1891 census is at http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=1274

This database is an every name index to individuals enumerated in the 1871 Canada Census, the first census of Canada since it became a country in 1867.

It is the census of the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario.

The website for the 1871 census is at bhttp://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=1578

They have also updated the Manitoba Birth Index 1866-1912.

You can go to http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=70599

Happy Researching!

Monday, May 4, 2015

Canadian Week in Review - 04 May 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.

This Week in Canadian History

In 1831, Emily Howard Stowe, the first woman licensed to practice medicine in Canada, was born in Norwich, Upper Canada (Ontario). She earned her medical degree in New York, and set up a Toronto practice in 1867.

To read more about her, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Stowe

In 1912, Canada's first $5 note was issued.

To read more about the subject, go to http://canadacurrency.com/dominion-of-canada/five-dollar-bank-notes-dominion-of-canada/value-of-may-1st-1912-5-bill-from-the-dominion-of-canada-2/

In 1916, Actor Glenn Ford was born near Portneuf (Quebec City), Quebec. He died in 2006.

To read more about him, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Ford

Social Media

(Photos) Historic buildings could be saved by new infrastructure program
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/historic-buildings-could-be-saved-by-new-infrastructure-program-1.3055077
A national heritage group is praising a new federal infrastructure program that puts a focus on heritage buildings.

(Photos) Canadian Canoe Museum hoping for anniversary funding to help with move to Lift Lock
http://www.mykawartha.com/news-story/5577013-canadian-canoe-museum-hoping-for-anniversary-funding-to-help-with-move-to-lift-lock/
The Canadian Canoe Museum is hoping to snag some of the cash the federal government is putting aside to help ring in the country’s 150th anniversary.

(Photos) Photos trace French Canadian immigration to central Maine
http://www.centralmaine.com/2015/04/24/photos-trace-french-canadian-immigration-to-central-maine/
Miller Library at Colby College (Maine) debuted an exhibition Friday documenting waves of French-speaking Canadians who came to the area in the 19th century.

Articles

Newfoundland & Labrador

Biking the Viking Trail in Newfoundland
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1339636-biking-the-viking-trail-in-newfoundland/
The 600 km trip up Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula is a fantastic bike ride. The route primarily follows the rocky, barren coast through a series of sparsely populated but picturesque fishing villages with names like Sally’s Cove, Cow Head, and Brig Bay.

Nova Scotia

Friends of Sable Island Society conference aims to protect island
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/friends-of-sable-island-society-conference-aims-to-protect-island-1.3056829
The Friends of Sable Island Society ran a 2-day one-of-a-kind conference this past weekend about the science and history of the island at the University of King's College, Halifax.
The website of the Friends of Sable Island Society is at http://sableislandfriends.ca/
The Facebookpage is at https://www.facebook.com/groups/SableTrust/

Ontario

Students showcase Canadian history
http://www.nugget.ca/2015/05/01/students-showcase-canadian-history
Their display was one of about a 100 showcased by Grades 4 to 10 students at the annual North Bay Regional Heritage Fair, which took place Friday at Nipissing University's athletic centre.

THE JOY OF GENEALOGY: Cemeteries a great place to dig up valuable information
http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-story/5592155-the-joy-of-genealogy-cemetaries-a-great-place-to-dig-up-valuable-information/
A trip to the cemetery can reveal a wealth of information if you know where to look and what you’re searching for.

Saskatchewan

Care and keeping of saskatoon berries
h ttp://www.newsoptimist.ca/opinion/columnists/care-and-keeping-of-saskatoon-berries-1.1870946
Since it has a short history of cultivation, we are still learning how to domesticate it.

Stories of the Week

Asian Heritage Month

May is the Asian Heritage Month, a celebration of the contributions of Canadians of Asian heritage to the growth and prosperity of Canada.

In December 2001, the Senate adopted a motion proposed by Senator Vivienne Poy to officially designate May as Asian Heritage Month in Canada.

This year, Asian Heritage Month honours Asian-Canadian athletes, both past and present, for their contributions to sport on the national and international scenes.

To learn more about the contributions of Asian-Canadians throughout Canada’s history, visit http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/asian/people.asp

This poster is available in PDF format from http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/Vietnamese-Journey-Poster.pdf

This year is also the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, and the 40th anniversary of the Journey of Vietnamese Canadians.

On April 30, 1975, the fall of the city of Saigon marked the end of the Vietnam War and the start of a refugee crisis. Millions of Vietnamese fled their homes seeking refuge and freedom, with many trying to escape across the South China Sea in small leaky boats. Canada played an important role in helping these refugees.

Read about Canada’s part in this at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/asian/vietnamese_refugees.asp

Jane's Walk

And with the advent of warm weather again in Canada, Jane's Walk are starting up again, and it was the Global Festival was held on May 1st to the 3ed.

Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) was a Canadian urbanist and activist whose writings championed a fresh, community-based approach to city building while learning about the history of the area.

Jane’s Tours bring citizens together, and they learn about their neighbourhoods by listening to lectures given by people from their area.

You can go to http://janeswalk.org/ and read about her and the effect she had had over the world.

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/janeswalk?_rdr

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

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/2015/04/canadian-week-in-review-27-april-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

Need help in finding your Canadian Ancestors?

Susan I. of Toronto, Ontario says -

"With her wonderful suggestions, including provincial and local archival holdings, books, and local church records, I was delighted to uncover a marriage certificate naming my paternal great, great grandparents and their original county in Ireland.

Elizabeth also mentored me regarding further educational opportunities. I was delighted with her services."

If you do, go to Elizabeth Lapointe Research Services and see how I can help you find that elusive Canadian ancestor!

The website is at www.E:LRS.biz

The next Canadian Week in Review will be posted 11 May 2015.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Battle of the Atlantic 70th Anniversary

Every year, on the first Sunday in May, Canada and the Canadian Maritime community commemorate the longest single campaign of the Second World War – the Battle of the Atlantic.

During the 2,075 days that the battle raged, members of the Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Naval Reserve, Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, Royal Canadian Air Force, Merchant Navy and Royal Canadian Artillery Gunners assigned to the protection of merchant ships took the fight to the enemy whenever and wherever possible.

The price of victory, when paid in full, would cost the Navy 33 warships and over 2,000 dead, the Air Force 350 aircraft and over 900 dead, the Merchant Navy of Canada 73 ships and over 1,700 dead. Let us remember them for their selfless contribution to international peace and security.

Services commemorating this year’s 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic will be held at naval facilities across Canada on Sunday, May 3, 2015, and everyone is encouraged to participate.

For those of us in the National Capital Region, the National Battle of the Atlantic commemoration will commence at 10:30 at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

If you want to read more about the Battle of the Atlantic, you can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Atlantic

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/2015/04/canadian-week-in-review-27-april-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

Friday, May 1, 2015

100th anniversary of the poem In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

In Flanders Fields, John McCrae (1872-1918)

The year 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the poem In Flanders Fields, which was written by Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae amid the horrors of the Second Battle of Ypres in May 1915.

The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has honoured McCrae by releasing a blog posting about the poem – how it was never really proven how it got printed in Punch in December 1915 (did he send it or someone else send it, for example).

The LAC has one of the copies on hand at the archives, and you can see the copy if you go to the blog at http://thediscoverblog.com/2015/04/30/100th-anniversary-of-the-composition-of-the-iconic-poem-in-flanders-fields/

Additionally, the Royal Canadian Mint has minted 1,500 5 oz. Fine Silver Coloured Coin to honour Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae and the poem.

You can visit the McCrae’s home in Guelph at http://guelph.ca/museum/?page_id=186plus, there will be a statue of him unveiled on June 25th in Guelph.