Cemetery Walking Tour – Vancouver's Mountain View Cemetery

On Saturday, April 27 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, there will be a Walking Tour, and it will focus on Mountain View’s 1919 Section. Meet at the Celebration Hall, 5445 Fraser Street (enter at 39th Ave.). The cost is $10 per person (cash only please).

Join Lorraine Irving from the BC Genealogical Society for a walking tour of the 1919 section of the cemetery. Located on the south side of 41st Avenue, this section is the last resting place for Joe Fortes, the best loved Vancouver lifeguard, and Janet Smith whose murder has never been officially solved. As well, there are other murder victims, those that died in the sinking of the S.S. Sophia and Britannia Mine disaster, there’s the first memorial for the Sons of Italy, a memorial for firemen, and much more.

On Monday, June 10 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, there will be a Walking Tour which will focus on Food Traditions at Mountain View. Meet at the Celebration Hall, 5445 Fraser Street (enter at 39th Ave.). $10 per person (cash only please).

The walking tout will be conducted by community historian Chris Mathieson as he takes you on a tour exploring the history of Vancouver’s relationship with food, through introductions to fishermen, farmers, hunters, shopkeepers, brewers and more. There will also be a discuss food traditions associated with death and cemeteries.

On Sunday, July 14th, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, there will be a Walking Tour of the Chinese, Japanese and Jewish Sections of Mountain View Cemetery. Meet at Celebration Hall, 5445 Fraser Street (enter at 39th Ave.). The cost of $10 per person (cash only please).

Historian Maurice Guibord leads a walk exploring the Chinese, Japanese and Jewish sections of Mountain View Cemetery. These sections are fascinating examples of the segregation that existed even in cemeteries during the 19th and 20th centuries. Each of these three areas evokes cultural traits of communities that were seeking a foothold in Vancouver’s society. We will discuss the disinterment of Chinese remains, until 1937, to be repatriated to China for reburial with their ancestors; the self-segregation of a burgeoning Jewish congregation; and the survival of an impressive swastika-decorated Japanese obellist through the Second World War.

On Sunday, August 4, there will be a Women’s History Walking Tour of Mountain View with Lorraine Irving, M. Diane Rogers and Jolene Cumming, co-sponsored by the BC Genealogical Society and the Herstory Cafe. Watch for details soon.

Vancouver’s Mountain View Cemetery tour information is at http://vancouver.ca/your-government/visit-mountain-view-cemetery.aspx

You can e-mail them at mountain.view@vancouver.ca, or phone them at 604. 325. 2646

Some other posts that I have put on over the years include –

Wednesday, February 27, 2013
UPDATE: Vancouver, British Columbia, Mountain View Cemetery Index, 1887-2007http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=70665

Friday, October 26, 2012
All Souls Event at Vancouver’s Mountain View Cemetery An archived list of burials at Mountain View Cemetery is available here http://former.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/NONMARKETOPERATIONS/MOUNTAINVIEW/burials/index.htm

Find a Grave - Mountain View Cemetery and Crematorium
www.findagrave.com/php/famous.php?page=cem&FScemeteryid=1968309

Nerses Photo Studio at the Niagara Peninsula Branch monthly meeting

Steve Fulton U.E., the Chair of the Niagara Peninsula Branch of the OGS, tells us the Branch will be hosting the Nerses Photo Studio this evening as they talk about photo restoration.

The topics will include photo restoration, storage and handling of old photographs. Please feel free to bring a couple of your photographs along with you to the meeting to either share or get a professional opinion of them from our speaker.

The Niagara Peninsula Branch is using the new streaming software (Adobe Connect) that supports MACs, tablets, PC and other devices.

Please visit them at www.ogs.on.ca/niagara and click on the Video Stream Button to join us.

The Nersess Photo Studio website is at www.nersesphoto.com

Military Records - Discover your ancestor's service

The Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia will hold its monthly meeting on April the 20th entitled Military Records - Discover your ancestor's service. The meeting will from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm at the Akins A/V Room, Nova Scotia Archives, University Ave, Halifax, NS

The talk will be presented by Col. John Boileau, CD (Ret'd, a noted historian and acclaimed author, Colonel John Boileau, CD (Ret'd), will deliver a lecture on how to locate, decipher and learn about military service records and what they can tell you about your ancestor's life.

And the office will be open on Sunday, April 14th and Sunday, April 21st from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm - 3258 Isleville Street, Halifax, NS . The office is open all afternoon! Drop in to chat, do some research or purchase a publication.

Hope to see you there!

Their website is at http://www.novascotiaancestors.ca

UPDATE: The Ontario Name Index (TONI)

The latest news from the Ontario Genealogical Society, and the people who are working on the TONI database, is that they have 1,813,773 records online. As they reach the 2,000,000 mark - they find that they need more coordinators.

Anyone can use TONI. It is open to members and non-members alike, and they would look forward to hearing from you.

So if you can help, that would be great!

The records are available through the website, and Pay-Per-View (PPV) at www.ogs.on.ca/integrated/toni_databasesearch.php

The person to contact is Mike More, TONI Provincial Coordinator at toni@ogs.on.ca

Celebrating Our English Roots Day

Join us for this month's "Celebrating Our Roots Days," our theme is England! Drop by anytime during the afternoon for a cuppa tea, coffee, sweets and a "chin wag" about England and our ancestors who came from there.


Come browse the display of books from our English collection. If you are new to genealogy, talk to our members about how to start researching your family history.

Bring a coffee mug, a friend, your own favourite books and resources on Ireland that have helped you in your research, or just bring yourself.

Drop in from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm at the QFHS Heritage Centre and Library, 173 Cartier Avenus, Pointe-Claire, Montreal.

Open to our members and the public. Admission is free.

Visit www.qfhs.ca/events.php
Thanks to Susan Gingras Calcagni, Director of Public Relations of the QFHS for letting us know.

Quinte OGS Branch Meeting

Sher Leetooze will talk about Scottish Research when the Quinte OGS Branch has their meeting on Saturday at 1:00 pm on April 20th, 2013.

Sher has been working to get her family from Ulster back into Scotland and in preparation for that day, Sher went to see just what Scottish records would tell her. Today, Sher will share with us some of that information for the lowlands and borders of Scotland, how it is divided up, where the records are kept, and how to access them.

The meeting takes place in the Christ Church Hall (ample parking available) 770 Trenton Frankford Road, Glen Miller, Ontario.

The website is at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canqbogs

Sher will also be at the OGS Conference (May 31, June 1, 2 in Oshawa where she will give a talk on Saturday morning Building Yout Family Story Using Maps.

The OGS Conference site is at http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference2013/home

Irish Genealogy Workshop in Mississauga

The Halton Peel Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, and the Heritage Mississauga present an Irish Genealogy Workshop on Saturday, April 13, 2013 from 10-4 at the Grange, 1921 Dundas Street West, Mississauga.

The speaker will be Canadian blogger Ruth Blair who will speak on Taking Your Irish Ancestors Back Over the Pond and Researching Your Irish Family History From Afar.

Fee is $25.00 which must be prepaid to reserve your spot.

For more info please call 905-828-8411 Ext. 0 or visit us at www.heritagemississauga.com

To read Ruth’s blog The Passionate Genealogist, go to http://blog.familyhistorysearches.com

FamilySearch UPDATE: Quebec Notarial Records, 1800-1900

FamilySearch has just announced that they have added 42,917 images to the Quebec Notarial Records, 1800-1900.

You can search the following judicial districts in Quebec -

Bedford

Bonaventure

Chicoutimi

Hull

Iberville

Joliette

Montmagny

Montréal

Québec

Roberval

Saguenay

Saint-François

Terrebonne

Go to https://familysearch.org/search/image/index#uri=https://familysearch.org/records/collection/1471015/waypoints

New/Updated Canadian Websites, Blogs, Facebook, and Newspaper Articles – 08 April 2013

I have come across the following Canadian websites, blogs, Facebook, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too –

Websites

Marianne Perry www.marianneperry.ca Family history was the fuel that pushed Marianne to write a novel called The Inheritance. She said she had always wanted to write “ about family dynamics and genealogical research helped me develop realistic characters confronting relevant issues in an authentic setting for my book”. Her family was from Palermo, Sicily, and they came to Canada in the early 1900s.

Blog

Marianne Perry Blog www.marianneperry.ca/blog Marianne also has a blog where she talks about genealogy, and travel.

Facebook - Video – You Tube

There is an interview on YouTube with the Chief Operating Officer Yuval Ben-Galim of MyHeritage which was conducted be James Tanner at RootsTech 2013.
http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com/2013/04/i-got-so-busy-at-rootstech-2013-that-i.html They discuss the new programs that MyHeritage has announced at RootsTeck 2013.

Newspaper Articles

Photography project preserves Prairie relics, religious history http://cupwire.ca/articles/54877 Canadian University Press reports that people are putting more than a 1,000 rural Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox Churches in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba online.

Led by history professor John-Paul Himka, historian Frances Swyripa and ethnographer Natalie Kononenko, the project has been named Sanctuary.

City eyeing new heritage preservation areas www.royalcityrecord.com/City+eyeing+heritage+preservation+areas/8187396/story.html The City of New Westminster is thinking about turning parts of the old city into heritage conservation areas.

The area being considered are the Bent Court (uptown), Ash/Gloucester (Brow of the Hill), Wood Street (Queensborough) and Manitoba/Peele Street (Queen's Park) neighbourhoods.

Bayview Secondary presents first history symposium: Richmond Hill students' research projects on display www.yorkregion.com/community-story/2519013-bayview-secondary-presents-first-history-symposium
Last Thursday, Grade 12 International Baccalaureate (IB) students at Bayview Secondary School held their first-ever history symposium to display their months-long research projects on Canadian history.

Canada to Lead the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/05/holocaust-canada-alliance_n_2811138.html The newspaper reports that Canada is the Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
As the Chair, Canada is committed to an ambitious campaign to raise Holocaust awareness and fight anti-semitism at home and abroad. Canada will host a major IHRA conference in October in Toronto.

A Brief History of Canada and the Holocaust
www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/holocaust.asp?utm_source=slash-holocaust&utm_medium=short-url&utm_campaign=generic
Pictures and Story of the Week

The Library and Archives Canada says that the earliest Scots began arriving to Canada as early as the early seventeenth century. Sir William Alexander obtained permission from King James I to establish a Scottish settlement in 1622 named New Scotland or Nova Scotia.

As the third-largest ethnic group in Canada, there is a website called Clans And Scottish Societies Of Canada at http://www.cassoc.ca.

There are over 30 clans, societies, and festivals in Canada, and they list the members, and the events that are being held each year.

And the Herald Scotland newspaper reported that 8000 ran through Central Park in New York as US and Canada mark Tartan Day (April 6th). The story is in the Herald Scotland at www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/8000-run-through-central-park-as-us-canada-mark-tartan-day.1365271285

One of the places in Canada that I always check for my Scottish ancestors is Electric Scotland at http://www.electricscotland.com. There is everything Scottish at this site from history, tartans, clans and families, and much, much more.

Look for more articles next Monday April 15th.

Canadian Newspaper Articles Every Monday

Don’t forget to check my blog every Monday morning for my New/Updated Canadian Websites, Blogs, and Newspaper Articles.

This week Marianne Perry, a writer from Canada who has written a book about her grandparents from Sicily has a new website and blog, MyHeritage is interviewed at RootsTech 2013, five newspaper articles, including the news that Canada is the Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, and will host a conference this fall in Toronto.

So don’t miss the New/Updated Websites, Blogs, and Newspaper Articles blog on Monday, April 8th.

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

Elizabeth

B.C. Government Salutes Heritage Projects

Government funding will support a heritage project in Quesnel and surrounding area, said Pat Bell, MLA Prince George-MacKenzie, on behalf of the Minister for Community, Sport and Cultural Development, Bill Bennett.

The Quesnel and District Museum and Archives, plus the much-loved annual Billy Barker Days Festival, will benefit from $105,000 in B.C. government grants, for projects including -

• To help fund the 40th annual celebration of the history of the Cariboo Gold Rush - Billy Barker Days, July 18 - 21, 2013 - $25,000.

• To help preserve the archives at the Quesnel and District Museum - $5,000.

Mary Sjostrom, the mayor of Quesnel, says, "On behalf of Quesnel City Council and the Cariboo Regional District, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Minister Bennett and the Province of British Columbia for this generous donation. This contribution is significant in that the funds will assist in the safety and longevity of existing assets, historic preservation and the celebration of events and Quesnel is grateful to be recognized."

In their archives, they have a Reference Library and Research Files on families, oral history files, maps, and newspapers including The Advocate 1994-1998, Ashcroft Journal 1895-1906, The Cariboo Observer 1908-present, The Cariboo Sentinel 1865-1875, The Quesnel Advertiser / Northern Pictorial 1953-1960, The Quesnel Advisor 2002-2010, and The Quesnel Nugget 1980-1982.

To find out more about The Quesnel and District Museum and Archives, visit their website at www.quesnelmuseum.ca

For more information about Billy Barker Days, drop by
www.hellobc.com/servicefelisting/4556563/billy-barker-days-festival.aspx

To find out more about Barkerville, go to www.barkerville.ca

April 6th - Tartan Day in Canada

 

The Maple Leaf Tartan was created in 1964 by David Weiser in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of Canada's confederation in 1967.

The colours represents the changing seasons of the maple leaf as the pattern incorporates “the green of the leaves' summer foliage, the gold which first appears in the early autumn, the red which appears with the coming of the first frost, and the brown tones of the fallen leaves. The design proved to be very popular throughout Canada”.

The Maple Leaf Tartan was made an official national symbol by ministerial declaration on March 9th, 2011.

Comox Valley Family History Research Group Presents All-Day Seminar

The Comox Valley Family History Research Group will hold its all-day seminar on Saturday April 20th, 2013 at the Florence Filberg Centre Conference Hall in Courtenay, Vancouver Island, BC.

The speakers will be Glenn Wright and Lesley Anderson, both from Ottawa.

Some topics to be covered will be They Came by Ship ... Finding Immigrant Ancestors Before 1865, and Getting Here From There – Immigration Records on Ancestry and Elsewhere 1865 – 1965.

The registration fee for CVFHRG members is $65.00; non-members $75.00. Registration cut-off is 15 April 2013

You may go to www.cvfamilyhistory.org/seminars.html

LAC Opens Displays in Two Cities in Canada

Library and Archives Canada continues to display the richness and diversity of its collections with the opening of two exhibitions, one in Saskatchewan at the Mendel Art Gallery, and the other in Quebec at the the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau.

In Saskatchewan, the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon is hosting the I Know You by Heart: Portrait Miniatures exhibition until June 2, 2013. The exhibition highlights the intimate, personal nature of portrait miniatures, and the reasons that such images are commissioned and created.

In Quebec, the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau is presenting the exhibition Double Take: Portraits of Intriguing Canadians until October 14, 2013. Discover portraits of Canadians who have left—and are still leaving—their mark on our country and our culture. .

By presenting exhibitions such as these, Library and Archives Canada is able to make original works of documentary heritage accessible in galleries, museums and other community venues to Canadians across the country.

You can listen to the podcast overview of the featured works and the stories behind them at  www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/podcasts/Pages/double-take.aspx

FamilySearch UPDATE: The Canada Wiki

I just heard from Lisa who is a consultant at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City for the work on the Canada Wiki pages, and she has asked for our assistance

She says that “We are starting to post tasks on the FamilySearch Wiki to help us get the Ontario pages ready for a major renovation. If anyone would like to do some wiki reading and editing on the project they can find tasks at www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/FamilySearch_Wiki:WikiProject_Ontario

This project is in the beginning stages, but we hope to make the FamiliySearch Wiki a valuable place to find resource and record help for Ontario genealogists. As we finish Ontario we will move on to complete the same tasks in other provinces of Canada”.

So if you can help in any way, you can email Lisa at mcbridelw@familysearch.org

If you are already helping to read, write or edit Canadian Wiki Project pages at FamilySearch, let me know, so that I and the readers of this blog can recognize your good work.

Nassagaweya History Day, Campbellville, Ontario

The Nasagiweya Historical Society tells us that a day which focuses on Nassagaweya Township history and families, photo and local history exhibits will be held on Saturday April 6th from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.

There will also be a book launch for the new book Death Notices and Obituaries of Nassagaweya compiled by Joy Simpson.

The event will be held at the Nassagaweya Tennis Centre & Community Hall, Guelph Line/401, Campbellville, Ontario, and there will be free admission, and refreshments available.

You can either call Audrey Allison at 519.837.9288, or click on the website at www.nasagiweyahistoricalsociety.com/id9.html

Genealogy Resources Class at Oakville Public Library, Oakville, Ontario

The OPL is offering two classes in genealogy, and they are -

Ancestry Library Edition

Interested in researching your family roots?

This hands-on workshop will introduce you to Ancestry Library Edition and other library resources that will help you get started.

Tuesday, April 9 from 10:00am – 11:30am

Cost: Free

Genealogy Online

Feeling overwhelmed trying to sift through all of the genealogical information available on the web? This hands-on workshop shows you the best websites to use when researching your family history.

Cost: $5.65 to attend the class.

Thursday, May 16 from 10:00am – 11:00am

To register, go to www.opl.on.ca/blog/type/genealogy

Oxford County Ontario Cemeteries

Dave Cooper maintains the Oxford County Genweb page.

This cemetery webpage consists of more than 100,000 headstone photographs, maps and information of all 102 cemeteries found in the townships of the County of Oxford.

If you wish to add information to the headstone photograph site, feel free to email him anytime at oxfcem@bell.net

The Oxford County Ontario Cemeteries Webpage is at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dcoop

Breaking the Silence: British Home Children in Canada

For immediate release

April 3, 2013

Breaking the Silence: British Home Children in Canada

Ottawa-Over 120,000 children came to Canada as domestic servants and agricultural labourers from the British Isles between the 1860’s and the 1940’s. Only now are many Canadians learning that a family member was a Home Child.

The Ottawa Public Library in partnership with Ontario East Home Child Family and the British Home Child Advocacy & Research Association will present information and provide assistance in finding their stories.

Date: Saturday, April 6, 2013

Time: 1:00-4:30 p.m.

Location: Main Library, 120 Metcalfe Street, Mezzanine and Auditorium

For more information, visit www.BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca or contact InfoService at 613-580-2940 or InfoService@BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca.

This program is free and registration is not required.

Ontario GenWeb UPDATE: Cemeteries

The following cemeteries have been updated on March 16, 2013 -

Brant County

- Farringdon Cemetery

- Harley Cemetery

- Mount Hope Cemetery

- St Abner's / Landon / Dickie's Corners Cemetery

Elgin County:

- St Thomas Cemetery

Essex County:

- St Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery

Hastings County

- Mount Pleasant United Church Cemetery

Huron County

- Dungannon Cemetery Company

- Greenhill Cemetery

Leeds County

- Abandoned (Quaker) Cemetery

- Blanchard Cemetery

- Fulford Cemetery

- Greenbush / Smith's Cemetery

- Hanton Cemetery

- Holmes Cemetery

- Horton Cemetery

- Jelly Farm Cemetery

- Johns(t)on Cemetery

- Kincaid's Corners / Wiltse Pioneer Cemetery

Lincoln County

- St Anne's Church Cemetery

Middlesex County

- Strathroy Cemetery

- Woodland Cemetery

Northumberland County

- Centre Cemetery

- English Line / Tabernacle United Cemetery

Simcoe County

- Rich Hill United Church Cemetery

York County

- Hartman Cemetery

Anne Chamberlain, Deb Belcher, Alison Mitchell-Reid, Jim Anderson, Lorna Eggert, Marilyn Whiting, Sharon Mattiuz, and Tom Thompson shpuld be thanked for the indexing, and thanks should be given to Anne Chamberlain, Nancy Ross-Hill & Kevin Ross, Georgia Kovalik, Brian Smith, Joanne Bushell, Norma Falconer, W. Blanchard, Carol Ann Best, Dorcas Aunger, Sharon Burkhard, Sharon Mattiuz, John De Lange, Art Currie, and Ken Stephenson for photos of the cementeries.

Go to http://canadacems.blogspot.com/2013/03/ontario-update_16.html

Glace Bay Heritage Museum Society

The Old Town Hall of the Glace Bay Heritage Museum needs your help.

The Old Town Hall will mark its 110th anniversary this year, and the society will be starting phase three of the restoration project — the basement.

The foundation has seriously deteriorated resulting in mould, mildew and bad air quality, and the restoration will be cost nearly $400,000 to fix the foundation.

You may telephone the Old Town Hall at 842-5345 or send a donation to The Glace Bay Heritage Museum Society, PO Box 580, Glace Bay, N.S. B1A 6G4

Or you can go to the website, click http://home.seaside.ns.ca/~gbhms/gift.html

Ancestry.ca UPDATE: Free Access

The publicity department of Ancestry.ca has sent me the news that they will be offering FREE access to their collection of First World War historical records from April 9th to 12th.

This is in recognition of Canada's part in the defeat of the enemy in the Battle of Vimy which was highlighted by me in yesterday's post entitled Pictures and Story of the Week: The Battle of Vimy Ridge at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2013/04/newupdated-canadian-websites-blogs.html

Ancestry.ca UPDATE: Scottish Immigration in the USA and Canada, 1825-1875

Ancestry.ca has put on the database of the David Dobson book Scots in the USA and Canada. 1825-1875.

It records details about Scottish immigrants who came to the U.S. and Canada during the mid- to later-19th century. The information is taken mainly from newspaper accounts, as well as archival documents such as passenger records.

The database may include the following:

•name

•year or date of birth

•place of birth or residence

•father’s name

•spouse’s name

•year or date of death

•place of death

•occupation

There people were skilled workers who were educated, and many of them came from urban industrial backgrounds. They was a great demand for them in the rapidly industrializing cities of North America.

Go to http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=4907

New/Updated CANADIAN Websites, Blogs, Facebook, and Newspaper Articles - 01 April 2013

I have come across the following Canadian websites, blogs, Facebook, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too –

Websites

There were no new/improved websites this past week.

Blogs

ActiveHistory.ca (History Matters) http://activehistory.ca This is a blog that has the latest news about people and places in Canadian history.

The Armchair Genealogist, Lynn Palermo, www.thearmchairgenealogist.com, has written an e-book called The Complete Guide to The Family History Interview, and she talks about it in a post entitled, “The Timid Family Historian”. This free e-book is available as a download on her site.

Facebook - Video – YouTube

Jill Ball, a genealogist from Australia, has over a dozen YouTube interviews with “the movers and shakers” at the RootsTech 2013 conference, including oneinterview with Dennis Brimhall, CEO of FamilySearch, at http://geniaus.blogspot.no/2013/03/what-opportunity.html

You can view my own blog posting of Jill’s interviews at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2013/03/jill-ball-and-dennis-brimhall-of.html

Newspaper Articles

A $50,000 project would create a virtual museum to preserve Saskatchewan military history.

The Regina Leader Post reports that the Honourable Kevin Doherty, Saskatchewan’s Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, wants to create a "virtual" museum that preserves oral history - specifically, the recollections of Saskatchewanians who have served in Canada's military.
www.leaderpost.com/news/military+history+project/8135684/story.html

Grand Pré Renovation Wins Award www.novanewsnow.com/Living/Community/2013-03-23/article-3205318/Grand-Pre-renovation-wins-award/1The owners of the Rayski House in Grand Pré were recently declared winners in preserving Nova Scotia’s built heritage by Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia.

Editorial: Ottawa's muzzling of librarians' free speech is intolerable www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/editorials/Editorial+Ottawa+muzzling+librarians+free+speech+intolerable/8146848/story.html

Ottawa's deliberate muzzling of federal librarians and archivists—a move which comes complete with a new code of conduct, jargon about "high-risk" activities, threats of discipline, and a hotline to rat out miscreants—is truly chilling.

AND

To go along with this is a post called “The Library and Archives Canada 2013-2014 Report on Plans and Priorities” on John D. Reid’s blog, Anglo–Celtic Connections, http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/2013/03/lac-rpp-2013-14.html.

Take note of his last sentence on the subject – “For the same period, they target 60% of clients being able to find what they are looking for online. As less than 1% of LAC material is online, that seems like a hugely ambitious target”.

Tracing your family tree: Websites open doors to the stories of our ancestors

Valerie Gibson of Ottawa tells of a story of how her direct ancestors – John and Jane German – died in a rowboat accident in the Hay Bay area near Napanee, Ontario, on their way to a Methodist revival meeting. www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Tracing+your+family+tree/8165562/story.html#ixzz2OvxGTKP7

On another similar note, I just finished editing a paper for the May 2013 edition of the Ontario Genealogical Society’s journal, Families, concerning the Bible Christian Connexion, which was founded in 1815 as an evangelical sect of the Methodist Church.

Pictures and Story of the Week

The Battle of Vimy Ridge

On April 9th, Canadians will commemorate the 96^th anniversary of Vimy Ridge, one of the battles in which Canadians gave of their lives for their country.

There will be many ceremonies that will take place across the country, and overseas in France. Visit http://veterans.gc.ca/eng/feature/vimy-ridge to get a history of the battle, and what it meant to Canada.

Vimy Ridge wall carvings focus of presentation at Eldon House in London, Ontario on April 7^th www.londoncommunitynews.com/whatson-story/2515373-vimy-ridge-wall-carvings-focus-of-presentation-at-eldon-house-april-7

Zenon Andrusyszyn, founder of the Canadian Historical Documentation & Imaging Group (CANADIGM), will provide digital documentation of WWI carvings near Vimy Ridge.

As of this posting, there were only 15 (free) tickets remaining. To register, go to http://vimytunnels.eventbrite.ca/#.

Look for more articles next Monday, April 8^th.

CANADIAN Newspaper Articles Every Monday Morning

Don’t forget to check my blog every Monday morning for my New/Updated CANADIAN Websites, Blogs, and Newspaper Articles.

This week I have put Pictures and Story of the Week on the 96th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, story of a couple who were on their way to a Methodist revival meeting and died in a boating accident, and a Canadian blogger, Lynn Palermo, who has written and published a FREE e-book on writing family history.

So don’t miss the New/Updated Websites, Blogs, and Newspaper Articles blog on Monday April 1st.

It has been a regular blog since April 23rd, 2012.

Elizabeth

Happy Easter!

Spring is starting to remove all of the snow we had this winter, it is starting to turn warmer, and the genealogical conference season is starting again in Canada. Is there any better time than Spring?

May you have a lovely day, and may all of our thoughts turn to great times as we meet old friends at meeting and conferences, and discover new records over the coming months!

Jill Ball and Dennis Brimhall of FamilySearch at RootsTech 2013

 

Whew! I think that I have read every blog, and viewed every video, available on RootsTech 2013!

Now I would like to say something about Australian Jill Ball's interviews for her blog, Geniaus.

She did over a dozen interviews with everyone from Alan Phillips and Alona Tester of Unlock the Past from Australia, to genealogist Else Churchill from The Society of Genealogists and Alec Tritton, Chairman of The Halsted Trust from London,  England, and so on. I especially liked the interview she did with Dennis Brimhall, CEO of FamilySearch.

During the interview, he said that they are always looking for indexers at FamilySearch. Right nw, they have 170,000 people, but they are always looking for more.

And on the emphasis of stories at this year's conference, Brimhall said that we, as genealogists, need to be "more than just dates": we need to be seen by the public as the tellers of stories about our families. This is the way to bring young people into the family search fields - tell the stories about their families.

So listen to the interviews, and see if you agree with me in saying that the people were interesting, and had lots of interesting things to say.

If you wish to see the Brimhall interview, go to her post entitled, "What an Opportunity", at http://geniaus.blogspot.com/2013/03/what-opportunity.html

AGM meeting of the PEIGS

The public is invited to the Annual General Meeting of the Prince Edward Island Genealogical Society on Saturday April 13 at 2:00 p.m. at Beaconsfield's Carriage House, located at the corner of Kent and West Streets in Charlottetown.

The guest speaker will be David Hooper, co-chair of the 2009 PEI Coles Reunion and descendant of George Coles who emigrated to PEI about 1809. His topic is Coles: Brash, Outspoken and Progressive, 200 years of a PEI family.

Questions and discussion will follow the presentation.

Information on the activities of the PEI Genealogical Society will be available to all, as will memberships for anyone wishing to renew or support the society by joining for a first time. Admission is Free.

For more information email fredchorne@gmail.com, ot go to www.peigs.ca

No Easter Databases

I have checked with Ancestry.ca, and there isn't any free access to their historical databases this weekend for the Easter holiday.

However, on their Facebook page, they do tell us that they still have available their Family Tree Sweepstakes.

If you haven't entered yet, you can start here at www.facebook.com/Ancestry.ca

Spring Seminar Series - New Brunswick Genealogical Society

In April, the New Brunswick Genealogical Society is holding three Spring Seminars on the calendar, and they are –

Exploring the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick Website

On Saturday, April 13th, there will be a meeting at 10:00 am to 12:00 am at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, 23 Dineen Drive (UNB Campus) Fredericton, NB. The talk will be presented by Mary-Ellen Badeau. 

The Loyalist Collection (Harriet Irving Library UNB)

On Saturday, April 20th, there will be a meeting from 10:00 am to 12:00 am at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, 23 Dineen Drive (UNB Campus) Fredericton, NB, and it will be presented by Kathryn Hilder.

New Brunswick Court Records

On Saturday, April 27th, there will be a meeting from 10:00 am to 12:00 am at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, 23 Dineen Drive (UNB Campus) Fredericton, NB, and the talk will be given by Joanna Aiton-Kerr.

There is no registration fee for this seminar. There will be a donation basket in the room for donations to the Associates of the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick.

Bring your own lunch. Research time in the afternoon.

To read about other programs available in April, go to www.nbgs.ca/events.php

Bytown/Ottawa Settlers in the 1800s

Jim Stanzell, from the Ottawa Branch of the OGS, says today that he will post the settlers of three distinct settlements in the Ottawa area during the 1800s on the Ottawa Branch blogsite .

The settlements are –

1. Hull, Quebec settled by Philemon Wright in 1800

2. Richmond Military Settlement, mainly Goulbourn Twp, Richmond, Stittsville and Ashton area, which started in the fall of 1818 and consisted mainly of soldiers of the 99th/100th Reg't

3. Rideau Canal settlement started when Lt/Col John By came to the area [eventually Bytown ] in 1826/1827 to build the Rideau Canal

He says that he will post on alternate Wednesdays between visits to Ottawa City Archives where he will gather info/data to post and rotate thru the three settlements above.

In 2 weeks time, on the 10 Apr 2013, there will be data/info on Hull and Philemon Wright settlers.

To read the post, go to  http://ogsottawa.blogspot.com/2013/03/bytownottawa-settlers.html

Manitoba Genealogical Society is going to have online databases

The MGS recently made an announcement that they are planning to put online indexes of cemeteries, vital records information etc and it will be available to members and non-members alike.  The records will be on a pay-for-view basis.

They say that they will have indexes of historical records that even Ancestry.ca does not have!

Also, some time ago, I read that the Manitoba Genealogical Society was offering a discount on membership fees if you were also a member of the Ontario Genealogical Society and/or the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society.

I had an inquiry into the society about the amount of the discount before I reported it to my readers, and now I have the answer - the discount is $5.00 CDN.

Thank to the MGS for letting us know of their plans for 2013, and beyond. This sounds exciting, and I look forward to it as I have the family of Rev. Joseph Hogg from Nova Scotia in Manitoba at the turn of the 20th century.

To go to their website, go to www.mbgenealogy.com

2013 AGS Conference

The Alberta Genealogical Society invites you to join them in celebrating their 40th Anniversary Conference “Same Roots, Different Branches” at the Chateau Louis Conference Centre, Edmonton, Alberta on 20 & 21 April 2013.

The conference committee have the pleasure of bringing the most electrifying and diverse international, regional and local speakers to maximize your conference experience.

The lineup of presenters include:

Stephen Young

Lisa Louise Cooke

Dave Obee

Pat Ryan

Deanna Bullock

Lyn Meehan

John Althouse

Alison Freake

Vernon R. Wishart

The conference opens with Stephen C. Young, a project manager with FamilySearch. His topic will be FamilySearch: Genealogy at Your Fingertips. Stephen will explore features and services on FamilySearch, WIKI that provides valuable research guidance, and information about indexing—an opportunity to “pay-it-forward”.

Fot those who are new to genealogy, there will be A Beginner’s Track is recommended for those just starting, however all participants at any level are more than welcome to attend.

Numerous door prizes, vendor merchandise and publications from AGS Branches will be for sale. And attendees have the privilege of pre-conference tours to Edmonton’s diverse specialized libraries and archives on Friday, 19 April 2013.

Registrations are now being accepted at www.abgensoc.ca/events.html#agsconf

Early bird special will end soon!

Ealy bird registration will end on March 31st, 2013 at the OGS Conference in Oshawa this year.

For all other questions, please email Anne Delong, Conference Chair, at conference2013@ogs.on.ca and she will either answer your question or direct you to someone who can.

To read all about the conference, go to www.ogs.on.ca/conference2013

Nova Scotia Genealogy Website Available in French

The website with nearly a million possibilities for people to search for their Nova Scotia roots is now available in French.

The Historical Vital Statistics website, maintained by the Nova Scotia Archives, has a searchable database containing nearly one million personal names. Each is linked to a corresponding birth, death or marriage registration, digitized and available online. The earliest records date from the mid-1700s and the most recent from the 1960s.

"One of the ways the province is making life better for Acadian and francophone families is by creating more access to bilingual services online," said Communities Culture and Heritage Minister Leonard Preyra. "The Historical Vital Statistics website is an invaluable genealogical tool for Nova Scotians to explore our family history and learn more about our culture and heritage."

The website is the only one of its kind in Canada that people can browse for records about their genealogy free of charge. The website is a popular destination for family history researchers and community historians from Nova Scotia and around the world.

To search for records on the Historical Vital Statistics website go to www.novascotiagenealogy.com. People can also purchase electronic or paper copies of the documents by ordering online and paying via secure credit card transaction.

The Historical Vital Statistics website includes records transferred from Vital Statistics after 100 years for births, 50 years for deaths and 75 years for marriages.

The United Church of Canada’s Toronto Archives Is Moving

This is a press release that was released on their website on March 6, 2013, and may be of interest to my readers -

Toronto: The United Church of Canada announced today that its Toronto-based archives will be moving this summer from its current location at the United Church’s national office in west-end Toronto to the Toronto Christian Resource Centre in the Regent Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto.

In announcing the decision on the new location for the archives, Nora Sanders, General Secretary of the General Council, said, “I am pleased that this move will mean not only that we will be saving a considerable amount of money but also that as a tenant we will be financially supporting a local United Church ministry.”

Sanders says that in addition to being able to house the United Church’s archival collection now located at the General Council Office at 3250 Bloor Street West in Toronto, the new location at 40 Oak Street offers more than enough space to accommodate records that are currently stored off-site at an archival facility.

She explains the decision to move the archives ahead of the anticipated relocation of the General Council Office to Bloor Street United Church in 2018 was an opportunity that made financial sense for all parties to the five-year lease agreement.

The United Church of Canada supports a network of archives situated in eight different locations throughout Canada. The archives in Toronto manages the records of the General Council and the Central Ontario Conference records of Bay of Quinte, London, Hamilton, Manitou, and Toronto Conferences and their respective presbyteries and pastoral charges. The church’s archives outside of Ontario are not affected by the move.

The United Church’s Toronto archives moved to its current location in 2008, after more than 50 years on the campus of the University of Toronto’s Victoria University. No decision has been made about whether the Archives will move again when the General Council Office relocates to Bloor Street United Church.

Nichole Vonk, General Council Archivist, will oversee the monumental task of moving close to 20,000 boxes of records to the new site. The church will be contracting specialized movers, the new location will meet the institutional standards set by the Canadian Council of Archives, and all the records will continue to be administered by professional staff.

Although not located directly on a subway line, the Archives’ new location at 40 Oak Street is easily accessible by public transit, will have on-site parking, and is closer to the United Church’s theological school at the University of Toronto.

While planning and preparations are underway to move the collection from its current location,

•the Archives will remain open during regular public hours until June 6, 2013.

•the Archives will not receive any records deposits after April 30, 2013. Records can be donated to the Archives when it reopens in September 2013.

•the Archives will be closed to all researchers June 10–September 15, 2013, reopening in the new location September 16, 2013.

•the Archives will continue to provide reference service for certificates or legal requests while it is closed to the public.

Vonk emphasizes that, throughout the transition, the church remains committed to providing continued uninterrupted, open access to its archival records related to residential schools for the purposes of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

For up-to-date information about The United Church of Canada’s archival programs and on the move, see the Archives webpage. Questions and concerns about the move should be directed to Nichole Vonk, General Council Archivist.

The archival website is at www.united-church.ca/local/archives/on

New/Updated CANADIAN Websites, Blogs, Facebook, and Newspaper Articles - 25 March 2013

I have come across the following Canadian websites, blogs, Facebook, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too –

Websites

There were no new/improved websites this past week.

Blog

If you want to get the Canadian viewpoint of RootsTech 2013, John D. Reid was there and reported on the events is his blog Anglo Cektic Connections at
www.anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com

And Diane Rodger was there also, and you can check her blog at CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt' at http://canadagenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/03/canadagenealogy-at-rootstech-2013.html

Facebook - Video – You Tube

Have you been to DearMrytle Facebook page yet, and seen her Genealogy Community? Lots of Canadians listen every Monday to DearMyrt.

Today at noontime (Eastern), she will have her weekly meet-up, and if you want to be up-to-date on genealogy happening around the world, she will have it. As she says, it is “A newsy, "across Myrt's desk" event, exploring all types of genealogy research techniques, challenges, technology and such”.

Go to her Facebook page to catch up on the latest news, www.facebook.com/DearMYRTLE, and her YouTune page to hear her Monday at noon (Eastern) www.youtube.com/user/DearMYRTLE

Newspaper Articles

Public Libraries Under The Gun: Long-time neglect is catching up, say advocates
http://halifax.mediacoop.ca/blog/robert-devet/16796 Read how the libraries in rural Nova Scotia are struggling to maintain service to sparse and dwindling populations.

Rare Manitoba photos of Louis Riel found in Aus www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2013/03/08/mb-rare-photos-louis-riel-austrialia-manitoba.html Rare, historic photographs of Louis Riel and Manitoba, taken in the 1860s and 1870s, were found amongst civil war memorabilia at a recent auction in Australia!

Discovering Sudbury's history http://www.thesudburystar.com/2013/03/23/ent--discovering-sudburys-history Nancy Vaillancourt of the OGS Sudbury Branch has written a column about the town’s history.

Rosa Harris-Adler: Listen carefully to heed call of long-gone forebears www.timescolonist.com/life/rosa-harris-adler-listen-carefully-to-heed-call-of-long-gone-forebears-1.96655 Learn how the writer sees her grandmother in the story she tells of her life.

Pictures and Story of the Week

The story this week has been RootsTech 2013 in Salt Lake City.

You can re-visit RootsTech and watch Live Streaming of some of the talks that were given at the conference. Go to www.RootsTech.org

You can see all three Keynote addresses, and two panel discussion session that I particularly liked which were The Future of Genealogy with Thomas MacEntee and panel, and The Genealogists Gadget Bag - Jill Ball and panel.

Both of these sessions really honed in on the “genealogy community” by discussing what genealogists would be looking for over the next five years (more records, ‘how-to-do’ websites, more crowd sourcing projects), and Jill Ball and her crew gave a good run through of what the genealogists carries with them when they go to cemeteries, reunions, and meetings.

The next conference will be held February 6, 7, and 8th, 2014 in Salt Lake City.

Look for more articles next Monday April 1st.

CANADIAN Newspaper Articles Every Monday

Don’t forget to check my blog every Monday morning for my New/Updated CANADIAN Websites, Blogs, and Newspaper Articles.

This week in the section Pictures and Story of the Week, I have put RootsTech 2013. So be sure to read the Canadian happenings at RootsTech.

So don’t miss the New/Updated Websites, Blogs, and Newspaper Articles blog on Monday March 25th.

It has been a regular blog since April 23, 2012.

Elizabeth

The Nova Scotia Genealogist Fall 2012 Issue

This will probably be the last printed The Novas Scotia Genealogist, as they are going to electronic newsletter shortly.

In this issue, they have Immigrants and Newcomers Married at St Johns Church, Lunenburg, 1817-1851 by Terry Punch. The church was founded in 1753, and is an Anglican Church.

There have been additions to the 42 marriages that were put on index cards by Heather Long. The additions include children who were baptised in the church.

Andrew White the Planter – an Update by W. Warner to an article submitted in 2011, in which he discussed the problem between Andrew White of Sudbury, Massachusetts and Andrew White of Marshfield, Massachusetts. Who was the Planter in Nova Scotia?

The writer disproves through the Massachusetts Archives that Andrew White of Marshfield was not the Planter who settled in the Annapolis Valley.

The third article in the newsletter is The Hillcrest Mine Disaster and the Nova Scotia Connection by M. Bole .

The mining disaster occurred in Hillcrest, Alberta, and 189 miners were killed in 1914. Twenty-three miners were from Nova Scotia and the author gives a brief history of each of the minters.

The names of the miners were –

BARBER, James (Barbour)

BAINBRIDGE, Sidney H.

BINGHAM, Frederick Seymour

EMERY, David

GREY, James F.

HOOD, John

HUNTER, Hugh

JOHNSTON, Alfred and William

McISAAC, Roderick

McKAY, Angus H.

McKINNON, John B.

McKINNPON, Stephen

McNEIL, Pius

McQUARRIE, John A.

MEGENCY, Nicholas (Megeney)

MOORHOUSE, Frederick (Moorehouse, Muirhouse)

NEATH, William Henry

QUIGLEY, James S.

QUIGLEY, Thomas

ROBERTSON, George

WALKER, John (Donald John)

WALLACE, Rod

The writer has three other name of miners who may hace spent time in Nova Scotia, and they are Frank Bostock, Prosper Days, John Pearson, and she needs information on the following – August Fougere, William Miller, and William G. Miller.

The website for GANS is http://www.NovaScotiaAncestors.ca

FamilySearch Indexing Update – Who will index or arbitrate the billionth record?

Here is a message from FamilySearch -

Since the launch of FamilySearch indexing in September of 2006, over 984 million records have been indexed and arbitrated! The advances of technology and the dedication of our volunteers have increased the speed with which we can process and deliver records for publication. We are so close to reaching one billion records indexed and arbitrated! Join us in a global effort to reach this goal. Who will be the one to index or arbitrate the billionth record? Will it be you? Start indexing today!

Special prizes will be given to the indexers and arbitrator of the billionth record.

To view a list of currently available indexing projects, along with their record language and completion percentage, visit the FamilySearch indexing updates at www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/FamilySearch_Indexing_Updates. To learn more about individual projects, view the FamilySearch projects page at https://indexing.familysearch.org/projtab/current_projects.jsf

Anglo-Celtic Connections Spring 2013 Issue

Once again, the BIFHSGO’s journal is full of news about the society, and the articles in this issue are of interest to me because two of them take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, my home city and province.

The first article is by Faye Kert and is entitled Prize-making in the War of 1812, Relatively Speaking.

It concerns the privateers who lurked around the Nova Scotia coast to catch ships that plied cargo and people (immigrants) back and forth to England. And one of the ships that was caught in the war was the Magnet on their way from Ireland to New York, and it was a ship full of Irish immigrants.

The ship was captured, and had to put into Halifax, where it was auctioned in April 1813.

It so happen that a person in Nova Scotia, Amanda Lightbody, who saw Faye’s notice about the talk that she gave at BIFHSGO’s monthly meeting on exactly the same topic that was covered in Spring edition of Anglo-Celtic Roots. Amanda got in contact with BIFHSGO, and another article was born - The Search for James Lighbody and the Magnet’s Passesger List.

She couldn’t find any information on the ship Magnet until she saw the BIFHSGO notice on the website, and then it all fell into place.

James Lightbody, one of the 100 immigrants, who landed in Halifax, spent most of his time between Maine and Nova Scotia, but other members lived in the Truro area of the province.

The remainder of journal include In Search of Hugh by Christine Woodcock, and Genealogy: the Motivations, the Investments, the Rewards by Leighann Neilson and D.A. Muise.

To go to BIFHSGO, click on to the www.bifhsgo.ca

WANT TO WIN A "GLEANINGS"?

To celebrate the official return of Spring, Malcolm and Chris Moody of Archive CD Books Canada, are running a competition for you to win one of five Gleanings that the Archive CD Books Canada are going to give away.

All you have to do is make your way to their Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/ArchiveCDBooksCanada “LIKE” their page, scroll down to their posting announcing this competition and “LIKE” that posting, and you are entered. They will let the competition run for a week and on the 28th of March they will message the winners via. Facebook telling them how to collect the prize.
The easiest way to review all of their Gleanings is to go to their web site www.archivecdbooks.ca/acdbcanada.html and navigate to the “Search Page”.

In the “Product Number” slot enter “CAG” (without the parenthesis), click on “Search” and you will get a list of the almost 100 titles they have available. Clicking on the “More” button to the right of each entry will take you to the page for that Gleaning in their catalogue so you can read more about it. Make a note of your selection so you can tell them which one you have chosen when you win.

Gleanings are a downloadable files containing a complete digital (PDF) image of a short publication, or an extract from a longer one, which contains some useful information about subjects of value to genealogists and historians. By eliminating the “transport media” (the CD) they can offer these valuable “snippets” at affordable prices and deliver them almost immediately, directly to your computer.

Go to www.archivecdbooks.ca/acdbcanada.html

RootsTech Is Growing!

FamilySearch has just announced that the RootsTech  conference is expanding this fall into 17 centres in 16 countries.

And the year following that, they will hold 600 RootsTech Conferences around the world – it is going global!

They expect 120,00 people to attend these conferences.

You can go to RootsTech 2013 at www.rootstech.org

New Logo for FamilySearch

It looks like there is going to be a 'new look' for FamilySearch, with a new logo and landing page to be debuted in April of 2013.

The news of this happening come from DearMyrtle, having witnessed its unveiling at a supper the other night at RootsTech 2013.

Pictures from the people who attended the dinner is on her Facebook page at https://plus.google.com/s/%23RootsTech

Thanks, DearMyrtle!

RootsTech 2013 – Live Streaming Day 3

March the 23rd will be the last day of Live Streaming of the RootsTech 2013 Conference.

It is reported that there are 6,800+ people who have registered for the conference- which starts today! And that doesn’t count ‘walk ins’. So it should be a well attended conference.

Here is the schedule for Saturday –

Saturday    

10:30 AM Eastern  Keynote - David Pogue and Gilad Japhet

11:45 AM Eastern Using Technology to Solve Research Problems - Karen Clifford

1:00 AM Eastern Digital Storytelling: More than Bullet Points - Denise Olson

Join the conversation at #RootsTech

Like on Facebook Follow @RootstechConf on Twitter

Or go to http://rootstech.org