UPDATE: Release of a new version of the Census of Canada, 1871 database

The Library and Archives Canada has just released a new version of the Census of Canada, 1871 database. This first general census covered the four provinces that were then part of Confederation: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

The new version includes suggestions for corrections received from users in recent months, as well as revised district and sub-district information.

If you want to check the 1871 Census, go to www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1871/Pages/1871.aspx

What's New in Genetic Genealogy?

On May 18th, 2013, there will be a meeting of the Quinte OGS Branch at which John D Reid from the blog Anglo-Celtic Connections, will present a talk about What's New in Genetic Genealogy?

The DNA we each carry in trillions of cells of our body is a natural genealogical record waiting to be read. Understanding based on new discoveries is becoming available to us all through personal DNA tests at ever more reasonable cost offered on a commercial basis.

The presentation will discuss how you can find connections to cousins back a few generations and gain insight into your deep ancestry through autosomal DNA tests, which can be taken equally by men and women.

The talk will take place at Quinte West City Hall Library, 7 Creswell Drive, Trenton, Ontario

The website is at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canqbogs/index.htm

Ancestry.ca Offers Mother’s Day Discount

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and it often means one thing for many moms – quality time spent with her family. This year, give Mom that quality time by working together to create your family tree.

When you make it from Ancestry.ca, it makes it easier than ever to create your family tree and discover the story of your family’s past.

Learning about your family’s history is an enriching and meaningful way to spend time with Mom, and can create memories that will be cherished forever.

Family Tree Maker starts at just $39.99 USD, and for a limited time, Ancestry.ca is offering readers of this blog a special Mother’s Day discount of 25% off.

The discount is at - www.ancestry.ca/mothersday.

Disclosure: I am a paid subscriber of Ancestry.ca, but I am not employed by Ancestry.com, or their various divisions, in any capacity.

UPDATE: Niagara Peninsula Branch OGS

Steve Fulton U.E, the Chair of the Niagara Peninsula Branch OGS, brings us up-to-date about happenings at the local branch of the Chair of the Niagara Peninsula -

“First of all, I would like to share about our upcoming General Meeting: Thursday May 9th – this meeting will be streamed to the internet if you are unable to make it. See the firestions of the main page.

Renee Tetreault is a founding member of the Welland Branch of the Franco Ontarien Society of History and Genealogy now known as the Resau Du Patrimoine Franco Ontarien. Renee has served for more than thirty years as the expert who assists researchers at their Centre for Research in the Welland Public Library. She will describe the extensive holdings of their library in and offer suggestions for researching in Quebec. Meeting starts at 7 pm.

Now for some other updates from Niagara.

The Morse and Sons index on our website has been recently updated. We've added three more years to it, from 1960 to Sept 1963. There are now names in this index. Year Range: 1828 to 1963 - don't miss the index and the possibility of finding a connection.

The Canadian Headstones Project - the Welland Historical Society has joined forces with the branch and has taken the Welland Cemeteries on and is in the process of placing them on line starting with Woodlawn. Please visit the site often as St Andrews in St Catharines and Pelham Hickside Quaker Cemeteries have been photographed this weekend and should be on the site soon. Other volunteers have stepped forward to help and we thank them for their effort. We need help with photographing cemeteries if you are interested please contact the branch directly.

**This just in - All volunteers for Canadian Headstones Niagara Project: Today we passed 20,000 names in the Niagara Index. Great going! Thanks for all your dedication!** Thanks to Robert Halfyard for his hard work!!

The Welland Historical Society and myself had the opportunity to be interview on Brock University Radio – The interview talk about the Branch and all the good things we are doing as well the Canadian Headstones Project – click on the link to listen too:
http://www.ogs.on.ca/niagara/radio_interview_2013.mp3

Finally if you are on Facebook and have not been on our page, you are missing all the great things going on there”.

For the Niagara Peninsula Branch, go to www.ogs.on.ca/niagara

BIFHSGO Conference registration is now online

Brian Glenn tells us that the 2013 British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) Conference registration is now open. Both the mail-in form and the online application are now online.

The conference theme this year will be Ireland, and there will be many speakers there, such as, Eileen Ó Dúill (an international probate genealogical researcher from Ireland), Linda Reid (a Canadian genealogists), and Lisa Louise Cooke (an American genealogist with knowledge of new technology is outstanding). There will be many topics presented which should be of interest to those whose research area is Ireland.

For information about the 2013 Conference to be held from Sept 20 to 22, you can go to www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=22

Canadian Week in Review

06 May 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

Heritage Ships www.heritage-ships.com $$ While researching various immigrant routes from Europe to Canada, I came across this site which has photos of different Canadian (and others ports) ports.

Blogs

PEI Heritage Buildings http://peiheritagebuildings.blogspot.com/2013/05/springtime-on-prince-edward-island.html I have written about this blog before, and it bears mentioning again, because Carter has been out taking more pictures of buildings (houses, factories, barns) in Canada’s smallest province - Prince Edward Island.

Climbing Greenwood http://climbinggreenwood.wordpress.com This blog covers the surname of GREENWOOD in Quebec (1638-1860s), and New Brunswick (17th and 18th centuries). I am sure that you will be taken, as I was, by the account of cholera in Quebec, where the province lost “3,800 people dead in the three and a half months after the first victim fell in June, 1832.”

Facebook- YouTube – Video

There is a short 30 second video called Celebrate Canada’s Asian Heritage www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/multimedia/video/celebrate-asian-heritage/celebrate-asian-heritage.asp with transcript.

Newspapers

Chignecto-Central Regional Heritage Fair www.ccrsb.ednet.ns.ca/node/493 To see who won this year’s Heritage Fair, go to www.trurodaily.com/News/Local/2013-05-03/article-3233910/ChignectoCentral-Regional-Heritage-Fair/1

Calgary author Tyler Trafford traces an unlikely family history full of loss, secrets and the famous wartime great escape www.calgaryherald.com/Calgary+author+Tyler+Trafford+traces+unlikely+family+history+full+loss+secrets+famous+wartime+great/8316599/story.html#ixzz2S3j2i87a Gail from Montreal just recently read this book and here is what she had to say “I read this terrific book in two short days. A great read, especially for genealogists who are thinking about writing their family history. It is wonderful to read how the author uncovers a love story in 99 letters and telegrams written during WWII”.

Bruce Cockburn donates archives to McMaster University http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2013/05/02/hamilton-mcmaster-bruce-cockburn-archives.html He will donate notebooks, musical arrangements, gold records, letters, scrapbooks, nearly 1,000 recordings and even three guitars

A man on a mission across Canada http://www.northernlife.ca/news/localNews/2013/05/04-kevin-mccormick-sudbury.aspx Kevin McCormick is on an 18-month mission to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War by ensuring that the sacrifices made by the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces are not forgotten.

D.V. Currie Armoury marks centennial anniversary www.mjtimes.sk.ca/News/Local/2013-05-04/article-3234237/D.V.-Currie-Armoury-marks-centennial-anniversary/1 Many of Canada’s armouries are celebrating their 100th year anniversary this year, and D.W. Currie Armoury in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan is celebrating theirs this year.

Cruise caters to genealogists http://commercial-news.com/local/x730868612/Cruise-caters-to-genealogists The ninth annual Wholly Genes Genealogy Conference and Cruise is being planned for Oct 17-25, with about 17 hours of genealogy and technology lectures offered on the ship.

The ship will depart from Baltimore, Md., and then visit Portland, Maine; Bar Harbor, Maine; St. John, New Brunswick; and Halifax, Nova Scotia before returning to Baltimore.

Pictures and Story of the Week

Asian Heritage Month

Asian Heritage Month has been celebrated in the United States since 1979, but in December 2001, the Senate adopted a motion proposed by Senator Vivienne Poy (a former OGS Patron) to officially designate May as Asian Heritage Month in Canada. In May 2002, the Government of Canada signed an official declaration to designate May as Asian Heritage Month

There is a Calendar of Events at www.asianheritagemonth.net/pages/events/2013.php

There is a game for the children at Asian Heritage Month Word Find www.cic.gc.ca/english/games/ahm/index.asp

The next Canadian Week in Review will be issued Monday May 13, 2013

Battle of the Atlantic

                          
The Battle of the Atlantic was Canada’s single longest continuous military engagement of the Second World War. It took place from September 1939 to May 1945.

Today is remembered as the Battle of the Atlantic Sunday in Canada, and there will be many ceremonies that will take place across the country.

For almost six years, the men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Merchant Navy fought the enemy in the North Atlantic to ensure vital supplies reached Europe.

After receiving more training, air cover, special intelligence and better equipment, the Battle of the Atlantic reached a turning point in May 1943

However, despite all efforts, enemy forces sunk over 70 merchant vessels, claiming the lives of over 1,600 Canadian crew members

Please visit the Flickr album that the Library and Archives Canada has put on to view the photos of the Battle of the Atlantic at www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/sets/72157633223398662

Canada’s Naval History www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/navy/home-e.aspx The Canadian war museum has an online historical exhibit.

70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/feature/battle-atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was Canada's longest military engagement of the Second World War, lasting from September 1939 to May 1945

Remembering the Battle of the Atlantic www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/straighttalk/archives/2013/05/20130504-160903.html The Sun News has a story of the Battle of the Atlantic "longest, largest, and most complex" naval battle in history

BIFHSGO Monthly Meeting

On Saturday, May 11, The Bitish Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa  (BIFGSGO) will hold a pre-meeting which will feature Comparing FTM, Legacy and Rootsmagic - An Overview which is a part of Before BIFHSGO Education Talks at 9:00 am, and it will be presented by Ken McKinlay.

The main presentation called Building a One-Name Study: The Influence of Computers, The Internet, and DNA will be held from 10:00 am to 11:30 am, and it will be presented by Bill Arthurs.

This presentation will feature the Titus One-Name Study from its inception before the era of computers, through its progression with the advent of the internet, construction of a website, and the use of DNA research.

You can go to and listen to Bill at http://bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=106 as he talks with Brooke Broadbent about his start in genealogy and One Name Studies.

If you are interested in certain surnames, you can check the surnames on http://bifhsgo.ca/surname.php. There are 1, 293 Internet pages onsite.

The website of BIFHSGO is http://bifhsgo.ca

The Ottawa Genealogist

The Spring/Summer 2013 edition of The Ottawa Genealogist has been released, and it contains an interesting article, and index. It is published by the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society.

The article is by John Patton and it is called the Ballad of Syd and Annie: A Genealogical Mystery, and it is a story of two people, whose story is totally unbelievable. Sydney Frank LEWER (1892- c.1925), is an Englishman who immigrated to Canada in 1909. He gave so many birthdates, it is difficult to understand exactly when he was born. And the plot thickens when he meets Annie HOSKO. There was apparent deception in an adoption process of a son, unusual evidence in a his First World War military record, prison sentence because of a bigamy charge, and on and on it goes. Their life together was turbulent, to say the least, ending with the fact that he possibly may have died in 1925 – at least his wife declared herself a widow at that time.

This article shows that good research can go a long way in resolving these genealogical mysteries such as this.

The index of Early Bytown Settlers Index in this issue go from the letter D to the I. It gives the name, reference and page number, and some information, such as where they lived, their occupation, their age.

The reminder of the journal is filled with news of the Ottawa Branch of the OGS, Interesting Web Sites, Branch Library Additions, and Gleanings from Newsletters in the Ottawa Branch Library.

To go to the website of the Ottawa Genealogical Society, the website is at http://ogsottawa.on.ca

No online access to some Ontario Vital Records

Ancestry.ca has Ontario, Canada Births, 1869-1913, Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928, Ontario, Canada, Deaths, 1869-1938 and Deaths Overseas, 1939-1947 online.

But do you know that the Archives of Ontario extends these records to 1914 - 1915 for births, 1929 - 1930 for marriages and 1939 - 1940 for deaths – but they aren’t online.

But you can access them at the Ontario Archives in the Reading Room of the Ontario Archives at 134 Ian Macdonald Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario. Microfilm copies can also be accessed at that location. They can also be borrowed through their Microfilm Interloan Service.

You can go to the website at www.archives.gov.on.ca

Friends of Laura Secord Historical Walk

Friends of Laura Secord have arranged for just about everyone to commemorate Laura by doing the War of 1812 historic walk on June 22nd.

You can chose one of eight different options - There are shuttle busses for those who can’t walk and even an option for those who can’t travel to Queenston for the day.

Option 1: Walk the FULL walk! (32.3 km)

Option 2: Laura Secord Experience (22.4 km)

Option 3: Heroic Endings (8.6 km)

Option 4: Cross and Climb (4.4 km)

Option 5: A Little Walk, A Little Wine (13.8 km)

Option 6: Beginnings and Endings (11.7 km)

Option 7: The Secord Shuttle Tour

Option 8: Join Us In Spirit!

There are shuttle busses for those who can’t walk and even an option for those who can’t travel to Queenston for the day

There will be the unveiling of the new Laura Secord Stamp and Coin – a joint event by Canada Post and the Royal Canadian Mint on Friday, June 21 at 9 a.m. at the Laura Secord Homestead.

A Toast to Laura Secord is a ticketed VIP event, and will be held Friday, June 21, 4-8 p.m at Queenston Heights Restaurant.

If you would like to attend any of these events, you can register at www.niagaragreenbelt.com/fls/walkintohistory.html

May is Jewish Heritage Month in Ontario

The “Jewish Heritage Month Act” (Bill 17) was passed unanimously in the Legislature on February 23, 2012. JHMO provides an opportunity to appreciate and learn about the history and culture of Ontarians of Jewish heritage who have made an impact in communities across the province.

Two of the many events taking place in Mat, include

May 5 at 11am (Est. Walk Time 1.5 hrs)

Jane’s Walk: A Sense of Spadina (Toronto, ON)

Did you know that Kensington Market, the epicenter of Toronto hipsterdom, was once a thriving Jewish village teeming with kosher bakeries, synagogues, and social clubs? Through the Ontario Jewish Archive’s “Sense of Spadina” Walking Tour, the Jewish life of the past—biographies of its former inhabitants; the sounds; the smells; Yiddish language; religious, social, and political attitudes—is brought to life.

And

Tracing Our Jewish Roots: Selections from the Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto Library Collection

Bathurst Clark Resource Library, 900 Clark Avneue W., Thornhill, ON

JGS Toronto’s Librarian, Elaine Cheskes, is curating a special exhibit on view for the entire month of May at The Bathurst Clark Resource Library.

For more information, go to http://jewishheritagemonth.wordpress.com/2013-events

Heritage Toronto announce the launch of its 2013 Tours program!

They say that many Torontonians know how great their walking tours are – they have been putting them on for 19 years! Heritage Toronto Tours in 2013 will be a bit different. It’s not just walking tours that they will be offering – they are excited to be expanding their usual walking tour program to include bus, bike, family and boutique tours too!

This year’s Tours program will run from the end of April until October and have 58 in total, including 26 new tours.

You will be able to reserve a spot for our new paid and pre-registered tours via our website www.heritagetoronto.org

Join them on a tour – they would love to show you some hidden gems, tell you about some fascinating stories and share with you Toronto’s amazing heritage!”

For info, go to http://heritagetoronto.org/sample-page/contact-us

The tours are listed on the followimg page at http://heritagetoronto.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/HT_TourBrochureelectronics.pdf

There are many postings to the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HeritageToronto

There are countless YouTube Videos on www.youtube.com/user/heritagetoronto on various heritage walks in Toronto

Second Annual Genealogy Workshop

On Saturday, May 11, 2013 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, there will be the Second Annual Genealogy Workshop at 536 Wellington Road 18, between the villages of Fergus and Elora.

Presenters include:

Gwen Armstrong, Family History Centre, Getting the Most out of FamilySearch.org

Rick Roberts, Global Genealogy, Beginning a Family History Project: 12 Steps for Success and Researching Your Ontario Roots Using Traditional and Online Resources

Susan Dunlop, Curator, Wellington County Museum and Archives, Exploring Lesser Known Resources: A Case Study of the Hollinghead-Everson Family of Wellington County

Registration: $35.00, light lunch included

Call 519.846.0916, X 5225 or Toll Free 1.800.663.0750 X 5225 to register.

Email at karen@wcm.on.ca, and the website is at http://www.wellington.ca/museum

Inheritance in Ontario: Estate Files and Beyond

On 27th of May 2013, at 7:30 p.m., there will be a meeting at the Burgundy Room, North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto, and the topics will be Inheritance in Ontario: Estate Files and Beyond, and the speaker will be Jane E. MacNamara.

She will review how to find an estate file and how it can lead to other, and she will explain sources both inside and outside the court system.

This will be a warm-up lecture to her workshop at the OGS Conference on May 31st staring at 9:30 Friday morning when she will talk about wills and her her new book Inheritance in Ontario - Wills and Other Records for Family Historians

There will be an additional short presentation by Jean McNulty A Photographic Puzzle

For more info, go to www.torontofamilyhistory.org

Waterloo Region Branch OGS Township Records

Do you have ancestors in Waterloo and Perth Counties in Ontario? If you do, they have Township Records onsite.

Waterloo County

1840 Wilmot Township Census, transcribed by Laurie Strome

1851 Waterloo Township Census
Perth County

Wallace Township 1861

Wallace Township 1871

Go to www.waterlooogs.ca/waterloo_data.htm

UPDATE: LAC releases a new version of the Census of Canada, 1881 database

The following notice just came in from the Library and Archives Canada -

Library and Archives Canada is pleased to announce the release of a new version of the Census of Canada, 1881 database. This second general census covered the seven provinces and one territory that were then part of Confederation: British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and the Northwest Territories.

This new version includes suggestions for corrections that were received from users in recent months, as well as revised district and sub-district information.

Did they make the corrections that you suggested?

Go to the search page at
www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1881/Pages/1881.aspx

May Events at the Quebec Family History Society

My thanks go to Susan for letting me know about these following events.

On Wednesday, May 8, at 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm there will be a meeting on Brick Wall Solutions (Special Interest Group) QFHS Heritage Centre and Library, 173 Cartier Avenue, Pointe-Claire.

New and experienced genealogists are invited to join us at our monthly meeting to discuss brick wall problems in a friendly and informal setting. This month, we will learn how to improve our online research skills to find family trees, newspapers, and books. We will also review how to use wild cards when searching for ancestors on websites, such as Ancestry, Family Search, and Free BMD.

On Saturday, May 11th, there will be a Guided Tour of the Chateau Ramezay (Tour) at 10:30 am at 280 rue Notre-Dame est, Montreal.

This guided tour is $8 per person and open to QFHS members and non-members. To attend, you must register and make your payment at the QFHS Heritage Centre and Library.

The Château Ramezay is the province's oldest private history museum. It was built in 1705 as the residence of the Governor of Montreal Claude de Ramezay and his wife Marie-Charlotte Denys, whom he married in 1690 in Quebec. Their home changed hands over the years and has had an interesting history. The building was enlarged in 1756.

The Château Ramezay Historic Site and Museum was selected by a team of experts, in collaboration with UNESCO, as one of the 1001 historic sites you must see before you die.

On Wednesday, May 15th, there will be Celebrating Our Female Roots Day (Roots Day) from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm at the QFHS Heritage Centre and Library, 173 Cartier Avenue, Pointe-Claire.

Half of our direct ancestors are women, and since Mother's Day takes place this month, this is a good time to celebrate our female ancestors and learn how our ancestors lived.

Join us to chat about how to learn what life was like for your female ancestors. What was home life like during the time they lived? Do you own any letters or diaries? Share with others the challenges you face when researching your female ancestors.

On display will be books from the QFHS collection about social history that help us better understand our ancestors’ lives.

Drop by for coffee, tea, and informal conversation to talk about some of the favourite women in your family and how our ancestors may have lived. Bring your own books, resources and memorabilia on social history that have helped you in your research, a friend, or just bring yourself.

Before Roots Day, please drop off copies of photos of your female ancestors for the display with Joan Benoit at QFHS. Remember to caption the photo with name, date, and description. If you live out of town, please send your photos by email at qfhs@bellnet.ca.

Open to members and the public. Free admission.

On Wednesday, May 22th Family History Writing (Special Interest Group)

To be held from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the QFHS Heritage Centre and Library, 173 Cartier Avenue, Pointe-Claire.

Join us any month! Together, in a friendly and informal setting, we encourage each other to write and discuss each month's mini-project.

This monthly meeting is open to QFHS members. We meet the fourth Wednesday of each month. If interested in joining, call 514.695.1502 or email qfhs.web@gmail.com.

More info: http://qfhs.ca

Canadian Week in Review

29 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

No websites this past week.

Blog

CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt' http://canadagenealogy.blogspot.com Read Diane’s comments on the release of the 1921 Canada Census by Library and Archives Canada.

Using Maps in Genealogy http://brantcountyogs.blogspot.com/2013/04/using-maps-in-genealogy.html Christine Woodcock tells us about a meeting she went to recently, where the topic of the talk was Using Maps in Genealogy. It was given by Denise Kirk of the Genealogy Club at the Brantford Public Library.

Facebook - Video – You Tube

Selkirk Settlers: A Rich Collection of Records http://canadashistory.ca/Magazine/Trading-Post/Trading-Post-List/Articles/Selkirk-Settlers-A-Rich-Collection-of-Records Anna Shumilak of The Hudson's Bay Company Archives, writes about the records available to the public at the Archives of Manitoba, and they are explained in an accommodating video.

Newspaper Articles

Learning about Canada’s Irish settlers http://www.haliburtonecho.ca/2013/04/23/learning-about-canadas-irish-settlers Grosse Ile, located in the middle of St. Lawrence River, Quebec, is known as Canada’s Quarantine Station, but according to Ellie MacNeil, it is not known well enough by the public.

Read what she had to say about Grosse Ile, and Irish immigration to Canada, at the Friends of the Haliburton County Public Library’s Lunch and Learn event on April 17th, 2013.

You can go to htto://www.collectionscanada.ca/grosse-ile to see the databases, which are online at Library and Archives Canada.

Historic P.E.I. resort lost to fire www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2013/04/25/pei-f-stanhope-fire-history-584.html When Stanhope Beach Resort burned to the ground on Tuesday, Prince Edward Island lost an historical landmark. It opened as a hotel in 1855, making it the oldest on the Island.

New Brunswick students participating in regional heritage fairs www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2013.04.0363.html Eleven regional heritage fairs are taking place throughout New Brunswick in April and May.

Genealogical conference coming in May www.oshawaexpress.ca/viewposting.php?view=4657 The Oshawa Express covers the OGS Conference which will be held in the city at the end of May.

Pictures and Story of the Week

Doors Open

Doors Open started in Glasgow, Scotland, and has been in Canada since 2000. It is a national program by Heritage Canada Foundation, based on the Doors Open Days concept. It welcomes everyone to come out to visit those hidden historical, architectural and cultural gems in their area. These buildings are normally closed to the public, or which charge an entrance fee, welcome visitors to look around for free.

The event which started it all off was Doors Open Ontario, which has run continuously since 2000. Other provinces having since been joined them, including Newfoundland and Labrador (2003), and Yukon and Saskatchewan (2005), for instance.

“Communities across the province open the doors to hundreds of historic buildings, places of worship, museums, private homes, industrial areas, green buildings, heritage gardens and other interesting venues,” said Liane Nowosielski of the sponsoring Ontario Heritage Trust.

This year, the theme is Cultural Expressions, recognizing the “relationship between heritage and the arts.”

Venues for the arts, including theatres, opera houses, art galleries, artist studios, recital halls and recording studios, are open for tours.

Trails and natural heritage sites are also included with walking, hiking and cycling trails, many of which feature special tours and activities.

Go to www.heritagecanada.org/en/visit-discover/doors-open-canada

The next Canadian Week in Review will be issued Monday May 6, 2013

LAC issues a report on itself

Late Friday afternoon, on April the 26th, the LAC put on its website a report entitled Library and Archives Canada makes Canada’s documentary heritage more accessible than ever.

Through this report, it expresses how the LAC is helping Canadians to access their heritage through different programs that have been instituted by the LAC.

For instance, it says that “To this end, LAC has developed a suite of tools that have efficiently contributed to this unparalleled access to Canada’s heritage. In fact, Canadians showed great interest in accessing LAC’s collections on their computer screens and handheld devices, as observed by the popularity of its Flickr sets (over 350,000 views), its podcasts (over 149,000 listens) and the size of the readership of its blog (over 63,000 views). In addition to these new tools, LAC’s website receives an average of 500,000 visits monthly. The popularity of these channels, enabled by modern technology, demonstrates how promising LAC’s approach is in reaching Canadians, regardless of where they live”.

So what do you think? Is the LAC fulfilling its mandate?

To read the full report, go to http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/news_releases/Pages/2013/documentary-heritage-more-accessible.aspx

UPDATE: FamilySearch Answers Questions

Yesterday, FamilySearch put 6 questions that they have been asked during the past week as people are getting use to a new way of doing things at the FamilySearch website.

Remember to read the comments also, because sometime they can be helpful too.

So are these the questions that people should be asking? Have you run into things which are missing, or could be better explained?

Go to https://familysearch.org/blog/en to read the questions.

Celebrating the Heritage of Cascapedia Bay, Quebec

This is a press release from The Chaleur Bay Military Museum, the Cascapedia River Museum and the Gaspesian British Heritage Village telling us of a video project which they are undertaking -

'The Chaleur Bay Military Museum, the Cascapedia River Museum and the Gaspesian British Heritage Village are working together to produce a series of videos focusing on the history of the Cascapedia Bay area. These videos will tell the story of the community and the magnificent countryside, and will be available as four downloadable video podcasts.

Each bilingual “vodcast” will take the viewer on a drive through the modern-day landscape while highlighting important sites and events from the past. Photos and descriptions of former landmarks will take the viewer back in time - the Dimock Creek ferry, logging and fishing on the Cascapedia River, one-room schoolhouses, inns and hotels, sawmills, blacksmith shops and military history, cemeteries and residences - will all be showcased. In addition, interviews previously carried out with community members will be included.

The project is financially supported by the Fonds de soutien à la mise en valeur du patrimoine culturel, a partnership between the Conférence régionale des élus Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine and the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications.

It is part of the ongoing work that the Military Museum, River Museum and Gaspesian Village carry out to ensure that the important heritage and history of the community is preserved, shared and celebrated. The three partners are very excited about this initiative and are looking forward to increased collaboration in the future.

It is anticipated that these vodcasts will be available for viewing in October 2013. If you have any photos or videos you feel should be included, please bring them by the Cascapedia River Museum or the Gaspesian British Heritage Village during opening hours".

The website of the Cascapedia River Museum is at www.cascapediariver.com/museum.shtml and the email is cascapedia_museum@globetrotter.net.

The website of the Gaspesian British Heritage Village is at www.gaspesianvillage.org, and the email is info@gaspesianvillage.org

The website of the Chaleur Bay Military Museum is at
 www.chaleurmilitarymuseum.com

Alberta Family History Society

There will be a meeting of the Alberta Family History Society at the River Park Church, 3818 - 14A Street SW in Calgary Monday, May 6, 7-9 p.m. at which Frances Swendsen will speak about Family Tree, a new feature at the FamilySearch.org website.

If you would like to view the new website before going to the meeting, you can watch a webinar on the Legacy FamilyTrees website which has given by Devin Ashby at www.familytreewebinars.com/presenter_details.php?presenter_id=39. Although one has to pay to view these webinars, this one will always be FREE because it is sponsored by FamilySearch. (I watched it Wednesday and it is very good.)

Alberta Family History Blog is at http://afhs.ab.ca/blog

Alberta Family History Facebook page is at http://www.facebook.com/AlbertaFHS

And their website is at www.afhs.ab.ca

UPDATE: CanadaGenWeb - Yukon Cemeteries

The following updates have been put online –

Dawson City

Bet Chaim Jewish Cemetery

St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery

Hillside Cemetery (Old Public)

Hillside Cemetery (New Public)

Whitehorse

Grey Mountain Cemetery

Our thanks go to Rod Carty for his volunteer work on the Yukon cemeteries, and for his work at "Find A Grave"!

You can go http://canadacems.blogspot.com/2013/04/yukon-update.html

Saskatchewan Archives Changes Their Hours

On April 1, 2013, Saskatchewan Archives changed its public hours at their reading room locations in both Regina and Saskatoon. The reading rooms will now be open from 10 am to 4 pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Both the Regina and Saskatoon reading rooms will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

So the hours are –

Monday - CLOSED

Tuesday, CLOSED

Wednesday, 10 am to 4 pm, no retrievals from 12-1 pm or after 3:45 pm

Thursday, 10 am to 4 pm, no retrievals from 12-1 pm or after 3:45 pm

Friday, 10 am to 4 pm, no retrievals from 12-1 pm or after 3:45 pm

If you require clarification about their current hours, please contact either the Saskatoon or Regina reference offices at:

Saskatoon reference office

Phone: (306) 933-5832

Regina reference office

Phone: (306) 787-4068

Email: info@archives.gov.sk.ca

For more information, go to www.saskarchives.com/using-archives

East European Genealogical Society 2013 Seminar

On Saturday, June 1, 2013 (full day and evening), the East European  Genealogical Societies will hold a full-day seminar at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), 45 Dalhousie Drive, Winnipeg, Manitoba, where the speaker will be Kahlile Mehr, MA, MLS, AG (Salt Lake City).

Kahlile worked thirty-five years at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City, most recently as Slavic Collections Manager. He visited archives throughout Eastern Europe on nine separate acquisition trips and has published over twenty articles and books, as well as presented papers at numerous international genealogical conferences.

The East European Genealogical Society includes Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, parts of Poland and Ukraine, and other former Soviet Republics.

The cost is

•Members $60.00 (includes lunch)

•Non-members $65.00 (includes lunch)

•Dinner $28.00 each

For more info, please go to www.mbgenealogy.com/news/56/15/East-European-Genealogical-Society-2013-Seminar

OGS Report 2012

For the first time ever (as far as I can remember), the Ontario Genealogical Society has put its yearly report online at www.ogs.on.ca/home/pdfs/OGS-Annual-Report-2012.pdf

It is a 44-page report which covers, in part, such subjest as Project Reports, Standing Committee Reports, Notes on Financial Statements, Financial Statements, and Where does your money go? It also includes Branch Annual Reports for 2012.

Some of the interesting things I noticed since I received the report this morning are –

An explanation of Where does your money go? The graphics used were confusing, and maybe better graphic could have been chosen. In the written explanation, they said that the operation costs each member $106.00 a year to support. We pay $60.00 per member right now. Is there an increase in dues going to be set for next year?

It looks like we will be changing to e-publication in the future. And it looks like the Publication Committee will be doing something for the First World War Anniversary in 2014, as they did with the War of 1812 Celebrations.

There will be the new website later this year, and many of the local Branches have put on new websites.

I would like to thank all of the people who put this report together, and who have made it available to everyone.

Genealogy “Summer Camp”

The 17th Summer Camp will be held in Toronto from the 16th to the 21st June, 2013. It is being held by the Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society.

In their press release, they say that “Genealogy "Summer Camp" is a unique program that brings out-of-town family historians to Toronto for an intensive week of tutorials and hands-on research, with the guidance of local experts, at the many archives and reference libraries in Toronto. We take full advantage of Toronto’s great public transit system, and we keep the group small to allow lots of help from our local experts.

If you're from out-of-town, we encourage you to stay with the group. We have arranged economical university residence accommodation.

The 2013 Genealogy “Summer Camp” will be number 17! More than 135 participants from England, right across Canada and many US states have attended the 16 previous Summer Camps—some more than once! We’ve also welcomed many local participants as “day campers”. It is an excellent way to get acquainted (or reacquainted) with the libraries and archives in our city. It is also a great excuse for a week of concentrated research.

This year’s Summer Camp is scheduled for June 16 to 21, 2013. The Summer Camp fee for 2013 is $240 (Cdn), which covers approximately 7 hours of lectures and tutorials, 25 hours of hands-on instruction and all worksheets and handouts.

For details as to venues, resources, tutorials and accommodation, and to download an application package, visit www.torontofamilyhistory.org/summercamp.html, or contact Jane MacNamara at info@torontofamilyhistory.org”.

Applications should be received by 16 May 2013.

St. Patrick’s Society of Richmond & Vicinity, Quebec

This year the St. Patrick’s Society of Richmond & Vicinity is celebrating its 135th anniversary with the publication of a book on local Irish history called Irish Settlement and National Identity in the Lower St. Francis Valley. It is written by Peter Southam, a retired history professor from University of Sherbrooke.

The book describes 200 years of Irish presence in the Lower St-Francis Valley, a section of Quebec’s Eastern Townships that surrounds the Town of Richmond. Much of the information for the book was provided by local families. Part I deals with Irish rural settlements and Part II focuses on the Richmond’s St-Patrick’s Society.

Books are available at Townshippers’ Association (819-566-5717), Black Cat Books in Lennoxville, and Papeterie 2000 or Loretta at 819-826-2658 in Richmond.

Visit www.richmondstpats.org for information on the society, and the book.

Canada Book Day

To mark Canada Book Day, the Library and Archives Canada takes a closer look at the collection of early 20th-century Canadian publications available in the Electronic Collection of Library and Archives Canada.

The website address is www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/electroniccollection/index-e.html

71st Annual National Volunteer Week Apr 21 - 27

National Volunteer Week pays tribute to the millions of Canadian volunteers who donate their time and talents to our communities.

This special event began in 1943 to draw attention to the vital contribution women made to the war effort on the home front. Although this week was largely forgotten after the war ended, it experienced a revival in the late 1960s, when organizations stressed the importance of thanking volunteers across Canada.

This is the largest celebration of civic participation in Canada.

CanadaGenWeb www.facebook.com/pages/CanadaGenWeb-Cemetery-Project/150618738362392?fref=ts On their Facebook page, CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project publicly says ‘Thank you” to its volunteers.

The Cemetery Project is a program is run entirely by volunteers, and it would not be able to offer a cemetery directory, transcripts, indexes and photos without their commitment and support.

Canadian Week in Review

22 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

Wesleyan Methodist Baptisms http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wjmartin/wesleyan.htm I have been to this place many times over the years, and it is still valuable site to search for baptisms. The index has been compiled by Ida Reed in 2001.

There are 101,461 records included here on almost 1800 pages. They are Vol. 1, baptisms, 1825-ca. 1860; Vol. 2, baptisms, 1840s-ca. 1870; Vol. 3, baptisms, 1850s-1870s; Locality index to vol. 3, and Vol. 4, baptisms, 1860s-1910.

Storytelling www.cyndislist.com/storytelling A new Category Index has been put on Cyndi’s List entitled Storytelling on April 1st. Currently, it is divided into General Resources, Photographs & Memories, and Vendors.

Blog

Canadiana Blogs In addition to the excellent article byJohn D. Reid called Ontario Local and Family History at Canadiana.org on his blog http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/2013/04/ontario-local-and-family-history-at.html about the Canadian site, they also have blogs at the  site.

Some of the blogs are Daniel Velarde's write about New collections coming to Canadiana, and there is Beth's blog who write about Improving access to Canada's digital heritage.

These blogs are at www.canadiana.ca/en/blog

Good blogs!

Facebook - Video – You Tube

YouTube Timeline of Quebec History www.youtube.com/watch?v=c70_b83YXUU There is a Timeline of Quebec’s History on a YouTube video. The one I watched was the granting women the vote, in Quebec and I found it worth looking at.

Newspaper Articles

Book review: A home child attempts to reconnect with her family www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/book-review-a-home-child-attempts-to-reconnect-with-her-family-1.110493 A review of a book which recounts the life of a home child at the Prince of Wales Fairbridge Farm School, a home for children from the British Isles who had been orphaned or given up because of financial hardship

Chinese restaurant exhibit in Royal Alberta Museum http://beaconnews.ca/blog/2013/04/chinese-restaurant-exhibit-in-royal-alberta-museum Chop Suey on the Prairies, the title of the exhibit at the Royal Alberta Museum, will run until April 27 next year. It will “provide detailed knowledge surrounding ownership and patronage of Chinese restaurants in Alberta, and more importantly, the cultural lessons behind their Chinese character”.

Transforming Canada's Parliament Hill www.cgw.com/Press-Center/In-Focus/2013/Transforming-Canadas-Parliament-Hill.aspx I saw this last summer and it is a show that should not be missed. It is entitled "Mosaika - Canada Through the Eyes of Its People", and it begins July 10 and ends September 7 this year.

How Avonlea Village brings Anne Shirley to life every summer www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/day-to-day/how-avonlea-village-brings-anne-shirley-to-life-every-summer/article10864971A Q & A about how Avonlea bring Anne Shirley to life every summer.

Pictures and Story of the Week

FamilySearch Launches New Site

FamilySearch put on several “site enhancements” to their website this past week.

The announcement says the site enhancements will "allow visitors to collaboratively build their family tree online, preserve and share precious family photos and stories, and receive personal research assistance—all for free."

Besides the recently released FamilySearch Family Tree, new FamilySearch.org features include -

Photos and Stories, a Fan Chart, and Live Help site. You call or chat with a FamilySearch volunteer online, or find a FamilySearch Center/Family History Center nearest your home.

So far, not everyone is pleased with the “site enhancements”, especially the more experience genealogists. There has been a problem with what is perceived as the “setting back” of research records to a secondary role. The researchers say that it appears that FamilySearch is going for a younger audience, pointing out the stories of their ancestors is first in their minds rather than researching Family History per se. What do you think? 

A good summary of Monday evening’s discussion about FamilySearch is on Dear Myrt’s blog Thursday, April 18, 2013 called Thoughts on FamilySearch Redesign http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2013/04/thoughts-on-familysearch-redesign.html

They also have a series of videos on the site, which act as the introduction to FamilySearch, and the emphasis on family stories.

On Wednesday, April 24, Legacy Webinars is having What's New at FamilySearch by Devin Ashby at http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/webinars.asp

The website says “What are the latest tools from FamilySearch and how can I use them in my research? Come learn about new products and initiatives that are making a difference in the genealogy community. Learn how to save time and money in order to get the job done”.

I will be listening!

Look for more articles next Monday April 29th.

Name Changed to The Canadian Week in Review

On April 23, 2012, I started a new post called the New/Updated CANADIAN Websites, Blogs, Facebook, and Newspaper Articles.

But the title of the post was too long and cumbersome. So for the first anniversary of the post, I have decided to change the title to a more easily remembered one. The new title will be The Canadian Week in Review.

It will still cover great Canadian genealogy, heritage, and history news from across the country, and it will still appear each Monday morning.

Elizabeth

UPDATE: OGS Conference 2013

There are two updates to the Conference 2013 agenda, and they are –

There will be free access to online databases at OGS Conference 2013.

The OGS Conference is opening up three online organizations to research. They have agreed to allow OGS Conference registrants to access their databases free of charge in the Research Room during the conference.

These are Ancestry.ca, Find My Past, and the British Newspaper Archives.

And the second update concerns the workshops on Friday.

The workshop by Richard Doherty called The Scots-Irish: Origins, Emigration, Religion, and Research Sources to be held on Friday afternoon is full.

So, a second session will be designated as A-5, and it will be held Friday morning from 9:30 to 12:00. If you have already registers for Friday afternoon, but would like to change it to the afternoon, please e-mail the OGS Provincial Office at provoffice@ogs.on.ca or phone 416-489-0734.

The conference information is at www.ogs.on.ca/conference2013/home

“Thank You” to my readers

I would like to say a heartfelt “Thank You” to all of my readers who passed on their kind words to me when my blog was named as one of the Top 40 Blogs of 2013 by the FamilyTree Magazine.

There are many things planned for 2013 with the blog, so keep  checking my blog every day.

To check all of the blog which were named by FamilyTree Magazine, click http://familytreemagazine.com/article/Top-40-Genealogy-Blogs-2013

Elizabeth

Changes Coming to Archives of Ontario Reading Room

They are calling it an “enhancement” to their Reading Room, as they will be greening their print services and adding internet access to all public computer stations in the Rotunda.

They will be

reducing the number of printers in the Reading Room and placing a 20 page limit on printing. Patrons are asked to support the Green Initiative by emailing the materials to a personal email or saving the research materials to a USB stick

But, all printing charges will remain the same. All printing will be picked up and paid for at reception.

Enhanced Internet Access:

With internet access available at all computer stations in the Reading Room, researchers will now be able to

•access the new Vital Statistics data base for 1915 Birth Records, 1940 Death Records and 1930 Marriage Records (in-house only)

•send research material via email attachments (e.g., VS database images, microfilm images, and information from webpages and web documents)

•save large size images and other research materials to an USB stick - free of charge. (You must supply your own USB stick.)

*Size limits may apply

The Archives of Ontario website is at www.archives.gov.on.ca/en

35e anniversaire de la Société de généalogie de l'Outaouais

There will be a day of celebration of the 35th anniversary de la Société de généalogie de l'Outaouais on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at the Limbour Community Centre, 288 Lebaudy, Gatineau, Quebec right across the river from Ottawa.

The schedule of the day includes –

9 am The address by Honorary President, Mr. Aurelius La Madeleine

9:15 am Launch of the DVD version of L'Outaouais généalogique, and the CD Release of the Recueil des ascendances de nos membres

9: 30 pm Opening of Exhibit Hall

10 pm Lecture: The ancestor of the family by Denis Bussieres Bussieres

12 pm Lunch

1 pm Lecture: From Quebec to Sidi Bel Abbes through Tours - The unlikely offspring Geneviève Lépine said Lalime by Raymond Ouimet

2:30 pm Tales and Legends of the Ottawa Storytellers Circle of Gatineau

3:39 pm Closing of the exhibition hall

There will be a Gala Dinner at 7:00 pm

We wish everyone of the society a Happy Anniversary!

The website is at www.genealogieoutaouais.com

Call for Speakers – OGS Conference 2014

The Conference 2014 at Niagara Branch are looking ahead to line up speakers for Conference 2014 in St. Catharines at Brock Universit. The conference will be held May 1st to 4th, 2014.

The conference theme will be GENEALOGY WITHOUT BORDERS.

They say, in part, that “Although borders are an important aspect in defining a country, they also often delineate an area of genealogical study. In the past, genealogists often had to travel across borders to complete family histories in their genealogical area. Today's genealogist can often cross these borders while sitting at a desk. We can trace the movement of settlers from European countries and from the American states and other provinces to Ontario. We invite seminar proposals with this theme in mind.

Our Saturday and Sunday, May 3rd and 4th seminar sessions are generally fifty minutes length with ten minutes for discussion. We also have workshops on Friday, May 2nd, which are of three hours duration. We invite lecture and workshop submissions on a broad range of genealogical topics which will help to solve family history problems by any of the following methods

Use of technology in genealogy (DNA, internet, software etc.)

Records at a distance (especially Eastern USA and European)

War records, 1812, W.W. 1

Land Records, census, directories

Early Ontario records, prior to 1869 and their repositories

Proposals are also solicited for the broader genealogical categories including the histories associated with the War of 1812, methodology, analysis and problem solving used in genealogy

If your proposal is accepted, you will be notified early summer and we will request that you provide a 4 page summary of your talk or workshop for our syllabus by Dec. 31st, 2013. This should include references and web addresses mentioned, sample screen images etc. It will be submitted electronically (in Word, RTF or PDF format).

Please include your approximate travel costs, economy class to St. Catharines, Ont. Canada. Besides remuneration, food and lodging will be based upon the number of lectures given and transportation expenses will depend upon the speaker's home address. Workshop fees may be negotiated.

We are looking for speakers who would be open to being streamed out from the conference to those members who cannot travel but still wish to join us. As well we are looking for speakers who may be interested in speaking but cannot travel as we can stream you in to the conference”.

Questions can be directed to conference2014@ogs.on.ca

The website is at www.ogs.on.ca/niagara

UPDATE: Ancestry.com has FREE Marriage Records

I usually don’t write about Ancestry.com (I just concentrate on Ancestry.ca), but if you want to find marriage records of your immigrant ancestors (especially if they were married in the United States before they came to Canada), you have free access until the 21st.

The site is at www.ancestry.com/cs/us/family-marriages

GENWEB UPDATE: Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario Cemeteries

The Canadian GenWeb has issued an update to the Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario cemeteries as follows -

ALBERTA

Lacombe:

-  Bentley Cemetery

QUEBEC

Huntingdon County:

- Tallen Family Burial Ground

ONTARIO

Brant County:

- Farringdon Cemetery

- Mount Hope Cemetery

Bruce County:

- Douglas Hill Cemetery

- Queen Hill Cemetery

Elgin County:

- St Thomas Cemetery

Essex County:

- Victoria Memorial Gardens

Grey County:

- Cookes Presbyterian / Orange Valley Presbyterian / Old Presbyterian Cemetery

- Mennonite Brethren In Christ Cemetery

Lambton County:

- Hillsdale Cemetery

- Point Edward Veterans Memorial Park

Manitoulin District:

- Michael Bay Cemetery

Norfolk County:

- Barton Family Cemetery

- Bethel Brethern in Christ / Tunkard Cemetery

Peel County:

- Brampton Pioneer / Harrison-Hewgill Pioneer Cemetery

- Cheyne Cemetery

Simcoe County:

- St Mary's Catholic Cemetery

Wellington County:

- Abandoned / Old Anglican Cemetery

The Canada GenWeb have given it thanks to Alison Mitchell-Reid, Anne Chamberlain, Bonnie Lee Breadner, Brenda Marchese, Giselle Loder, Jim Anderson, Joanne Krywko, Kate Ford, Marilyn Whiting, Nancy Ross-Hill, Sharon Mattiuz, Tom Thompson, and William Cooke for help indexing, and to Alison Mitchell-Reid, Anne Chamberlain, Bonnie Lee Breadner, Carolyn Bechtel, Doug Tracey, Joanne Krywko, Kate Ford, Linda Doran, Marilyn Mallet, Nancy Ross-Hill, Penny Gallagher, Pete Carell, Sharon Mattiuz, Thomas Rowe, and William Cooke for photos of the cemeteries.

To view the site, go to http://canadacems.blogspot.com/2013/04/alberta-quebec-ontario-update.html

FTM's Top 40 Genealogy Blogs in 2013

Thank you Family Tree Magazine for picking this blog as one of the Top 40 in this year’s list.

They say that –

“This daily blog about Canadian genealogy, heritage and history is crafted by Elizabeth Lapointe, a member of the Ontario Genealogical Society and editor of its newsletter. Though not technically an official blog of the society, this newsy and tip-filled site reads like a lively one”.

And we must not forget the other Canadian blogs that were mentioned –

• The Armchair Genealogist

• Olive Tree Genealogy

My congratulations to all of the bloggers who made and didn’t make the list.

The NEW FamilySearch is FINALLY Here!

The new FamilySearch has just gone online!

The website is much “cleaner” than it was before, much more organized, and more “user friendly" than it was before.
There has been over 85,000 visitors per day to the site, and they view over 5 million records per day.

Try the site out at www.familysearch.org, to see how it works for you.

Diary of Henry Jones

Lambton County Branch Meeting of the OGS will hold its regular meeting on Sunday, May 14, 2013 at 7:30 pm at 1400 Murphy Rd., Sarnia when they will present the Diary of Henry Jones 1832 by George Bice.

*Note: This meeting will also be available online via Live Meeting

Henry Jones brought settlers from Scotland to Lambton County to establish a communal settlement in the late 1820s. He was a believer in socialist theory, and his diaries are kept in the Lambton County Archives.

Lambton County Archives www.lclmg.org/lclmg/?TabId=110

They hold many records including –

Cemetery records - Lambton, Kent and most of Middlesex Counties

Local newspapers

Church records

Family surname files

Family histories

Directories

Historical atlases

Municipal records

Township papers

Ontario Vital Statistics

Lambton O.G.S. library

Lambton County Archives: History from the Vault http://lambtoncountyarchives.blogspot.com/2011_06_01_archive.html The Lambton County Archives also has a blog, where the Henry Jones’s diaries are written about quite extensively

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?BioId=38113 Gives the history of Henry Jones, a community founder of Maxville, Ontario (near Brights Grove, Ont).

Go to the Lambton County Branch of the OGS at www.ogs.on.ca/lambton

New/Updated CANADIAN Websites, Blogs, Facebook, and Newspaper Articles – 15 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 are no new/updated websites this past week.

Blog

TONI Coordinators Needed http://ogsottawa.blogspot.com/2013/04/toni-coordinators-needed.html Mike More, past chairman of the Ottawa Genealogical Society, has put a post on the blog looking for a TONI coordinator.

Your Community Blog
Toronto teens win Heritage Minute contest with epic trek story www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2013/04/toronto-teens-heritage-minute-commemorates.html Eamonn O'Keeffe, a 15-year-old high school student and history buff from Toronto, has created a Heritage Minute about the 110 kilometre march from New Brunswick to Kingston that was completed by the New Brunswick's 104th Regiment of Foot in 1813.

Facebook - Video – You Tube

Heritage Train www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zcWv8RSrBs Take a ride on CPR's Heritage Train travelling out of Josephburg, Alberta by watching a YouTube video.

Newspaper Articles

3D technology deciphers tombstones from 18th century www.sackvilletribunepost.com/News/2013-04-09/article-3216315/3D-technology-deciphers-tombstones-from-18th/1 Grant Aylesworth , a Mount Allison anthropology professor, is using new technology to preserve the past. He is reading the “illegible” tombstones from the 1700s using 3D software technology.

Consider economics, user dynamic in rural library services - Bridgewater deputy mayor http://southshorenow.ca/archives/2013/041013/arts/Consider_economics_user_dynamic_in_rural_library_services___.html.php Read what the deputy major has said about a “user-pay” system that may be considered as a possibility at a recent town- hall meeting about saving the town's library.

Princess of Wales' Own Regiment's 150th year honoured by Canada Post www.sacbee.com/2013/04/09/5328087/princess-of-wales-own-regiments.html
The Regiment's first deployment came in 1866 when it was sent to the Niagara region to deter Fenian attacks from the United States. Its members have served as part of the Canadian Forces in every major conflict since then.

In Alberta, World Heritage sites include Dinosaur Provincial www.calgaryherald.com/travel/Photo+Vote+Your+photos+Alberta+heritage+worthy+sites/8222405/story.html In an article, the newspaper points out that Alberta has World Heritage sites, including Dinosaur Provincial Park, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump and Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks. They want the readers to send in photos to the newspaper in honour of World Heritage Day.

Alberta government donates funds for upgrade of Lacombe's archives http://www.lacombeglobe.com/2013/04/11/alberta-government-donates-funds-for-upgrade-of-lacombes-archives As part of her “Culture Connects” tour, Alberta Culture Minister Heather Klimchuk toured various historical sites around the city to promote them and remind Albertans how important their past is to their future.

Pictures and Story of the Week

Obee 10 Top Tips: How to Bust Through Your Genealogy Brick Wall www.youtube.com/watch?v=33NcRbkm-eQ&list=UU9Qr-Qu_vz66fh4d9rdXaOQ&index=1
There are more RootsTech 2013 YouTube videos on the Internet, and I came across one done by Lisa Louise Cooke, where she interviews a Canadian genealogist and speaker - Dave Obee.

As Lisa Louise says “Apply the Top 10 Genealogy Research Tips that Dave Obee gives Genealogy Gems Winner Sarah Stout at #Rootstech to your own research and get results”

You can read all the details on Sarah's ancestor's incredible story and the complete list of tips at Lisa Louise Cooke's blog at
http://lisalouisecooke.com/2013/04/winner/

Dave is the Houston Lecturer this year at the Ontario Genealogical Society where he talks about Seven Habits of Highly Successful Genealogists - Seven things to remember as you conduct research and compile your data.

He is also giving four lectures at the conference–

Lecture # 1 – Family History in Western Canada

Lecture # 2 – Introduction to Eastern European Family History

Lecture # 3 – Destination Canada

Lecture # 4 – Travel Smart with Technology

Dave’s website is at Dave Obee’s Family History Page www.daveobee.com

To read more news about the conference, go to www.ogs.on.ca/conference2013/registration

Look for more articles next Monday April 22nd.

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 the blog will include a blog post by Mike More, the former chair of Ottawa Genealogical Society, who writes about TONI; you can take a ride on a Heritage Train travelling out of Josephburg, Alberta by viewing a YouTube video; read about “user-pay” services that may be introduced in a library in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, and a special YouTube interview by Lisa Louise Cooke with Dave Obee, Canadian genealogist.

So don’t miss the New/Updated Websites, Blogs, and Newspaper Articles blog on Monday April 15th.

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

Elizabeth

Writing Family History

There will be a workshop called Writing Family History at the Eastern Townships Resource Centre.

This interactive workshop will give participants tips and guidance on how to capture the emotion of their family’s stories while avoiding the dreaded “chronological boredom” when writing family history with Tracey Arial and Janice Hamilton.

Registration is limited.

The workshop will be held May 11, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It will be held at 2600 College, Bishop’s University Cleghorn Common Room, Sherbrooke (borough of Lennoxville)

For information, call Jody Robinson at 819-822-9600 ext: 2261 or email at etrc2@ubishops.ca

The website for the Eastern Townships Resource Centre www.etrc.ca/home.html

Eastern Townships Research http://simmons.b2b2c.ca There are a list of churches, cemeteries, census records, newspapers online, and there are full maps of the Eastern Townships at the site.

Société de généalogie des Cantons de l'Est www.genealogie.org/club/sgce/accueile.htm This is a research site which gives tutorials, and the organization has a library.

Ottawa Genealogy Day

I am going to the Ottawa Genealogy Day on Saturday May 4th to be held at James Bartleman Centre, 100 Tallwood Drive, Ottawa, known locally as the City Archives.

It will start at 8:00 am with registration. The marketplace will open at that time, as well as the Computer Research Room.

It will officially start at 9 am, and I am going to spend that hour doing research in the Ontario Genealogical Society Branch Library which is onsite. I went to their library-holding catalogue, which they have online at http://ogsottawa.on.ca/library and checked the books they had for Leeds and Granville County, and they have books that I will check when I am there. (I I have just been informed by Mike More, that the reference room where the OGS library is located, does not open until 10:00 am on Saturdays. So I will do my library work between 12:00 and 1:00 pm, and visit the Marketplace at 9:00 am. Thanks, Mike.)

At 11:00, I will listen to Marthe Sequin-Muntz of the LAC give a presentation called Genealogy: the “Facebook” of the past: a look at Library and Archives Canada “Wall”.

I will have to ask if she had to “vent” her talk with the LAC management before she gave her talk to us. It seems the employees must now do that in order to give public addresses these days.

The second talk will be given by Shirley Ann Pyefinch called Utilising FamilySearch.org Information Resources.

The question I want to ask is about RootsTech 2014. Is a conference going to be held in Ottawa in February next year? And if it is going to be held in Ottawa, exactly what will it entail?

And the third talk I definitely want to hear is Glenn Wright’s talk about Great Revelations: Canada, Canadians and the 1921 Census. I want to ask if we have anyone in Canada to index the census as they did with the 1940 census in the States? Does he know if there are any groups who are organized to take on such a task?

As John D. Reid said in his blog yesterday at http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/2013/04/50-days-to-go.html, there are only 50 days left before the 1921 census is released. We had better mobilize and organize a lot of indexers quickly if we plan to do something about this.

Are there any questions that you would like me to ask on your behalf? Just write to me at genealogycanada@aol.com with your questions, and I will endeavor to ask them.

So I will report on the "day" during the week of May 7th.

The website is at http://ogsottawa.on.ca