QFHS Conference 2011

On Saturday, June 4th, we went down to Montreal to take in a day with our “genealogical friends” from the Quebec Family History Society, as they put on their semi-annual conference at McGill University.

It is just a two hour drive down to Montreal from Ottawa. We took Route 148 on the Quebec side down to Grenville, and then we joined Hwy 50 to Lachute, and then on to Hwy 15 right down into Montreal, where we spent an hour navigating downtown Montreal traffic and then finding the building, and once we had found the building – then we had to find a parking spot. We finally did find underground parking (there isn't as much as you would think there would be), and then we tried to get out of the building.

As some of you know, I am in a wheelchair, and after 'wheeling” me around for what seemed like hours (there were only steps UP to Sherbrooke Street), we stopped into the shops in the complex, and found the helpful manager of the local print shop, who promptly led us through the maze of shops and hallways back to the parking area, and with a sigh of resignation, my husband pushed me up the steep ramp to the street.

So with that, we were ready, and we finally made our destination.

The first place we went to was the Marketplace.

After bumping into Gary Schroder (the QFHS President), we headed over to the Ontario Genealogical Society's table, which was manned by the recently-retired Executive Director, Fraser Dunford. He reported very good sales, and he said the crowds were steady throughout the day.

Fraser Dunford, of the OGS, talks with a potential book buyer.

Next, we went to the Moorshead Magazines http://www.moorshead.com table to see Rick Cree and his wife, Jennifer, and we had a really nice talk, as we hit them right as the people went on to hear another lecture. Ed Zapletal — usually the other half of this dynamic duo, alongside Rick — didn't come down to Montreal, as he was home in Toronto, helping his mother celebrate a very special birthday.

We then joined the crowd for lunch. It was a buffet over at l’Hotel Le Cantlie across the street, and was it ever good!

We sat with a couple of people from Ottawa who were there also, including Evelyn Burke and her friend — and after eating our tasty chicken sandwiches, lovely cream of broccoli soup, delicious brownies, and a nice cup of coffee or two — we went back to the conference, and ran into Glenn Wright signing copies of his latest book, Canadians at War 1914-1919: A Research Guide to World War One Service Records, which I reviewed in the OGS' journal, Families, (November 2010 edition), and on this blog at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2010/12/to-continue-overview-that-i-started.html.

Glenn Wright signs a copy of his newest book, Canadians at War 1914-1919: A Research Guide to World War One Service Records, for this lucky lady.

We also dropped in to see saw Louise St. Denis of the National Institute for Genealogical Studies http://www.genealogicalstudies.com, and her husband, Michael, at their display. They reported very good sales, and the people were interested in the Social Media course she was giving away for free, and she seemed pleased with the conference. I also took the opportunity to buy the book recommended for this course, which is Social Networking for Genealogists, by Drew Smith.

We stopped to chat with Derek Hopkins of the QFHS, and then went to see his and Bob Dunn's lecture on cemeteries. It was one of the better lectures I have attended at a conference.

Derek Hopkins (left) and Bob Dunn present a lecture on Quebec Cemeteries at QFHS Conference 2011

As participants filled up the classroom, a PowerPoint presentation of Quebec Protestant Cemeteries in the Eastern Townships was shown, accompanied by soothing music– a very relaxing few minutes before the lecture began.

Both Derek and Bob made the point that they have only started to put in the transcriptions of the cemeteries into the “Members Only” section of the QFHS website http://www.qfhs.ca, and it has proven very popular with the membership.

While there, we saw more Ottawa people, including John D. Reid, of Anglo-Celtic Connections blog fame http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com, Malcolm Moody and his lovely wife of Archive CD Books http://www.archivecdbooks.ca, (where we heard more parking horror stories), Lesley Anderson from Ancestry.ca, and we said “Hi!” to people from Quinte Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, and to people we knew from Montreal.

Since we had already had planned to go back to Ottawa for Sunday, we sadly left the conference and headed back to Ottawa.

After missing our turnoff, and getting lost near Concordia University in Montreal's west end, we stopped for directions at a local pizzeria, and got some great pizza at the same time. Then we got back on Hwy 15 to head out of the city, stopped at Blainville for supper, crossed over to Hawkesbury on the Ontario side, and came up on Hwy 417, where we stopped on the side of the road to take pictures of one of the best sunsets we had seen in many a moon, and then we were safely home around ten or so.

Sunset near Casselman, Ontario. It was even more beautiful live.

Happy 144th Canada Day!

Canadian Heritage, a department of the Canadian federal government, is celebrating Canada Day!

Visit http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1292265752243/1292265752246

If you would like to read about the evolution of Canada Day, go to http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/jfa-ha/canada-eng.cfm

And as the site notes -

"Don't miss the Canada Day Noon Show, live on July 1, 2011, at noon. Check out the preparations with the Hill Cam!"

Museum Newsletter

If you are coming to Ottawa this summer, be sure to visit both the Museum of Civilization, and the Canadian Museum of War. And if Ottawa is not in your vacation plans, then you should subscribe to their newsletter.

This month, some of the topics covered are the Halifax Explosion, which occurred on December 6, 1917- in an article called “Fire and Water”.

The article says that there was “A fireball 1.6 km high. A tsunami and a blazing inferno. Sixteen hundred buildings destroyed and twelve thousand damaged. Shattered windows in a village situated a full 100 km from the explosion. Thousands of dead and wounded. Images of Japan or Indonesia come to mind...and yet, this drama unfolded right here at home. Revisit the tale of an unprecedented catastrophe and recall the courage of those who braved impossible odds to save the lives of others.”

One of the other articles called “Digging up the Past” goes back 11, 000 years in Southern Ontario to the Early Paleo-Indian period. The article says that "A few hundred people are scattered across Ontario in small communities of nomadic hunters. The glaciers around them have begun to melt, revealing numerous pockets of land and creating enormous lakes - including the vast Champlain Sea to the east".

If you want to receive the newsletter, go to http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/general-pages/newsletter/newsletter and fill out the contact page.

The two museums are absolutely fabulous! You can get a real sense of the country as you go through the two museums, and they are close enough that you can walk between the two. One suggestion: Take the walkway in back of the Civilization Museum over to the Canadian Museum of War. Across the Ottawa River you will pass by the Parliament Buildings, and you will see the Supreme Court Building, and the Library and Archives Canada. There are plenty of plaques along the way which will explain everything, and the flower gardens are absolutely wonderful.

Ancestry.ca is FREE for Royal Visit

From June 30th through to July 8th, 2011 when the Royal Couple are in Canada, Ancestry.ca will be offering free access.

To explore the free records and to sign up for a free 14 day trial, please visit www.ancestry.ca/UK.

The Armenian Boys' Farm Home, Georgetown, Ontario

Today, the Ontario Heritage Trust and the Armenian Community Centre of Toronto has unveiled a provincial plaque to commemorate The Armenian Boys' Farm Home, Georgetown.

"The arrival of Armenian child refugees at Cedarvale Farm in Georgetown helped to lay the groundwork for this country's international humanitarian efforts throughout the 20th century," said Dr. Thomas H.B. Symons, Chairman of the Ontario Heritage Trust. "We are proud to honour this significant event in our history with this provincial plaque."

In part the plaque reads as follows:

THE ARMENIAN BOYS' FARM HOME, GEORGETOWN

On July 1, 1923, a group of 50 Armenian boys arrived at this farm site from an orphanage in Corfu, Greece. The 'Georgetown Boys,' as they came to be known, arrived in Canada between 1923 and 1927 - 109 boys in all. The orphans were survivors of the Armenian Genocide (1915-1923). Their plight touched the hearts of thousands of Canadians, who raised significant funds and lobbied the Canadian government to bring them here. Under the care and supervision of the Armenian Canadian Relief Fund's Farm and Home Committee, the children lived at Cedarvale Farm located on this property and were taught English and farming skills. By 1928, the orphans were placed with farm families in Southwestern Ontario. As adults, most of the Armenians became Canadian citizens and chose to remain in this country. By providing assistance to non-British Commonwealth refugees, the Armenian Boys' Farm Home was the first humanitarian effort of its kind in Canada.

The unveiling ceremony took place at the Armenian Youth Centre - Hamazkayin Theatre in Toronto. The plaque will be permanently installed at Cedarvale Park in Georgetown, the site of the Armenian Boys' Farm Home.

"Canada's humanitarian efforts in aiding the 109 orphaned Armenian children who survived the Armenian Genocide of 1915 must be remembered and commended," said Armenian Community Centre President Vatche Kelebozian. "This provincial plaque will immortalize the memory of the Georgetown Boys and act as a permanent reminder of Canada's proud humanitarian tradition and its unyielding commitment in aiding Armenians."

A book has been written on the Georgetown Boys by Jack Apramian, and is featured in a 1976 article in “The Georgetown Independent" on http://www.creditvalleyartisans.ca/history.html

Miramichi Irish Festival

The 28th annual Canada's Irish Festival will be held in Miramichi, New Brunswick from July 14th-17th, 2011

The Miramichi Branch of New Brunswick Genealogical Society will be there, as well the as Provincial Archives of New Brunswick

In the information package on the website, they say they will be “Focusing on Northumberland County, we will use the Census for the years 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901; there will be transcriptions of every cemetery in No. Co. (over 130), thousands of obituaries (16,000), vital stats from local newspapers, some church records, complete family histories and much, much more. We also have several of our publications available for sale. Be sure to visit us at while attending the festival”.

According to the Festival information, The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick will have a “special digital film archive will be launched as part of the Provincial Archives exhibit. The North West Digital Film Archive created by Derry City Council’s Heritage & Museum Service, the Donegal Regional Cultural Center, Donegal County Museum & Archives and the Nerve Center will be available”.

They will also have a collection of almost 100 hours of searchable material including the census records, land grants information, historical photos and other research documents.

Some of the other events that will take place will be the The Red Hair Contest and Running of the Green Race

For more information, please visit their website at http://www.canadasirishfest.com/index.html

The Acadian Museum Recovers

I first made the acquaintance of Warren A. Perrin of Layfayette, Louisana in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita when the museum he runs called the Acadian Museum of Erath, Louisana was damaged – almost beyond repair. The genealogical material had to be reconstructed, and with the help of Stanley LeBlanc, most of the records have been repaired.

They were dark days for Warren, and the people who work at the Museum. But through hard work, and support from the Acadian descendants in Louisiana, and Acadian people who live in Canada, the Museum has come back to be better than it was before.

If you go to www.acadianmuseum.com you will see three rooms dedicated to history and genealogy (the Erath Room, the Acadian Room, and the Prairie Bayou Cajun Room), The Photo Gallery, and a list of family names held at the museum.

Another way you can keep track of the museum is by subscribing (free) to his newsletter called La Parole which is sent out on a regular basis. There is lots to read, and keep up on in the newsletter.

His email is info@acadianmuseum.com