On Saturday, July 16, 2011, the Guysborough Historical Society, in Guysborough, Nova Scotia will host a reception at the Old Court House Museum from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to celebrate the opening of the Research Centre.
The Research Center houses many genealogical items such as births, deaths, marriages, baptisms from Boylston, Canso, Guysborough, Manchester, Melford, New Harbour and Whitehead. There is a large selection of books and reference materials such as census records (1817, 1838, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901), and books such as A.C. Jost’s Guysborough Sketches and Essays, John Grant’s Historic Guysborough, and Christopher Cook’s Along the Streets of Guysborough.
The Guysborough Historical Society also offers genealogical research services for a fee of $10.00 plus copying charges ($.25 per page), and they also offer free self-directed research for members.
The renovations to the basement at the Old Court House Museum and development of the interpretive panels were made possible with funding from the Municipality of the District of Guysborough, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and the Nova Scotia Office of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism.
Visit their website at http://www.guysboroughcountyheritage.ca/
A daily blog about Canadian genealogy, heritage, and history
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network
The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network www.cjhn.ca says that more than 25,000 database records of the Canadian Jewish community dating back to the 18th century are now available online.
I just used the search feature, and found a family in Montreal that my father knew in the late 1940s.
The new website features the vast repositories of the Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee National Archives (CJC) and the Jewish Public Library Archives (JPL).
There is more than 2,000 digitized photographs and documents, as well as more than 50,000 genealogical records,and 5,000 associated images. There are also sound recordings and moving images.
The site says that the "Genealogical resources include online posting of family history resources such as Jewish Immigrant Aid Services client name lists from 1922-1952, individual farm settler reports from Western Canada and Quebec (1906-1951), translated Yiddish obituaries from the Keneder Adler (1908-1931), and Hebrew Sick Benefit Association of Montreal's membership book listings (1897-1905)".
There is also information about Jewish servicemen casualties in the Canadian armed forces during World Wars I and II.
The project was funded by the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation (SSBFF).
I just used the search feature, and found a family in Montreal that my father knew in the late 1940s.
The new website features the vast repositories of the Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee National Archives (CJC) and the Jewish Public Library Archives (JPL).
There is more than 2,000 digitized photographs and documents, as well as more than 50,000 genealogical records,and 5,000 associated images. There are also sound recordings and moving images.
The site says that the "Genealogical resources include online posting of family history resources such as Jewish Immigrant Aid Services client name lists from 1922-1952, individual farm settler reports from Western Canada and Quebec (1906-1951), translated Yiddish obituaries from the Keneder Adler (1908-1931), and Hebrew Sick Benefit Association of Montreal's membership book listings (1897-1905)".
There is also information about Jewish servicemen casualties in the Canadian armed forces during World Wars I and II.
The project was funded by the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation (SSBFF).
VICTORIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY YOUTH PROGRAM
Here is an interesting post from the Victoria Genealogical Society (VGS) at
http://www.victoriags.org/
"In December 2010 the Victoria Genealogical Society endorsed the development of a genealogical / family history program for school aged children. Two primary goals for the Youth Program have been accepted as recommended by the project’s Design Committee.
They are:
To introduce young people to the world of genealogy and family history research in a fun and engaging way;
and,
To introduce young people to the tools and techniques they can use to initiate their own research.
To meet these goals the Design Committee developed a series of recommendations which were adopted by the Victoria Genealogical Society Executive Committee. Key amongst these recommendations was “that the programs developed be age appropriate and welcoming to all family types and origins in the world - allowing young people to explore their family in any form they'd like”.
One program which is slated for this summer is Detective Adventure which starts on July 13th. It is a hands-on genealogy program for kids in grades 4 and 5. Summer registration now open. Call 250-360-2808. You can also download the 2011 poster (PDF format) by clicking on the detective image on the website.
Limited space so register early to avoid disappointment:
Detective Adventure 1: July 13, 20, 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Detective Adventure 2: August 3, 10, 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Resource Centre of the Victoria Genealogical Society
947 Alston Street, Victoria
Fee: $ 35, detective tools included
To Register: Email vgsprojectdirector@gmail.com
http://www.victoriags.org/
"In December 2010 the Victoria Genealogical Society endorsed the development of a genealogical / family history program for school aged children. Two primary goals for the Youth Program have been accepted as recommended by the project’s Design Committee.
They are:
To introduce young people to the world of genealogy and family history research in a fun and engaging way;
and,
To introduce young people to the tools and techniques they can use to initiate their own research.
To meet these goals the Design Committee developed a series of recommendations which were adopted by the Victoria Genealogical Society Executive Committee. Key amongst these recommendations was “that the programs developed be age appropriate and welcoming to all family types and origins in the world - allowing young people to explore their family in any form they'd like”.
One program which is slated for this summer is Detective Adventure which starts on July 13th. It is a hands-on genealogy program for kids in grades 4 and 5. Summer registration now open. Call 250-360-2808. You can also download the 2011 poster (PDF format) by clicking on the detective image on the website.
Limited space so register early to avoid disappointment:
Detective Adventure 1: July 13, 20, 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Detective Adventure 2: August 3, 10, 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Resource Centre of the Victoria Genealogical Society
947 Alston Street, Victoria
Fee: $ 35, detective tools included
To Register: Email vgsprojectdirector@gmail.com
Monday, July 4, 2011
Red River Colony
On Thursday, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) released a new version of the online database Immigrants to Canada. They have added 4,000 names to the database. Settlers who went to the Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement) in Manitoba are found in the Thomas Douglas, Earl of Selkirk fonds (MG 19 E1). The database celebrates the 200th Anniversary of the foundation of the Colony.
The database can be found at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/immigrants-canada/index-e.html
If you want to read more about the Red River Colony, there are some websites you can go to -
The Red River Colony: Lord Selkirk has a Plan
http://www.canadiana.ca/hbc/stories/colony1_e.html
The MÉTIS & THE RED RIVER SETTLEMENT
http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_metis/fp_metis_redriver.html
Red River Colony
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scotsandcanada/redrivercolony/index.asp
The database can be found at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/immigrants-canada/index-e.html
If you want to read more about the Red River Colony, there are some websites you can go to -
The Red River Colony: Lord Selkirk has a Plan
http://www.canadiana.ca/hbc/stories/colony1_e.html
The MÉTIS & THE RED RIVER SETTLEMENT
http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_metis/fp_metis_redriver.html
Red River Colony
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scotsandcanada/redrivercolony/index.asp
Friday, July 1, 2011
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.
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!"
Thursday, June 30, 2011
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.
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.
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