Barns Appreciation Project

The Rideau Township Historical Society, located just south of Ottawa, has announced that they are still collecting information and photos of barns in the former township of Rideau before they all disappear.

They say, "The Barns Appreciation Project began in 2006. It represents an attempt to gather a photographic record with supporting documentation of the barns in the former Rideau Township before they all disappear.

Between 12 and 15 volunteers have been working of the project. We now have 1000 pictures from over 300 sites. The next phase to get interior photographs and supporting is just getting underway".

So if you are aware of any barns that have yet been photographed, contact the president, Bill Tupper, at gwtupper@magma.ca, or go to the website at http://www.rideautownshiphistory.org/index.html

Gloucester Place Names Project

The Gloucester Historical Society of Ottawa has an ongoing project that will lead to the publication of a book, and the project is to identify all Gloucester Place Names, past and present, and provide some basic information about each.

Included is the original Gloucester Township, east of the Rideau River, and south of the Ottawa River. It comprises the former City of Vanier, Rockcliffe Park, and those parts east of the Rideau River that have been part of Ottawa since 1950, and even earlier.

They are asking for your help. Have the society missed a name? They are asking for any photos which shows past or present of any community listed. Do you know how a place name originated, or do you any interesting stories about any community?

If so, you can contact http://www.gloucesterhistory.com/history.html#Index, or you can reach them at english@gloucesterhistory.com.

Some Early Scots in the Maritimes

There will be a meeting at the Halifax Regional Library, Spring Garden Road, Halifax at 7 p.m., Tuesday, 15 November 2011 as they host the launch Volume II of Some Early Scots in the Maritimes by author Terrence M. Punch, FRSAI.

There will be a short talk, and time for questions,followed by light refreshments.

Volume II will be available for purchase. As well, a few copies of Volume I of the set will be available.

The Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia is at http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Recreation/GANS

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 7

Here are some of the websites, and blogs that I have come across the week ending October 16, 2011

Ancêtres Famille Paquin http://afpaquin.org/~afpaquin/joom/index.php A free comprehensive Canadian & American PAQUIN family tree from 1672.

New Version of the Home Children Database
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/home-children/index-e.html I wrote about this on my blog on the 11th of October. The LAC has added 20,000 new names to the database, and they have been compiled by the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa.

Barclay - Matlack Family Homestead http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/a/r/Thomas-Barclay/index.html The site includes many names including the family name of Freeman from Liverpool, Nova Scotia.

AllFuneralHomes.com http://www.allfuneralhomes.com Lists the funeral homes found in Canada.

Ottawa Valley Irish: A family history weblog & genealogy database http://www.ottawavalleyirish.com As the site says, "This blog covers the family history of a number of interrelated Irish and French Canadian families in the Ottawa Valley area, including the Morans of Huntley township; the Laheys and Killeens of March township; the McGlades of Perth; the McCarthys of Kitley township; and the Derouins of Otter Lake".

The Genealogical Site of French America http://www.genealogiequebec.com A bilingual site (Frensh/English) that has more than 33,861,400 images, and files online. For instance, they have 1,260,000 BMD records linked to Drouin Collection images, 1881 and 1901 Quebec censuses, and 1881 from Ontario; 1926-1996 Marriages, 1926-1996 Deaths, and so on.

La Société du patrimoine et d'histoire de la Côte-de-Beaupré, Quebec http://sphcb.com A French only site that tells the history of this famous region of Quebec.

Bible Christian Magazine http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~biblechristianmag/title.html The site contains biographies, memoirs, and obituaries of people who were involved with the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Although this site mainly is about people in England, it does contain Canadian references.

The Ball Bureau: A blog to share my research of the Ball family in Devon, England and Glamorgan, Wales http://ballbureau.blogspot.com Karen Ball traces the Ball family roots in the counties of Devon, England and Glamorgan, Wales to British Columbia.

Skeletons in my Closet http://skeltonsinmycloset.blogspot.com Among others, Jennifer R. Grandchamp ("Jenny Roses") is researching her French-Canadian roots.

Ottawa Valley Irish Blog

Michael McBane the author of the blog "Ottawa Valley Irish: A family history weblog & genealogy database" has said that he is working on a book on the missionaries of the Ottawa Valley and the Pontiac on the Quebec side.

He provides a partial list of Roman Catholic Missionaries served the Pontiac County area in the mid-nineteenth century such as -

1836-1838 Rev Pascal Brunet, curé Montebello/Wm Cannon, vicaire à Bytown
1836-1838 F.L. de Bellefeuille, S.S. Montréal/J.B. Dupuis, Evêché Montréal

To see the rest of the list, go to http://www.ottawavalleyirish.com/2011/08/missionaries-of-pontiac-1836-1851.html#comments

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

OGS is 50 Years Old Today!

October 15, 2011

"While we have been celebrating our 50th Anniversary all year, it's worth sharing that today, October 15th, is the actual birthday of The Ontario Genealogical Society.

On October 15th 1961 The Ontario Genealogical Society was established in a meeting at the University of Waterloo. The fledgling Society was sponsored by the Pennsylvania German Folklore Society of Ontario, and Dr. G.E. Reaman of Waterloo Ontario was made the first President.

Dr. Reaman's first President's Message is found on the front page of the very first Bulletin (now Families) which OGS members may view in the Members Only section of our website.

Through the hard work of enthusiastic genealogists across the province, we have changed and grown a great deal since that day in 1961.

Thank you to all members of The Ontario Genealogical Society for your tireless efforts and contributions over the years. Your dedication has made us who we are today.

Happy Birthday and welcome to our 51st year!

Sarah Newitt
Executive Director OGS
http://www.ogs.on.ca
ed@ogs.on.ca

Atlantic Canada Genealogy Project

This project is "related to descendants of the migration of families from Yorkshire, England in the late 1700s, to what is now Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in Canada".

There are people you may be related to on the site, a Guest Book, and a Chapman family tree that you can read, if you wish.

If you discover any person that is your ancestor, send Don Chapman a message onsite.

The webpage is http://chignecto.tribalpages.com/tribe/browse?userid=chignecto&view=9&ver=1677