John D. Reid is Going to RootsTech

Earlier this week, I posted that RootsTech was staring to fill up with people going to their 2013 conference (held March 21 to 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City), and now I read where John D. Reid, a blogger of all things Anglo-Celtic in Canada, and the official blogger at BIFHSGO, http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/2012/09/rootstech-2013.html, is going to take in next year’s conference.

I will be waiting here in Ottawa for his posts on the conference, as he always seems to be able to pick out interesting people to talk to and things to do, while at these gatherings.

Also, I noticed that he mentioned that I was in the Oct/Nov 2012 issue of Internet Genealogy http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/2012/09/internet-genealogy-octnov-2012.html with an article on “Researching English Ancestors in the Province of Quebec”.

We both agree with the statement that while “researching English-speaking ancestors in Quebec ...  the Quebec Family History Society is fast becoming the place to conduct initial research because of the databases they hold or access”.

If you want to hear what Gary Schroder, President of the Quebec Family History Society has to say about the “Cadastral Numbers System: The Key to Quebec Land Records” then you should listen to Brian Glenn's interview with him in a two-part series on www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=59

Dr. Charles Marius Barbeau Honoured in Oklahoma

The Museum of Civilization, located in Ottawa, has received word that the Sam Noble Museum in Norman, Oklahoma, is honouring the legacy of Dr. Charles Marius Barbeau with a special exhibition called “The Gathering of Traditions: A Centennial Celebration”. It features objects and photographs from the Barbeau collections at the Museum of Civilization.


The press release says that “Dr. Barbeau, who travelled to the state one hundred years ago to document the culture of its Huron people. The materials he collected—now housed in the Canadian Museum of Civilization—represent a unique historical record that is helping descendants reconnect with their heritage.

Barbeau travelled to Oklahoma in 1911 and 1912. He was then working for the Geological Survey of Canada, studying the Aboriginal cultures of Eastern Canada. In Ontario, he met a Huron elder named Mary McKee who told him about her relatives in Oklahoma. She urged Barbeau to go there to learn more about the Huron culture.

He did so, meeting members of the Wyandotte Nation and Seneca-Cayuga tribe. Armed with an early recording device, he captured their language, legends, and songs on wax cylinders. He also took photographs and detailed field notes, and purchased some of their belongings. He returned to Canada with a priceless cultural record. By accessing those collections, members of the Wyandotte Nation and Seneca-Cayuga tribe have learned long-forgotten details about their ancient culture.

He received a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University, and was among the first graduates in the new discipline of Anthropology. He also received many awards and honours in his lifetime and posthumously. In 1985, he was recognized as a “person of national historic importance” by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada”.

To see more about the exhibit at the Sam Noble Museum in Norman, Oklahoma go to www.snomnh.ou.edu/exhibits

To read more about Dr. Barbeau, go to Wyandotte Nation: Preserving the future of our past! at www.wyandotte-nation.org/traditions/dr-charles-marius-barbeau

The Gathering - Ireland 2013

A press release just received -

Toronto, ON (September 28, 2012) – Tourism Ireland is delighted to announce an upcoming collaboration with Ancestry.ca to promote The Gathering Ireland 2013. The Gathering is an open invitation to the world to come and visit Ireland in 2013 for a unique celebration of all things Irish. Ireland may be a small country, but the Irish have put down their roots all over the world. More than 70 million people worldwide now claim Irish ancestry; quite something considering the total population of the island of Ireland is just over 6 million.

Canada’s connections with the island of Ireland go back at least 200 years and today nearly 5 million Canadians claim Irish ancestry 1. Tourism Ireland and Ancestry.ca will work together to reach these Canadians, helping them trace their Irish roots and inviting them to be a part of this unique celebration.

“Ancestry.ca is really excited to help Tourism Ireland invite Canadians to Ireland in 2013,” said Julie Wingate, Marketing Director of Ancestry.ca. “Ireland is a big part of many people’s ancestral journey and The Gathering Ireland represents a natural next step for anyone with Irish roots to take their family history experience to the next level. And of course, anyone who isn’t sure if they have Irish roots can check by visiting Ancestry.ca and signing up for our 14-day free trial.”

“Tourism Ireland is thrilled to work together with Ancestry.ca on the promotion of The Gathering Ireland here in Canada,” says Jayne Shackleford, Manager of Tourism Ireland. “The Gathering is the most ambitious tourism initiative ever undertaken in Ireland and it’s about asking anyone who has Irish blood, a link to Ireland, or even just a love of our country to join the Irish for a series of amazing and diverse events throughout 2013. We can’t think of a more natural fit.”

The Gathering is the people’s party. It will kick off in spectacular style on New Year’s Eve 2012 with an event that will receive world coverage and will then be celebrated through clan gatherings, festivals, special sporting events, music and concerts taking place all across the country, all year long. Many Irish celebrities have put their name behind this citizen-led initiative such as Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan.

How Irish are you? Discover your Irish roots by visiting www.ancestry.ca for a 14-day free trial and to be a part of the Gathering visit www.thegatheringireland.com

Fall Worshops

There are a number of workshops this fall in Ontario, and some of them are -

Kent Branch (OGS)

On Saturday October 20, 2012 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, the Kent Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society will host the REGION 1 MEETING AND WORKSHOP, and they will have the War of 1812 as their theme.

They will present the following topics -

* The Women of the War of 1812 by Susan Spencer

* The British Army 1660 – 1815 by Eric Shaw

* War of 1812 – Walpole Island Perspective by James Jenkins

This is a full day workshop available to the public. $30.00 includes lunch and snacks. Held at St. Andrews Residence, 99 Park Street, Chatham, Ontario

For more information and to register, please go to http://ogs.on.ca/kent/?page_id=129

Brant County Branch (OGS)

On Saturday, October 27, 2012 a Fall Workshop will be held 9:30 am to 4:00 pm at the library of the Brant County Branch Ontario Genealogical Library.

$25 with lunch if registered by October 24th, and $30 at the door +$5 for lunch.

The morning session will feature speaker Zig Misiak, and he will talk on the ” Six Nation in the War of 1812”, and John Sietsm in the afternoon will talk about “Using Computers in Your Research.”

The Brant County Branch Library is at 114-118 Powerline Road, on the grounds of Smokey Hollow Estates, going east from the Wayne Gretzky Parkway, just outside the North-East corner of Brantford.

British Home Child Day

And there are a number of events on the British Home Child Day to be held tomorrow Saturday September 29th.

There will be a British Home Child Day in Ontario Symposium/Information Session at the South Stormont Township Hall in Long Sault.

This will be a day full of exhibits, displays, speakers, and research information. It will cost $10.00, which includes refreshments and attendance at the event.

For more details, go to  www.uppercanadavillage.com/index.cfm/en/activities/special-events/british-home-child-day-first-anniversary

If you can’t make it to the events, but still would like to know about British Home Children, I suggest that you go to the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa www.bifhsgo.ca to discover the work that is being done by Patricia Roberts-Pichette and other BIFHSGO members.

They have indexed Home Children names in the passenger lists of ships arriving in Canada, and the indexing of Middlemore Home Children arriving in Canada between 1873 and 1933. In addition, several groups of Home Children settled in Canada by some small agencies are also being indexed

And there is the British Home Child Day to be held on the Internet tomorrow. You are asked, if you are a descendant of a home child, to share your stories on the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services website at www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/britishhomechildday/index.aspx

RootsTech 2013 Registration is Live with $149 Early-bird Pricing

I won’t be able to go to the confernce this year, but if you are going to RootsTech , it promises to be a great conference.

Registration is now live for the 3rd annual RootsTech conference on March 21-23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, UT. With several thousand attendees each of the first two years, the 2013 conference is shaping up to be the biggest and best yet!

RootsTech, hosted by FamilySearch, offers an opportunity unlike any other to discover the lastest family history tools and techniques, connect with experts to help you in your research, and be inspired in the pursuit of your ancestors. You will learn to use the latest technology to get started or accelerate your efforts to find, organize, preserve, and share your family's connections and history.

New in 2013! A full track of Getting Started classes and labs will help those new to family history learn where to start, how to build their family tree, and how to use technology to explore their connections. Learn more.

Register NOW and Save $70 with Early-bird Pricing!

Registration Options

Full 3-Day Pass

Access to everything RootsTech has to offer (250+ classes).

$219 $149 (Early-bird Pricing)

One-day Pass

Full admission for just one day. $89

Student 3-Day Pass

Student ID required. $39

NEW! Getting Started 3-Day Pass

Beginner track with access to over 30 classes. $49 $39 (Early-bird Pricing)

Getting Started One-Day Pass

A selection of fundamental classes to help get you started. $19

Developer Day Pass (March 22)

A full-day technology program just for developers. $89

They has something for everyone, whether you are an avid genealogist, just getting started, or simply want to discover the latest technologies and solutions to better connect with your family.

To get further information, youcan go to www.rootstech.org

The British Isles Family History of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) had its own technology expert at the conference earlier this month, and it was Tony Bandy who gave a workshop on “Tables, Netbooks, e-Readers and Apps for Genealogies”, and talks on “Dropbox, Evernote and Online Digital Notes”, and “Online Books: Are These Really Good Resources? “ which were well attended.

You may listen to an interview with John D. Reid of BIFHSGO and Tony at http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/2012/06/bifhsgo-conference-interview-with-tony.html

The McLellan Settlers of Indian River, Prince Edward Island

Every once in a while, a new post on settlement of Prince Edward Island is put on the Island Register by Dorothy Farish.

So far, she has put on the families of the following –

Alexander Brown

Donald Macdonald

The MacLellan's - John and Angus

Alexander Cameron

The MacLean's - Roderick and John

The Other Maclean's - Hugh, Hector, and John

Donald McDongald (McDougall)

The McKinnon's - Neill and James

James Smith

Donald Gillis

And this week, she has added “An Interesting Sketch of the McLellan Family Who Settled at Indian River”, and who had come to PEI from the Isle of South Uist in Scotland.

You can read the accounts of these people at www.islandregister.com/lot14_16.html#maclellan2

Re-enactment Battle of Queenston Heights Oct 13/14

Doug Grant UE, Editor of Loyalist Trails and Manager of the   (UELAC) website, says that on October 13 and 14, 2012, a Re-enactment of the Battle of Queenston Heights will be held in Queenston, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Lewiston, New York.

October 13, 2012 marks the 200th anniversary of the historic Battle of Queenston Heights. Join us at Queenston Heights where historic interpreters and musicians, re-enactors, merchants and suttlers will make history come to life!

Take a tour of the battle site, and climb the 235 steps to the top of Brock's Monument to get a bird's eye view of battle site. Don't miss the re-enactment of the Battle of Queenston Heights, which will be starting at 3:00 pm, and the burial of Issac Brock will also be honoured on the weekend.

For more information and links to greater detail, go to www.friendsoffortgeorge.ca/event.htm

And the is offering education materials called “About War of 1812” with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and the assistance of Library and Archives Canada,

The Canadian Geographic Education has been working on creating a host of educator resources surrounding the bicentennial of the War of 1812. These items include a Giant Floor Map (11m x 8m), a kit of replica documents from 1812, Portrait Cards of 27 influential figures of the War, Model Ships, and a freestanding Timeline.

All items are being shipped in September. Quantities are limited so be sure to check it out soon!

Check their website at www.canadiangeographic.ca/educational_products

The UELC website is at www.uelac.org