Community Creating History

The Chinese Canadian community is interested in collecting stories so they can let people know about their history in Canada.

This project is designed to connect students, school educators, libraries, and community groups such as genealogists, and historians.

They connect people through web resources such as games, lesson plans, and also historical photos.

To read more about Chinese Canadian Stories, and their collection, read their blog at B.C. Heritage Fair at www.bcheritagefairs.ca/chinese-canadian-stories

New/Updated Websites, Blogs, and Newspaper Articles - 03 December 2012

I have come across the following websites, blogs, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too –

On Monday, Dec. 03, 2012 the will be a meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society at which Merle Kastner, will give a talk about "My Family Roots Trip to Romania and Ukraine”.

The talk will focus on the former Bucovina and Radautz, Fratautz, Czernowitz, Suveava and to Moldavia, and Piatra Neamt and Negulesti. She will talk about how she organized the trip and how you can do the same to visit your shtetls

The meeting will be held at 7:30 pm at the Jewish Public Library, 5151 Cote Ste-Catherine Road, Montreal.

You can call 514.484.0969 or visit http://www.jgs-montreal.org

On Saturday, 15 Dec 2012 at 1:00 pm at the City of Ottawa Archives, 100 Tallwood Drive, Room 115, there will be a meeting of the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society in which Kurt Johnson, historical researcher, and Board Member of the Goulbourn Museum, will give a talk on the “Perils and Petticoats: Exceptional Women of the War of 1812”.

Remember that this meeting may be simulcast for members who can’t join the group in person.

For more information, go to http://ogsottawa.on.ca/category/events/branchmeetings

Do you know that Ancestry.ca is on Facebook? Read about the “12 Days of Christmas” on www.facebook.com/Ancestry.ca

Burnaby Village Museum Christmas Holidays www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca/EN/main/visit/events/events/heritage-christmas.html They have oral histories, library and artifact collection that you are invited to take a look at or listen to while there.

In case you missed my post earlier this week, Richard Watts, Times Colonist reporter in The Province is carrying a story on the B.C. Archives called B.C. opens archives to search family histories
www.theprovince.com/life/opens+archives+search+family+histories/7634449/story.html#axzz2Dv2GiJ5l

French connection: Voices of the past immortalized in Francophone digital collection
www.thewesternstar.com/Arts-Life/Features/2012-11-30/article-3130735/French-connection-Voices-of-the-past-immortalized-in-Francophone-digital-collection/1 Frank Gale from The Western Star newspaper tells how the Memorial University’s Digital Archives Initiative Collection was introduced to French communities on the Port au Port Peninsula in Newfoundland.

Monument proposed for Bernard captains who explored Canada’s north www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2012-11-28/article-3129587/Monument-proposed-for-Bernard-captains-who-explored-Canada%26rsquos-north/1 A West Prince committee is hoping to erect a monument next year to recognize a pair of northern explorers who hailed from Nail Pond, Prince Edward Island - Captain Pierre (Peter) Bernard and his nephew, Captain Joseph Bernard.

© Elizabeth Lapointe All Rights Reserved

Anniversary Alert

On January 2^nd, exactly one month from today, it will be the fifth anniversary of my blog, GenealogyCanada.blogspot.com.

In addition to celebrating the anniversary, I am going to give away 5 copies of my research booklet, Migration: Canada and the United States, to the readers who correctly answer a question about the blog.

So remember that day - January 2^nd - and come celebrate with me, and win a booklet!

Elizabeth

The Genealogy of Canadian Food

In an article “Jacob Richler creates a genealogy of upscale Canadian cuisine in My Canada” Andrew Allentuck, who writer for Postmedia News, does a review of Jacob’s latest book, My Canada Includes Foie Gras.

It includes biographies of well known Canadian chiefs, as well as well known Canadian restaurants.

You can read the review at
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Jacob+Richler+creates+genealogy+upscale+Canadian+cuisine+Canada/7636169/story.html

To read more about the genealogy of Canadian food, here are a couple of sites that may interest you –

Cricket's Tree - A History and Heritage http://cricketstree.blogspot.ca/p/traditional-comfort-food-and-recipes.html This site talks about Traditional French-Canadian Comfort Food and Recipes.

Cuisine of the Maritimes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_the_Maritime The traditional food of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island is explained.

The Genealogy Trails Chuckwagon
http://genealogytrails.com/chuckwagon This site talks about prairie food that was cooked on chuck wagons to feed the “wagon train of settlers or feed nomadic workers like cowboys or loggers”

Update on Ontario Cemeteries Act Petitions

We have not received an update on the what happened to the Cemeteries Act Petitions in May 2011 when the Ontario Legislature was prorogued.

But we are told today that The Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS), and The Ontario Historical Society (OHS) received a life line from Jim Brownell, then retiring Member of Provincial Parliament for Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry. He arranged for the committee to meet John Gerretsen, then Minister of Business Services – the ministry in charge of cemeteries registration.

A list of more than 1500 unregistered cemeteries across the province was presented to Mr. Gerretsen and the committee had a first hand opportunity to tell the minister about the lack of protection and high risk of removal for unregistered cemeteries.

The joint OGS and OHS Cemetery Registration Committee has been resuscitated and, with assistance from many hardworking branch cemeteries committees, is working to compile the necessary information and send it to the Registrar.

To date the data for four counties – Algoma, Brant, Bruce and Carleton – have been forwarded to the Registrar of Cemeteries. Any new information for these counties will be also forwarded as it is discovered.

The committee asks anyone with cemetery information, particularly little known or abandoned cemeteries to contact them.

You can go to www.ogs.on.ca/home/advocacy.php#cemeteries and read about Bill 126, Inactive Cemeteries Protection Act, 2010.

A Heritage Certificate For Christmas

This a great idea for Ontario Genealogical Society members –

If you're a member of the Ontario Genealogical Society Centenary Club and you're looking for a last minute holiday gift (or just starting your shopping like some of us), consider a supplemental Centenary Club certificate for your relatives. They can be members of the Centenary Club because you've already proved that you are.

Supplemental certificates are only $10 each for OGS Members ($20 for non members) and make a great stocking stuffer.

To purchase one, simply download the application form and fill out Section 1 indicating your name and contact information, the number of certificates you are ordering and the names of the relatives you are buying for. No need to provide evidence, it is already on file here.

Please make sure your request reaches us by December 7th so that we can make sure your certificates reach you in time for the 25th.

Questions? Contact membership@ogs.on.ca or call Provincial Office.

The website of the OGS Heritage Certificate is www.ogs.on.ca/home/heritage_societies.php

A membership to the society is $60.00 CDN per year, and the membership is at www.ogs.on.ca/membership.php

Images of Historical Birth, Marriage and Death Records

Just received this press release from the British Columbia Archives -

Victoria, BC – People worldwide will now have easier research access to images of the original historical records of births, marriages and deaths in British Columbia.

A partnership between the BC Archives and the Vital Statistics Agency, as well as an in-kind donation by FamilySearch International, has resulted in original records being scanned, indexed and now available from anywhere in the world for printing – free of charge – through the Royal BC Museum/BC Archives website.

“Open, free access to public records of an historic nature will help researchers and writers tell the story of British Columbia and assist citizens interested in genealogy or local history,” said Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Bill Bennett. “Congratulations to the partnership responsible for making this data available digitally online.”

“Easy access to government services and data is central to our Open Government policy. Having these records online benefits our citizens and people around the world; anyone who has roots in this province can now explore their B.C. heritage.” said Minister of Citizens’ Services and Open Government Ben Stewart.

Since 1997 the Vital Statistics Agency has provided the BC Archives with annually updated indexes to publicly releasable vital event information. The BC Archives is allowed to release personal information about deaths that occurred at least 20 years ago, marriages that took place at least 75 years ago, and births registered at least 120 years ago. In the past, the photographed images of actual documents were only available on microfilm at the BC Archives reading room, at a FamilySearch International centre or through a number of libraries across the province.

“This free access to digital images of historical vital event records is long overdue,” said Kathryn Bridge, Manager of Centralized Access, Royal BC Museum. “The upload of more than 700,000 scanned and indexed documents in the first few months of test operation is unique in Canada, no other province has made this much rich data available online.”

Provincial registration of births, marriages and deaths began the year after British Columbia joined Confederation in 1871. The registration records contain information that can be used to trace a family tree, determine medical history, reveal the history of a community or patterns of illness over time. Birth registrations include name, date and place of birth, parents’ names, and the mother’s maiden name. Marriage registrations include the name, age, birth place and marital status of the bride and groom, the date and place of the ceremony, names of the couple’s parents, names of witnesses and the person who performed the ceremony. Death registrations include the name and birth date of the deceased person as well as the date, place and cause of death.

Phase 1 of this data upload is substantially complete. Phase 2, now underway, will add more images and indexed information, including pre-1872 records, deaths that occurred overseas during the Second World War, between 1939 and 1945. More than 200,000 images of death records from 1985 to 1991 and approximately 19,000 images of marriage records from 1933 to 1936 will also be added. Phase 2 is scheduled for completion by the end of the year and will bring the number of scanned records to the one million mark. Each year more vital event records images will be scanned and uploaded as they become available through annual scheduled releases by the Vital Statistics Agency.

To access the images of historical birth, marriage and death records go to http://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Genealogy/BasicSearch

About the BC Archives

The BC Archives is the oldest archival institution in Canada west of the Great Lakes. In 2003 it joined the Royal BC Museum. The BC Archives acquires, preserves and makes accessible the documentary heritage of British Columbia for its citizens and researchers around the world. Its archivists are stewards of our province’s personal, corporate and social memory.