BIFHSGO meeting on January 11th

The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) will meet on Saturday January 11th 2014 at the Library and Archives Canada.

9:00 a.m. — During the Before BIFHSGO Education Talk, learn from Ken McKinley about how to protect and save information stored on your computer.

10:00 a.m. — In Bibles and Bugs: My Welsh Ancestors In and Out of Africa, Gail Roger will talk about how an uncle's posthumously published autobiography about his missionary days in Africa helped and hindered her search for her Welsh ancestors. Gail will talk about her great-great-uncle and her maternal grandfather and some of the circumstances about their life in two very different parts of Africa

Come early to browse our Discovery Tables and meet with family history experts. Open to members and visitors. Free admission. Free parking is available in the lots east of the building only on Saturday and Sunday. Do not use the lot west of the building

Also, BIFHSGO has called for speakers for their 20th Annual Conference to be held in Ottawa, September 19 - 21, 2014.

The deadline is January 31, 2014, and the Conference will focus on three main topics -

• English family history;

• Immigration from the British Isles, including Home Children; and

• Genetic genealogy.

The interview with Gail Roger is at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=106

The website is at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/

Canadian Week in Review 06 January 2014

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

WebsitesNo new websites this week.

Social Media
No new site this week.

News Articles
Artist brings area history to mural at Galt http://lethbridgeherald.com/news/local-news/2014/01/artist-brings-area-history-to-mural-at-galt/ At the Galt Museum in Lethbridge, Alberta, Alex Pavlenko, a local artist, has installed a series of murals in a classroom onsite dedicated to education.

The Land Conservancy to accept deal to sell heritage Vancouver Island farm http://www.vancouversun.com/Land+Conservancy+accept+deal+sell+heritage+Vancouver+Island+farm/9343001/story.html The Land Conservation of British Columbia may be selling the Keating Farm, located about 60 kilometres north of Victoria near Duncan, because the Land Conservation is running out of money, according to an article in the Vancouver Sun.

What you didn’t know about Canada’s Parliament Hill http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/lifestyle/article/2000101348/what-you-didn-t-know-about-canada-s-parliament-hill A writer for the Ottawa Citizen write about parliament Hill, and tells us some things we may not know about it.

Story of the Week

John Matheson, 'Father' Of Canadian Flag dies at age 96

February 15th is the National Flag of Canada Day in Canada. Next year it will celebrate its 50th anniversary, but this year, the day will be different, because the man who lead the committee which was responsible for choosing the winning design, has died.

Beside fighting and being wounded in Italy during the Second World War, Matheson also served as an MP and judge and helped found the Order of Canada.

Social Media has played its part in reporting the death because you have a chance to see the 149 designs that were submitted for the new flag by ordinary Canadians on this news site. Plus, there are videos.

The website is http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/12/30/john-ross-matheson-dead-canadian-flag_n_4519659.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

If you want to read more about the flag, you can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Canada

If you want to read about the National Flag of Canada Day, you can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Flag_of_Canada_Day

Reminder: Check the Canadian Week in Review next Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! The next post will be on 13 January 2014.

Coburg Public Library closed until further notice

Brian Gilchrist, Reference Archivist at the Peel County Museum and Archives in Brampton (Ontario), has informed us that the main branch of the Coburg Public Library has suffered major water damage due to a broken pipe, and will be closed until further notice.

He says that there has been significant damage to books, videos, DVDs and so forth, but there is no damage to the Local History Collection and Archives. Which is good news!

They do have the Coburg Newspaper Index and Archival Image Database at their webpage.

The webpage is at http://www.cobourg.library.on.ca/library_newsletter.html

Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/Cobourgpubliclibrary?ref=mf

OGS Open Forum

The Ontario Genealogical Society invites members and non-members to join in an online discussion with President, Shirley Sturdevant. Ask questions and make comments about the changing face of OGS and volunteer opportunities with the Society.

The date that the forum will be held will be Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.

This forum is open to anyone who is interested but you may express your interest and receive a reminder and your own copy of the login information by contacting the OGS provincial office at provoffice@ogs.on.ca.

Please use the subject line “OGS Open Forum.”

The website of the OGS is http://www.ogs.on.ca/

Saskatchewan Provincial Records (1879-1987)

The FamilySearch.org website has put more Homestead Records on their website at
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Saskatchewan_Provincial_Records_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records)

Eventually, they intend to including all of the homesteads records, voter lists, pioneer questionnaires, biographies, military and municipal records, teacher registries, township registers, and Henderson Directories.

Meanwhile, the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society's website has a new look - http://www.saskgenealogy.com.

Check out their cemetery index, comprised of a database containing the names and locations of over 3,486 cemetery and burial sites in Saskatchewan.

GenealogyCanada is 6 years old today!

Yes, it’s been six years since this blog was started. And each year just keeps getting better, thanks to you!

This past year, this blog was recognized as being among the best in the business by being accorded the following accolades –

Ø Named as one of Internet Genealogy Magazine’s 25 Top Genealogy Blogs

Ø Named as one of the 40 Best Genealogy Blogs in 2013 by FamilyTree Magazine

Ø Named as one of the Top 90 Genealogy Blogs from Free People Search.org

And there are plans to continue on with this success, so please stay tuned.

Last year, of course, was the Year of the 1921 Census.

It was the singular most popular subject on my blog, by the amount of traffic and comments by you, faithful readers. When the indexed version was finally released by Ancestry.ca in November, it was met with much enthusiasm by the public!

I also held a contest on Canada Day where readers were given the chance to get some help with their brick walls. There were four winners.

So, here’s hoping for another good year, full of more news from across Canada.

All the best,

Elizabeth

 

Happy New Year!

May all of your genealogical dream come true in 2014!

I know that I have a number of conferences to attend, some research projects that need my attention, and a summer full of museums, libraries and archives to visit in 2014.

It will be noteworthy year in Ottawa because it will be the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.

So what do you plan to do in 2014?