Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Did you index yesterday?


The FamilySearch Indexing project yesterday had over 66,000 individuals who indexed at least one batch, and many did more than one batch of documents. Over 3 million records were indexed, and over 500,000 were arbitrated! That is a fantastic number.

And did you watch some or all of DearMYRTLE’s GeneaSleepOver Hangouts On Air on Google+ and archived at YouTube?

If you didn't watch, you can view the 24-hour session (divided into segments) at https://www.youtube.com/user/DearMYRTLE

So congratulation to everyone who indexed. It is not too late to start indexing today. Go to https://familysearch.org/indexing/.

There are plenty of Canadian records waiting to be indexed.

Monday, July 21, 2014

Canadian Week in Review 21 July 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.

History Week in Canada


In 1792, a royal proclamation divided Upper Canada into counties.

Go to the website of the Archives of Ontario at http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/maps/ontario-districts.aspx

Also, Brenda Dougall Merriman, in her 30th anniversary edition of Genealogy in Ontario: Searching the Records, has maps on pages 7-10 which shows the different political divisions in Ontario
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In 1880, Dr. Emily Howard Stowe became the first woman licensed to practise medicine in Canada. She graduated from the New York Medical College, because at the time, no Canadian medical college would accept a female student.

To read more about Dr. Stowe, go to http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/physicians/030002-2500-e.html
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In 1836, the first Canadian railway opened. The track of the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railway, which ran 24 kilometres between the St. Lawrence and Richelieu Rivers, was built of a wooden base and wooden rails covered with a protective metal strip.

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In 1874, the first Mennonites arrived in Quebec. They eventually settled in Manitoba.


Social Media 


OGS Conference Community
To keep abreast of the developments of the OGS conference at Barrie in 2015, become a “friend” and keep informed.

The History Blog
An archaeological team excavating the Newfoundland colony of Avalon has found a small copper crucifix from the early dates of the settlement in the 1600s.

There are photos of the Empress of Ireland – a very impressive story.

New tour focuses on city's haunted history
There is a news story as well as a video on the city’s “haunted history”.

Newfoundland and Labrador

A dog indelibly part of our history
Read the history of the Newfoundland dog in the province’s development.

Nova Scotia

Fire upgrades part of work at site symbolizing Acadian deportation
The site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012. There has been preservation work going on since 2009 to the site. The chapel was built in 1930 to commemorate the deportation of the Acadians in 1755.

An exhibit has opened at the McCulloch House Museum and Heritage Centre. Here is interpretive panels in Gaelic and English which tells the story of the arrival of the Scottish Gaels in Nova Scotia, their language and culture.

COUNTERPOINT: Western Nova Scotia up to scratch
A response has been written to the Halifax-Boston ferry that others have raised.

Prince Edward Island

Troupe that brings Sir John A. to life seeks sponsors
The future of the Confederation Players is unclear with P.E.I. 2014 funding close to an end
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/troupe-that-brings-sir-john-a-to-life-seeks-sponsors-1.2711882
Summer students bring the 1864 Charlottetown Conference to life every summer, but now its unclear if the program will continue because of cut backs to the funding. The players conduct paid walking tours.

New Brunswick

No stories this week.

Quebec

Bishop Deeley to lead pilgrimage to Quebec City
http://www.portlanddailysun.me/index.php/newsx/news-briefs/12470-bishop-deeley-to-lead-pilgrimage-to-quebec-city
There will be a pilgrimage from Maine to Quebec City to honour the 350th anniversary of Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral from Friday October 3rd through Sunday October 5th.

Ontario

Donated artifacts tell new stories in local history
Forty-one donors have given more than 2,000 artifacts, documents, photographs and postcards to the Cornwall Community Museum in the Wood House.

A snoop through closets past with two new books that offer smart takes on history’s fashion sense
These are two books to add to the library.

Van Doos make history at Buckingham Palace
The Royal 22nd Regiment is standing guard at their posts at Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace respectively where they began six days guarding the British Royal Family, to the cheers of thousands of tourists thronging the capital.

History of Canadian Furniture
Do you know that Kitchener (then known as Berlin) was the birthplace of Canadian furniture?

Is Hotel Waverly's lurid past keeping it from heritage designation?
'A sense of nostalgia...doesn’t necessarily warrant physical protection'
The hotels does not meet the criteria for a heritage building, it was decided recently. The four storey hotel located in on Spadina Avenue close to the University of Toronto's downtown campus opened in 1900.

Remembering the Bloody Assize
http://www.chch.com/remembering-bloody-assize/
Did you know about this trail? I didn’t. It certainly tells of a time when we had a trial for high treason - 15 men were charged with espionage, and giving aid to the American enemy

Manitoba 

Showcasing the Natural and Cultural History of the East Beaches Area 
Manitoba has given financial support to the Rural Municipality of St. Clements for the renovation of the Heritage Wing in the Grand Marais Community Central.

Saskatchewan

No stories this week.

Alberta

Bringing ghosts to Innisfail Historical Village
Author Johnnie Bachusky to make presentation for Chamber event at historical village
 
His books - Ghost Towns of Alberta, Ghost Towns of the Red Coat Trail, and Ghost Towns of British Columbia capture his solitary sojourns from British Columbia to Saskatchewan in pursuit of hamlets and hovels, long since abandoned by those who once called them home.

MacEwan University uncovers part of Edmonton’s railway history
The century-old Canadian Northern Railways turntable pit has been unearthed in preparation for the building of the university’s new centre for arts and culture. And it’s still intact.

Historic Barron Building will not get legal protection from province
Calgary Heritage Initiative Society says it was notified by Alberta's culture minister of decision
The Barron Building will not be getting legal protection from the province after all so the Calgary Heritage Initiative Society has been told.

British Columbia

No stories this week.

Story of the Week


The birthplace of Winnipeg - Upper Fort Garry will open in September


Governor Gate, a new entrance to Upper Fort Garry, will open in September. Backed by the Friends of Upper Fort Garry, the gate will transform the land around Upper Fort Garry, known as the birthplace of Manitoba. The land will turn into an heritage park and interpretive centre.

The fort was first erected in 1835 under orders from George Simpson, then-governor of the Hudson Bay Company. Upper Fort Garry served as the centre for trade in the West, and was the site of significant historic events, such as the development of Manitoba.

The Friends of Upper Fort Garry have a website that you can go to and view the blog at http://www.upperfortgarry.com/blog, videos at http://www.upperfortgarry.com/videos/, and get the story behind the building of the Governor Gate.

There is a Virtual Heritage Exhibit of the Upper Fort Garry at http://www.virtual.heritagewinnipeg.com/vignettes/vignettes_128W.htm, as well as a timeline and photos at http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/upperfortgarry.shtml

And if you are interested in the history of upper Fort Garry, there is a historical summary online at  http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=6939

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 July 28, 2014.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Reminder: Canadian Week in Review

Check the Canadian Week in Review tomorrow morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. 

It has the most up-to-date news items covered in New/Updated Websites, History, Social Media, and Newspaper Articles.

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! 

If you missed least week's edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/07/canadian-week-in-review-14-july-2014.html

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012. 

Societies - are they changing?



Genealogical societies in Canada are going through a change of sorts, because a number of societies are asking their members to attend special meetings so that they can discuss and vote on new bylaws, and other pressing matter which affect their societies.

The Ontario Genealogical Society went through this last year, and I think we have a renewed vigor and a vision for the future. I think these new bylaws will see us through the coming years.

As reported on GenealogyCanada on July 10th, the Quebec Family History Society at www.qfhs.ca will hold a special meeting on September 13, 2014 for approval to obtain a Certificate of Continuance, a document that grants the organization continuance as a federally incorporated not-for-profit society. 

They have asked their members to be prepared to discuss possible changes to its constitution, and the members are asked to submit written recommendations for changes to the bylaws, which, by the way, were written in 1992! The deadline for these submissions is August 13th.

The link to the full story is http://genealogyensemble.wordpress.com 

And now, we hear that the Alberta Family History Society is going to have a special meeting on the 8th of September at 7 o’clock at the River Park Church, 3818 14 A Street SW, Calgary, Alberta to discuss bylaws. 

They has put the proposed changes on their website at http://www.afhs.ab.ca/docs/bylaw-changes-explanation.pdf, and the proposed new by-laws can be read at http://www.afhs.ab.ca/docs/proposed-bylaws-2014.pdf 

I know that bylaws can be a very boring subject to many, but it is a necessary part of doing business, and every so often, they have to be upgraded to meet with the changing times.

So read them over, and then be prepared to discuss the changes so that your society can meet the demands of the future.

Friday, July 18, 2014

FamilySearch Indexing Project is waiting for you!


Are you ready? 
FamilySearch would like to have 50,000 indexers and arbitrators to submit at least one batch in a 24-hour period! Do more if you would like, but one batch is all that is required to be counted in the record!
The record-setting begins at 00:00 coordinated universal time (UTC) on July 21, which is 6:00 p.m. mountain daylight time (MDT or Utah time) on Sunday, July 20. It ends 24 hours later, at 23:59 UTC (or 5:59 p.m. MDT) on Monday, July 21. 
Check the FamilySearch Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/722157871184202/ for your local start time and status updates.
Here are the statistics on indexing Canadian projects - 
  • There are 67,802 current volunteers 
  • There are 15 current projects
  • There are 7,832 Images awaiting arbitration 
  •  There have been 787,408 Canada records contributed 

Some of the project that still need indexing are –
  • British Columbia Marriages 1937
  • Newfoundland Vital Records 1840-1949
  • Prince Edward Island 1721-1905
Plan now to get involved and add your name to the record-setting event!

The Canadian projects are at https://familysearch.org/indexing/projects/country/ca  

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Archives is asking for your help

The Flamborough Heritage Society & Archives, is one of the largest and most active, local heritage groups and archives in Ontario. It is located in the former Wentworth County which was in the city of Hamilton in southwestern Ontario.  

And they are working on three projects -

  • The first project is a planned book on the history behind the names of communities that exist, or did exist at one time, in Flamborough
  • The second project is a compilation of the businesses in Flamborough, with an emphasis on Waterdown, from around 1850 onwards 
  • The third project is an inventory of street names in Waterdown, and the history behind the name

They would like to receive any material which would help with this research - photos, stories, advertisements or flyers etc. They can scan the original photos, or you can send in scanned photos, or documents to flamarch@hpl.ca, or you can phone them for details at 905. 540.5161.

The website is at http://www.wefhs.myhamilton.ca/

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Drouin Collection – Quebec Records

The people at the Drouin Collection have put together a 16-page user guide and it’s free to everyone. 
It is divided according to the time periods - 17th century to the 21st century, as well as baptisms/births, marriages, deaths. There is even a 250,000 postcard collection from the personal collection of Jean-Pierre Pepin that covers the years from 1980 and 2002! 
There are also collections from the United States and Canada (outside of Quebec), and they have hundreds of genealogies, and it includes Protestant baptisms/births, marriages, deaths, as well.

The finding aid is here https://www.genealogiequebec.com/documents/keywords.pdf

This is a subscription site, and it is bilingual – French/English.