Monday, August 24, 2015

Canadian Week in Review (CWR) 23 August 2015





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

This Week in Canadian History

In 1860, Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) arrived in Montreal during a tour of British North American colonies.

It took him 2 months to tour the provinces of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Upper Canada (Ontario), and Lower Canada (Quebec).

To read about King Edward VII, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VII


Social Media

(Video) Heavy horse centre opening next week at Assiniboine Park Zoo

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/heavy-horse-centre-opening-next-week-at-assiniboine-park-zoo-1.3196262

Visitors to Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo can soon learn about heavy horses, the "gentle giants" that had a prominent role in Manitoba's early history, at a new exhibit opening next week.

Newspaper Articles

Nova Scotia

HISTORY: Black River - history of a community

http://www.novanewsnow.com/Opinion/Columnists/2015-08-18/article-4246586/HISTORY%3A-Black-River---history-of-a-community/1

The occasion was the official opening of the new community hall in Black River, a hall that sprang from the ashes when the former school that had been standing for well over a century burned to the ground.

ED COLEMAN HISTORY: Etna, Vesuvius – two county ghost communities

http://www.kingscountynews.ca/Opinion/Columnists/2015-08-19/article-4249726/ED-COLEMAN-HISTORY%3A-Etna,-Vesuvius-%26ndash%3B-two-county-ghost-communities/1

To my surprise, Black River isn’t profiled in the book, at least not under that name. Yet a couple of Kings County communities are profiled that either don’t exist or were never officially recognized as communities. Etna and Vesuvius are two such communities that come to mind.

New Brunswick

Fort Beauséjour - Fort Cumberland to host presentation on First World War NB pilots

http://www.cumberlandnewsnow.com/News/Local/2015-08-19/article-4251024/Fort-Beausejour---Fort-Cumberland-to-host-presentation-on-First-World-War-NB-pilots/1

Fort Beauséjour - Fort Cumberland National Historic Site will host a special presentation on First World War New Brunswick pilots, including Albert Desbrisay Carter, one of Canada's top ace pilots of the time who was from Point de Bute.

Ontario

Cardinal Collins marks 400 years since first Mass in Ontario

http://www.catholicregister.org/item/20737-cardinal-collins-marks-400-years-since-first-mass-in-ontario

Four centuries ago, the first Mass west of Quebec was celebrated in the Huron-Wendat village of Carhagouha. On Aug. 15, Toronto's Cardinal Thomas Collins returned to that spot to mark the 400th anniversary of the event.

Exploring Champlain's city portage routes

http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2015/08/17/exploring-champlains-city-portage-routes

A new book recounting Samuel de Champlain's portage routes through Peterborough is about to be published, 400 years after the French explorer's travels here.

Finding Champlain's Dream was co-written by Elwood Jones, the archivist with Trent Valley Archives, along with Alan Brunger and Peter Adams.

John By's answer to the homeless problem

http://www.ottawasun.com/2015/08/22/john-bys-answer-to-the-homeless-problemjohn-bys-answer-to-the-homeless-problemoneplan

This is an article about the squatters' villages which sprag up during the building of the Rideau Canal in Ottawa.

Saskatchewan

Naming bridges not complicated 

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Naming+bridges+complicated/11303755/story.html

It's nearly incomprehensible that 25 months after the opening of the bridge on Circle Drive South, with another two bridges expected to be built within three years, city council is still struggling to come up with an easy way to name Saskatoon's iconic structures that goes beyond a prosaic geographical description.

British Columbia

Lost piece of family history returned after 4 decades

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/lost-piece-of-family-history-returned-after-4-decades-1.3195375

Isn't this great news! One mystery auction and more than 15,000 km later, this 140-year-old family Bible goes home.

The Stories This Week 

New direction of the Ontario Genealogical Society blog

There has been quite a few changes at the Ontario Genealogical Society over the past couple years, and now there is a change of what you see at their blog.

In years past, it use to be the place where the news was posted, now, since March of this year, it is the place where you go to learn how to do Ontario genealogy. The news have been moved to the Facebook page.

So far the following articles have been posted -

Using the “Between” Records – County and City Directories 

http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogs_blog.php?p=6136

Finding/Researching Your Canadian World War I Soldier Ancestor

http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogs_blog.php?p=6143

Finding/Researching Your Canadian World War 1 Soldier Ancestor- Part 2

http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogs_blog.php?p=6149

Making a Connection between Official Records

http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogs_blog.php?p=6156

Men of the “Cloth”-Tracking Records for Preachers, Pastors and Priests

http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogs_blog.php?p=6172

Family Stories – Truth or Fiction?

http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogs_blog.php?p=6179

Who is She Actually? How Names Can Change in a Person’s Lifetime

http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogs_blog.php?p=6184

So You Think That You Have a Brickwall- Part 1

http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogs_blog.php?p=6191

So You Think That You Have a Brickwall-Part 2

http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogs_blog.php?p=6197

So You Think You Have a Brickwall- Part 3

http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogs_blog.php?p=6201

The Personals- More Than You Wanted to Know

http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogs_blog.php?p=6208

What do you of a society using their blog to post research articles? Have you found these articles helpful?

===========================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at
http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/08/canadian-news-in-review-cwr-03-august.html

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

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Canadian Genealogy News 22 August 2015


Here are some news items which have come across my desk this morning - 

The Ontario East British Home Child Family 

The Ontario East British Home Child Family (OEBHCF) have set-up and are ready to open their museum at the Aultsville Train Station near Upper Canada Village in Ontario. 

The station will be open and manned by members of the OEBHCF group for the next four weekends. The hours of operation will be 11:00 am - 4:00 pm each Saturday and Sunday. They will also be open for these hours on Labour Day Monday. 

Everyone is welcome! Free Admission!


The website of the organization is at http://www.onteastbritishhomechildfamily.com/

William Quarrier Children: Orphan Homes of Scotland to Fairknowe, Brockville, Ontario 

There will be a talk about the Home Children on Saturday at 3:15 on the 19th of September at the annual conference of the British British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO). Gloria Tubman will give the talk. 

The title will be William Quarrier Children: Orphan Homes of Scotland to Fairknowe, Brockville, Ontario and she will talk about William Quarrier and his Orphan Homes of Scotland at Bridge of Weir, provided a home and refuge for thousands of orphans and/or underprivileged children from all parts of the country. 

The Orphan Homes of Scotland was a complete community for these children, with cottages, a school, a hospital and training facilities. More than 5,000 thousand of these children came to Canada under the British Home Child immigration initiative. 

The majority were placed through Fairknowe, the Quarrier-owned facility in Brockville, Ontario. The discussion will include: the life of a child at the Orphan Homes of Scotland; the Canadian receiving homes used by Quarrier — Marchmont in Belleville and Fairknowe in Brockville; and the available records for the British Home Children who came to Canada through the Quarrier organization. 


A new Home Children resource at BIFHSGO

Further to this, the volunteers of the BIFHSGO has a new resource - the British Home Children Deaths Database

Each of the more than 2,000 records in this database provides the name of the deceased Home Child. The records may also contain age at death, cause of death, location of death, burial location, and the year the child arrived in Canada. 

You can learn about this and other databases at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cstm_homeChildrenDeaths.php



Meanwhile, happy researching!
===========================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/08/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-17-august.html

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

Friday, August 21, 2015

Canadian Genealogy News 21 August 2015


Here are some news items which have come across my desk this morning - 

Remembering the Acadian expulsion from Remsheg, Nova Scotia 

The removal of Acadians from the present-day village of Wallace, Nova Scotia (formerly called Remsheg) took place 260 years ago last week. 

On July 28, 1755, close to a hundred Acadian delegates appeared before the British council, and when asked again to swear an unconditional oath of allegiance to the British Crown, they refused and were all imprisoned. 

The first action in the British plan to expel the French from North America took place in Remsheg, a small Acadian village found at the mouth of the Remsheg River in Nova Scotia. 


You can also visit the Wallace and Area Museum at http://www.wallaceandareamuseum.com/

“Bicycle Face!” Women and Cycling in the Victorian Age
Interested in learning about the heyday of cycling in Toronto? 

Be sure to visit the current exhibit at the Toronto Sporting Past in the gallery located on the main floor of the Toronto Reference Library. Catch the exhibit before it closes on September 5! And you can also check out the virtual exhibit to learn more.

The 1890s in Europe and America saw a new design in bicycles with the invention in the 1880s, - the “safety” bicycle. It features two wheels of equal size, and replaced the famous penny-farthing bicycle.

And is brought about a change in women's clothing. Split skirts and bloomers started to appear, and these new garments and undergarments provided freedom of use from the restrictions of the traditional clothing of the time.

To learn more, go to http://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/trl/2015/08/bicycle-face-women-and-cycling-in-the-victorian-age-.html

Meanwhile, happy researching!

===========================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/08/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-17-august.html

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

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Canadian Genealogy News 20 August 2015


Here are some news items which have come across my desk this morning - 

Canada remember the Dieppe Raid 

Seventy-three years ago, on August 19, 1942, one of the most tragic days for Canada during the Second World War and in all of Canadian military history took place on the beaches of Dieppe, France. 

The numbers are astounding! Nearly 5,000 of the 6,100 Allied troops who fought in the Dieppe Raid were Canadian. The sacrifices made were tremendous as only 2,210 returned to England, and many of them were terribly wounded. Casualties totaled 3,367, including 916 men who lost their lives and almost 1,950 who were taken as prisoners of war and forced to endure harsh treatment. 


A Day in the Life of Oakville (Ontario) 

On Tuesday, July 28th, 2015, residents and visitors of Oakville took photos for Oakville Public Library's inaugural A Day in the Life of Oakville project. The library wanted to capture a moment in Oakville's history to preserve for future generations and they received over 100 submissions. 

All the photos have been assembled in a digital gallery here, which will remain online indefinitely. They would like to thank everyone who took the time to take a photo of their day for this digital heritage project. 

If you didn't get a chance to participate this year, the library plans on making this an annual event. 

You can follow the Oakville Public Library at http://images.oakville.halinet.on.ca/369/Exhibit  to keep posted on A Day in the Life of Oakville 2016

Meanwhile, happy researching!

===========================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/08/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-17-august.html

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

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Canadian Genealogy News 19 August 2015

 

 Here are some news items which have come across my desk this morning - 

Worldwide Indexing Event has ended 

FamilySearch has said that a total of 82,039 volunteers helped to “Fuel the Find” during FamilySearch’s Worldwide Indexing Event, held August 7-14, 2015.

Though short of the goal of 100,000 participants, the effort produced a number of remarkable achievements, among them an 89% increase in non-English language indexing activity, Volunteers produced more than 12.2 million indexed (transcribed) and 2.3 million arbitrated (reviewed) records during the weekly event. As with all records indexed by FamilySearch indexing volunteers, those indexed during the global event will be made freely searchable at FamilySearch.

For the Worldwide Indexing Event, FamilySearch sought volunteers who could decipher records recorded in a variety of languages, with a focus on French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Volunteers from all over the world exceeded expectations by processing over 2,183,212 non-English records including 1,380,684 in Spanish, 147,568 in Portuguese, 226,734 in French, and116,835 in Italian.

FamilySearch heartily thanks all of the volunteers for their contributions and dedication and encourages anyone interested in participating to join the ongoing indexing initiative at www.FamilySearch.org/indexing 

Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) update 

And digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) service files is underway and a substantial number of digitized files have been added to their website as part of the Government of Canada First World War commemoration activities at the Library and Archives Canada. 

They will add new files every two weeks, as the CEF digitization initiative is a priority for them. LAC will ensure that Canadians have access to the files throughout the digitization process, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.

As of today, 181,338 of 640,000 files are available in the database. Latest box digitized box: #2490, name: Devos

For more information on this initiative, please consult the Fact Sheet: Digitization of Canadian Expeditionary Force Service Files

Meanwhile, happy researching!

===========================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/08/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-17-august.html

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

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Canadian Genealogy News (CGN) 18 August 2015




Here are some news items which have come across my desk this morning - 

New Park Officially Opens 

The Friends of Upper Fort Garry, the group which supports the Upper Fort Garry, the headquarters of the Hudson Bay Company from the 1830s to the 1880s, opened a park last week at the provincial heritage site. 

Upper Fort Garry was the administrative and economic centre for Rupert's Land and was the location of the Louis Riel provisional government that eventually led to the admission of Manitoba as a province to the Dominion of Canada in 1870. The fort was the cultural, social, judicial and economic centre of the northwest for more than 35 years.

The original Upper Fort Garry was torn down between 1881 and 1889. 

For more information, go to the Friends of Fort Garry at http://www.upperfortgarry.com/

Upcoming events at Saskatchewan Genealogical Society

Interested in … Starting Your Genealogy? Improving Your Research Techniques?

The Saskatchewan Genealogical Society (SGS) is sponsoring a two day Beginner Workshop on September 12 and 19, 2015.

The first day will focus on Getting Started and the focus of the second day will be Finding Sources.

Certified Instructors: Chris Krismer and Celeste Rider

It will be held at SGS Library at 110 – 1514 11th Avenue, Regina, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm each day.

The cost will be $40 per person, and you can call 306.780.9207 to register.

Register early as space is limited. Pre-registration and payment required by September 4, 2015.

The Saskatoon Branch will be hosting a workshop with Pat Ryan on September 25 & 26, 2015. 

It’s being held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 1429 – 10th Street East in Saskatoon.

The topics for the workshop include: Who’s Your Momma – paying attention to details, beginner and advanced; The Hidden Records of Library and Archives Canada; and The Importance of Finding and Using Maps in Your Genealogical Research

Contact Bonnie Lymer at bonnie.lymer@shaw.ca or call (306) 384-1567; Cindy Paradis at cindysfamilyhistory@gmail.com or (306) 384-9475; Rene Stock at rene.stock@sasktel.net or (306) 229-2378. 

Watch for workshop website and registration forms at http://genealogysaskatoon.org

The Moose Jaw Branch, in celebration of their 45th Anniversary, will be holding a One Day Conference on Saturday, October 3, 2015 at the Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery.

Speakers include: Ken Dalgarno (M.J. Library Archives), Carol Karza (Family History Centre), Chris Krismer (Evaluating Sources), Pat Ryan (The Value of Maps, Who’s Your Momma and Take a Second Look).

Register by September 11, 2015 to Moose Jaw Genealogical Society, Box 861, Moose Jaw, SK. S6H 4P5. Cost is $45. All sessions, snacks and lunch included. Questions? Phone: Diane at 306.692.1967.

Meanwhile, happy researching!

===========================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/08/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-17-august.html
It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

Monday, August 17, 2015

Canadian Week in Review (CWR) 17 August 2015




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

This Week in Canadian History

The Canadian Women’s Army Corps, 1941-1946

The formation of the Canadian Women’s Army Corps during the Second World War is a milestone in the history of women’s participation in the Canadian military

To read more, you can go to the story at http://www.warmuseum.ca/education/online-educational-resources/dispatches/the-canadian-womens-army-corps-1941-1946/



Social Media 

(Photos) HANTS HISTORY (Aug. 6, 2015 edition)

http://www.hantsjournal.ca/Opinion/Columnists/2015-08-06/article-4237149/HANTS-HISTORY-(Aug.-6,-2015-edition)/1

Here's a look at what was making the news 25 and 50 years ago in the Hants Journal.
(Blog) Blythe Family Ancestry

http://www.emptynestancestry.com/blythegenealogy/index.php

(Photos) Rail history tracked to Merritton
The Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway — one of the first electric interurban railways in Canada — was commemorated with a plaque in Merritton where one of its stations once stood.

Newspaper Articles

Newfoundland

Built to last 

http://www.thetelegram.com/section/2015-08-10/article-4239031/Built-to-last/1

Members of YW today have gone back in the provincial archives looking in daily newspapers for references to the organization, searching for any pieces of news that could be added to the chronological story. But you have to enjoy looking for that proverbial needle in a haystack.

Quebec

Quebec considering removing N-word from 11 place names


A stretch of the Gatineau River that has officially been called Nigger Rapids for decades could be renamed— along with 10 other sites in Quebec whose names include the racial slur.

And the latest new is that Quebec is considering changing the name of a local rapids, and you can read about it at http://www.ottawasun.com/2015/08/11/quebec-locales-using

If you want to read how Quebec chooses the names for places, you ca go to http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/english.aspx

Ontario 

LEE DICKSON GENEALOGY: Follows the lives of Thomas Mathews and his son John through the Upper Canada land records


Continued from the previous June and July columns, the lives of Thomas Mathews and his son John are traced forward through the Upper Canada land records. This next part of their story involves the settlement of the Town of York, established 1793. 

GENEALOGY WITH JANICE: Small town newspapers are a boon for family historian


If you have family or relatives who lived in a small town - check out the local newspapers! So many are now online, it’s easy. And lots of fun. 

Living History Day gives Lost Villages a blast from the past


The valuable role of Canadians in the American Civil War of 1861 to 1865 came to life at the Lost Villages Museum in Long Sault.

Alberta 

Hanna roundhouse reunion celebrates railroad history


Roundhouses once dotted the prairies, spaced along the railroad where workers needed a chance to rest and locomotives would be resupplied and inspected.

Now, very few remain. Many have simply crumbled away and the physical legacy of Canadian railroad history is disappearing. One of the few examples of these buildings left is the roundhouse outside of Hanna, Alta.

British Columbia

Dreamers and Dissidents' profiles legends of the Kootenays

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/dreamers-and-dissidents-profiles-legends-of-the-kootenays-1.3180664

The Knowledge Network debuted a new documentary series this week produced by Nelson's Amy Bohigian that tells the stories of some of the most interesting and inspiring characters the Kootenays has ever produced. 

Kaplan heritage sign removed for illegal replacement


The neon blue Kaplan sign that has hung for decades on a Vancouver heritage building at the corner of Granville and Broadway has been replaced with an illegal red sign, raising the ire of heritage activists and citizens alike.

The Stories This Week

Gold is discovered in the Yukon Territory in 1896


On 16 August 1896, gold was discovered near Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada.

It was discovered by Aborginals from the Skookum tribe - Jim Mason and Tagish Charlie. George Carmack, from Seattle, was also with them when they made the discovery. They found the gold in Rabbit Creek, near Dawson, in the Yukon, and the creek was renamed Bonanza Creek – the site of the Klondike Gold Rush. 

After word reaches the United States in June of 1897, thousands of Americans headed to the Klondike to seek their fortunes.

Within six months, approximately 100,000 gold-seekers set off for the Yukon. Because it was so arduous to get to the site (they had to use pack animals or sleds to carry hundreds of pounds of supplies), only about 30,000 completed the trip.

Dawson City located on the way to the Klondike, and it temporarily became the largest city north of San Francisco! What had stated out as a tent city, soon boasted fire hydrants on the streets, and was the first city in western Canada to have electric lights. And the growth of Dawson was largely responsible for the creation of the Yukon Territory as a new Canadian Province on June 13, 1898. 

And other Canadian cities out west also had dramatic growth due to the Klondike Gold Rush. Vancouver, British Columbia saw its population double, and in Alberta, Edmonton's population tripled. 

So there is a nutshell is the story of the Klondike Gold Rush.

There are many places that you can look for information. For instance,

The Klondike Gold Rush 1890s


Klondike Gold Rush


Gold Rush History 


Gives a time line of the gold rush, and what is going on this summer in the Klondike.

===========================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at
http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/08/canadian-news-in-review-cwr-03-august.html


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