The British Columbia Genealogical Society is 40 Years Old!

Happy birthday, BCGS! Congratulations to the Society, and to its President, M. Diane Rogers, and members, for this landmark anniversary. Here's to many more!

The March edition of their newsletter, The British Columbia Genealogist, is a hefty one (it's 50 pages long), with articles including "Documents Reunited With A Family - Bridges, Rauly, Slidders, Stenhouse, Stevens', "Vancouver, BC Post Office War Memorial Plaque", and "BC Roll of Honour, World War I - From The Gold Stripe".


The article, "Impressive Ceremonies Mark Unveiling of Two Langley War Memorials' - Headline from The British Columbian - Monday September 13, 1920", also gives a brief bio of 41 men whose names are on the Landley Memorial from the First World War -

Eugene Lawrence Allard, Edward Weldon Berry, William Elton Berry, Sidney Boundy, Hew McKenzie Bradshaw, T. Brand, Henry (Harry) Brawn, Carleton Hust Brown, Brian Harper Butler, John (Jack) Bertram Carvolth, G. H. Davis, Valentine Davies (Davis), Frank Wesley Glover, Marcelle Gueho, John Crowell Henderson, Donald Howell, Demster Wishart Howes, Hector John Roderick Jackson, Arthur Thomas Johnston, William Henry (Hy) Johnston, Noel Wilfred Kendall, William Lee, James McKay, Gordon Alexander McDonald, James McDonald, Alexander McIntyre, Francis Hubert Read, Frederick Orlando Roberts, David Robertson, George Edward Sellers, Robert Hazlette (Hazie) Simonds, Harry Leslie Swain, George Henry Topham, John Bertram Topping, Alfred William Trattle, Stanley Tyres, George Lewis Warners, Harold Milton White, William Arthur Wilson, Capon Victor Montague (Monty) Wix, and Jesse Wright.

Other interesting columns are "Queries", a "List of Presidents from 1971 to 2011", "Yearbooks & Annuals", "Publications List", and "New Acquisitions at the Walter Draycott Library".

For information on the Society, please go to www.bcgs.ca, or email them at editor@bcgs.ca.

FamilySearch.org Updates

Leland Meitzler, a friend on mine for many years, has just put on the latest Canadian update of FamilySearch.org on his site www.genealogyblog.com.

I took a minute to check it out, and although it had many of the records already at www.FamilySearch.org, I was able to find a new record for Catherine Barclay Rockwell, born 02 March, 1876 at Cornwallis, Kings, Nova Scotia. Her father's name was given as Rupert Rockwell, and her mother's name was given as Isabell Barclay, the daughter of Andrew Barclay, of Shelburne, Nova Scotia - an ancestor of mine.

The source information was given as Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C53461-1, System Origin: Nova_Scotia-ODM, and the Source Film Number:1298810.

Not long after her birth, the whole family moved out to California, where they joined Isabell's sister, Annie Louisa Haley, at Newark, Almeda County.

War of 1812 Re-enactment - Help Wanted

You can take part in the Celebrate Barrie Festival on June 4th at the 19th Century Heritage Village in Barrie, Ontario by being re-enactors, artisans, entertainers, historical displays, etc. This is a paid event.

We are once again looking for re-enactors to partake in this one day event at the waterfront in downtown Barrie, and are specifically looking for the following:

– British & American Military Units, Individuals & Encampments
– Fife and Drum Groups
– Period Demonstrators, Artisans, Entertainers and Merchants
– Native & Voyageur Units, Individuals & Encampments
– Artillery Crews and Cannons/Artillery Encampments
– Long Boat Crews and Boats with Cannons/Naval Encampments

If you have a special unique 19th century talent not listed above, we would also like to hear from you!!!

This is a paid event for all participants, and you will be compensated for attending and providing wholesome education and public orientated programming. A reminder that this event is a little different from normal re-enactments, as all participants are being compensated for attending, and during education and public hours, you are required to cater and interact with the public. First person interpretations and historical portrayals are stressed and encouraged as much as possible.

If you are available to attend the event, please submit a proposal with the following information from you or your unit/group:

1. Name, Address, Postal Code, Phone Number and E-mail address
2. A description of what you have to offer in regards to talent, demonstrations, exhibits, entertainment, encampments, etc.
3. Any promotional materials, pictures, website addresses, flyers, DVD, CD, etc. promoting yourself or your group
4. How many performances, interpretations, and presentations you would
perform, if applicable.
5. How much it would cost for participating in this one day event.
6. Please submit your proposals to David J. Brunelle (below):

The Festival Committee will be making decisions on an ongoing basis as to which proposals we will be accepting for the event.

We look forward to receiving everyone's proposals. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, David J. Brunelle, Project Director, at davidbrunelle@rogers.com.

You can also go to the website at www.1812bicentennial.com.

Ghost Towns of Canada

Fred Dittmar, of Diggin' Deep Genealogy Research Service in Norman, Oklahoma, is the List Administrator for the Ghost Towns of Canada and the US mailing list at RootsWeb. You can contact him at dittmar_ksa@ou.edu for questions about the list.

Fred says that he started "12 Rootsweb mail lists late last year. There is one for each Province and Territory in Canada".

He explained that (as the site itself says) that 'This list is for the study and researching of town names, residents, history and locations of abandoned ghost towns, camps or posts that your ancestors lived in, passed through or you have a genealogical interest in, in the Province of British Columbia, the Province of Alberta etc."

Fred adds that "The mail lists are only as good as the people who post and talk with each other. That's my motto: Post a lot, talk a lot, have fun, be nice and help each other but don't forget I have a size 13 shoe. It works……lol Thanks again Fred".

You can reach the list at: http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/CAN and search "ghost towns".

Moore Family Reunion

There will be a reunion of descendants of Samuel Moore of Massachusetts and New Jersey on Saturday, June 25, 2011 at the Norwich and District Museum, 89 Stover Street North, Norwich, Ontario.

He was born in 1630, and his great-grandson, Samuel Moore of New Jersey, was born in 1742.

People are invited from across Canada and the USA.

Mark the date on your calendar now, and plan to attend!

For more information, contact:

Donna Moore, UE,
d.moore3@sympatico.ca

Shelburne County Archives & Genealogical Society

Shelburne County Archives & Genealogical Society Newsletter

Shelburne County, on the southwestern coast of Nova Scotia, has had a genealogical society since 1987. And they publish a newsletter three times a year.

In the Winter 2011 issue, they bring us up-to-date on the latest news of the Society, and on page 2 there is a lengthy article about the "Missing Link: The Ancestry of John Spinney" by Brian Smith.

It is interesting to see how Brian took a few clues from the "History of Barrington Township" about Spinney's ancestry, and by using classic research in land petitions, and research at the New England History and Genealogical Society, Smith was able to go back three generations.

There is also a transcription by Ann and M. Edward Butt of the notes by Walter E. Abbott in "Surveying the Canadian United States Border as found in Stories and Reminisces of Walter E. Abbot" as how he talked about the boundary as it affected the fishing industry.

There are a couple of projects of the Society that may interest the readers of this blog, and they are -

The Society will soon issue a publication on the doctors and dentists of Shelburne from 1783 to 1965, and

The "Women of Shelburne County",which is an oral history project. It will be released on a DVD, and will be released early in the summer.

To look at the website, please visit them at http://nsgna.ednet.ns.ca/shelburne or contact them at gensentre@ns.sympatico.ca.

Disclaimer: I am from Shelburne, and am a descendant on my paternal side of Andrew Barclay, a Port Roseway Associated Loyalist, one of the founders of the town in 1783.

OGS Conference Early Bird Price Extension

There is only three days left for the Early Bird Registration. I plan to be in Hamilton from the 13th to the 15th of May so I will see you there!

The Provincial Office of the OGS sent me this notice -

"Due to the delays in opening registration back in January, we are extending the Early Bird conference registration prices until the end of Friday April 15, 2011.

Members can still register for the full weekend conference (Friday night, Saturday and Sunday) for the Early Bird price of $140.00 ($160.00 for non-members).

Take full advantage of the extra two weeks of low prices and register for Conference now".

To see the details of the Conference, go to www.ogs.on.ca/conference2011