March Workshop in Toronto – Finding Your Great War Ancestors

Registration is now open for what may be the most authoritative Great War workshop during your genealogical lifetime!

Don’t miss "Finding Your Great War Ancestors", a packed full-day workshop to be held in March 2012 in Toronto, co-sponsored by the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the Canadiana Department of North York Central Library.

Choose one of three concurrent lecture streams – British Research, Canadian Research and “Case Studies and Curios” – or mix and match the topics that interest you the most.

Where: North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto (at North York Centre subway station)

When: Saturday 31 March 2012

Early registration rates apply until 22 February 2012, and special discounts are available for OGS members.

Simon Fowler, Glenn Wright, Linda Reid, and Brenda Dougall Merriman are some of the people who will lead the workshops.

I have just read the program, and I wish I could be there. Hopefully, some people who will attend will be able to blog about it.

For full programs details, speaker biographies and registration information, visit
http://www.torontofamilyhistory.org/GreatWarWorkshop2012.html

NewsLeaf Goes Electronic

GenealogyCanada has just received this news -

"Starting in 2012, the Ontario Genealogical Society will publish NewsLeaf in electronic format. This "green initiative" will save the environment while providing members with alternate means of receiving and storing their issues".

NewsLeaf is the newsletter of the Ontario Genealogical Society, and word is that the journal Families will still be in paper format.

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

Saskatchewan Probate Estate Files, 1887-1931

FamilySearch.org has just released it's update on one of the Canadian records it is putting online.

On December 22, 2011, it reports that there are now 1, 591, 193 records of Saskatchewan Probate Records Index (1887-1931) at  https://familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/1918293

These index, and images are of estate files from Saskatchewan judicial districts. The website says that the  "estate records contain loose papers relating to the settlement of estates including such matters as provision for heirs including minor children as well as distribution of funds, land and property. This project was indexed in partnership with the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society".

Happy 4th Blogiversary!

GenealogyCanada.blogspot.com is now 4 years old!

Thank you to all who have followed this blog over the years, and those who have posted links.

A special invitation goes out to new visitors to stop by and take a few minutes to enjoy the 600+ posts.

Besides myself, there are two others who have their Blogiversary on this day -

Mary's Musings http://musingmary.blogspot.com Mary is from Phoenix, Arizona, and she started the blog in 2010. She is on google+ as Mary Warren, and she says that she is on Facebook as Mary Post Warren, if you would like to go there to see her latest news.

The Rippers www.gyrippers.blogspot.com Another blogger from Arizona, she is a Graveyard Rabbit! She has had the blog since 2009, and there are cemeteries from all over the US.

Congratulations to all my fellow bloggers who are celebrating a Blogiversary this year!

New for 2012, you can now reach me on Facebook. This is where I'll be posting extra material and photos not seen on the blog.

I invite you to drop by for a visit www.facebook.com/GenealogyCanada, and if you wish, join me as a Friend.

Thanks again for your support. It's appreciated!

Elizabeth

Happy 2012!

The past year of 2011 was great as far as Canadian Genealogy was concerned!

For the Ontario Genealogy Society (OGS) www.ogs.on.ca, it was their 50th Anniversary (which was celebrated in Hamilton), the OGS and the National Institute for Genealogical Studies www.genealogicalstudies.com started a partnership, and TONI (The Ontario Names Index) www.ogs.on.ca/home/TONI.php was started.

It was also the year of the 17th Conference of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ontario (BIFHSGO) www.bifhsgo.ca, and the beginning of covering the Conference using Social Media tools (I was one of their Official Bloggers, which included John D. Reid of Anglo-Celtic Connections blog fame http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com, and Susan Davis, BIFHSGO's Director of Communications, and presenter of her excellent and informative lecture, “A Social Media Primer for Family Historians”).

My blog was very successful this year: I published 326 posts, and I made many new friends over the year through the blog. It was the first year that I tried a series of blog postings for Remembrance Week www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/11/blogger-showcases-canadas-veterans-week.html, and it was extremely well-received.

Another year has past as Editor of Families, the journal of the Ontario Genealogical Society, and I had a year of exceptional papers submitted and published. And it doesn't look like it will slow down ...

So I wish everyone a Very Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year, and may all of those Genealogy Wishes (and you know what they are) do come true for you!

Elizabeth

Monday's Post: 4th Blogiverary

Most Popular Pages of 2011

The most popular blogs that I posted in 2011 (in order of popularity, according to online stats) represent a cross-section of topics, ranging from "Some Canadian Archival Resources" on December 29 to "Holiday Sale!" on December 27 to "War of 1812 Meetings", posted on December 22 -

December 29, 2011 - Some Canadian Archival Resources www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/some-canadian-archival-resources.html

December 28, 2011 - French-Canadian Societies www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/french-canadian-societies.html

December 27, 2011 - African-Canadian Societies www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/african-canadian-societies.html


December 27, 2011 - Holiday Sale! 
www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-sale.html

December 1, 2011 - The Archive CD Books Project
www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/archive-cd-books-project.html

 December 30, 2011 -  Some Other Ontario Genealogy Groups www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/some-other-ontario-genealogy-groups.html

 July 4, 2011 - Red River Colony genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/07/red-river-colony.html

November 29, 2011 - Historical Online Newspapers in Canada www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/11/historical-online-newspapers-in-canada.html

April 22, 2011 - Easter Treats from Ancestry.ca www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/04/easter-treats-from-ancestryca.html

December 23, 2011 - War of 1812 Meetings www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/war-of-1812-meetings.html  

If your favourite page is not listed, I'd like to hear about it - please send me an email at genealogycanada@aol.com. I appreciate hearing from my readers.

Thank you for following me in 2011, and I look forward to having you follow me again in 2012!

Elizabeth

Some Other Ontario Genealogy Groups

Besides the ever-popular Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) www.ogs.on.ca and the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) http://bifhsgo.ca, you will find other groups of interest in Ontario, such as -

The Upper Ottawa Valley Genealogical Group http://uovgg.ca They have the Timberline Newsletter Index (1990-1999), Renfrew County Cemetery Transcriptions, and a project on The Canadian Wends (German/Polish) immigrants.

The Manitoulin Genealogy Club www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onmanito/club.html This group, located on Manitoulin Island in Northwestern Ontario, is interested in collecting family histories of Howland Township.

Lanark County Genealogical Society www.globalgenealogy.com/LCGS They are located outside of Perth in Eastern Ontario. Many people from Lanark County went to Bruce, Huron, and Grey Counties in the 1850s, and later, to Manitoba and the Dakotas.

Temiskaming Genealogy Group www.nt.net/~timetrav This group is located in Northeastern Ontario on the border with Quebec, and they have many records on the English and French fur traders.

Sioux Lookout Genealogical Society www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onslgc Located in Northern Ontario, they have burial records, as well as the Tax Assessment Roll for 1913.

The Muskoka Parry Sound Genealogy Group www.mpsgg.com Covering the Central Ontario areas of Muskoka and Parry Sound, this group has the Cemetery Surname Database, which gives the date of death plus date of birth (where available), and other resources of the area.

Tomorrow's Post: Most Popular Pages of 2011