English Historical Society of West Nipissing

A meeting took place at the Sturgeon River House Museum in Sturgeon Falls on February 25th, where twenty people came together to form the English Historical Society of West Nipissing.

They formed the group because they were concerned that local English history was quickly disappearing, and that something should be done so that historical documents and photos can be given a home where people can come, research, and learn about their English background.

An interim board will meet during the next several months to discuss writing a constitution, raising funds, discussing incorporation, and holding an election for officers of the new society.

TheWest Nipissing area has two Francophone historical societies, and the municipality has recently appointed the Advisory Heritage Committee.

For more information regarding the English Historical Society, please contact Jean Johnson at 705- 594-2513 or Wayne LeBelle at 705-758-9669.

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 20

Here are some of the websites and blogs that I have come across the week ending March 4, 2012.

Many Branches, One Tree http://www.manybranchesonetree.blogspot.com/ This blog covers the family names of Amaro, Baron, Bennett, Fay, Gaffney, Hoppin, Huesca, Kangas, Makepeace, McGinnis, Perroyin, Quinn, Riney, Sannella, Schiavon, and Tully, in Ontario.

The Gray and Haley Family http://gailgray.tribalpages.com/tribe/browse?userid=gailgray&view=9&ver=455 There are 7,990 names listed on this website, and it all started as a genealogicak project when the webmater started to research his parents from Nova Scotia, and how they met.

Canada Genealogy Queries www.cousinconnect.com/p/a/3 Have you checked out this site lately? They have now have 1,9286 Canadian queries posted.

The Clark(e) Family Homepage http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~c239 James Clarke, born circa 1810, came to North America with the British army. Married to Bridget Duffy (b. 1830), James Clarke settled on Howe Island, an island south of Kingston, Ontario.

Stimers Genealogy http://home.cogeco.ca/~rstimers Descendants of Jacob Stimers and Catherine Light. Jacob and Catherine came to live in Thurlow Township, Hastings County, Ontario in 1800 from Dutchess County, New York State.

Ontario Churches in Ontario http://pg.webring.com/members/blog/anglicanchurch History of some Anglican churches in Ontario.

Twigged: The Blog http://twigged.ca/blog Included is a WWI album, and the history of the Bray family of St. Teath, Cornwall, England, who emigrated to Ontario, Canada.

Aboriginal Peoples: Guide to the Records of the Government of Canada (Revised Version) www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/the-public/005-1143-e.html Originally released in 1996, the revised online guide includes updated instructions on how to locate records from the Department of Indian Affairs (RG 10 / R216) and the Department of the Interior (RG 15 / R190) in Archives Search. The guide also explains how to search by finding aid number in Archives Search.

Cyndi's List http://www.cyndislist.com/ She celebrated her 16th birthday yesterday! It's hard to believe that when I first read this new "List", she would still be going strong years later. Congratulations, Cyndi!

Family History Event in Muskoka

Mark Saturday, March 24th on your calendar for a workshop on discovering your family tree.

This event will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located upstairs in the Masonic Building at 4 Miller Street in Parry Sound, Ontario.
Come and learn “how-to” information, available resources, and how to find help.

This event is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with assistance from the Bracebridge Family History Centre, the Muskoka Parry Sound Genealogy Group, the Parry Sound Public Library, and Seguin Public Libraries.

Everyone is welcome.
For more information, please call 705-346-0366, or visit www.sites.google.com/site/discoveryourtree

Scottish Ancestry Research Workshop

A press release was received from Christine Woodcock the other day, and it says -

"Christine Woodcock will be giving a talk at the Kitchener Public Library (Country Hills Branch) on Monday, March 19th at 6:30 pm.

Her talk will center around the Statutory Records, Old Parish Registers, The Scottish Naming Pattern, Irregular Marriages, Making Use of the Census Records, and other useful resources including online resources, local resources, and more.

Admission is free (being Scottish, this is always my favourite price!) but you are asked to call the library ahead of time to register (519-743-3558). This will also help us to ensure we have enough hand-outs for everyone.

You can also contact Christine at cdwoodcock56@sympatico.ca”

The Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario

The Smiths Falls & District Historical Society, in collaboration with the Smiths Falls Municipal Heritage Committee, asked the following question at a recent meeting - should the downtown area, called Uppertown, be considered as a heritage conservation district?

This question was answered in the affirmative by Nicole McKernan, a graduate student at Carleton University who summarized her findings of the Uppertown Heritage Conservation District Study.

She said that the area north of the Rideau River is generally known as the Downtown Core. She said that 150 years ago, when the town began as a booming economic centre for the county, this same neighbourhood was referred to as Uppertown. She looked at this 11-square block area straddling the main thoroughfare of Beckwith Street North, and she evaluated the architectural, historical, and cultural significance of the buildings in her study.

The Speaker Series will continue in March with Rideau Canal Heritage Visualization, presented by the Department of History of Carleton University. Discover how this innovative project will bring visual heritage out of archives and museum collections, and puts them into the mobile devices and apps technology.

For information, go to the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario http://rmeo.org/, call them at 613-283-5696, or send an e-mail to info@rmeo.org.

For information on how you can become involved in the Smiths Falls & District Historical Society, please call the Heritage House Museum at 613-283-6311 or e-mail them at heritagehouse@smithsfalls.ca.

Canadian Emigration: Parliamentary Papers of 1826

The following press releases was received from FindMyPast, and it says, in part -

“This parliamentary paper publishes the correspondence and extensive supporting documents of the British government with the Governor-General of Canada concerning the settlement of poor Irish in the Newcastle District in 1826, or 'Mr. Robinson’s Emigrants' as they became known. This was the result of a Commons request to be furnished information on the settlement as it had been publicly funded.

The official title of this parliamentary travel and migration record is:

Return of the Assessed Value of the Townships in the Newcastle District in Western Canada, which were settled by Pauper Emigrants from Ireland, between the years 1825 and 1828 at the public expense: Of the number of various Emigration Societies formed in Canada in 1840, by Canadian Proprietors desirous of Settling Emigrants from Great Britain and Ireland upon their Estates. (1848)”.

Initially the Governor-General just sent updated valuations of the relevant townships (Ashpodel, Douro, Dummer, Emily, Ennismore, Ops, Otonabee and Smith) which had since be designated as part of the District of Colbourne. But following further demands for information, he sent a detailed breakdown of every plot settled by Irish paupers in 1826 by Peter Robinson.

The details listed include:

- Name of the 1826 settler
- Number in the settler’s family
- Lot number
- Concession
- Acreage
- Number of acres cleared by 1847
- Number of horses and horned cattle on the plot
- Name of present occupants on lot
- Relationship of occupants to settler
- Other critical pieces of information

In total, around 260 plots are covered, giving details of over 700 people. While this is a short publication, it is an essential migration resource for those who became known as the Robinson Irish settlers, and indeed, for anyone in Southern Ontario with an Irish family history.

The information is at http://www.findmypast.ie/

Colchester Historical Museum Honours Local People

During their annua Heritage Night Celebration on Thursday, February 23rd, the museum honoured the following people or groups -

• Truro's Carol Campbell and James Smith received an award in the written history category for their writings about the Planters.
• Lisa Davies of Onslow will take home an award in the genealogy category for three extensive family genealogy projects.
• Tatamagouche's Dale Swan is being honoured with the Iindividual Heitage Award for volunteering with the Anna Swan Museum, North Shore Archives, and Creamery Square.
• The Planter 250 Committee will be given the Promotion of Heritage Award for its organization and implementation of events celebrating planters.
• The Town of Truro Award will go to the owners of 23 Inglis Place (Temptations) for its façade upgrades. The owners are Vineberg and Fulton.

The museum itself has—in its archives—vital statistics, newspaper articles, census reports, school registers, photos, and family genealogies. The museums has exhibits on lighthouses, "Colchester Today", "Unearthing Colchester", and past exhibits include "New Beginners: Planters in Cobequid 1761-1780"; “A Favourable Opportunity: The Planters Choose Cobequid"; and "Victoria Park: A Cultural Landscape"
.
The museum/s website is http://colchesterhistoreum.ca/. They have a newsletter, and are on Facebook and Twitter.

Congratulations to all - well done!