The Genealogy Corner

I have started writing a genealogy column called "The Genealogy Corner" in The Review – a weekly newspaper in Vankleek Hill, Ontario. The column is geared towards beginning genealogists, but I think anyone can gain a new insight in the views that I have put forward in the column.

The column appears every two weeks in print, but unfortunately, doesn't appear on the website, so if you are interested, you will have to buy the paper or get an online subscription. The website is www.thereview.on.ca.

The columns that have been printed so far this year are -

• March 14 - Finding Your Canadian Roots
• March 28 - A Genealogical Society Is Not Just Another Society
• April 11 - It's Time to go Back to School – Year Round
• April 25 - It’s Time to Start Your Research!
• May 9 - The Year Genealogy Was Reborn In Canada

 The next column on May 23 will be all the changes that are taking place at FamilySearch.org.

MGS Celebrates Manitoba Day

Today, the Manitoba Genealogical Society http://www.mbgenealogy.com/ is holding an Open House to celebrate Manitoba Day!


They want to make their fellow residents aware of the birth of their province of Manitoba 142 years ago, on May 12th.


The open house will be at 1045 St. James Street, Winnipeg, and it will feature a resource centre tour, and advice in tracking down family histories. It will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with free admission.


In addition to the hourly tours of MGS Resources, there will be demonstrations of online sources of information, and special emphasis will be spent on how to break down “brick walls”.


Other places that will celebrate Manitoba Day are -


The Manitoba Museum www.manitobamuseum.ca/main/2012/05/07/celebrate-manitoba-day-with-us-free-admission-plus-lots-more Free admission to the galleries and planetarium, plus a foray into the world of famous Manitobans.


Western Canada Aviation Museum wcam.mb.ca “Fit For Flight” guided tour showcases made-in-Manitoba aviation innovations – including the Bush Plane.


Transcona Historical Museum http://www.transconamuseum.mb.ca/ Hands-on archeology workshop for families, held between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.


New Iceland Heritage Museum, Gimli http://www.nihm.ca/ Free admission and a talk by Johanne Kristjanson on the evolution of Manitoba.


Manitoba Agricultural Museum, Austin http://ag-museum.mb.ca/ Free admission and loads of family-friendly activities, including a picnic, horseshoe tournament, and more.

York County and the 1837 Rebellion

The York County Branch of the OGS www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onyrbogs has a new project of collecting a list of participants in the 1837 Rebellion.

The information being collected is -

• Date of birth
• Place of Birth
• Date of Death
• Place of Death
• Rebel or Volunteer
• Time in Prison
• Prisoner's Boxes Made
• Exile
• Transport to Diemen's Land
• Banished
• Escaped

They are asking if you have an ancestor involved in the rebellion, please send in the information to Patricia Blackstock at pblack-stock@sympatico.ca.

If you want a bit of information of the Rebellion of 1837, go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Canada_Rebellion.

LAC Announces New Digitized Reels for War of 1812 Records

I received this announcement from Library and Archives Canada -

"We are pleased to announce that you can now access 73,000 new images of War of 1812 records on its website.

Discover these valuable resources and other miscellaneous records for the War of 1812 with the Microform Digitization research tool. This tool allows you to browse these records page by page.

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) holds a unique and vast collection of records about the Canadian men and women who were involved in the War of 1812. Muster rolls, paylists, claims, certificates of service, medal registers, maps, paintings, and published sources are featured in LAC holdings that document this key event.

With these images now online, you have easy access to records for:

• Board of Claims for War of 1812 losses, 1813–1848, Series RG19 E5A
• Lower Canada militia nominal rolls and paylists, Series RG9 1A7
• Upper Canada militia returns, nominal rolls, and paylists, Series RG9 1B7

For more information on recent announcements at LAC, visit “News” .

FREE Ancestry.ca

Good news everyone - Ancestry.ca announced on May 1^st that they will have FREE access to Canada's Immigration Records over the May 21st holiday!

This weekend is known in Canada as Victoria Day Weekend (when we celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday as well as Queen Elizabeth's official birthday), there will be free access to passenger arrival records, naturalization records, border crossings, emigration records, passports, and convict transportation records.

Good luck in researching your ancestors!

Canadian PoW's of War of 1812

Michael Dun has has a website on which he accounts for the British, Canadian, and American PoW's of the War of 1812.

There are some 15,000+ names covered on this website.

For example, in the Canadian section, he takes the book by C.H.J.Snider, Under the Red Jack: privateers of the Maritime Provinces of Canada in the War of 1812, and he gives a brief history of the ship, and lots of names, so it is worth a read.

In the bibliography, beside listing books which may interest you, there is also the Niles Weekly Register from Baltimore which gives an account of the American side of the war, and the Lloyd’s List, which covers the British part of the war.

The site is located at http://www.1812privateers.org/index.html

Free Lecture - Sinking of Empress of Ireland

The Quebec Family History Society writes to say that there will be a special lecture on the sinking of the Empress of Ireland. It will be a FREE public lecture.

'To mark the 98^th anniversary of the Empress of Ireland's tragic sinking, join us on Saturday, May 12 at 10:30 a.m. to listen to Anne Renaud, author of the book, Into the Mist, deliver her illustrated, one-hour presentation on the sinking of the ship.

From 1906 to 1914, the Empress of Ireland, one of the fastest and most elegant liners of the Edwardian era, graced the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Remembered primarily for sinking in only 14 minutes in the St. Lawrence River and for having a greater loss of passenger life than the Titanic, the Empress’s true legacy is the significant role she played in the building of Canada."

Members, and non-members are invited. Light refreshments will be served.

They also say that they have a special promotion for Mother's Day!

For Mother's Day, give your mom a $65 gift membership to the Quebec Family History Society. 

For more information, and to take advantage of the Early Bird Special for new members, go to website of the society at http://www.qfhs.ca