TONI Is Growing Everyday!

One of the best resources that a genealogist should check is the Ontario Genealogical Society’s TONI – The Ontario Name Index.

The Ontario Name Index (TONI) is a mega-index of names with the goal of including every name found in any publication relating to Ontario

Started in 2011 TONI is growing with new resources added every day!

There are already many names on the index. There is a low cost to download the information on the name(s) you have found,but the index itself is free to use!

To see how to use TONI, go to www.ogs.on.ca/integrated/toni_database1.php

Hint: I still use the Ontario Genealogical Provincial Index at www.ogs.on.ca/ogspi/welcome.htm to compare information with TONI to make sure that I have all the information that I need.

Families Who Came Through Pier 21

Anne Renaud, a writer of children’s book, want to talk to people who emigrated to Canada, and came through Pier 21 in Halifax in the years 1928 to 1971.

Anyone willing to share their family history with young readers is invited to contact her at earenaud@yahoo.com.

Should you wish to obtain additional information regarding her writing background, she encourages you to visit her website at http://annerenaud.net

OGS Families - August 2012

The August Families has just been published, and this issue contains six  papers, and they are –

Dealing with Documents – This is excerpt from the book by Althea Douglas called Time Travellors Handbook: A Guide to the Past. A review of the book is available on page 33.

How An old Handkerchief Helped Me Discover my Kinston Roots – This paper was by the 1st place winner of the Keffer Writing Contest Virginia Reid.

She tells the story about how her great-grandfather Thomas James Reid was wounded by a shell that left holes in a handkerchief in his back pocket.

A Mystery Like No Other – This paper was written by William Vollmer, the winner of the 2011 Dr. Don Brearley Genealogical Essay Prize, and it is about his ancestor Charles Vollmer who disappeared from Maryhill, Ontario.

Life of a Guyanese in Canada – by Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh in which he follows the life of Hector Lachmansingh, an Indian- Caribbean.

The Family of Jacob Phillips and Sarah “Sally” Kaake of Etobicoke: An Overview – by David Phillips in which he traces the life of the Kaake and Phillips family in Etobicoke.

The Search for Auntie Hutton – by Donald R. McLaughlin in which he discovers who Auntie Hutton of Ross Township, Renfrew County really is – Almeda Rosanna Fuller Palmer Hutton.

In order to receive this magazine you must be a members of the Ontario Genealogical Society at www.ogs.on.ca.

BIFHSGO Conference in September

I have just registered for the 17th annual BIFHSGO conference tobe held in Ottawa from September 14th to the 16th. This year’s theme is Scotland.

On Day 1 I plan to attend 4 lectures –

Session 1

An Introduction to Researching Scottish Family History – presented by Chris Paton

Session 2

Lord Selkirk and the Settlement of Scottish Highlanders in Canada – presented by Lucille Campey

After the lunch break, I will take in two more lectures, and they are –

Session 3

Scottish House and Land History – presented by Chris Paton

Session 4

Online Books: Are they Really Good Resources? – presented by Tony Bandy

And I will top off the day by having a “get together” supper held at the Bay Street Bistro where my husband and myself usually have good food and conversation with fellow genealogists.

Then on Sunday, I will attend –

Session 5

Seeking a Better Future; The English Pioneers of Ontario and Quebec – presented by Lucille Campey

Session 6

The Good Commonwealth – presented by Chris Paton

I will enjoy lunch, and then I will attend the following sessions in the afternoon -

Session 7

The Scots in Ontario – a New Look at the Data – presented by Lucille Campey

Session 8

The Mount Stewart Murder – presented by Chris Paton

All of the lecture abstracts are at www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=98.

The biographies of each of the speakers is at www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=94

I will post my reactions to the different lectures that I plan to attend on Monday, September 17th.

Acadian Myths

There are many “myths” in genealogy, and Yvon Cyr has explained 15 of the “myths” with Acadian genealogy.


One "myth" I didn’t know was that I thought the Acadians went directly to Louisiana when they were expelled by the English 1755. But apparently that is not true. Only about half ended up in Louisiana, the rest of the people went to other English colonies in North America, France, Haiti, and the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon off of Newfoundland.

Yvon has taken the time to explain the “myths”, and I will keep them in mind when I come across my husband’s Acadian ancestors – the Comeau of Salmon River, Nova Scotia.

To read the “myths”, go to www.acadian.org/acadianmyths.html

OGS Blog Poll #2

The first poll of the OGS blog has taken place, and now it’s time for Poll # 2.

The subject of this poll is Records. You can choose as many choices from the list as you wish. To view the results after you have voted, simply refresh the page.

Aside from Census, Birth, Death and Marriage records, what other records have you found useful in building your family tree?

So far, the poll has shown that Cemetery Records as the first choice, Church and Parish Records in second place, and Wills and Probate in the third place.

Go to www.ogs.on.ca/ogsblog, and put in your choice!

70 Years Since the Dieppe Raid

It has been 70 years since the Dieppe Raid of the Second World War, and Canadians are taking part in the ceremonies -

“Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that His Excellency, the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, will attend ceremonies in Dieppe, France, from August 19 to 20, to mark the 70th Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid.

The Governor General will join the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs, who will lead an official delegation to France from August 17 to 21, which includes Veterans who participated in the Dieppe Raid.

While in France, the Governor General, Minister Blaney and the Canadian delegation will attend a number of commemorative ceremonies including the Government of Canada’s signature event at Canada Memorial Square on August 19 and a ceremony at the Pourville Memorial on August 20.

In addition to the ceremonies taking place in France, there will also be a ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, as well as a number of events in communities across the country.

The raid on Dieppe, France, on August 19, 1942, was a pivotal moment in the Second World War. With virtually all of continental Europe under German occupation, the Allied forces faced a well-entrenched enemy. A method had to be found to create a foothold on the continent, and the raid on Dieppe offered invaluable lessons for the successful D-Day invasion in 1944, saving countless lives in that momentous offensive.

The Dieppe Raid was particularly devastating to the Canadian military. Of the nearly 5,000 Canadians who embarked on the operation, less than half returned to England, many of whom were wounded. There were 1,946 prisoners of war and 913 who lost their lives.

The Canadians who fought in the Dieppe Raid sacrificed much in their efforts to help bring freedom and democracy to the people of France and Europe. Their task was a difficult and costly one, but their effort was not in vain.

Lest we forget”

To read more about Canada and the Dieppe Raid, go to www.canadaatwar.ca/page53.html