Twitter Will Preserve Memories of Halifax Explosion

There is a news story this morning in the online newpapers that the Nova Scotia Archives will collect stories about the Halifax explosion which happened on December 6. They are going to do this by the use of Twitter.

They are hoping that Twitter brings in new views and details about the explosion, and the period afterward when Halifax struggled to get on it’s feet again.

The project begins tomorrow which is the 95th anniversary of the harbor front First World War event that devastated Halifax.

About 2,000 people died, and thousands more were injured.

The hashtag is #hfxex1917

You may read about the explosion at the Nova Scotia Archives where they have a Virtual Exhibit, a Remembrance Book, and a film “The Way We Were: Nova Scotia in Film, 1917-1957.”

The website is http://gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/default.asp?Search=THexp

Living Library Inspires Human Books to Share Their Stories

Here is a 54 m4 4 4 4 4 4 4 645notice that I received this morning. In part, the message reads  –

"Irena Szpak, Hyman Yanofsky and Adam Leclerc's lives are all open books, literally. Irena, Hyman and Adam have joined nineteen other people from the Ottawa region to volunteer as 'living books', sharing with the public their personal stories as they relate to conflict.

At age 14, Irena trained with the Polish Resistance and was later taken by cattle train to a work camp in Germany. She survived to have a family and emigrate to Canada; Hyman joined the Canadian army to fight Hitler by intercepting messages from the enemy as he travelled through Europe; and Reservist Adam Leclerc spent seven months with the POMLT (Police Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team) training Afghan police to deal with security issues.

The Canadian War Museum, in partnership with the Ottawa Public Library and CBC, brought the Human Library program to Ottawa. The Museum featured one-on-one conversations with individuals who have fascinating personal life experiences and stories.

For their innovative and inspirational project that redefined the meaning of the term "living history", the Canadian War Museum for "Human Library" is the recipient of the 2012 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Museums: History Alive! Presented by the Canadian Museums Association.

"We are extremely honoured to be the recipients of this prestigious award," said Mark O'Neill, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation which operates the Canadian War Museum. "The Human Library concept was a dynamic and engaging way to help our visitors understand the personal stories that have shaped and continue to shape Canada's military history."

On December 10, 2012, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will honour the Canadian War Museum for their achievements and contributions to furthering interest in and understanding of our history and heritage.

Announcements continue throughout the coming week and profiles of all the recipients, will be available at Canada's History Magazine at http://www.CanadasHistory.ca/GGAwards

Community Creating History

The Chinese Canadian community is interested in collecting stories so they can let people know about their history in Canada.

This project is designed to connect students, school educators, libraries, and community groups such as genealogists, and historians.

They connect people through web resources such as games, lesson plans, and also historical photos.

To read more about Chinese Canadian Stories, and their collection, read their blog at B.C. Heritage Fair at www.bcheritagefairs.ca/chinese-canadian-stories

New/Updated Websites, Blogs, and Newspaper Articles - 03 December 2012

I have come across the following websites, blogs, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too –

On Monday, Dec. 03, 2012 the will be a meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society at which Merle Kastner, will give a talk about "My Family Roots Trip to Romania and Ukraine”.

The talk will focus on the former Bucovina and Radautz, Fratautz, Czernowitz, Suveava and to Moldavia, and Piatra Neamt and Negulesti. She will talk about how she organized the trip and how you can do the same to visit your shtetls

The meeting will be held at 7:30 pm at the Jewish Public Library, 5151 Cote Ste-Catherine Road, Montreal.

You can call 514.484.0969 or visit http://www.jgs-montreal.org

On Saturday, 15 Dec 2012 at 1:00 pm at the City of Ottawa Archives, 100 Tallwood Drive, Room 115, there will be a meeting of the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society in which Kurt Johnson, historical researcher, and Board Member of the Goulbourn Museum, will give a talk on the “Perils and Petticoats: Exceptional Women of the War of 1812”.

Remember that this meeting may be simulcast for members who can’t join the group in person.

For more information, go to http://ogsottawa.on.ca/category/events/branchmeetings

Do you know that Ancestry.ca is on Facebook? Read about the “12 Days of Christmas” on www.facebook.com/Ancestry.ca

Burnaby Village Museum Christmas Holidays www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca/EN/main/visit/events/events/heritage-christmas.html They have oral histories, library and artifact collection that you are invited to take a look at or listen to while there.

In case you missed my post earlier this week, Richard Watts, Times Colonist reporter in The Province is carrying a story on the B.C. Archives called B.C. opens archives to search family histories
www.theprovince.com/life/opens+archives+search+family+histories/7634449/story.html#axzz2Dv2GiJ5l

French connection: Voices of the past immortalized in Francophone digital collection
www.thewesternstar.com/Arts-Life/Features/2012-11-30/article-3130735/French-connection-Voices-of-the-past-immortalized-in-Francophone-digital-collection/1 Frank Gale from The Western Star newspaper tells how the Memorial University’s Digital Archives Initiative Collection was introduced to French communities on the Port au Port Peninsula in Newfoundland.

Monument proposed for Bernard captains who explored Canada’s north www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2012-11-28/article-3129587/Monument-proposed-for-Bernard-captains-who-explored-Canada%26rsquos-north/1 A West Prince committee is hoping to erect a monument next year to recognize a pair of northern explorers who hailed from Nail Pond, Prince Edward Island - Captain Pierre (Peter) Bernard and his nephew, Captain Joseph Bernard.

© Elizabeth Lapointe All Rights Reserved

Anniversary Alert

On January 2^nd, exactly one month from today, it will be the fifth anniversary of my blog, GenealogyCanada.blogspot.com.

In addition to celebrating the anniversary, I am going to give away 5 copies of my research booklet, Migration: Canada and the United States, to the readers who correctly answer a question about the blog.

So remember that day - January 2^nd - and come celebrate with me, and win a booklet!

Elizabeth

The Genealogy of Canadian Food

In an article “Jacob Richler creates a genealogy of upscale Canadian cuisine in My Canada” Andrew Allentuck, who writer for Postmedia News, does a review of Jacob’s latest book, My Canada Includes Foie Gras.

It includes biographies of well known Canadian chiefs, as well as well known Canadian restaurants.

You can read the review at
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Jacob+Richler+creates+genealogy+upscale+Canadian+cuisine+Canada/7636169/story.html

To read more about the genealogy of Canadian food, here are a couple of sites that may interest you –

Cricket's Tree - A History and Heritage http://cricketstree.blogspot.ca/p/traditional-comfort-food-and-recipes.html This site talks about Traditional French-Canadian Comfort Food and Recipes.

Cuisine of the Maritimes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_the_Maritime The traditional food of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island is explained.

The Genealogy Trails Chuckwagon
http://genealogytrails.com/chuckwagon This site talks about prairie food that was cooked on chuck wagons to feed the “wagon train of settlers or feed nomadic workers like cowboys or loggers”

Update on Ontario Cemeteries Act Petitions

We have not received an update on the what happened to the Cemeteries Act Petitions in May 2011 when the Ontario Legislature was prorogued.

But we are told today that The Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS), and The Ontario Historical Society (OHS) received a life line from Jim Brownell, then retiring Member of Provincial Parliament for Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry. He arranged for the committee to meet John Gerretsen, then Minister of Business Services – the ministry in charge of cemeteries registration.

A list of more than 1500 unregistered cemeteries across the province was presented to Mr. Gerretsen and the committee had a first hand opportunity to tell the minister about the lack of protection and high risk of removal for unregistered cemeteries.

The joint OGS and OHS Cemetery Registration Committee has been resuscitated and, with assistance from many hardworking branch cemeteries committees, is working to compile the necessary information and send it to the Registrar.

To date the data for four counties – Algoma, Brant, Bruce and Carleton – have been forwarded to the Registrar of Cemeteries. Any new information for these counties will be also forwarded as it is discovered.

The committee asks anyone with cemetery information, particularly little known or abandoned cemeteries to contact them.

You can go to www.ogs.on.ca/home/advocacy.php#cemeteries and read about Bill 126, Inactive Cemeteries Protection Act, 2010.