BIFHSGO Conference next month

Conference time (Sept 20 - 22) is nearly here, and are you ready to attend a full-day of workshops, and two days of lectures by people from Ireland, and local genealogical experts on Irish roots?

One thing which BIFHSGO does, and has done for the past two years, is to present interviews with the conference speakers.

This year, some of the interviews are -  

Lesley Anderson Previews her Pre-conference Seminar  Lesley talks about her lecture on Ancestry.ca and how it can help you with your Irish family history research.

Interview with Linda Reid Toronto genealogist Linda Reid will be presenting "Around the Brick Wall: Tracing Back an Irish Family through Collateral Lines" and "Are They Really My Ancestors? Using Autosomal DNA Tests to Confirm (or Deny) Relationships and Ancestors."

and

Success through One Name Studies Sandra Adams, Bill Arthurs and Elizabeth Kipp along with John D Reid talk about the successes they have had by pursuing their one-name studies and what you can expect to learn if you attend the Saturday afternoon session "Success through One Name Studies"

If you want to listen to these interviews, go to www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=62

If you still haven’t registered, you can register online at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=109

The website for BIFHSGO is www.bifhsgo.ca

LAC Update: 1861 Canada Census available online

Once again, the Library and Archives Canada has released a census – this time, its the 1861 census. Information was collected for people living in Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

You can search this new database by nominal information, such as the surname, given name(s) and age of an individual, as well as by geographical information such as district and sub-district names.

This wasn’t a uniform census – the questionnaires were different in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and in the Canadas (Canada West – Ontario and Canada East – Quebec).

Also, the enumeration day in the Canadas was January the 14^th, March 30^th in Nova Scotia, and August the 15^th in Prince Edward Island.

The census was also divided among rural and urban centres of the country.

So if an ancestor lived in Toronto (an urban centre), the enumerator would drop off the form for the inhabitants to fill out themselves, and then they would stop by a couple of days later to pick up the form, or if your ancestor lived in a rural area, the enumerator would fill out the form.

Districts and sub-districts did not all survive. To see which district survived, go to www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1861/Pages/census-districts-sub-districts.aspx

To search the census, go to www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1861/Pages/about-census.aspx

Sword family pioneer cemetery, Gatineau, Quebec

A meeting will be held in Gatineau, Quebec, sponsored by the City of Gatineau, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2013, 2 pm at the Alonzo-Wright House (College Saint-Alexandre), 2425 rue St-Louis, Gatineau, on the Sword family pioneer cemetery.

The speakers will be Suzanne Bigras and Jean-Guy Ouimet’

At least 46 members of a family are buried in the heart of a residential area of modern day Gatineau. The oldest family cemetery lies in the undergrowth, wedged between two single family homes! So far, a total of eight headstones have been found of the Barber, Davidson and Langford families in the Sword family pioneer cemetery.

The web site of the Société de généalogie de l'Outaouais is at  http://genealogieoutaouais.com

First Ever Video Streaming IAJGS Confernce LIVE!

Mark the date August 4 – 9th on your calendar! It will be the  live streaming of 50 sessions at the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Society Conference (IAJGS) in Boston, Massachusetts.

The International Association of Jewish Genealogy Society (IAJGS) brings the best minds and knowledge in the field of Jewish genealogy to its conference. More than 1,000 attendees from 17 countries will attend. 

Anyone in any location with the desire to learn more about their Jewish family history will be able to tap into this knowledge and attend the event via the Internet.

To learn more, go to web site at www.live.iajgs2013.org

350th anniversary of “Filles du roi”

Arrival of the Brides Library and Archives Canada, Acc. no 1996-371-1

The Library and Archives Canada released this blog post yesterday -

"Summer 2013 marks the 350th anniversary of the arrival in New France of the first contingent of the “Filles du roi” (“King's daughters”), young women who became the ancestors of numerous French-Canadian families. A variety of celebrations are planned throughout Quebec, culminating in the New France Festival in Quebec City from August 7 to 11, 2013. The website is at www.nouvellefrance.qc.ca/index.php/en

Between 1663 and 1673, King Louis XIV supported the emigration of these young women, many of them orphans. Their passage to the colony was paid and they received an average dowry of 50 livres, along with a small hope chest containing clothing and sewing materials. In exchange, the women agreed to marry on their arrival in New France, to start a family and to help their husbands work the land. These women were instrumental in helping to populate and develop the colony.

The first contingent of 36 “Filles du roi” landed in 1663. Over the next ten years, an estimated 800 young women settled in New France under the same program.

If you would like to know whether one of your ancestors was a “Fille du roi,” there are many genealogical publications and reviews you can consult".

You can visit the website http://lesfillesduroy-quebec.org

Gwyneth Pearce, head of publicityfor the Ontario Genealogical Society - Toronto Branch, sent the following announcement to me yesterday –

The Branch will be presenting three courses between September and November – ranging from one day to eight weeks in length –

Introduction to West Indian Genealogy Saturday, 21 September: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. A fast-paced introduction to the principles of West Indian genealogical research with a focus on methodologies and records for African, East Indian and Chinese West Indian ancestors.

The instructor is Pooran Bridgelal.

The meeting will take place at North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto

Basic Genealogy and Family History Wednesdays, 2 October – 20 November: 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. For those just beginning to research or looking to upgrade basic skills, this 8-week course will cover terminology, types of sources, on-line resources, libraries and archives, and record-keeping – to help you “think like a genealogist”.

The instructor is Jane E. MacNamara

The meeting will take place at North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto

Maps and Mapping for 21^st Century Genealogists Thursdays, 7 - 28 November: 6:15 - 8:15 p.m.This 4-week course, designed for intermediate and advanced-level genealogists, will explore sophisticated ways in which maps and mapping tools can contribute to family history research, analysis and writing.

The instructor is James F.S. Thomson

The meeting will take place at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street, Toronto

For program details, speaker biographies and information on how to register for these courses, visit www.torontofamilyhistory.org/courses.html

Canadian Week in Review 29 July 2013

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

Websites

Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics

As of July 2013, the following index is available online -

Births 1864 – 1877, 1908 – 1912 (delayed registration 1830 – 1912)

Marriages Bonds 1763 – 1864 Registration 1864 – 1937


Deaths 1877 – 1874, 1`908 – 1962 City of Halifax 1890 - 1908 

If you want copies of the records for historical and genealogical research purposes, you can purchase them, as e-files at $10.84 each, or paper copies at $21.74 each.

To see the web site, go to www.novascotiagenealogy.com

Blogs

Acadian Heritage News  http://afgs-acadian-heritage-news.blogspot.com/2013/07/fete-nationale-des-acadiens.html There are all sorts of Acadian festivals taking place in Canada this year, and this blog has a list of them.

Facebook, Videos, You Tube

Perth County Branch Facebook www.facebook.com/PerthCountyBranchOGS  This is a current page, with up-to-date news items. 

Newspapers Articles of the Week

Province commits $1.5M to spruce up N.S. streets www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2013/07/26/ns-street-improvements.html The Nova Scotia government is spending $1.5 million a year to help Nova Scotians upgrade streets across the province as part of a new program -  the Communities, Culture and Heritage Department.

Regina teacher travelling to Europe to visit battlefields of First and Second World Wars www.leaderpost.com/travel/Regina+teacher+travelling+Europe+visit+battlefields+First+Second+World+Wars/8705294/story.html There will be 28 Canadian educators, who will travel to Europe on a 10-day tour “to receive professional development training on the battlefields”.

Heritage Society telling story of resettlement www.thecoaster.ca/News/Local/2013-07-25/article-3327730/Heritage-Society-telling-story-of-resettlement/1 The Heritage Society of Milltown-Head Bay d’Espoir is telling the story of resettlement from the small isolated south coast communities of Grole, Round Harbour, Pushthrough Muddy Hole.

Historic Calgary Week explores past, from oil to aircraft http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Historic+Calgary+Week+explores+past+from+aircraft/8709645/story.htmlFrom July 26 to Aug. 5, the Historic Calgary Week, is telling the history of the city’s most venerable buildings and artifacts, such as the Hudson’s Bay Building, Second World War aircraft and pioneer cemeteries.

Remembering Canada’s forgotten war htto://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013-07-25/article-3328267/Remembering-Canada%26rsquos-forgotten-war/1Vincent Joyce, founder of the Pictou County Military Museum in Nova Scotia, is hoping to bring the Korean War to the forefront of people today.

Story of the Week

The Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1913–1918

Ottawa-based Arctic scientist and historian David Gray, is leading the retracing of the steps of the 1913-1918 exploration of the Arctic, in which three men -  Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Rudolph Anderson and Diamond Jenness , discovered a whole new Arctic, never before known to the world.

David Gray, Bob Bernard and their crew members are re-visiting campsites used during the 1913-18 expedition. They are collecting artifacts and scientific samples, document their journey on film and searching for clues to the answer about Capt. Bernard’s disappearance

The Museum of Civilization has a virtual exhibition called Northern People, Northern Knowledge, which has stories, photos and films on the Expedition

To see the exhibit, go to www.civilization.ca/arctic/the-expedition

Be sure to visit their blog at http://www.civilization.ca/arctic/blog?lang=en&kiosk=false

They take portions of the writings of John Hadley, who was Captain of the ship, the Polar Bear in 1913, and put it against the writings of the people on the Expedition today. A neat idea!

Reminder: Check out Canadian Week in Review every Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! The next post will be posted 05 August, 2013