FamilySearch does it again!

FamilySearch has done it again! In addition to being partners now with Ancestry.com, and MyHeritage, they have become partners with the new DC Thomson Family History, formerly known as findmypast. 

LONDON, England and SALT LAKE CITY, Utah--Annelies van den Belt, the new CEO of DC Thomson Family History, the British-based leader in online family history and owner of findmypast and Genes Reunited, has announced a major new partnership with US-based FamilySearch.org that will give family history enthusiasts access to billions of records online and new technology to collaboratively research their family roots.

DC Thomson Family History, formerly known as brightsolid online publishing, is collaborating with FamilySearch, which has the largest collections of genealogical and historical records in the world, to deliver a wide range of projects including digital preservation, records search, technological development and the means to allow family historians to share their discoveries.

More than 13 million records from FamilySearch.org launched today on findmypast.com, including major collections of births, marriages and deaths covering America, Australia, and Ireland. Around 600 additional collections, containing millions of records, will follow.

The two organisations have a long history of working together on historical projects, including indexing 132 million records of the 1940 US census and two hundred years of British Army Service Records (Chelsea Pensioners) in a joint digitisation project with The National Archives.

Van den Belt said: “This is fantastic news for our customers all over the world. As a leader in online family history we will be able to offer access to a much wider variety of records dating back hundreds of years and the first batch are ready to search on findmypast. The convenience of searching many treasures from FamilySearch.org along with our own extensive collections will provide rich new insights for our customers.

“This partnership with FamilySearch will accelerate the momentum of our next phase of global growth into new non-English-speaking markets and give more people more access to more records to uncover their family history. This really cements our position as a market leader.”

“We are excited to work with DC Thompson Family History on a vision we both share,” said Dennis Brimhall, CEO of FamilySearch. “Expanding online access to historical records through this type of collaboration can help millions more people discover and share their family’s history.”

DC Thomson Family History is the British-based leader in online family history, which operates major online sites including findmypast, Genes Reunited and the British Newspaper Archive. It launched in America last year with its findmypast brand.

DC Thomson Family History has a strong record of partnerships with non-profit and public sector organisations such as the British Library and The National Archives among many other major archives and organisations around the world.

October is Canadian Islamic History Month

Islamic History Month Canada (IHMC) was launched on October 25, 2007, and October was proclaimed as the Islamic History month in Canada.

The press release says that “The Objective of IHMC is to celebrate, inform, educate and share with fellow Canadians the Muslim cultural heritage and Canadian Muslim contributions to Canada and the contributions made by the Islamic civilization throughout its history; to sciences, humanities, medicines, astronomy, and other disciplines that have contributed positively to human progress. IHMC believes that it is through education and sharing positive stories that we can build a more inclusive and gentle multicultural Canada.”

A few facts about Canadian –

- The census of 1871 reports 13 Muslims in the country

- Edmonton has the oldest mosque in North America, built in 1938

- There are 1 million Muslims in the country.

Their website is at http://www.islamichistorymonth.com/ihmc2010/

They also have a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Islamic-History-Month-Canada/322440464106?ref=stream&hc_location=stream

Top LAC job up for grabs

It appears that the government is starting to look for a person to assume the LAC top archivist and librarian job in the near future. Who will they pick, and more important, what will be the qualifications for the job?

If one looks at the requirements for the job, as people from the archivist and librarian community has done already, the news is not good for the Canadian genealogical community.

It says that it will be an “asset” and not a “requirement” for the successful person to have experience in the library and archivist field.

So, does this leave us with another person like the former LAC head Daniel Caron who was a career bureaucrat and not an archivist or librarian?

To read the story, here is a newspaper article, and a statement by The Canadian Association of Law Libraries -

Joint Statement on Qualities of a Successful Librarian and Archivist of Canada
http://www.callacbd.ca/en/content/joint-statement-qualities-successful-librarian-and-archivist-canada

Top librarian job up for grabs; head of Library and Archives Canada could bag a $226,500 salary http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/national/librarian+grabs+head+Library+Archives+Canada+could/9034221/story.html

Postscript: I would like to thank two of my readers for sending me the news story and the job description.

This is an interesting press release because it shows an alliance has been struck between MyHeritage and FamilySearch. They say it will benefit all family historians. What do you think?

TEL AVIV, Israel & SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – October 9, 2013 – MyHeritage, the popular online family history network, and FamilySearch.org announced today the signing and commencement of a strategic partnership that forges a new path for the family history industry. Under this multi-year partnership, MyHeritage will provide FamilySearch with access to its powerful technologies and FamilySearch will share billions of global historical records and family tree profiles spanning hundreds of years with MyHeritage. This will help millions of MyHeritage and FamilySearch users discover even more about their family history.

FamilySearch will provide MyHeritage with more than 2 billion records from its global historic record collections and its online Family Tree. These records will be added to SuperSearch , MyHeritage’s search engine for historical records, and will be matched with family trees on MyHeritage using its matching technologies. MyHeritage users will gain access to an unprecedented boost of historical records and family tree profiles, which are key to researching and reconstructing their family histories. This reinforces MyHeritage's position as an international market leader, with gigantic assets of family trees and records, which are the most globally diverse in the industry.

FamilySearch members will benefit from MyHeritage's unique technologies which automate family history discoveries. Smart Matching™ automatically finds connections between user-contributed family trees and Record Matching automatically locates historical records relevant to any person in the family tree. By receiving accurate matches between FamilySearch’s Family Tree profiles and historical record collections, such as birth, death, census, and immigration documents, FamilySearch members will be able to more effectively grow their family trees in size and in depth and add conclusions supported by historical records.

“For more than a hundred years, FamilySearch has been dedicated to working with the world’s archives to preserve their records for future generations” said Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage. “Their massive undertaking has made family history more accessible to everyone. This partnership highlights MyHeritage’s technology leadership and our firm commitment to adding historical records on a massive global scale, accelerating our vision of helping families everywhere explore and share their legacy online. We look forward to a fruitful future working hand in hand with our friends at FamilySearch.”

“FamilySearch values collaborative partnerships that enable more people, in more places, to discover their family history” said Dennis Brimhall, CEO of FamilySearch. “MyHeritage is an innovative company that has a fast growing, global online audience. We are excited to commence this partnership which enables FamilySearch to better serve the global family history community.”

Postscript: I would like to say thank you to the reader who sent me notice of this press release.

Chatham-Kent library week

There are many events planned for Chatham-Kent Library Week from October 20 to the 26th.

Ontario Public Library Week began in 1985 and has become the annual focus for promoting and recognizing public library service in the province. This year's theme is "libraries connect,"

One event which caught my eye, are the talks given by Jerry Hind at the different branches of the library. Jerry and the local International Order Daughters of the Empire (I.O.D.E) “have been working on an ambitious project to compile all the information they can find on Chatham-Kent’s World War I and World War II veterans. Some of this information has been found in the library materials!”

Their research has culminated in a federally sponsored website Gathering Our Heroes and it’s at http://www.gatheringourheroes.ca/

Tillbury Branch Tuesday, October 15 at 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Ridgetown Branch Tuesday, October 22 at 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Dresden Branch Tuesday, October 29 at 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Wallaceburg Branch Tuesday, November 5 at 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Blenheim Branch Wednesday, November 13 at 1:00 - 2:00 PM

One thing to note in the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) is that an article which will appear in the November issue of the journal Families. The article is called Blacks in the Great War (First World War) is written by Jerry Hind where he writes about the Blacks in Chatham-Kent.

While you are at the library site, they have a Genealogy Room where you can spend time Tracing Your Roots in Chatham-Kent.

It is at http://www.chatham-kent.ca/PublicLibraries/Genealogy/Pages/Tracing%20Your%20Roots%20in%20Chatham-Kent.aspx

Canadian Week in Review 14 October 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

The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. http://archives.gnb.ca/archives/default.aspx?culture=en-CA In addition to the vast databases that they have put on during the previous years, they have added 1918 births to their online places to check.

Blogs

Understanding Your DNA Results: Comparison Charts
http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/10/understanding-your-dna-results.html Lorine, on her blog, Olive Tree Genealogy, discusses the role that DNA plays in genealogy.

Facebook, Videos, You Tube

No new websites this week

Newspapers Articles of the Week

David Chuenyan Lai: He has visited more than 40 Chinatowns and mapped their history http://www.theprovince.com/life/David+Chuenyan+visited+more+than+Chinatowns+mapped+their+history/8998098/story.html Imagine that when David Chuenyan Lai came to the University of Victoria in 1968, he couldn’t find a single book in Chinese in its library.
Today, the retired geography professor has written nearly a dozen books on Chinese-Canadian history, and has visited nearly 40 Chinese communities in Canada.

Finding family roots may mean finding yourself - Metis genealogists search through family myths http://www.stalbertgazette.com/article/20131006/SAG0801/310069999/finding-family-roots-may-mean-finding-yourself Read how a person is finding her roots, and herself through her ancestors.

Greber family donates records to South Peace Archives http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/2013/10/08/greber-family-donates-records-to-south-peace-archives The Hodgson family from Hythe have donated family archives to the South Peace Archives, Alberta. Also watch for a blog about Edna Greber’s scrapbook by her daughter-in-law, Patricia Greber.

Designs Unveiled of the Sir John A. MacDonald Heritage Building http://dcnonl.com/nw/34709/gc The former Bank of Montreal building, at 144 Wellington Street, in Ottawa, is being redesigned to permanently house the Confederation Room (Room 200), formerly in the West Block, across the street, on Parliament Hill.

BRIDPORT: Memory walk will rediscover forgotten West Bay heritage http://www.viewfrompublishing.co.uk/news_view/28571/7/1/bridport-memory-walk-will-rediscover-forgotten A ‘memory walk’ around West Bay hopes to rediscover some of the heritage of Bridport’s harbour in Newfoundland.

Story of the Week

Call for presenters at 2014 Webinars

The Ontario Genealogical society is joining other societies in presenting Webinars so that it’s members can be better educated and knowledgeable in the business of the society.

In 2014, the Webinars will be presented on a monthly basis, and they are looking for new and experienced speakers with topics about Canada, in particular Ontario, as well as ethnic groups such as Irish, Scottish, English, French, German. Presentations about DNA, methodology, and technology/social media in family history will also be considered

Please send individually up to four topics including your most requested, and new presentations.

What to include:
• Your name
• Mailing address
• Telephone number
• Email address and website
• Audience Level
• Name of Presentation
• Summary of your presentation (250 characters maximum)
• Short Bio (50 words maximum)
• Speaking experience within the last 18 months

Each submission should have a unique subject heading (i.e. kathrynlakehogan1)
Email your submissions no later than 11:59 pm ET, October 31, 2013 to:
Kathryn Lake Hogan, Ontario Genealogical Society Webinar Coordinator at webinar@ogs.on.ca

The next Webinar will be in November, and All OGS members are invited to sign to hear Thomas MacEntee.

Title: You Use WHAT for Genealogy? Wonderful Uses for Unusual Tools

Date: Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM EST

Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/706504023.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

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 on 21 October, 2013

York Region Ancestors Fall Issue

The fall newsletter of the York Region of the OGS has two articles about the Upper Canada Sundries, New Research opportunities from the Library and Archives Canada, Aliens in the Township of Markham, and the Vaughn Memorial Project.

The first two articles involve land records in Upper Canada, and gives very good advice in finding people within the microfilm.

We are reminded that there are two places to check (FREE) and they are Janice Nickerson’s website at http://www.uppercanadagenealogy.com and Michael Stephenson’s website http://www.ontariogenealogy.com/uppercanadasundries.html for sundries files.

If you have had difficulty finding aliens in the 19th century in the Township of Markham, maybe you should look at the list in this newsletter. There are fifteen names on the list for the year 1815, and they were taken from the sundries list.

The City of Vaughan Archives are putting together a Memory Project and Exhibit, and are asking people who use to live, or are living in the area to collect oral histories, and send them to the archives once finished.

The person in charge of this project is Brenda Hicock and she can be reached by Brenda.hicock@vaughan.ca

If you would like to receive this newsletter four times a year, you can join the York Region by going to the http://www.rootsweb.com/~onyrbogs