Here’s your chance to participate!

You can ask a question to the Social Media panel at the Ontario Genealogical Society this weekend. All you have to do is to go to the website https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cgkbikrmmec7hi1irnenf5jmqbc?cfem=1

To get you started, I have asked the first question, and I leave the other questions to you. 

And you can watch the Social Media panel (which will be comprises of Tony Bandy, Kirsty Gray, Daniel Horowitz, Chris Paton, Marian Press, and John D Reid) as it will be a Google Hangout On Air. It will start at 8:00 am Saturday morning on May 3rd. 

Let me know how you found it? Will you be watching any of the Live Streaming that they will be doing from the conference? Do you think that Social Media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ Hangouts On Air have any place in Canadian genealogy? 

Canadian Week in Review 28 April 2014

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

Social Media 

Toronto 1914 

https://toronto1914.wordpress.com

A new history blog put together by students in Dr. Jessica van Horssen’s History 4570 class at Toronto’s York University called Canada in War and Peace, 1911-1952. (Reported by CWR Special Correspondent, Gail Dever, of Genealogy à la carte blog fame - https://genealogyalacarte.wordpress.com)

Jeannie M. Martin

http://www.literatureandgenealogy.com

Jeannie M. Matine is “tracing genealogy in Canadian literature” on her new blog, and is doing a fine job. She evens cites the works that she writes about. Excellent blog! (Reported by Gail Dever)

The Saskatchewan Virtual War Memorial

http://svwm.ca

Started in 2006, it is hoped that photographs of geo-memorial locations and/or plaques and grave location information will be added as well. The intent is to provide a rich source of information to honour our war dead.

Canadian War Museum completes collection of Saving Life at Sea medals awarded to Canadians in Halifax Explosion

http://ottawastart.com/story/23100.php

The Canadian War Museum is pleased to announce that it now possesses both Albert Medals for Saving Life at Sea awarded to Canadians in the Halifax Explosion of 1917. The medals testify to the devastation and consequent heroism that followed the wartime collision between the munitions carrier Mont-Blanc and the collier Imo in the city’s harbour.

News Articles

Counties council asked to back naming County Road 34 'British Home Children Commemorative Highway'

http://www.cornwallseawaynews.com/News/2014-04-25/article-3702205/Counties-council-asked-to-back-naming-County-Road-34-British-Home-Children-Commemorative-Highway/1

Jim Brownell who is the director of the Ontario East British Home Child Family (OEBHCF), wants to rename the roadway that goes through the towns of Lancaster, Green Valley, and Alexandria on County Road 34 as the ‘British Home Children Commemorative Highway.' (Reported by Gail Dever)

Rewriting the pages of history Shelburne student corrects foggy account of war crime
http://www.orangeville.com/news-story/4476061-rewriting-the-pages-of-history

Learn how a student changed history by researching a soldier in their Second World War and discovering the story of how he been executed with six other soldiers near the small town of Mouen, France.

Twin Towns History - Growth of Channel

http://www.gulfnews.ca/News/Local/2014-04-21/article-3693534/Twin-Towns-History---Growth-of-Channel/1
Read the development of the towns of Channel and Port aux Basques in the mid-to-late 1800s.

A historical mystery solved: Historical society owns site marking Acacia Villa School
http://www.novanewsnow.com/Living/2014-04-18/article-3691714/A-historical-mystery-solved%3A-Historical-society-owns-site-marking-Acacia-Villa-School/1

There was a question (now answered) of who owned the site on which stands a cairn marking the Acacia Villa School in Hortonville, Nova Scotia.

Bringing culture and history to life
http://www.theaurora.ca/News/Local/2014-04-18/article-3693969/Bringing-culture-and-history-to-life/1
Grade 8 students from Labrador City and Churchill Falls showed off their blasts from the past at Menihek High School’s annual heritage fair, which took place Tuesday, April 15.

New head faces challenges at Library and Archives Canada
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/head+appointed+Library+Archives+Canada/9752598/story.html
Do you think that the new head of the LAC faces challenges, or is it too soon to tell? He will take over in June of this year.

Fisheries museum in Lunenburg to reopen May 17
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1200484-fisheries-museum-in-lunenburg-to-reopen-may-17
The Fishery Museum had been closed so that the foundation on the west end of the building could be stabilized. It will reopen May 17.

Bay Roberts shows off its First World War connections http://www.cbncompass.ca/News/Local/2014-04-22/article-3697653/Bay-Roberts-shows-off-its-First-World-War-connections/1
The Royal Canadian Legion in Bay Roberts was where people around the Trinity-Conception-Placentia region brought in pieces of history from the First World War.

Expert pieces together the fabric of Canadian history through quilting http://www.bramptonguardian.com/community-story/4479612-expert-pieces-together-the-fabric-of-canadian-history-through-quilting
Pauline Grondin, a professional storyteller, historical interpreter, and heritage performer, shared stories and anecdotes about the history of quilting at the monthly meeting of the Brampton Historical Society (BHS).

Story of the Week

The Métis Flag was first used by Métis resistance fighters in Canada prior to the Battle of Seven Oakes in 1816. There are two versions of the flag - The blue flag is used to associate the Métis employees of the North West Company, while the red represents the Métis who worked for the Hudson's Bay Company. 

Court of Appeal upholds landmark ruling on rights of Métis

The Métis who are of mixed heritage, were among Canada’s First People. They were documented in the 1600s as children born of the union between a European fisherman and his Native wife.

But it was not until the French-Canadian fur traders moved out west in 1700s and 1800s to the land known today as the Prairies, that the people became known as Western Métis.

Today, there are around 400,000 Métis in Canada.

They have been trying for years to gain recognition in Canada as native people under the Constitution Act, and this week the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the decision – that they were “Indians” under a section of the Constitution Act.

On Thursday, the appeals court upheld part of the decision. It ruled that while Métis should remain Indians under the Constitution, extending that recognition to non-status Indians should be done on a case-by-case basis since it is a separate issue.

Canada’s First people
http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_metis/fp_metis1.html
This site provides a good, basic history of the Métis in Canada.

Reminder: Check the Canadian Week in Review next 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 May 5, 2014.

GANS office in open this afternoon

Here is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon -

Genealogy is a great past time on a rainy day. Drop into the office this afternoon and work on your family tree.

Sunday, April 27
GANS Office Open
1:00 pm to 5:00 pm - 3258 Isleville Street, Halifax, NS

The Office is open to everyone. Stop by to chat, do some internet research, check out our library or buy a publication or membership. Bring a friend!

Web: http://www.NovaScotiaAncestors.ca

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NovaScotiaAncestors

Twitter: @NSAncestors

Canadian Week in Review

Check the Canadian Week in Review tomorrow morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. 

It has the latest news covered in New/Updated Websites, Social Media, and Newspaper Articles.

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! 

The Canadian Week in Review is now in its third year of bringing you the Canadian take on genealogy, heritage and history news. It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.  

University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Toronto’s is offering a 6-week course

The University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies is offering the six week course called Toronto’s Past, Your City, Your House, Your Family starting May 6th. 

The press release says "Are you interested in discovering the history of your house or neighbourhood, the history of your family once in Toronto, or a Toronto business or institution? Are you exploring another aspect of Toronto history? Or are you a writer or researcher? 

This course introduces established principles of local and family history research as taught worldwide, and suggests how to apply them in the Toronto context. We work our way through a variety of research projects, representative of the expressed interests of participants. In support of these practical case studies we review, in an integrated way, remarkable resources which we can draw upon, including some little-known ones. Watch yourself start to become a local history sleuth! "

For more information and to register for this course, please visit the course website at http://2learn.utoronto.ca/uoft/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=1701461

McDonald family holds a community reunion in Lanark County, Ontario

I just received this notice from the Lanark County Genealogical Society -

“When John McDonald, his wife Isabel Maclaine and their children emigrated from Mull, Scotland, and settled the 10th Concession of Ramsay, Lanark County, Canada in 1822, they brought with them, among other possessions, a cast-iron porridge pot. The pot has been handed down through generations of McDonald descendants, to Mary Lennox and her husband Barrie, who have donated it to the North Lanark Regional Museum. Nearly two centuries later McDonald descendants are returning to the Almonte region for this joyous occasion.

You are most cordially invited to attend this jointly sponsored celebration by the Lanark County Genealogical Society, the North Lanark Regional Museum and Archives Lanark on Thursday June 5th, 2014.

It’s a once in a lifetime chance to meet John and Ishbel descendants, from international locations returning to Almonte for this occasion. Other family members will be familiar, as they reside in the area, such as McPhail, Cameron, NcNaughton, Ellis, Smith, McLean, Dickson, Little, Taylor, and Finlay.

The day’s program includes:

Bus tour: Number of seats available 55. Cost $20 per person.

A guided tour made possible by Barr Bus Lines Ltd. Pakenham, Ontario. Bus leaves from the North Lanark Regional Museum (Appleton), 647 River Rd, Mississippi Mills, ON at 10:15 a.m. The Museum opens at 9:00 allowing time to view their holdings and sip a morning beverage while waiting for the buses to arrive.

The bus will stop at the original McDonald property and the family cemetery. This cemetery is recognized as one of the first cemeteries in the Town of Mississippi Mills, with the first burial in 1823.

The bus continues with short tour of historical highlights in the area. We will travel to

Blakeney and the Park, an area well loved by twins Jessie and Katie McDonald and your chance to view nature unspoiled.

Bennie’s Corners, the village honored by a visit from the Prince of Wales (King Edward) in 1860 and the One-Room Rural school area where the Inventor of Basketball, Dr. James Naismith brought honour to the school, the community and to Canada.

Mill of Kintail, the home of Canadian-born sculptor, doctor, soldier, physical educator, athlete and scouter Dr. Robert Tait McKenzie.

High Falls, Almonte’s Historic Main Street, and the R. Tait McKenzie’s bronze sculpture, The Volunteer.

Returning to the museum in Appleton for your vehicles so you can attend the lunch and remainder of the event at the Social Hall of the United Church, 160 Elgin Street, Almonte.

United Church Social Hall, 106 Elgin Street, Almonte (seating for 100 people)

Buffet Lunch at 12:30 by The LeatherWorks Catering Cost per person $10

Includes,

North Lanark Regional Museum display featuring the historic MacDonald family Porridge Pot donated by Mary and Barrie Lennox.

Minister: Rev. Mary Royal Duczek’s family blessing through a “Commemorative Sand Ceremony Dedicated to the McDonald Family Generations

McDonald and McPhail settler’s family history displays.

Farm related displays, family photos, farm photo, some historical artifacts and treasures from life on the farm.

Archives Lanark display includes documents related to the 10th concession farms and a display announcing their soon to be released “One Room Schools of Ramsay Township” book.

Ramsay Women’s Institute representatives will be there with the Tweedsmuir History Books.

Mississippi Valley Textile Museum Curator will enlighten us on a new research opportunity with over 100 years of Almonte Gazette on-line.

And we may even get a chance to hear a musical interlude with bagpipes, and taste some oatmeal crisps, peas’ brose, haggis, Scottish eggs and poor man’s pudding, from recipes that during the 1800s and 1900s provided nourishment on the table in a Scottish household.

The purpose of this note is to extend to you an invitation to attend this historic event and help make this event a lasting family memory.

Tickets for the full day $30 or in part, bus tour $20 or lunch $10 can be purchased in advance by mailing your cheque, payable to Lanark County Genealogical Society to Lanark County Genealogical Society, c/o Frances Rathwell, Treasurer, Attention: McDonald Event, 68 Beckwith St E Perth ON K7H 1C1

Or you can contact them at the Lanark County Genealogical Society at http://www.globalgenealogy.com/LCGS

Call for Speakers - The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the Canadiana Department of the North York Central Library

                                                                                                                                                         

 Gwyneth Pearce, Secretary of the Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, has sent me the following notice -

“The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the Canadiana Department of the North York Central Library will be co-hosting a one-day workshop on the above theme of Industrial England. The time period we are particularly interested in is 1750 to 1870 although later times could also be relevant. 

We are looking for speakers who would like to be part of this workshop. We want to receive proposals from professional genealogists, historians, family historians, librarians and archivists. 

You are invited to submit proposals for lectures on topics such as migration to the cities, changes in occupations, effects of industrialization on rural communities, and changes in social organizations, cultural life, religion and education. Lectures can be about a family, an industry or about a place in England (e.g., Manchester), a county (e.g., Cornwall), a region (e.g., the Midlands) or relevant to the whole country. 

Workshop attendees will be most interested in lectures emphasizing sources and research techniques that might be useful in their own family history research. We need lectures suitable for all levels of experience. 

Each lecture session will be an hour or half-hour long, including 10 or 5 minutes for questions. Presentations should be illustrated; we will provide a computer projector or an overhead projector. Speakers will be expected to provide a handout of supporting material (up to four pages), which we will photocopy for all registrants. 

Speakers will be paid an honorarium of $100 per lecture hour ($50 for a half-hour lecture). Speakers living in the Greater Metropolitan Area of Toronto will receive an allowance of $35 for travel and incidental expenses. For speakers living further away, modest travel expenses, accommodation and incidental expenses will be reimbursed on an individual basis. 

Please submit your lecture proposals by e-mail. Please keep them brief and informal at this time. Be sure to include your mailing address, phone number and a brief biography”. 

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2014. 

The workshop will be held NOVEMBER 1, 2014 at the NORTH YORK CENTRAL LIBRARY AUDITORIUM, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto

Proposals must be sent to: courses@torontofamilyhistory.org 

For more information about the Toronto Branch of the OGS, please go tohttp://torontofamilyhistory.org