The Ottawa Genealogist April-June 2014

   

                                     
First of all, congratulations to Edward Kipp, editor of the The Ottawa Genealogist, the newsletter of the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, for they won this year’s Dr. Don Brearley Newsletter Award. It was announced at the OGS conference held in Brock University in St. Catharines this year.

 Since I live in the Ottawa area, it is my ‘home’ newsletter, and I particularly like the articles in it each issue. I never miss the genealogical travels that Edward and Elizabeth Kipp make to Salt Lake City, down to New York State, and other places because I enjoy them so much. Well done!

In this issue, some of the articles are –

Merrill Allan Clay A Veteran of World War I and World War II by Marilyn Adair. She tells of her father’s service in the First World War as a Sapper with the Canadian Division , Corps of Engineers, Signal Company in France, and Belgium.

The Rathbun Family and the Town of Deseronto by Joyce Fingland where she writes about the Rathbun Company in Deseronto, a company that built its fortune on prepared lumber for the American and overseas market, the railway which ran through the town, and the Portland cement company.

Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy 2014 by Ellen Paul. Ellen tells of her experience at the Salt Lake City Institute and how the instructor helped her along the path of trying to breaking down her brick walls.

Ottawa Heritage Day Celebration 2014 was well-attended, and received a good review in this issue, and there is the Early Bytown Settlers Index as well in this issue which covers surnames beginning with N, O, P, and Q.

Plus, there are many more news items to read. There is the library branch news, special interest group news, historic plaques, and a message from the Chair.

In order to receive this newsletter, you must be a member of the Ontario Genealogical Society, and the Ottawa Branch of the OGS.

They have a special right now where you can join for half of the year for $35.00. Go http://www.ogs.on.ca/membership.php for more information.

The local Ottawa Genealogical society site is http://ogsottawa.on.ca

69th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands

Patric Allard, Taken May 2006 at Hog's Back, Ottawa.

Monday was the 69th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands, which was led by the Canadians in the Second World War.

After the war, the Netherlands wanted to say Thank You to Canada for its war service, and it gave the country, and Ottawa in particular, tulip bulbs. Ottawa adopted the tulip as its official flower.

In 1953, Ottawa started the Tulip Festival, and this year, it runs from May the 9th to the 19th, with fireworks, musical shows, Cirque de Liberation, and the International Pavilion.

The festival claims to be the world's largest tulip festival. There are over one million tulips planted all over the city, and there are over 500,000 visitors each year. It is quite a show!

This year, the festival will honour artist Silvia Pecota. She will be in attendance May 9th, 17th & 18th from 2 pm to 4 pm at Queen Juliana Park (by Dow’s Lake – a man-made lake in the center of the city) and you will be able to view some of the photos she took of the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan (2001-2014).

She is presently working on an art book that incorporates her poetry. It covers the War of 1812 (Bicentennial), WWI (Centennial) and the Closure of the Afghan Mission (2014).

For more information, visit her website at www.silviapecota.com.

To read about Canada’s role in the liberation of the Netherland, go to http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/canada-netherlands

To read about the Tulip Festival, see http://tulipfestival.ca/site/home/en

The United Empire Loyalists – Finding their Records

The statue of UEL in Hamilton, Ontario

The Library and Archives of Canada has prepared the following material on the United Empire Loyalists records which the LAC holds - 

The term “United Empire Loyalists” (often referred to as UEL) refers to the American colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolution, and many of which fought for Britain during that conflict. They fled the United States and settled in what are now the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Ontario. All the archives in these provinces hold records relating to Loyalists, some of which are searchable online.

Here are the records held at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) - 

Loyalists in the Maritimes – Ward Chipman Muster Master’s Office 1777-1785 
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/loyalists/loyalists-ward-chipman/Pages/loyalist-maritimes-ward-chipman.aspx
These references include business records and papers relating to the Loyalists and to boundary commissions.

Land Records
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/land/Pages/land-records.aspx
Many Loyalists and their descendants submitted petitions for land for their service in the war or as compensation for lands lost during the American Revolution. Databases on this subject:

· Land Petitions of Upper Canada, 1763-1865

· Land Boards of Upper Canada, 1765-1804

Sir Frederick Haldimand Fonds
http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c1475/1?r=0&s=1
The collection contains some provision lists and muster rolls relating mostly to Loyalists, disbanded soldiers and their families in the province of Quebec. It includes a nominal index.

Black Loyalist Refugees, 1782-1807 - Port Roseway Associates
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/loyalists/loyalist-port-roseway/Pages/port-roseway-associates-loyalists.aspx
Many black Loyalists served and were affected by the evacuation of New York which led to their resettlement in the Port Roseway, now Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

British Headquarters papers
http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&lang=eng&rec_nbr=105117
The records known as the Carleton Papers or the American Manuscripts contain lists of refugees in New York, lists of persons who were evacuated from New York, lists of refugees from Massachusetts and Rhode Island who were evacuated through the port of New York and numerous references to Port Roseway in Nova Scotia.

British military and naval series
http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&lang=eng&rec_nbr=105012
These records cover the period from the American Revolution to the mid-1800s. Thenominal/subject card index (provide a brief description of the document, date, C Series volume number and a page number)

Also discover-

· Fort Howe (Flickr Album)

Lieutenant Governor's Historical Preservation and Promotion Award

  

Standard of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba  

The Lieutenant Governor's Historical Preservation and Promotion Award was established in 2010 by the Honourable Philip S. Lee, and it consists of five awards which will presented today to people who have “rendered prolonged, meritorious service in the preservation and promotion of Manitoba's history and heritage”. 

The five people who will receive the award are –

Ernest Braun from Niverville 

Diane Haglund from Winnipeg

Frieda Jorheim from Inwood 

John Francis Mavins from Springfield 

and Gary Wowchuk from Swan River 

In a press release, Lt.-Gov. Lee said “Manitobans care greatly about their history. For proof of that, consider the more than 150 museums, located in communities from the 49th parallel to the Hudson Bay, and more than 2,000 community history books covering cities, towns, villages and rural municipalities." 

Congratulations to everyone! 

The website is http://www.manitobalg.ca

Local expert to lead discussion on Scottish immigration

Genealogy expert Christine Woodcock will lead a discussion on the history of Scottish immigration to Canada. In addition, she will show residents with Scottish heritage how to learn more about their family past on Saturday, May 24 at 2 pm at the Windsor’s Community Museum. Her presentation is entitled Tracking Your Scots Immigrant Ancestors 

She will cover such subjects as

• the difference between emigration, immigration and migration
• reasons for leaving Scotland
• Jacobite Rebellion ships lists
• and Selkirk Settler ships lists

If you want to learn more about Christine’s website Genealogy Tours of Scotland https://www.genealogytoursofscotland.ca/Home_Page.html

It’s all about the DNA

The British Isles Family History of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) will present an all DNA meeting this Saturday morning starting at 9 am. Saturday, May 10 Six Thoughts About Autosomal DNA Tests (Before BIFHSGO Education Talks) 9:00 am to 9:30 am Autosomal DNA tests for genetic genealogy have been available for a few years, and the experiences of those tested range from very disappointing to very satisfying. James F. S. Thomson and Elizabeth A. R. Kaegi, who are two founding members of the Toronto Branch OGS Genetic Genealogy Special Interest Group, have been exploring and thinking about autosomal tests for some time, and in this presentation offer for consideration six thoughts about these tests. The session will also set the stage for the following main Monthly Meeting presentation — a genetic genealogy success story. Also DNA Items (Discovery Tables) 9:30 am to 10:00 am Bill Arthurs will host the Discovery Table. Brian Glenn will host the Discovery Computer to explain the online registration process for the conference. And What Really Happened? A Genetic Genealogy Success Story (Monthly Meeting) 10:00 am to 11:30 am Using several traditional genealogical techniques in conjunction with new genetic genealogy tests, Elizabeth A.R. Kaegi and James F.S. Thomson have been able to solve a six-decade old mystery, and have the findings conclusively confirmed. The drama and its resolution ranged across seven countries and finding the answers consumed many hours, especially in the last five years. The end result was very satisfying and Elizabeth acquired seven close family members, including two very new ones. Will you be there? Visitors are invited to join us, as there is Free admission. The meeting will be held at the Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario. The website is at http://www.bifhsgo.ca

Canadian Week in Review 05 May 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

My Ancestors in Genealogy

http://adventuresingenealogy.wordpress.com/tag/canadian-research

In the Canadian ancestor part of her blog, she writes about “52 Ancestors #14: Eliza (Smith) Brown, three countries in one lifetime”.

Genealogy: Beyond the BMD

http://genealogybeyondthebmd.blogspot.ca

CWR correspondent, Gail Dever, write and tells us of a new Canadian blog that Dianne Nolin is now writing. She has been doing genealogy for 12 years, and she plans to blog daily.

News Articles

Cannon to be fired in Sault
http://www.saultstar.com/2014/04/29/cannon-to-be-fired-in-sault

An 1812 cannon replica was to arrive at the Ermatinger·Clergue National Historic Site on Wednesday, April 30. The working replica, to be housed in the 1812 Gallery in the new Heritage Discovery Centre, will be used for re-enactments and special events. (This was reported by Gail Dever).

Negro Brook Road should be renamed, say area residents: Rural route used to be named after the 'N-word'

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/negro-brook-road-should-be-renamed-say-area-residents-1.2630350

Residents of a small rural community in south central New Brunswick are pushing to change the name of their street, called Negro Brook Road. A Google search has come up with 36 other places in Canada with the N-word in their name.

Historic Moncton High School put up for sale: Department of Transportation and Infrastructure values downtown property at $1M

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/historic-moncton-high-school-put-up-for-sale-1.2629935

Moncton High School is up for sale on the New Brunswick government’s website after a series of requests for proposals to redevelop the historic building failed.

Electric buses return to Winnipeg streets after 49 years
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/electric-buses-return-to-winnipeg-streets-after-49-years-1.2629788

Electric transit has returned to Winnipeg for the first time since the city's trolley car rolled into history in 1965.

A tree of Moss

http://www.ganderbeacon.ca/News/Local/2014-05-02/article-3709424/A-tree-of-Moss/1

A family history book has been written by Mac Moss from Eastport, Newfoundland called Mosses of Bonavista Bay and Beyond. It is available on www.blurb.ca in print and PDF format.

Getting to the root of it

http://www.nlnewsnow.com/News/Local/2014-05-01/article-3708214/Getting-to-the-root-of-it/1

A group of students from their French class at Hampton Academy in Hampton, Maine recently visited Quebec City on a three-day excursion.

Highland Village offers new Gaelic program for Cape Breton students
http://www.capebretonpost.com/Living/2014-04-30/article-3707694/Highland-Village-offers-new-Gaelic-program-for-Cape-Breton-students/1

May is Gaelic Awareness Month in Nova Scotia, and there is a whole host of activeities going on around the province.

Halifax rejects appeal against downtown twin-tower development
http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1204021-halifax-rejects-appeal-against-downtown-twin-tower-development

The proposed development, a 500,000-square-foot, twin-tower development spanning the block bounded by Granville, George, Hollis and Duke streets and despite concerns raised by the heritage advisory committee, the municipality’s design review committee approved the 22nd Commerce Square development.

Playing with history

http://www.gulfnews.ca/Columnists/Chantelle-MacIsaac-/2014-04-28/article-3702951/Playing-with-history/1

Read how a tourist from Newfoundland discovered Nova Scotian cemeteries that went back as far as the 1700s.

At stunning memorial near Ypres, 'sentinel' looms over Canadians killed in gas attacks
http://www.thestar.com/news/walking_the_western_front/2014/04/at_stunning_memorial_near_ypres__looms_a__sentinel__over_canadians_killed_in_gas_attacks.html

Read a moving account of the Ypes Memorial in France, and of a Canadian soldier who died there - William John Howe

'Book of Negroes' films in Nova Scotia

http://www.insidehalton.com/whatson-story/4490362--book-of-negroes-films-in-nova-scotia

The TV mini-series, The Book of Negroes, is being filmed in Nova Scotia, and from what I hear, some of it will be shot in Shelburne (my hometown), just a short distance from Birchtown, where is located the Black History Heritage Society http://www.blackloyalist.com.

Story of the Week

The Ontario Genealogical Society Conference

The Society held its annual Conference this year, and it was at Brock University in St. Catharine’s, near Niagara Falls.

A pall fell over the Conference with the death of Ontario genealogist Brian Gilchrist on May the 1st, and since he was scheduled to deliver the plenary speech, at the conference, a memorial speech gave it on his behalf.

This was the first conference where Social Media was formerly addressed. It has been partly addressed in the past, but this year, Steve Fulton and his crew really put both feet into the pool, as it were, and the Conference was off to the races.

A Google+ Hangout On Air was held at 8 o’clock in the morning on Saturday the 3rd of May, and it was good to hear the panel (Chris Paton (British GENES), Marian Press, Tony Bandy, Kirsty Gray and Daniel Horowitz (MyHeritage), and it was hosted by John D. Reid, blogger of the Anglo-Celtic Roots) discuss the subject. It remind me of the Roots Tech panel of a couple of years ago when panelists were asked what genealogy was going to be like in five years from now, and there were many of the same answers.

Unfortunately, one couldn’t hear all of it, because it crashed after 38 minutes, so I don’t know if my question ‘How has social media changed Canadian genealogy’ was ever asked, and if it was, we never heard the answer.

Some of the reports from the conference were on various blogs and Facebook pages –

OGS Conference in Niagara - day one report
http://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2014/05/ogs-conference-in-niagara-day-one-report.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BritishGenesGenealogyNewsAndEvents+%28British+GENES+%28GEnealogy+News+and+EventS%29%29
Chris Paton, was a presenter and speaker at Friday’s evening Houston Lecture at the OGS. He gives a a summary of Day 1.

Niagara Peninsula Branch OGS Conference 2014 Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NiagaraPeninsulaBranchOgsConference2014

They gives highlights and pictures on Day and Day 2.

OGS Conference Day 1
http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/2014/05/ogs-conference-day-1.html

John D. Reid’s Canada’s Anglo-Celtic Connections where he gave a short version of what happened on Day 1, and a summary of the panel discussion at http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/2014/05/ogs-conference-social-media-panel.html 

On my blog of Saturday May 3rd at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/05/ogs-announces-officers-for-2014-2016.html, I announce the new president and vice president for 2014 to 2016, plus other members of the executive.

After initial missteps, the OGS put on their new website this past week. It is quite a change from the last version, but it fills the bill.

The website is https://www.ogs.on.ca

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 12, 2014.