Will Héritage index their records? Maybe.

Ever since Héritage, a division of Canadiana, put on all of those records from the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) over a year ago, I was asking “Where are the indexes that go with the digitization of these records?”

Héritage has the objective of digitizing 40,000 reels of microfilm from “Canada’s most important archival collections”. 

They hope to comprise 60 million page images when the project is completed next year. 

But not one of these records has been indexed! Not one! So what good are they to me? -

They say that they “would like to enhance access to this content by partially transcribing select collections. Once transcribed, researchers can conduct key-word searches on a collection, allowing them to find specific personal names, geographical locations, events, etc. within a document. We need your help in choosing which collections to transcribe first”. 

So, they have put together a short survey to ask our opinion. I clicked every one of the records that they have included in the survey. 

They say that “By participating in this short survey, you can have a voice in telling Canadiana which collections are important to you. If interested, please share this widely with your members, branches, and other contacts to help us get the most feedback”. 

Please take a minute to go through the records, and click the ones you would like to see indexed.

The website for the survey is https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=DGkADDA1hN%2fpX6Ab5IKFgw%3d%3d

The website for Canadiana is http://www.canadiana.ca/

Family associations

One way to discover your French-Canadian roots is to join a family association. It all has to do with collaboration, doesn't it? 

The Library and Archives Canada says that “The main goal of a family association is to perpetuate the memory of these ancestors and preserve the cultural heritage associated with them, such as the land that was granted to them in New France, or the ancestral house, if it still exists”. 

The association members organize meetings and reunions, small or large, and publish newsletters, and of course, many have a website and a Facebook page.  

On a personal note, I see where my husband's paternal surname (Lapointe dit Audet) and his maternal surname (Jobin) are there. 

The website is at http://www.genealogie.org/associations.asp 

If you have Acadian roots, go to http://www.fafa-acadie.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=40 for a list of Acadian surnames. 

FamilySearch to improve its Research Wiki pages

FamilySearch.org is improving its Research Wiki pages.

They say that "There will be more space on the web page to view enriched text and images. There will also be increased editing capabilities for contributors and several other useful changes".

You can go to the Testing: Wiki Usability page at https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Testing:_Wiki_Usability to give your opinion of the proposed changes.

Meanwhile, they have added more indexed Catholic Parish Registers, Quebec 1621-1979 to their records.

This collection contains images of Catholic parish registers of baptisms, marriages and burials. It also includes some confirmations and some index entries for Montréal and Trois-Rivières.

Go to the website at https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1321742

If you want to index, you can go to https://familysearch.org/indexing/get-started-indexer

Canadian Week in Review 28 July 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.

History Week in Canada

In 1793, Sir Alexander Mackenzie, Scottish-born explorer and fur trader, reached the Pacific Ocean at Dean Channel. He had just crossed the Rockies, and to mark this achievement, he painted on a rock the inscription - Alex Mackenzie from Canada by Land 22nd July, 1793. This was the first east to west crossing of North America, north of Mexico.

To read more about his life, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Mackenzie_(explorer)
===================================================
In 1892, fire destroyed most of St. John's, Nfld.

To read more about the fire and its aftermath, go to http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/fire_1892.html
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In 1948, Newfoundlanders voted narrowly in a referendum to join Confederation. The campaign for confederation was led by journalist Joey Smallwood, who was asked to form an interim government. Newfoundland officially became Canada's tenth province on March 31, 1949.
===================================================
Did you know that in 1961, the government of Canada officially opened the town of Inuvik, Northwest Territories? The town, the largest Canadian community north of the Arctic Circle, was constructed to replace the old settlement of Aklavik.

To read more about Inuvik, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuvik
==================================================

Social Media

Molly’s Canopy
http://mollyscanopy.com/
Her name is Molly and she said her “passion for family history research was ignited more than 20 years ago on a vacation trip to Montreal, Quebec, when I found my paternal great, great grandfather Laurent Charbonneau’s 1832 baptismal record in an archive”.

Crème de la crème blog
Genealogy à la carte
Be sure to check out Gail Dever’s blog. She carries other news stories in her daily blog, and I cover them on a weekly basis. Together, we try to bring the latest Canadian news to you!

Newfoundland and Labrador 

No stories this week.

Nova Scotia

Genealogical society’s records at risk
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1225407-genealogical-society-s-records-at-risk#.U9ODCs7GVIM.facebook
Cheryl Lamerson of the South Shore Genealogical Society says the society is facing a problem – what to do with the society’s museum collection. They need a space, and they need it now!

Sod turned for new Ross Farm Museum learning centre
http://www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca/NB-NL-NS-PEI/2014-07-23/article-3810892/Sod-turned-for-new-Ross-Farm-Museum-learning-centre/1
The new 16,000 square foot centre will house public spaces including an entrance and foyer, programming rooms, washrooms, meeting rooms, an open hearth room, a commercial kitchen, a gift shop, staff/administration space, a period costume area, a historical society office and research space and controlled storage for artifacts.

Gaining perspective: Unique history lessons at Maritime Museum’s War of 1812 exhibit
http://metronews.ca/news/halifax/1104929/gaining-perspective-unique-history-lessons-at-maritime-museums-war-of-1812-exhibit/
That includes Maritime causes of the war, its impact on Nova Scotia’s economy and the legacy of Black refugees.

Prince Edward Island

No stories this week.

New Brunswick

N.B.'s Central Hampstead Baptist Church sells for $1,900
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/n-b-s-central-hampstead-baptist-church-sells-for-1-900-1.2719059
A New Brunswick church built in Canada’s confederation year sold for $1,900 at auction on Saturday. The buyer plans to move it down the road, and turn it into a cottage. The church was built in 1867 and it was the Central Hampstead Baptist Church, near Gagetown.

Quebec

What’s happening to Montreal’s churches? Quebec finding new ways to preserve its heritage in a secular age
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/07/25/whats-happening-to-montreals-churches-quebec-finding-new-ways-to-preserve-its-heritage-in-a-secular-age/
The purpose of church buildings are changing!

Quebec police move to block auction of Lac-Mégantic locomotive
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/07/23/locomotive_from_lacmegantic_train_from_hell_up_for_auction.html
The locomotive MMA 5017 was scheduled to go on the auction block on August 5th in Maine, but the action has been blocked by the provincial police until the end of the judicial process.

Ontario

Old tombstones located south of LaSalette
http://www.simcoereformer.ca/2014/06/25/old-tombstones-located-south-of-lasalette
Perseverance paid off for a group of history detectives in LaSalette, Ontario. Following several failed digs last year, the group has finally located the burial ground for a collection of 19th-century headstones that were destroyed and buried in an old Catholic cemetery. 

Portrait of aboriginal leader Joseph Brant sells at auction for $7.5 million
Gilbert Stuart's work may be most valuable portrait of Canadian leader ever produced
http://www.canada.com/entertainment/Portrait+aboriginal+leader+Joseph+Brant+sells+auction+million/10062517/story.html
Brant was known as Thayendanegea to his followers.

Manitoba

Group of Manitoba teachers to visit Juno Beach for educational tour
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Group-of-Manitoba-teachers-will-visit-Juno-Beach-for-educational-tour-268132572.html
Four teachers will be in Vimy as part of the 10th annual Professional Development Battlefield Tour for Educators.

Saskatchewan

Map: More Saskatoon history coming to a smartphone near you
http://metronews.ca/news/saskatoon/1108314/map-more-saskatoon-history-coming-to-a-smartphone-near-you/
Through mid-August and September, the Nutana and Broadway Heritage QR code self-guided walking tour will be expanding even further to include more than 30 new points of historic importance and interest.

Alberta 

Archeology is messy, sweaty and slow - but the rewards are worth it
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/travel/Archeology+messy+sweaty+slow+rewards+worth/10049263/story.html
Read about a couple who are spending part of their summer at Bodo, a small Alberta community about three hours from Edmonton. The place was once inhabited by the Plains Indians, who hunted bison and camped in the area in the past 5,000 years.

Canada remembers Korean War
http://www.airdriecityview.com/article/20140724/ACV0903/307249957/canada-remembers-korean-war
Yesterday, Canada celebrated Korean War Veterans Day. From 1950 to 1953, 26,000 Canadians saw action in Korea, and played a great role in the success of the first United Nations intervention by halting the aggression and securing a truce that has held for the past 61 years.

Heirloom is part of Wild Rose Overseas: Albertans in the Great War, an exhibition at Calgary's Military Museums
http://ww1.canada.com/battlefront/great-grandfathers-letter-from-the-front-was-a-chance-discovery-with-video
Read how University of Calgary student, Michael Hilton started working on his Canadian Studies project, and he discovered a letter from his great-grandfather, Canadian soldier Edward Iley, written on the fabric of a German aircraft wing shot down by Iley’s battalion.

And the story continues …
WW I memorabilia connects family to its history: Calgary brothers find link to their great-grandfather through letter, photos
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ww-i-memorabilia-connects-family-to-its-history-1.2718683

British Columbia

'Your history is standing straight up': Survivors' Totem Pole to be raised in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/michael-stewart/2014/07/your-history-standing-straight-survivors-totem-pole-to-be-rai?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20rabble-news%20(rabble.ca%20-%20News%20for%20the%20rest%20of%20us)
The Totem pole, called The Suvivors’ Totem Pole, is being carved by the only female apprentice of the Haida artist Bill Reid -- Skundaal, of the Raven Haida.

First Nation Works to Preserve Historically Important Trees
New project will identify, protect culturally modified trees
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/812915-bc-first-nation-works-to-preserve-historically-important-trees/?photo=2
It includes trees in the Great Bear Rainforest that have been altered by First Nations people as part of their traditional use of the forest. Some of these trees date back to pre-contact time with the Europeans.

Story of the Week

 

Top 10 Endangered Places to See Before They Are Gone

Heritage Canada National Trust recently released its Top 10 Endangered Places list, outlining the most iconic heritage sites and structures in the country that may soon be gone.

Here are the five structures -

1. The Robertson Headframe is the tallest free-standing structure in the Northwest Territories, and has ruled over the Yellowknife landscape since 1977. 

2. The pre-1940s heritage homes on Vancouver's West Side are bring torn down at an alarming rate to make way for bigger, pricier houses. 

3. The Paramount Theatre in Edmonton, Alberta was built in 1952, but Famous Players bought and closed the building in 2003. It been the site of real estate speculation ever since. 

4. Built in 1882, Guelph's heritage-designated Petrie Building is considered a local landmark in the city's downtown. The towering four-storey structure was originally built for a local pharmacist, and features large windows and a mortar-and-pestle design in the stonework. Now it is on the demolition block. 

5. Former Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) Locomotive Repair Shops in Stratford, Ontario. Officials in Stratford, are trying to decide what to do with a 105-year-old locomotive repair shop they acquired in 2009. The 46,000 square-metre structure is considered culturally significant, but the city of Stratford does not see it that way.

To read about the rest of the structures, go to http://www.heritagecanada.org/en/issues-campaigns/top-ten-endangered 

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 August 4, 2014.

Reminder: 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 most up-to-date news items covered in New/Updated Websites, History, Social Media, and Newspaper Articles. 

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

If you missed least week's edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/07/canadian-week-in-review-21-july-2014.html 

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

350th anniversary of the Notre-Dame de Québec parish

The Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec

Photo credit: Gilbert Bochenek

The year 2014 marks the 350th anniversary of the Notre-Dame de Québec parish, the oldest Catholic parish in North America, north of Mexico.

Monsignor François de Laval, who arrived in Québec City in 1659 as the vicar apostolic, signed the decree for the establishment of the parish on September 15, 1664, in honour of the “Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

The church, located on the Cap-aux-Diamants promontory, was opened for worship in 1650. Over the years, it has undergone many alterations, including renovations, expansions and reconstructions.

The 350th anniversary is being celebrated in a special way with the opening of a Holy Door, a symbol of humility and a rare privilege granted by the Holy See. The Holy Door is the seventh in the world and the first in North America. It will remain open until December 28, 2014.

The history of the Holy Door is http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/documents/ns_lit_doc_14121999_porta-santa_en.html

The Holy Door is open from 8:45 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. Monday to Sunday, until September 1. From September 2 to December 27, the Holy Door is open from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and to 16:45 on Saturdays and Sundays. On December 28, during a celebration, the Holy Door will be closed and sealed until the next Holy Year of the Roman Catholic Church, around 2025.

To read about the history of the Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica, go to https://notredamedequebec.org/en/feasts-of-the-350th.

There is not a charge to enter; however, all offerings would be greatly appreciated.

Library and Archives Canada says in its blog that it has “historical records on the Notre-Dame de Québec parish, including many iconographic representations of the church in different eras. The Notre-Dame Catholic parish fonds (Québec City) contains baptismal, marriage and burial records, as well as various parish censuses conducted in 1744 and between 1792 and 1815”.

A description of the fonds is available at http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&lang=eng&rec_nbr=98024

A news article appeared in the July 21, 2014 edition of the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) in a Maine newspaper which said that a pilgrimage is being planned to Québec City in October of this year. 

The link is (go down the page until you get to Québec) http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/07/canadian-week-in-review-21-july-2014.html

Gae­no­vium: A new kind of conference

They say in their press release that “Gae­no­vium is the genea­logy tech­no­logy con­fe­rence, by genea­logy tech­no­logists for genealogy technologists. Gaenovium is exclusively for academics, developers and visionaries at the forefront of genealogy technology. 

Leaders in genealogy technology come together to learn from each other, discuss current issues, explore the bleeding edge, share their wisdom and insight, passionately argue their viewpoints, and just have an all-around good time”. 

A lecture will be given by Louis Kessler from Winnipeg, and some of the other speakers are Timo Kracke, Tony Proctor, and Michel Brinckman. 

Gae­no­vium 2014 takes place on 7 October 2014 in Leiden, Netherlands. It will be a small and intimate event, and includes an all-attendees dinner.

MyHeritage.com and RootsTech are the official sponsors. 

The website is http://www.gaenovium.com/ 

They just started a Facebook page yesterday at https://www.facebook.com/Gaenovium 

They also have started a blog at http://blog.gaenovium.com/ 

Postscript: I have just sent an email them to ask that the panel discussion - Current & Future Genealogical Exchange Standards be an HOA broadcast. If you feel the same way, you can write to them on their Facebook page or you can email them. Let’s see if we can convince them to present the panelists in an Hangout on Air.