New Canadian Ancestry.ca

Last night, I received notification from the Canadian arm of Ancestry that they would be changing the landing page and adding some features to Ancestry.ca. 

They said that Ancestry.ca "would appear with new storytelling features and a streamlined design, the new Ancestry site will help Canadians move beyond names and dates, enhancing the stories of their ancestors’ lives. 

A few new features include: 

LifeStory, which uses events, sources and relationships you’ve collected in your family tree to create a holistic, time-based narrative of these moments;

Historical Insights will now appear within your ancestor’s life story, giving you context about the events that impacted their lives; 

Facts and Galleries will transform how you view, arrange and share the details of your ancestors’ lives.

As you begin to explore the updated site, please let us know if you have any questions, or need any help navigating the new features". 

Ancestry.com put on this new landing site and the other features about a month ago. It is clear that they are aiming towards the “new customer” (someone who has never used Ancestry before), and are not placating the “seasoned” researcher to find and improve on their research - those that have already found ancestors.

It would be my fervent wish that Ancestry would improve their search algorithms so that it doesn't give me WHITE instead of WAITE, and Halifax, Nova Scotia instead of Halifax, England, or Halifax, Virginia. I have to use the browse feature instead of the search feature.

Pat Richley-Erickson of Mondays with Myrt, a Google+ Hangout on Air, suggested yesterday that
a clearing house of complaints should be set-up so that we can put our frustrations online, instead of not having them answered by the Ancestry people. 

If you are not a member of her genealogy community on Goggle+, you can go to YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_ap4JKxu58 and view it there. 

I will keep you posted on this development.

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Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 

at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/09/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-28.html

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

Canadian Week in Review (CWR) 28 September 2015

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

This Week in Canadian History

September 28, 1857 - Great Western Railway opened from Galt to Guelph, Ontario. 

The line was taken over by the Grand Trunk Railway in August 1882, and in time, it became a major part of the Canadian National Railway's southern Ontario routes. The majority of the mainlines remain in use to this day.

To read more about the railroad, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Western_Railway_(Ontario)

September 28, 1867 - Toronto officially became the capital of Ontario.

Today, it is the fourth most populated city in North America, after Mexico City, New York, and Los Angeles.

And it is where the headquarters of the Ontario Genealogical Society has been located since the 1980s with the North York Public Library system as their office space.

To learn more, please go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto

Social Media

(Photos) HANTS HISTORY (Sept. 24, 2015 edition)

http://www.hantsjournal.ca/Opinion/Columnists/2015-09-24/article-4287859/HANTS-HISTORY-(Sept.-24,-2015-edition)/1

News Articles

Newfoundland

Beothuk history unearthed along Exploits River

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/beothuk-history-unearthed-along-exploits-river-1.3232011

Archaeologists have unearthed Beothuk arrowheads and fire pits containing bones, after working over the summer along the banks of the Exploits River. 

Nova Scotia

Liverpool’s decaying history: Perkins House needs six months, unknown amount of money for repairs

http://www.thevanguard.ca/News/Local/2015-09-22/article-4285879/Liverpool%26rsquo%3Bs-decaying-history%3A-Perkins-House-needs-six-months,-unknown-amount-of-money-for-repairs/1

When tourists came to town to ask about Perkins House this summer, they were asked to support efforts to shore up the building’s flimsy foundation

Prince Edward Island

P.E.I. student's great project

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Living/2015-09-19/article-4282230/P.E.I.-students-great-project/1

Geoffrey Paton of Charlottetown discovered that his great-great-great-great-grandfather, Samuel Cunard, who helped establish the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, was quite the man.

Prince Edward Island's Bicycle Trail

http://www.examiner.com/article/prince-edward-island-s-bicycle-trail

The island is just the right size for touring--about 168 miles long and no more than 36 miles wide. By driving along the scenic routes of the six enticing day tours outlined in the Visitors Guide, you’ll find that Island history lives on–from the native Mi’kmaq inhabitants to the early settlers from England, Ireland and Scotland. Or visit the regions of Evangeline, Tignish or Rustico to share the lively Acadian culture.

Ontario

Enterprise along the river: A major meat-packing operation once stood on the shores of the Otonabee River at Little Lake

http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2015/09/19/enterprise-along-the-river-a-major-meat-packing-operation-once-stood-on-the-shores-of-the-otonabee-river-at-little-lake

The best wall decoration in the Trent Valley Archives reading room is a large framed copy of the 1895 Bird's Eye View Map of the Town of Peterborough

THE JOY OF GENEALOGY: What did your ancestors do for a living?

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-story/5924536-the-joy-of-genealogy-what-did-your-ancestors-do-for-a-living-/

Part of the fun in uncovering family history is discovering what our ancestors did for a living

ANAF: Heritage deserves more attention

http://www.intelligencer.ca/2015/09/22/anaf-heritage-deserves-more-attention

The African-Canadian military heritage in Canada is still generally unknown and unwritten.

Many Canadians of all races are totally unaware that African-Canadians served, fought, bled and died on many battlefields for the cause of freedom. The fact that approximately 600 African-Canadian soldiers served in a segregated, non-combatant labour battalion during First World War has been one of the best kept secrets in Canadian military history.

Alberta

Historic southern Alberta train station, part of museum, damaged by fire

http://lethbridgeherald.com/news/provincial-news/2015/09/18/historic-southern-alberta-train-station-part-of-museum-damaged-by-fire/

Crews were called in early Friday morning to the old Bassano train station in Beiseker.

New Field of Fame unveiled at McDougall Centre

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/new-field-of-fame-unveiled-at-mcdougall-centre

A new Field of Fame honouring prominent contributions to Calgary was unveiled Thursday at the McDougall Centre with family members present.

Canadian news stories this week

This week saw the intersection between heritage and history in Canada, with a sprinkling of genealogy thrown in for good measure.

A new campaign for the Hudson’s Bay Company

The Toronto agency, Red Urban, has launched a new campaign for the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC),  which includes the brand’s first-ever broadcast spot.

It's a 60-second spot, which made its debut during the Emmy's, is promoting the HBC History Foundation’s launching of a new series of historical narratives exploring Canadian history.

The HBC is nearly 350 years old. It was established in 1670, was founded as the ‘Company of Adventurers trading into Hudson Bay.’

It's archives are at the Archives of Manitoba at https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/

These archives were in London, England until 1970, when they were transferred to Manitoba.

There is an Online Finding Aid at https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/resource/index.html

40 years since the dawn of the Cold War

The Military Museums in Calgary opens a unique exhibit on Saturday 26 September 2015, marking the 40th anniversary of the Cold War between Russia and the Allied Counties - of which Canada was one.

The CF-18 Hornet, CF-5 Freedom Fighter, CF-104 Starfighter and the F-86 Sabre are the highlights of the exhibit, but this is not just about aircraft. The exhibit features artifacts and descriptions of a time when the threat of nuclear war was all-too real.

During those tense decades, 37 Canadian airmen were killed in crashes involved the CF-104 alone.

To see the times of the exhibit, go to http://www.themilitarymuseums.ca/

World Rivers Day

Sixty countries around the world took part in World Rivers Day, held on the last Saturday in September.

It was established by Mark Angelo, a native of British Columbia, an active and internationally celebrated river conservationist.

This year is the 35th anniversary of British Columbia Rivers Day, and this year it is especially timely for British Columbia because of the warm, dry weather they had this summer, It caused the rivers to reduce their water flows to low levels and higher water temperatures caused problems for the fish.

The site at http://www.cangeoeducation.ca/resources/rivers_of_canada/default.asp has

Educational Materials, and discover some of the great rivers of this county.

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/RiverWorld?_rdr=p

Quebec name changes have been ordered

And finally, after the news erupted this summer about the unacceptable N-word in 11 place names in Quebec, the Quebec Toponymy Commission has ordered name changes.

The commission recognized six place names in the province that include the N-word in English and five that include the word nègre, which in French can mean both Negro and the N-word.

This is a victory for Rachel Zellars, a PhD student at McGill University who started a petition to get the names removed.

For example, some of the places are Niger River, near Sherbrooke, Lac du Nègre and Ruisseau du Nègre in west Quebec, and Rivière du Nègre near Drummondville, Le Buttereau-du-Nègre on Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Lac à Ti-Nègre near Shawinigan.

So for genealogists out there who have ancestors who lived in these areas, please make note of this change which will occur with the names. The new names should be released shortly.

And that was the week in Canadian heritage, history and genealogy news!

==================================================================================================================
Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 

at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/09/canadian-week-in-review-22-september.html

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

The 2nd Annual Family History Fair

On Saturday November 14, 2015 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm., there will be the 2nd Annual Family History Fair which will be held at the Family History Centre at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia at Cumberland Drive, Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. 

This fair will include workshops focusing on family research methodologies and cultural histories, including Black Loyalists, British Home Children, Mi'kmaq and Scottish ancestry. There will be Roots Tech video presentations and family history exhibits. Also included are hands-on indexing workshops for the Billion Graves Project and the Freedmen Bureau Project.

 If you are not familiar with genealogy, there's a beginner's workshop with an introduction to the free online Family Search program. 

 You can go to http://nsgna.ednet.ns.ca/fhc/RegistrationInformation.pdf to read the programe, and then to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1roJGBGCTXJoi2EKWTSlY7gXBqrtOnPY8lC9-_DD692A/viewform to register, or phone (902) 462-0628. 

 For more information please visit http://nsgna.ednet.ns.ca/fhc

==================================================================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 

at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/09/canadian-week-in-review-22-september.html 

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

Quilt Documentation Day

Do you have a 50 plus-year-old quilt or quilts at home, and would like to have it or them documented? 

The Fort Heritage Precinct at Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta is hosting a public Quilt Documentation Day this Saturday, Sept. 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kinsmen Room at the Canadian Northern Railway Station. Appointments are required and only pre-1970 quilts will be considered.

The intention is to document and photograph the quilts in order to preserve their history and contribution to Alberta’s quilting history.

The quilts will be registered, photographed and examined by a Royal Alberta Museum quilt expert. The expert will then be able to document the quilt in a personal history station. 

To set an appointment for the Sept. 26 event, contact Kris Nygren at 780-998-1783 or by email at knygren@fortsask.ca.

Does anyone know if we do this in the rest of the country? I personally have never heard of it, but it is quite possible that we do this sort of thing through historical societies. If you know the answer, please leave your it in the comments section.Thanks. 

For more details, go to http://www.fortsask.ca/home

==================================================================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 

at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/09/canadian-week-in-review-22-september.html 

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

The Canadian War Museum is ranked #3 best in Canada!

The Canadian War Museum issued a press release yesterday which said -

The Canadian War Museum is proud to be recognized once again by TripAdvisor as one of the best museums in the country, ranking third among the top 10 museums in Canada for the second year in a row. The annual Travellers’ Choice awards highlight the top 1 percent of attractions in the world, based on the quantity and quality of visitors’ reviews over a 12-month period.

“We are pleased that so many visitors to the Canadian War Museum enjoy their experience enough to take the time to leave positive comments on TripAdvisor,” said Stephen Quick, Director General of the Canadian War Museum. “We are proud to be consistently ranked as one of Canada’s most highly recommended museums, and we will continue to produce the exceptional exhibitions and programming that make this a must-see attraction.”

Earlier this year, TripAdvisor welcomed the Canadian War Museum into its Certificate of Excellence Hall of Fame, which honours attractions that have won a TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence five years in a row. The online review site also lists the War Museum as #1 among 190 “Top things to do in Ottawa.”

The website is at http://www.warmuseum.ca/home/

And the good news doesn't end there.

Dr. Tim Cook, an esteemed historian at the Canadian War Museum, received The Order of Canada, one of our country’s highest civilian honours this past Wednesday.

Tim Cook has worked at the museum since 2002, and he has been curated the First World War permanent gallery and other exhibits. He also teaches at Carleton University, and has authored seven books, many of them award-winning, including Warlords, The Madman and the Butcher, Shock Troops, At the Sharp End, Clio’s Warriors, and No Place to Run. 

His newest book, The Necessary War, is the first volume of a two book set to explore Canada in the Second World War. The second volume, Fight to the Finish, will be published this year.

A heartfelt congratulations to both the museum and Tim Cook. Through their work, out nation is richer from knowing and honouring the sacrifice that our county men and women have made (and continue to make) over the years in defending Canada.

Also, Peter Milliken, retired MP and longest-serving Speaker of the House of Commons, and the Patron of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) also received the Order of Canada on Wednesday. 

To read about the position of patron, you can go to https://www.ogs.on.ca/patron.php

  

==================================================================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 

at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/09/canadian-week-in-review-22-september.html 

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

Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is taking a survey

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is taking a survey so that they can “better understand our audience and how we tailor our services and communications to your needs”. 

Although, I never had anyone die because of the their service in First and Second World Wars, I visit the site quite often when doing research, so I was interested in what the survey was like, so I took it this morning.

I found the survey a bit long, and I think it was done to see how people felt about social media and (I think, although, I am not sure) what we would think about being charged a certain amount of money for things that maybe they were looking to sell.

So, what do you think? Do you find the site useful? Do you visit it that often?

1,700,000 men and women of the Commonwealth forces are buried in 154 counties around the world, including Canadians. 

The survey can be accessed here https://survey.crowdology.co.uk/snapwebhost/s.asp?k=144231495493

The website is at http://www.cwgc.org/

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/commonwealthwargravescommission

==================================================================================================================
Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 

at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/09/canadian-week-in-review-22-september.html 

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

New Canadian Facebook page

Al Lewis, has for years, been the person behind the very successfull website A Digital History of Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec, Canada, and now he has started a new Facebook page called BytownorBust at https://www.facebook.com/BytownorBust

The website includes over 1,700 web pages, and it covers the history of the Ottawa area, including Western Quebec. and the cities of Ottawa and Hull/Gatineau from 1600.

If you have ancestors who lived in these areas, the website and the Facebook page should be read to find information on the areas.

The website is at http://www.bytown.net/

==================================================================================================================
Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 

at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/09/canadian-week-in-review-22-september.html 

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