Waterloo Region Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society will be an e-presence only



As has been reported by bloggers over the past day, the Waterloo Region Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society is going to re-invent itself as "an e-presence only, with a new website and the creation of a Facebook group. The new website will have a members only section and an e-store. Queries will be handled via this on-line presence”. 

 

The press release that was issued as part of the OGS e-Newsletter on Saturday, said that “Since this Branch is modeled on that of our on-line based Special Interest Groups, the fee, as decided by the Branch, is a bargain of $4 for the first year due to the website being "under construction" as members and the TSIC Committee of OGS work to place items, prior to January 1st, 2016, in the members only section related to research in the County of Waterloo. The same as with other OGS Branch members only sections on websites, the "stocking" of the section will be ongoing. There will be no newsletter, no physical Branch meetings and no postal mailing address”.

 

The OGS says that that this is a “pilot project authorized by the Board in order to explore alternatives when the volunteer base for a Branch becomes too small to provide all of the services that have been provided in the past”. 

 

So is this the way for the future of the OGS as members disappear? The membership has been decreasing for years, and something had to give, so to speak, and this looks like it may be a solution. What do you think? And this news comes a day after the 2016 re-membership drive starts. It will be interesting time ahead, I think. 

 

As of this morning, the Waterloo Branch still has a website at http://www.waterlooogs.ca/ with limited information. They still have cemetery CDs at for sale at http://www.waterlooogs.ca/cemeteries.htm, and the following family CDs - Bauman/Bowman Family, Bechtel, Bergey, Biehn, Bricker, Eby, Erb, Groh, Hallman, Hoffman, Lichty, Martin, Snyder, Shantz, Wanner and Weber are available for $20 each. 

 

Happy Researching!!

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

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/2015/11/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-02-november.html

 

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

 

It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!

 

Canadian Week in Review (CWR) 02 November 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

In 1918, Canadian aviator William George (Billy) Barker won the Victoria Cross during the First World War. The Dauphin, Manitoba, native downed four German planes despite being wounded three times himself. Barker died in a 1930 training accident.

If you wish to learn more about William George (Billy) Barker, go to
http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/barker_william_george_15E.html

In 1971, La Presse, the largest French-language daily in North America, announced the suspension of publication in Montreal. The paper, with a circulation of 225,000, shut down because of the threat of increasing violence in a labor dispute. It resumed publication in February, 1972.

To be brought up on the latest news about La Presse, go to http://montrealgazette.com/business/local-business/montreal-la-presse-to-end-weekday-printed-paper-in-new-year

Social Media

(Photos) Stayner students plant tulips to create Dutch-Canadian Friendship Garden

http://www.simcoe.com/news-story/6034620-stayner-students-plant-tulips-to-create-dutch-canadian-friendship-garden/

A piece of shared Dutch and Canadian history has been honoured at Stayner’s high school.

(Video) This Week in History: A Royal BC Museum photograph exhibition in Guangzhou, China

http://www.cheknews.ca/this-week-in-history-a-royal-bc-museum-photograph-exhibition-in-guangzhou-china-120108/

Lieutenant Colonel John Frederick Crease (1836 – 1907) was mastering the art and science of photography, and captured various images of Canton, China immediately following the Anglo-French bombardment of the city.

Now, 156 years later, these photographs are being presented in Guangzhou (formerly Canton) as part of an exhibition: “Guangzhou to British Columbia – The Chinese Canadian Experience.”

(Video) Ireland pays tribute to Maritimes' help during Great Famine

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-famine-commemoration-1.3285452

 Ireland's Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is visiting New Brunswick this week as part of this year's International Famine Commemoration.

(Video) Artist rolls into Saskatoon as part of ambitious photo project

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/artist+rolls+into+saskatoon+part+ambitious+photo+project/11461518/story.html
What does Canada look like?

Artist Tim Van Horn is trying to answer that question with his Canadian Mosaic Project.

With a goal of taking photos of 54,000 Canadians ahead of the nation's 150th birthday in 2017, Van Horn has already captured 42,000 citizens with a camera. On Thursday, he stopped to collect Saskatoon faces.

(Photos) HANTS HISTORY: Oct 29 edition

http://www.hantsjournal.ca/Opinion/Columnists/2015-10-29/article-4325713/HANTS-HISTORY%3A-Oct-29-edition%26nbsp%3B/1

Here's a look at what was making the news 25 and 50 years ago in the Hants Journal, Nova Scotia.

(Video) Historical Second World War DC-3 aircraft unloaded in Saskatoon

http://globalnews.ca/news/2307814/historical-wwii-dc-3-aircraft-unloaded-in-saskatoon/

It was retired several years ago but this week an old DC3 Second World War airplane was on the move again. Jackie Wilson tells us about this historical craft and where its final resting place will be.

Newspaper Articles

Nova Scotia 

Heritage Trust asked town for time on BMO building

http://www.cumberlandnewsnow.com/News/Local/2015-10-26/article-4322641/Heritage-Trust-asked-town-for-time-on-BMO-building/1

Heritage Trust Nova Scotia has asked Amherst to give it some time to come up with an alternative to demolishing the former BMO building in the downtown.

Stewiacke cheers as schooner hand-built by Densmore cousins launches

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/schooner-stewiacke-cousins-hand-built-1.3290534

Five years of commitment was tested today when two cousins from Stewiacke launched their 24-metre wooden schooner.

Evan and Nick Densmore's ship sat on the banks of the Stewiacke River waiting for the tide to rise. The Densmores had hoped the new moon tide would lift the boat safely over sandbars and shoals into the water — and it did.

Quebec

Exploring Quebec City's Musee de la Civilization

http://www.travelpulse.com/opinions/blog/exploring-quebec-citys-musee-de-la-civilisation.html

But I discovered one rainy afternoon that the Musee de La Civilisation is where natives head when they can't enjoy outdoor attractions.

Ontario

Recalling the not-long-ago battle of Canadian suffragists

http://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion-story/5974266-recalling-the-not-long-ago-battle-of-canadian-suffragists

Canadian history books and classes concentrated primarily on political and military events, neglecting to offer information on how women have impacted our nation and have thus been impacted by our nation.

THE JOY OF GENEALOGY: Five ways to celebrate Family History Month

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-story/6048119-the-joy-of-genealogy-five-ways-to-celebrate-family-history-month/

The leaves are falling and genealogy is calling, so let’s celebrate Family History Month in North America.

Whose Mother would this monstrous monument be?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/whose-mother-would-this-monstrous-monument-be/article26957709/

The first is the controversial Memorial to the Victims of Communism, planned for a prime piece of Ottawa’s parliamentary real estate near the Supreme Court of Canada – a site long designated for a new Federal Court building, and the second is the Mother Canada statue, a privately promoted expression of monumentality proposed for an evocative coastline site in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Alberta

Group using old bricks for new memorial honouring Edmonton's First World War history.

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/group-using-old-bricks-for-new-memorial-honouring-edmontons-first-world-war-history

A community group wants to incorporate bricks from the recently destroyed Leamington Mansion apartments in a new memorial honouring Old Strathcona’s First World War history.

Calgary tour digs deep into city's past

http://calgaryherald.com/life/calgary-tour-digs-deep-into-citys-past

A new full-day tour of Calgary delves deep into the city’s past. The Herald asked Judy Uwiera of Lifetime Adventures Travel to talk about the new offering for visitors and residents alike.

British Columbia

Coffee with: New city archivist loves opening windows into the past

http://www.richmond-news.com/community/coffee-with-new-city-archivist-loves-opening-windows-into-the-past-1.2094067

When Jennifer Yuhasz took her first steps into the world of documenting history, she didn’t have to go very far. As a grade schooler, she simply explored her grandparents’ yard on the family cattle and wheat farm two hours southeast of Regina, Saskatchewan.

Canadian news stories this week

Canadian Women on our banknotes, please!


I see where the town of Oakville, Ontario has joined a chorus of voices calling for Canadian women to be pictured on Canadian currency.

The Oakville council voted unanimously recently to encourage the Bank of Canada and federal Minister of Finance to add prominent Canadian women to Canadian bank notes.

Did you know that in 2004, the Bank of Canada circulated a $50 bill honouring the contributions of Therese Casgrain, first woman to lead a political party in Canada, and The Famous Five - Nelly McClung, Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby, Bouise McKinney and Henrietta Edwards?

This $50 bank note was eventually taken out of circulation in 2011 and replaced with one featuring the Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and an icebreaker.

There is an online petition at https://www.change.org/p/bank-of-canada-add-women-from-canadian-history-to-canadian-bank-notes

So far has more than 64,000 supporters and other municipalities have passed similar motions.

And that was the week in Canadian 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/2015/10/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-26-october.html

 

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

 

It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport (MTCS) will be holding province-wide meetings

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport (MTCS) will be holding province-wide meetings so as to
establish a vision for culture across the province, and they want to know which aspects of Ontario’s culture are valuable to you and your community.

The press release says “One of the most valuable cultural resources in Ontario is our heritage sector. All across the province, not-for-profit organizations such as historical societies, museums, archives, and other heritage organizations and institutions are working to preserve and promote our diverse history. Activities such as cemetery tours, historical walks, community bike tours, plaque unveilings, archaeological digs, and visits to museums and historic sites are just a few examples of how Ontarians participate in culture by connecting with their heritage. Many of Ontario’s grassroots heritage organizations also work tirelessly to protect our natural history—which is a vital part of both our cultural identity, and our tourism industry.

Since government funding to heritage organizations was both cut, and frozen, in the mid-1990s, the groups who provide these services to their communities have been forced to do more with less. These are the people restoring our train stations, preserving our lighthouses, defending our cemeteries, protecting our genealogical resources, and telling our stories through lectures, films, publications, and exhibitions. Despite all their valuable work preserving our historical landmarks and cultural landscapes, government funding to these not-for-profit organizations remains incredibly low”.

The deadline for public submissions to the MTCS is December 7, 2015, and they are looking for your ideas.

Go to https://talk.ontario.ca/culture/?_ga=1.252357641.1845137880.1418760706 for more information.

And to see the places where the meetings are to be held, go to https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontarios-culture-strategy?_ga=1.214450967.1845137880.1418760706

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

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/2015/10/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-26-october.html

 

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

 

It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!

Do you know that Halloween has Celtic origins?

In pre-Christian times, many people believed that spirits from the underworld and ghosts of dead people could visit the world of the living on the night of October 31.

To avoid beimng taken back to the underworld by the spirits, people started dressing up as ghosts and spirits if they left their homes on October 31. They hoped that this would confuse the ghosts and spirits, and they wouldn't be touched.

Now, I am not so sure when that get confused with the children knocking on doors and asking for treats, and if not received, then there would be treat visited upon the house, but the Halloween traditions were brought to Canada by Irish and Scottish immigrants.

Happy Researching!!

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

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/2015/10/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-26-october.html

 

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

 

It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!

Only 2 days left to become a member

There are only 2-more days left to enroll in the half-year membership to the Ontario Genealogical Society. The closing date is 31 October 2015, and the price is $37.00CDN

This is an introductory offer for brand new members that allows you to join right away rather than waiting for the next calendar year (this category is also available to those who have not been an OGS member for the past two years and would like to come back.

To see what you get for the money, go to https://www.ogs.on.ca/membership.php

The website is https://www.ogs.on.ca/integrated/integrated_account_new_step1.php

Happy Researching!!

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

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/2015/10/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-26-october.html

 

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

 

It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!

Look at what I have found in the Saskatchewan Archives!

In the early 1950s, the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan distributed a series of questionnaires to early settlers of the province. There were eleven different questionnaires which covered the following topics - 

 

Pioneer Diet

 

General Pioneer Experiences

 

Schools

 

Churches

 

Recreation

 

Social Life

 

Farming Experiences

 

Folklore

 

Health

 

Housing

 

Local Government

 

Christmas

 

The 3500+ replies which were received are located in the Saskatoon office of the Archives of Saskatchewan. They provide a sample of each questionnaire. 

 

The questionnaires may be searched by the name of the pioneer, the nearest community, or the year of settlement in Saskatchewan. 

 

You can view the list of names at http://www.saskarchives.com/sites/default/files/pdf/name_and_location_listing_with_lines_nc_14jan2015.pdf

To access the questionnaires, you can contact the archives at https://www.saskarchives.com/emr/?q=website-enquiry-form

 

This is a gold mine of information for those who had people who went to Sasatchewan during the early days. The information here is astounding!

 

Happy Researching!!

 

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

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/2015/10/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-26-october.html

 

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

 

It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!

1921 Canadian census

Dwayne Meisner has sent me notice that the 1921 census for Inverness County, Nova Scotia is now fully transcribed and available to view at http://www.dwaynemeisner.com/census/novascotia/inverness1921/index.php

As usual, if you are not already a member of his site, you will have to complete a free registration form.

His site is at http://dwaynemeisner.com/index.php

Happy Researching!!

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

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/2015/10/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-26-october.html

 

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

 

It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!