Shelburne County (Nova Scotia) Archives and Genealogical Society Newsletter

The summer issue of their newsletter arrived with some sad news – the retirement of Canadian genealogist, Eleanor Smith.

I have known Eleanor since the early 1990s, and she was always been most helpful in my many projects (especially the Port Roseway Associated Loyalists). She was always willing to explain Shelburne County genealogy to me, and I will always be grateful for that.

She wrote a number of books - Loyalist Foods in Today's Recipes; Land of my Fathers, Vol 1 & 2; and Descendants of Alexander and Agnes (Hamilton) Hogg Family of Nova Scotia. She edited Lost Mariners Vol 1, and co-authored The Veterans of Shelburne County: A Memorial Vol One and Two. They are available at the SCA&GC website at http://nsgna.ednet.ns.ca/shelburne.

I interviewed her in 2009, and it was published in the May/June 2010 issue of Internet Genealogy under the title of "Going Back to Her Roots: Eleanor Robertson Smith".

In the Family Bible section of the newsletter, they have reprinted marriages, births, and deaths from the King family of Shelburne, and in the article, "News from Yesterday", they have excerpts from The Coast Guard, Clark's Harbour and Yarmouth, 5 May, 1809 newspaper.

The last article is an excerpt of the book by Gerald MacApline called "Mason's Division Stories of Jordan Bay and Jordan Ferry in Shelburne County" in which he talks about the great forest fire that swept through the village of Roseway in August, 1911, and how the Halifax newspapers spearheaded donations to the county.

The Tracer

The August edition of The Tracer from the Oxford County Branch of the OGS arrived this week, and as usual, is a very "newsy" newsletter.

In "Governor's House or Turnkey's House?", an article written by D. Gregory in which he explores the question about the original destination of the house, was it either the governor's house of the jail, or did it belong to the jailer (turnkey) himself? This question is still up in the air. But as the article points out, it will soon be the home to the Oxford County OGS, the Oxford County Historical Society, and the top floor will be the home to the Oxford County Archives.

Another article, "Margo Kidder – The Oxford Connection"wonders when the episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?" (Canadian version) program aired a couple of years ago featured Margot Kidder. They followed her maternal grandparents, John "Jack" Wilson and Ruth Pyne Wilson, but the writer wonder why they didn't follow her great-grandfather, Charles A. Pyne and Ruth Helen Pyne, for they would have led the viewers to Oxford County, instead of to British Columbia.

Conference 2011 are covered in pictures, Fall Meetings are in the newsletter, and they are starting a new feature called "The Treasure Chest: A look at the family heirlooms of our members". The first person which brought in pictures of her family was Marilyn Whyley.

The website is http://www.oxford.ogs.on.ca, and the email is oxford@ogs.on.ca.

The Ontario Genealogical Society is offering a half-year membership for $35.00 until the end of 2011. You can find out more by going to http://www.ogs.on.ca/membership/types.php

Ottawa Genealogical Society Changes It's Meeting Place

As a result of the opening of the new City of Ottawa Central Archives, the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society will now hold their meetings at the new location starting this fall.

The meeting will take place at 7:00 pm, 3rd Tuesday monthly except July and August at the City of Ottawa Central Archives, 100 Tallwood Drive, Ottawa.

The library of the OGS can be accessed at the Resource Centre, City of Ottawa Central Archives, 100 Tallwood Drive, Ottawa. The hours are 9:00 to 4:00 Tues to Fri, 10:00 to 5:00 Sat (Sep to May, closed holiday weekends)

There has also been an expansion to the coverage of the Region. It now includes Prescott & Russell Counties.

The first meeting will be Tuesday, 20 September 2011 at 7:00 p.m. The topic will be "The Eyes That Shone: From Ireland to Canada" and the speaker will be Phil Donnelly, an author who will speak about his book, and a program titled Heritage Tierworker which encourages, and helps people write their stories

The website is http://ogsottawa.on.ca/

The Canadian Genealogical Survey Update

The New Glasgow News reports this morning that Del Muise, professor of history, and Leighann Neilson, professor of marketing, will be at the Hector Exhibit Centre on Monday at 11:30 a.m. in Pictou.

They will be talking about the The Canadian Genealogical Survey which is a national project with the pilot being launched in Nova Scotia.

According to Muise, 25 million North Americans are able to trace their families back to Nova Scotia, and the professors are touring the province to promote the survey.

I wrote about the survey in a blog on July 27th. Their site is online at http://www.genealogyincanada.blogspot.com/.

Canadian Vital Records Databases - Updated

FamilySearch Records has just released a summary of updates since they started to report the program in April, 2010. Two of the records have been updated since July,2011, and they are -

British Columbia Birth Registrations, 1854-1903 https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://hr-search-api:8080/searchapi/search/collection/1307731 – These are birth registrations, delayed birth registrations, and delayed registrations of Indian births. 38,340 Records as of 23 July 2010

New Brunswick, Death Certificates, 1920-1934 https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://hr-search-api:8080/searchapi/search/collection/1840145 Browsable Images of death certificates from the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. 76,812 images as of 29 July 2010

New version - Canadian Naturalization Database Online

Just received this press release -

(Ottawa, August 4, 2011) Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is pleased to announce the release of a new version of the online database Canadian Naturalization 1915–1951.

The nominal index has been extended with the addition of more than 91,000 names and now covers the years from 1915 to 1936, inclusively. Work is ongoing to extend the nominal index to 1951, and volunteers are welcome to help. Those interested should write to Cdn-Nat-Coord@jgs-montreal.org.

This database is one of the few Canadian genealogical resources specifically designed to benefit researchers having roots other than British. The reference numbers indicated in the database can be used to request copies of the original naturalization records, which are held by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

The database is available at the following address:
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/naturalization-1915-1932/index-e.html

Library and Archives Canada would like to thank the Jewish Genealogical Society of Montreal [http://jgs-montreal.org/] and its volunteers, especially Mrs. Ruth Diamond, without whom this project would not have happened.

For more information, please contact webservices@bac-lac.gc.ca.

Resources for Discovering First Nations Heritage

Back in May, the British Columbia Genealogy Society http://www.bcgs.ca/Index.htm had a special speaker Laura Cooke, and she spoke about "Resources for Discovering First Nations Heritage".

In her talk she noted that "First Nations ancestors is not something covered in most genealogy books. Whether you are exploring your heritage, you need to prove your genealogy for First Nations status, or you are following up on an aboriginal ancestor in your family story, finding out about specialized resources can be a good first step".

I just checked the BCGS "What's New" http://www.bcgs.ca/news.htm website, and found that on July 19th, they put the handout of Laura's talk on the Internet at http://www.bcgs.ca/Documents/Metis%20Research.pdf

It is a 5-page handout with websites, books, and other information available to you if you have First Nations ancestors.

Stirling-Rawdon Genealogical Fair

Lewis Zandbergen, President of the Stirling-Rawdon Historical Society of Stirling, Ontario told me yesterday that the Genealogy Fair which is usually held towards the end of August has been cancelled this year.

Scheduling conflict of both the vendors, and speakers necessitated the cancellation. But Lewis tells me that we can check the local newspapers in Stirling-Rawdon next year for the 2012 Genealogy Fair.

Puslinch Historical Society Newsletter

The Puslinch Historical Society (PHS) of Guelph, Ontario issued it's newsletter the other day, and the lead article is on the Vimy Ridge Farm. It is a property that is now going under renovations to restore it to it's former self as Vimy Ridge Farms – a place which was a rehab centre for injured veterans of the First World War.

News comes from the PHS that an "exquisite old quilt. by Elizabeth McTague Fleming -- a descendant of the Lehman family, innkeepers of Aberfoyle Hotel in the last century. The quilt, made by Elizabeth's grandmother and dated 1890, is a piece of family history and a work of art with family names embroidered on the patchwork. The quilt will hang in a place of honour in our new quarters in the library now under construction".

There are upcoming events, and information on membership in the PHS. They have a number of books for sale, and the Archives are located at the Township Office. They are open Wednesday afternoons. For book orders or enquiries, e-mail puslinch 1898@aol.com or Smye85@aol.com. Call 519-658-9923 (b.andersen@sympatico.ca) for general information.

One World - One Family Conference

Press Release -

"The Toronto Ontario Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is putting on a conference that will assist new and seasoned researchers in conducting research both in Canada and across the globe at the world.

For research in Canada, we are offering workshops addressing...

Aboriginal, Canada/USA relatives, Quebec, and Ontario Municipal Records.

For global research, we are pleased to address your interests in...

Britain, British West Indies, China, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Jewish, Philippines, Poland, and Spanish family history research.

In addition, be sure to consider the offerings on...

How to Begin, Finding Research Done by Others, Learning more about maximizing the use of FamilySearch.org, Preserving Family Memories, Involving Children and Youth in Family History, Indexing, Genetic Genealogy, Interactive Family History Blogs, and Scrapbooking.

We warmly welcome you to our Second Annual Conference and know you will have an enlightening and uplifting experience"!

It will be held September 17, 2011 from 09:00 am to 05:00 pm. The Toronto Ontario Stake is located at 24 Ferrand Drive, Toronto ON M3C 3V4".

Registration is $20 Includes Box Lunch. Registration is at http://www.oneworldonefamily-theevent.com/Registration

Scottish Immigrants to Canada

I have just received permission to repost this notice by Caitlin McNally of PBS in New York -

"My name is Caitlin McNally, and I'm doing research for an American public
television genealogical program. I'm trying to learn about Scottish
immigrants to Canada, particularly the McLauchlen and Murray families. I
have a few names and dates, and was wondering if someone could help me fill
out these family trees a bit. Most importantly, I'm trying to discover if
and when these families came to Canada from Scotland, what their livelihoods
were in Canada, and why they left Scotland.

Also, any larger context about Scottish immigration to Canada during the
generations when these families immigrated would be much appreciated!

Here are the individuals and the little information I have:

John Robert McLauchlen
born 1851 (?) in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick
married June 18 1875 in Boston, MA

and
James McLauchlen
born in Scotland??
and Sarah McLauchlen
born in New Brunswick?

wife of John Robert McLauchlen: Jesse Murray
born January 1854 in Pictou (?), Nova Scotia
--daughter of--
John and Mary Murray
born in Nova Scotia?

If you know of anyone I could speak with about these families as well as
Scottish immigration to Nova Scotia, I'd appreciate it greatly. Many thanks
in advance and I look forward to hearing from you -- I can be reached at
this email caitlinarkmedia@gmail.com, or at my office in New York: (718) 935-9745".

All the best,

Caitlin
--
Caitlin McNally | Producer/Director | Ark Media for PBS-WNET
office 718.935.9745 | mobile 917.981.5541

Lambton Lifeline

In the June 2011 edition of Lambton Lifeline are a number of interesting articles -

Alan Campbell writes about "Loyal Orange Lodges of Lambton County" in Part II. He is still "seeking an explanation of some of the information found in following chart of the Loyal Orange Lodges of Lambton".

He has put in a two-page chart covering Lambton County East and West, showing the place where the lodge originated, and the date of the warrant.

So if anyone can be of help, please contact Alan at campbeal@sympatico.ca.

Ann Hentschel give a good summary of the meetings held by the Lambton County Genealogical Society.

At the February meeting, Eliza Grueing gave a talk about growing up in Germany during WWII, wile Alan Campbell gave a talk on researching newspapers in the March meeting, and Gail Benjafield — although she did not give a talk to the society — wrote an article on how family lore can "often be misleading and difficult to unravel".

You can go to their Lambton County Branch website at http://www.ogs.on.ca/lambton/index.html.

Roots, Branches & Twigs

The summer issue of the Kent Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society is out, and there are two major articles in the newsletter.

The first article, entitled “My Great-Grandfather – Jean-Baptiste LANOUE”, is about a French-Canadian who moved to the town of Tillbury. In 1835, the family moved from Lacadie, Quebec to Hamilton, and then moved up to Chatham.

The second article is about “The RICHARDSON family of Tilbury” traces a family who moved from Roxbury, Scotland to Tilbury in the middle 1850s.

They list the books that nave been added to the Kent Branch OGS Library, Queries, Member's Surname Interests, and an short article on the Ridge House Museum.

If you wish to contact the Kent County OGS, go to http://ogs.on.ca/kent/.

BRANTches Newsletter

I read the newsletter of the Brant County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society (August 2011 issue) with great interest because it is packed full of news about the Branch.

On the front page is an article by Joan Johnson. She was a War Bride, and writes about her first few years in Brantford in "Arrival in Canada". In “A New Look at an Old Online Resource” is a review of the Archives Database, and Al Adams writes about the “Niagara District Map of Upper Canada”.

On page 4 is a short article on “Additional records found in Dumfries Street Presbyterian Church, Paris ON: Baptism for 1858”, in which there were names listed that were not part of the previous published article, “Brant Branch OGS #229 Dunfries Street Presbyterian Church, Paris ON Baptisms 1823-1857”. Al Adams has another article on the May 2011 meeting in which he talks about Wayne Messecar, who has done research on the Messecar surnane.

If you wish to contact the Brant County, they may be reached at brantogs2bellnet.ca or you can go to http://brantcountybranchogs.ca/.

Got an Old Work Uniform? Call the Museum of Civilization!

Just received this press release from the Museum of Civilization today -

"The Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum are developing a collection of material related to industrial production work in the 1940s and would like to acquire period civilian uniforms.

The new material will enrich the collection of objects connected with the social history of war and will fill gaps related to 20th-century women-and-labour history. The items will be added to the Canadian Car and Foundry (CCF) collection, which is currently being developed.

The Museums are interested in everything people may have kept from that period, such as items from Canadian Car (uniform smock, hat, photographs, books, awards, commemorative ashtrays, pay stubs, lunch box, ID badge) and items that were used during the war (clothing, keepsakes, hair ornaments, household items, kitchen or gardening tools, children’s items, etc.)”.

They would have been employed at airplane plants which would have produced airplane parts such as the Canadian Car and Foundry (CCF) during the Second World War. CCF had numerous plants in the Montreal area—Turcot, Longue Pointe, Saint-Laurent, Pointe-Saint-Charles, Propeller, Dominion—as well as a few in Ontario

For more information about the project or to donate an item, please contact Krista Cooke, Archaeology and History Division, at 819-776-8366 or krista.cooke@civilization.ca.

Emancipation Day

August 1st, 1834 slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire. The government of Upper Canada (Ontario) thereby formally enacted the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, it is known as Emancipation Day. It is, as the website says, http://www.emancipation.ca/a day which is “promoted as a great celebration in Upper Canada. It encouraged thousands to escape slavery in America, and follow the North Star to freedom in Canada”.

There will be picnics held throughout the province, and one of them will be at Harrison Park which is in Owen Sound.

The Bruce and Grey Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society http://tiffanyweb.bmts.com/~bgogs/will hold a picnic on July 30, 2011 from 1:00 p.m. to 10 p.m.. It will mark the 144th Emancipation Festival. There will be a Celebration of Family History, Fellowship, Oral History, Documented History, Community Culture and Roots.

The Top Five for Canadian Family History Research

Ruth Blair of The Passionate Genealogist posted 'The Top Five for Canadian Family History Research” in her blog on July 22nd.

She gave the nod to five books, blogs and websites that as she put it “can assist you with your family history research in Canada”.

If you have any that you would like to add, she asks that you leave a comment on her blog at http://blog.familyhistorysearches.com/?p=1169

The Memory Project Speakers' Bureau

The following press release came from the Veterans Affairs Canada yesterday -

"The Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs, announced today that the Government of Canada will provide up to $675,000 over the next three years to the Historica-Dominion Institute to support an initiative allowing Canadian Veterans to share their stories of service and sacrifice with young people across the country.

"Hearing stories first-hand from Canada's Veterans—whether they are about peacekeeping operations and other important missions of today, or stories going back to Korea or the Second World War—makes a tremendous impact that will help inspire Canada's youth to take an even greater interest in remembrance," said Minister Blaney.

The Memory Project Speakers' Bureau is composed of Veterans who visit classrooms and community groups to share their stories with youth. This bilingual educational program connects Veterans and students on-line and in classrooms across the country.

A total of $600,000 in funding to the Memory Project Speakers' Bureau is provided jointly through Veterans Affairs Canada's Community Engagement Partnership Fund and the Canadian Studies Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage. An additional $75,000 is being provided this year by Canadian Heritage for the production of an educational DVD.

"For 10 years, Memory Project Veteran speakers have been sharing a legacy of service and their powerful perspective on Canadian history with students from coast to coast," says Jeremy Diamond, Director of Development and Programs with the Historica-Dominion Institute. "We hope that these stories can continue to humanize our history and teach Canada's youth about what it was like for someone, not much older than themselves, to serve their country."

Visit the website at http://www.thememoryproject.com/

Genealogy in Canada Survey

There is a new survey online http://www.genealogyincanada.blogspot.com/ lead by Professor Leighann Neilson of the Sprott School of Business, and Emeritus Professor Del Muise of the History Department, both at Carleton University, Ottawa.

I was made aware of the survey by John D. Reid's blog "Anglo-Celtic Connections" http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/ this morning, and I took the survey this afternoon. They said it would take about half an hour, and it did.

They say “The objective is to secure accurate information concerning the resources engaged with by family historians/genealogists".

It is a wide ranging survey, and they have put in their opening remarks that it will be “the first stage of a broad national project“ What does this mean? I will be interested to see what their next “project” will be...