Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Toronto Branch of OGS Branch Meetings

Gwyneth Pearce of the Toronto Branch sent these meetings/workshops to me yesterday -

DATE: 28 November 2011 (7:30 pm)
MEETING: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Burgundy Room, North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE OF TALK: "Great Moments in Genealogy"
NAME OF SPEAKER: Various
BRIEF INFO: In a series of short presentations, several Toronto Branch members will share with us “great moments” in their genealogical research. $5 charge for non-members of OGS.

DATE: 30 January 2012 (7:30 p.m.)
MEETING: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Burgundy Room, North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE OF TALK: “Origins of Funeral Customs”
NAME OF SPEAKER: Susan Smart
BRIEF INFO: This talk will describe the origins of some of the funeral customs found in 19th-century Ontario and explain how they evolved through the century. Wakes, hearses, flowers and food, clothing, coffins and tombstones will all be discussed. Additional short presentation by Stephen Low: “A Little Latin for Genealogists”. $5 charge for non-members of OGS.

DATE: 27 February 2012 (7:30 p.m.)
MEETING: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Burgundy Room, North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE OF TALK: “One Note”
NAME OF SPEAKER: Jim Onyschuk
BRIEF INFO: This presentation will demonstrate the use of Microsoft OneNote, a computer program for free-form information gathering and multi-user collaboration. Additional short presentation by Greg Marlatt: “The Flight of William Lyon Mackenzie”. $5 charge for non-members of OGS.

Branch workshops/other events:

DATE: 5 November 2011
WORKSHOP: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Auditorium, North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE: "English Family History Workshop"
NAMES OF SPEAKERS: John D. Reid, Lesley Anderson, Paul Jones, Jane E. MacNamara, Linda Reid
BRIEF INFO: A one-day workshop with a roster of knowledgeable and enthusiastic speakers devoted to discovering English ancestors. Early registration deadline is 14 October 2011 – special rates apply for members of OGS.

DATE: 31 March 2012
WORKSHOP: Toronto Branch OGS
LOCATION: Auditorium, North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto
TITLE: “Finding Your Great War Ancestors”
NAMES OF SPEAKERS: TBA
BRIEF INFO: A one-day workshop for family historians seeking to find out more about their Great War ancestors. Program and registration details to come.

For more information, please contact publicity@torontofamilyhistory.org, or go to their website at http://www.torontofamilyhistory.org

A special "Canadian Military" websites and blogs will be listed here on Monday November 7th!

Monday, October 31, 2011

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 9

Here are some of the websites, and blogs that I have come across the week ending October 31,2011

The Recents www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~abwcobit/index.htm?cj=1&sid=rootsweb-redirect-us&o_xid=0002921548&o_lid=0002921548 An index of Alberta obituaries, and other articles from Alberta and BC newspapers.

Canada Obituary Collection www.ancestry.com/search/obit/?ca&dbid=8961 This database is on Ancestry.com and it's a compilation of obituaries published in Canadian newspapers, collected from various online sources.

Obituaries 101 www.big101.com/canadian_obituaries_news_canada_death_notices.htm The daily obituaries in Canadian newspapers across the country

Obituaries: CANADA-OBITS Mailing List http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/other/Obituaries/CANADA-OBITS.html A mailing list for individuals and volunteers to submit or request obituary information for Canada.

Where every little obit helps (formerly known as Jan's Research & Obituary Collection) www.ontarioobits.com The website is able to help genealogists gain access to obituaries, to connect researchers with others, and to help those without access to microfilms.

Thunder Bay District 20th Century Obituary Indexing Project- AKA The Directory of the Dearly Departed http://my.tbaytel.net/pafwinfo/obituaries.htm This volunteer project began in April 2007. The objective is to index the death notices, obituaries and estate notices (notice to creditors) from the Fort William, Port Arthur and Thunder Bay newspapers for the time period 1900 - 1999.

Free Obituaries On-Line www3.sympatico.ca/bkinnon/obit_links.htm All the links below lead to obituaries, death or funeral notices,

GenealogyBuff: Canadian Obituaries Forum www.genealogybuff.com/canada-bbs Obituaries from each of the provinces

Canadian Health Obituaries Index File http://osler.library.mcgill.ca/cfstand This database lists obituaries or death notices of Canadian medical personal that appeared in various medical journals listed below between 1844 and 2000.

Online Death Indexes & Records for Canada: A Genealogy Records Guide www.deathindexes.com/canada.html An index and records in all of the provinces in Canada.

A special "Canadian Military" websites and blogs will be listed here on Monday, November 7th!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

NIGS Announces New Offering

Here is a press release received from NIGS on Friday -

"As a valued National Institute for Genealogical Studies Student or Subscriber, we wanted to make you aware of an offering we've arranged for you. We recently partnered with WorldVitalRecords.com, a fast growing genealogy sites with over 4 billion searchable names. Look through some commonly found databases such as birth, marriage, death and census records, but also browse through military records, Filby's passenger and immigration lists, German and Russian immigration records, a school yearbook collection, maps, a digitized book collection, a newspaper archive collection, and so much more! This great family history resource is available to you at a terrific membership deal.

WorldVitalRecords' 1-year membership is regularly $149. But for our Students and Subscribers, they are cutting $79.05 off that price, and adding in two free months if you purchase before November 13th, 2011!

That's right... 1 year of unlimited access to WorldVitalRecords + two FREE months for just $69.95.

To take advantage of this very special and limited time offer, visit:
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/gsspecialoct

This limited time offer will expire on November 13th, and is offered exclusively to you as a National Institute for Genealogical Studies' Student or Subscriber (we've been told that you can also share it with others if you wish). Don't miss your chance to get this low price and FREE extra months on this wonderful resource.

Louise St Denis
The National Institute for Genealogical Studies
http://www.GenealogicalStudies.com

P.S. Did you know WorldVitalRecords.com has hundreds of databases that are not available anywhere else? Plus, they are adding more than 80 million new names each month. Sign up at http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/gsspecialoct for your affordable membership today!"

A special "Canadian Obituaries" updated websites and blogs will be listed here on Monday October 31st!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Victoria's Chinatown

Victoria's Chinatown, the first of the Chinatowns in Canada, received the first of its kind – its story has been told in a pamphlet that people can take with them as they walk down the streets of Chinatown.

David Chuenyan Lai, professor emeritus of geography at the University of Victoria and honorary citizen of Victoria first thought of the project. The project consists of a folded poster entitled "A Brief Chronology of Chinese Canadian History", and it covers the years from 1788 to 2010.

Lai is busy producing inserts of the other seven Canadian Chinatowns in Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Montreal.

Read the rest of the story at
http://www.timescolonist.com/travel/pamphlet+details+Chinatown+history+provides+walking+tour/5619264/story.html

A special "Canadian Obituaries" updated websites and blogs will be listed here on Monday October 31st!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Three Big Events Tomorrow

Saturday October the 29th is an eventful day in Ontario genealogy!

There will be three workshop held that day, and they are -

Region IV Annual Meeting with special speaker J. Brian Gilchrist; Niagara Branch OGS - St. Catharines.

http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/09/niagara-peninsula-branch-fall-event.html

http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/10/niagara-peninsula-branch-of-ogs.html

De-Mystifying Lineage Societies Workshop, Ottawa Branch OGS and Sir Guy Carleton Branch UELAC - Ottawa

http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/09/de-mystifying-lineage-societies.html

Kitchener Public Library 1st Annual Genealogy Fair - Kitchener

http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/10/1st-annual-genealogy-fair.html

A special "Canadian Obituaries" updated websites and blogs will be listed here on Monday October 31st!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Archives Lanark

On Saturday November 5th, 2011, the Archives will be open at 10:30 am for researching prior to the meeting at 1:30 pm. The meeting will be held at The Archives, Drummond Centre, Lanark, Ontario.

The topic will be “Moments of remembrance - A tribute to soldiers, past and present, serving in the Armed Forces”.

The release says that “The Guest Speaker, Dr. Helen Douglas will share her father’s stories through film honouring those who fought for Canada and our future. We will pause in a silent moment of remembrance for the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace. In support of our troops on their tour of duty-Wear Red!”

The website is Lanark County Genealogical Society at http://globalgenealogy.com/LCGS/index.htm

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

ANCESTRY.CA UNEARTHS CANADIANS’ WORST FEARS

Find out what we fear the most -

Toronto, ON (October 25, 2011) As we prepare for the spookiest evening of the year, Ancestry.ca, Canada’s leading family history website[i], has unearthed the truth about what Canadians fear the most.

Survey Results

In a national survey, Ancestry.ca asked Canadians to reveal their deepest fears. While Halloween is a celebration of our childhood fear of ghosts and goblins, survey results found that the fears of adults are a lot more real. In fact, across the country people declared that they are more afraid of the Conservative party than they are of ghosts. Here are what makes Canadians shake in their boots:
Terrorists – Not your typical Halloween costume, terrorists are listed as the number one thing that Canadians are most afraid of.

Snakes – Surprisingly, snakes are a close runner up to our number one fear; we just can’t seem to get over these slithering creatures. 

Heights – Although Canada is home to the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere, not to mention a range of sky-scraping mountains, Canadians are terrified of heights.

Public Speaking – Just the thought of standing in front of their peers to say a speech makes Canadians fearful.

Spiders – Arachnophobia ranks up there with these creepy crawlies making our hair stand on end.

Nationally, the results are startlingly different as Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec cite terrorists as their top fear. Ontario and British Columbia tied terrorists and snakes for their number one. Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island, on the other hand, find the thought of heights absolutely horrifying. And when it comes to Saskatchewan, mice and rats are people’s biggest fears. 

Additionally, out of all the provinces Quebec is more likely to fear ghosts and aliens than other provinces. Ontario is quite afraid of sharks… not exactly a native threat to the populace. Newfoundland dreads the dentist and the Conservatives. British Columbia and Manitoba detest the Liberals, and Alberta is more terrified of clowns than anyone else.

Celebrate Halloween by going to http://www.ancestry.ca to sign up for a 14-day free trial.