Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Two Golden Rules of Researching Documents


I have been re-reading a great resource, a book by Ottawa's own Althea Douglas, called Time Traveller's Handbook: A Guide to the Past.

In Chapter 2, "Dealing with Documents", she has two rules of research. The first one is -

"Never trust a transcript made by someone else. Wherever you can, check the original document."

I once came across a census return which said that the person I was researching was born in Canada, and his marriage certificate (which took place in Canada) said that he was born in Ireland.  

Which is true? The same person – but two different countries. What was I to do? It was important to determine that I find the correct country in which he was born because the immigration date of the family depends on it.

Possible Solution: I have decided to visit a nearby genealogical society later this summer to see if they have any primary evidence which can support the proof I need to show one country or the other.  

Conclusion: I guess I could say that I have the very beginnings of a "brick wall". Gosh, I hope not – but I have a "feeling", since the immigration took place in the middle 1800s ... 

The second rule is -

"Always remember that clerks and clergymen, census takers and directory compilers, write down what they heard – what people said to them".

And isn't this statement true! 

Once again, in researching my own family (Haley) that went from Nova Scotia to California in the 1870s, I was confused by the different names of the places where they lived (or didn't live) – Centerville, Newark, Fremont, Washington Township, etc.  

I knew that these places were in Alameda County, across he bay from San Francisco – but were they the same place?

Possible Solution: I never have really answered the question. I have looked at many maps of the area, newspapers, and land records to get a good understanding of the area, but I am in somewhat of a quandary.

Conclusion: I have decided that the lived in Centerville (later known as Newark) in Washington County, California.

The book lists the following chapters -

Chapter 1 – A Time Traveller's Frame of Reference

Chapter 2 – Dealing with Documents

Chapter 3 – Dealing with Family Tradition

Chapter 4 – What Every Schoolchild Used to Know

Chapter 5 – Money

Chapter 6 – The Value of Money: It's Not What it Used to Be

Chapter 7 – Travel in the Past

Chapter 8 – Trades and Their Tools

Chapter 9 – Work Away From Home

Chapter 10 – Family and Connections

Chapter 11 – Home Sweet Home

Chapter 12 – How We Lived Then

Chapter 13 – Health in the Past

Chapter 14 – Our Heritage

Chapter 15 – Our VIP Heritage

Chapter 16 – Our Seafaring and Military Heritage

There is an Appendix (Date of Historical Events), Notes, a Bibliography, and an Index.

In case you are interested in the book, it is available from the Ontario Genealogical Society's e-Bookstore on their website at www.ogs.on.ca.

Monday, May 14, 2012

New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 24

Brenna Pearce - History Research Matters http://brennapearce.wordpress.com  $ Brenna Pearce is the Chief Family Historian at Pearce Heritage Research Associates, located near Kingston, Ontario. She does research for a fee, but also has interesting and informative information freely available on her blog.

French-Canadian (Québécois) History and Genealogy www.craftconn.com/genealogy/homepage.htm Linda Jones goes through the differences in French-Canadians and Acadians. She has a query page, and there is a list of surnames.

SaskResearch www.saskresearch.com/index.html This researcher, Joe, uses Internet researching, plus newpapers, to help you find your ancestors.

Sacred Spaces http://graveyardrestoration.com $ Professional historical graveyard restoration services - serving the U.S and Canada.

Roots: Understanding Family Photos www.canadashistory.ca/Magazine/Online-Extension/Articles/Roots--Understanding-family-photos.aspx A very good article written by a Toronto genealogist, Paul Jones, on family photos. It appears in the March/April issue of Canada's History Magazine.

Wesleyan Methodist Baptisms http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wjmartin/wesleyan.htm Ida Reed has transcribed 101,461 records of the Wesleyan Methodist Baptisms (1860-1910) in Canada.

Canada Genealogical Sleuth http://www.progenealogists.com/canada/sleuth.htm&affiliate=cyndihow&merchant=cottrill The ProGenealogiststs website offers a variety of other websites by which to do Canadian research.

Family Stories http://oldfamilystories.com/surnames-im-researching Another new blog, this one follows the families of Beaudoin (Ste Henedine, Quebec, Canada), Comartin (Ontario and Quebec, Canada), Berubé, Dupuis, Duquet, Gagnon, Barette, and Mailloux. Also, researching a variety of ethnically German and Jewish surnames from Germany (Prussia), Poland, and Austria, such as Postler, Schulz, Richter, Wenorski/Wensorski, Weizenbaum, Ormann, Friedländer, and Gänger.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

The Genealogy Corner


I have started writing a genealogy column called "The Genealogy Corner" in The Review – a weekly newspaper in Vankleek Hill, Ontario. The column is geared towards beginning genealogists, but I think anyone can gain a new insight in the views that I have put forward in the column.

The column appears every two weeks in print, but unfortunately, doesn't appear on the website, so if you are interested, you will have to buy the paper or get an online subscription. The website is www.thereview.on.ca.

The columns that have been printed so far this year are -
  • March 14 - Finding Your Canadian Roots
  • March 28 - A Genealogical Society Is Not Just Another Society
  • April 11 - It's Time to go Back to School – Year Round
  • April 25 - It’s Time to Start Your Research!
  • May 9 - The Year Genealogy Was Reborn In Canada
 The next column on May 23 will be all the changes that are taking place at FamilySearch.org.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

MGS Celebrates Manitoba Day



Today, the Manitoba Genealogical Society http://www.mbgenealogy.com/ is holding an Open House to celebrate Manitoba Day!


They want to make their fellow residents aware of the birth of their province of Manitoba 142 years ago, on May 12th.


The open house will be at 1045 St. James Street, Winnipeg, and it will feature a resource centre tour, and advice in tracking down family histories. It will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with free admission.


In addition to the hourly tours of MGS Resources, there will be demonstrations of online sources of information, and special emphasis will be spent on how to break down “brick walls”.


Other places that will celebrate Manitoba Day are -


The Manitoba Museum www.manitobamuseum.ca/main/2012/05/07/celebrate-manitoba-day-with-us-free-admission-plus-lots-more Free admission to the galleries and planetarium, plus a foray into the world of famous Manitobans.


Western Canada Aviation Museum wcam.mb.ca “Fit For Flight” guided tour showcases made-in-Manitoba aviation innovations – including the Bush Plane.


Transcona Historical Museum http://www.transconamuseum.mb.ca/ Hands-on archeology workshop for families, held between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.


New Iceland Heritage Museum, Gimli http://www.nihm.ca/ Free admission and a talk by Johanne Kristjanson on the evolution of Manitoba.


Manitoba Agricultural Museum, Austin http://ag-museum.mb.ca/ Free admission and loads of family-friendly activities, including a picnic, horseshoe tournament, and more.

Friday, May 11, 2012

York County and the 1837 Rebellion

The York County Branch of the OGS www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onyrbogs has a new project of collecting a list of participants in the 1837 Rebellion.

The information being collected is -
  • Date of birth
  • Place of Birth
  • Date of Death
  • Place of Death
  • Rebel or Volunteer
  • Time in Prison
  • Prisoner's Boxes Made
  • Exile
  • Transport to Diemen's Land
  • Banished
  • Escaped
They are asking if you have an ancestor involved in the rebellion, please send in the information to Patricia Blackstock at pblack-stock@sympatico.ca.

If you want a bit of information of the Rebellion of 1837, go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Canada_Rebellion.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

LAC Announces New Digitized Reels for War of 1812 Records


I received this announcement from Library and Archives Canada -

"We are pleased to announce that you can now access 73,000 new images of War of 1812 records on its website.

Discover these valuable resources and other miscellaneous records for the War of 1812 with the Microform Digitization research tool. This tool allows you to browse these records page by page.

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) holds a unique and vast collection of records about the Canadian men and women who were involved in the War of 1812. Muster rolls, paylists, claims, certificates of service, medal registers, maps, paintings, and published sources are featured in LAC holdings that document this key event.

With these images now online, you have easy access to records for:
  • Board of Claims for War of 1812 losses, 1813–1848, Series RG19 E5A
  • Lower Canada militia nominal rolls and paylists, Series RG9 1A7
  • Upper Canada militia returns, nominal rolls, and paylists, Series RG9 1B7
For more information on recent announcements at LAC, visit “News” .

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

FREE Ancestry.ca


Good news everyone - Ancestry.ca announced on May 1st that they will have FREE access to Canada's Immigration Records over the May 21st holiday!

This weekend is known in Canada as Victoria Day Weekend (when we celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday as well as Queen Elizabeth's official birthday), there will be free access to passenger arrival records, naturalization records, border crossings, emigration records, passports, and convict transportation records.

Good luck in researching your ancestors!