Ontario’s British Home Child Day

Upper Canada Village in Morristown will hold the First Anniversary of Ontario’s British Home Child Day on Friday, September 28th.

This day will recognize the accomplishments of the more than 100,000 children sent to Canada from Great Britain from the 1860s to the 1930s. They worked as farm labourers and domestics in homes in Ontario and across Canada. A special emphasis will be placed on the Quarrier’s Homes, and a travelling museum exhibit from Ontario and Quebec will be showcased at this event.

A British Home Child Symposium/Information Session will also be held at the South Stormont Township Hall in Long Sault (close to Cornwall) on Saturday, September 29th from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

This event will present a full day of exhibits, displays, speakers, and research information. Cost for attendance at this event is $10.00, which includes refreshments and attendance at the event.

If you wish more information, go to www.uppercanadavillage.com/index.cfm/en/home, or drop by their Ontario East British Home Child Family Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Ontario-East-British-Home-Child-Family/122254607880910.

I will be at both events, so I will see you there!

The Ottawa Genealogist

The summer issue of The Ottawa Genealogist has been published, and it is chock full of the latest news about the Ottawa Branch.

There are articles on "Frederick Alfred Weedmark and Susan (DeLorge) Fraser: The Mystery is Debunked", and "Your Introduction to GOONS!".

Photos and a write-up of "The Eighteenth Annual Historical Walking Tour of Beechwood " which was given to Edward Kipp, the editor of the newsletter.

The War of 1812 Timeline is in The Ottawa Genealogist, and an OGS Conference 2012 report which was held in Kingston this year is in the newsletter, as well as photos.

This newsletter is for members only, but if you want to become an member, go to www.ogs.on.ca, and click on Membership.

A Genealogical Day in Quebec: 1621-2012

A seminar will be held on Saturday, September 29 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the QFHS Heritage Centre and Library, 173 Cartier Avenue, Pointe-Claire. It will be presented by Sharon Callaghan and Gary Schroder.

This seminar will examine the main sources used in Quebec genealogical research regardless of whether your ancestors originated from France, the British Isles, or any other part of the world.

They will explain church records, civil registration records, censuses, notarial records, ship lists, newspapers, land and judicial records. There will also be emphasis on the most important websites used in Quebec genealogical research and how to use the website and databases of the Bibliotheque et Archives nationales du Québec.

The registration fee is $30.00 members, and $40.00 for non-members. Reservations are required.

Call 514.695.1502 or contact Jackie Billingham at qfhs.communications@bellnet.ca.

For more information, go to www.qfhs.ca

Toronto Family History Courses

Gwyneth Pearce has written to tell me that the Toronto Family History Branch of the OGS will have two new courses in October and November.

Basic Genealogy and Family History (3 Oct – 21 Nov)

This 8-session course is aimed at those just beginning to research or looking to upgrade basic research skills and will cover terminology, types of sources, the use of on-line resources, libraries and archives, including LDS Family History Centres, and record-keeping – to help you “think like a genealogist”.

Instructor: Jane E. MacNamara

Coming in Waves: British and Irish Emigration to Canada (7 Nov – 28 Nov)

Set within the context of an overview of British and Irish emigration to Canada in different eras, this new 4-session course will offer strategies for identifying and using emigration records from different periods effectively in genealogical research.

Instructor: James F.S. Thomson

For program details, speaker biographies and information on how to register for Toronto Branch courses, visit www.torontofamilyhistory.org/courses.html.

And she says that they are planning an Irish Family History Workshop on Saturday 17 November 2012.

Sge says this will be a full-day workshop covering a comprehensive range of topics of interest to family historians with Irish research interests – details to come soon.

Ottawa Chapter has Fundraiser

The Bytown Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) will be hosting a fundraiser dinner on Sept 8 at 6:30 pm at the Museum of Civilization with Mr. Victor Suthren, who is the former Director General of the Canadian War Museum.

The topic of his talk will be “A Peaceful Place: The Wartime Origins of an Unwarlike Capitol”.

It will be $100.00 per ticket, and you can call Dorothy Meyerhof at 613.822.2946.

The deadline for registration is August 27, or until tickets are sold.

The proceeds from the dinner will go towards the DAR Bytown Chapter History Award given at Carleton University annually.

TONI Is Growing Everyday!

One of the best resources that a genealogist should check is the Ontario Genealogical Society’s TONI – The Ontario Name Index.

The Ontario Name Index (TONI) is a mega-index of names with the goal of including every name found in any publication relating to Ontario

Started in 2011 TONI is growing with new resources added every day!

There are already many names on the index. There is a low cost to download the information on the name(s) you have found,but the index itself is free to use!

To see how to use TONI, go to www.ogs.on.ca/integrated/toni_database1.php

Hint: I still use the Ontario Genealogical Provincial Index at www.ogs.on.ca/ogspi/welcome.htm to compare information with TONI to make sure that I have all the information that I need.

Families Who Came Through Pier 21

Anne Renaud, a writer of children’s book, want to talk to people who emigrated to Canada, and came through Pier 21 in Halifax in the years 1928 to 1971.

Anyone willing to share their family history with young readers is invited to contact her at earenaud@yahoo.com.

Should you wish to obtain additional information regarding her writing background, she encourages you to visit her website at http://annerenaud.net

OGS Families - August 2012

The August Families has just been published, and this issue contains six  papers, and they are –

Dealing with Documents – This is excerpt from the book by Althea Douglas called Time Travellors Handbook: A Guide to the Past. A review of the book is available on page 33.

How An old Handkerchief Helped Me Discover my Kinston Roots – This paper was by the 1st place winner of the Keffer Writing Contest Virginia Reid.

She tells the story about how her great-grandfather Thomas James Reid was wounded by a shell that left holes in a handkerchief in his back pocket.

A Mystery Like No Other – This paper was written by William Vollmer, the winner of the 2011 Dr. Don Brearley Genealogical Essay Prize, and it is about his ancestor Charles Vollmer who disappeared from Maryhill, Ontario.

Life of a Guyanese in Canada – by Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh in which he follows the life of Hector Lachmansingh, an Indian- Caribbean.

The Family of Jacob Phillips and Sarah “Sally” Kaake of Etobicoke: An Overview – by David Phillips in which he traces the life of the Kaake and Phillips family in Etobicoke.

The Search for Auntie Hutton – by Donald R. McLaughlin in which he discovers who Auntie Hutton of Ross Township, Renfrew County really is – Almeda Rosanna Fuller Palmer Hutton.

In order to receive this magazine you must be a members of the Ontario Genealogical Society at www.ogs.on.ca.

BIFHSGO Conference in September

I have just registered for the 17th annual BIFHSGO conference tobe held in Ottawa from September 14th to the 16th. This year’s theme is Scotland.

On Day 1 I plan to attend 4 lectures –

Session 1

An Introduction to Researching Scottish Family History – presented by Chris Paton

Session 2

Lord Selkirk and the Settlement of Scottish Highlanders in Canada – presented by Lucille Campey

After the lunch break, I will take in two more lectures, and they are –

Session 3

Scottish House and Land History – presented by Chris Paton

Session 4

Online Books: Are they Really Good Resources? – presented by Tony Bandy

And I will top off the day by having a “get together” supper held at the Bay Street Bistro where my husband and myself usually have good food and conversation with fellow genealogists.

Then on Sunday, I will attend –

Session 5

Seeking a Better Future; The English Pioneers of Ontario and Quebec – presented by Lucille Campey

Session 6

The Good Commonwealth – presented by Chris Paton

I will enjoy lunch, and then I will attend the following sessions in the afternoon -

Session 7

The Scots in Ontario – a New Look at the Data – presented by Lucille Campey

Session 8

The Mount Stewart Murder – presented by Chris Paton

All of the lecture abstracts are at www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=98.

The biographies of each of the speakers is at www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=94

I will post my reactions to the different lectures that I plan to attend on Monday, September 17th.

Acadian Myths

There are many “myths” in genealogy, and Yvon Cyr has explained 15 of the “myths” with Acadian genealogy.


One "myth" I didn’t know was that I thought the Acadians went directly to Louisiana when they were expelled by the English 1755. But apparently that is not true. Only about half ended up in Louisiana, the rest of the people went to other English colonies in North America, France, Haiti, and the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon off of Newfoundland.

Yvon has taken the time to explain the “myths”, and I will keep them in mind when I come across my husband’s Acadian ancestors – the Comeau of Salmon River, Nova Scotia.

To read the “myths”, go to www.acadian.org/acadianmyths.html

OGS Blog Poll #2

The first poll of the OGS blog has taken place, and now it’s time for Poll # 2.

The subject of this poll is Records. You can choose as many choices from the list as you wish. To view the results after you have voted, simply refresh the page.

Aside from Census, Birth, Death and Marriage records, what other records have you found useful in building your family tree?

So far, the poll has shown that Cemetery Records as the first choice, Church and Parish Records in second place, and Wills and Probate in the third place.

Go to www.ogs.on.ca/ogsblog, and put in your choice!

70 Years Since the Dieppe Raid

It has been 70 years since the Dieppe Raid of the Second World War, and Canadians are taking part in the ceremonies -

“Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that His Excellency, the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, will attend ceremonies in Dieppe, France, from August 19 to 20, to mark the 70th Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid.

The Governor General will join the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs, who will lead an official delegation to France from August 17 to 21, which includes Veterans who participated in the Dieppe Raid.

While in France, the Governor General, Minister Blaney and the Canadian delegation will attend a number of commemorative ceremonies including the Government of Canada’s signature event at Canada Memorial Square on August 19 and a ceremony at the Pourville Memorial on August 20.

In addition to the ceremonies taking place in France, there will also be a ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, as well as a number of events in communities across the country.

The raid on Dieppe, France, on August 19, 1942, was a pivotal moment in the Second World War. With virtually all of continental Europe under German occupation, the Allied forces faced a well-entrenched enemy. A method had to be found to create a foothold on the continent, and the raid on Dieppe offered invaluable lessons for the successful D-Day invasion in 1944, saving countless lives in that momentous offensive.

The Dieppe Raid was particularly devastating to the Canadian military. Of the nearly 5,000 Canadians who embarked on the operation, less than half returned to England, many of whom were wounded. There were 1,946 prisoners of war and 913 who lost their lives.

The Canadians who fought in the Dieppe Raid sacrificed much in their efforts to help bring freedom and democracy to the people of France and Europe. Their task was a difficult and costly one, but their effort was not in vain.

Lest we forget”

To read more about Canada and the Dieppe Raid, go to www.canadaatwar.ca/page53.html

Family Tree Magazine Picks Best Canadian Genealogy Sites

The sites that they have picked are -

Automated Genealogy - I use this site quite often to check the census of 1901, 1906 (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba) and 1911. As is pointed out, they have a "Link Centre, which has already connected 2 million records of individuals between censuses as well as other sources, such as WWI soldiers and the Dictionary of Canadian Biography".

This is very important, if you want to make to a connection between the First World War and the 1911 Census.

The website is at http://automatedgenealogy.com

Canadian - This site I use every so often, maybe not as much as I should for there is 60 million-plus pages from libraries, museums, universities and government agencies.

I have just found it to be so frustating because I get lost in the Early Canadiana Online collection. But I understsnd that it is going through a "a makeover" with improved searching and navigation facitilty.

The website is at www.canadiana.ca/en/home

Library and Archives Canada - The LAC came in third place, and it appears that the biggest mark against it is "not searchable by surname". That is the thing isn't it - there are all of these records online - but the majority are not searchable by surname.

They have a new website at www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Pages/home.aspx

Our Roots/Nos Roots - I agree - this is a good site! They have put online over 5,000 local history books, and if you haven't gone there before, it does deserve a look because I have found many refernces which has helped me in my reserarch.

The website is at www.ourroots.ca

Le Programme de recherche en démographie historique (The Research Program in Historical Demography) - I have used the database when I have had ancestors in Quebec. They have as their objective to collect every bit of information on all "biographical files on all individuals of European ancestry who lived in the St. Lawrence Valley". They charge to do full research - although nothing is charged to see if a name is listed in the database.

The website is at www.genealogie.umontreal.ca/en/leprdh.htm.

That's My Family/Voici Ma Famille - I have used this database to check to see if a marriage (specially in Quebec) is there. This was a database put together by the Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec and Library and Archives Canada sometime ago, but it is still worth a look.

The website is www.thatsmyfamily.info

New to the OGS Blog

This is an exciting development in blogs - they are instituting the use of Polls on the OGS blog at www.ogs.on.ca/ogsblog/?p=1389.

There are going to be a new one each week.

This week they asked the guestion - What regions have you been searching to build your family tree?

The results so far are -

Canada 81%

England 73%

Scotland 63%

United States 61%

The poll has been set up to allow you to choose as many answers from the list as you wish. Missed something or having second thoughts on your choices? No worries, simply refresh the page, and you can vote again!

Give it a try and have some fun!

Update of Quinte Finding Aid

Bob Dawes just wrote me a note to say that the Quinte Branch of the OGS has just issued over 100,000 records to it's online finding aid -

PRESS RELEASE

Quinte Branch - OGS announces an update of its online finding aid available at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canqbogs

Originally intended for use within the Quinte Genealogy Centre Research Library located in the Quinte West Public Library, it was added as an online resource in 2007. While the finding aid is primarily used to locate collateral surnames in the large collection of genealogies and other documents it also provides a lot of relevant information if you know where to look. A guide to using the finding aid and library catalog is provided on the above website.

The latest update adds over 100,000 records to the database bringing the total number to 1,120,000. Information on how to use the online Finding Aid to obtain additional information on search results from research volunteers is also available on the website.

2012 PEI Highland Games

The Caledonian Club of Prince Edward Island was formed on June 2, 1864, and on August 4th and 5th, they will present The PEI Highland Games at the Lord Selkirk Provincial Park, Eldon, PEI.

The Highland Dancing Competitions will be held on August the 4th at 8:30 a.m., as well as the junior heavy and track and field competitions (under 16). At 1 pm the ladies heavy competitions, and at 2 p.m. there will be men's heavy Scottish competitions.

Lots of food and entertainment including three Mass Bands on August the 4th, step-dancing competitions at 2 p.m. on August the 5th, followed by afternoon concert in the park with fiddler Richard Wood accompanied by Gordon Belsher.

There will also be a Gathering of the Clans Maclean and Ramsay where you can ask questions, and find out about Scottish enigration to PEI.

The website is www.caledonianclubofpei.ca

New Canadian Blog

We congratulate Betty on staring a new blog that is going to contain Canadian content, and it is called The Pye Plate at http://thepyeplate.blogspot.com.

Since she is a Mayflower Descendent, she will discuss ancestors who travelled from England to New England, and from there to the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and to New Brunswick.  

She promises that the blog will be mostly about her family, but she will post for anyone who is seeking assistance in researching their family.

Welcome aboard Betty!

Africville Summer Reunion

This weekend will mark the 29^th summer reunion to be held in the former land in north-end Halifax, Nova Scotia known as Africville – a place where American slaves, and other Black people settled in the 1830s.  

They will also dedicate the newly rebuilt Africville Church and Museum this weekend, and it will be the highlight of the reunion of the many American and Candian families which are expected to be there.

CBC Halifax has a story on the church at http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/07/24/ns-africville-church-museum.html.

And you can read about The Africville Genealogical Society at http://www.africville.ca/society

GANS at the Halifax Pride Community Fair

Pamela Wile, NSG Editor, write to say that the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia (GANS), will be at the Halifax Pride Community Fair on the Halifax Commons this
Saturday, July 28.

GANS will have a booth at the Halifax Pride Community Fair from 3:00 to 6:00 pm.

She says to look for their new GANS banner at the fair, and she encourages you to come by, and say “Hello”. They will have their publications for sale and some handouts too.

The Fair will set up on the Halifax Commons - here is a link to the Fair website where you can see a map of the Pride Grounds and download a program
http://www.halifaxpride.com/index.php/pride-week/community-fair.

The GAS site is at http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/recreation/GANS.

FindMyPast Ignores Canada

The British site FindMyPast.com is starting to begin an International Records web site.

They will include international records from England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia and Wales. Where is Canada! Canada is among the missing.

When will this county be included? There are lots of records here that could go on their site.

For those who want to search the new records, there is an introductory offer for the World Subscription of $4.95/month (U.S. funds) instead of the normal $20.83/month.

Go to findmypast.com

Podcasts at the LAC

Sylvie Tremblay, the Manager, Content Delivery and Coproduction Services at the LAC has just announced the following -

“Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is pleased to announce the release of our latest podcast episode: The Shamrock and the Fleur-de-Lys.

In this episode, we consult a panel of experts about the massive immigration of Irish settlers to Quebec in the 1800s. We examine the journey they made in order to establish their new lives on foreign soil, as well as the cultural bond that formed between the Irish and the Québécois.

Subscribe to episodes using RSS or iTunes, or just tune in at: Podcasts – Discover Library and Archives Canada: Your History, Your Documentary Heritage”.

I have listened to the podcasts, and have read the transcript, and have found them to be very good.

People are interviewed including Sylvie from the LAC, Jo-Anick Proulx from Parks Canada, and Simon Jolivet, a history professor from the University of Ottawa each with their own knowledge in the area. And you get a good, rounded view of the Irish as they came to Canada – and many of them were sick and died at the Grosse-Île Quarantine Station just beyond Quebec.

It deserves a listen.

Go to http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/podcasts/Pages/shamrock-and-fleur-de-lys.aspx 

Nova Scotia Historical Newspapers Digitization Initiative

The Public Archives of Nova Scotia has just released The Acadian Recorder and the The Liverpool Transcript newspapers on the internet.

The Acadian Recorder (1813 to 1853) was a Halifax weekly, and it printed local, national, and international stories.

The Liverpool Transcript was published in the town of Liverpool on the province’s south shore (1854-1867), and I am interested in this paper because it printed shipping news – who owned what ships – and I am looking for my ancestors who owned ships in Shelburne around the same time that the newspaper was printed.

If you wish to read these newspapers (they are not indexed), go to http://gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/newspapers

Do You Read/Speak Italian?

FamilySearch.org is looking for people who can read/speak Italian, so that they can transcribe and put the rest of the Italian records online. Here is the press release that they put out the other day .

“FamilySearch launched a historic partnership with the National Archives of Italy in December 2011 to digitally preserve and index its civil registration records (birth, marriage, and death) for all states from 1802 to 1940. Since the project launch more than 24 million images have been published, and 4 million names have been made searchable on FamilySearch.org.

But there are 115 million historic Italian documents with over 500 million names remaining to index and publish. Tens of thousands of volunteers are needed. To meet this opportunity, FamilySearch is requesting help from indexers and arbitrators who speak or read Italian or a closely related language, such as Spanish, or who are willing to learn a handful of simple Italian words and phrases to help facilitate the initiative.

Descendants of Italians and Italy historic and genealogy societies are especially invited to participate to help accelerate the publication of this valuable record set”.

Interested individuals, societies, or groups should visit www.familysearch.org/italian-ancestors to learn more.

To search the completed Italian records online and to learn more about reading Italian records, visit familysearch.org/italy.

Finding Your Canadian Ancestors

This is an interesting article in the Edmonton Journal the other day at

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/Millions+Canadians+inspired+shows+websites+investigating/6930978/story.html.

It shows how doing research in Canada can be interesting when you combine doing the research on the computer, and belonging to a local genealogical society.

The two go hand-in-hand, and can lead to great results, especially when the society has a "Members Only" website, as many Canadian societies have now. They are storehouses of information!

Good luck in finding your Canadian ancestors!