Crowd-Sourcing Genealogy

Have you heard of Eric Proffitt and his idea about receiving a photo of your ancestor’s home or a photo of the original birth certificate, or of the town’s main street for $5.00?

Eric is using Crowd Sourcing to raise the money to hire a firm to develop the software to make it happen. Sounds like a great idea.


Read about his proposal in a http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/crowd-sourcing-genealogy

Top Canadian History Teacher is from Winnipeg

Matt Henderson, a history teacher from St. John's Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg has won the 2013 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Awards are administered by Canada’s History Society, and are awarded "to the best Canadian achievements in the field of history and heritage".

Last year, Henderson and his grade eleven history class went to the provincial archives (Archives of Manitoba Family History Research

http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/family_history/index.html) “to help them gain a better understanding of the experience of indigenous persons in Manitoba”.

“They learned about conducting research in archives, they wrote historical fiction based on what they discovered - they even published their own Idle No More textbook called Because of a Hat - Stories of Red River”.

Congratulations Matt, and the Grade 11 history class!

Go to Winnipeg teacher wins GG Award at http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/scene/winnipeg-teacher-wins-gg-award-1.2159524

Did you see Terry Fox run?

Here is a notice that has been sent out by the Museum of Civilization -  

Did you see Terry on his run between St. John’s and Thunder Bay? Did you take a photo of him — or do you know someone who did? The Museum is looking for digital copies of these images. They could be featured in an upcoming exhibition developed in collaboration with the Terry Fox Center to mark the 35th anniversary of the Marathon of Hope.

For more details, and to submit images, go to www.civilization.ca/terryfox 

Only 6 days left until …

Guess what? It is 6 days away from being debuted on Ancestry.ca, and it is the  every name index to the 1921 Canada census!

Ancestry.ca will hold an official launch party in Toronto on the 29^th. Glen Wright, Dr. Kevin James, and Mark McGowan will be there to give brief comments about the census.  

So keep the 29^th open as it will be the day that the every name index to the 1921 Canada census will become available to the world!  

Does blended families mean blended surnames

A blended family in Yellowknife has chosen something different – they have used a hybrid surname

They have put together the first four letters of his surname (Van Overbeek) and the last three letters of her last name (Harilyw - they changed the letter ‘y’ to the letter ‘i’ in her name), and came up with  Van Overliw

So what does this do to genealogy? We are now creating special last names that didn’t exist before, it will be a hybrid last name.

If you want to read the full article, it is on http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/blended-families-blended-names-1.2127504

Canadian Week in Review 21 October 2013

I have come across the following Canadian websites, blogs, Facebook, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too.

Websites

The Petworth Emigration Project www.petworthemigrations.com/‎ This is a case study of assisted emigration from the south of England to Ontario in the 1830s.

Blogs

As Canadian As Can Be http://hoguegirardin.wordpress.com/ As the blog says, “I remember the day I was standing in the gift shop at the Museum of Man and Nature here in Winnipeg, and stumbled upon my great-great grandmother’s name in a history book.  The book was Sylvia Van Kirk’s Many Tender Ties and the name was Margaret Taylor”.

Facebook, Videos, You Tube

OGS Facebook page reaches a 1,000 ‘likes’ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ontario-Genealogical-Society/259163438258

The Petworth Emigration Project also has two Facebook pages, and they are - https://www.facebook.com/PetworthEmigrationProject This Facebook page concentrates on the emigration project, and the second Facebook page concerns the people who emigrated to Canada. The address is https://www.facebook.com/groups/49248715727/

Newspapers Articles of the Week

Minister Fantino Challenges Canadians to Remember: 30 Days, 30 Reasons http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1241531/minister-fantino-challenges-canadians-to-remember-30-days-30-reasons A press release was issued by Veterans Affairs in which it said that "The Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of Veterans Affairs, today launched 30 Days, 30 Reasons - a social media campaign leading up to Remembrance Day on November 11, 2013. As part of the annual Remembrance Campaign, Veterans Affairs Canada will use social media to engage Canadians in remembering the sacrifices and achievements of Canada's Veterans”.

State of the Arts: Production celebrates 85-year history of Ukrainian Hall http://www.vancourier.com/state-of-the-arts-production-celebrates-85-year-history-of-ukrainian-hall-1.660332 Beverly Dobrinsky, who directs the Barvinok Choir at the hall and researched special anniversary shows Nov. 8 and 10, the building’s history for a new production, Bread & Salt, that celebrates its 85th anniversary.

Less is more for 150th bash http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/less-is-more-for-150th-bash-227773561.html The fields of science, literature, technology, political controversies, aboriginal history and other stories that make up the country's past are not to be included in the 150^th birthday bash.

Canada plans to mark 100th anniversary of First World War http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2013/10/19/21207096.html  Canada met with other European leaders last week to discuss the ceremonies that will take place next year. Canada will be part of an international effort planning the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the First World War.

Story of the Week

Speech From the Throne

Last week was the Speech From the Throne. I went to the site to read it for myself, and I found a few things of interest to genealogists, such as -

2017: Anniversary of Confederation

As we approach our historic 150th anniversary in 2017, our Government will join with Canadians in honouring this momentous milestone by:

Marking the 150th anniversaries of the Charlottetown and Québec Conferences;

 Celebrating the 200th birthdays of two of our greatest Fathers of Confederation, Sir George-Étienne Cartier and Sir John A. Macdonald

Commemorating the centennial of the First World War and the 75th anniversary of the Second World War, and the enormous sacrifices made by Canadians and our Allies in both

Re-dedicating the National War Memorial to the memory of all men and women who fought for our country

Building a Memorial to the Victims of Communism, to remember the millions who suffered under tyranny

Marking the end of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan by honouring the service of our men and women in uniform, including those who made the ultimate sacrifice combating the spread of terrorism

Establishing the Canadian Museum of History to share the story of Canada with pride

Quite an ambitious schedule we have over the next four years.

There is one thing missing though – where are the programs that would help Canadians save their family stories? Genealogy has grown into a large industry in the world, and there hasn’t been a nod to that part of our society.

We, as genealogists, would ask for such an acknowledgement. Maybe the Library and Archives Canada could be a leader in this field.   

The whole Speech is at http://www.speech.gc.ca/sites/sft/files/SFT-EN_2013_c.pdf

Reminder: Check out Canadian Week in Review every Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! The next post will be on 28 October, 2013.

Lecture Series: Grub and Grog: Food and Drink in History

The Shannon lecture series at Carleton University, Ottawa called Grub and Grog: Food and Drink in History will bring in speakers from as far away as San Francisco, Minnesota, and Victoria BC to speak on the history of food and drink.

There are three lectures left, and they are -

October 25, 2013
 Adventures in Cooking from the Past. 
Ken Albala, Department of History, University of the Pacific.

November 8, 2013
 The Tavern Company: Food, Drink, and the Bonds of Sociability in a Colonial Society. 
Julia Roberts, Department of History, University of Waterloo.

November 15, 2013
 Only in Canada: History, Ecology and Culture of Edible Wild Plants of First Peoples in Western Canada. 
Nancy Turner, School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria.

For further information please contact the Department of History at (613) 520-2828, by email to history@carleton.ca or visit our website at www.carleton.ca/history.

All lectures will take place in the Humanities Lecture Theatre, 303 Paterson Hall, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. followed by a reception in the Department of History Lobby, fourth floor Paterson Hall.

And while we are talking about the food industry, here is an entertaining article I found in the Timmins Press about war rationing in the Second World War.  HISTORY: War rationing inspired recipes http://www.timminspress.com/2013/10/18/history-war-rationing-inspired-recipes      

The OGS Facebook page reaches 1000 'likes'

The OGS Genealogy eNews! notice received every Saturday morning, they have said that they have reached the 1000 mark in ‘likes’ on their Facebook page!  

They do have a very informative Facebook page, and if you are not a member, but would still like to keep up on the news, then click on the “Like”.

They say that “New information is shared several times a day and the page has grown into a family history discussion forum for members and non members alike. Come join us!”

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ontario-Genealogical-Society/259163438258

They also have a blog at http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogsblog/  

UPDATE: Nova Scotia 1921 Census

Here is the latest update from Dwayne Meisner -

Hi All, just wanted to let you know that many more sub-districts for the

Province of Nova Scotia have been transcribed. Halifax County is nearing

completion, with only a few more areas to finish,  and of course, the Town

of Dartmouth and the City of Halifax. Annapolis County has had more areas

finished, and I am expecting some more areas from some of our busy volunteer

transcribers, including parts of Lunenburg and Cape Breton Counties, and

others.

There is still a long way to go to finish the whole province. You

can view the completed areas by visiting

http://dwaynemeisner.com/census/novascotia/index.php

If you would like to help by contributing a transcription, see

http://dwaynemeisner.com/census/volunteer.php for information on how to do

it.

Or, if you have a Facebook account, you can follow the progress

here at

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nova-Scotia-Census-Records/211456578879930

FamilySearch does it again!

FamilySearch has done it again! In addition to being partners now with Ancestry.com, and MyHeritage, they have become partners with the new DC Thomson Family History, formerly known as findmypast. 

LONDON, England and SALT LAKE CITY, Utah--Annelies van den Belt, the new CEO of DC Thomson Family History, the British-based leader in online family history and owner of findmypast and Genes Reunited, has announced a major new partnership with US-based FamilySearch.org that will give family history enthusiasts access to billions of records online and new technology to collaboratively research their family roots.

DC Thomson Family History, formerly known as brightsolid online publishing, is collaborating with FamilySearch, which has the largest collections of genealogical and historical records in the world, to deliver a wide range of projects including digital preservation, records search, technological development and the means to allow family historians to share their discoveries.

More than 13 million records from FamilySearch.org launched today on findmypast.com, including major collections of births, marriages and deaths covering America, Australia, and Ireland. Around 600 additional collections, containing millions of records, will follow.

The two organisations have a long history of working together on historical projects, including indexing 132 million records of the 1940 US census and two hundred years of British Army Service Records (Chelsea Pensioners) in a joint digitisation project with The National Archives.

Van den Belt said: “This is fantastic news for our customers all over the world. As a leader in online family history we will be able to offer access to a much wider variety of records dating back hundreds of years and the first batch are ready to search on findmypast. The convenience of searching many treasures from FamilySearch.org along with our own extensive collections will provide rich new insights for our customers.

“This partnership with FamilySearch will accelerate the momentum of our next phase of global growth into new non-English-speaking markets and give more people more access to more records to uncover their family history. This really cements our position as a market leader.”

“We are excited to work with DC Thompson Family History on a vision we both share,” said Dennis Brimhall, CEO of FamilySearch. “Expanding online access to historical records through this type of collaboration can help millions more people discover and share their family’s history.”

DC Thomson Family History is the British-based leader in online family history, which operates major online sites including findmypast, Genes Reunited and the British Newspaper Archive. It launched in America last year with its findmypast brand.

DC Thomson Family History has a strong record of partnerships with non-profit and public sector organisations such as the British Library and The National Archives among many other major archives and organisations around the world.

October is Canadian Islamic History Month

Islamic History Month Canada (IHMC) was launched on October 25, 2007, and October was proclaimed as the Islamic History month in Canada.

The press release says that “The Objective of IHMC is to celebrate, inform, educate and share with fellow Canadians the Muslim cultural heritage and Canadian Muslim contributions to Canada and the contributions made by the Islamic civilization throughout its history; to sciences, humanities, medicines, astronomy, and other disciplines that have contributed positively to human progress. IHMC believes that it is through education and sharing positive stories that we can build a more inclusive and gentle multicultural Canada.”

A few facts about Canadian –

- The census of 1871 reports 13 Muslims in the country

- Edmonton has the oldest mosque in North America, built in 1938

- There are 1 million Muslims in the country.

Their website is at http://www.islamichistorymonth.com/ihmc2010/

They also have a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Islamic-History-Month-Canada/322440464106?ref=stream&hc_location=stream

Top LAC job up for grabs

It appears that the government is starting to look for a person to assume the LAC top archivist and librarian job in the near future. Who will they pick, and more important, what will be the qualifications for the job?

If one looks at the requirements for the job, as people from the archivist and librarian community has done already, the news is not good for the Canadian genealogical community.

It says that it will be an “asset” and not a “requirement” for the successful person to have experience in the library and archivist field.

So, does this leave us with another person like the former LAC head Daniel Caron who was a career bureaucrat and not an archivist or librarian?

To read the story, here is a newspaper article, and a statement by The Canadian Association of Law Libraries -

Joint Statement on Qualities of a Successful Librarian and Archivist of Canada
http://www.callacbd.ca/en/content/joint-statement-qualities-successful-librarian-and-archivist-canada

Top librarian job up for grabs; head of Library and Archives Canada could bag a $226,500 salary http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/national/librarian+grabs+head+Library+Archives+Canada+could/9034221/story.html

Postscript: I would like to thank two of my readers for sending me the news story and the job description.

This is an interesting press release because it shows an alliance has been struck between MyHeritage and FamilySearch. They say it will benefit all family historians. What do you think?

TEL AVIV, Israel & SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – October 9, 2013 – MyHeritage, the popular online family history network, and FamilySearch.org announced today the signing and commencement of a strategic partnership that forges a new path for the family history industry. Under this multi-year partnership, MyHeritage will provide FamilySearch with access to its powerful technologies and FamilySearch will share billions of global historical records and family tree profiles spanning hundreds of years with MyHeritage. This will help millions of MyHeritage and FamilySearch users discover even more about their family history.

FamilySearch will provide MyHeritage with more than 2 billion records from its global historic record collections and its online Family Tree. These records will be added to SuperSearch , MyHeritage’s search engine for historical records, and will be matched with family trees on MyHeritage using its matching technologies. MyHeritage users will gain access to an unprecedented boost of historical records and family tree profiles, which are key to researching and reconstructing their family histories. This reinforces MyHeritage's position as an international market leader, with gigantic assets of family trees and records, which are the most globally diverse in the industry.

FamilySearch members will benefit from MyHeritage's unique technologies which automate family history discoveries. Smart Matching™ automatically finds connections between user-contributed family trees and Record Matching automatically locates historical records relevant to any person in the family tree. By receiving accurate matches between FamilySearch’s Family Tree profiles and historical record collections, such as birth, death, census, and immigration documents, FamilySearch members will be able to more effectively grow their family trees in size and in depth and add conclusions supported by historical records.

“For more than a hundred years, FamilySearch has been dedicated to working with the world’s archives to preserve their records for future generations” said Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage. “Their massive undertaking has made family history more accessible to everyone. This partnership highlights MyHeritage’s technology leadership and our firm commitment to adding historical records on a massive global scale, accelerating our vision of helping families everywhere explore and share their legacy online. We look forward to a fruitful future working hand in hand with our friends at FamilySearch.”

“FamilySearch values collaborative partnerships that enable more people, in more places, to discover their family history” said Dennis Brimhall, CEO of FamilySearch. “MyHeritage is an innovative company that has a fast growing, global online audience. We are excited to commence this partnership which enables FamilySearch to better serve the global family history community.”

Postscript: I would like to say thank you to the reader who sent me notice of this press release.

Chatham-Kent library week

There are many events planned for Chatham-Kent Library Week from October 20 to the 26th.

Ontario Public Library Week began in 1985 and has become the annual focus for promoting and recognizing public library service in the province. This year's theme is "libraries connect,"

One event which caught my eye, are the talks given by Jerry Hind at the different branches of the library. Jerry and the local International Order Daughters of the Empire (I.O.D.E) “have been working on an ambitious project to compile all the information they can find on Chatham-Kent’s World War I and World War II veterans. Some of this information has been found in the library materials!”

Their research has culminated in a federally sponsored website Gathering Our Heroes and it’s at http://www.gatheringourheroes.ca/

Tillbury Branch Tuesday, October 15 at 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Ridgetown Branch Tuesday, October 22 at 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Dresden Branch Tuesday, October 29 at 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Wallaceburg Branch Tuesday, November 5 at 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Blenheim Branch Wednesday, November 13 at 1:00 - 2:00 PM

One thing to note in the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) is that an article which will appear in the November issue of the journal Families. The article is called Blacks in the Great War (First World War) is written by Jerry Hind where he writes about the Blacks in Chatham-Kent.

While you are at the library site, they have a Genealogy Room where you can spend time Tracing Your Roots in Chatham-Kent.

It is at http://www.chatham-kent.ca/PublicLibraries/Genealogy/Pages/Tracing%20Your%20Roots%20in%20Chatham-Kent.aspx

Canadian Week in Review 14 October 2013

I have come across the following Canadian websites, blogs, Facebook, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too

Websites

The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. http://archives.gnb.ca/archives/default.aspx?culture=en-CA In addition to the vast databases that they have put on during the previous years, they have added 1918 births to their online places to check.

Blogs

Understanding Your DNA Results: Comparison Charts
http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/10/understanding-your-dna-results.html Lorine, on her blog, Olive Tree Genealogy, discusses the role that DNA plays in genealogy.

Facebook, Videos, You Tube

No new websites this week

Newspapers Articles of the Week

David Chuenyan Lai: He has visited more than 40 Chinatowns and mapped their history http://www.theprovince.com/life/David+Chuenyan+visited+more+than+Chinatowns+mapped+their+history/8998098/story.html Imagine that when David Chuenyan Lai came to the University of Victoria in 1968, he couldn’t find a single book in Chinese in its library.
Today, the retired geography professor has written nearly a dozen books on Chinese-Canadian history, and has visited nearly 40 Chinese communities in Canada.

Finding family roots may mean finding yourself - Metis genealogists search through family myths http://www.stalbertgazette.com/article/20131006/SAG0801/310069999/finding-family-roots-may-mean-finding-yourself Read how a person is finding her roots, and herself through her ancestors.

Greber family donates records to South Peace Archives http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/2013/10/08/greber-family-donates-records-to-south-peace-archives The Hodgson family from Hythe have donated family archives to the South Peace Archives, Alberta. Also watch for a blog about Edna Greber’s scrapbook by her daughter-in-law, Patricia Greber.

Designs Unveiled of the Sir John A. MacDonald Heritage Building http://dcnonl.com/nw/34709/gc The former Bank of Montreal building, at 144 Wellington Street, in Ottawa, is being redesigned to permanently house the Confederation Room (Room 200), formerly in the West Block, across the street, on Parliament Hill.

BRIDPORT: Memory walk will rediscover forgotten West Bay heritage http://www.viewfrompublishing.co.uk/news_view/28571/7/1/bridport-memory-walk-will-rediscover-forgotten A ‘memory walk’ around West Bay hopes to rediscover some of the heritage of Bridport’s harbour in Newfoundland.

Story of the Week

Call for presenters at 2014 Webinars

The Ontario Genealogical society is joining other societies in presenting Webinars so that it’s members can be better educated and knowledgeable in the business of the society.

In 2014, the Webinars will be presented on a monthly basis, and they are looking for new and experienced speakers with topics about Canada, in particular Ontario, as well as ethnic groups such as Irish, Scottish, English, French, German. Presentations about DNA, methodology, and technology/social media in family history will also be considered

Please send individually up to four topics including your most requested, and new presentations.

What to include:
• Your name
• Mailing address
• Telephone number
• Email address and website
• Audience Level
• Name of Presentation
• Summary of your presentation (250 characters maximum)
• Short Bio (50 words maximum)
• Speaking experience within the last 18 months

Each submission should have a unique subject heading (i.e. kathrynlakehogan1)
Email your submissions no later than 11:59 pm ET, October 31, 2013 to:
Kathryn Lake Hogan, Ontario Genealogical Society Webinar Coordinator at webinar@ogs.on.ca

The next Webinar will be in November, and All OGS members are invited to sign to hear Thomas MacEntee.

Title: You Use WHAT for Genealogy? Wonderful Uses for Unusual Tools

Date: Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM EST

Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/706504023.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

Reminder: Check out Canadian Week in Review every Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! The next post will be on 21 October, 2013

York Region Ancestors Fall Issue

The fall newsletter of the York Region of the OGS has two articles about the Upper Canada Sundries, New Research opportunities from the Library and Archives Canada, Aliens in the Township of Markham, and the Vaughn Memorial Project.

The first two articles involve land records in Upper Canada, and gives very good advice in finding people within the microfilm.

We are reminded that there are two places to check (FREE) and they are Janice Nickerson’s website at http://www.uppercanadagenealogy.com and Michael Stephenson’s website http://www.ontariogenealogy.com/uppercanadasundries.html for sundries files.

If you have had difficulty finding aliens in the 19th century in the Township of Markham, maybe you should look at the list in this newsletter. There are fifteen names on the list for the year 1815, and they were taken from the sundries list.

The City of Vaughan Archives are putting together a Memory Project and Exhibit, and are asking people who use to live, or are living in the area to collect oral histories, and send them to the archives once finished.

The person in charge of this project is Brenda Hicock and she can be reached by Brenda.hicock@vaughan.ca

If you would like to receive this newsletter four times a year, you can join the York Region by going to the http://www.rootsweb.com/~onyrbogs

Fall 2013 Anglo-Celtic Roots

The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO)has issued the fall edition of its journal the Anglo-Celtic Roots.

There are a number of articles in this issue, and they are –

The Cowley Family Saga: From Sherwood Forest to the NHL – Part I by Christine Jackson which talks about the role that the Crowley family (they arrived in the Ottawa area from England in the 1830s) played in the development of the Ottawa Valley, and of Champlain Park, a housing development in the west end of Ottawa in the 1950s.

Found in a Monastery? by Brian D. Cook is a summary of what happened to tracing his maternal great-grandfather – Cuthbert Baker – from help by the BIFHSGO society, and genetic genealogy. .. and the records of the Benedictine Monastery in Europe.

The Cutler Genealogical Odyssey by Gillian Leitch tells of she successfully traced John Cutler from Eton, England who was employed as a clerk at the Tower of London. It is a fascinating story!

In the From the President message, Glenn Wright, says that they have imitated two projects that will result in two databases – the pre-Confederate immigrants from the British Isles (which will hold important names for researchers), and the second one will concern the First World War. So stayed tuned for developments on that front.

Betty Warburton keeps us up-to-date on the happenings at the library at the Archive of Ottawa, this month she tells us of the books on Ireland; John D. Reid talks about Canadiana.org, and the 1921 Census in The Cream of the Crop, and Ian White writes about The Ottawa City Archives: a Treasure Chest for Genealogists.

The Anglo-Celtic Roots (ACR) is available as a member benefit of BIFHSGO when you join the organization.

To join as a member, go to http://www.bifhsgo.ca

Canada Passenger Lists, 1881-1922

They have added new index records and digital images to the ships' passenger lists (also known as ships' manifests or seaport records of entry) at FamilySearch.

It contains records for the ports of Quebec City, 1900-1921; Halifax, 1881-1922; Saint John, 1900-1912; North Sydney, 1906-1912; Vancouver, 1905-1912; Victoria, 1905-1912; New York, 1906-1912; and Eastern US Ports, 1905-1912.

The lists for United States ports include only those names of passengers with intentions of proceeding directly to Canada

Hint: If you have a surname that you suspect was spelled differently in the immigrant records, this record at FamilySearch is a good way to catch those surnames...

Go to the website at https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1823240?ET_CID=45596243&ET_RID=genealogycanada@aol.com

FGS Announces Three-part Webinar Series on Genealogy Society Membership and Communication

Very seldom does this blog mention American genealogy societies, but I must make an exception in this case. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) is giving a great Webinar series which is of particular interest to those involved in society membership and communication.

The FGS welcomes George G. Morgan, President of Aha! Seminars, Inc. and VP of Membership for FGS, as he presents a three-part webinar series on genealogy society membership and communication.

• Tuesday, October 22, 2013, 8:00-9:00 pm EDT
The Shape of the 21st Century Genealogical Society
We've come a long way as genealogical and historical societies. New technologies such as blogs, print-on-demand publishing, Facebook, Twitter, mobile phone apps, podcasts, webinars, and others have drastically changed what we can do for our societies. This session discusses how the modern society can provide a rich experience for its members and get its message out to the world. Click on the link to register for the webinar: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/409683718


• Monday, November 4, 2013, 8:00-9:00 pm EST
Harness the Power of Email in Your Society
Email is a powerful tool that, within your society, can build excitement and encourage member participation. Learn the types of email communications that capture attention. Create a professional presence for your organization. Discover strategies for effectively using and managing email. Uncover ways to publicize who you are and what you offer. Attract and keep members! Click on the link to register for the webinar: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/421955302


• Monday, November 18, 2013, 8:00-9:00 pm EST
How to Develop and Implement Affordable Membership Benefits
Genealogical and historical societies are struggling to attract and retain members while striving to stay solvent. It is essential to offer tangible benefits year-round. This session discusses best practices that can be put in place to provide affordable benefits to members. Click on the link to register for the webinar: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/111785582

I have known George personally for the past ten years, and consider him to be one of the top genealogy teachers in North America. He is president of Aha! Seminars, Inc., and an internationally recognized genealogy expert who presents at conferences and on genealogical cruises around the world.

Solving Cemetery Problems

Saturday at 1 pm on 19 October 2013, the Quinte OGS Branch will present
Solving Cemetery Problems by Diane Clendenan & Marjorie Stuart.

These two lovely ladies have devoted their lives to cemeteries. They have co-authored a book Solving Cemetery Problems: How to deal with Vandalism, Abandoned Cemeteries, Registration and Heritage Designation.

They have also co-chaired the joint OGS and OHS Cemetery Preservation Committee, and in particular, the Cemetery Registration Project.

Together they bring a wealth of genealogical experience and expertise, relating to a variety of research areas, especially on the topic of cemeteries.

This event will be one you don't want to miss!

The Quinte OGS Branch will meet at the Quinte West City Hall Library, 7 Creswell Drive, Trenton, Ontario.

The website is at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canqbogs/about_us.htm

Ancestry.ca puts on Canada GenWeb Cemetery Index

Canada GenWeb has been collecting their cemetery data since 2004, and it is on http://cemetery.canadagenweb.org.

Now, Ancestry.ca has taken this data and has put the index only on http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=70668


But to learn about the records, go to the Canada GenWeb site.

The web site says that “It is a volunteer project of CanadaGenWeb and currently offers a free and searchable listing of over 18,000 known Canadian cemeteries.

This volunteer built database offers a variety of information geared towards genealogists:

♦ Names, locations & histories of cemeteries

♦ Links to repositories & genealogy organizations that offer further information and/or assistance

♦ Lookup offers, transcripts, indexes, and photos compiled by volunteers.

On Saturday, October 12, the British Iles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa, will present And a Brother Who Went to Australia? at 10:00 am by Chris MacPhail.

Chris MacPhail’s maternal grandfather was a Home Child who immigrated to Canada from Scotland with an elder brother in the 1880s. A family anecdote suggested that there may have been another brother who went to Australia. Chris will describe his efforts to verify the story, and the new challenges raised by some of the things learned.

You can listen to an interview with Chris at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=106

Arrive early and take in Before BIFHSGO from 9:00 - 9:30 am to listen to Exploring the Find My Past Website by Judy Thamas, and from 9:30 - 10:00 am there are the Discovery Tables and Lesley Anderson will be there to help you Get Help with Ancestry.ca.


The BIFHSGO is http://www.bifhsgo.ca/

Canadian Week in Review 07 October 2013

I have come across the following Canadian websites, blogs, Facebook, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too

Websites

Acadian Memorial http://www.acadianmemorial.org/They say that the Acadian Memorial is located in historic St. Martinville, Louisiana. Be sure to visit the Ensemble Encore Database of Acadian Genealogy online if you have Acadian ancestors.

Blogs

No new blogs this week.

Facebook, Videos, You Tube

No new sites this week.

Newspapers Articles of the Week

Museum hires heritage manager http://www.prpeak.com/articles/2013/10/02/community/doc524b66e6c815f716371072.txt
Bert Finnamore, a past administrator from the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, has been appointed as Powell River Historical Museum and Archives Association’s heritage manager.

Shouldn't Digital Access to Our History Be Free? http://www.thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2013/10/02/Shouldnt-Digital-Access-to-Our-History-Be-Free/ Michael Geist, a Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, gives his view on Canada’s digital future.

Franklin searchers find bones, artifacts but no ships Franklin http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/franklin-searchers-find-bones-artifacts-but-no-ships-1.1862083 The CBC reports that the Parks Canada searching for the boats of the Franklin Expedition in the area of the King William Island has found about 200 small artifacts, “but offered no new hints about the fate of the reinforced wooden vessels.”

Story of the Week

Women's History Month 2013

This year’s theme is Canadian Women Pioneers: Inspiring Change Through Ongoing Leadership

October was declared as Women’s History Month in Canada in 1992, at the hest of a group of women from British Columbia.

October was chosen because it was on October the 18th 1929 that Canadian women were first declared to be legally considered as 'persons'. They were eligible to join the Senate, or the Upper House of the parliament of Canada.

There are a number of sites in Canada which are dedicated to Women's History Month, and they are –

Heroines.ca A Guide to Women in Canadian History http://www.heroines.ca/celebrate/historymonth.html A full page of news, a gallery, biographies, and a special This Month in History.

Women's History Month: Canada http://womenshistory.about.com/od/whmcanada/Womens_History_Month_Canada.htm The site gives the history of The Person’s Case in Canada, and gives, for example, the history of Celebrating Women's Achievements in Sports.

Reminder: Check out Canadian Week in Review every Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! The next post will be on 14 October, 2013

Hands-On Claesses in Early Ontario Land Records

Gwyneth Pearc, the Secretary of the Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, has sent us this announcement -

“Hands-On Early Ontario Land Records” is a three-session course to be taught by author, educator and long-time OGS member Jane MacNamara. Designed for both family and local historians, this course will provide an introduction to the land granting process and the main types of Crown Lands records. Participants will learn how to use the various finding aids and collections at the Archives of Ontario (including those on microfilm from Library and Archives Canada) to document a person’s acquisition of (or attempt to acquire) land in Upper Canada, and will work in small groups following case histories through the records.

The course fee is $90 ($78 for OGS members), and the schedule is Thursdays November 28, December 5 and 12, 2013, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

The place that this will be held is the Archives of Ontario, 134 Ian MacDonald Blvd., York University, Toronto

Visit their Branch website at www.torontofamilyhistory.org/courses.html for course and registration details.

Postscript: To those who want to see Jane, she will be at the Ottawa Genealogical Society on March 22, 2014 at which she will appear as Guest Speaker.

For more information, go to http://ogsottawa.on.ca/

Preserve the Fegan Home in Toronto

The OGS has been told that the City of Toronto is interested in the site of the former Fegan Boys Distributing Home at 295 George Street in Toronto. The structure was damaged by fire in 2012.

They say that “Many of the boys passing through these walls left their mark by way of inscribing their names and the dates of their stays on the bricks. These names are still visible.

OGS, along with the broader genealogical and heritage community, requests that the City of Toronto seriously consider the historic significance of this treasure and find a way to preserve it and the information it holds”.

Some additional sites for information are -

J. W. C. Fegan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._W._C._Fegan A short, concise history of James William Condell Fegan, an Englisman who was the founder of orphanages for boys.

Young Immigrants to Canada http://jubilation.uwaterloo.ca/~marj/genealogy/children/Organizations/fegan.html If you had an relative in the Fegan Home in Toronto, you are given the name of a person in England who can search the English history of your relative for you.

BRITISH HOME CHILD http://www.ogs.on.ca/SIG-BHC/index.htm The OGS has a SIG dedicated to the British Home Child.

UPDATE: Nova Scotia 1921 Census

Dwayne Meisner has been hosting the 1921 census transcription on his site. I think that Halifax and Annapolis Counties are now complete, and he is looking for more volunteers to do the other counties in the province.

He says that “As a lot of you may be aware, I and others have been working on transcribing the 1921 census for Nova Scotia, and I have been uploading the finished transcriptions to my site http://www.dwaynemeisner.com/census/novascotia/index.php .

However, it a HUGE project, and so we are looking for more volunteers. I don't expect anyone to do a whole county; even just one sub-district would be a great
help!"

If you are interested, please visit his site
http://www.dwaynemeisner.com/census/volunteer.php for more information.

Is there anyone out there who can help Dwayne finish the 1921 Nova Scotia census?

The National Institute For Genealogical Studies Announces New Lecturing Course

The following announcement was received yesterday from the National Institute For Genealogical Studies

"Lecturing Skills Including Preparation written by genealogy professional Thomas MacEntee, is the newest course offering at The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. Part of the Professional Development Certificate, this course provides practical suggestions for developing, offering and presenting genealogical lectures. Students receive practical real world experience with a final project that involves presenting in a webinar format to a live audience.

Director of The National Institute for Genealogical Studies, Louise St. Denis says of the new course, “Lecturing is such an integral part of a professional genealogist’s life. This course seemed like a natural fit for the Professional Development Certificate. Having Thomas author the course was an easy choice considering his experience in the field.”

Course author Thomas MacEntee stated “Public speaking is not necessarily just a talent one is born with. It has to be cultivated and it is more than just standing up in front of a room and opening your mouth to speak. Good speakers know that it takes not just hard work and practice to succeed; it also requires learning the “how” of speaking about your passion and educating others.”

Whether you enroll in Lecturing as part of the Professional Development Certificate or as a stand-alone course, you will finish it with new skills to prefect your presentations.

Professional Development Certificate

The National Institute for Genealogical Studies offers eleven Certificate Programs including the Professional Development Program. Courses in this new program include, Transcribing, Abstracting, & Extracting - Career Development: Choosing a Niche - Creating Programs for Adults & the Younger Generation - Organizing a One Name Study - Lecturing - Forensic Genealogy - Genealogy and Copyright - Palaeography - Document Analysis - DNA - Marketing - House and Farm Histories - One Place Studies - Analysis and Skills Mentoring - Methodology

To learn more about The National Institute’s Certificate Programs, see their website at http://www.genealogicalstudies.com/.

Enroll Now for a Special Offer

Ongoing professional support is crucial to any career. That’s why The National Institute has teamed up with the Genealogical Speakers Guild to offer students a discount on membership.

Postscript: I am currently enrolled in the Professional Development Certificate program, and start my first course on Monday October 7th.

UPDATE: Register of One-Place Studies is Now Live!

Further to my notice last week that there was a new website online with the Register of One-Place Studies, they are now announcing the following update -

“The new free Register of One-Place Studies went LIVE earlier this week and we’re off to a flying start. So far we h studies from 3 continents covering 7 countries, 33 counties/states and 235 places. From Angmering in Sussex to the Isle of Mull in Argyll, from Drumnaconagher in County Down to Meldreth in Cambridgeshire and from Acton in Massachusetts to Wando Vale in Victoria, to name but a few, we’re helping to put study owners’ efforts on the map!

The studies range from small hamlets and specific districts within a town through to whole regions including multiple towns. Some studies are now dormant but have amassed a wealth of information over the years which continues to benefit researchers. We even have one very active study with no residents living in the study area - they were all forced to leave their homes in 1943 and were not allowed to return. What is clear is the hours of selfless dedication and commitment study owners have spent building up their studies over many years.

The Register’s purpose is to provide a listing of one-place studies currently being undertaken across the UK, and internationally, which is:
• open to all
• free to access
• free to add to
• comprehensive
If you have a one-place study and haven’t yet added it to the Register, don’t delay any more!”

The web site may be found at: http://www.register-of-one-place-studies.org.uk.

Kensington Market Through the Lens of the Ontario Jewish Archives

Dara Solomon, Director of the Ontario Jewish Archives, will present the stories found in the collections of the Ontario Jewish Archives about the families, merchants, and community members who made this neighbourhood home during the 1920s-1940s.

She will also discuss how the OJA has shaped these narratives through their 40-year old walking tour of the neighbourhood and their soon-to-be-launched mobile interactive mapping feature on the new OJA website.

The meeting will take place on October 30th at the Lillian H. Smith Branch, Toronto Public Library, 239 College Street, Toronto.

To visit the Kensington Market site, go to http://www.kmhs.ca/

To visit the Ontario Jewish Archives, go to http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/

The Ontario Jewish Archives is celebrating their 40th Anniversary this year.

Kitchener Public Library Genealogy Fair

On November 2, 2013, there will be the 3rd Genealogy Fair at the Kitchener Public Library in Kitchener, Ontario.

It starts at 9:30 AM, and the fair will be for beginners and experts alike. There will be workshops, speak with experts and more than 25 exhibits and vendors.

Some of the speakers are –

Genealogy in a Community Cookbook
with Carolyn Blackstock, Historian & Blogger

Genealogy and the Law in Canada
with Professor Margaret Ann Wilkinson, University of Western Ontario

Introduction to Genetic Genealogy
with Sue Fenn, Family History Alive

Finding Your Ancestors in Germany
with Noel Elliot, The Genealogical Research Library

There are many more speakers, and if you want more information , go to http://kpl.org/ref/gsr.html

Friends of the Tecumseh Monuments

The expansion of the site of the Tecumseh Monument is southwesters Ontario has launched a Buy a Brick Program to renovate and expand the existing site.

You can read the plans for expansion at http://www.tecumsehmonument.ca/

Individuals or companies can purchase bricks for $30. Each brick can be inscribed with a message of up to 25 characters

Ancestry.com LLC acquires Find a Grave

On the last day of September, Ancestry.com made the following announcement -

PROVO, Utah, Sept. 30, 2013 -- Ancestry.com LLC announced today it has acquired Find A Grave, Inc., the leading online cemetery database.

With over 100 million memorials and 75 million photos, Find A Grave has amassed an unparalleled collection of burial information. Over the past 18 years, it has grown to become an invaluable resource for genealogists, history buffs and cemetery preservationists. Find A Grave will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Ancestry.com, and will continue to be managed by its founder, Jim Tipton.

"Find A Grave is an amazing phenomenon supported by a passionate and engaged community of volunteers around the world," said Tim Sullivan, CEO of Ancestry.com. "We at Ancestry.com are so excited...honored really...to take on the responsibility of supporting this community. We will maintain Find A Grave as a free website, will retain its existing policies and mode of operation, and look forward to working with Jim Tipton and the entire Find A Grave team to accelerate the development of tools designed to make it even easier for the Find A Grave community to fulfill its original mission to capture every tombstone on Earth."

Ancestry.com plans to bolster the resources dedicated to Find A Grave to launch a new mobile app, improve customer support, introduce an enhanced edit system for submitting updates to memorials, foreign-language support, and other site improvements.

"Ancestry.com has been a long-time supporter of Find A Grave. They have been linking and driving traffic to the site for several years," said Jim Tipton, founder of Find A Grave. "Burial information is a wonderful source for people researching their family history and I look forward to working with Ancestry.com to help continue our growth and accelerate the pace of improvements."

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.