Saturday, August 23, 2014

Fall is the time to research


The fall months are a great time to hold genealogy fairs, conferences, and “back-to-school” in-depth courses in Canada. The summer is winding down, and the months of September, October, and November are usually a prime time to rekindle research for those ancestors.

Genealogy Fairs 

On Saturday, September 20th, 2014 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the Eva Brook Donly Museum & Archives, located at 109 Norfolk Street South in Simcoe, Ontario, will hold their annual genealogy fair. This is the oldest genealogy fair in Ontario. 

For more information, go to http://www.norfolklore.com/

Conferences 

BIFHSGO 

And some are having conferences, like the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa, from September 19th to the 21st at the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) on Wellington Street.

This year, the conference will include English family history, immigration from the British Isles, Home Children; and genetic genealogy.

For more information, go to http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=126

Harvest Your Family Tree 2014 

Kelowna And District Genealogical Society will hold their bi-annual genealogy conference in Kelowna, British Columbia, from September 26 to 28, 2014. 

It is Western Canada's largest genealogy conference, and boasts a full day of seminars with renowned international speakers like photo specialist Maureen Taylor (who will also be giving photo consultations) of www.maureentaylor.com as well as Dave Obee of www.CanGenealogy.com and Stephen Young of FamilySearch https://familysearch.org

Go to http://www.harvestyourtree.blogspot.com/ to get more information. 

Genealogy Courses

And some are planning family history courses in the fall of 2014, like the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. These include -

  • Basic Genealogy and Family History 
Wednesdays, 8 October to 26 November 2014, 2 – 4 pm

Are you thinking of starting your family history? Or maybe you have been working on it for a while but want to sharpen your research skills? This course will cover the basics, including 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 

Where: North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto
  • Maps and Mapping for 21st Century Genealogists 
Thursday, 6 November and Wednesdays, 12, 19 and 26 November 2014, 6:15 – 8:15 pm 

This four-week course, designed for intermediate and advanced-level genealogists, explores sophisticated ways in which maps and mapping tools can contribute to family history research, analysis, and writing.

Instructor: James F.S. Thomson 

Where: Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street, Toronto 

For more information on these and other programs, go to http://torontofamilyhistory.org/learn/ 

Friday, August 22, 2014

The One Hundred Plaques Across Canada will be unveiled today

To mark the 100th anniversary of Canada's first national internment operations of 1914-1920, the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Foundation will be unveiling 100 plaques today on Friday, 22 August 2014, the 100th anniversary of the War Measures Act.

All 100 plaques will be unveiled at 11 am (local time) in Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, German, and Hungarian churches and cultural centres, as well as in local and regional museums and other public venues, creating a "wave" of unveilings, moving from east to west, from coast to coast. 

Dr Lubomyr Luciuk, the CTO project leader says “ I want to add that this is the first time in Canadian history that any community has attempted to unveil 100 historical plaques from coast to coast at the same (local) time. This couldn’t happen without the enthusiastic support of hundreds of volunteers in 100 communities across the country, from Amherst, Nova Scotia to Nanaimo, British Columbia, and Grand Prairie, Alberta to Val D’Or, Quebec to name but a few. We’re also very grateful to our Patriarch, the two Metropolitans, the national executive of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the representatives of the other affected communities and many of our internee descendants, for their help. 

We’re calling on people to set aside 11 am (local time) on Friday, 22 August 2014 so that they can join us in witnessing a plaque unveiling in their own community or region. Be there to remember, and to learn." 

To see where the plagues will be unveiled today, go to http://www.uccla.ca/List_of_Plaque_sites.pdf 

The website of The Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association is at http://www.uccla.ca/index.html

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Do You Read Blogs?

Every week, the editors of The Weekly Genealogist—published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society—take a survey, and last week they asked their readers - “How many genealogy blogs do you follow?”

And the answers were quite interesting, as 53 % said that they did not read blogs at all, while only 3% said that they read 10 or more. I would say that I am in the latter category! 

But it goes along with what I have said for the past year or so. People just do not read blogs, but those that do read blogs – read them religiously. It seems that people who write blogs (like me) read them, too. 

So, do you read blogs? How do you keep up with the genealogy news? Maybe there aren't any news to keep up with, or do you prefer podcasts or Google Hangouts on Air rather than blogs? 

To read the rest of the survey, go to http://www.americanancestors.org/wg-vol-17-no-34/#6

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Ontario Genealogical Society Branch Facebook Pages

The Ontario Genealogical Society is made up of 33 branches and SIGs, and besides their web pages, many of them also have their own Facebook pages so that they can keep in touch with members and non-members alike.

The Facebook pages are -

Bruce & Grey Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 

Elgin County Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook

Essex County Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 

Halton-Peel Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/HaltonPeelBranchOGS?fref=ts 

Hamilton Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/523462191101234/?fref=ts 

Huron County Branch, Genealogical Society Facebook 

Kent Branch Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook

Niagara Peninsula Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 

Ottawa Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 

Perth County Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/PerthCountyBranchOGS?fref=ts

Quinte Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/QuinteBranch.OGS?fref=ts

Sudbury Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/sudburyogs/?fref=ts

Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 

Wellington County Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society Facebook 

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry is on Flickr


Did you know this - that the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry is one of three Permanent Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army? And that it is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year!

The Library and Archives Canada has 40 photos on Flickr and so far, there have been 397 views. 


Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Patricia's_Canadian_Light_Infantry 

PPCLI history is at http://www.ppcli.com/ 

PPCLI Association is at http://www.ppcliassoc.ca/

Monday, August 18, 2014

Canadian Week in Review - 18 August 2014

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

History Week in Canada

In 1896, the discovery of gold in the Rabbit Creek, a tributary of the Yukon's Klondike River, led to the Klondike Gold Rush. After news of the strike reached the outside world, thousands of miners poured into the territory – especially from the United States. It's estimated more than $100 million in gold was recovered in the region during the next eight years.

Go to http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/klondike-gold-rush/
====================================================
On August 10th, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell made the first long-distance call from his home in Brantford to his assistant in Paris, Ontario. A call had been previously been made seven days earlier by the first telephone call from one building to another between Bell and his uncle.

====================================================
In 1882, the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada merged with the Great Western Railway. The merger was the result of financial difficulties and American competition.

To read more, please go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Trunk_Western_Railroad
====================================================
In August 1904, Ford of Canada began building cars in a converted wagon works in Walkerville, near Windsor, Ont. The 17 men who worked there, assembled a total of 114 cars in the first year.

To read more about the history of the Ford Motor Company of Canada, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Motor_Company_of_Canada

Social Media

Vote "Like"' for your favourite site!
   It has been since this past Thursday that this GenealogyCanada blog first appeared on County-Clerks.com, a new American website, as having been nominated as one of the top 200 websites/blogs!
   Since then, we have bounced between 14th and 3rd place, so we still need help.
   You have until September 30th to vote, and you can vote for your favourite website or blog by going to http://www.county-clerks.com/genealogy-blog. (Note: The URLs for these websites and blogs are given, but they are not yet hyper-linked.)
   Vote now, and vote often, for your favourite website or blog!

(VIDEO) Historic church moved for highway
The 150-year-old Tryon United Baptist Church in P.E.I. is being moved as the province realigns the Trans-Canada Highway.

(VIDEO) Declining Newfoundland pony bred on P.E.I.
Darlene Ulvstal grew up on Newfoundland with the special ponies there, and now she is doing what she can to save the dying breed.

(Video) The First World War: Excerpts from the diary of Woodman Leonard
Read excerpts from Woodman Leonard’s diary as he fought in the battles of Ypres, The Somme, and Vimy Ridge.

Newfoundland

Site of shipwreck deep in family history for Marystown man
A Marystown man paid a visit to the steep cliffs of Friday's Cove, where his grandfather narrowly escaped death because of a shipwreck 91 years ago.

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia sitting on $4M in unclaimed estates
Public trustee scans Christmas cards, records looking for long-lost relatives.

Nova Scotia's stunning waters
Read an Australian writer\s first impressions of Nova Scotia as he tours the province.

Blast from the past: A look back at Kings County's history
Read what happened 25, 50, and 75 years ago in Kings County, Nova Scotia.

Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown nears completion
The centre in Birchtown, near Shelburne, Nova Scotia, will the first of its kind in North America. It will present the black Loyalists’ journey as they fled revolutionary America to British Nova Scotia to build a better life during the 1780s.

Heritage Trust withdraws Nova Centre court challenge
A prominent heritage group is not going ahead with a court challenge over the construction of the Nova Centre in downtown Halifax.

Nova Scotia sitting on $4M in unclaimed estates
Public trustee scans Christmas cards, records looking for long-lost relatives.

Ontario

Your marching orders for August
Explore Fort St. Joseph, a national historic site located at the southern-most point of picturesque St. Joseph Island.

Ferris-wheel highs and nauseating lows from 135 years of "The Ex"
A history of Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition – nicknamed "The Ex" – in pictures and text.

Saskatchewan

Cree language camp at Wanuskewin Heritage Park teaches culture too
The camp celebrates its 10th anniversary.

British Columbia

A dark past unearthed
Some 8,500 Canadians, many naturalized citizens, were taken to one of the 24 internment camps across Canada, including a large one in Vernon that ran from 1914-1920. Another 88,000 Canadians were forced to register and report on a monthly basis to officials.

Story of the Week


National Acadian Day


August 15th was National Acadian Day in Canada.

As the Acadian Affairs Minister of Nova Scotia, Michel Samson, said, "National Acadian Day is a time for all Nova Scotians to experience the vitality of life that the Acadian and francophone community brings to the province."

Communities across the province are raising the Acadian flag for its 130th anniversary.

And the celebration continues.

There is the ExpoMONDE, an international showcase of the Congrès mondial acadien 2014, from Aug. 14-23 in Grand Falls, N.B.

More than 15 organizations that specialize in Acadian and francophone genealogy and history expect to greet thousands of people from around the world.

"For generations, the stories and traditions of the Acadian people of Nova Scotia have been enhanced by the many francophones from New Brunswick, Quebec, Louisiana, France, Africa, and many other parts of the world that have chosen to join communities throughout the province," said Mr. Samson. "I thank all of the organizations and volunteers at the genealogy pavilion in Grand-Falls for helping people from around the world to learn about their Acadian roots, many whose lineage began here in Nova Scotia."

To view the presentation schedule at the Genealogy Pavilion, visit http://cma2014.com/images/programmation/Pavillon_Genealogie_Presentations.pdf 

For more information about the Congrès mondial acadien 2014, go to http://www.cma2014.com/en

Reminder: Check the Canadian Week in Review next 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 August 25, 2014.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Reminder: Canadian Week in Review


Check the Canadian Week in Review tomorrow morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. 


It has the most up-to-date news items covered History Week in Canada, Social Media, and Newspaper Articles. 

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! 

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.