Friday, October 16, 2015

The Summerside Journal is 150 years old


Culture Summerside and The Journal-Pioneer invite you to attend the public celebration of the 150th anniversary of The Summerside Journal, Sunday October 18th from 2 to 4 at the Veterans Convention Centre in Credit Union Place, 511 Notre Dame Street, Summerside, Prince Edward Island. 

Formalities and special program will begin at 2:30. Complimentary copies of the booklet Changing Times will be available as will an art exhibition inspired by 150 years of advertisements appearing in the newspaper. 

Refreshments will be served. 

Culture Summerside thanks the Department of Canadian Heritage for funding to celebrate this milestone of the community newspaper. 

To go to the newspaper, their website is http://www.journalpioneer.com/

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Thursday, October 15, 2015

Indexes are being added to FamilySearch


I see where FamilySearch is now putting on the records that were indexed this summer, and among the first to appear is the vital statistics of British Columbia. 

British Columbia Death Registrations, 1872-1986; 1992-1993

These are death registrations including overseas casualties, delayed death registrations, and delayed registrations of Native American deaths.

There has now been 317, 454 records that have been indexed and added to the records.


The British Columbia Marriage Registrations, 1859-1932; 1937

There has now been 18,818 records that have been indexed and added to the records.


Happy Researching!

===================================================================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 


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Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Quebec Workshop


Gwyneth Pearce, the head of publicity at the Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society has put out a call for Speakers – Quebec Workshop.

Toronto Branch is planning a one-day workshop on 16 April 2016 on Quebec family history. We are delighted that Gary Schroder, long-time President of the Quebec Family History Society, has agreed to be the keynote speaker!

We are now seeking other speakers with Quebec expertise who would like to be part of the workshop team.

You'll find our detailed call for presentations at http://torontofamilyhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Call_for_Speakers_-Quebec-Family-History_Workshop_April_2016.pdf.

Please note that the deadline to submit a proposal for this workshop is Saturday 24 October 2015.

The website for the Toronto Family History Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) is http://torontofamilyhistory.org/

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Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 


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Monday, October 12, 2015

Canadian Week in Review 12 October 2015




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

This Week in Canadian History

In 1920, the Canadian Air Board, a forerunner of the Royal Canadian Air Force, began its first flight across Canada. Wing Cmdr. Robert Leckie flew from Halifax to Winnipeg, arriving Oct. 11. From there, Air Commodore A. K. Tylee and three other pilots flew to Vancouver, arriving Oct. 17. Total elapsed time was 45 hours, 20 minutes for 5,488 kilometres, as opposed to 132 hours by rail.

And in 1927, the first air-mail service in Canada was inaugurated.

To find out more information, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Board_(Canada)

Social Media

(Blog) An Interesting Find on Ontario, Roman Catholic Church Records, 1760-1923 online 

(Photos) Whitney Pier mural remembers steel plant and its workers

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/steel-plant-mural-1.3265006

(Blog) How TTC subway stations got their atypical names

http://www.blogto.com/city/2015/10/how_ttc_subway_stations_got_their_atypical_names/

Newspaper Articles

Nova Scotia 

Sinclair Inn's hidden murals offer glimpse of Acadian past


Hidden murals in Canada's oldest surviving Acadian building may turn the walls of the museum into windows onto the past. 

Wayne Morgan helps manage the Sinclair Inn Museum in Annapolis Royal, N.S. He says the building's hidden murals lie beneath layers of peeling wallpaper.

Shearwater Aviation Museum final resting place for 1916 flag


It's a flag with a long history.And now the Union Jack that has been through war will have its final resting place at the Shearwater Aviation Museum.

A presentation for the well-worn and much loved flag was held on HMCS Sackville on Tuesday. 

Prince Edward Island 

Elmira Railway Museum on the right track

The Elmira Railway Museum saw a whopping 30 per cent increase in visitors this year, in part because the tourist attraction increased its hours. 

August alone saw a 55 per cent increase compared to the same month last year, marking the biggest increase of any of the provincially-run heritage sites.

New Brunswick

Fredericton looks at altering rules for building in heritage area

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fredericton-heritage-bylaws-meeting-1.3262042 

Fredericton is looking for ways to change the city's bylaws for developing in the St. Anne's Point Heritage Preservation Area after a subdivision on Waterloo Row prompted anger from many people in the neighbourhood. 

Ontario

My London: Visual records an eye-opener 


Archives of Ontario shares some of its treasures at the London Public Library later this month.

Separate sessions on Oct. 26 at the Central Library showcase Ontario photographs over a century and the legacy of CFPL-TV.

GENEALOGY WITH JANICE: Celebrating Family History Month in October


October is family history month. How will you celebrate? 

Manotiba

Manitoba RCMP #tbt photo offers look at police dog history

This #throwbackthursday photo posted by Manitoba RCMP is estimated to have been taken sometime in the 1940s.

The image of two dogs on a car is from the personal collection of E.B. (Ted) Bailey, a former RCMP officer who was posted to Headingley. RCMP believe Bailey, who passed away in 1991, was an early dog handler for the force.

Manitoba club goes to court after dispute over allowing women to join 


A private society is heading to court hoping to settle an internal dispute over its decision to allow women to join its ranks. 

Alberta

Sculpture helps heal history

http://www.prpeak.com/articles/2015/10/07/news/doc561464df758db775444162.txt

Carver Ivan Rosypyske went to Alert Bay with his sister on his birthday last February to witness the demolition of St. Michael’s Indian Residential School, a place where his mother had been forced to spend much of her young life. 

Alberta

Maccoy Cabin approved for long term restoration


As a new provincially designated property, Sheppard Family Park’s historic Maccoy Cabin will receive restoration work to repair damages from the 2013 disaster.

At town council in September, it was unanimously voted that the Maccoy Cabin would be restored for long term use after two proposals were submitted regarding what restoration avenues could be taken.

Canadian news stories this week


October 12th is a day for Canadian to give thanks

It's a tradition that dates back to when Martin Frobisher gave thanks after he and his crew successfully navigated through a treacherous journey from England to the Northwest Passage. 

In genealogy terms, I am thankful that my father, in 1993, phoned me shortly after my husband and I had moved to Ottawa, to ask me if I would go to the Public Archives (the name of the Library and Archives Canada back in the olden days), to see if I could find out any more information about our family name – BARCLAY. My father was hoping that I could find something so that he could give whatever I found to our cousin, who was researching the name.

My father and I know that Andrew BARCLAY was a Loyalists who had come to Shelburne, Nova Scotia, in 1783, but that was about all we knew. 

Shortly after his phone call, I ventured to the archives, and after arriving on the third floor, I was directed to the Port Roseway Associated Loyalists, and there was Andrew Barclay's name as one of the loyalists recorded in the registry.

I subsequently read every book that I could find on the subject, and with a visit to the Shelburne County Archives and Genealogical Society, I was able to put it all together into quite a story. 

So I am thankful that an innocent phone call put me on the road to doing research for others, and my continuing interest in finding out more about Andrew BARCLAY.

And that was the week in Canadian news!

===================================================================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 


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Sunday, October 11, 2015

HALLOWEEN COCKTAILS AND CULTURE


Hallowe'en notices continue!

Earlier this year, in the summer, The Rooms, which is the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador, had an open house to celebrate it's 10th anniversary.

And now they will host a HALLOWEEN COCKTAILS AND CULTURE event on Friday, October 30 from 6 - 8:30 pm and they will have a haunted flashlight tours of the Level 4 Museum Gallery with Dale Jarvis and live music by Charlie Barfoot.

Costumes optional but encouraged!
Adults (19+)
Cash bar
Tickets $15, Members $13.50
For tickets or more information contact Visitor Services at 757-8090.

The website is http://www.therooms.ca/archives/

And why is it called The Rooms? 

The Rooms was a term used by early British fishermen that they used to called the "fishing rooms". The fishing rooms were common at the seashore in every Newfoundland fishing villages. 

You can also go to http://www.therooms.ca/archives/family_history_collections.asp and see what is available as far as Vital Statistics is concerned.

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Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

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Saturday, October 10, 2015

Haunted Mississauga



The 14th Annual "Haunted Mississauga" Heritage Tour evening will take place on Friday, October 16th, 2015.

Location: Streetsville Memorial Cemetery (299 Queen Street South, Streetsville), Ontario.

Tour times: 7:20pm, 7:40pm, 8:00pm, 8:20pm, 8:40pm, 9:00pm

Please book your tickets in advance as space is limited! 905-828-8411 ext.0

$5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children and seniors

This year the story is set in October of 1831.

The Home District election is set for January 2nd, 1832. William Lyon Mackenzie, the Reform leader, has been ousted from the Assembly, and there is much unrest leading into the January election. Three Streetsville locals are running in the by-election to challenge Mackenzie. They are Timothy Street, Henry Rutledge and John Church Hyde. One is a Conservative, one is a tied and true Orangeman, and one is a Free Thinker with ideas of Reblucanism and Reform.

Who will win?

The characters you will meet are personalities from Streetsville’s past. The actors are volunteers. The story is part of the history of Streetsville.

Go to http://www.heritagemississauga.com/assets/Haunted%20Mississauga%202015%20-%20Flyer.pdf to read their flyer.
===================================================================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 


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Friday, October 9, 2015

Fall courses in the Kitchener-Waterloo area


Brooke Skelton, and genealogist and a friend, sent me this information about a learning opportunity in the Kitchener-Waterloo area in southwest Ontario. It is fall courses at the Waterloo Campus of the Laurier Association for Lifelong Learning (LALL) of the Wilfred Laurier University. 

 Some examples of the courses that will be offered are - 

You’ve Got Mail: The Story of the Postcard with Rych Mills Mondays, October 19 — November 23, 12:30 — 2:20 p.m.,on the Waterloo campus. 

Before the digital age of email and text messages, the postcard was a common means of communicating to friends and family – whether you were communicating your safety from the front lines in wartime or writing from a sunny beach destination. 

This course will illustrate the history of the postcard, exploring topics such as publishing and distribution, imagery and the emergence of photography, wartime propaganda, the collecting craze, genealogy and local history, as well as the future of the postcard. Mills has authored two books - on Kitchener history, numerous articles for WHS and is the Flash from the Past columnist in each Saturday’s Waterloo Region Record. 

 The “Charming” Christian Eby: Waterloo County Medicine Man or Witch? with Joanna Rickert-Hall Wednesdays, October 21 — November 25, 9:30 — 11:20 a.m. on the Waterloo campus. 

There was a time when fear, superstition and faith were intertwined. If you were sick, you sought the services of a healer or a priest. Depending upon the outcome of the "cure" the healer may have been labelled as a witch and at one time even condemned to death. Fortunately for Christian Eby, a Mennonite healer in early 20th-century Waterloo County, he was both feared and admired.

Courses are non-credit and are intended for personal interest and self-education. Courses are offered at a cost of $70 each.

For more information on courses, and to register for the courses, go to http://legacy.wlu.ca/documents/61880/LALL_Fall_2015_Course_Brochure.pdf

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Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

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Wednesday, October 7, 2015

31 Days to Better Genealogy


 Amy Johnson Crow has started 31 Days to Better Genealogy, in which you receive a suggestion on a daily basis by email.

Although she is an American blogger, I wanted to check it out first to see if it was US-centric, but it isn't. The suggestions can be applied to your genealogy, no matter where you live, and it is FREE.

Go to http://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/31-days-to-better-genealogy/ to sign up for the email.
 
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Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

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Do you need help?


I don't know about you, but I need help sometimes with answering my questions about software and websites.

This came to my mind when Dear Myrt announced earlier this week that she was going to do a special Wacky Wednesday episode on Friday simply called HELP.

It took an hour to listen to her, and she made a good points – you should read ALL of the website, because many times, the answer ARE already there.

If you are a member of her Dear Myrt Genealogy Community at https://plus.google.com/communities/104382659430904043232 you can see the video there, or if not, you can listen to the Google+ Hangout on Air on the You Tube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOlBsUUUqfA
 
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Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 


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Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Ontario's Agricultural Past

The Archives of Ontario has a new travelling exhibit called Ontario's Agricultural Past.

The new exhibit examines how farming in Ontario has transformed the land and created communities, and how food reaches our tables. 

Notice the poster from the Archives of Ontario which was printed in 1869. It says Ontario has land to give away to immigrants from Great Britain, Europe, and the United States!


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Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 


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Monday, October 5, 2015

Canadian Week in Review 05 October 2015


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

This Week in Canadian History

September 29, 1668 - Captain Zachariah Gillam reaches Rupert River on the ketch Nonsuch with Médart des Groseilliers. 

They built the Charles Fort, make a treaty with the local chief and spend the winter trading fur. 

The financial success of this venture lead to the creation of the Hudson's Bay Company. 



Social Media

(Photos) Taverns and Troublemakers exhibition showcases Ottawa's temperance movement


Newfoundland

Nine people invested in Order of Newfoundland and Labrador


In recognition of their outstanding contributions to the province, nine people were invested into the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Nova Scotia 

Derelict buildings a growing problem in rural Nova Scotia


Nova Scotia's rural municipalities are experiencing an unwelcome crop of derelict buildings.

There's no official count of how many abandoned structures each municipality holds. But the costs of monitoring and demolishing them quickly add up 

Archeology enthusiasts unearth artifacts at Dartmouth park


There was a public archaeological dig at the site of what is believed to be a worker's cottage or bunkhouse from the original construction phase of the Shubenacadie Canal between 1826 and 1831.

More than 300 workers, many from Ireland and Scotland, arrived in 1826 to begin construction. Work on the waterway wouldn't wrap up until 35 years later.

Amherst heritage building unlikely to get reprieve from destruction


A historic Amherst building, built of the region's famous red sand, will be lost to the town if money can't be found to repair it. 

Known as the BMO building — even though the bank moved out in the 1920s — the downtown building on the corner of Victoria and LaPlanche streets was most recently the home of the Amherst Police Department until the building was condemned in the 1990s.

Alberta 

Day in History, Sept. 29, 1928: Flight over Barren Lands the greatest air trip in Canadian history


Clennel (Punch) Dickins, well-known Edmonton bush pilot, was at the controls of the Western Canada Airways plane — the first pilot to fly 6,379 kilometres over the Barren Lands between Hudson Bay and the Mackenzie River basin. 

Canadian news stories this week

October is Women’s History Month


Her Story, Our Story: Celebrating Canadian Women

Since 1992, Canada has celebrated Women's History Month. October has been selected because of the historical significance of the "Persons Case" decision of 1929, a landmark victory in the struggle of Canadian women for equality. The highlight of the month is the celebration of Person's Day on October 18th. The theme for Women’s History Month 2015 is “Her Story, Our Story: Celebrating Canadian Women”.  

This theme highlights the outstanding achievements of women who have shaped the nation in which we live; as pioneers taking the first bold steps into the unknown, as innovators accelerating progress, and as activists at the vanguard of social change. Canada’s history is rich with examples of women who have made a difference in the world and all Canadians can benefit from getting to know their stories.

Some facts you may not know about Canadian women are - 

In 1813, Laura Secord walked 32 kilometres to warn Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon of impending danger of attack by the Americans during the War of 1812.

In 1908, Lucy Maud Montgomery of Prince Edward Island published Anne of Green Gables. It became an instant bestseller, selling more than 19,000 copies in the first five months. It remains one of the bestselling and most beloved books of all time.

During the First World War (1914–1918), more than 2,800 women served with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, with the majority serving overseas in hospitals, on board hospital ships, in several theatres of war and in combat zones with field ambulance units.

In 2009, Commander Josée Kurtz became the first woman in Canadian history to assume command of a major warship when she took control of the frigate HMCS Halifax.

You can read more about the Women's History Month at http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/commemoration/whm-mhf/educator-educateur-en.html

And that was the week in Canadian news!

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Two databases upgraded at FamilySearch



There are two databases that have been recently updated on the FamilySearch web page -

Family Origins,Quebec, Quebec Federation of Genealogical Societies, 1621-1865 

This is an index of the family origins of French and foreign immigrants who settled in old Quebec from 1621 to 1865. The index includes individual names, gender, birth dates, baptism dates, area where the individual migrated from, parent's names, and marital status

You can search the index at https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2558681

Prince Edward Island Death Card Index, 1721-1905 

This database has also been updated. It is from index and images of index cards. Information comes from various sources, newspapers, cemeteries, churches, etc.


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Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 


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


Thursday, October 1, 2015

Three new historical databases updated at Ancestry.ca



The Alberta Newspaper BMD Index, 1889 – 2012, the database which has the birth, marriage and death records of ancestors who lived in Alberta, Canada, have been updated on Ancestry.ca.

You can see the historical records at http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=70598 

They also have updated two more historical records - 

The Montreal, Canada, non-Catholic Burial Index, 1767-1899 or the Index des sépultures non catholiques, Montréal, Canada, 1767 à 1899 has been updated at http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=70766 

The Montreal, Canada, non-Catholic Marriage Index, 1766-1899 or the Index des mariages non catholiques, Montréal, Canada, 1766 à 1899 has been updated at http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=70767

These two databases come from the National Library and Archives of Achives (Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec) (BanQ).  

Happy Researching!!

===================================================================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 


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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Churches are robbed in our backyard



Word has reached us that another church - l'Église de Saint-Joachim, in the small town of Chute-à-Blondeau, Ontario, about 80 miles southeast from Ottawa - has been robbed.

More than 120 years of archival records were stolen (these records were back to 1887), and $1,000 was taken from the safe. 

Across the river from Hawkesbury, in Grenville, Quebec, the Notre Dame des Sept Douleurs Roman Catholic Church was robbed of $250.00 and there was a robbery of a church in Hawkesbury itself in the summer.

No arrests have been made so far.

I understand that they were there to take the money, but I not understand why they would take the archives – to sell. Maybe?

Let us hope this all stops, soon, and life return to normal.

===================================================================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 


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Tuesday, September 29, 2015

New Canadian Ancestry.ca


Last night, I received notification from the Canadian arm of Ancestry that they would be changing the landing page and adding some features to Ancestry.ca. 

They said that Ancestry.ca "would appear with new storytelling features and a streamlined design, the new Ancestry site will help Canadians move beyond names and dates, enhancing the stories of their ancestors’ lives. 

A few new features include: 

LifeStory, which uses events, sources and relationships you’ve collected in your family tree to create a holistic, time-based narrative of these moments;

Historical Insights will now appear within your ancestor’s life story, giving you context about the events that impacted their lives; 

Facts and Galleries will transform how you view, arrange and share the details of your ancestors’ lives.

As you begin to explore the updated site, please let us know if you have any questions, or need any help navigating the new features". 

Ancestry.com put on this new landing site and the other features about a month ago. It is clear that they are aiming towards the “new customer” (someone who has never used Ancestry before), and are not placating the “seasoned” researcher to find and improve on their research - those that have already found ancestors.

It would be my fervent wish that Ancestry would improve their search algorithms so that it doesn't give me WHITE instead of WAITE, and Halifax, Nova Scotia instead of Halifax, England, or Halifax, Virginia. I have to use the browse feature instead of the search feature.

Pat Richley-Erickson of Mondays with Myrt, a Google+ Hangout on Air, suggested yesterday that
a clearing house of complaints should be set-up so that we can put our frustrations online, instead of not having them answered by the Ancestry people. 

If you are not a member of her genealogy community on Goggle+, you can go to YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_ap4JKxu58 and view it there. 

I will keep you posted on this development.

 ==============================================================================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is 


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