Saturday, October 31, 2015

Do you know that Halloween has Celtic origins?



In pre-Christian times, many people believed that spirits from the underworld and ghosts of dead people could visit the world of the living on the night of October 31.

To avoid beimng taken back to the underworld by the spirits, people started dressing up as ghosts and spirits if they left their homes on October 31. They hoped that this would confuse the ghosts and spirits, and they wouldn't be touched.

Now, I am not so sure when that get confused with the children knocking on doors and asking for treats, and if not received, then there would be treat visited upon the house, but the Halloween traditions were brought to Canada by Irish and Scottish immigrants.

Happy Researching!!

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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!
 
It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!

Friday, October 30, 2015

Only 2 days left to become a member



There are only 2-more days left to enroll in the half-year membership to the Ontario Genealogical Society. The closing date is 31 October 2015, and the price is $37.00CDN

This is an introductory offer for brand new members that allows you to join right away rather than waiting for the next calendar year (this category is also available to those who have not been an OGS member for the past two years and would like to come back.

To see what you get for the money, go to https://www.ogs.on.ca/membership.php

The website is https://www.ogs.on.ca/integrated/integrated_account_new_step1.php

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 
 
It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!
 
It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Look at what I have found in the Saskatchewan Archives!


In the early 1950s, the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan distributed a series of questionnaires to early settlers of the province. There were eleven different questionnaires which covered the following topics - 
 
Pioneer Diet
 
General Pioneer Experiences
 
Schools
 
Churches
 
Recreation
 
Social Life
 
Farming Experiences
 
Folklore
 
Health
 
Housing
 
Local Government
 
Christmas
 
The 3500+ replies which were received are located in the Saskatoon office of the Archives of Saskatchewan. They provide a sample of each questionnaire. 
 
The questionnaires may be searched by the name of the pioneer, the nearest community, or the year of settlement in Saskatchewan. 
 

To access the questionnaires, you can contact the archives at https://www.saskarchives.com/emr/?q=website-enquiry-form
 
This is a gold mine of information for those who had people who went to Sasatchewan during the early days. The information here is astounding!
 
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 
 
It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!
 
It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

1921 Canadian census


Dwayne Meisner has sent me notice that the 1921 census for Inverness County, Nova Scotia is now fully transcribed and available to view at http://www.dwaynemeisner.com/census/novascotia/inverness1921/index.php

As usual, if you are not already a member of his site, you will have to complete a free registration form.

His site is at http://dwaynemeisner.com/index.php

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 
 
It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!
 
It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Here Comes the Train! The Ottawa Valley Railway Story



Here Comes the Train! The Ottawa Valley Railway Story, the latest hit musical from Stone Fence Theatre, is coming to Smiths Falls on November 7 for two performances at the Station Theatre.

The story of the show goes behind the scenes of life in the railway steam era, with much of it based on stories from Smiths Falls, collected with the help of the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario.
The show looks at the lives of the people who worked on and around the trains and the impact railways had on the Ottawa Valley and Canada as a whole.

Most of the play is set in the 1950s, with a five-piece band and musical styles including bluegrass, blues and country/folk.

The show will be performed at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Station Theatre on November 7. Tickets are available online at www.stonefence.ca or by phone, toll-free, at 1 866 310 1004."

The website of the museum is at http://rmeo.org/

Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/RMEOsmithsfalls

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


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 
at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/10/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-26-october.html

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

It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!

Monday, October 26, 2015

Canadian Week in Review (CWR) 26 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
 
Men Wearing Masks During the Spanish Flu, Alberta Fall 1918 
 
Library and Archives Canada
Photographer: Unknown PA-025025







Spanish Influenza Sweeps the Globe


In 1918-19 influenza pandemic was a global catastrophe that killed more than 3 percent of the world’s population. Over 50,000 Canadians died. 
 
Social Media
 
(Photos) HANTS HISTORY: Oct. 22, 2015 edition
 
 
Newspaper Articles
 
Nova Scotia
 
Yarmouth building renovation unearths interesting family history

 
Clifford R. Hayes was the signature written on a piece of wood that workers unearthed during renovations at the new location for Surette’s Jones Gym at 345 Main St.
 
Absolutely nobody wants to be Halifax’s town crier
 
 
Council votes to leave ceremonial position unfilled due to lack of applicants.
 
Ontario
 
TORONTO ROOTS: Beyond the grave: Don’t overlook the cemetery registers when searching for your family’s history
 
 
There's nothing quite like the instant thrill of brushing aside shrubbery or tugging away overgrown sod in a cemetery and uncovering a name you recognize – the feeling of connecting with an ancestor you may never have met in person.
 
Sarah Mushtaq: Islam's 144-year history in Canada
 
 
According to the 1871 Canadian Census, four years after Canada’s birth, there were 13 European Muslims in this country. 1882 saw the arrival of the first Arab immigrants — both Christian and Muslim — who were mainly Ottoman Syrians fleeing conscription.
 
This eventually led to the construction of the first Canadian mosque in 1938 in the city of Edmonton.
 
The Amateur Genealogist: Where there’s a Will – There’s Genealogical Gold
 
 
Many beginners do not look for wills -- “My family was too poor to have a will.”  There are many more wills than people suspect, so you should always look for one.  Furthermore, if a person died without a will (died intestate) someone often had to apply to the courts for permission to administer the estate. These Letters of Administration – loosely called Admons – are indexed with the wills.
 
Statues to memorialize Canada’s prime ministers would be ‘culturally insensitive’: university
 
 
More than a year after Kitchener, Ont., rejected it, a proposal to install statues of all 22 Canadian prime ministers at nearby Wilfrid Laurier University is once again facing accusations that it is “politically and culturally insensitive” to memorialize Canada’s heads of governments.
 
Celebrating women's history
 
 
Women's History Women's Month is a national celebration each October highlighting the contributions of women and girls to Canada’s rich history.
 
House of Refuge
 
 
Passion for the past inspires a young historian in Cornwall, Ontario, to memorialize inmates who died at a local ‘poor house'.
 
Manitoba
 
Manitoba Museum gets $10M from province for renewal.
 
 
The Manitoba Museum is embarking on its largest-ever renewal and received a big boost Thursday with a $10-million donation from the province.
 
Alberta
 
Day in History, Oct. 21, 1925: Telephone service links Alberta to rest of Canada, U.S.

 
Alberta took a big stride forward with the introduction of direct telephone service linking the province with other parts of Canada and the United States.
 
Lougheed House exhibit explores Canadian women's roles in WWII
 
 
A new exhibit at Lougheed House showcases the lives of Alberta women who served in the armed forces during World War II.
 
Eamon's building may get moved from storage to High River
 
 
The city is negotiating with a High River group that wants to buy the Eamon's gas station, a 1950s building the city bought three years ago to make way for the park-and-ride lot at the Tuscany LRT station.
 
British Columbia
 
In what kind of shape is your ‘Stop of Interest?'
 
 
Heritage BC wants to give Central Okanagan residents the chance to shape what ‘Stop of Interest’ should look like to commemoratief historic people, places, and events.
 
There are many ways to participate in this process and prizes can be won.
 
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 
 
It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!
 
It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Goal is almost in sight!


If you have been reading this blog over the past year, you will know that the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society has experienced some hard times. In fact, if the people did not respond and contribute to the Demolish the Deficit Fund, they would have had to close down. Well, people did respond!

They are only $300.00 dollars away from their 2015 goal of 12,000!.

Congratulations to everyone who has contributed, and to the society for seeking help from the public with their monetary difficulties. 

And there is more good news – they will be having a 2016 SGS Conference on April 15, 16 and 17, 2016! This is good news. 

The theme will be Diving in to the Genealogy Pool, and it will be held at the Ramada Plaza, Regina, Saskatchewan.

Watch for more information coming soon,

The website for the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society is http://www.saskgenealogy.com/


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

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! 
It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012! 

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Family History @ Your Library



My Thanks go to David Nicholson of Thunder Bay for sending the following article to me. It sounds like an exciting time!

If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about your family tree, then the Family History Forum is your chance to get some help from the experts. 

The Thunder Bay Public Library is holding its second annual Family History Forum at the Mary J.L. Black Branch Library on Saturday, October 24th from 1-4 pm. 

This event was launched in 2014 and nobody was entirely sure what to expect in terms of public attendance; which turned out to be an unnecessary worry as the family history enthusiasts came out in droves. Based on that success and the feedback received from participants, this year’s forum is going to be even better.

Local genealogist Dave Nicholson will be the host for the afternoon’s activities. “There isn’t a specific theme for the Forum; we want to have a variety of discussions based on three concepts – technology sources for genealogy, a family historian sharing their personal research experience, and traditional records not found on the Internet.”

While commercials for ancestry websites can make it seem as simple as a couple of clicks to find your entire family tree, not all the answers can be found online. Basic family history research techniques include talking to relatives about the stories of their ancestors and working back from the present to the past, one generation a time.

The afternoon sessions include Sharing Your Family Archives Online with Sara Janes (City of Thunder Bay Archives), Using DNA Tests To Find Your Family with Clare Cook (Thunder Bay Branch – OGS), and Genealogy and the Funeral Home: What Can I Find and Where with Sheleigh Dika (Everest Funeral Home). There will be a Q&A session to wrap up the afternoon as well as a variety of door prizes for those in attendance. Light refreshments will be available.

The Library is also offering an Ancestry Library Edition database class on the same day from 11 am-12 pm, pre-registration for this class is required and space is limited. Call 684-6815 to register.

Connect with this event on Facebook to get updates leading up to the day.

Contact Jesse Roberts at jroberts@tbpl.ca for more information or with questions.

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

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! 

It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012! 

Another Scottish Webinar






Christine Woodcock is going to present another Webinar, and this time historian and author Lucille Campey will share her extensive knowledge about the early Scots Pioneers and their impact in shaping this country - Canada.

The Webinar will be held Saturday, November 7 at 1:00 pm

To find out more about the Webinar, go to the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/525919520903723/  

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

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!
It  has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Norfolk Archives Fall Genealogy Workshop


My friend, Lynn Palermo, the Marketing and Social Media Manager of the Norfolk Archives of the Eva Brook Donly Museum and Archives which is operated by the Norfolk Historical Society, Norfolk, Simcoe, Ontario, has just forwarded to me materials that advertises the upcoming Norfolk Archives Fall Genealogy Workshop.

It will be a all-day workshop held on November 7th, and will feature DNA Testing for Genealogists with Dave Naylor, Tracking your Ancestor Through Canadian Ports of Entry by Kathryn Lake Hogan, and Beyond the Estate File with Jane McNamara.

This is a great event for any genealogists in the Southern Ontario area.

Tickets can be purchased by telephone 519.426.1583.

The Norfolk Archives website is at http://www.norfolklore.com/

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/evabrookdonly

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

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!

It has been published on a continuous basis every Monday since April 2012!  

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Ta’n Weji-sqalia’tiek Mi’kmaw Place Names Digital Atlas of Nova Scotia


In 2010, the Ta’n Weji-sqalia’tiek Mi’kmaw Place Names Digital Atlas Project (formerly Pjila’si Mi’kma’ki: Mi’kmaw Place Names Digital Atlas and Website Project) was launched to document approximately 13,000 years of Mi’kmaw presence within Mi’kma’ki, the place of the Mi’kmaq, and to raise public awareness of this ancient history of eastern Canada.

They have been able to record approximnatlry 1, 500 place names, and they have translated 700 of these names and they have been geo-referenced and placed on the map.

The names were then entered into a database as the basis of the digital atlas and interactive maps featured on the website. We have also developed numerous map layers for cross-referencing physiological and cultural/historical information.

The digital atlas will directly support other Mi’kmaw activities including the development of educational products for schools and the promotion of cultural awareness about Mi’kmaw people. 


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

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!

Kingston Genealogical Society Branch Facebook address changes



For those who follow the news of the Kingston Genealogical Society Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society will note that the Facebook address which was reported on yesterday's Canadian Week in Review (CWR) at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/10/canadian-week-in-review-19-october-2015.html has been changed to https://www.facebook.com/groups/KingstonBranchOGS  

Please note that it is a closed group, so you will have to follow instructions and apply for membership on the Join Group sign at the top of the Facebook page.  

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

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!

Monday, October 19, 2015

Canadian Week in Review 19 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 1841, Queen's College (now Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario) obtained a royal charter as a Presbyterian institution of higher learning. 

For more information, go to 

In 1914, Canada's first contingent in the First World War reached Plymouth, England.

The fleet entered Plymouth Sound off the south coast of England on the evening of 14 October 1914. Censorship about the arrival of the Canadian Armada had been so strictly controlled that the fleet was completely unexpected by the local people of Plymouth and Devonport.

To read more about this, go to http://www.greatwar.co.uk/westfront/armies/britishunits/1cdndiv.htm


Social Media

(Facebook) Kingston Genealogical Society Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has a new Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ontgensoc/permalink/907795835980762/

Newspaper Articles

Newfoundland 

A grave discovery: Portuguese fishermen return to honour White Fleet

Forgotten grave found and restored in honour of lost fishermen

Tilt Cove, Canada's smallest town, a big draw for tourists


Tucked away in a small corner of Newfoundland's Baie Verte Peninsula, the minuscule town of Tilt Cove is hiding a whole lot of history.

At first glance you would never be able to guess that this was a mining boomtown — not once, but twice — nor imagine what used to be here. 

Nova Scotia

Halifax Farmers' Market celebrates 265 years


The Halifax Farmers' Market, now known as the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market, is celebrating 265 years last weekend. They say that they are the longest running farmer's market in North America. It was established by royal decree in 1750, a year after Halifax was established itself. 

Welcome To Vonetta’s museum centre 


Vonetta’s Museum Centre features Nova Scotia’s heritage and of Maritime country music.

Prince Edward Island

Anne of Green Gables characters increase visits to historic site 


Parks Canada says there has been an increase in the visitors at the Anne of Green Gables museum because of the interactive programming and the introduction of costumed characters at the museum.

Quebec

Top 10 Places To See In Quebec


These are ten best places to see in Quebec!

Ontario

16 resources to help you research your Canadian ancestry


The state on Maine has 16 pointers id you are looking for your Canadian ancestors. 

Manitoba

Manitoba Museum gets $10M from province for renewal


The Manitoba Museum is embarking on its largest-ever renewal and received a big boost Thursday with a $10-million donation from the province.

Canadian news stories this week

October 18th was Persons Day in Canada


The decision to include women in the legal definition of "persons"u was handed down by Canada's highest court of appeal – the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of Great Britain – on October 18, 1929. This gave women the right to be appointed to the Senate of Canada. 

The five women who pursued the case have become known as the Famous Five and they are Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards.


October is Mi'kmaq History Month in Nova Scotia 

It was officially proclaimed in 1993 by then Premier John Savage and Mi'kmaq Grand Chief Ben Sylliboy as an initiative to promote province wide awareness about Mi'kmaq culture and heritage. 

It always starts with Treaty Day in recognition of the Treaty of 1752 that designated Oct. 1 as the date the Crown would present gifts to the Mi'kmaq as a sign of good faith.

Here is a timeline of Mi'kmaq history in Nova Scotia - 

• 12,000 years ago: Modern scientific evidence shows Aboriginal People lived in North America since at least the last major ice age and most likely crossed a land bridge over what is now the Berring Strait.

• 1500s: Mi'kmaq begin to have contact with Europeans.

• 1610: Mi'kmaq Grand Chief Kjisaqmaw Maupeltuk becomes first indigenous North American to be baptized and becomes known as Henri Membertou.

• 1617: Mi'kmaq population is reduced from an estimated 35,000 to less than 9,000 after warriors return from Maine with disease.

• 1713: Treaty of Utrecht cedes French Acadia to England, but Mi'kmaq land claims are ignored and relations with British are strained.

• 1780s: United Empire Loyalists from United States arrive in Maritimes and outnumber the Mi'kmaq.

• 1801: Nova Scotia government creates 10 Mi'kmaq Reserves.

• 1868: Indian Act becomes law. Amendments state that Natives must give up status to become Canadian. Aboriginal ceremonies, festivals and rituals become unlawful.

• 1900: Mi'kmaq flag is raised for first time.

• 1914: More than 150 Mi'kmaq men enlist to fight in First World War.

• 1926: Mi'kmaq forced from Kings Road Indian Reserve to present-day Membertou.

• 1930-1967: Atlantic Canada's only Indian residential school operates in Shubenacadie.

• 1951: Revisions to Indian Act remove ban on performing traditional ceremonies.

• 1971: Membertou's Donald Marshall, Jr. wrongly imprisoned for murder. Freed in 1982 and receives apology and monetary compensation from province in 1990. Marshall Jr. dies in 2009.

• 1991: Donald Marshall, Sr. dies at age 66 as serving 27 years as Mi'kmaq Grand Chief.

• 1993: Newly-appointed Grand Chief Ben Sylliboy and then Nova Scotia Premier John Savage decree October as Mi'kmaq History Month

To read more about the mi’kmag culture, go to http://mikmaqhistorymonth.com/ 

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 


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

Sunday, October 18, 2015

The Archives of Ontario: doing research from a distance



On Tuesday, October the 20, 2015 from 7:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Gerrard-Ashdale Library, Toronto, Danielle Manning will present the talk on The Archives of Ontario: doing research from a distance. 

Danielle Manning has worked at the Archives of Ontario for over two years, first as an archivist and now as an Outreach Officer. Danielle will introduce you to some of the great key resources available to genealogists and local historians at the Archives of Ontario.

The website of the Archives of Ontario is at http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/
===================================================================================================================

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!