Sunday, July 17, 2011

"Janet the Researcher" Blog

Another Canadian blog is celebrating a birthday. The name of the blog is "Janet the Researcher" and it is 4 years old today! Congratulations, Janet!

Go to her blog at http://researchergal.blogspot.com/

Janet is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the Ontario Chapter, Markham Berczy Settlers Association, Grey County Historical Society, the Ontario Genealogical Society and the National Genealogical Society.

She is a busy lady!

Among other topics of interest, she writes about the Billy Bishop Home and Museum, several blogs on Bruce County, the Johnston Family, and the Marham Berszy Settlers Association.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Tech Forum Launched

The latest news from the Ontario Genealogical Society is -

"The newly formed Technical Support and Innovations Committee has launched a new forum on the OGS website. The Tech Forum is available to all OGS members and will provide a place to go to for Technical Advice and Support.

Whether you want to know more about a computer program you are using or what kind of equipment you should purchase for your branch this is the place to ask your questions. The answers will be provided by other members who have some experience or knowledge in the area you are looking for more information on.

It is hoped that this forum can also serve as a venue for members to suggest new ideas involving technology and how it can benefit the genealogical community.

To access the forum sign in to the Members Only section of the OGS website. The link to the Technical Support Message Board will appear in the green menu on the left hand side".

Steve Fulton
Technical Support and Innovations Committee
His email is tsic@ogs.on.ca
The website of the Ontario Genealogical Society is http://www.ogs.on.ca/

The Swedish American Genealogist

The Swedish American Genealogist has been put online, and it is now available to search for free of charge.

The "Swedish American Genealogist is a quarterly journal devoted to Swedish American biography, genealogy, and personal history. The journal was founded in 1981 by Nils William Olsson and is currently edited by Elisabeth Thorsell. This online collection is free to the public and contains issues published as recently as 2007. Newer issues and paper subscriptions are available from the Swenson Center".

There are many articles in the journal by Canadian and American genealogists covering the close relationship between the US and Canada as far as Swedish setters are concerned.

They ask you to note that "the digital version of the journal does not include Peter Stebbins Craig's copyrighted articles on New Sweden".

You are to contact the Swenson Center at sag@augustana.edu for information on how to access these articles.

It is online at http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/index_aug_sag.php?CISOROOT=/aug_sag

Anglo-Celtic Roots Summer 2011



The Summer 2011 edition of Anglo-Celtic Roots has just been issued, and it contains the 2010 Reports which were given at the AGM in June meeting as well as papers written by various members.

For instance, An Introduction to Researching Your Roots in Northern Ireland by William Roulston talks about such records as Census Records, Church Records, Irish Family History Foundation, and gives a very good examples of Administrative Divisions – Barony, County, Parish, Poor Law Union, Province, and Township.

The second article is He Wore His Buttons Well by Barbara Tose in which she relates the true story of the SS Antinoe, a freighter which was carrying wheat from New York to Ireland when she ran into a storm in the Atlantic off of the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The story in interesting because her great-uncle Harry Tose was the captain of the ship.

The last paper in this issue is Harry Gray's Pub by Brenda Turner in which she talks about finding out the story behind a pub that her uncle Harry used to own in London during the Second World War. She describes the help she got from the Guildhall, and the experiences her uncle witnessed during the war.

One item I found interesting to read was Stars of the 2011 BIFHSGO Conference by John D. Reid in which he talks about some of the people who will be presenting at the Conference this fall in Stars of the 2011 BIFGSGO Conference. People like Audrey Collins, Sherry Irvine, Helen Osborn, Linda Reid, and Gary Schroder have their bios in this issue of the journal.

You may contact BIFHSGO by going to http://www.bifhsgo.ca/

Thursday, July 14, 2011

August 1st - Colonel By Day

Join us on Monday, August 1st at the Bytown Museum to celebrate Colonel By Day as part of Ottawa's Rideau Canal Festival.

There will be heritage lace making and rug braiding demonstrations, musketry demonstrations, blacksmithing, tabletop exhibits from local heritage groups and museums, a Celtic Cross Commemoration Ceremony, costumed characters, and the Colonel By Day Bistro.

A number of genealogical groups will be there including the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogy Society, so be sure to drop by and say "Hello". Admission to the museum is free.

For more information on the museum go to http://www.bytownmuseum.com/en/main.html. For more information about the Rideau Canal http://www.rideaucanalfestival.ca/site_bytown.html

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

A New Website for The OGS British Home Children

This afternoon I checked the Ontario Genealogical Society site http://www.ogs.on.ca/ to see if there were any new items, and I saw where the British Home Children now has a website at http://www.ogs.on.ca/SIG-BHC/index.htm.

As the website says "From 1869 to 1939 various workhouses, sheltering homes, orphanages and child care organizations in Great Britain immigrated over 100,000 orphaned, abandoned, pauper children ages 1 to 18 to Canada. Known as the British Home Children (BHC), life for these children coming alone to Canada to work as domestics and farm labourers forging ahead in a new land was not always easy."

They have a Resources Link, and are going to have a "Members Only" page in the future.

The cost to join the SIG is $5.00. If you are already an OGS member just mail in your $5.00 cheque to the OGS provincial office indicating that it is for 2011 membership in the BHC SIG. You may also call the office or email Marsha, our Membership Co-ordinator at membership@ogs.on.ca to add this branch.

The email address for the British Home Children is BHC@ogs.on.ca.

BCGS Walter Drayton Library Open House

The British Columbia Genealogical Society (BCGS) celebrates it's 40th anniversary this year, and as part of the celebration is to hold an Open House at the library on Sunday July 17th.

The library will be open from 2-4 pm, and everyone is welcome. Door prizes will be given including a 3 one year membership to GenealogyBank courtesy of www.GenealogyBank.com.

One thing to note is that the BCGS is giving out their first-ever book awards on Sunday, and they tell me a couple of the authors will be there.

The winner this year is Bruce McIntyre for his three-volume series, Lives Lived West of the Divide: A Biographical Dictionary of Fur Traders Working West of the Rockies, 1793-1858.

The library is located at Unit 211, 12837-76th Avenue, Surrey.

If you want more information, their website is www.bcgs.ca. The email is bcgs@bcgs.ca