Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Peacekeeper's Day

Three years ago, National Peacekeepers' Day become an official day in Canada. Every year on August 9, past and present Canadian peacekeepers have been honoured through events, and activities across Canada.

Veterans Affairs Canada National Peacekeepers’ Day Also gives their history, and a list of events that are taking place across the country.
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/sub.cfm?source=feature/peacekeeper

Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping
http://www.cavunp.org/pkday.html

Gives the history of the RCMP as peacekeepers
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/po-mp/pks-gsp-day-jour-eng.htm

Museum Explores Mining Heritage

The Northern Ontario Railroad Museum and Heritage Centre is putting on "Mining Rocks of the North" exhibit from August 3 to September 5, 2011

They will have special events that will include "Gold Panning on Vermillion River" on August 20, 2011, as well as the exhibit.

If you have questions about the history of Capreol and Area including the towns of Sellwood and Milnet, the museum has books, and photos.

The museum is located at 26 Bloor St. Capreol, Ontario.

The website is http://normhc.ca/silverstripe/

Fergus Scottish Fesival & Highland Games

From August 12th to the 14th, Fergus, Ontario will be the place to be if you have an interest in things Scottish.

There will a full genealogy program at the The Record & Guelph Mercury's Genealogy and Education Venue, which is situated beside the Heavy Events field within the picturesque Avenue of the Clans.

The site says it "Lectures from our featured author, book signing, Scottish musicians, The Chieftain, dance, Scottish and Celtic related lectures given by top Canadian academics, featured athletes, tartan and kilt making, weaponry, battles, geography, sculptor, croft display, the distillation of Scotch, the many uses of Highland heather and much more".

There is a Historical Research Centre, Genealogy Research Centre and Tartan Research Centre within the venue. The Scottish Athletic Hall of Fame is the only comprehensive exhibit in the world illustrating the recorded history of indigeneous Scottish sport.

The exhibit is interpreted by historian-author Lynn Boland Richardson and renowned sports author and Commonwealth official Mr. David P Webster O.B.E. Photo opportunities and athlete autographs are available.

To go to their website http://www.fergusscottishfestival.com/
or contact them at info@FergusScottishFestival.com

Monday, August 8, 2011

Saint John Branch Genealogical Fair

On October 1, 2011, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, at The St. Joachim’s Church Hall, 603 Loch Lomond Road, Saint John, New Brunswick the Saint John Branch of the NBGS Inc. will be hosting a Genealogical Fair.

Several exhibitors will be in attendance, and it will feature the NB Archives Road Show which includes research material from the New Brunswick Provincial Archives.

I understand that Dave Obee, genealogist from Victoris, British Columbia will be there giving talks.

This fair will be of interest from the beginner to the experienced researcher.

They say that you will be able to "Learn the first steps in the lifetime journey of family research, perhaps find that small piece of information that chinks away at that brick wall you've encountered or make connections with researchers that are on the same trail as you are".

There will be a small entrance fee, and refreshments will be available to purchase.

Plenty of free parking is available.

Their site is http://www.nbgssj.ca/GenealogicalFair_October12011.asp

PoW Camp in Winnipeg

The Whitewater PoW Camp Archaeology Project http://whitewaterpowcamp.com/ is the site where German prisoners of war spent much of the Second World War in Manitoba.

The archaeology dig is at Riding Mountain National Park, located about 300 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, where the Whitewater PoW camp was located.

The camp housed about 500 people. About 450 German Afrika Korps soldiers were sent to the camp after their capture in October 1943 during the Second Battle of El-Alamein in Egypt. They were kept at the camp until October 1945.

There is a list of some of the POW camps in Canada (There were some 40 camps)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_POW_camps_in_Canada

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Articles for "The Toronto Project"

I came across this notice today in the "Loyalist Trails" UELAC Newsletter 2011-31 Aug 7, 2011 -

"The Toronto Project, which is an online museum of the history of Toronto and its' people, will launch publicly on October 12th at The Art Gallery of Ontario. Amongst a number of initiatives, The Toronto Project is creating a wiki history of the city. This will eventually be an interactive forum open to everyone's contribution. Prior to the public launch of the wiki history, The Toronto Project is looking for contributions of some core articles with which to seed the wiki.

We have been asked to submit stories of our Loyalist ancestors and their contributions to the city of Toronto and the area around. Please submit your story to torontouel@bellnet.ca. We will review and edit, if necessary, and forward them on to the project co-ordinators".

Karen Windover UE,President, Toronto Branch

Shelburne County (Nova Scotia) Archives and Genealogical Society Newsletter



The summer issue of their newsletter arrived with some sad news – the retirement of Canadian genealogist, Eleanor Smith.

I have known Eleanor since the early 1990s, and she was always been most helpful in my many projects (especially the Port Roseway Associated Loyalists). She was always willing to explain Shelburne County genealogy to me, and I will always be grateful for that.

She wrote a number of books - Loyalist Foods in Today's Recipes; Land of my Fathers, Vol 1 & 2; and Descendants of Alexander and Agnes (Hamilton) Hogg Family of Nova Scotia. She edited Lost Mariners Vol 1, and co-authored The Veterans of Shelburne County: A Memorial Vol One and Two. They are available at the SCA&GC website at http://nsgna.ednet.ns.ca/shelburne.

I interviewed her in 2009, and it was published in the May/June 2010 issue of Internet Genealogy under the title of "Going Back to Her Roots: Eleanor Robertson Smith".

In the Family Bible section of the newsletter, they have reprinted marriages, births, and deaths from the King family of Shelburne, and in the article, "News from Yesterday", they have excerpts from The Coast Guard, Clark's Harbour and Yarmouth, 5 May, 1809 newspaper.

The last article is an excerpt of the book by Gerald MacApline called "Mason's Division Stories of Jordan Bay and Jordan Ferry in Shelburne County" in which he talks about the great forest fire that swept through the village of Roseway in August, 1911, and how the Halifax newspapers spearheaded donations to the county.