Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Francophones in Alberta: Courage and Determination



The Musée Héritage Museum of St Albert, Alberta have a bilingual exhibition called Francophones in Alberta: Courage and Determination, which tells the story of the French in Alberta. It is based on the Francophone Archives Project, a collective venture between the Provincial Archives of Alberta and the Francophone Secretariat of Alberta.

They say that the exhibit includes ‘artifacts from our own collection to reflect the Francophone history of the St Albert area, highlighting objects from local families to help illustrate the greater experience of Francophone immigrants across the province. Interpretive panels will trace the history of French Albertans through their associations, both economic and cultural, its religious and early pioneering work’.

The exhibit will run through until June 21, 2015.

The website is at http://museeheritage.ca/

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

Monday, April 27, 2015

Canadian Week in Review - 27 April 2015

 
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.

This Week in Canadian History

In 1862, Simon Fraser, who explored the B.C. river that bears his name, died in St. Andrews West, Ontario.
   To read further, go to http://www.uelac.org/education/WesternResource/418-Fraser.pdf

In 1904, fire raged through downtown Toronto, causing an estimated $12 million in damage and destroying 104 buildings. No one died in the fire!
   For the story and pictures, go to http://gtmaa.com/history/

In 1907, Tom Longboat, from Ontario's Six Nations Onondaga Reserve, became the first Canadian to win the Boston Marathon, and in 1948, Gérard Côté of St. Barnabe, Quebec won the Boston Marathon for the fourth time.
   For further information, go to http://runningmagazine.ca/feature-gerard-cote-canadas-greatest-boston-marathoner/

Social Media

(Video) WATCH: Historic Alberta water tower comes crashing down
http://globalnews.ca/news/1954581/watch-historic-alberta-water-tower-comes-crashing-down/
   A water tower that was built in the 1930s was torn down Wednesday in the town of Edson.

Articles

Newfoundland-Labrador

History on display
http://www.gfwadvertiser.ca/News/Local/2015-04-23/article-4122114/History-on-display/1
   History will be on display in Grand Falls-Windsor next month as area students participate in one of seven regional heritage fairs across the province.

New Brunswick

Elm Hill's black settlement sign damaged by gunfire
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/elm-hill-s-black-settlement-sign-damaged-by-gunfire-1.3046047
   RCMP are asking for the public's help to determine who shot and damaged the welcome sign in Elm Hill, N.B., which pays tribute to the community's black heritage.

Quebec

Beyond maple syrup: Chefs embrace unconventional Canadian ingredients
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/food-trends/beyond-maple-syrup-chefs-embrace-unconventional-canadian-ingredients/article24042535/
   The average diner is probably unfamiliar with obscure-sounding – but truly Canadian – ingredients such as pennywort (a herb in the dill and carrot family) or pembina (a low-bush cranberry). But to a growing number of chefs, these and other unconventional foodstuffs are at the forefront of a new era of local food.

Ontario

Explore your country with a Maritime adventure
http://www.thespec.com/shopping-story/5568924-explore-your-country-with-a-maritime-adventure/
   This year, do some creative planning for your 2015 summer vacation. If you are ready to embark on a domestic adventure, get ready for the 11 days, 10 nights Maritime Tour!

Three Quarters of Canadians (74%) Believe 100th Anniversary of Vimy Ridge in 2017 Should Be One of Canada’s Most Important Celebrations During Sesquicentennial
http://www.northumberlandview.ca/index.php?module=news&type=user&func=display&sid=33787
   Majority (51%) of Canadians Support Changing the Name of $20 Bill to a “Vimy”.

Battle of Ypres a baptism of fire for fledgling force of Canadians
http://www.thompsoncitizen.net/news/battle-of-ypres-a-baptism-of-fire-for-fledgling-force-of-canadians-1.1829779
   The 1st Canadian Division had only been in the field a few weeks when the Germans, who had regularly shelled the tiny bulge of territory known as the Ypres Salient, opened a massive offensive.

NATURAL ROOTS: North York’s 250-year-old red oak touched by the lives of explorers, loyalists and rebels
http://www.insidetoronto.com/opinion-story/5567209-natural-roots-north-york-s-250-year-old-red-oak-touched-by-the-lives-of-explorers-loyalists-and-re/
   The age of the tree varies, but the experts seem to agree the oak is more than 250 years old, with the circumference measuring 16 feet, four inches on Aug. 23, 2006.

Saskatchewan

New microbrewery takes Saskatoon through family history
http://ckom.com/story/new-microbrewery-takes-saskatoon-through-family-history/549467
   A century ago two families set up homesteads north of Swift Current, just nine miles apart.
“When we decided to open a brewery a year-and-a-half ago we started thinking about who we were as a business and reflected that our partnership goes back longer than the two of us,” Nine Mile Brewery co-founder, Shawn Moen, told News Talk.

Stories of the Week

 

Here is a really neat idea. I know it would take work to put it together, but the Archives of Toronto has put on an online display called April in Toronto.

They take you through 1801 with the establishment of the Jarvis Collegiate Institute , to the 1904, the Great Fire of Toronto, ending with the 1973 completion of the CN Tower.

This would be a great way to bring people to your site, and to show off the holding that the archives has to be researched. And it provides ‘historical context’ to your genealogical research – it’s a win-win situation!

The website is at http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=7886893bf82a1410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextchannel=7cb4ba2ae8b1e310VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD


April 23rd was World Book and Copyright Day, with events happening all over the world, and when I started the Canadian Week in Review (CWR).

In the 2012 “The Memory of the World in the Digital Age: Digitization and Preservation,” held in Vancouver (Canada) in September 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme.

There is an interview with Anne Thurston, International Records Management Trust, in which the future of digital records are discussed.

She contends that the records are fragile and subject to “If digitized records are to survive and be accessible over time, international standards, including the capture of metadata must be applied. This is true in relation both to our digitized heritage, such as records included on the Memory of the World Register, and to digitized modern government records, for instance, land and court records, which will be needed over long periods of time and must retain their legal authenticity”.

Because genealogical records have been digitized, have the organization made sure that they will remain accessible for years to come? Something to consider.

There is more information at http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/international-days/world-book-and-copyright-day-2014


And the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) is three years old!

Back in April 23 2012, after six years of doing the Genealogy Canada blog, I came to realize that nobody was doing a weekly summary of Canadian genealogy, history and heritage news.

So I started the newspaper – the Canadian Week in Review (CWR).

It has changed a bit during the three years – I have added This Week in Canadian History, and I do a wrap-up of the stories trending in Canada for the previous week in Stories of the Week section. It now has a very popular Social Media section, where I list the stories in the week’s blogs, and the stories that have photos or videos attached to them.

So as I start the third year, I am joined by my husband, Mario, in putting the paper together each week. He has been watching from afar, but now is the time he jumps into the genealogy business, so I welcome the helping hand.

As I sign off each edition every week - "And that was the Canadian genealogy, history, and heritage news in Canada this past week!"

If you missed last week's issue, it is found at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/04/canadian-week-in-review-20-april-2015.html


Need help in finding your Canadian ancestors?

Susan I. of Toronto, Ontario says -

"With her wonderful suggestions, including provincial and local archival holdings, books, and local church records, I was delighted to uncover a marriage certificate naming my paternal great, great grandparents and their original county in Ireland.

Elizabeth also mentored me regarding further educational opportunities. I was delighted with her services."

If you do, go to Elizabeth Lapointe Research Services and see how I can help you find that elusive Canadian ancestor.

The next Canadian Week in Review will be posted 05 May 2015.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

FamilySearch Webinars


FamilySearch has just announced the May schedule of Webinars, and there are two which would be of interest to Canadian researchers, and they are -
 
May 14: Family History Library Catalog Webinar—This webinar begins at 6:00 p.m.
 
May 28: Using Canadian Census Records Webinar—This webinar begins at 7:00 p.m.

If you are just getting into genealogy, or have been at it for a long time, these are classes you should not miss.





Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.
 
 
It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!
 
It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012

FamilySearch – Nova Scotia Death Records 1956-1957



This collection include death records from 1956-1957 from Nova Scotia counties. The death records are from all counties and are arranged by county name. These records are housed at the Archives of Nova Scotia in Halifax.

Death Records may contain the following information:

Name of deceased

Name of parents

Maiden name of mother

Place of parent’s birth

Name of spouse

Gender

Age at death

Place of birth

Date of birth

Date of death

Place of death

Cause of death

Date of burial

Place of burial

Marital status

Name of cemetery

Name of funeral home

Place of residence

Occupation

I found the death of a son (Austin Locke Peterson) of my great great aunt Margaret Barclay of Jordan River, Shelburne County, Nova Scotia, and since his son-in-law, J. Thomas Whiteway, was the informant on the death certificate, another clue has been was given to me to take my genealogy to another level. Excellent!

If you wish to check out this website, it is at https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2251301



Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.
 
 
It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!
 
It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Diaries are the "meat and potatoes" of genealogy



Diaries are the "meat and potatoes" of genealogy. They bring your ancestors to life with the stories they have to tell.

So from April 20th until June 20th, visitors to the Lambton Heritage Museum, located at 10035 Museum Road, R.R. #2, Grand Bend, Ontario, can view “A Lifetime – Day by Day, Five Women and their Diaries”, on loan from the Archives of Ontario.

The five panel exhibition provides important insight into the everyday lives of early Ontario pioneer women during the last half of the 19th century.

The women featured are -

•Martha Hastie, “Marty”, the daughter of a Presbyterian Minister who started her diary at the age of 13.

•Katherine Beatrice Edgar, whose father was a Member of Parliament, kept a journal of the many social events and activities she enjoyed when her family lived in Ottawa.

•Phoebe Holden Gregg’s journal spans several stages of her life – from her marriage in 1849 to the last entry at age 62 in 1893.

•Bessie Gregg Stewart, Phoebe’s daughter, also began her diary on the day of her marriage. She wrote her diary in Clinton from August to December of 1880.

•Frances Tweedie Milne wrote her diary when she was 18 and living on her mother’s farm in Whitby.

Since this is a travelling exhibit by the Archives of Ontario, contact your local museum to see when it is coming to a facility near you.

The website is at http://www.lambtonmuseums.ca/


Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.
 
 
It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!
 
It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Ontario historical vital records


The Archives of Ontario’s newest release of historical vital records is now available on microfilm in our reading room and through microfilm interloan service.

Vital Statistics are some of our most heavily used records, and are a highly valuable tool for genealogical research.

The newest release covers registrations for Ontario births from 1917, marriages from 1932 and deaths from 1942, as well as all indexes.

The website is at http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/

For research help on Ontario Vital Records is at https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Ontario_Vital_Records




Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.
 
 
It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!
 
It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Friday, April 24, 2015

Aboriginal Heritage Festival


 

The Museum and Archives, in collaboration with community partners, is pleased to present the Aboriginal Heritage Festival for the fourth year at this site. The theme of this year’s festival is A Celebration of First Nations, Inuit and Metis Art and Culture.

The festival will be held May 2 at the Wellington County Museum and Archives, located at
0536 Wellington Rd 18, Fergus Ontario from 1:00 – 5:00. It is $5.00 per person or $12.50 per family.

 They say that “This celebration blends the beauty of Native Art, the sounds of the drum and the power of the indigenous voice. The full day event combines guest speakers, native educators, displays and demonstrations.

Local First Nations organizations will be on hand to share the history of the original peoples though discussions and storytelling. The event will also feature native foods for sale and an artisan marketplace’.

The presenters include -

Metis Nation of Ontario

Tribal Vision

Renee Thomas-Hill from the Ohsweken Genealogy Society

Lois Marshall

Jan Sherman

The website of the Wellington Museum and Archives is at http://www.wellington.ca/Museum/?_mid_=16514




 
Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.
 
 
It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!
 
It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.