Saturday, February 7, 2009

Journal of the Quebec Family History Society Arrives!

Full of good articles, as usual, the Winter 2009 issue of "Connections" was in my mailbox the other day.

The first article was about the "Hochelaga School Fire". The school was situated just north of St. Catherine's Street, hosted 170 children.

There is a picture of the school,and the text gives a full description as to the condition of the school and the fire, which took place in 1907. The names of the teacher and sixteen pupils who perished is also published.

Another story is one that is told first-hand - "A Child's Wartime Journey" by Jane Atkinson.

It tells the story of her and her sister coming to Canada in 1940 and staying at Cobourg, Ontario, and spending her school holiday as a War Guest at the home of head girl Dagmar Hertzberg in Kingston.

And the last two articles — "Lower Canada in the 1790's and Early 1800's" and "Montreal Demography: An Historical Summary to 1900" — are ones you should not miss, especially if you are new to Quebec research.

The first article gives a summary of the original counties in Quebec. The second one gives a summary of Montreal and discusses the Lachine Canal; Railways and Bridges; the American Revolution & American Invasion; the Cession of French Canada to Britain; and in 1790s: "The French" Revolution, among other topics.

The society has a number of "Genealogy Days" this winter and spring, such as "A Genealogical Day in the British and Canadian Armies, 1660-1945" and "A Genealogical Day in Ireland", and so on. They run the full day from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and are $30.00 each.

Copies of "Connections" from 1977 to 2005 have been scanned and are now available on CD from the Society.

Theie website is www.qfhs.ca.