Showing posts with label Canadian genealogy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canadian genealogy. Show all posts

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Scottish Ancestry Research Workshop

A press release was received from Christine Woodcock the other day, and it says -

"Christine Woodcock will be giving a talk at the Kitchener Public Library (Country Hills Branch) on Monday, March 19th at 6:30 pm.

Her talk will center around the Statutory Records, Old Parish Registers, The Scottish Naming Pattern, Irregular Marriages, Making Use of the Census Records, and other useful resources including online resources, local resources, and more.

Admission is free (being Scottish, this is always my favourite price!) but you are asked to call the library ahead of time to register (519-743-3558). This will also help us to ensure we have enough hand-outs for everyone.

You can also contact Christine at cdwoodcock56@sympatico.ca

Friday, February 17, 2012

Storing and Preserving Family Archives and Artifacts

On 3 March 2012 from 1 pm to 4 pm, there will be at the City of Ottawa Central Archives, 100 Tallwood Drive, a talk will be given by Kyla Ubbink, and sponsored by Ottawa Branch OGS.

She will let you in on the secrets when it come to telling you how to store your family documents, how to save newspaper clippings, why your photographs are going ‘silvery’, and how you get rid of that musty smell in your books.

The cost: $20.00 per person. The registration is limited and the Deadline for Registration is 24 February 2012

Please make cheques payable to “OTTAWA BRANCH, OGS”

Registration Form available at http://ogsottawa.on.ca

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Black History Month in Canada



This year, the government of Canada will celebrate Black History Month (February) by recognizing the bicentennial anniversary of the War of 1812. It will honour the contributions of Black soldiers in the fight for Canada.

Black History Canada: War of 1812 http://blackhistorycanada.ca/events.php?themeid=21&id=5 This site gives the history of Black volunteers (Canadian) who fought for the British in the War of 1812.

Toronto Celebrates Black History Month www.toronto.ca/blackhistory As the website says, “Each year, the City of Toronto is proud to support events and exhibits scheduled for Black History Month, inviting members of the public to explore and celebrate the heritage, traditions and culture of African-Canadians”.

Black History Month www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/black-history/index-e.html Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has a list of resources as well as related Internet links on their website.

Books

I have just published two booklets with references to Blacks in Canada -
  • The War of 1812: Canada and the United States includes a section on Blacks who fought both on the Canadian and American sides during the War of 1812, and
  • Migration: Canada and the United States has a section on the migration of Blacks to Canada
    They are available for purchase through Global Genealogy at http://globalgenealogy.com, and the National Institute of Genealogical Studies at www.genealogicalstudies.com

    For more on the booklets, please visit these links -

    War of 1812 - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2012/01/booklet-1-war-of-1812-canada-and-united.html, and

    Migration - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2012/01/booklet-2-migration-canada-and-united.html

    Monday, January 30, 2012

    Canadian Bloggers will be at RootsTech 2012

    I have deviated from the usual New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs for the week, so that I can wish our Canadian Official Bloggers the very best at the RootsTech 2012 in Salt Lake City starting Thursday.

    We have two Official Bloggers going to RootTech (that I know of right now), and they are -

    Olive Tree Genealogy Blog
    http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/01/rootstech-presentation-international.html Lorine McGinnis Schulze is subbing for Joan Miller, and will be present at an International Panel slated to present a discussion of Social Media at Rootstech 2012.

    It will be her second year at RootsTech, and usually does interviews – so watch for her!


    Lynn Palermo The Armchair Genealogist http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com/ This will be Lynn's first RootsTech, and she is planning great things at the conference. She has carried a number of posts already on RootTech. So check out her site.

    As for me, as many of you know, I am a great RootsTech follower, and this year there will be streaming videos of all the keynote speakers at http://rootstech.org/downloads, and there will sessions that will be covered. 


    Friday, January 27, 2012

    Genealogy Hands-On Workshop


    A genealogy hands-on workshop will be held at Heritage Mississauga. 

    It will be held Saturday February 11th, 2012 from 10am-4pm for a fee of $10.00 per person.

    There will be three speakers at the workshop, and they are -

    Fawne Stratford-Devai - Co-Star of television's “Ancestors in the Attic”

    Dorothy Kew - Executive Member Halton Peel OGS

    Jane Webb - Executive Member Halton Peel OGS

    Sponsored by the Halton-Peel OGS at  www.halinet.on.ca/sigs/ogshp and the Heritage Mississauga at www.heritagemississauga.com.

    Thursday, January 26, 2012

    Formation of a Scottish Interest Group - OGS


    Christine Woodcock, the OGS Provincial Region IV Director, has put forward the idea of forming a Scottish Special Interest Group as part of the Ontario Genealogical Society.

    She writes that -

    "I am interested in forming a Scottish Special Interest group through the OGS. In order for the Scottish SIG to work, we will need 25 members as a minimum. I am hopeful that we will get this support. If you are aware of anyone in your respective branches, who may have an interest in joining this group, please pass along my e-mail address to them and I will be in touch with them from there.

    I am hoping that this SIG will be a supportive group in terms of those researching Scottish Ancestors, and I am also hoping that we will be able to provide some training opportunities as well.

    At this time, I would think that the membership fees will be the same as for the British Home Child SIG, which is $5 over and above your OGS annual membership".

    You may contact her at genealogytoursofscotland@gmail.com

    Saturday, January 21, 2012

    New Canadian Panelist for RootsTech

    Lorine McGinnis Schulze has just posted that she will be at the Rootstech Presentation: International Panel: Genealogy 2.0 in Salt Lake City next month.

    She explains on her blog that Joan Miller, a blogger from Alberta, was to appear on the panel, but she can't make it due to illness, so Lorine will take her place.

    Lorine will appear at the Salt Palace for the presentation in Room 225B at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, February 3, 2012.

    If you are going to RootsTech http://rootstech.orghttp://rootstech.org be sure to say “Hello” to Lorine!

    Lorine's blog, "Olive Tree Genealogy Blog", is at http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com

    And we hope that Joan will get better soon, and return to blogging! Her blog is at www.luxegen.ca

    Tuesday, January 17, 2012

    Alberta Cemetery Records

    Have you checked the latest cemetery records at Alberta Family Histories Society?

    They say that “This database, which has been recorded over the past 25 years by numerous volunteers, is based on monument and burial information from various cemeteries in Calgary and the surrounding region”.

    They now have 168,565 records in the index, and you can check them online at http://www.afhs.ab.ca/data/cemeteries/search.php.

    The database includes the Name, Birth/Death Years and Cemetery Name.

    For a list of cemeteries transcriptions for sale on DVD http://www.afhs.ab.ca/publications/cemetery.shtml#publications

    Monday, January 9, 2012

    New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs Week 16

    Here are some of the websites and blogs that I have come across the week ending January 8, 2012. 

    Toronto 1861 http://toronto1861.blogspot.com The "Old Census Scribe" continues her work in transcribing the 1861 Census, but she does more than that, she includes her "method and organization, and the social and geographical details of the area at that time". She started the blog on January 9th, 2009.

    Christopher Moore's History News http://christophermoorehistory.blogspot.com If you want an interesting view of Canada's history, then read Moore's blog.

    Toronto Public Library http://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/local-history-genealogy/2012/01/jewish-genealogy.html The blog has been online since 2011, and it discovers "the history of your family, your Toronto neighbourhood, or places in Ontario and across Canada".


    Diane Lynn Tibert – Handling Over the Reins http://dianetibert.com/2012/01/02/handing-over-the-reins This blog discusses history and genealogy of Nova Scotia.

    Kent County GenWeb http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onkent As the site says "Kent County is located near the South-Western tip of Ontario, between London and Windsor. It was created in 1792 and from 1792 to 1849 was part of the Western District". There are lots of resources here for you to use.

    Saturday, January 7, 2012

    Newspaper Vital Statistics Indexing Project - GANS


    I see where the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) www.chebucto.ns.ca/Recreation/GANS has put out a call for volunteers for the Newspaper Vital Statistics Indexing Project.


    They have already indexed vital statistics from 1769 to 1856, and now they need help to index and proofread the years up to 1864 because that is when the provincial government required that vital statistics be kept.

    If you can help, please contact them at gans@chebucto.ns.ca.

    They have published their Fall 2011 Newsletter, and some of the stories highlighted in this issue are "Between the Lines: The Story of Harry G. Cooke in World War I" by H. Day; "The Private Log of William Ackhurst, Jr., 1867-1868" by K. Lamb; "The Braines of Queens County, Nova Scotia" by D. Cochrane; and "Collins Family Bible, Digby County" by J. Fralic-Brown.

    Friday, January 6, 2012

    World War I Veterans of Guysborough County, Nova Scotia

    A retired Social Studies teacher in Nova Scotia has started collecting the personal history of people from Guysborough County, Nova Scotia who were in World War One.

    He says that his "goal is to compile a biographical sketch of each veteran who was born and/or lived in Guysborough County"

    He has had the blog since November,2011, and so far he has posted "Pte. Arthur Ellsworth Armsworthy: A Wounded Soldier's Story", "A Soldier's Wage", and "Pte. Robert Burns: KIA November 25, 1915."

    He says he hopes to collect this material so that it will be available to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the war from 2014 to 2018.

    The blog is at http://guysboroughgreatwarveterans.blogspot.com, and if have any information, please contact him brucefrancismacdonald@gmail.com.

    Saturday, December 31, 2011

    Most Popular Pages of 2011

    The most popular blogs that I posted in 2011 (in order of popularity, according to online stats) represent a cross-section of topics, ranging from "Some Canadian Archival Resources" on December 29 to "Holiday Sale!" on December 27 to "War of 1812 Meetings", posted on December 22 -

    December 29, 2011 - Some Canadian Archival Resources www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/some-canadian-archival-resources.html

    December 28, 2011 - French-Canadian Societies www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/french-canadian-societies.html

    December 27, 2011 - African-Canadian Societies www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/african-canadian-societies.html


    December 27, 2011 - Holiday Sale! 
    www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-sale.html

    December 1, 2011 - The Archive CD Books Project
    www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/archive-cd-books-project.html

     December 30, 2011 -  Some Other Ontario Genealogy Groups www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/some-other-ontario-genealogy-groups.html

     July 4, 2011 - Red River Colony genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/07/red-river-colony.html

    November 29, 2011 - Historical Online Newspapers in Canada www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/11/historical-online-newspapers-in-canada.html

    April 22, 2011 - Easter Treats from Ancestry.ca www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/04/easter-treats-from-ancestryca.html

    December 23, 2011 - War of 1812 Meetings www.genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/war-of-1812-meetings.html  

    If your favourite page is not listed, I'd like to hear about it - please send me an email at genealogycanada@aol.com. I appreciate hearing from my readers.

    Thank you for following me in 2011, and I look forward to having you follow me again in 2012!

    Elizabeth

    Friday, December 30, 2011

    Some Other Ontario Genealogy Groups

    Besides the ever-popular Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) www.ogs.on.ca and the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) http://bifhsgo.ca, you will find other groups of interest in Ontario, such as -

    The Upper Ottawa Valley Genealogical Group http://uovgg.ca They have the Timberline Newsletter Index (1990-1999), Renfrew County Cemetery Transcriptions, and a project on The Canadian Wends (German/Polish) immigrants.

    The Manitoulin Genealogy Club www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onmanito/club.html This group, located on Manitoulin Island in Northwestern Ontario, is interested in collecting family histories of Howland Township.

    Lanark County Genealogical Society www.globalgenealogy.com/LCGS They are located outside of Perth in Eastern Ontario. Many people from Lanark County went to Bruce, Huron, and Grey Counties in the 1850s, and later, to Manitoba and the Dakotas.

    Temiskaming Genealogy Group www.nt.net/~timetrav This group is located in Northeastern Ontario on the border with Quebec, and they have many records on the English and French fur traders.

    Sioux Lookout Genealogical Society www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onslgc Located in Northern Ontario, they have burial records, as well as the Tax Assessment Roll for 1913.

    The Muskoka Parry Sound Genealogy Group www.mpsgg.com Covering the Central Ontario areas of Muskoka and Parry Sound, this group has the Cemetery Surname Database, which gives the date of death plus date of birth (where available), and other resources of the area.

    Tomorrow's Post: Most Popular Pages of 2011

    Wednesday, December 28, 2011

    French-Canadian Societies


    Marc-Amable Girard (1822–1892) was the second Premier of the Western Canadian province of Manitoba, and the first Franco-Manitoban to hold that post.

    There are lots of French-Canadian societies in Quebec, but did you know that there are French-Canadian societies in other parts of Canada? French-Canadians—as they expanded westward across Canada—settled in villages, towns, and cities in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

    Ontario

    In the 2006 Canadian census, there were 488,815 French-Canadians in Ontario. They make up 4.1 per cent of the province's total population.

    They are mainly concentrated in Eastern Ontario (in the cities of Ottawa, Cornwall, and towns in-between), Northeastern Ontario (in the cities of Sudbury, North Bay, and Timmins), and in Toronto, Windsor, Penetanguishene, and Welland.

    There is Le Réseau du patrimoine franco-ontarien (RPFO) at http://rpfo.ca. This is a collection of over 30 French-Canadian societies in Ontario. Some sites are bilingual(F/E), while others are strictly in French, but they all have good information.

    Manotiba

    The majority of Franco-Manitobans (about 90%) live in the Greater Winnipeg area. There are Franco-Manitoban centres in Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, St. Claude, St. Pierre-Jolys, Ste. Anne, Ste. Rose du Lac, La Broquerie, Lorette, St. Laurent, Somerset, and St-Lazare.

    The Manitoba Genealogical Society www.mbgenealogy.com covers all linguist groups in the province.

    There is also The Manitoba Historical Society at www.mhs.mb.ca, and the Centre du patrimoine, Société historique de Saint-Boniface at http://shsb.mb.ca in which you can access the library database (in French), and the Voyageur contracts database (in French).

    Saskatchewan

    French-Canadians make up about 2 per cent of the population of Saskatchewan, and live in the cities of Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and Moose Jaw. They also live in small towns such as Gravelbourg, Albertville, Duck Lake, Ponteix, Zenon Park, and Bellegarde.

    Saskatchewan Genealogical Society www.saskgenealogy.com This society has 20 branches throughout the province, and covers the many peoples (including the French-Canadians) who settled there. Also, check La Société historique de la Saskatchewan at www.societehisto.com They have many published books such as La trace des pionniers, and offer a quarterly journal.

    Alberta

    The French-Canadians are centered in the Bonnie Doon area of Edmonton, in the towns of Bonnyville, Plamondon, and St. Paul in the northeast, and in the settlements of St. Isidore and the Municipal District of Smoky River No. 130, including the towns of Falher, Donnelly, McLennan, and Girouxville, as well as in north-central Alberta.

    La Société généalogique du Nord-Ouest www.sgno.ca is located in Edmonton, and they have been a society since 1991. They have a very inclusive research library.

    Tomorrow Post: Canadian Archival Societies

    Tuesday, December 27, 2011

    Holiday Sale!

    In the spirit of providing readers of this blog with some great news about a terrific product, here is the latest news from Malcolm Moody of Archive CD Books Canada Inc. -

    "WE HAVE CAUGHT SALES FEVER!

    We have marked down ALL of our Canadian made CDs by UP TO 50%.  

    Some CDs are only $7.00 each!

    Sale prices are shown in the catalogue and will apply in the Shopping Cart.

    (Sorry sale does not apply to Gleanings. They are ALWAYS at the minimum price.)

    Don’t know how long we can keep this sale up. Shop early!"

    Hurry to our Canadian Catalogue at:
    http://www.archivecdbooks.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=store.viewCatalog&lstCtl=8&lstCat=&lstSCat=#cat8

    Archive CD Books Canada Inc.
    President:  Malcolm Moody
    PO Box 11,Manotick
    Ontario, Canada K4M 1A2
    Tel:(613) 692-2667 or 1-888-692-2660 - Toll-free
    WEB SITE: http://www.ArchiveCDBooks.ca
    FACEBOOK: http://tinyurl.com/ACDB-Can-on-Facebook

    And here is a link to a review I recently did on them at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/archive-cd-books-project.html

    African-Canadian Societies


    Josiah Henson (June 15, 1789 – May 5, 1883). He escaped to Dresden, Ontario in 1830, and founded a settlement and labourer's school for other fugitive slaves from the United States. He became the main character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. You can visit the Uncle Tom's Cabin website at www.uncletomscabin.org.

    It is thought that the first Black person to live in Canada was Mattheu Da Costa in 1605. He had come to Acadia with Samuel de Champlain (commonly referred to as the “Father of Canada”) on the ship, Jonas, from France.

    Da Costa was the interpreter for the French with the Mi’kmaq natives of Nova Scotia, having been in Canada on previous occasions.

    Here are some of the websites of Blacks in Canada -

    Africville: The Spirit Lives On www.africville.ca This was a settlement of people of African descent who were former slaves, escaped slaves, and free people. In the 1960s, the community was destroyed in the theme of “urban renewal", but as the website says, “the community spirit continues to thrive today through annual gatherings and in the stories and photos of an aging generation”.

    The Black Loyalist Heritage Society www.blackloyalist.com They are in the process of building a new centre to display the Black Heritage of Birchtown, Nova Scatia. There is also the Old School House Museum on site.

    Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia www.bccns.com They just celebrated their 28th Anniversary this year, and they have just completed the 2011 Museum Renovation.

    The Ontario Black History Society www.blackhistorysociety.ca. A genealogy webpage, www.blackhistorysociety.ca/genealogy_en_239cms.htm, offers leads in Black genealogy.

    The Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society www.ckblackhistoricalsociety.org. The Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society has a current exhibit called “The Black Mecca in the Heritage Room“.

    Tomorrow's Post: French-Canadian Societies

    Sunday, November 6, 2011

    Royal Canadian Navy Ledger Sheets Database (1910-1941)


    Canadian Corvettes, on antisubmarine duty while escorting a WW II convoy. National Archives of Canada / PA-115350

    Library and Archives Canada has just announced the launch of a new online database, "Royal Canadian Navy Ledger Sheets (1910-1941)".

    The LAC says that "Through this online database, researchers can access more than 16,700 references to individuals who served in the Royal Canadian Navy and the Naval Reserve between 1910 and 1918. It also includes some records for those who enlisted between 1919 and 1941".

    The database is available at the following address:
    www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/navyledgersheet/index-e.html

    For more information, please contact webservices@bac-lac.gc.ca.

    I had one uncle in the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, and his name was John (Johnnie) Turner Barclay (b. 1916 – d. 1975) from Jordan Falls, Shelburne County, Nova Scotia. He was my father's brother, and his home base was CFB Halifax.

    He often talked about the stormy weather that they had as they crossed the Northern Atlantic to fight off of the coast of England in the Battle of the Atlantic. He was in the engine room, and he said that there were cramped conditions in which they lived and worked during those long days at sea.

    The navy lost 24 ships and 1,797 sailors in the war.

    Admiralty House Museum, Halifax, NS http://psphalifax.ca/marcommuseum/convoys.html I have been at the museum in Halifax, and it is a beautiful place. The website says, "The museum has a library of over 50,000 volumes, archives, and a permanent collection displaying historical artifacts including model ships, weapons, photos, medals and much more".

    Tomorrow's Post: New/Improved Canadian Websites and Blogs, Week 10

    Tuesday, October 11, 2011

    Descendants of Foreign Protestants

    On Tuesday 25 October 2011 at 7:30 p.m., there will be a meeting of the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia.

    Iris Shea will talk on "Descendants of Foreign Protestants who settled at the Northwest Arm: Jollimores, Slaunwhites and Boutiliers".

    The location is Akins Room, Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, 6016 University Avenue, Halifax, NS

    The website is http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Recreation/GANS/index.html

    They also have Publicly Accessible Databases, which includes an Index to Vital Stats from "The Colonial Patriot" 1827-1834, the Published Genealogies of Nova Scotia Families, and the Nova Scotia Genealogist Subject Index.

    The databases are at http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Recreation/GANS/databases.html#public

    Tuesday, September 6, 2011

    Canadian Genealogist Online

    The Canadian Genealogist has been put online at the Ontario Genealogists Society (OGS) website at http://ogs.on.ca/services/cdn_genealogist.php

    It was published four times a year between 1979 to 1988 by George and Elizabeth Hancocks.

    It followed the same layout as OGS Families, and there are lots of articles from across Canada, whereas Families is mostly concerned with genealogy that has an Ontario slant.

    All of the issues have been indexed.

    Niagara Peninsula Branch Fall Event

    J. BRIAN GILCHRIST will be the featured speaker at the Niagara Peninsula Branch Fall Event to be held later in October.

    He has over 40 years experience as a researcher, and speaker, and will facilitate the following 3 sessions -

    LOOKING FOR RECORDS IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES - ACCESSING EARLY
    ONTARIO RECORDS 1790 - 1860

    WHO GETS WHAT WHEN? HOW TO DISTRIBUTE YOUR RESEARCH.
    Brian assisted by Steve Fulton, Technical Support and Innovative Committee Chair
    for the OGS will make suggestions.

    PROBLEM SOLVING PANEL – Please submit your questions with your registration or
    by email.

    Te date will be Saturday, Oct. 29th, 2011, and it will be at the First Grantham United Church, 415 Linwell Road, St. Catharines, Ontario.

    Doors open at 9 am for Registration, and the Region 4 Meeting, and Publication sales. The cost will be $25 before October 1st, and $30 after Oct 1st, and at the door.

    Lunch as well as door prizes will be included.

    Payment can be made by cheque to Niagara Peninsula Branch OGS Box 2224, St. Catharines, Ontario, L2R 7R8, or with PayPal on our website http://www.ogs.on.ca/niagara

    For further information call 905 934 1537 or email niagara@ogs.on.ca