2012 Vintage Wings of Canada Flight

Yesterday, a press release was received by this blog, and it says -

On behalf of the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs, the Honourable Laurie Hawn, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, took part this evening in the launch of the 2012 Vintage Wings of Canada flight season at the Gatineau Airport. The aviation enterprise is dedicated to promoting and preserving the history of Canadian aviation

"Vintage Wings of Canada does important work in preserving and better enabling us to understand the role and history of Canadian aviation in the development of our country," said Honourable Blaney.

Vintage Wings of Canada brings together aviators and aviation enthusiasts, who maintain a fleet and participate in flight activities and the promotion of Canada's aviation heritage. The organization offers educational programs and guided tours (by reservation only) of its collection, exhibited in their hangar at the Gatineau Airport. Veterans and members of the Canadian Armed Forces are welcome at all times. 

Veterans Affairs Canada maintains on its Web site at www.veterans.gc.ca archived videos that capture the personal experiences of women and men who have served Canada in times of conflict, including Canadian aviators.

Earlier this month, Minister Blaney and MP Hawn announced a $100,000 contribution toward the creation of a new Bomber Command Memorial to be unveiled this June in London's Green Park in the United Kingdom.

During the Second World War, while the Royal Air Force Fighter Command defended the United Kingdom against aerial attacks, approximately 50,000 Canadian service men and women were part of the Bomber Command, which attacked the enemy's military strength by bombing key targets in an attempt to weaken its military and industrial capabilities.

To see Vintage Wings of Canada's calendar of events, visit www.vintagewings.ca.

Branches, Twigs, and Roots Newsletter

I received my first issue of the newsletter Branches, Twigs, and Roots this week.

Sue has an interesting topic this month in her newsletter, and it’s about how doing genealogy in different cultures can lead to brick walls.

She gives an account of a query she received by a reader in which she was asked to help find Edward Mayo/Maheux and his wife Ann Toose of Quebec. Were they of different cultures - or are they from the same culture? Is Edward French? Is he Irish? Are there any clues in their surnames?
Read about her case study, and what she has to say about taking culture into account in working through the problem.

To subscribe to the newsletter, go to http://www.familyhistoryalive.com/.

While you are there, look at the various topics which she has included to help you in your researh.

Genealogical Day in England and Wales (Seminar)

Gary Schroder, QFHS President, will give a talk on Sa turday, March 31st 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Quebec Family History Society Llibrary, 173 Cartier Avenue in Pointe-Claire.

The purpose of this seminar will be to A) examine the basic structures of family history research in England, Civil Registration of BMD's 1837-2005, Censuses 1841-1911, Wills 1858-2011, etc., and B) examine how to find your ancestors for the period prior to 1837 and how to make the best use of the English databases to found to be found on Ancestry and other commercial websites.

Reservations are necessary: call 514.695.1502, or you can visit the society online at http://www.qfhs.ca/. The fee $30.00.

National Acadian Day

August 15th was National Acadian Day.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said yesterday that “The Acadian people endured early hardships with great resolve and courage to emerge a proud and determined community that continues to make significant contributions to Canada, in every area of endeavour. Their customs, traditions and way of life have become a distinctive part of Canada’s social fabric”.

They have just finished the Acadian Festival and Cyr Family Reunion http://www.acadianfestival.com/

Read about the Congress in 2014 The Acadian World Congress http://www.acadian.org/congres5.html

Acadian Arts & Crafts in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia http://www.yarmouthandacadianshores.com/

They have just had the festival The Acadian Festival of Caraquet http://festivalacadien.ca/en

Irish Symposium 2008 at Library and Archives Canada

The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is holding its second Irish Studies Symposium on November 3 & 4. The first one was held in Ottawa in 2006.

The door will be open at 8:30 for the two days, and the sessions will be held until 5:00 p.m on the first day and until 7:00 p.m. the second day. A book launch of A Story to be Told: Personal Reflections on the Irish Emigrant Experience in Canada, which is a collection of stories of about 128 Irish Emigrants to Canada, will be held the second day from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m..

There will be six sessions and one roundtable panel that will cover topics such as -

The Irish in Quebec

- Famine and Commemoration

- Politics: Shifting Attitudes and Political Impact

- The 1911 Census of Ireland

- Irish Culture: Print, Music, Food, and Film

- Irish History and Modern Media

- Directions in Irish Canadian Studies

Some of the people attending will be Irish historian and noted author on Grosse-Île, Sister Marianna O'Gallagher from Quebec, Dr. Diarmid Ferriter from Boston College, and Dr. Catherine Cox, Director for the Center for the History of Medicine in Ireland.

The cost to attend the symposium is FREE but an RSVP is required.

To attend the symposium, simply call 613.992.2618 or e-mail <webservices@lac-bac.gc.ca>. The webpage is <www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/ireland/033001-1001-e.html>.

Canadian Census of Industrial Establishments - 1871

After 25 years of studying and working with the 1871 Canada Census, Elizabeth and Gerald Bloomfield of Guelph, Ontario have released the Canadian Census of Industrial Establishments.

They have digitized the industrial census from the 1871 Census of Canada - the only detailed industrial census returns to survive so completely from the nineteenth century. More than 45, 000 industrial establishments are put into databases on the website <http://www.canind71.uoguelph.ca>.

The website provides information for the four provinces - New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Ontario - covered in the 1871 Canadian Census.

I have checked the website and thre are the divisions which cover the businesses themselves, the people who were involved with the business, power (whether it be water, etc.), and the places where the businesses were located.

I discovered that a number of business in Shelburne and Kentville, Nova Scotia where my ancestors are from are mentioned, and I doubt that I would have ever taken the time to look them up on my own - now they are indexed by the Bloomfields!

There are barrel makers and shipbuilding companies that one would expect to find in a seaside town like Shelburne and businesses like agriculture in Kentville, a farming town in 1871. What this census does is that it presents a picture of the town that can help you place your relatives within the industrial mieu of the time.

And it can also provide material for the study of the technology, business and work organization of industrial activity, and the history of families, businesses and communities in 19th century Canada.

Well worth the visit, since it is the first time it has been done on such a large scale, and it does give a snapshot of industrial development in Canada in 1871.

The Spring/Summer Journal Arrives from QFHS

My copy of "Connections" — the Journal of the Quebec Family History Society (QFHS) — arrived last week. The 28 page journal has a picture of the world-famous Quebec City hotel, the Chateau Frontenac, on the front page. Taken in 1943, it is an impressive invitation to the index on the inside of the journal.

One of the articles includes "New Kid On The Block: St. James United Church" (Robert N. Wilkins, p.6), a piece about a Methodist church hidden from view in Montreal by shops built in front of it! Now on public view once more, it was one of the largest churches of the Methodist faith built in the world. It seats 2,000 people!

In this church in 1906, Booker T. Washington gave a speech on anti-slaverly. Another time, Harriet Beecher Stowe gave a similar speech on that topic, too.

At the end of page 3 is "Researching Your Family Lineage in France" in which the QFHS is offering to "... carry out detailed family searches of your French-Canadian Family Lineage(s) from Quebec to France".

They will do detailed searches for $50.00 per search and a search will take, on average three to four hours to complete - an average of $15 - $20 per hour. Where else can you find research, that experience, yet done with a knowledge only available at the QFHS?

One other article to note is their two-part series on "The Land Register of Quebec: Part I - The System" by Sharon Callaghan (p. 17) in which she says " ... that there is now an on-line, searchable database in which you can trace the history of any property in Quebec".

Part II of the article will appear in the fall issue of "Connections". She will take you on a tour of the website, and will review the search venue at <www.mrnf.gouv.qc.ca/english/home.jsp>.

There are also two articles on Montreal: "The City of Old" and "Phoebe David (1736/37-1785)" on pages 20 and 21. These should not be missed, as they provide great reading.

If you have never thought about joining QFHS, maybe it's time to consider doing so. I have been aware of Derek Hopkins and the gang since 1994, and they have done wonders with the English part of Quebec family history.

To see what else is avaible, go to their website at <www.qfhs.ca>, or send them a note at <admin@qfhs.ca>.