Saturday, October 5, 2013

Preserve the Fegan Home in Toronto

The OGS has been told that the City of Toronto is interested in the site of the former Fegan Boys Distributing Home at 295 George Street in Toronto. The structure was damaged by fire in 2012.

They say that “Many of the boys passing through these walls left their mark by way of inscribing their names and the dates of their stays on the bricks. These names are still visible.

OGS, along with the broader genealogical and heritage community, requests that the City of Toronto seriously consider the historic significance of this treasure and find a way to preserve it and the information it holds”.

Some additional sites for information are -

J. W. C. Fegan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._W._C._Fegan A short, concise history of James William Condell Fegan, an Englisman who was the founder of orphanages for boys.

Young Immigrants to Canada http://jubilation.uwaterloo.ca/~marj/genealogy/children/Organizations/fegan.html If you had an relative in the Fegan Home in Toronto, you are given the name of a person in England who can search the English history of your relative for you.

BRITISH HOME CHILD http://www.ogs.on.ca/SIG-BHC/index.htm The OGS has a SIG dedicated to the British Home Child.

UPDATE: Nova Scotia 1921 Census

Dwayne Meisner has been hosting the 1921 census transcription on his site. I think that Halifax and Annapolis Counties are now complete, and he is looking for more volunteers to do the other counties in the province.

He says that “As a lot of you may be aware, I and others have been working on transcribing the 1921 census for Nova Scotia, and I have been uploading the finished transcriptions to my site http://www.dwaynemeisner.com/census/novascotia/index.php .

However, it a HUGE project, and so we are looking for more volunteers. I don't expect anyone to do a whole county; even just one sub-district would be a great
help!"

If you are interested, please visit his site
http://www.dwaynemeisner.com/census/volunteer.php for more information.

Is there anyone out there who can help Dwayne finish the 1921 Nova Scotia census?


Friday, October 4, 2013

The National Institute For Genealogical Studies Announces New Lecturing Course


The following announcement was received yesterday from the National Institute For Genealogical Studies

"Lecturing Skills Including Preparation written by genealogy professional Thomas MacEntee, is the newest course offering at The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. Part of the Professional Development Certificate, this course provides practical suggestions for developing, offering and presenting genealogical lectures. Students receive practical real world experience with a final project that involves presenting in a webinar format to a live audience.

Director of The National Institute for Genealogical Studies, Louise St. Denis says of the new course, “Lecturing is such an integral part of a professional genealogist’s life. This course seemed like a natural fit for the Professional Development Certificate. Having Thomas author the course was an easy choice considering his experience in the field.”

Course author Thomas MacEntee stated “Public speaking is not necessarily just a talent one is born with. It has to be cultivated and it is more than just standing up in front of a room and opening your mouth to speak. Good speakers know that it takes not just hard work and practice to succeed; it also requires learning the “how” of speaking about your passion and educating others.”

Whether you enroll in Lecturing as part of the Professional Development Certificate or as a stand-alone course, you will finish it with new skills to prefect your presentations.

Professional Development Certificate

The National Institute for Genealogical Studies offers eleven Certificate Programs including the Professional Development Program. Courses in this new program include, Transcribing, Abstracting, & Extracting - Career Development: Choosing a Niche - Creating Programs for Adults & the Younger Generation - Organizing a One Name Study - Lecturing - Forensic Genealogy - Genealogy and Copyright - Palaeography - Document Analysis - DNA - Marketing - House and Farm Histories - One Place Studies - Analysis and Skills Mentoring - Methodology

To learn more about The National Institute’s Certificate Programs, see their website at http://www.genealogicalstudies.com/.

Enroll Now for a Special Offer

Ongoing professional support is crucial to any career. That’s why The National Institute has teamed up with the Genealogical Speakers Guild to offer students a discount on membership.

Postscript: I am currently enrolled in the Professional Development Certificate program, and start my first course on Monday October 7th.

UPDATE: Register of One-Place Studies is Now Live!

Further to my notice last week that there was a new website online with the Register of One-Place Studies, they are now announcing the following update -

“The new free Register of One-Place Studies went LIVE earlier this week and we’re off to a flying start. So far we h studies from 3 continents covering 7 countries, 33 counties/states and 235 places. From Angmering in Sussex to the Isle of Mull in Argyll, from Drumnaconagher in County Down to Meldreth in Cambridgeshire and from Acton in Massachusetts to Wando Vale in Victoria, to name but a few, we’re helping to put study owners’ efforts on the map!

The studies range from small hamlets and specific districts within a town through to whole regions including multiple towns. Some studies are now dormant but have amassed a wealth of information over the years which continues to benefit researchers. We even have one very active study with no residents living in the study area - they were all forced to leave their homes in 1943 and were not allowed to return. What is clear is the hours of selfless dedication and commitment study owners have spent building up their studies over many years.

The Register’s purpose is to provide a listing of one-place studies currently being undertaken across the UK, and internationally, which is:
• open to all
• free to access
• free to add to
• comprehensive
If you have a one-place study and haven’t yet added it to the Register, don’t delay any more!”

The web site may be found at: http://www.register-of-one-place-studies.org.uk.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Kensington Market Through the Lens of the Ontario Jewish Archives


Dara Solomon, Director of the Ontario Jewish Archives, will present the stories found in the collections of the Ontario Jewish Archives about the families, merchants, and community members who made this neighbourhood home during the 1920s-1940s.

She will also discuss how the OJA has shaped these narratives through their 40-year old walking tour of the neighbourhood and their soon-to-be-launched mobile interactive mapping feature on the new OJA website.

The meeting will take place on October 30th at the Lillian H. Smith Branch, Toronto Public Library, 239 College Street, Toronto.

To visit the Kensington Market site, go to http://www.kmhs.ca/

To visit the Ontario Jewish Archives, go to http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/

The Ontario Jewish Archives is celebrating their 40th Anniversary this year.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Kitchener Public Library Genealogy Fair


On November 2, 2013, there will be the 3rd Genealogy Fair at the Kitchener Public Library in Kitchener, Ontario.

It starts at 9:30 AM, and the fair will be for beginners and experts alike. There will be workshops, speak with experts and more than 25 exhibits and vendors.

Some of the speakers are –

Genealogy in a Community Cookbook
with Carolyn Blackstock, Historian & Blogger

Genealogy and the Law in Canada
with Professor Margaret Ann Wilkinson, University of Western Ontario

Introduction to Genetic Genealogy
with Sue Fenn, Family History Alive

Finding Your Ancestors in Germany
with Noel Elliot, The Genealogical Research Library

There are many more speakers, and if you want more information , go to http://kpl.org/ref/gsr.html

Friends of the Tecumseh Monuments


The expansion of the site of the Tecumseh Monument is southwesters Ontario has launched a Buy a Brick Program to renovate and expand the existing site.

You can read the plans for expansion at http://www.tecumsehmonument.ca/

Individuals or companies can purchase bricks for $30. Each brick can be inscribed with a message of up to 25 characters