Saturday, June 7, 2014

Special Notice: Join the OGS First World War Society

Credit: Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. 1983-28-826

If you had anyone in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War, you should read this notice -

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, OGS has launched a new Heritage Society. The First World War Society is a lineage Society open to anyone who can show descent from a person who served in a documented capacity on the Allied side of the First World War.

To qualify for this Society, your research must show that your named ancestor(s) fits in the category above, and then show the line of descent from that ancestor(s) to you or the person you wish named on the certificate.

For more information and an application form visit the Heritage Societies area on the OGS website is http://www.ogs.on.ca/heritage_societies.php#WW1

If you want to check the CEF site to see if your relative is there, go to the Library and Archives Canada site to see if they are listed as having joined. The site is http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/pages/home.aspx

If I can be of any assistance to you in researching your CEF member, you can email me at genealogyresearcha@aol.com or visit my site at http://www.elrs.biz

Ontario: Then and Now


The Archives of Ontario is offering a new feature and is asking for your help.

Grab your camera and get involved on Flickr! Recreate our fascinating historical photographs of neighbourhoods and landmarks across the province. We’ll provide the “then”… you provide the “now”! 

This is a great idea. It will allow you and others to see how a neighbourhood or landmark use to look years ago, and the way it looks today. Or does it look the same or different? 

You can find out about the new project by going to https://www.flickr.com/groups/ontariothenandnow

Friday, June 6, 2014

D-Day Live: The historic invasion in real time on the CBC

Credit: Lieut. Ken Bell / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-136820

Today is the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, and CBCNews.ca has re-imagined how the events of that historic day would have been reported if Twitter been around at the time. Relive history through a real-time recreation 


Meanwhile, the Library and Archives Canada has an expanded version of the Service Files of the Second World War – War Dead, 1939-1947 Database onsite. 

Thursday, June 5, 2014

100 Years of Loss - The Residential School System in Canada

The Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa is recognition of National Aboriginal History Month, by presenting the travelling exhibition 100 Years of Loss – The Residential School System in Canada.

This exhibition uses reproductions of photographs, artwork and primary documents to tell the story of thousands of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children who were removed from their families and institutionalized in residential schools. It emphasizes the present-day effects of the system, focusing on healing and reconciliation.

Special Activities

Also, as part of National Aboriginal History Month, two Residential School Survivors will share their experiences in Survivor Talks (June 9–11), and Aboriginal dancers and singers will perform in Celebrating Aboriginal Heritage (June 19).

The exhibit will be at the Canadian Museum of History from June 5 to 26, 2014 

Their website is at http://www.historymuseum.ca  

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Are you new to genealogy?

If you are new to genealogy, Family Search Learning Center has FREE Beginning Genealogy Courses, in which there are 5-minute videos that have been put on their site so that you can watch and listen to them. If you are wondering how to get started, you can learn the very rudimentary way to do research. 

Yesterday, I watched four of them – Quick Start, The Research Process, Records – An Introduction, Using Indexes to Find Records and the videos are quite good. Jesse Davis, the hostess, takes you through setting up the research problem, and brings up good points of where to look for records – at FamilySearch, naturally!

So take a look at the videos, and see what you think.

On the left hand side, there is a library of videos that are divided by a county, by subject, and by level of experience - Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced. Of course, none have been done about Canadian records - yet!

The videos are on https://familysearch.org/learningcenter/home.html  

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Wellington County Branch OGS will meet this Saturday

The Wellington County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society is recognizing The 12th Field Regiment R.C.A. (1940-1945) in their meeting on Saturday. The program will consists of two presentations –

Family and Military History

and 

A Remembrance Service for the Honour Roll of 74 Fallen Men

The meeting will be held at Saturday, June 7, 2014 at 1:00 pm at the Ontario Legion, 281 George St. Arthur, Ontario.

In the family history segment, well-known speaker Glenn Wright, a former archivist at Library and Archives Canada and a published author, will speak on locating the military records of veterans who returned to Canada and appear in researchers' family trees. The military part of the session will be presented by Rob Stark, President of the 12th Field Regiment Association and a son of a late veteran of the Regiment

A limited number of compilations of many names will be made available to those interested in both the military and family history of the 12th Field Regiment. The organizing committee requests the assistance of the community in providing service numbers of some of the men listed.

There will be a brief lunch break followed by the Remembrance service conducted by the Arthur Legion.

For more information on this special event, please visit the Wellington County website http://www.ogs.on.ca/wellington/events.html
Contact Info http://www.ogs.on.ca/wellington/index.html  

Monday, June 2, 2014

Canadian Week in Review - 02 June 2014

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.


Events in History


Samuel Cunard
On June 1, 1840, Samuel Cunard, an owner of a fleet of ships from Halifax, navigated his 700-tonne wooden paddlewheel steamer, Unicorn, to Halifax; Nova Scotia, after a two-week trip from Liverpool with 27 passengers onboard.

To learn more about Samuel Cunard, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Cunard

In 1873, Prince Edward Island officially enters Confederation as a province of Canada
To learn about Canada’s smallest province, read about it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Edward_Island

Joe Shuster and Superman
On July 10, 1914 in Toronto, Ontario, Joe Shuster was born. Who was Joe Shuster, you ask? He was a comic book artist and the son of Jewish immigrants from Rotterdam who drew the DC Comics character, Superman, the DC Comics character, Superman. He was a cousin of one of Canada's most popular comedians, Frank Shuster (of Wayne & Shuster fame).

To learn about Joe Shuster, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Shuster


Social Media


Research Guide to the Don River (Ontario)
http://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/local-history-genealogy/2014/05/getting-started-the-don-river-and-its-valley-are-defining-features-of-the-city-of-toronto-water-power-industry-expresswa.html
This is one of the features of the city of Toronto, and this webpage on the Toronto Public library website gives a good overview of the Don River area of the city.

Starting Points: Researching Canadian Immigration and Ethnic History
https://www.pier21.ca/blog/jan-raska/starting-points-researching-canadian-immigration-and-ethnic-history#footnote-1
This blog post can give you an overview of Canadian immigration and ethnic history, and suggests some starting points to help get you started on your research.


Newspaper Articles


Settlement in Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children case 'very significant'
http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/settlement-in-nova-scotia-home-for-colored-children-case-very-significant-1.1846237#ixzz33IJT7uby
A law professor is describing the legal settlement between the Nova Scotia government and former residents of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children as “very significant.”

Lost war medals returned to Nova Scotia granddaughter
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/lost-war-medals-returned-to-nova-scotia-granddaughter-1.2660092
Two weeks ago, Heather Desveaux from Nova Scotia made a stunning discovery - medals from both world wars belonging to her grandfather and great-grandfather.
Read how she succeeded in getting them back from a collector in Calgary.

CBC offers sneak peek at Book of Negroes
http://www.novanewsnow.com/News/2014-05-30/article-3744114/CBC-offers-sneak-peek-at-Book-of-Negroes/1
The filming of the TV series, The Book of Negroes, has wrapped up in Nova Scotia, and the CBC has a sneak preview. It will be aired next winter.

Cloverdale’s heritage charm is a draw for provincial conference http://www.cloverdalereporter.com/community/260970341.html
British Columbia Historical Federation’s 2014 conference will be underway next weekend in the beautiful town of at Cloverdale. There are all sorts of things to see and experience.

Allied paratroopers tour Polish military history museum
http://www.dvidshub.net/news/131743/allied-paratroopers-tour-polish-military-
Paratroopers from the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade and the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry joined their counterparts in Poland’s 16th Airborne Battalion on a tour of the central European nation’s military history at the Museum of Polish Arms in Kolobrzeg, Poland.

Canada’s Titanic – The Empress of Ireland: Discover the story of Canada’s greatest maritime disaster
http://ottawastart.com/story/23519.php
Read about the newest exhibit at Canada’s Museum of History just unveiled this past week.

Accent: Celebrating Northern Ontario's mining history
http://www.thesudburystar.com/2014/05/30/accent-celebrating-northern-ontarios-mining-history
Did you know that Northern Ontario also had discoveries in mining like the 1903 silver boom in Cobalt, the gold rushes in Kirkland Lake (1911), and the Red Lake (1925), and Hemlo (1981)?

Local students in Halifax for provincial heritage fair
http://www.trurodaily.com/News/Local/2014-05-29/article-3742456/Local-students-in-Halifax-for-provincial-heritage-fair/1
Students are gathering in Halifax for the Heritage Fair this week.

WW II aircraft and remains recovered from Vancouver Island mountainside
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ww-ii-aircraft-and-remains-recovered-from-vancouver-island-mountainside-1.2659691
A Second World War training aircraft and the remains of four airmen (one of which was a Canadian), who went missing in 1942 have been recovered from a remote logging site on Vancouver Island.

Cemetery find ups city budget
http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/05/27/cemetery-find-ups-city-budget
Additional archaeological studies cost the city of Ottawa an extra $1.8 million when an old graveyard turned up on Queen Street last year during Light Rail Transit (LRT) construction work.

Ed Coleman's history: Memories of the war
http://www.novanewsnow.com/Opinion/Columnists/2014-05-25/article-3737454/Ed-Colemans-history%3A-Memories-of-the-war/1
Read how the memory of a cavalry charge at the Battle of Vimy Ridge brought back memories of the First World War. 

Nova Scotia calls off long-awaited Bluenose II test drive
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/05/28/nova_scotia_calls_off_longawaited_bluenose_ii_test_drive.html
The Bluenose II has run into another legal roadblock in doing test runs in Lunenburg.

New Brunswick to Celebrate Acadian Heritage with Maine & Quebec
http://www.travelvideo.tv/news/canada/05-28-2014/new-brunswick-to-celebrate-acadian-heritage-with-maine-quebec
From August 8 to 24, 2014, more than 600,000 of their descendants will return to the area, known as “Acadia of the Lands and Forest” for the World Acadian Congress (or Congrès Mondial Acadien, CMA), a huge international event held every five years as a salute to Acadian heritage.

‘Forgotten Empress’ sank 100 years ago, took 1,012 lives
http://o.canada.com/news/national/forgotten-empress-sank-100-years-ago-took-1012-lives
Another article written about the sinking of the Empress of Ireland.

What are Canada’s most important headlines? Canadians can vote on their favourite front pages
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/what-are-canada-s-most-important-headlines-1.2660660
This is a neat idea - what is the most important newspaper headline that you have seen?

Vets made history
http://www.leaderpost.com/Vets+made+history/9895036/story.html
Read about the 16-day pilgrimage of remembrance to northwest Europe, where the author was able to walk in the places our veterans once trod during two world wars.

Nova Scotia’s Baddeck beckons with culture, heritage
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2014/jun/01/nova-scotias-baddeck-beckons-with-culture/?CID=happeningnow
Discover all of the sights to see at Baddeck, including a museum dedicated to Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, among other imventions.

Seven things you didn't know about a WWI Commonwealth Cemetery
http://www.thestar.com/news/walking_the_western_front/2014/05/photo_essay__understanding_a_wwi_commonwealth_cemetery.html
This is a photo essay of WWI Commonwealth Cemeteries taken by Richard Lautens. (Special to the CWR by Gail Dever and her blog, Genealogy à la carte)

For Kids: Making tracks in history, fantasy
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Kids+Making+tracks+history+fantasy/9888616/story.html?utm_content=buffer73a2a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
This is a book called Boundless, which is centered around a boy named Edward Mallandaine at the opening of the transcontinental railline that united the country. (Special to the CWR by Montreal's Gail Dever)

Story of the Week


70th Anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy
Canada and Canadians will be well-represented in France next weekend as they commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.

And there will be ceremonies all across Canada, and in Ottawa.

On June 6th, the Government of Canada and the Canadian War Museum will hold a Commemorative Ceremony for the 70th Anniversary of D-Day and the Landing at Normandy, at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
From 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., the Theatre of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum will present a live broadcast of the ceremonies to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy in France
From 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., 14:00 at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, a ceremony will take placeto mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.

To see what is taking place near where you live, go to http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/d-day/70th-anniversary 

To read up on D-Day and the Battle of Normandy go to 
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/d-day

Reminder: Check the Canadian Week in Review next Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country!

The next post will be on June 9, 2014.