Showing posts with label Research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Research. Show all posts

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Will Héritage index their records? Maybe.


Ever since Héritage, a division of Canadiana, put on all of those records from the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) over a year ago, I was asking “Where are the indexes that go with the digitization of these records?”

Héritage has the objective of digitizing 40,000 reels of microfilm from “Canada’s most important archival collections”. 

They hope to comprise 60 million page images when the project is completed next year. 

But not one of these records has been indexed! Not one! So what good are they to me? -

They say that they “would like to enhance access to this content by partially transcribing select collections. Once transcribed, researchers can conduct key-word searches on a collection, allowing them to find specific personal names, geographical locations, events, etc. within a document. We need your help in choosing which collections to transcribe first”. 

So, they have put together a short survey to ask our opinion. I clicked every one of the records that they have included in the survey. 

They say that “By participating in this short survey, you can have a voice in telling Canadiana which collections are important to you. If interested, please share this widely with your members, branches, and other contacts to help us get the most feedback”. 

Please take a minute to go through the records, and click the ones you would like to see indexed.


The website for Canadiana is http://www.canadiana.ca/

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Family associations


One way to discover your French-Canadian roots is to join a family association. It all has to do with collaboration, doesn't it? 
The Library and Archives Canada says that “The main goal of a family association is to perpetuate the memory of these ancestors and preserve the cultural heritage associated with them, such as the land that was granted to them in New France, or the ancestral house, if it still exists”. 
The association members organize meetings and reunions, small or large, and publish newsletters, and of course, many have a website and a Facebook page.  
On a personal note, I see where my husband's paternal surname (Lapointe dit Audet) and his maternal surname (Jobin) are there. 
If you have Acadian roots, go to http://www.fafa-acadie.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=40 for a list of Acadian surnames. 

Thursday, July 24, 2014

60th annual Manitoba Threshermen's Reunion & Stampede


This year, an unique show will be held at the 60th annual Manitoba Threshermen’s Reunion & Stampede from today until the 27th of July at Austin, Manitoba.

They will be commemorating the First and Second World Wars in displays, exhibits, and musical performances in the “Manitoba’s Military Heritage”. It will commemorate the impact of the 100th Anniversary of the First World War and the 75th Anniversary of the Second World War on Manitoba farms, families and communities.

The feature attraction will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that includes many unique features such as

•Manitoba’s largest assembly of operating vintage military vehicles, including 1 of 2 operating First World War era Sherman tanks in Canada and a motorized First World War field ambulance

• Live daily presentations of Life in the Trenches for a First World War soldier at 11 am and 3:30 pm

• Displays of the current and heritage capabilities of Canada’s Armed Forces from 1 RCHA and 2 PPCLI from CFB Shilo.

• Exhibits on important Manitoba military sites, people and units stationed in Manitoba

• Daily fashion show of military uniforms and civilian dress from the war years at 4 pm

• Musical performances from the RCAF Air Command Band (Friday and Saturday) and the PPCLI Regimental Drum Line (Saturday only)

Go to their website at http://ag-museum.com/

You can go to the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mbagmuseum

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Ancestry Update: South African War Land Grants, 1908-1910

Ancestry.ca has added a new historical record -

“During the South African War (or Boer War) of 1899–1902, for the first time, Canada sent troops to fight in a war overseas. About 7,300 Canadian troops and 12 nurses served in South Africa. Veterans of the war were became eligible for 320 acres of Dominion Land (or a payment of $160 in scrip) under the 1908 Volunteer Bounty Act.

This database contains applications for these bounty land grants. Applications typically include the following details:

· name

· gender

· service start date, location

· residence

· death date

· place of death

· age at death

· birth date

· birth place

· regiment

The applications are two pages long, so be sure to page forward to see the entire record.” 

One thing I did notice is that in some applicant’s forms, there are notes that you may finding helpful, and the date range of service is there also. 


The records are in the Library and Archives Canada, under the citation of Department of Veterans Affairs. Soldiers of the South African War, Land Grant Applications. Record Group 38 (vols. 117-136). Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Did you index yesterday?


The FamilySearch Indexing project yesterday had over 66,000 individuals who indexed at least one batch, and many did more than one batch of documents. Over 3 million records were indexed, and over 500,000 were arbitrated! That is a fantastic number.

And did you watch some or all of DearMYRTLE’s GeneaSleepOver Hangouts On Air on Google+ and archived at YouTube?

If you didn't watch, you can view the 24-hour session (divided into segments) at https://www.youtube.com/user/DearMYRTLE

So congratulation to everyone who indexed. It is not too late to start indexing today. Go to https://familysearch.org/indexing/.

There are plenty of Canadian records waiting to be indexed.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Archives is asking for your help

The Flamborough Heritage Society & Archives, is one of the largest and most active, local heritage groups and archives in Ontario. It is located in the former Wentworth County which was in the city of Hamilton in southwestern Ontario.  

And they are working on three projects -

  • The first project is a planned book on the history behind the names of communities that exist, or did exist at one time, in Flamborough
  • The second project is a compilation of the businesses in Flamborough, with an emphasis on Waterdown, from around 1850 onwards 
  • The third project is an inventory of street names in Waterdown, and the history behind the name

They would like to receive any material which would help with this research - photos, stories, advertisements or flyers etc. They can scan the original photos, or you can send in scanned photos, or documents to flamarch@hpl.ca, or you can phone them for details at 905. 540.5161.

The website is at http://www.wefhs.myhamilton.ca/

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Call for Presenters: OGS Conference 2015 – “Tracks Through Time”


The Ontario Genealogical Society will host the Society’s annual conference on 29-31 May 2015 at Georgian College Campus, Barrie, ON, Canada. The conference theme — Tracks through Time – originates from the 130th Anniversary of the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway across Canada.

Many family historians have their roots in the immigrant laborers who built this railway across our vast country. Other ancestors were tempted by the transportation routes and migration opportunities allowed by its completion. Still others worked for the railway company itself over the years to follow. As researchers, we track our family history through time in many ways, always attempting to ensure we are tracking the right people from the right line. The variations on Tracks through Time are endless. 

The subject of presentations should preferably fall within one of the following categories:

1.Impact of the development of the railway in Canada
2. Tracking various cultural and ethnic ancestor groups to and within Canada (e.g., Aboriginal, African American, Chinese, Scandinavian, Quaker, Polish, Jewish, etc.)
3. Tracking ancestors through various record groups (land, company, religious, civil, etc.)
4. Tracking the right people (sorting out same-name research, One-Name Studies, etc.)
5. Technological advancements in tracking our ancestors

Saturday and Sunday lectures will be one hour long, including time for questions. Friday workshops offering a more in-depth exploration should be 2.5 to 3 hours in length, including time for questions. Consideration will also be given to distance presentations – “streamed in” from a presenter’s location and/or “streamed out” to a distance audience.

Each one-page proposal should include:

Presentation Title

Abstract – no more than 200 words

Presentation Description – one or two sentences for program brochure• Full Contact Information – name, postal address, telephone number, e-mail address, and website (if applicable)

Brief Biography

Target Audience – beginner, intermediate or advanced level family historians; general or specialist audience.

If your proposal is accepted, you will be requested to provide a 2- to 4-page summary of your lecture or workshop for our Conference Syllabus. This may include a brief overview, references and web addresses mentioned, sample screen shots, etc. It will be submitted electronically no later than 1 March 2015 as a word processing file or in rich text for ease of formatting our Program Syllabus. Speakers should also bear in mind that PowerPoint presentations must be clearly readable from a minimum distance of 20 metres/65 feet and should employ fonts no smaller than 32 points.

Please include your approximate travel costs, economy class, to Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Remuneration will normally include reimbursement of transportation expenses, free conference registration, free accommodation, meals on the day(s) of your talk(s), free social activities, plus honorarium. Workshop fees may be negotiated.

Contact Info: Conference 2015 website: http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference/

Email address: program.conference@ogs.on.ca

The deadline is 12 September 2014 

Friday, July 11, 2014

LAC: Soundex - How to find spelling variations of a surname


The Library and Archives Canada explains how to use the JOS Soundex code to find information on names that are difficult to find because of the way that they are spelled. 
They say that “Many American archival records have been indexed using this system. It’s a way to search surnames while ignoring minor differences in spelling. The code uses the first letter of the surname, followed by three numbers associated with the sound of the name. 
Letters of the alphabet are assigned a number (0 to 9). Vowels (A, E, I, O, U and Y) and the letters H and W are not considered. Also, if the same letter occurs twice in a row in the name, it is counted only once (e.g., Lloyd becomes Loyd). If there are fewer than 3 letters in the name, 0 is used for the last digit.” 
To help you identify different spellings of surnames, we suggest that you use the following Soundex indexing site: Avotaynu Consolidated Jewish Surname Index at http://www.avotaynu.com/csi/csi-home.htm. It can also be used for non-Jewish surnames. To help you identify the Soundex code, you can use the JOS Soundex calculator found at http://www.jewishgen.org/JOS/jossound.htm.
So, speaking of ways to make genealogy research easier for you, have you entered the Canada Day Brick Wall Contest? This is the second year that I have had the contest and it closes at 6:00 a.m. EST on Tuesday, July 15th.
You can go to the website and get the details http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/07/happy-canada-day.html and get the details.
GOOD LUCK!  

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Archives of Ontario - First World War Exhibit

The Archives of Ontario (AO), in Toronto, has put on an exhibit of a First World War family where six brothers enlisted. The exhibit is called The McLean Brothers of Sunderland,Ontario Real Genealogy Stories WWI Exhibit in the Archives Reading Room on the main floor, just to the left of the reception desk.

This is the story about of six brothers of the same family who enlisted together to take part in the Canadian war efforts. In partnership with guest curator Paul Hector this exhibit uses AO genealogical records to bring a very unique First World War family story to life.

I made my yearly trek to the AO in April of this year, and spent two days there, and accomplished a lot of client research. It is a fantastic facility, with a friendly, helpful staff. And it has a manuscript holdings that you can loose yourself in – I was impressed!

At that time they were busy gathering material for the exhibit, and I am glad that they were able to put it together. So if you are in Toronto, you should plan to visit.


They also have another exhibit online that you can visit - Dear Sadie – Loves, Lives, and Remembrance from Ontario’s First World War.

In this exhibit, you can read about four different families and what happened to them during the First World War. This exhibit “highlights the impact that the war had on individual lives”. 


I plan to return next June to do more research.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Ireland Canada Monument Project


Every so often, I hear from the Ireland Canada Monument Project in Vancouver, British Columbia by receiving their newsletter.

The Monument project is an historic endeavour to give recognition to those of Irish birth or descent who have given or continue to give to Canada, its provinces and the City of Vancouver.

They say that “The core work for the project is basically complete and general agreement has been reached between the Monument Society and Vancouver Parks Board on site details. Once a new site is agreed upon, the Monument Society looks forward to finalizing the site layout with Parks Board staff.”

They have a blog at http://irelandmonumentvancouver.com and you can be placed on the newsletter distribution list by writing to irelandmonumentcanada@gmail.com 

Sunday, July 6, 2014

I Love London, Ontario

London, Ontario has a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vintage-London-Ontario/256233541169617

It covers many local towns in the area from their beginnings to the 1990s. Old pictures, memories, adverts....anything you might consider Vintage London or surrounding villages. You can also follow Vintage London on Twitter - https://twitter.com/VintageLondonOn 

While there you can go to the London-Middlesex Genealogical Society, and check out two websites – 

Early Settlers Project 

They have 184 pages of settlers listed who settled in Middlesex County prior to 1900. This collection, begun over 30 years ago, includes family information submitted by branch members. This list is FREE!

Family History Index

They also have a 33 page Family History Index to the family history books they have in their Resource Centre. The index covers only the most frequent surnames found in each book This list is FREE!

You can check their homepage at http://londonmiddlesex.ogs.on.ca

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Update: Canadian GenWeb Cemeteries

 
The updates to Ontario cemeteries are out by the people from Canada GenWeb, and they are –

Brant County

- Farringdon Cemetery
- Harrisburg United Church Cemetery
- Mount Hope Cemetery

Bruce County

- Invermay Methodist / Aarold Methodist / Old Methodist Cemetery
- Langside Mennonite Cemetery
- Salem Evangelical United Brethren Cemetery
- South Kinloss Cemetery

Dundas County

- Dixons Corners South / Wesleyan Methodist 1825 Cemetery
- Spruce Haven Cemetery

Elgin County

- Trinity Anglican Cemetery

Essex County

- Fairbairn Union Cemetery
- St Francis Xavier Cemetery

Grey County

- Greenwood Cemetery

Halton County

- Ashgrove United Church / Mount Pleasant Canadian Wesleyan Methodist New Connexion Cemetery
- Churchill Cemetery
- Merton Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Hastings County

- Sine's Burying Ground

Huron County
- Hope Church Cemetery

Kent County
- St Philippe RC Cemetery

Lambton County

- Beechwood Cemetery
- Blackwell United Church Cemetery
- Lakeview Cemetery
- St James Cemetery
- St John's Roman Catholic Cemetery
- Watford Cemetery
- Wilkesport Cemetery
- Wyoming Cemetery

Lincoln County

- Boyd / Turney / Christie Cemetery
- Grace United Church Cemetery
- McCombs Family Cemetery
- Nicholas Smith Family Cemetery
- St Anne's Church Cemetery
- The May Family Burying Ground
- Victoria Lawn / St Catharines Cemetery

Norfolk County

- Newkirk Cemetery

Perth County

- Hampstead Cemetery
- North Easthope Presbyterian Cemetery
- St Joseph's Cemetery

Peterborough County
-Update: Canadian GenWeb Cemeteries

Russell County
- Update: Canadian GenWeb Cemeteries

Waterloo County

- Mount Hope Cemetery
-Update: Canadian GenWeb Cemeteries

Wellington County

- Greenfield Cemetery
- Hillsburgh Pioneer / God's Acre Cemetery
- Zion United Church Cemetery

Wentworth County

- Binkley Private Cemetery
- Henry Brinkley Cemetery
- Woodland Cemetery

We must say ‘Thank You’ to all of the people who work on the cemetery updates and take photos of the headstones.

To go to the website, please go to http://canadacems.blogspot.com/2014/06/ontario-update.html

Postscript: To enter the Canada Day Contest, go to http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/07/happy-canada-day.html

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Annual Accrual of Historical Vital Statistics Now Available

My father (Harold Arthur Barclay) and myself (Elizabeth Anne Barclay) in the Public Gardens in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was a favorite place to go on Sunday afternoons. 

I have been reminded by one of my readers that the Nova Scotia Archives has put on an additional 25,589 historical vital statistics on www.novascotiagenealogy.com

These records were released on 31 December 2013 and since then have been digitized, fully indexed, and checked for quality control. This year's accruals include 14,974 births (1913), 4,233 marriages (1938), and 6,382 deaths (1963). As usual, the birth records include some 'delayed' entries for individuals born in 1913 (or earlier) but not registered until a later date.

My surnames of interest are -

BARCLAY - Shelburne County and Yarmouth County  

BLADES - Shelburne County and Yarmouth County 

WEBSTER - Kings County

Friday, June 27, 2014

Ledgers of CEF Officers Transferring to Royal Flying Corps, 1915-1919

Credit: Lecture on rigging, School of Aviation, Royal Flying Corps Canada, University of Toronto

Acestry.ca says the following - 

“Canada did not have its own air force until late in the First World War, but 22,000 men from the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) were welcomed into the growing British Royal Air Force, which was formerly known as the Royal Flying Corps. 

The British Air Ministry maintained these ledgers of CEF members who transferred to the Royal Air Force. The records were later transferred to the Department of National Defence.

The records include name, address, date of birth, next of kin, the officer’s movements from unit to unit, appointments and promotions, decorations and honours, medical information, and civilian employment. Dates and notations on the ledger pages indicate records were filled out between 1918 and 1919. The activities and movements recorded in the ledgers took place between 1915 and 1919”. 

To get more information, you can go to the Ancestry.ca site at http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=9148 

To get more information on the Royal Flying Corps Canada 

Toronto in Time

Toronto In Time is a free mobile app created by the Historica-Dominion Institute/The Canadian Encyclopedia for iOS and Android that highlights the history of Toronto through "then and now" photos, slideshows, trails, and historical stories for more than 150 sites!

You can check out the Toronto In Time on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TorontoInTime and it in on the website http://citiesintime.ca/toronto

And there is also a Vancouver In Time app at https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/vancouver-in-time/id480547811?mt=8

These apps are free!

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

British Home Children deaths database

Barnardo boy ploughing C 1900 Credit: Unknown 

The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) is always adding to their databases, and this time, I see where BIFHSGO has put on another database - the names of 2,284 British Home Children who died after they had immigrated to Canada. 

They give the name, date of death, the name of the society (eg Barnardo's) and (this is important) they also give the reference source with each record. 

By going through the list, I see where some of the young men died of injuries during the First World War. 

The database is accessible at http://bifhsgo.ca/cstm_homeChildrenDeaths.php 

They also have the Fegan Index, and the Middlemore Homes Index on the Home Children Site at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=4 

Postscript: There will be a panel discussion on the Home Children at the conference of BIFHSGO held Friday September 19 to Sunday September 21st. 

As part of the panel, there will be three experts on the subject – Patricia Roberts-Pichette, Marjorie Kohli, and Gloria Tubman.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Only 11 more days left to join Ontario Genealogical Society for ½ price!


Yes, that’s right – membership for half-price!

With the half-price fee, you will be entitled to a half-year membership at $35.70 CDN and you will receive all the benefits of Individual membership including their quarterly mailing for August and November – the journal Families, the newsletter Newsleaf, and e-Newsleaf, and weekly updates.

This offer is also available to those who have not been an OGS member since 2011 and would like to rejoin the OGS family. 

To take advantage of the half-year membership, please visit the OGS website at: http://www.ogs.on.ca/integrated/integrated_account_new_step1.php

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Canada GenWeb: Prince Edward Island & Quebec cemetery update


PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Queen's County:

QUEBEC

Arthabaska County:

Bellechasse County:

Charlevoix County:

Dorchester County:

Drummond County:

Levis County:

L'Islet County:

Lotbiniere County:

Megantic County:

Montmorancy County:

Quebec County

The “Thanks” of the genealogy community go to Kate Ford for her help indexing, and to Albert Riezebos, Angela M. Clatworthy, Heather Mathis and Sonia Godin for taking photos of the cemeteries.

The website us at http://canadacems.blogspot.ca/2014/05/prince-edward-island-quebec-update.html

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Library and Archives Canada releases an updated version of the Immigrants from China database


Credit: Library and Archives Canada

Last month was Asian Heritage Month, and the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) updated their database to include references to the C.I.9 certificates issued to people of Chinese origin born in Canada and wanting to leave Canada for a limited time without losing their Canadian status.

If your ancestors are from China, you may want to view the adjusted database.

Here is the press release that was released by the LAC at the end of May -

“May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada, during which we acknowledge the long and rich history of Asian Canadians and their contributions to Canada. Asian Heritage Month also provides an opportunity for Canadians across the country to reflect on and celebrate the contributions of Canadians of Asian heritage to the growth and prosperity of Canada.

To celebrate Asian culture, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is pleased to announce the addition of references to its Immigrants from China database. It now includes references to the C.I.9 certificates issued to people of Chinese origin born in Canada and wanting to leave Canada for a limited time without losing their Canadian status. The actual records include a photograph and provide information such as the individual’s name, age and place of birth, as well as the port and date of departure, and the ship’s name.”

Chinese immigrants who arrived in Canada between 1885 and 1949 are in the database is fully explained on the website at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/immigration-records/immigrants-china-1885-1949/Pages/introduction.aspx

Saturday, June 7, 2014

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