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

Thursday, October 9, 2014

FamilySearch is looking for more indexers

I watched and listened to the Legacy Family Tree Webinar on Tuesday with Devin Ashby, Community Advocate for FamilySearch as he gave the talk Welcome to FamilySearch Indexing! The news is they are still looking for indexers. The webinar is free for the next seven days, so be sure to catch it at http://www.familytreewebinars.com/download.php?webinar_id=213

You can go to https://familysearch.org/indexing/ to register to be an indexer, and there are projects that you can choose from at https://familysearch.org/indexing/projects/country/ca 

Meanwhile, British Columbia Death Registrations (1871-1986) at https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1538285 , and British Columbia Marriage Registration (1859-1932) at https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1307718 have been updated.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

FREE Family History Fair

There is going to be a FREE Family History Fair in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Family History Centre on Saturday, 15 November 2014 from 9:30 am until 4 pm. 

Learn how to search for your ancestors and build your family tree. It will be a day of fun, music, discussions and great teachers. Presenters include Dr Allen Marble, the president of Genealogy Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) and other well known and experienced genealogists.

To see the schedule for the day, click on the following link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx5QmHTtDVKmWXNDNGljdzlzRVU/edit?usp=sharing  

Registration is totally free. Everybody will be provide with a free lunch. To sign up, click on the link http://www.lds.org/familyhistoryfair  

The location is Dartmouth Family History Centre, 44 Cumberland Drive in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. Google Maps gets you to the door: https://goo.gl/maps/FQ0MD 

For more information contact Doug Williams at ddoug.williams10@gmail.com 

LiterASIAN 2014: A Festival of Pacific Rim Asian Canadian Writing

The LiterASIAN 2014: A Festival of Pacific Rim Asian Canadian Writing begins October 9 to 12 at the Richmond Library and Cultural Centre, British Columbia, and it will feature the following authors

  • Fred Wah

  • Louise Bak

  • Tom Cho

  • Corinna Chong

  • Doretta Lau

  • Edwin Lee

  • Serena Leung

  • Kim Fu

  • Souvankham Thammavongsa

  • Yasuko Nguyen Thanh

  • Elsie Sze 

  • and Lily Chow. 

There will be author readings, book launches and book signings, a special poetry reading evening with open mike, book fair, outreach event at Richmond Library and Cultural Centre, British Columbia and our second annual celebration dinner fundraiser at the Pink Pearl Restaurant.

LiterASIAN: a Festival of Pacific Rim Asian Canadian Writing is a community-building initiative by the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop and Ricepaper Magazine. 

To see the full program, go to http://www.asiancanadianwriters.ca/

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Newly Reopened Museum and Archives

The newly renovated Lennox & Addington County Museum and Archives located in Napanee, near Kingston, Ontario has just reopened, and I hear that it is just wonderful. 

The expansion consists of a new addition featuring a large research room, archival storage, and display areas.

The museum and archives is a research library and extensive local archives documenting county history, as well as genealogical files for those who want to find their personal connection to the past. 

For example, the Genealogical Research Collections contain published and unpublished genealogies, published genealogical reference works, micrographic sources, card indices and family files. 

For historical background, there are municipal papers from the County of Lennox and Addington, the old Town of Napanee, villages of Newburgh and Bath, and townships within the County. 

The museum holds the Napanee Standard, Napanee Express, Napanee Beaver, The Heritage and other local newspapers. The archives has over 700 reels of microfilm, and over 10,000 original images. 

The museum and archives will be open from Monday - Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm, but they will be closed on holidays. They are open 3rd Tuesday of the month until 8 pm for "Tuesday Nights at the Museum" 


Saturday, October 4, 2014

Creepy Alberta!

  


The Alberta Archives during Archives Week will be holding Creepy Alberta! events all this month from October 5 - October 11, 2014 in deference to it being Halloween on October the 31st! And all events are open to the general public. 

For instance, these events will be held - 

Creepy Alberta: Archives Week Launch - “Buildings with a Past?”

When: October 5, 1 pm

Where: Selkirk Grille, Heritage Park, 1900 Heritage Dr SW

Join Harry Sanders for a look at forgotten uses and events in Calgary buildings and sites that might otherwise have been forgotten—if not for available sources in local archives and libraries. 

Grande Prairie

Film and Story Tea

When: October 5, 2 – 4 pm

Where: Golden Age Centre (10222-101 Avenue)

The theme of the event is “the other side of government and politics” and the event includes five storytellers as well as a 16 mm film titled, “Grande Prairie, A Way of Life”, which was produced in 1981. It is sponsored by the 100th Anniversary Committee of the City of Grande Prairie. 

Edmonton

Exhibit: The Eerie Battle of Ortona

When: October 6 – 10, 10 am – 4 pm

Where: Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum, Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre (118, 10440-108 Ave)

The exhibit features a temporary graveyard at Ortona, Italy for fallen soldiers of The Loyal Edmonton Regiment. Sixty-three men died in the grueling Christmas week battle in 1943.

Exhibit: Tonight’s the Night

When: Beginning October 6, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm M-F

Where: City of Edmonton Archives (10440-108 Ave)

Halloween has been celebrated in Edmonton since the early 1880s, and the holiday’s roots can be found in centuries old traditions. Come explore the celebration of Halloween in Edmonton from 1900 to 1950 through the City of Edmonton Archives' new exhibition "Tonight's the Night!". Parties and costumes, tricks and treats. You won’t be disappointed.

Law and Original Order: Discovering Alberta’s Court Records

When: Tours will be available Wednesday, October 8, 7-9pm, and Thursday, October 9, 1:30-4:30pm

Where: Provincial Archives of Alberta (8555 Roper Rd)

The Provincial Archives of Alberta is please to present “Law and Original Order: Discovering Alberta’s Court Records”. 

St. Albert

Open House and Exhibit

When: October 7 to 10, 10 am to 5 pm

Where: Musée Héritage Museum (5 St. Anne Street)

The Musée Héritage Museum Archives will be commemorating Archives Week with a special display in the foyer of the museum. The display will showcase a variety of the donations to the archives over the past year, with a special highlight of materials related to Brigadier-General Raymond Brutinel. 

Hinton

Creepy Stories from Hinton’s Past

When: October 8, 7-8 pm

Where: Teck Coal Room, Hinton Public Library (803 Switzer Dr)

An evening of Ghost Stories during Archives Week 2014

To find out more about these events, go to http://www.archivesalberta.org/

Friday, October 3, 2014

AFHS Beginner’s Course in Genealogy

The Alberta Family History Society (AFHS) will have a Beginner’s Course in Genealogy where you will learn how to get started, organizational skills, and where and how to look online. 

The course will be on Sunday October 19, 2014 from 2 pm to 4 pm and this course will be FREE for all AFHS members. All other non-members will be requited to buy a membership which is $40.00. It will be held at the AFHS library at 712-16 Avenue NW in Calgary, Alberta.

If you wish to attend, please contact Kay Clark at 403.279.1036, or by email at clarkegk@telus.net 


Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/AlbertaFHS 

Their blog is at http://afhs.ab.ca/blog/

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Update: Nova Scotia Births, 1864-1877



FamilySearch have updates the Nova Scotia Birth 1864-1877 which includes indexes and images of Nova Scotia county births . These records are the registration of births, not birth certificates

Birth registers may contain the following information:

  • Name of child 
  • Gender 
  • Birth date and place 
  • Father’s name, occupation and residence 
  • Mother’s name and maiden name 
  • When and where parents were married 
  • Informant’s name and residence 
  • Date birth was registered 
  • Name of witness 
It covers the counties of
  • Annapolis 
  • Antigonish 
  • Cape Bretonp 
  • Colchester 
  • Cumberland 
  • Digby 
  • Guyborough 
  • Halifax 
  • Hants 

You can go to 

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

All Aboard!

The Kent County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society meeting will be held on Friday October 10, 2014 at 7 pm.

Take a trip back in time to explore the history of the railroad in Kent County and its impact on local families with the Chatham Railway Museum in a talk entitled All Aboard!

This talk will be held at the St. Andrew’s Residence, 99 Park St., Chatham.

Members of the Kent Branch have been working on indexing branch and library publications, and an index is now available on-line for searching.

This index was updated on March 1st, 2014. The Master Index presently includes an index to 11,988 persons. And it is housed at http://www.kent.ogs.on.ca/master_index/index.php

Their blog is at http://kentcountyogsblog.blogspot.ca/

Their site is at http://kent.ogs.on.ca/

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Update: For King and Country Project

WW1 Memorial at Queen Alexandra Public School Credit given to Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch

Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has sent a report to those people who are interested in the For King and Country Project, and it says  -

Toronto Branch has reached a milestone in its project to index war memorials in the city’s schools! The number of schools in our For King and Country database now stands at 100.

The latest additions are 

  • The Bishop Strachan School
  • Davisville Public School
  • Eastern High School of Commerce
  • George Syme School
  • Humbercrest Public School
  • Keele Street School
  • Maurice Cody School
  • Roselands Public School
  • Victoria College
  • York Memorial Collegiate Institute. 

That’s 10 more schools… and 3,378 more names of students, former students and teachers who volunteered for active service in the World Wars and other conflicts.

The database now contains a total of more than 38,000 names, along with descriptions and transcriptions of memorials, photos and school histories, all fully searchable on-line.

Visit the For King and Country pages at http://torontofamilyhistory.org/kingandcountry/ to explore this growing collection.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Canadian Week in Review - 29 September 2014



I have come across the following Canadian websites, social media items, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too.

History Week in Canada


In 1780, Benedict Arnold escaped one day after his treason came to light in what was to become the United States. Arnold, a major-general, and commander of the American Fort West Point, had planned to surrender the fort to the British. He became a colonel in the British army, and later lived in Saint John, New Brunswick. He then returned to England, where he died in 1801.

===================================================
In 1962, the "Garden of the Provinces" in Ottawa was opened by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.

To read more about this park, that is opposite the Library and Archives Canada, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_of_the_Provinces_and_Territories
===================================================


Social Media


(Blog) The Recipe Project
http://recipes.hypotheses.org/4378
Valarie J. Korinek is the author of this blog, and a Professor of Canadian History at the University of Saskatchewan.

Nova Scotia

Delegates visit area for N.S. Heritage Conference
http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2014-09-23/article-3879913/Delegates-visit-area-for-N.S.-Heritage-Conference/1
Pictou County, Nova Scotia hosted the Nova Scotia Heritage Conference.

History-Ed Coleman: First World War humour in Hansford’s stories
http://www.novanewsnow.com/Opinion/Columnists/2014-09-21/article-3875711/History-Ed-Coleman%3A-First-World-War-humour-in-Hansford%26rsquo%3Bs-stories/1
Born in 1899, the former Wolfville barber, Cecil Hansford, was 16 when he joined the Canadian Army to fight in the First World War.

Lighthouse mural by Yarmouth artist an attraction for Nova Scotia visitors
http://www.kingscountynews.ca/News/Local/2014-09-23/article-3878832/Lighthouse-mural-by-Yarmouth-artist-an-attraction-for-Nova-Scotia-visitors/1
A Yarmouth artist has painted a mural of 144 Nova Scotia lighthouses that will meet everybody who takes the ferry from Maine to this Nova Scotian town.

New Brunswick

N.B.’s 104th finally gets its due
http://thechronicleherald.ca/books/1239446-nb-s-104th-finally-gets-its-due
Regiment’s War of 1812 efforts shown to be more than a footnote.

Quebec

The Treaty of Paris is in town
http://www.lifeinquebec.com/the-treaty-of-paris-is-in-town-10088/
Quebec City (Quebec) 23 September, 2014 – The Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years’ War between France Britain and Spain. The actual treaty, that was signed on February 10, 1763, is on display at the Musée de la Civilisation starting today, September 23 until October 2nd.

Ontario

Excerpt #6 – The First World War: Excerpts from the diary of Woodman Leonard
http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/09/25/the-first-world-war-excerpts-from-the-diary-of-woodman-leonard
For links to the other installments, visit last week's CWR post at -
http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/09/canadian-week-in-review-22-september.html

Canadian government joins 11th-hour search for John A. Macdonald’s precise birthplace
http://o.canada.com/news/canadian-government-joins-11th-hour-search-for-john-a-macdonalds-precise-birthplace
Barely 100 days before planned celebrations to mark the bicentennial of Sir John A. Macdonald’s birth in Glasgow, Scotland, the Canadian government has joined in an 11th-hour search for the precise birthplace of the country’s founding prime minister.

Science and Technology museum closed until 2015
http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/09/23/science-and-tech-museum-closed-until-2015
The Canada Science and Technology Museum will remain close until at least January 2015 because of mould.

Health unit looks back at its history
http://www.northernlife.ca/news/localNews/2014/09/22-sdhu-history-sudbury.aspx
A painstaking account of Sudbury's environmental history, going back to 1883, when Sudbury was only a Canadian Pacific Railway Outpost.

Here are the details on the RCAF’s new uniforms and ranks
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/here-are-the-details-on-the-rcafs-new-uniforms-and-ranks
The Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) new uniform respects the contributions and sacrifices of airmen and airwomen who served – and continue to serve – with pride and professionalism.

Afghanistan added to Tillsonburg's cenotaph, dedication ceremony planned Oct. 7
http://www.tillsonburgnews.com/2014/09/25/afghanistan-added-to-tillsonburgs-cenotaph-dedication-ceremony-planned-oct-7

Local residents are invited to a special dedication ceremony at the town cenotaph on Tuesday, October 7th to honour members of the International Security Assistance Force who served in Afghanistan.

Alberta

Can we save McKay Avenue School? Or is our history doomed to be history?
http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/category/edmonton-commons/
McKay Avenue School, built in 1904, also played host to Alberta’s first legislative assemblies. Today, it’s a school museum, and on the endanger list to be torn down.


Alberta Aviation Museum receives historic air mail letter
The letter was part of the very first air mail delivery in Western Canada, flown from Calgary to Edmonton on July 9th, 1918 by Katherine Stinson, in an insubstantial wood and fabric aircraft.

Bison treaty signed by Alberta, Montana tribes
1st treaty among tribes and First Nations in the area since the 1800s
Native tribes from the U.S. and Canada signed a treaty Tuesday establishing an inter-tribal alliance to restore bison to areas of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains where millions of the animals once roamed.


British Columbia 

Aboriginal tourism operator rebuked for opening burial boxes for travellers
http://www.cbc.ca/news/aboriginal/aboriginal-tourism-operator-rebuked-for-opening-burial-boxes-for-travellers-1.2774255
The actions of an aboriginal tourism operator in British Columbia who gave some travellers access to ancient burial boxes, including revealing the skeletal remains inside, have been condemned by his fellow First Nations.

Story of the Week




The society’s webpage is changing
(Editorial)

In years gone by, I used to go to a society’s website to see what was new with the organization, as well as its events,  latest publications, and their yearly executive.

There was so many changes I used to highlight it on my old news summary every week, and later, the Canadian Week in Review, but as time marched on, websites became less and less important, while on the other hand, the Member’s-Only webpages in the majority of a society’s website were becoming more important.

Then, about three years ago or so, the use of blogs by societies became the go-to media of choice for societies. But blogs quickly went out of style, mainly because they needed someone to look after them as people naturally graduated toward them. They needed someone to update them on a daily basis, and it became a hard job to find somebody within the society to take on that responsibility. And then Facebook came into the picture!

In a way, Facebook is their saving grace, because it can do everything that a webpage can do, plus it can add photos, videos, and other people can quickly comment on the posting, so it’s an "everybody" page. People have a feeling that the society belongs to them; whereas, the webpages and even blogs seemed somewhat distant, and there has to be a reason why only about 10% of the genealogy audience reads blogs, while as many as 70% read Facebook to see what is going on (according to a recent survey).

And now Google+ is making inroads on Facebook, although I believe that people are so used to Facebook now, it will be difficult to switch over to Google+. Most of the genealogists I know use Goggle+, along with a combination of Facebook, and yes, even blogs to keep up the date on genealogy news. And with the acquisition of YouTube, and video "Hang Outs", where you can actually listen to a person or people talk about one's favourite subject – Genealogy – it makes for a good combination.

So that is where I see genealogy going these days, until a new idea comes along.

How about you? Have you found that genealogy is cha
nging the way they get their word across to people? What have you experienced?

Let me know your thoughts, and I might post them in a future issue of CWR!

I can be reached at genealoygcanada@aol.com

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

The next post will be on 06 October 2014.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

LAC present photos of Residential Schools on Flickr

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) presents photographs from its collection of Residential Schools, taken between 1885 and 1996 on Flickr.

Flickr allows easy access to photos from the province or region of your choice. Right now, there are photos  from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba on Flickr. 

And if you want  good, print editions of the photograph, you can order a photo from the LAC. 


Friday, September 26, 2014

Fall Events at Mackenzie House, Toronto


For those of you who do not know, Mackenzie was the last home of William Lyon Mackenzie, the city's first mayor, and one the participants in the Rebellion of 1837.

He returned from self-imposed exile to the United States as a result of his involvement in the rebellion, and the house was bought for him by his friends and supporters in 1858.

There is a host of fall events to be held at Mackenzie House, such as -

High Park Harvest Festival

Sunday, October 5, 12 to 4:30 p.m.
Visit the Mackenzie House table when you come to the High Park Harvest Festival at Colborne Lodge. They will give you information about their museum programs and the opportunity to print a special Harvest Festival souvenir on their historic proof press!

City of the Dead: The Necropolis Cemetery Tour

Sunday, October 19, 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Not recommended for children under 8 years of age.

The walk starts at the Cemetery. Meet at the main entrance.

Join them for a drama-enhanced walk through the Necropolis Cemetery to visit the graves of William Lyon Mackenzie and his family, his fellow rebels and rivals. Hear stories of murder, heartbreak and great perseverance.

After the walk, participants are invited to return to Mackenzie House, for a tour and some light refreshments. 
The Necropolis Cemetery is located at 200 Winchester Street, the west side of the Don Valley near Riverdale Farm.

Pre-registration and pre-payment required. Adults (16 yrs. & older):$12.50 plus tax; Children 8-15 yrs.: $10.50 plus tax.

Spirit Walk

Saturday, October 25 - Three times available At 6:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.

Not recommended for children under 8 years of age.

Let your imagination take over as they lead you through downtown alleys and lane ways to discover some of Toronto’s reputedly haunted buildings ….

Return to gas-lit historic Mackenzie House and soothe your goose bumps with mulled cider and biscuits as you hear about the ghost stories associated with the house.

Pre-registration and pre-payment are required. Adults (16 yrs. & older): $12.50 plus tax; Children 8-15 yrs.: $10.50 plus tax

Contact them at 416-392-6915 or email machouse@toronto.ca

The webpage is at http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=8ccf1d18ed7a0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/mackenziehouse
The story of of William Lyon Mackenzie is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lyon_Mackenzie

Thursday, September 25, 2014

The Library and Archives Canada has digitized the War Diaries of the First World War

As the LAC say, these dairies of the “Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) units were required to maintain a daily account of their "Actions in the Field." This log was called a War Diary. 

This database contains the digitized War Diaries of CEF infantry, artillery and cavalry units, Brigade, Division and Corps commands and support units such as Railway and Forestry troops. The site also includes the War Diaries of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and several British units that served under Canadian command.”

To read about the war diaries, go to http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/Pages/war-diaries.aspx#b 

OGS Printerest Board - Ancestral Lands


The Ontario Genealogical Society has a Printerest Board now called Ancestral Lands

You can see the pictures or put your own pictures on the board. You may, as the OGS suggests,discover some new "neighbours!" 

So far, there have been 62 ''pins'' to the OGS Pinterest Board. 

The Printerest page is at http://www.pinterest.com/OGSLibrarian/ 

The website is at http://www.ogs.on.ca/

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Call for Speakers – Pre-1867 Ontario


Toronto Branch is planning a day-long workshop on 11 April 2015 on Upper Canada and Canada West Research, and has just called for speakers who would like to take part.

They are asking if you have expertise in pre-Confederation Ontario family history or local history research that you would like to share?

If so, they would like to know about it.

Potential speakers are invited to submit proposals for lectures on sources, research techniques or historical background that may be helpful to researchers.

Sessions may be targeted at beginners or at more seasoned family historians.

You’ll find a link to their detailed call for presentations on their Speakers and Instructors Wanted page at http://torontofamilyhistory.org/? s=Speakers+and+Instructors+Wanted&submit.x=10&submit.y=5&submit=Search
Please note that the deadline to submit a proposal for this workshop is Saturday 15 November.

And the latest news has come out about the 2016 Conference to be held in Toronto. It will be based at the International Plaza Hotel and conference centre, close to Pearson International Airport, Highway 401, and with good connections by local and regional public transit.

Watch for announcements coming summer of 2015.

The website is http://torontofamilyhistory.org/

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Missisquoi County Canada Genealogy Research Volunteer group announces 10,000 record transcription milestone


This is a notice I received this afternoon from Nancy Cunningham, concerning her group, the Missisquoi County Canada Genealogy Research Volunteer Group. They are doing great work!

‘We at the Missisquoi Rootsweb group ( * Missiquoi was an historical county located in Quebec / Lower Canada / Eastern Townships along the US border) have been for the last 10 years quietly transcribing and publishing records much needed for research in our area. The Missisquoi historic county area, although located in Quebec was heavily Protestant & English speaking with many immigrants from Great Britain and US. ( Vermont) .

This week we reached the 10,000 image milestone on our transcription project of Quebec, Non-Catholic Parish Registers, 1763-1967 from Family Search.org . The 10k mark is for the number of images transcribed, the number of actual individual parish records of births, marriages and burials is closer to 15,000.

We make them all freely available and searchable on our blogs.

We haven’t limited our projects to Family Search digital records- we have also transcribed Library and Archives Canada microfilm Notary records, Google newspapers, Internet Archive eBooks of local directories and posted images and burials to Find-A-Grave.

We use an innovated volunteer sign-up sheet system through Sign up genius, this enables volunteers to work together on projects even though they actually live all over the world.

We believe strongly in paying it forward in genealogy and think this is a little way we can give back for all the help we’ve been given by others in the past.

If anyone has folks that once lived in our area, we’d love for them to search our records and maybe get involved with our group on Rootsweb.

Don’t forget how great Rootsweb ( mailing lists and message boards) is and it’s FREE – check the groups in your areas of research- they may be doing great stuff too!'

Blog http://missisquoigenealogy.blogspot.com/

Rootsweb group http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/CAN/CAN-QC-MISSISQUOI.html

If you want to write to Nancy Cunningham, coordinator, her email address is missisquoigenealogy@gmail.com

LAC Podcast - Sign Me Up: CEF Files, 1914-1918


The Library and Archives Canada has issued a another podcast, and this one concerns the First World War Service Papers in Sign Me Up: CEF Files, 1914-1918. These papers are being digitized and are being put online.

I listened to the podcasts, and although nothing new was mentioned in the podcasts, I feel that there will be questions that will still be asked about the papers. The researcher will have to study the various papers in detail in order to reconstruct the life of the soldier. For example, if the soldier was in the Canadian militia before signing the Attestation Paper, what militia unit was it, where were they located, what was his service, or if he served in different regiments while overseas (which many did), why was this so? Who did he serve with, his time of service, in what battles was he involved, and so forth.

I had the occasion to download a complete service record a couple of weeks ago, and depending on the length of the records, it can be a rather long process from start to finish. Some of the records were difficult to read because of the use of abbreviations, and the faded ink, but some of the papers were very clear.

I think the best thing to do before one starts to read the service papers is to read the book, Canadians at War 1914-1919: A Research Guide to World War One Service Records, by retired Library and Archives Canada archivist, Glenn Wright.

This book, although it was written in 2010, is still THE book to read when researching CEF papers. If you read and study this book, you will have a good understanding of the records that you are viewing.

The book is for sale through Global Genealogy at http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/canada/military/resources/101160.htm

Don't forget to scroll down this page and see the book review I wrote for Families, the journal of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) http://www.ogs.on.ca, of which I am its editor.

Although the review was published four years ago, my opinion of his book has not wavered, and, in fact, the more I use it for research, the more invaluable I find it as a resource.

A table of contents of the book is available as a PDF file here - http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/canada/military/resources/images/101160-contents.pdf

For more on this blog, go to http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-list-of-books-for-holidays.html

To listen to the podcast, go to http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/podcasts/Pages/cef-files-1914-1918.aspx

Friday, September 19, 2014

FamilySearch.org: Campaign Aims to Gather Your Fondest Grandma Stories


This press release from FamilySearch sounds like a great idea - they will be gathering grandma stories from September 20 to 30th, 2014. They already have over 160 stories!

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH—If you could share ONE story about your grandma, what would it be? That’s the question nonprofit FamilySearch International (FamilySearch.org) is nudging people worldwide to respond to as part of its worldwide #meetmygrandma social media campaign, September 20-30. FamilySearch announced the campaign today, seeking 10,000 stories in 10 days to kick off the global initiative where descendants are invited to share and preserve online or through a mobile app the fond memories or stories about their grandmothers’ charms or idiosyncrasies.

“Heart-warming experiences with a beloved grandmother are at the heart of many fond memories from our formative years, or even adulthood,” said Brad Lowder, International Marketing Director for #MeetMyGrandma campaign. “All you have to do is ask a person to share a special memory about their grandmother, and they immediately wax sentimental as they recount a heartfelt story or wise saying they cherish from a grandmother. We want to encourage people to capture for future generations those stories that make their grandmothers so special.”

FamilySearch.org offers a free international service for families to share their family histories, memories, photos, and historic documents online and preserve them for future generations. If you are fortunate to have a grandma still living, the free FamilySearch Memories mobile app (IOS only for now) allows individuals to audio record their grandmother and save those recordings online. And there are 20 fun questions to ask your grandma to help write and preserve her personal history in her own words online.

“The #meetmygrandma campaign encourages families to have fun as each member of the family shares their personal perspectives of what makes their grandmothers so special to them,” added Lowder. Their stories, and those contributed by other family members and relatives, are saved to a dynamic online profile dedicated specifically to their grandma, along with any photos and digital artifacts submitted.

The launch of the initiative runs from September 20–30, but the campaign will run indefinitely. 

Ontario’s oldest genealogy fair this Saturday


Eva Brook Donly Museum hosts the 38th annual Norfolklore family history fair this Saturday in Simcoe, Ontario. 

An afternoon lecture at 1 p.m. will discuss the ins and outs of researching United Empire Loyalist ancestors and will be hosted by the Grand River branch of the United Empire Loyalist Association.

For the more experienced family history hunters, there’s a chance to book a 10-minute personal consultation with archives co-ordinator Robin Dickson. 

A historical walking tour through downtown Simcoe will also be offered. The tour is at 1 p.m. and is an additional $10.00. 

The Norfolklore fair runs Saturday, Sept. 20 from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m at the Eva Brook Donly Museum, located at 109 Norfolk St. S. in Simcoe.

General admission is $10 ($5 for historical society members) and includes access to lectures, genealogist consultation, exhibitors’ hall and a book sale.  

For more information or to book a consultation, visit www.norfolklore.com 

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Kirsty Gray, UK Genealogist, will talk at two workshops in Canada




Kirsty Gray will be in Toronto on November 1st where she will give lectures on Industrial England. She will explore the Industrial Revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries transformed the world and dramatically changed the lives of our ancestors in many ways. 

This one-day workshop will be co-sponsored by Toronto Branch and the Canadiana Department of North York Central Library, and will be held in the Library’s Auditorium. 

Early-bird rates apply until today and members of the Ontario Genealogical Society enjoy a further discount on the workshop fee. 

For additional details and to register on-line go to http://torontofamilyhistory.org/learn/workshops/industrial-england-workshop/  

Then she will come to Ottawa the next day where she will appear from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and she will give two lectures at the Woodroffe United Church Banquet Hall, 207 Woodroffe Ave., Ottawa ON. 

She will talk on two subjects - 

1. Searching for Names: Challenges, Pitfalls and the Downright Ridiculous 

2. Solving Problems Through Family Reconstruction 

The lectures will be sponsored by the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO). Admission is $10 per person at the door. 

A break with light refreshments will be held between the two lectures.

Contact information is available at http://ogsottawa.on.ca/