I plan to attend the 14th annual conference of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa <www.bifhsgo.ca> September 19th to 21st at the Library and Archives Canada - it will be a weekend of meeting old friends and of learning new information about to research my family tree.
The first event which I will attend will be on Friday morning, and is an Intermediate Course in Genealogy sponsored jointly by the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society <www.ogsottawa.on.ca> and BISFHGO.
That evening, I will attend the Don Whiteside Memorial Lecture and listen to guest speaker, Sherry Irvine, and her talk about "Genealogy with Wings: Reflections of a Family Historian in an Age of Techo-enthusian".
This talk is open to the public (free of charge), is usually very good, and is an excellent entry way into genealogy for the new researcher.
On Saturday, I will visit the marketplace to see what is new and will listen to lectures given by Jeffrey Murray, "Terra Nostra: The Stories Behind Canada's Maps 1550-1950"; Marian Press, "Genealogy 2.0: What Do I Need to Know", and on Sunday, I will listen to Alison Hare, "Citations for Genealogical Sources". There will be a panel discussion on genealogy.
I will report back on the conference next week - just to let you know how it went.
A daily blog about Canadian genealogy, heritage, and history
Monday, September 15, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Ottawa Branch Sends "News"
The Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has just sent out the "News" this week - the August-October, 2008 newsletter.
This issue is 55 pages long, and covers such topics as The Early Carleton County Settlers (Early Medical Practitioners in Carleton County and The Lillico Family Chain Migrants to Gloucester Township, Ontario); Early Residents of Ottawa's Sandy Hill Neighbourhood; Celebrating Beechwood Women! Beechwood Cemetery 14th Annual Historical Tour; and the section titled, Old-Time Stuff covers Early Trangraphs.
They have a section called "News", which really brings you up-to-date about what's going on in the National Capital Region of Ottawa-Gatineau.
In this issue, they have set the date for the Gene-O-Rama conference for March 27 and 28, 2009 and the special focus will be on the census. The Ryan Taylor Memorial Lecture will be held November 1st, with Brian Gilchrist talking about developing a Research Strategy. On Tuesday, September 16, there will be a meeting of the OGS in which Marc St-Jacques will talk about Searching Gatineau Archives.
In the "Electronic Noteboard" is the latest of the websites on the Internet, and Heather Oakley always does an interesting article about places to check on the Internet.
It is interesting to note that Mike More, the Chair of the Ottawa Branch of the OGS, states that their attendance is down 5% per year since the late 1990s.
They, unlike the Nova Scotia Genealogy Society, aren't thinking about cutting back on the number of issues on the newsletter but are looking for a Publicity Coordinator to get the message out about their meetings, etc.
Are you interested?
Contact Mike More at <chair@ogsottawa.on.ca>.
This issue is 55 pages long, and covers such topics as The Early Carleton County Settlers (Early Medical Practitioners in Carleton County and The Lillico Family Chain Migrants to Gloucester Township, Ontario); Early Residents of Ottawa's Sandy Hill Neighbourhood; Celebrating Beechwood Women! Beechwood Cemetery 14th Annual Historical Tour; and the section titled, Old-Time Stuff covers Early Trangraphs.
They have a section called "News", which really brings you up-to-date about what's going on in the National Capital Region of Ottawa-Gatineau.
In this issue, they have set the date for the Gene-O-Rama conference for March 27 and 28, 2009 and the special focus will be on the census. The Ryan Taylor Memorial Lecture will be held November 1st, with Brian Gilchrist talking about developing a Research Strategy. On Tuesday, September 16, there will be a meeting of the OGS in which Marc St-Jacques will talk about Searching Gatineau Archives.
In the "Electronic Noteboard" is the latest of the websites on the Internet, and Heather Oakley always does an interesting article about places to check on the Internet.
It is interesting to note that Mike More, the Chair of the Ottawa Branch of the OGS, states that their attendance is down 5% per year since the late 1990s.
They, unlike the Nova Scotia Genealogy Society, aren't thinking about cutting back on the number of issues on the newsletter but are looking for a Publicity Coordinator to get the message out about their meetings, etc.
Are you interested?
Contact Mike More at <chair@ogsottawa.on.ca>.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
"The Nova Scotia Genealogist" Arrived Today
The Summer 2008 issue is out, and as usual, J. Fralic-Brown and crew has put together another tremendous edition.
They have "Extracts from The Wesleyan Newspaper, 1838 - Part II", which cover deaths, "Vital Statistics On Line in the Maritimes", and two articles on "Nova Scotia Strays".
They also have an article on "The Simpson Collection, Part I - Dolores Lockhart's Wonderful Gift", which gives an account and description of the papers of James Simpson of Halifax in 1749. In the next issue will be Part II, in which more of the records will be discussed.
And the second installment of the article "'First Missionary' - Well, Not Really, But ... Part II" talks about the life of Thomas Wood, a missionary from the Church of England in Nova Scotia.
Follow Wood as he goes from Halifax to New Brunswick Annapolis Royal, and read about his exploits in the countryside in the early days of the Colony of Nova Scotia.
Part III will be in the fall issue of the Genealogist.
Their AGM was held in May, and there was an interesting fact - they reported that membership had fallen by 15% over last year.
This is quite a big dip in the numbers, and one way the president suggested that they could reduce the cost of doing business was to reduce the number of issues of the Genealogist to two from three, or making it available on the website.
I vote for making it available on the website and keeping the number of issues to three! It is a good publication, full of useful and timely information, and is worth making available to as many researchers of Nova Scotia and Maritime history and genealogy as possible.
They have "Extracts from The Wesleyan Newspaper, 1838 - Part II", which cover deaths, "Vital Statistics On Line in the Maritimes", and two articles on "Nova Scotia Strays".
They also have an article on "The Simpson Collection, Part I - Dolores Lockhart's Wonderful Gift", which gives an account and description of the papers of James Simpson of Halifax in 1749. In the next issue will be Part II, in which more of the records will be discussed.
And the second installment of the article "'First Missionary' - Well, Not Really, But ... Part II" talks about the life of Thomas Wood, a missionary from the Church of England in Nova Scotia.
Follow Wood as he goes from Halifax to New Brunswick Annapolis Royal, and read about his exploits in the countryside in the early days of the Colony of Nova Scotia.
Part III will be in the fall issue of the Genealogist.
Their AGM was held in May, and there was an interesting fact - they reported that membership had fallen by 15% over last year.
This is quite a big dip in the numbers, and one way the president suggested that they could reduce the cost of doing business was to reduce the number of issues of the Genealogist to two from three, or making it available on the website.
I vote for making it available on the website and keeping the number of issues to three! It is a good publication, full of useful and timely information, and is worth making available to as many researchers of Nova Scotia and Maritime history and genealogy as possible.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) Releases Second World War Service Files
I have been waiting patiently for the LAC to release the Second World War Service Files of the Canadian Armed War (1939-1945) Dead.
I first found out about the database in the spring of this year, and last week, Sylvie Tremblay, Chief Project Head of the Canada Genealogy Centre, said that they were finally on the website.
Of the 1,159,000 men and women who served in the war, 44,093 died.
If you go to the site at <www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/war-dead/index-e.html> and put in a last name, you will get the date of birth, date on death, and the service number of the member.
If that is not enough information, you can press on the name and — in addition to the information already given — also get their rank, the unit in which they served, what force they were in (army, navy, air force), and the reference and volume numbers of the reference.
There has been some criticism of the database because you won't see the person's address on the record - so if there are two people with the same name, you will need to know the date of death of the person you are researching.
I had two uncles on my father's side (BARCLAY) who were in the war. Luckily, they made it through. My father did go to the depot in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to join, but was refused because of his knees, and so didn't go to war.
John (Johnnie) was in the Canadian Navy and sailed on the convoy ships during the war, and Perley was in the Canadian Army and fought in Sicily.
I also had two brothers on my mother's side (BLADES) who were in the war. Walter and Arthur were in the Canadian Army in Europe.
I first found out about the database in the spring of this year, and last week, Sylvie Tremblay, Chief Project Head of the Canada Genealogy Centre, said that they were finally on the website.
Of the 1,159,000 men and women who served in the war, 44,093 died.
If you go to the site at <www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/war-dead/index-e.html> and put in a last name, you will get the date of birth, date on death, and the service number of the member.
If that is not enough information, you can press on the name and — in addition to the information already given — also get their rank, the unit in which they served, what force they were in (army, navy, air force), and the reference and volume numbers of the reference.
There has been some criticism of the database because you won't see the person's address on the record - so if there are two people with the same name, you will need to know the date of death of the person you are researching.
I had two uncles on my father's side (BARCLAY) who were in the war. Luckily, they made it through. My father did go to the depot in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to join, but was refused because of his knees, and so didn't go to war.
John (Johnnie) was in the Canadian Navy and sailed on the convoy ships during the war, and Perley was in the Canadian Army and fought in Sicily.
I also had two brothers on my mother's side (BLADES) who were in the war. Walter and Arthur were in the Canadian Army in Europe.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Yesterday was my birthday!
I have survived another year!
This seemed like it has been a long year, with many twists and turns, numerous genealogical conferences, much travel, and much work - I have had 24 articles published this year, and started this blog.
I renewed old friendships from all over, and made new ones. And I value each one.
It is my dream to write many more articles, and to get the blog rolling out every day, and to go to as many conferences as possible. Mighty big order - let's see if I'm up to it.
I had one big genealogy find this year, and that was of my great-great-great-uncle Andrew BARCLAY.
My cousin Charles BARCLAY and I have searched high and low for him, and he always seemed to slip through our fingers - until just by happenstance I "Googled" one of his daughters this past spring while I was waiting for a drive one day, and there it was - she had written a diary!
And one part of it was on the Town of Argyle (Archives) website. I rushed a note off to them and in no time flat I had the entire diary that had been donated to them by her family (HALEY from Alemeda County, California), and I found the story about her father and his death.
How he died of yellow fever in San Domingo after going there from Shelburne, Nova Scotia on ship to trade the town's fish for rum and sugar.
And then this summer in August, a query I put on the Internet six years ago bore fruit because I was sent a picture of who else? Andrew Barclay!
So the research is complete, and I am happy! Now I will see if I can get the book completed (on Andrew BARCLAY, Loyalist), and published.
See my posting on him in this blog, under "Let Cousins Find You" at <http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2008/08/let-cousins-find-you.html>.
So I have had a wonderful year as far as the business of genealogy is concerned.
I try to remember that it's not the idea that we are given another day to live, but it is what do we do with that day that counts.
May you have your own Happpy Birthday!
This seemed like it has been a long year, with many twists and turns, numerous genealogical conferences, much travel, and much work - I have had 24 articles published this year, and started this blog.
I renewed old friendships from all over, and made new ones. And I value each one.
It is my dream to write many more articles, and to get the blog rolling out every day, and to go to as many conferences as possible. Mighty big order - let's see if I'm up to it.
I had one big genealogy find this year, and that was of my great-great-great-uncle Andrew BARCLAY.
My cousin Charles BARCLAY and I have searched high and low for him, and he always seemed to slip through our fingers - until just by happenstance I "Googled" one of his daughters this past spring while I was waiting for a drive one day, and there it was - she had written a diary!
And one part of it was on the Town of Argyle (Archives) website. I rushed a note off to them and in no time flat I had the entire diary that had been donated to them by her family (HALEY from Alemeda County, California), and I found the story about her father and his death.
How he died of yellow fever in San Domingo after going there from Shelburne, Nova Scotia on ship to trade the town's fish for rum and sugar.
And then this summer in August, a query I put on the Internet six years ago bore fruit because I was sent a picture of who else? Andrew Barclay!
So the research is complete, and I am happy! Now I will see if I can get the book completed (on Andrew BARCLAY, Loyalist), and published.
See my posting on him in this blog, under "Let Cousins Find You" at <http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2008/08/let-cousins-find-you.html>.
So I have had a wonderful year as far as the business of genealogy is concerned.
I try to remember that it's not the idea that we are given another day to live, but it is what do we do with that day that counts.
May you have your own Happpy Birthday!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
WorldVitalRecords.com Partners with Canada's Dundurn Press
WorldVitalRecords has just announced that they have partnered with Dundurn Press and will start to post over 400 genealogical and historical books online.
This was an unexpected announcement, as the press had been in existence since 1972, but WorldVitalRecords says that it will bring more publicity to the press and people will know more about it.
Some of the titles that will be put online will be 100 Canadian Heroines, Strangers at our Gates: Canadian Immigration Policy, 1540-2006, and Maps for Family and Local History.
Just by coincidence, June Coxon, also a writer from Ottawa like myself, attended the Conference '08 of the Ontario Genealogical Society in London, and while there, she interviewed some people in the marketplace, and one of the interviews was with Barry Penhale of Dundurn Press.
Barry was with Heritage Books before, and since 2007, has been with Dundurn Press.
==========
A New Role For Natural Heritage Books and Barry Penhale
by
June Coxon
You couldn't miss seeing Barry Penhale if you visited the marketplace during this year's OGS conference, in London, Ontario. His was the first table in the first aisle as you entered the room.
But the large banner sign behind him read 'Dundurn Press' and most people likely associate him or at least his name with Natural Heritage Books, a company specializing in publishing books about Canadian heritage, natural history, and biography. Penhale and his wife, Jane Gibson, established that company in 1983. But since January 2007, it has been a member of the Dundurn Press Group, and Penhale now calls himself publisher emeritus. Obviously, that does not mean he has left the publishing world completely. He's been in the business for some 40 years and is not likely to leave it behind any time soon.
As for his company's new association with Dundurn Press, some people might be leery about the decision to join forces with another publishing company, but not Penhale. "The president of Dundurn, Kirk Howard, has a great appreciation for history," said Penhale. "In fact, he's been a genealogist for years. Also, Dundurn started primarily as a small publisher of Canadian history, military history, politics, current affairs, and biography," he noted. "So becoming part of the Dundurn Group was a good fit for us, especially since I've been assured that my company's signature name will continue to be used in conjunction with that of Dundurn's."
Natural Heritage has published over 200 books, of which approximately 100 are still in print. But Dundurn has more funding and therefore more books (Since it started 1972, Dundurn Press and its associated imprints have published over 1,450 books, of which 650 are still in print They publish about 75 to 80 new titles a year ). "The move we made last year will enable our book selection to strengthen and expand," Penhale said. Both Natural Heritage Books and Dundurn are located in Toronto.
Some of the most popular and successful books published by Natural Heritage Books include the series of eight written by Ottawa-born Dr. Lucille Campey about Scottish immigration to Canada. For those unfamiliar with her books, the one she published in 2005, The Scottish Pioneers of Upper Canada, 1784-1855: Glengarry and Beyond, is 397 pages full of tantalizing information for genealogists like charts, maps, and passenger lists. This book also contains descriptive information about the progress of Scottish settlement in Upper Canada, with details about the 550 ships that made over 900 crossings and carried almost 100,000 emigrant Scots to Canada.
"Dr. Campey's last book, An Unstoppable Force, was on sale at the BIFHSGO conference in Ottawa this year and every one was sold," Pehale pointed out. But he also told me that Dr. Campey has written her last book about Scottish immigration to Canada. Deciding to turn her research and writing to a different part of the British Isles, Campey has signed a contract to write three more books for Natural Heritage Books. But they will be about people who immigrated from England to Canada. Like her last two books, these will bear the joint imprint of Dundurn and Natural Heritage. Her first book in this next series is scheduled for publication in 2010.
Barry Penhale and his books are a familiar site at conferences and fairs. He has been displaying and selling his books at conferences like the one in London for many years. "From a vendor's point of view, it's always a great experience because of the many interesting people I meet as well as the new contacts and connections made at such fairs," he concluded.
-30-
Natural Heritage Books,The Dundurn Group, P.O. Box 95, Station O, Toronto, Ontario M4A 2M8, Canada.
E-mail: <natherbooks@bellnet.ca>
Phone: 416-694-7907 or 1-800-725-9982.
Fax: 416-690-0819
This was an unexpected announcement, as the press had been in existence since 1972, but WorldVitalRecords says that it will bring more publicity to the press and people will know more about it.
Some of the titles that will be put online will be 100 Canadian Heroines, Strangers at our Gates: Canadian Immigration Policy, 1540-2006, and Maps for Family and Local History.
Just by coincidence, June Coxon, also a writer from Ottawa like myself, attended the Conference '08 of the Ontario Genealogical Society in London, and while there, she interviewed some people in the marketplace, and one of the interviews was with Barry Penhale of Dundurn Press.
Barry was with Heritage Books before, and since 2007, has been with Dundurn Press.
==========
A New Role For Natural Heritage Books and Barry Penhale
by
June Coxon
You couldn't miss seeing Barry Penhale if you visited the marketplace during this year's OGS conference, in London, Ontario. His was the first table in the first aisle as you entered the room.
But the large banner sign behind him read 'Dundurn Press' and most people likely associate him or at least his name with Natural Heritage Books, a company specializing in publishing books about Canadian heritage, natural history, and biography. Penhale and his wife, Jane Gibson, established that company in 1983. But since January 2007, it has been a member of the Dundurn Press Group, and Penhale now calls himself publisher emeritus. Obviously, that does not mean he has left the publishing world completely. He's been in the business for some 40 years and is not likely to leave it behind any time soon.
As for his company's new association with Dundurn Press, some people might be leery about the decision to join forces with another publishing company, but not Penhale. "The president of Dundurn, Kirk Howard, has a great appreciation for history," said Penhale. "In fact, he's been a genealogist for years. Also, Dundurn started primarily as a small publisher of Canadian history, military history, politics, current affairs, and biography," he noted. "So becoming part of the Dundurn Group was a good fit for us, especially since I've been assured that my company's signature name will continue to be used in conjunction with that of Dundurn's."
Natural Heritage has published over 200 books, of which approximately 100 are still in print. But Dundurn has more funding and therefore more books (Since it started 1972, Dundurn Press and its associated imprints have published over 1,450 books, of which 650 are still in print They publish about 75 to 80 new titles a year ). "The move we made last year will enable our book selection to strengthen and expand," Penhale said. Both Natural Heritage Books and Dundurn are located in Toronto.
Some of the most popular and successful books published by Natural Heritage Books include the series of eight written by Ottawa-born Dr. Lucille Campey about Scottish immigration to Canada. For those unfamiliar with her books, the one she published in 2005, The Scottish Pioneers of Upper Canada, 1784-1855: Glengarry and Beyond, is 397 pages full of tantalizing information for genealogists like charts, maps, and passenger lists. This book also contains descriptive information about the progress of Scottish settlement in Upper Canada, with details about the 550 ships that made over 900 crossings and carried almost 100,000 emigrant Scots to Canada.
"Dr. Campey's last book, An Unstoppable Force, was on sale at the BIFHSGO conference in Ottawa this year and every one was sold," Pehale pointed out. But he also told me that Dr. Campey has written her last book about Scottish immigration to Canada. Deciding to turn her research and writing to a different part of the British Isles, Campey has signed a contract to write three more books for Natural Heritage Books. But they will be about people who immigrated from England to Canada. Like her last two books, these will bear the joint imprint of Dundurn and Natural Heritage. Her first book in this next series is scheduled for publication in 2010.
Barry Penhale and his books are a familiar site at conferences and fairs. He has been displaying and selling his books at conferences like the one in London for many years. "From a vendor's point of view, it's always a great experience because of the many interesting people I meet as well as the new contacts and connections made at such fairs," he concluded.
-30-
Natural Heritage Books,The Dundurn Group, P.O. Box 95, Station O, Toronto, Ontario M4A 2M8, Canada.
E-mail: <natherbooks@bellnet.ca>
Phone: 416-694-7907 or 1-800-725-9982.
Fax: 416-690-0819
Monday, September 1, 2008
Canada has baseball genealogy, too!!!
Today, I was out to the final baseball game of the season for the Ottawa Rapidz of the Can-Am League. Unfortunately, the team lost their last game of the 2008 season, but there were over 5,000 people present, who thought it was just about the best game they had seen all season.
So, to celebrate all people who like baseball, I direct you to an article I wrote this summer for "Canadian Connections" on the GenealogyToday.com website called "Play Ball", and published in May, 2008. The link is <www.genealogytoday.com/roots/xweb.mv?xc=Display&xo=rescms&xn=-1&xr=1536&xw=&t_rid=25294&xz=connect.html>.
For those interested in stats, their win/loss record is 31-62, not bad for their first year. They replaced the Ottawa Lynx, a Triple-A team.
So, to celebrate all people who like baseball, I direct you to an article I wrote this summer for "Canadian Connections" on the GenealogyToday.com website called "Play Ball", and published in May, 2008. The link is <www.genealogytoday.com/roots/xweb.mv?xc=Display&xo=rescms&xn=-1&xr=1536&xw=&t_rid=25294&xz=connect.html>.
For those interested in stats, their win/loss record is 31-62, not bad for their first year. They replaced the Ottawa Lynx, a Triple-A team.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Canada Genealogy Centre is 5 Years Old!
It's hard to believe, but the Canada Genealogy Centre (GCG) is already five years old!
It was on March 29, 2003——a cold windy Saturday——that I bundled up and went out to Nepean (now Ottawa) to see the launch of a new genealogy site at the Library and Archives Canada (LAC).
The first site was 93 pages long, and by June 5, 2004, the number of pages had increased to over 300 pages.
Today, there are 20 databases online, the two newest being the Chinese Immigration List and the 1881 Census.
In fact, it is so popular that it is the second-leading website among the federal government sites - a close second to the weather website!
The top four databases, in terms of hits, are Immigration (1925-1935), Western Land Grants, the Soldiers of the First World War, and the 1871 Census.
They also have online "That's My Family", developed in partnership with the Bibliotheque et Archives nationales du Quebec and Ancester Search.
According to John Reid's blog, the hardcopy of the 1916 Census for the Western Provinces has just arrived at the LAC, and is now in the CGC Microfilm Consultation Room. The index of the census is being done by Ancestry.com.
These days, 60 percent of visits to the LAC are to the CGC.
It was on March 29, 2003——a cold windy Saturday——that I bundled up and went out to Nepean (now Ottawa) to see the launch of a new genealogy site at the Library and Archives Canada (LAC).
The first site was 93 pages long, and by June 5, 2004, the number of pages had increased to over 300 pages.
Today, there are 20 databases online, the two newest being the Chinese Immigration List and the 1881 Census.
In fact, it is so popular that it is the second-leading website among the federal government sites - a close second to the weather website!
The top four databases, in terms of hits, are Immigration (1925-1935), Western Land Grants, the Soldiers of the First World War, and the 1871 Census.
They also have online "That's My Family", developed in partnership with the Bibliotheque et Archives nationales du Quebec and Ancester Search.
According to John Reid's blog, the hardcopy of the 1916 Census for the Western Provinces has just arrived at the LAC, and is now in the CGC Microfilm Consultation Room. The index of the census is being done by Ancestry.com.
These days, 60 percent of visits to the LAC are to the CGC.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
August 2008 "NewsLeaf" is Here!
The August 2008 NewsLeaf is here! It was delivered last week to my mailbox and it looks good.
The NewsLeaf is the Ontario Genealogical Society's (OGS) four times a year publication of news about the society which one receives if a member of the society <www.ogs.on.ca>.
The OGS has a new president this year, Don Hinchley from the Durham Branch, and a new vice-president, Nancy Trimble, also from the Durham Branch.
In this issue are articles on the Irish Palatines, Finding Cousins, and Ontario Vital Records.
As well as the articles, there are the usual, as in Branch addresses and Branch meetings and what is going on in the Halton-Peel Branch for next year's conference to be held in Oakville (near Toronto) next year from May 29-31, 2009 <www.ogs.on.ca/conference>.
My opinion is rather biased because I am editor of it, as well as being the editor of its electronic sister publication, e-NewsLeaf, also only available to the members of the OGS.
The e-NewsLeaf is sent out by email, or is available onsite, eight times a year (January, March, April, June, July, September, October, December).
Meanwhile, the print NewsLeaf is available February, May, August and November.
Both are full of news about what is happening at the OGS. If you want to know when the next meeting is, or what plans the society has for an upcoming event, be sure to check the NewsLeaf or the e-NewsLeaf.
The Ontario Genealogical Society is the largest society in Canada. It will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2011.
The NewsLeaf is the Ontario Genealogical Society's (OGS) four times a year publication of news about the society which one receives if a member of the society <www.ogs.on.ca>.
The OGS has a new president this year, Don Hinchley from the Durham Branch, and a new vice-president, Nancy Trimble, also from the Durham Branch.
In this issue are articles on the Irish Palatines, Finding Cousins, and Ontario Vital Records.
As well as the articles, there are the usual, as in Branch addresses and Branch meetings and what is going on in the Halton-Peel Branch for next year's conference to be held in Oakville (near Toronto) next year from May 29-31, 2009 <www.ogs.on.ca/conference>.
My opinion is rather biased because I am editor of it, as well as being the editor of its electronic sister publication, e-NewsLeaf, also only available to the members of the OGS.
The e-NewsLeaf is sent out by email, or is available onsite, eight times a year (January, March, April, June, July, September, October, December).
Meanwhile, the print NewsLeaf is available February, May, August and November.
Both are full of news about what is happening at the OGS. If you want to know when the next meeting is, or what plans the society has for an upcoming event, be sure to check the NewsLeaf or the e-NewsLeaf.
The Ontario Genealogical Society is the largest society in Canada. It will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2011.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
"The Last Hundred Days" of WWI
Do you know that on November 11th, Canada will mark 90 years since the First World War ended?
More than 100,000 Canadians fought in that war and this year, the period from August 8th to the signing of the armistice on November 11th will be called "The Last Hundred Days."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement (08/08/08) that "Over 'The Last Hundred Days', Canadian soldiers advanced 130 km and 30 Canadians and Newfoundlanders earned the Victorian Cross."
If you are searching for your WWI ancestor, the best place to start your search is at the Canadian Genealogy Centre at <www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/022/022-909.006-e.html>.
There you will see the 600,000 personal records of Canadians who enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF).
If you enter the last name and the first name of your ancestor in the search engine, you will see the actual enlistment papers that your relative signed - the enlist papers that got him into WWI.
Also on the site is a section devoted to the Aboriginal Soldiers, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and Newfoundland Forestry Corps, the Air Force and the Navy. (Some of these files may not be online - check with the LAC first to see if they are, or have to be, borrowed since they would be on microfilm.)
If you would like, you can also go to the Veterans Affairs Canada <www.vac-acc.gc.ca> site for information about the graves and memorials of the 116,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who died.
The site contains digital images of photographs and personal memorabilia about individual Canadians.
More than 100,000 Canadians fought in that war and this year, the period from August 8th to the signing of the armistice on November 11th will be called "The Last Hundred Days."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement (08/08/08) that "Over 'The Last Hundred Days', Canadian soldiers advanced 130 km and 30 Canadians and Newfoundlanders earned the Victorian Cross."
If you are searching for your WWI ancestor, the best place to start your search is at the Canadian Genealogy Centre at <www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/022/022-909.006-e.html>.
There you will see the 600,000 personal records of Canadians who enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF).
If you enter the last name and the first name of your ancestor in the search engine, you will see the actual enlistment papers that your relative signed - the enlist papers that got him into WWI.
Also on the site is a section devoted to the Aboriginal Soldiers, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and Newfoundland Forestry Corps, the Air Force and the Navy. (Some of these files may not be online - check with the LAC first to see if they are, or have to be, borrowed since they would be on microfilm.)
If you would like, you can also go to the Veterans Affairs Canada <www.vac-acc.gc.ca> site for information about the graves and memorials of the 116,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who died.
The site contains digital images of photographs and personal memorabilia about individual Canadians.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Let Cousins Find You
It one of the subtitles in the handout piece of Jeffrey Bockman I received Wednesday when I heard him speak at the "Genealogy and Local History" conference in Ottawa last week.
And it had a direct application for me because when I checked my email Wednesday night after I got home, there was a note from a man, Peter Budgell in Burlington, Ontario, telling me that he had a picture of Andrew BARCLAY (1814-1866).
I have been searching for my g-g-g-uncle for a number of years - six years, in fact!
Peter finally answered my email query with a picture. It was more than I could have hoped for - and there was Andrew right in front of my eyes! He had gotten the picture from his Mom's aunt, and there he was - Andrew!
(He was the son of James Barclay, the grandson of Andrew Barclay who worked in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. Around 1860, he and his two sons left Shelburne and went to the West Indies, where he and his son died of yellow fever. His youngest son left for New York.)
And this morning I received another email from Peter saying that there still is material I haven't ime to digest.
The sons and daughters of Andrew——so sketchy in the book that I have almost finished on the progenitor Andrew BARCLAY——will now be just a little closer to getting done.
So Jeffrey Bockman was right when he said, "Let Cousins Find You", for, as he added, "Passive Genealogy can be very helpful".
Monday, August 11, 2008
1881 Census of Canada Released
At exactly 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 7th, the 1881 Census was released online!
The people who first got the news were the attendees at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) who were at the Library and Archives Canada attending a conference on Genealogy and Local History. I was one of the attendees.
On the database, researchers can access the name, age, country or province of birth, nationality, religion, and occupation of Canada's residents at the time of the 1881 census. It also has the actual census return itself, which you can also access.
The press release said that "It is the first regularly scheduled collection of national statistics in Canada. Information was collected for Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, British Columbia, and the North-West Territories".
I checked the census Thursday evening for the BARCLAY (my direct line) family in Nova Scotia and I found them, but I found the children in one grouping and the mother and father in another grouping. Funny - but that is how it was.
Also, their surname was spelled as BARCKLAY - which was also unusual.
Sylvie Temblay, the Chief Project Head at the Canadian Genealogy Centre, expects 750,000 searches per week on the 1881 census.
The index was created by familysearch.org, and access to the digital images of the original census was work done by the Library and Archives of Canada.
The database is available at <www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1881>.
The people who first got the news were the attendees at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) who were at the Library and Archives Canada attending a conference on Genealogy and Local History. I was one of the attendees.
On the database, researchers can access the name, age, country or province of birth, nationality, religion, and occupation of Canada's residents at the time of the 1881 census. It also has the actual census return itself, which you can also access.
The press release said that "It is the first regularly scheduled collection of national statistics in Canada. Information was collected for Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, British Columbia, and the North-West Territories".
I checked the census Thursday evening for the BARCLAY (my direct line) family in Nova Scotia and I found them, but I found the children in one grouping and the mother and father in another grouping. Funny - but that is how it was.
Also, their surname was spelled as BARCKLAY - which was also unusual.
Sylvie Temblay, the Chief Project Head at the Canadian Genealogy Centre, expects 750,000 searches per week on the 1881 census.
The index was created by familysearch.org, and access to the digital images of the original census was work done by the Library and Archives of Canada.
The database is available at <www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1881>.
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