Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Guy Berthiaume appointed as Librarian and Archivist of Canada

The LAC has finally filled the position of the Head of Library and Archives Canada -

The Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages Shelly Glover announced yesterday that the appointment of Guy Berthiaume as the Librarian and Archivist of Canada will be for a term of five years, effective June 23, 2014. 

Dr. Berthiaume has been President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec since 2009. Before this, he spent thirty years as a senior university administrator. 

Dr. Berthiaume holds a doctorate in history from the École pratique des hautes études and the Université de Paris VIII, a Master of Arts degree from the Université Laval in Québec City and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Université du Québec à Montréal. He has published a number of articles and has served on the boards and committees of numerous organizations.

Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages say that “Having a person of Dr. Berthiaume’s calibre leading Library and Archives Canada will be a solid asset to the organization. His extensive experience in the management of large cultural organizations and his strong leadership are important qualifications for this position.” 

Please go to the LAC website at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca 

Parish registers have been put online

 
Irene Schofield just sent a notice that the registers of St. Ann Roman Catholic Church, Guyborough, Nova Scotia has just been transcribed and have been put on http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~saintann/Records/home.html

The parish was established in 1819. A team transcribed these records, all entries were proofread and sent back to the original transcriber for review. Every record went through several rounds of review and comments until they all agree that it was the best that they could do. 

Book 1 contains the birth, marriage, and death registers for the years 1819 to 1838, and Book 2 contains the birth, marriage, and death registers for the years 1839 to 1890.

Here is a sample taken from Burials Book 1 

Patrick Walsh 

age [blank], burial date 20 Aug 1821, death date [blank],

parents: [blank]; spouse [blank];

witnesses [blank]; clergyman John Loughnan.

Notes: Buried in Goose Harbour Church. From County Kilkinny Ireland.

Scan: 001_01_X1_0166, pg. 336 item no. 1 

From reading the website, it look like there will be other books added when they are transcribed in the future. 

Say "thank you" to the volunteers who transcribed these records.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Heritage Dinner at Huronia Museum, Midland, Ontario

Jack Granatstein will be the guest speaker at the 24th annual Heritage Dinner on May 2, 2014 at 5:30 pm. at the Huronia Museum, Midland, Ontario. 

He will talk about  his current work on the last 100 days of World War I, its losses and the unbelievable impact these days had on Canada. 

In addition to a sit-down and served dinner, there will be a silent auctions and dessert auctions taking place. 

Tickets are $75 with a $40 tax receipt available. Tickets can be purchased online at  http://huroniamuseum.com/2014/03/26/3702 or at the museum directly at 549 Little Lake Park Road, Midland Ontario. 

You call 705.526.2844 for more information.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Canadian Week in Review 14 April 2014



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

 

Websites


Ancestor Seekers of Kenora
A very bright and lively website that just started this year.

A list of FREE Canadian databases online
Links to early Canadian documents at Canadiana.org.

The Friends of the Loyalist Collection at Brock University
A detailed, descriptive catalogue has been put on the site that covers the Loyalist Collection at Brock University.

Social Media


Deborah Morrison to leave as publisher of Canada's History magazine to run national youth travel exchange program
Congratulations, Deborah, as you embark upon a new venture!

Interviews on The Genealogist Professional Podcast – Such an Honour!http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/03/interviewed-on-genealogy-professional.html
One of own is interviewed by Marian Pierre Louis on her Blog Radio Show.

News Stories


Heritage Acres: We did credit the Boss
Heritage Acres Farm Museum moved a barn from a property to the award winning museum grounds at Pincher Creek, Alberta.

Black History Enriches Canadian History
Stouffville’s Claudette Zabsonre is on a mission to make the achievements of black people more commonly known.

100th Anniversary of Sealing Disasters
Two hundred and fifty-four Newfoundland sealers lost their lives in two separate disasters (1914), within the same few days. A memorial service was held this week at George Street United Church in St. John's to commemorate those who perished.

Cy Becker a part of local history
A new master-planned community in Edmonton’s north end is named after Cy Becker, a bush pilot and wartime flying ace.

Gas bar canopy under consideration for heritage designation
The canopy of the Canadian Tire gas bar at 304 Main St. E. as an entry on the city’s buildings of heritage interest list. We stopped at that gar bar when we were in Hamilton in 2011, and remarked on the uniqueness of the structure.

Bridgetown will file an application to dissolve town
Bridgetown in the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia will have a new governance structure in place by April 1, 2015. The town of 1,000 people was incorporated in 1897.

Story of the Week 



April is Sikh Heritage Month

Bramalea-Gore-Malton NDP MPP Jagmeet Singh’s Private Member’s Bill entitled, Sikh Heritage Month, has passed third reading in the legislature, and the month of April has been declared as Sikh Heritage Month.

April was chosen as the month to celebrate Sikh Heritage Month because it is the time that the community celebrate Vaisakhi, which marks the creation of the Khalsa and the Sikh articles of faith. Sikh Canadians widely celebrate Vaisakhi, also known as Khalsa Day, across Ontario.

The Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada (SHMC), located in Toronto, held the opening of the Gallery as a first major step forward towards its goal of having a permanent museum on Saturday, April 5th. 

Each family who attended the museum received a commemorative Sikh Heritage Month Poster. 

The museum is located at 2980 Drew Road, Unit 125, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A7 (It is at the Great Punjab Business Centre, next to Malton Gurdwara).

The website of the museum is at http://shmc.ca, and the Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/events/652770224758332 

Reminder: Check the Canadian Week in Review next Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! The next post will be on 21 April 2014.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Reminder: Canadian Week in Review

Check the Canadian Week in Review tomorrow morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. 

It has the most recent news about New/Updated Websites, Social Media, and Newspaper Articles.

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in the country! 

It has been a regular post every Monday since April 23, 2012.

N.B. The CWR was not published last Monday due to the fact that I was down in Toronto attending a full-day workshop conducted by Dr. Thomas Jones, and spent two days in the Archives of Ontario.

Mennonite Migration to Ontario

The Oxford County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society will meet on Monday April 14th at 6:45 pm at the Woodstock Public Library, 445 Hunter St., Woodstock, and the speaker will be Laureen Harder-Gissing. 

Her topic will be Mennonite Migration to Ontario and Resources available in the Mennonite Archives. Ms. Harder-Gissing is the Historian of the Mennonite Church of Eastern Canada and is currently Archivist at the Mennonite Archives at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo.

Contact information is available at http://oxford.ogs.on.ca/eventspg.html

The Mennonite Archives is online at https://uwaterloo.ca/mennonite-archives-ontario

The Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario http://www.mhso.org/index.shtml

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Give a VIMY for Vimy Campaign

The 100th anniversary of the Canadian victory at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France will take place in 2017. 
A foundation called The Vimy Foundation was started in 2006 to honor the remembrance of the battle. They have been involved in producing education resources for thousands of teachers and schools across Canada and been involved in more than 10,000 student ‘pilgrimages’ to Vimy. They also have plans to build a state- of-the-art Education Centre to be unveiled in France on April 9, 2017 on the grounds adjacent to the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. 
The Government of Canada has committed $5 million to the project, but The Vimy Foundation is committed to match that commitment through the generosity of Canadians, and they have come up with a rather unique was that this can be accomplished.
The back of a $20.00 dollar bill has an image of the towering Vimy Ridge battlefield memorial in France, so the foundation is asking Canadians to donate $20 to the VIMY for Vimy Campaign. 
In exchange for your donation, you will receive a Vimy Pin and your name will be added to the list of Vimy 2017 supporters. 
To go to their site, please click https://vimyfoundation.ca/vimy2017