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/