Wednesday, July 29, 2015

CanadianLibGenie heading on holidays!

I don't know where you all are in the world right now, but it's HOT around here! So, this CanadianLibGenie is heading for some R&R. I just wanted you all to know that regular posts will resume next Wednesday.

Stay cool, hydrated and have a safe and happy holiday weekend if you have the chance to celebrate one this weekend. Don't forget to check what the Civic Holiday is called in your area!


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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Encyclopedia of Genealogy: Acadian French-Canadian Name Variations

Surname studies of varying sizes and geographic coverage have become very popular in recent years. One group, The Surname Society, offers a repository for Surname Studies along with multiple resources available freely and to paid members.

In a recent issue of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, (Plus Edition) he shared information about the Encyclopedia of Genealogy's article on Acadian French-Canadian Name Variations. Many thanks to Jennie Fairs of The Surname Society for letting members know about this resource!


And now, if you'll all excuse me, I need to go look at the Encyclopedia of Genealogy a bit more thoroughly...

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Monday, July 27, 2015

Libraries and Archives in Toronto, Ontario

The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society will be hosting the OGS Conference in 2016. With guest speakers like Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist, and Genetic Genealogist CeCe Moore already confirmed, it's going to be great!

As the organizers point out, Toronto is home to a number of libraries, archives and other repositories that genealogists will want to investigate while they're here. From the Archives of Ontario to the Presbyterian Church in Canada Archives to the Toronto Public Library or the University of Toronto Libraries, there is bound to be something of interest for almost everyone.

I look forward to seeing you there!

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Friday, July 24, 2015

Multicultural History Society of Ontario

The MHSO describes itself on its website as follows:

Established in 1976, the Multicultural History Society of Ontario collects, preserves, and makes available irreplaceable records of our histories of migration and ethnicity.
Not only do they offer programming and travelling exhibitions on the diverse cultures that make up Ontario, they have an extensive collection within their archives and online finding aids to assist you in your research.

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Thursday, July 23, 2015

Digital Collections Available From McGill University Libraries

Back in 2005, I posted about McGill University Libraries' In Search of Your Canadian Past: The Canadian County Atlas Project. In the interest of full disclosure, I graduated from McGill's MLIS program, and I was very, very proud to be able to point to this resource and say that it was produced by my grad school!

Fast forward 10 years, and the McGill Libraries' Digital Collections have certainly multiplied: Yearbooks, Canadian War Poster Collection, and the Expo '67 Slide Collection, just to name a few.

If you're interested in more McGill yearbooks from their digital collection or those from other Canadian schools, Gail Dever recently had a blog post entitled, Ancestry releases more than 100 years of Canadian yearbook records. The Ancestry collection is the Canada, Selected School Yearbooks, 1908-2010 and, for those of you without Ancestry subscriptions, it is available through Ancestry Library Edition found at many public libraries in Ontario.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Library and Archives Canada: Loyalist petition Papers

When researching a possible United Empire Loyalist, land petitions are an essential part of that documentation. Randy Seaver on his blog, Genea-Musings, has a very complete description of where to learn more and how to conduct that type of research through LAC's Loyalist Petition Papers.

To learn more about obtaining a certificate of Loyalist ancestry or to help out with other activities, please visit the website of the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada.


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Tuesday, July 21, 2015

British Columbia Archives

The BC Archives are located in Victoria, British Columbia just next door to the Royal BC Museum. Luckily, for researchers, they share the same website which puts all information in a one-stop location.

As far as genealogy records go, the Archives offers a search form for indexes to births (1854-1903), marriages (1872-1938), deaths (1872-1993), colonial marriages (1859-1872) and baptisms (1836-1888). A separate search allows you to access their fond descriptions, their library as well as records in formats other than text. Another type of record accessible through the BC Archives are Divorce Orders from before 1983 and Sisters of St. Ann Archives.

Just click on any of the links above to learn more!

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Monday, July 20, 2015

Short post today

I'm a bit under the weather today, but I don't want to miss blogging. Instead of my own post I thought I'd send you over to my friend's blog, Ruth Blair's The Passionate Genealogist, to read her most recent post on Creating a Family Heirloom.  Enjoy and Be Well!

Friday, July 17, 2015

Finally Friday!

I don't know about you, but everyone I've spoken with today is very happy that it's finally Friday! In that vein, here's a short post for today:

For anyone with an interest in Kingston, Ontario, you have to check out Digital Kingston. This database not only includes a number of historic Kingston newspapers from 1810-1900, but also includes digital versions of the local City Directories from 1855-1923.

Don't forget to add Digital Kingston to your research list!

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Thursday, July 16, 2015

Québec City Genealogy & Local History Research


Québec City is a beautiful place that I hope everyone gets a chance to visit at one point in their lifetime. Here are a collection of links that might prove useful to you if you are doing family or local history research for this wonderful place. Be aware! Some of these links may only be available in French. You can have them translated using Google Translate.
There are many, many more resources that pertain to the province of Quebec, so be sure to explore those as well as the ones above!

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Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Naval Marine Archives and Canadian Society of Marine Artists in Picton, Ontario



The Victory is home to the Naval Marine Archives and Canadian Society of Marine Artists in beautiful Picton, Ontario. They were formerly the Archives and Collections Society.

The facilities are open to all researchers, though there are a few advantages to becoming a member if this type of research falls within your family history: 1. You support a federally incorporated charity and 2. Members not able to visit the archives in person will receive some research assistance for free.

What will you find? Everything from books on naval marine topics and related local information, ships and shipping, yachts and yachting  as well as access to Members' Pages (with paid membership.) An overall description of their holdings is available on their site, and be sure to check their online catalogue for more!


Photos © E. Cole and used with permission



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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Learning Opportunities Galore! Online Webinars from FamilySearch.org

Genealogists from FamilySearch.org's US and Canada's Research team offer a number of online webinars for free on a regular basis. All you need is a computer with audio and internet access.

Some of the content they have listed on their site is applicable to Canadian research like Beginning LDS Research, Planning a Research Trip and Immigration Into the United States, just over the summer months alone.

Looking for another topic entirely? FamilySearch maintains quite an archive in its Learning Center that is available whenever you need it!

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Monday, July 13, 2015

Making Memories Monday: A Day In the Life of Oakville

You're cordially invited to help make memories as part of our upcoming project: A Day In the Life of Oakville. Here are the details:

Oakville Public Library is creating "A Day In the Life of Oakville" digital photo exhibit and we need your help; we want to see Oakville from your perspective. We’ll be collecting photos taken on Tuesday, July 28th, 2015 and preserving them in a digital exhibit for future generations. Using your smartphone or digital camera, take a snapshot of a moment during your day on July 28th and help us build a community archive. This is your chance to contribute to Oakville heritage and show us Oakville the way YOU see it!

The rest of the information including the link to submit your photograph online between July 28 and August 5 is on our website.




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Friday, July 10, 2015

Funeral Card Friday

I've come across a number of mentions of collections of databases of Funeral Cards lately. One is the Drouin Collection, though their funeral (obituary) cards are part of their subscription database. To learn more about how to use them, and their collection as a whole, be sure to visit their pathfinder. Ancestors At Rest has an online index available of a large collection of funeral cards as well.

The collection about which I'm most excited is a small collection that has recently been added to the Oakville Images database at the Oakville Public Library. I've been cleaning out the unused cabinets in the Oakville Room at the Central Branch and came across an envelope filled with just under a dozen funeral cards for the area dating back to the early 1900s. Feel free to take a look!


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Thursday, July 09, 2015

Quick post about learning through the Ontario Genealogical Society

The OGS has two easy ways to learn:

1. The OGS eWeekly: Sign up online for free. No need to be a member.
2. There is a monthly online OGS webinar, the first Tuesday of every month. The variety is great: Future Proofing your family history reasearch with Thomas MacEntee was this past Tuesday, and August 4 is on Canadian Copyright for Family Historians with Kathryn Lake Hogan. Members have access to archived webinars in the members-only area of the site.

Enjoy!

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Wednesday, July 08, 2015

Index to French Canadian Revolutionary War Patriots

The Ross Flag
I'm fascinated when celebrities on Who Do You Think You Are discover that they are entitled to apply to be Sons or Daughters of the American Revolution. What I didn't realize until I went to do my research for this blog post that, as The Canadian Encyclopedia describes in its American Revolution article that Canada was also invaded during the war:
In 1775 at the start of the American Revolution, rebel forces invaded Canada, occupying Montréal and attacking the town of Québec.
If you read the whole article, you'll see that those seeking America's Independence from Britain had sympathizers in Canada, but the rebel forces were defeated. Quite a difference from those wanting to remain loyal to Britain and moved to Canada as Loyalists!

I've had this link to the online Index to French Canadian Revolutionary War Patriots bookmarked for so long, I don't remember where I learned about it! What I do know is that Debbie Duay of Fort Lauderdale, Florida is to be commended for all of her hard work to compile this list. Be sure to check to see if any of your French Canadian family members of the late 1700s were Revolutionary War Patriots!

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Tuesday, July 07, 2015

Oakville Names August Civic Holiday Emancipation Day

I was so excited to read the Oakville Beaver article that announced that the August Civic Holiday will now be known as Emancipation Day. You'll want to read the article to truly appreciate the significance of the name and the recognition of the role Oakville played in the Underground Railroad.

I went looking to see how this naming was possible since a friend had once told me that the Ontario Civic Holiday is called Simcoe Day. It is Simcoe Day in Toronto, but if you read the article in The Canadian Encyclopedia, you'll see that many Ontario municipalities have named it to be locally significant to them while other provinces use different names too. I did dig a little further and found an article on CBC's site that indicates that "the entire province of Ontario has dedicated the civic holiday to Emancipation Day since 2008."

If you can, be sure to check out the activities in your area!


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Monday, July 06, 2015

Mastering It Monday

I'm all about taking advantage of learning opportunities, especially when they're high quality and affordable. One such way to "Master It" is the upcoming 6th Annual One World One Family Conference which takes place on Saturday, August 22nd at the Brampton Ontario Stake Centre of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their address is 10062 Bramalea Road, Brampton ON, and a full day of sessions is only $25, including a box lunch!

Speakers include Lesley Anderson, Glenn Wright, Dorothy Kew, Fran Murphy and Steve Fulton, just to name a few options available over the course of the day.

Be sure to register soon!


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Friday, July 03, 2015

Happy 407th Anniversary, Québec City!

Photo © David Hook 2008
An anniversary as significant as this one deserves a post on the proper day! According to The Canadian Encyclopedia:
"I arrived there on the 3rd of July," wrote Samuel de Champlain in 1608, "when I searched for a place suitable for our settlement, but I could find none more convenient or better situated than the point of Quebec."  http://tinyurl.com/nc3nhc7
Do you think that he had any clue that this place would become so significant? While it's not the oldest city in Canada (that honour falls to St. John's, NL) it became the political seat of what would become the province of Québec. It was also one of the places where many new immigrants arrived in Canada. Be sure to check out the Library and Archives Canada's database, Passenger Lists for the Port of Quebec City, 1865-1900.

Joyeux Anniversaire, Québec!



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Slavery Records available online and my 200th post!

FamilySearch and other groups have been working together to digitize and make records of freed African American slaves available online. These records are from the US Freedmen's Bureau and cover from just after the beginning of the U.S. Civil War until approximately 1878. FamilySearch and its partners also hope to have everything indexed for easy access by 2016.


It's time to celebrate my 200th post! Thanks so much for your continued support, Everyone!


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Thursday, July 02, 2015

Digital Irish Famine Archive Available Online

The Irish Famine Archive is a tremendous resource for those with Irish Canadian roots. It contains eyewitness accounts of those who migrated from Ireland to Canada by those who cared for them, namely the Grey Nuns (Sisters of Charity) and the Sisters of Providence within the fever sheds of Montreal. Other accounts are included by Irish orphans who were adopted by French Canadian families in the area. While the time-frame is quite small, 1847-1848, the amount of detail gives us a tremendous amount of insight into the true conditions of the time.

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Wednesday, July 01, 2015

Happy Canada Day!

Happy 148th Birthday, Canada! Have a safe and happy holiday, Everyone!

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