tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240666352012-02-01T16:54:51.307-05:00Since 2006, an independent view of family history resources and developments with a British-Canadian perspective, from Ottawa, Canada's Capital for more than 150 years.JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.comBlogger30921100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-52784892531697446822012-02-01T00:28:00.007-05:002012-02-01T00:28:00.269-05:00

RootsTech, the largest genealogy event of its kind this year, have scheduled fourteen sessions to be broadcast live from Salt Lake City and free over the Internet. They will available through RootsTech.org. The presentations are, with times converted to Eastern Standard Time (EST): Thursday, February 2 10:30-noon, Inventing the Future, as a Community (Keynote Address) by Jay L. Verkler 1:00 pm-

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-27957668775321823312012-02-01T00:01:00.025-05:002012-02-01T09:22:14.331-05:00

On their survey response 124 people took advantage of the opportunity to leave comments. Find suggestions for many other people who should have been nominated and comments on some of the nominees. This documentation may be the most valuable part of the survey, evidence for you to examine when looking for sources for conference and meeting presentations and written material. It's also the

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-58517250487593176572012-02-01T00:01:00.024-05:002012-02-01T00:01:00.172-05:00

Here are some benchmarks as of 1 February 2012. Familysearch.org has 1,033 record collections, up from 1,008 a month ago: census & lists (88); birth, marriage, & death (679); probate & court (71); military (83); migration & naturalization (45); other (67). It has Alexa rank 5,965, up from a month also 6,218. Family Tree DNA has 357,675 (355,935) records in its database. It ranks 47,043 (51,424)

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-57679846620484417582012-01-31T19:48:00.000-05:002012-01-31T19:48:30.197-05:00

The FreeBMD Database was updated on Saturday 28 January 2012 and contains 211,673,964 distinct records (268,171,475 total records). This update has major additions to births for 1939-1940, 1943-1945, 1949, 1952, 1954-1955, 1957-1961, for marriages for 1920, 1952-1955, 1957-1960, and deaths for 1863, 1951, 1953-1955, 1957-1961.

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-8130041037150906552012-01-31T00:56:00.006-05:002012-01-31T09:51:58.272-05:00

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is using the bicentennial of the War of 1812 to promote flag-waving nationalism. That suspicion is one of the reasons some historians are debating whether the War of 1812 is worth commemorating, as summarized in a post Nasty, Brutish, Short — and Not Worth Commemorating. Meanwhile I received notice, via Glenn Wright, of the Fort La Présentation Association’s fourth

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-77738158382735086322012-01-31T00:01:00.037-05:002012-01-31T00:01:01.818-05:00

With 433 out of the 676 voters in the complete survey stating their residence as the USA it would be surprising if the results were very different from those overall (international). There are some differences shown in this ranking of those who received at least half the votes of the leader. 1. Elizabeth Shown Mills (258) 2. Megan Smolenyak (196) 3. Dick Eastman (176) 4. Thomas W. Jones (168) 5.

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-3801258081326076362012-01-31T00:01:00.020-05:002012-01-31T00:01:01.010-05:00

These survey results must be prefaced with a caution; with only 51 responses from people who gave their residence as UK or Ireland I wouldn't characterize the results as anything but interesting. With the vote so close they don't merit ranking so below are  the raw results for the top ten with number of votes received indicated in brackets. Else Churchill (16) Chris Paton (16)Nick Barrett (15)

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-91402463889324892392012-01-30T00:50:00.005-05:002012-01-30T00:50:00.224-05:00

It must be a rare family historian who isn't interested in books and libraries. We all know that technological change is imposing tremendous stress on the businesses and institutions involved the magnitude of which clients may only have an inkling. The December 2011 issue of IFLA Journal includes an article which takes a philosophical approach to the future of libraries and librarianship, "As

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-29794947204286913082012-01-30T00:01:00.029-05:002012-01-30T07:12:59.715-05:00

These survey results are based on the votes of 113 people who gave their residence as Canada, not necessarily Canadians. Everyone who received at least half as many votes as the overall winner is listed, which puts 13 people on the list. The number of votes received is indicated in brackets. 1. Dick Eastman (50) ranks higher in Canada than internationally or his native US. Like many New

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-44998635077984083132012-01-30T00:01:00.020-05:002012-01-30T00:01:00.746-05:00

There are several hundred thousand estimated family and local historians in Australia and maybe 2 to 3 times that number with a casual interest in the subject. That's information from Unlock the Past. The survey results are based on the votes of 63 people who gave their residence as Australia or New Zealand. There was a tie for the person with the most votes, 30 votes each: 1. Shauna Hicks is

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-11457475280078642042012-01-29T00:14:00.006-05:002012-01-29T00:14:00.098-05:00

The end of January is the closing date for presentation proposals for the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa 18th annual conference, this year being held 14-16 September 2012. This year's focus is on Scotland. In addition to presentations on the theme the organizers are open to proposals for other presentations  including: writing and preserving family history social

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-43814373276999285912012-01-29T00:01:00.001-05:002012-01-29T00:01:45.459-05:00

Genealogists and family historians, professional or casual, 676 in number from the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the UK and Ireland, Mexico, Spain and Sweden voted to select "rock star genealogists, women and men who give 'must attend' presentations at genealogy conferences and/or write 'must read' family history articles or publications." In diverse ways they go beyond genealogical

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-50559234156857366352012-01-29T00:01:00.000-05:002012-01-29T00:01:00.715-05:00

British & Irish Genealogy (BI-Gen) is added to the links list in the left hand column. It's one I check daily. Mick Southwick from northeast England covers a good range of material and has other useful information on offer. Worth a look. On his CV web page I noticed, only because of the last name, an item "England’s First Football Captain: A Biography of Cuthbert Ottaway, 1850-1878"

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-2363746207730026462012-01-28T00:48:00.001-05:002012-01-28T00:48:00.526-05:00

For those new to the site, I just occasionally go a bit off-topic. It's close to meteorological mid-winter. Ground Hog Day is around the corner. Here comes the sun, and the ice is slowly melting (maybe). Try this.

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-15289831306197988922012-01-28T00:29:00.002-05:002012-01-28T00:29:00.785-05:00

30 January 2012 - 7:30 p.m Origins of Funeral Customs Susan Smart Have you ever wondered why it’s customary to wear black at a funeral? Or why a coffin looks the way it does? The rituals around burying the dead have very ancient roots and have developed over the centuries in different ways depending on religion and geographic area. This talk will describe the origins of some of the funeral

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-84974027140227565532012-01-28T00:20:00.001-05:002012-01-28T00:20:00.622-05:00

AudreyCollins in Great Improvement at Familysearch and Chris Paton in FamilySearch kicks British Isles out of Europe both comment on the British Isles regaining independent status in the FamilySearch Browse by Location`menu. You no longer have to sort through a morass of data from other European nations to find the British stuff. I notice there's also a Canada category. I don't search the Canada

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-38067830064737233712012-01-27T15:48:00.000-05:002012-01-27T15:48:04.994-05:00

Thanks to the more than 530 people who have already voted for a selection of people who give "must attend" presentations at genealogy conferences and/or write "must read" family history articles or publications. There was a welcome spike of US votes on Friday afternoon following a mailing list discussion. Apparently a small minority of APG members are humour challenged; that would be humor for

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-4741630589957448692012-01-27T12:54:00.000-05:002012-01-27T12:54:44.830-05:00

A major new cemetery is now at Deceasedonline.com from the London Borough of Newham, where most of the 2012 Olympics will be held. West Ham Cemetery, situated in Forest Gate opened in 1857 and has continued to provide burials in 22 acres of grounds. Approximately 180,000 burial records are available. The data available comprise computerised index records, details of graves including names of all

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-13698247410383239942012-01-27T07:50:00.000-05:002012-01-27T07:50:06.959-05:00

Here is a notice received from Debra Chatfield, Marketing Manager - family history at brightsolid online publishing.  o       Project announced to increase access to over a million baptism, marriage and burial records dating back to 1538o       First time that images of the original parish records from East Kent churches will appear online  Today leading UK family history

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-31902588153271113002012-01-27T00:19:00.003-05:002012-01-27T00:19:00.194-05:00

Many people seem not to know that you can order materials, both from the archival and library collection prior to a visit to Library and Archives Canada. Order from Request For Retrieval of Documents, that's http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/the-public/005-3040-e.php. The instruction is that you must submit your request at least five working days prior to your visit so planning is needed. I've

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-85633375805704126852012-01-27T00:12:00.001-05:002012-01-27T10:34:41.370-05:00

The meeting on Saturday, 28 January is especially for members as the session will deal with Branch strategic planning. Here are the details. Location City of Ottawa Archives, 100 Tallwood Drive  1:00p Networking (AKA Juice and Cookies)  1:25p Upcoming Events and Announcements  1:30p Strategic Planning Session:  Facilitated discussion about the core activities of the Branch, new directions and

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-90836821717828449182012-01-26T00:48:00.001-05:002012-01-26T00:48:00.281-05:00

If you have ancestors who lived in Quebec City and area you may find useful information in "Annuaires Marcotte de Québec et leurs prédécesseurs (1822-1920)" now online from BAnQ, the Quebec provincial library and archives. It's described as a mine of information for those interested in the history, genealogy and geography of Quebec City and area. The earlier years are in English. There is no

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-71842072860898859392012-01-26T00:00:00.001-05:002012-01-26T00:00:01.540-05:00

The Ottawa Historical Association has organized a free lecture this evening at Carleton University by Tim Cook, a historian of the Great War at the Canadian War Museum, Adjunct Research Professor in the history department at Carleton, and award winning author. He will speak on original research into soldiers’ writing exploring the Canadian soldier in the Great War and his engagement with death

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-44279520770224130052012-01-25T00:17:00.001-05:002012-01-25T00:17:00.036-05:00

According to ongoing research being carried out by Dr Murray Watson from the University of Dundee and Professor Marilyn Barber from Carleton University changes in communications technology are transforming relationships between ex-pat English immigrants and the families they left behind on the other side of the Atlantic. The two researchers carried out an extensive programme of oral history

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-4480128688537796492012-01-25T00:08:00.002-05:002012-01-25T00:08:00.284-05:00

Yesterday's posting, and the 62 responses to the poll question "Ending duty archivist service at the reference desk on the second floor at Library and Archives Canada will mean.." got some attention.  55 people felt it would mean  "a significant net service deterioration." I received feedback from LAC clarifying the changes being implemented.  From February 13, 2012 – end of March, 2012 •

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-71854599508845692142012-01-24T22:07:00.000-05:002012-01-24T22:07:47.679-05:00

As of 10pm EST 348 people had voted in the survey. There was an initial burst of votes from Australia and New Zealand at the poll opening which was in the wee hours for much of North America. Then regular readers for Canada cast their ballot, followed by folks in the US as word spread. So far Australia/NZ and Canada have a larger share of responses than their proportion of the population total

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-30779906122412042462012-01-24T09:30:00.000-05:002012-01-24T09:30:52.769-05:00

Ancestry announce they have updated their databases of the 1911 censuses for the Isle of Man (52121 records), Channel Islands (97273 records), and Wales (2365374 records).

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-16242998752474662372012-01-24T00:54:00.002-05:002012-01-24T22:41:33.541-05:00

On Monday I received information from a usually reliable source that as of this week the rotating duty archivists will be on the reference desk for only 3 hours a day (11-2) and that as of April 1 they will be withdrawn entirely. You'd think this change would make it harder for people to access the documentary heritage materials they need.  Not according to LAC's myth number 2 in a document

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-68060104298523309132012-01-24T00:30:00.004-05:002012-01-24T00:30:01.315-05:00

You've probably noticed information posted here about an Ottawa Scottish genealogy group that meets monthly. Now there's interest in starting something on a provincial level through the Ontario Genealogical Society. That comes from Christine Woodcock, also a BIFHSGO member, who is looking to make contact with others interested forming a special interest group. You can reach Christine at (

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-24399588919218383632012-01-24T00:02:00.001-05:002012-01-24T00:02:00.283-05:00

Genealogy in Time magazine reveals statistics on the browser used for their last 35,000 page views. Internet Explorer accounted for 39%; Firefox 30%; Chrome 18% and Safari 10%. Visits to this blog over the past month were Internet Explorer 44%; Firefox 29%; Chrome 12% and Safari 10%.  A Google search for most popular browser shows Internet Explorer generally reported as number one, but losing

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-84276893073903994332012-01-23T20:46:00.000-05:002012-01-23T20:46:14.604-05:00

10,035 baptismal records for St Dunstan, Stepney (1668-1679) and 6,661 for Christchurch, Spitalfields (1843-1875) brings the total amount of London docklands baptisms on FMP to 535,210. These are transcriptions; no original images are available

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-59975843235920788962012-01-23T00:58:00.035-05:002012-01-23T00:58:00.078-05:00

VOTE: Our survey to determine rock star genealogists, women and men who give "must attend" presentations at genealogy conferences and/or write "must read" family history articles or publications is now open. There's more than one rock star so vote for as many as you want. it's your opportunity to express your appreciation for the genealogists who wow you with their presentations and/or writing.

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-16713344283065171452012-01-23T00:13:00.001-05:002012-01-23T00:13:00.874-05:00

The group will meet in Room 156 at Library and Archives Canada on Tuesday, 24 January from 7:30 to 10:00pm.

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-46869361232284820952012-01-23T00:08:00.005-05:002012-01-23T00:08:00.312-05:00

23andMe, the personal genetic testing company with around 100,000 tests completed, announces the membership of their newly created Ancestry Ambassadors group. CeCe Moore (TangledVine) Andrea Badger (AndreaBadger) Ann Turner MD (Ann DNACousins) Larry Vick (Larry Vick) Shannon Christmas (AncientPlanter) Tim Janzen MD (Tim Janzen). It would be hard to think of a group that has more credibility with

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-22372215039331269442012-01-22T00:48:00.000-05:002012-01-22T00:48:00.323-05:00

I've blogged enthusiastically about Sharon Hintze's TNA podcasts before. As Director of the (LDS) London Family History Centre she has knowledge and wisdom to share. This talk has as title either "The development of family history record keeping" or considerably more interestingly "How a chisel, a mule, a shipping container and a cloud contribute to family history." It's a repeat of one given to

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-87529619529944824102012-01-22T00:33:00.002-05:002012-01-22T00:33:00.258-05:00

OpenFile Ottawa runs an article, LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES SPACE CRUNCH CONNECTED TO HILL RENOS, giving details of the plans for escalating charges to community groups such as BIFHSGO using meeting space at 395 Wellington, formerly managed by LAC.

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-21962857044267956372012-01-22T00:06:00.000-05:002012-01-22T00:06:00.382-05:00

The most recent posting on the LAC blog is A Behind-the-Scenes Look at LAC: The Gatineau Preservation Centre. The GPC is possibly the jewel in the LAC crown, likely why it was once visited by President Bush (the younger). They give occasional tours, well worth taking if you have the opportunity. According to the posting 70 preservation experts work in the GPC in individual laboratories

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-56118934134520607432012-01-21T00:53:00.105-05:002012-01-21T20:48:45.823-05:00

NOMINATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED Quite a number of good nominations came in from the second call so here's your final chance. Remember, this is people who give "must attend" presentations at genealogy conferences and/or write "must read" family history articles or publications. The list of nominees, updated to 8:00pm EST,  is: Anthony Adolph, Lisa Alzo, Lesley Anderson, Nick Barratt, Carol Baxter,

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-1732085544266800892012-01-21T00:33:00.011-05:002012-01-21T00:33:00.061-05:00

If your ancestor served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (1914-1964), the Royal Army Service Corps (1905 - 1964), the Royal Pioneer Corps (1943-1964), or the Army Catering Corps (1947-1964) you may want to check out their on-line journals at www.rlcarchive.org. You can browse page by page or do a search by word or phrase. Viewing the image of the original is on a pay-per-view basis. A simple

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-22231114350365164622012-01-21T00:31:00.002-05:002012-01-21T00:31:00.816-05:00

Look to the BBC to first tell the story. "The Return of the Far Fur Country is a documentary about the fate of a silent feature film called The Romance of the Far Fur Country filmed by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1920 and the efforts to bring the footage held in the British Film Institute archives back to Canada. The film is about the repatriation of these images to the Aboriginal communities

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-60050519039879218992012-01-20T00:52:00.010-05:002012-01-20T00:52:00.903-05:00

Proactive disclosure of information has been instituted so that Canadians are better able to hold Parliament, their Government, and public sector officials to account. It's easy to access proactive disclosure information on government websites, at the bottom of the left column. Reports for 2011 show Daniel Caron claimed expenses for 24 trips in 2011. It's certainly a good thing that our senior

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-9061091257464328652012-01-20T00:11:00.001-05:002012-01-20T00:11:00.446-05:00

After a long period when nothing has changed at deceasedonline.com there is now a notice added about a relatively small addition.Scottish Highland Cemeteries Monumental Inscriptions comprises approximately 4,500 headstone images, with searchable inscription transcripts containing 12,500 names. The fifteen cemeteries date back as far as 1600, with data described as:Abernethy Old Churchyard,

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-80268607956249449422012-01-20T00:01:00.000-05:002012-01-20T00:01:01.048-05:00

A reminder for Ottawa Scottish Genealogy Group members that there is a meeting at the new City of Ottawa Archives located at 100 Tallwood Drive on Saturday, January 21st at 10:00 AM in Room 226.

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-42217227314640394972012-01-19T00:02:00.001-05:002012-01-19T00:02:00.398-05:00

Here's the list of nominations with the additions to date. Anthony Adolph, Lisa Alzo, Lesley Anderson, Nick Barratt, Claire Bettag, Warren Bittner, Jana Sloan Broglin, Else Churchill, Audrey Collins, Lisa Louise Cooke, Dick Eastman, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Michael Gandy, John Grenham, Michael Hiatt, Alison Hare, Mark D. Herber, Jean Wilcox Hibben, Sherry Irvine, Thomas W. Jones, Thomas MacEntee,

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-76357396852238444802012-01-19T00:00:00.005-05:002012-01-19T00:00:06.805-05:00

Familysearch.org placed 126,534 image originals of unindexed Ontario, Roman Catholic Church parish baptismal, confirmation, marriage and burial records for 1760-1923 online on January 18. These are for the counties of: Algoma; Brant; Cardwell; Carleton; Carleton, Lanark; Cochrane; Dufferin; Dundas; Durham; Elgin; Essex; Frontenac; Grenville; Haldimand; Hastings; Huron; Kenora; Kent; Lambton; 

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-2772122216606534632012-01-19T00:00:00.003-05:002012-01-19T00:00:08.756-05:00

Guest speaker for this annual event is Lesley Anderson who will present her perennially popular "I Can't Find Them Anywhere" Searching Effectively on Ancestry next Saturday 21 January 2012. The talk will cover: Overview of Ancestry.ca Membership/Logging in, Customizing your Home page, Quick Links, Shoebox, Accessing other sites, What’s New Getting Started Global Search, Category Search and

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-89187444805863882572012-01-17T23:59:00.004-05:002012-01-17T23:59:00.276-05:00

Several of the blogs I follow and websites we all use, including Wikipedia, are going dark on Wednesday 18 January, to protest proposed US legislation that could cause enormous harm to the Internet and freedom of speech. Listen to this BBC interview for a brief explanation of the concern. Another site genealogist use, or should at least know about, the Internet Archive, will be dark for 12

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-62658370660147228042012-01-17T18:00:00.001-05:002012-01-17T19:04:32.575-05:00

Tamura Jones, a Netherlands-based genealogist with a technology interest, and a prolific tweeter, posted on his GeneAwards for 2011 which I missed on December 31. The best award winners are interesting, but I had to smile at the choices for worst. I hadn't heard of Funium Family Village, named as worst genealogy product of 2011. Tamura descibes it as "tedious and boring." He gives

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-64835001312262702362012-01-17T06:01:00.000-05:002012-01-17T06:01:43.377-05:00

Of possible interest to anyone with royal or even royal servant connections, Sandringham Days: The Domestic Life of the Royal Family in Norfolk, 1862-1952, is advertised as: "Drawing on letters, diaries and contemporary reports, author John Matson presents a fresh angle on the private lives of a very public family: Queen Victoria’s first visit, the glittering parties of the Edwardian era and the

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-10051949815274110512012-01-17T00:23:00.001-05:002012-01-17T00:23:00.577-05:00

This is another presentation from TNA's one day conference on the census at Kew on Saturday 1 October 2011. The presentation is about Histpop, part of the History Data Service at the University of Essex, which provides online access to the complete British population reports for Britain and Ireland from 1801 to 1937. That's not the individual level census data but "ancillary documents from The

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-54939848289402030582012-01-17T00:13:00.003-05:002012-01-17T10:45:13.695-05:00

There are no organizations currently lobbying on "genealogy" with the Government of Canada, that's according to a search on the word at the register of the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada. Until about a year ago Jacques J.M. Shore of Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP had, since 2004, been registered to lobby LAC for Ancestry.ca on "assistance regarding the company's effort to broaden

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-24986286232288869682012-01-17T00:03:00.005-05:002012-01-17T00:03:00.722-05:00

I'm reminded of a TV program I saw many years ago showing a French scientist dining with, I think, the King, pulling the bread apart and picking out various insect body parts. He assured the King there were many fewer in his bread than normally found. That crossed my mind as I was further exploring the London, England, Electoral Registers, 1835-1965 database placed online by Ancestry last week.

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-36917905003303135722012-01-16T00:53:00.013-05:002012-01-16T00:53:00.063-05:00

If you think the Quebec Family History Society website has been looking a bit past its best before date you wouldn't be the only one, including the Society board. Now it's out with the old and in with a brand spanking new site. It's another from EasyNetSites; BIFHSGO is among many others users. I see the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia will shortly become another customer.

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-81686118506677429572012-01-16T00:53:00.012-05:002012-01-16T00:53:00.277-05:00

Who gives "must attend" presentations at genealogy conferences?  Who is it, when you see a new family history article or publication by that person, makes it a must buy? Those are the genealogy rock stars. Who are they? Please leave your nomination as a comment, which you can do anonymously. You can even nominate yourself! To save being overwhelmed by nominations I've primed the pump with a

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-37964956380119615882012-01-15T00:21:00.001-05:002012-01-15T00:21:00.988-05:00

Ontario Genealogical Society members will have received an email with notice of four technical webinars to be delivered between 24 January and 7 March. They deal with the use of technology to support branch operations, not family history and are designed to appeal to branch executive member interests although all OGS members are invited. They will be delivered through Microsoft Office Live

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-64182676619730258762012-01-15T00:02:00.011-05:002012-01-15T00:02:01.943-05:00

On Saturday, having decided not to venture into what I sincerely hope will be the coldest day of the year, I spent a couple of hours with the East Anglian Film Archive and some of its 200 hours of material accessible for free. The coast of Norfolk and Suffolk gets a good representation.  I was interested to see a short of the Funeral Of The Crew Of The Zeppelins Shot Down in 1916, and compare

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-72934457188894276352012-01-14T00:19:00.007-05:002012-01-14T00:19:00.391-05:00

Ancestry.ca's recent update to British Columbia civil registration indexes has added 1900-1903 to births, over 11,000 records; 1925-1935 to marriages, about 100,000 records; and 1980-1990 to deaths, about 192,000 records. Remember that familysearch.org also has BC civil registration records which usually have more information than the Ancestry index, especially by giving parents names. For

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-9536751186687922012012-01-14T00:04:00.002-05:002012-01-14T00:04:01.556-05:00

In announcing a major update to its online database “Upper Canada Land Petitions (1763–1865)” Library and Archives Canada informs us it incorporates: All suggestions for corrections received from users since the original launch in September 2010; More than 5,000 references to land petitions occurring in the Upper Canada Sundries added. Using the database remains labourious as it employs

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-6247137622132135912012-01-13T00:53:00.003-05:002012-01-13T00:53:00.058-05:00

Have you heard of Irvine’s Genealogy Laws, all ten of them? Here are the first five: Useful information declines by the square of the distance from the source. The scope or extent of a search, in terms of date range and geographic area, varies inversely with the commonness of the name. Skepticism is the root of all good research. The history of a record is as important as its contents. What is a

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-17036145485788175482012-01-13T00:47:00.001-05:002012-01-13T00:47:00.291-05:00

I've spent a fair bit of time searching in the London, England, Electoral Registers, 1835-1965 database placed online by Ancestry earlier in the week. It's filled some significant gaps and is a great new online resource. But as is often the case in family history, it has also opened up a whole bunch more questions. Some were answered by the sections on Historical Background and Searching the

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-31412262396968269242012-01-12T00:36:00.001-05:002012-01-12T00:36:02.326-05:00

Many libraries have specialist librarians for genealogy, sometimes combined with local history or a related specialty. You can look to your library for quality help in your family history studies, after all, librarians are professionals. Even if you don't live within the area served by a major public library you can still benefit through the resources they have online, including blogs. Here's a

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-15935319069572070292012-01-12T00:35:00.001-05:002012-01-12T00:35:02.189-05:00

In Tuesday's Ottawa Citizen columnist Randall Denley writes "The little-known Canada Periodical Fund doles out about $71 million a year to publications ranging from Newfoundland Sportsman to the Canadian Coin News." Surely out of that amount there must be something for genealogy. Yes there is, but it's not as I expected. The only periodical I can immediately identify from the genealogical/family

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-61491268165491374922012-01-12T00:24:00.002-05:002012-01-12T00:24:01.321-05:00

For $1,450 Global Industry Analysts, Inc. will provide you a 55 page report on the genealogy products and services sector. Their press release, Online Researchers Spur Growth of Genealogy Industry, According to a New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. states that "ggenealogical enthusiasts are spending between US$1000 to US$18000 a year to discover his or her roots. The growth of the

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-28670662738014761182012-01-11T07:54:00.002-05:002012-01-11T09:09:24.900-05:00

Here's a database many have been waiting for. There is data for 1860 and 1898 to 1965 with 1916, 1917, 1940-1944 and 1962-1965 not present in the sample I checked. The format changes with more detail in the earlier years. There's more at an Ancestry blog posting at http://goo.gl/plqw0

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-44792478438000363422012-01-11T00:55:00.003-05:002012-01-11T00:55:00.083-05:00

Some months ago Elizabeth Lapointe, well known as the editor of OGS Families and a blogger in her own right, or is that write, at Genealogy Canada handed me copies of two booklets she has published. They are laminated single fold, four page format. I'd call them quicksheets but perhaps that's a proprietary name. It's taken a while for Elizabeth to get them stocked so you can order them. Now

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-36406799731191629912012-01-11T00:35:00.001-05:002012-01-11T00:35:00.445-05:00

I blogged in mid-November about this presentation by Sarah Hutton which I was able to attend at Kew. It's worth listening to even without the visuals, although there should probably be a warning about the graphic description of urban conditions in the mid 19th century. "As Britain's status as the 'workshop of the world' grew, so did the new industrial and trading towns. Ports became densely

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-17455083694594820762012-01-11T00:03:00.003-05:002012-01-11T00:03:03.888-05:00

Long time readers of this blog know I've much admiration for the work and presentations of California forensic genealogist Colleen Fitzpatrick who will be on the program at the OGS conference in Kingston this year. She's in the news this week using DNA analysis to assist Seattle-area sheriff's deputies narrow the field of suspects in a 20-year-old murder. Read the story at   http://www.cnn.com/

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-57018401115133621582012-01-10T00:28:00.000-05:002012-01-10T00:28:01.918-05:00

Folks are determined to have a good time while remembering the War of 1812, the reason Canadians aren't Yankees. Canada's top historians of the event are on the program for a War of 1812 Bicentennial Symposium on Saturday the 25th of February at the University of Guelph.  Full information is at http://www.livinghistoryconference.com/

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-52584412760501384062012-01-10T00:14:00.001-05:002012-01-10T00:14:02.094-05:00

The beleagured Toronto Public Library posted to their Local History and Genealogy blog on the availability of the Digitized Toronto Newspapers: Globe & Mail and Toronto Star at home for their subscribers. The digitized Globe and Mail is more widely available through many Ontario libraries. A reminder about the free availability to all of Google digitized Toronto newspapers: The Toronto Daily

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-59215431259532064222012-01-09T00:58:00.001-05:002012-01-09T00:58:00.804-05:00

I grabbed an image of this ad from the Legion Magazine offering 50% off an initial Ancestry.ca World Deluxe subscription to Canadian Legion members. The offer is also on the Canadian Legion website here. Short of winning the jackpot, an Ancestry subscription is a frequent door prize at family history society conferences, 50% is the best discount I've seen. The small print in the ad says you

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-1622875926887668912012-01-09T00:12:00.001-05:002012-01-09T00:12:02.196-05:00

23andMe co-founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki says "I sincerely apologize" to genetic genealogists who have protested company plans to change terms of service. For quite a while 23andMe took genetic genealogy as an afterthought, second fiddle to the health targeted service that motivated the company's formation. The company was for a while the most affordable option for autosomal DNA analysis, and

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-24317743574141980192012-01-09T00:08:00.003-05:002012-01-09T00:08:03.170-05:00

At the BIFHSGO meeting last Saturday I was asked about the situation regarding copyright in Canada. It's in flux. Bill C-11, the Copyright Modernization Act, is currently being debated in Parliament. There is considerable concern about proposed provisions that would make it illegal to circumvent technological protection measures or digital locks used to prevent copyright infringement or piracy,

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-46162491255323624602012-01-08T17:28:00.000-05:002012-01-08T17:28:17.757-05:00

Week after week California-based Randy Seaver makes a personal selection of the best genealogy blog postings of the past week. If you don't follow US genealogy activity, and he does focus on what's happening on the US scene, this is a recommended read to keep up to date. This week's post is at: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/01/best-of-genea-blogs-1-january-to-7.html

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-4650071897100399352012-01-08T00:53:00.005-05:002012-01-08T16:33:30.108-05:00

You wouldn't want to miss him. Simon Fowler is perhaps best known as editor of the late lamented  family history magazine Ancestors, killed off by TNA. Simon worked at Kew on and off for over thirty years and specializes in military family history, with a particular focus on the First World War. Simon is coming to Toronto and Ottawa. On Saturday 31 March 2012 he will be a featured speaker in

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-42228450623906632692012-01-08T00:45:00.004-05:002012-01-08T00:45:01.025-05:00

Another podcast in the series from TNA's diversity week last November. "At the age of five years, Duleep Singh found himself on the golden throne of the Punjab, one of the most powerful independent kingdoms in India and a thorn in the advancement of the British Empire. After the Sikh Wars against the British Empire, the infant ruler was separated from his mother, surrendered the famed

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-50531553857536411582012-01-07T00:01:00.002-05:002012-01-07T00:01:00.302-05:00

A few days ago the GenSoftReviews User Choice Awards for 2011 were announced. I was surprised by the results. Let's have a look at the award winners, and one other, focusing on traditional PC genealogy database software that is hosted on your own computer. Other entries in GenSoftReviews, including analysis add-ons and utilities on a server (in the cloud), likely the way of the future, are not

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-9296200431814063522012-01-07T00:00:00.002-05:002012-01-07T00:00:00.728-05:00

Jeff Harris: 4,748 Self-Portraits and Counting from We Know Music on Vimeo. via Open Culture

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-59541251651247033412012-01-06T17:57:00.000-05:002012-01-06T17:57:29.227-05:00

When NBC's genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? returns with its third season Feb. 3, a new crop of celebrities will explore their family history. Martin Sheen, Marisa Tomei, Blair Underwood, Reba McEntire, Rob Lowe, Helen Hunt, Rita Wilson, Edie Falco, Rashida Jones, former NFL running back Jerome Bettis, Jason Sudeikis and Paula Deen will be featured on the series. From the Hollywood

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-22155709897100207692012-01-06T00:32:00.001-05:002012-01-06T00:32:00.356-05:00

Feeling lucky? You could go out and buy a lottery ticket... ... or for better odds, by a bit, by trying Bible Records Online.  There are 1158 Bibles with 5703 instances of  3469 different surnames on this site "dedicated to transcribing and digitizing the contents of family records that were written inside family Bibles and in other important documents from as early as the 1500s through today."

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-39186150054799111542012-01-06T00:12:00.001-05:002012-01-06T00:12:00.357-05:00

BIFHSGO is seeking proposals for presentations at its 18th annual conference being held 14-16 September 2012. This year's focus is on Scotland. In addition to presentations on the theme, proposals for other presentations are welcome including: - writing and preserving family history - social networking - technology and genetics/DNA discoveries - case studies that illuminate social trends and

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-50119462364499170502012-01-06T00:00:00.000-05:002012-01-05T23:24:48.957-05:00

A new website – militaryarchives.ie – is designed to appeal to professional and amateur historians and genealogists as well as members of the public who are simply hoping to fill in gaps in a family tree. The Irish State’s Military Archives are held in Dublin’s Cathal Brugha Barracks but will now become available online for the first time. Some material inherited from the British forces who

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-72299406672796286492012-01-05T00:45:00.001-05:002012-01-05T00:45:00.621-05:00

The meeting is early this month, January 7, so you don't have to wait for it. Again it looks like a good one -- and that's the opinion of a prominent member who is selective about the meetings she chooses to attend. The Tooley Street Fire – A 9/11 Moment for Victorian Londoners Presented by Myra ConwayThere are a very few events in our lifetimes when we remember exactly where we were when we

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-18337014912155841732012-01-05T00:23:00.001-05:002012-01-05T00:23:00.203-05:00

via the British GENES (GEnealogy News and EventS) blogThe Scottish Catholic Archives website at www.scottishcatholicarchives.org.uk has been updated to provide a source list for those researching Scottish Canadian Catholic heritage, with the connection first established following the settlement of Highland Scots in Nova Scotia in 1772.

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-18804691962487530282012-01-05T00:05:00.002-05:002012-01-05T00:05:00.084-05:00

The Ontario Genealogical Society has announced its newsletter is being migrated to electronic format. I got that information via Elizabeth Lapointe's Genealogy Canada blog which mentions it being a green initiative. If being green were the only motivation then I'd ask what else OGS is doing for the environment, otherwise it's just green-washing. But the actual OGS announcement also mentions a

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-16274130723241237692012-01-04T08:35:00.000-05:002012-01-04T08:35:14.784-05:00

Today, 4 January 2012, all can be revealed in the 1911 census of England and Wales. The previously redacted infirmity column of the census form can be revealed. Findmypast.co.uk have done so on their images, not yet on Ancestry. Chances are you won't find any unpleasant surprises. Mostly there's noting entered in the column, except maybe a dash. For a couple of institutions I checked there was

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-72400571931177539422012-01-04T00:56:00.343-05:002012-01-04T00:56:00.803-05:00

For those who like to browse in bookshops and bookstands at conferences let me whet your appetite with a selection from Amazon.com's catalogue of genealogy and family history books scheduled for release in 2012. Release dates are guidelines. Publications are often available pre-release, or may not be available where you are until later. That's especially true of availability on another

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-15749712269075337972012-01-04T00:01:00.001-05:002012-01-04T00:01:04.022-05:00

The following is an announcement from Family Tree DNA Family Tree DNA is proud to announce our upgrade of the myFTDNA user interface will be launched the morning of January 4th, 2012. This upgrade represents a major redesign in layout, better organization, and additional functionality. All the features to which you are accustomed still exist. They are just in slightly different locations. We

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-76081765789995833582012-01-03T00:56:00.001-05:002012-01-03T00:56:00.220-05:00

There have been some additions to the Ottawa city directories available free online since I last looked in April 2011. There's a mixture of LAC and Internet Archive sources in this overview list. 1862, 1863, 1864-65, 1866-67, 1868, 1869-70, 1870-71, 1872-73, 1873-74, 1874-75, 1875, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888-89, 1889-90, 1890-91, 1891-92, 1893-94, 1895-96, 1896-97, 1897-98,

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-45243698772873557772012-01-03T00:02:00.001-05:002012-01-03T00:02:00.655-05:00

The sale at Family Tree DNA which was to end 31 December has been extended to 7 January.

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-79875863473145542522012-01-02T17:06:00.000-05:002012-01-02T17:06:20.749-05:00

The following notice was provided via Gwyneth Pearce. The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has added almost 3,600 more names to For King and Country, its on-line database of war memorials in Toronto schools. Launched on Remembrance Day 2010, this database includes transcriptions and photographs of school memorials, as well as information about the history of the schools

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-45060723534276219682012-01-02T00:53:00.002-05:002012-01-02T05:44:13.180-05:00

Regular reader know to look for excursions into statistics on Anglo-Celtic Connections.  Here are some benchmarks as of 1 January 2012. Familysearch.org has 1,008 record collections: census & lists (88); birth, marriage, & death (662); probate & court (68); military (83); migration & naturalization (45); other (62). It has Alexa rank 6,218. Family Tree DNA has 355,935 records in its database,

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-34651291396163238012012-01-02T00:09:00.001-05:002012-01-02T00:09:00.180-05:00

The FreeBMD Database was updated on Sun 1 Jan 2012 and currently contains 210,487,942 distinct records (266,785,174 total records). This update has major additions to births between 1939 and 1960, marriages for 1920, 1938, 1950 and 1952-1959, and deaths between 1946 and 1951.

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-80800417511367657262012-01-01T00:56:00.000-05:002012-01-01T00:56:00.051-05:00

According to a study of 194 young German males having a particular genetic configuration at one position on the number 3 chromosome has a strong influence on how well you respond to social support in a stressful situation. "Only individuals with one or two copies of the G allele of rs53576 showed lower cortisol responses to stress after social support, compared with individuals with the same

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-57095247525615507622012-01-01T00:00:00.004-05:002012-01-01T00:00:05.523-05:00

Appreciated less than they deserve by family historians are professional organization files. In a blog post from the Wellcome Library on files becoming open on 1 January 2012 is this promising looking item for those with a nurse active in the UK in the early 20th century. "Two items from the Queen's Nursing Institute (SA/QNI): a volume of the Queen's Roll, on which inspections of nurses were

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-17930414499084918032011-12-31T00:51:00.003-05:002011-12-31T00:51:00.576-05:00

Thanks to everyone who helped and encouraged this year by posting comments, questions, providing information, or publicizing the blog, including; Aillin, Alison, Amy, Angela, Ann, Anne, Anonymous, Astrid, Audrey, Bankie, Barb, Barbara, Belinda, Bill, Bob, Brenda, Brian, Bryan, Canadarod, Cannuk, Carol, Caroline, cassmob, Chris, Christine, Darryl, David, Debbie, Del, Dick, Don, Dorothy, Ed,

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-52325077388976368342011-12-31T00:35:00.001-05:002011-12-31T00:35:01.422-05:00

In celebration of Ronnie Corbett being awarded the CBE, to go with his OBE, in the New Year's Honours List

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-1280941282614963502011-12-31T00:15:00.004-05:002011-12-31T09:22:32.499-05:00

Churchill in Ottawa, 31 Dec 1941 A postscript to the post yesterday on Winston Churchill's "Some chicken. Some neck!" speech. BIFHSGO friend Anne Sterling sent this photo of Churchill taken by her father Thomas Story Sterling. The hat is distinctive. According to the Montreal Gazette of 1 Jan 1942, which also has a picture of Churchill in the same hat, it was sealskin and presented to him on

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-72483192703320623062011-12-30T00:07:00.008-05:002011-12-30T00:07:00.687-05:00

This isn't a favourite but appropriate to the season for those whose bathroom scales are telling them they had an overly indulgent Christmas. Ottawa's Yoni Freedhoff proprietor of "a multi-disciplinary, ethical, evidence-based nutrition and weight management centre" has "12 resolutions that will help steer you towards a healthier lifestyle, whether you've got weight you'd like to lose or not.

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-47180754653487379862011-12-30T00:00:00.002-05:002011-12-30T00:00:02.000-05:00

In the US, according to a seven-year study by Network for Good of online-giving behavior, 22 percent of all online gifts to charities are made in the last two days of the year. These two days of giving cap off the month of December when charities receive one-third of all their online donations. http://goo.gl/6LrgA Canada isn't the US, but consider making a last-minute online donation and help

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24066635.post-46538240916569915952011-12-30T00:00:00.001-05:002011-12-30T00:00:08.466-05:00

Congratulations to the Ottawa Citizen on this article remembering the landmark "Some chicken. Some neck" speech by Winston Churchill in Canada's Parliament 70 years ago today. This was the occasion on which Yosef Karsh took his photograph of Churchill scowling, a photo that is now housed with the Karsh collection at Library and Archives Canada . It's remarkable that LAC, supposedly one of

JDRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471656063812824731noreply@blogger.com0