Horse Ferry

On Tuesday I was at Norway Bay on the north shore of the Ottawa River. A historic plaque by the jetty mentions there used to be a horse powered ferry from their across the river. The image from the plaque shows the ferry. I was familiar with Horseferry Road in London, nearby where the Society of Genealogists used to hold their annual Family History Fair, succeeded by Who Do You Think You Are? Live, but hadn't though much about the origins.

The story of the horse powered ferry in North America is told in an article When Horses Really Walked On Water. The image is from http://nautarch.tamu.edu/newworld/pastprojects/LChorseferry.htm. Comparing these two images you can spot the slanted rails in the first image where the horses would be at work.

Apparently many of the ferries across the Ottawa River, including at Quyon, were once horse powered.

This article from British History Online makes no reference to the means of propulsion for the ferry across the Thames from Lambeth to the terminus at Horseferry Road; all fares mentioned involve horse and rider or horse-drawn conveyances.

Thanks to Christine Jackson for help with this item.

Coming at OGS Toronto Branch

The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society will be presenting three courses between September and November – ranging from one day to eight weeks in length:

Introduction to West Indian Genealogy
Saturday, 21 September: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
A fast-paced introduction to the principles of West Indian genealogical research with a focus on methodologies and records for African, East Indian and Chinese West Indian ancestors.
Instructor: Pooran Bridgelal
Where: North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto

Basic Genealogy and Family History
Wednesdays, 2 October – 20 November: 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
For those just beginning to research or looking to upgrade basic skills, this 8-week course will cover terminology, types of sources, on-line resources, libraries and archives, and record-keeping – to help you “think like a genealogist”.
Instructor: Jane E. MacNamara
Where: North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto

Maps and Mapping for 21st Century Genealogists
Thursdays, 7 - 28 November: 6:15 - 8:15 p.m.
This 4-week course, designed for intermediate and advanced-level genealogists, will explore sophisticated ways in which maps and mapping tools can contribute to family history research, analysis and writing.
Instructor: James F.S. Thomson
Where: Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street, Toronto

For program details, speaker biographies and information on how to register for these courses, visit www.torontofamilyhistory.org/courses.html.

via Gwyneth Pearce

Michael`s Bay Cemetery success story

Today let's celebrate a local initiative for cemetery preservation.

Last October there was an article Michael’s Bay Society fears for historic cemetery sites in pioneer village in the Manitoulin Expositor telling a story of the efforts to preserve a local cemetery. But there was a catch, a prohibition by the RCMP against anyone entering the property, the result of a legal conflict involving a company in Belgium. They were stymied..

I learned, following a lead from a comment on a post on this blog sent by Doug Tracy, a retired Manitoulin Funeral Director, that the roadblock is now removed. When the RCMP told everyone that the property was seized by the Belgium Government and no one could enter the property they were misinformed. When contacted the owners in Belgium readily gave permission to enter the property to clean up one of the cemeteries which has 43 graves.
An article in the July 4th issue of the Manitoulin Expositor (no link) reports on progress in remedying 125 years of neglect: clean up of fallen trees and build up of branches and leaves is underway and a volunteer is making 43 white crosses to mark the graves.

Congratulations to Friend's of the Ghost Town of Michael`s Bay, Fred Hunter, Doug Tracy and Bill Wilson, for their initiative and perseverance.

Worcestershire parish records at findmypast.co.uk

30,000 new Worcestershire parish records covering the period 1537-1900 from Astley, Hanbury & Shrawley are added at findmypast.co.uk:

13,870 Baptisms 1537-1900
12,107 Marriages 1538-1900
3,129 Burials 1587-2009

FHS fees 2013

What does a family history/genealogy society membership cost? Here are the figures for Canadian residents converted to Canadian dollars where applicable.

Annual   Subscription	Society
$82.21	New England Historic Genealogical Society
$75	Ontario Genealogical Society (plus one branch membership)
$68.49	Society of Australian Genealogists
$66.84	National Genealogical Society (US)
$65	Quebec Family History Society
$53.27	Queensland Family History Society
$50	Alberta Genealogical Society
$50	Victoria Genealogical Society (Canada)
$49	Society of Genealogists (UK)
$45	British Columbia Genealogical Society
$40	British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa
$40	Manitoba Genealogical Society
$40	Saskatchewan Genealogical Society
$35.99	Southern California Genealogical Society
$35	New Brunswick Genealogical Society
$30	Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia
$22.94	Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry (UK)
$21.59	Sussex Family History Group (UK)
$18.98	Norfolk Family History Society (UK)

Naturally, what you get for your money, especially unique databases, varies.

Selecting worthy blogs

Jill Ball writes on the Geniaus blog on how she selected blogs to include in a top 50 list for Australia's Inside History Magazine. Thanks again to Jill for including Anglo-Celtic Connections on the list.

Free access to 1911 census for England and Wales

Until 14 October Ancestry is offering free access to the 1911 Census of England & Wales at http://ancstry.me/15EMqDu. As usual with these Ancestry free offers you'll need to register to receive the service.

History of Library and Archives Canada

A few days ago I spotted an article lamenting the absence of any history of Library and Archives Canada on the organization website.
LAC is a young organization, formed in 2004 from the amalgamation to the National Archives and National Library under the Library and Archives Canada Act. Perhaps the organization is too young to have a history! It does have roots.
The older component, the Archives, history to 1997 is documented in the Canadian Historical Association booklet #58 which is on the LAC website, albeit well buried, at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/008004/f2/H-58_en.pdf.
Despite having been formed as long ago as 1953 the National Library of Canada appears to have no comparable history. The Canadian Encyclopedia has a short article.
AWikipedia article on LAC would be unlikely to receive official endorsement but does have a reasonably factual history for the period prior to the present problems, including lists of national archivists and librarians.

Sandford's British Genealogy

An announcement from Carleton University library is of a new acquisition for the rare book collection, Sandford's British Genealogy which includes genealogical information and biographies of English and British Monarchs from William the Conqueror to Charles II.
Francis Sandford was Lancaster Herald at Arms in the 17th century.
Read the Carleton announcement at http://arc.library.carleton.ca/exhibits/collection-highlights/sandfords-british-genealogy

Deceased Online news

• Cemetery sections maps have been added to go with records for: Alverthorpe, Horbury, Normanton Upper, Normanton Lower, Outwood, Stanley and Wakefield in West Yorkshire.
• Deceased Online is now uploading tens of thousands of military burial records digitized from The National Archives. These non-war grave records date back to the early 19th Century and feature: Greenwich Royal Hospital, Sandhurst, Aldershot, Haslar RN, Royal Victoria, Sheerness Dockyard and other cemeteries and burial grounds
• Records for a major authority in Northeast Yorkshire are coming soon to Deceased Online.

Opportunity at LAC?

Two items came to my attention recently, and caused reflection on Library and Archives Canada.

The Halcyon is the newsletter of the Friends of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto. The June issue is here (pdf). Printed in three column format, with colour illustrations and obvious care to appearance, it does justice to the scholarship evident in the content.

The American Studies blog of the British Library makes frequent mention of Canada-related items in its collection. Subsequent to the royal birth there's a item on Prince George, BC; more generally on Canada's royalist sentiment; and Arctic Journeys. That's just in July.

My reflection on LAC, it has nowhere to go but up.

Price reduction at Family Tree DNA

Go to www.familytreedna.com and you'll see that the sale prices in effect for the past month have now been made permanent.

FTDNA now offers their autosomal (Family Finder) test for $99 which has become the industry standard - the same price as 23andMe and AncestryDNA.

Your DNA is significant genealogical evidence the value of which can only increase as more people test and the science advances. As highly respected US genealogist Helen Leary wrote in 1998:

"Science and the law are in agreement: there is only one way to prove kinships beyond reasonable doubt — DNA"

Knowledgeable genetic genealogists see issues with the Ancestry product as presently available, and it's not yet available in Canada anyway.

How to choose between FTDNA and 23andMe?

FTDNA charge considerably less for shipping outside the US. With their focus on genealogy matches (DNA cousins) are more likely to respond to contacts.

23andMe offer more finely grained results on the regional and sub-regional origins of different segments of autosomal DNA as well as results for Y and Mt haplogroups.

If you're interested in health-related information 23andMe offer that too as part of the service. It's claimed that an average user receives at least one or two results that may help with proactively managing health.

FTDNA have also made permanent reduced prices for their other tests.

1851 census - echoing OGS

Most of us will agree with the sentiment expressed on the OGS blog: FYI: What’s Old is New…..Again.

Mounting a Society Display

I've previously mentioned the 4th annual One World - One Family conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brampton on Saturday August 24, 2013. I'll be speaking on Family Secrets Revealed by DNA Analysis. It's just as well I'll be presenting twice as there are many other worthwhile presentations.

The organizers asked if I wanted a table for a display and I immediately answered yes without a clear idea of how to use it. My basement already holds a poster for the International Society of Genetic Genealogy, I'll be taking along some "I'm a Genetic Genealogist" buttons to give to those who've already taken a DNA test. What else? Kelly Wroot, Archivist for the Kluane First Nation, recently mentioned how googling "Information booth" leads to a boatload of ideas at http://www.wikihow.com/Organize-and-Run-a-Booth. I'll use a couple of them; maybe they'll be helpful to you in improving your society conference display.

Internet Genealogy: Aug/Sept 2013 issue

When I opened this issue my eye was immediately caught by the "Vote for Your Rock Star Genealogist" item on page 3. It promotes the survey starting on this blog on 1 September. Thanks to editor Ed Zapletal for giving it such prominence.

An item of special interest in this issue is British National Archives - Digital Microfilm Access by Ed Storey. While TNA isn't the only archives making digital microfilm available for finds not yet fully indexed their collection is deceptively extensive. The article highlights 10 examples of records of interest to genealogists, ADM-36, ADM-104/109, ADM-142/2, ADM-188 1/2, BT124/1, IR-1, RG-43, WO-42/43, WO-76, WO-65. Those likely don't mean much to most of us; find out details of these and other TNA digital microfilm at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/digital-microfilm.htm

Not covered in the article is the digital microfilm available from Library and Archives Canada, there's a listing at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/microform-digitization/006003-110.011-e.php

A full listing of the issue contents is at http://www.internet-genealogy.com/issue_upcoming_previous.htm

TNA podcast: Three generations of master mariners

Why at one time was it necessary to know about the duck-billed platypus to join the Royal Navy?
This presentation by master mariner Len Holder explores the maritime roots of his family starting with his great-great-grandfather. He discusses some of the key information sources for exploring merchant mariner careers weaving them in with the family stories.
http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/three-generations-of-master-mariners/

Deceasedonline.com to add another Magnificent Seven London cemetery

After the successful launch of the Brompton Cemetery records, which attracted a lot of media attention, deceasedonline have announced they will be adding records from another of London's Magnificent Seven cemeteries, likely by the end of November. There's no indication of which one.
In addition to Brompton the Magnificant Seven are, north of the Thames, Kensal Green Cemetery (opened 1832), Highgate Cemetery (1839), Abney Park Cemetery (1840), Tower Hamlets Cemetery (1841). South of the river are West Norwood Cemetery (1837) and Nunhead Cemetery (1840).

Tracks in Time at West Yorkshire Archive Service

If your roots reach back to Leeds in West Yorkshire, and you like free, you'll want to know about Tracks in Time.  The West Yorkshire Archive Service. is working to conserve, capture digitally and provide online access to the historic tithe maps of the modern Leeds Metropolitan District.
There are many capabilities including searching the apportionment data for ancestors and other people who lived and worked in Leeds in the mid-nineteenth century.

Start at http://www.tracksintime.wyjs.org.uk/index.htm

Also find out more about advances in cataloguing at West Yorkshire Archive Service through their Catablogue.

Thanks to Jane MacNamara for the tip.

Gresham Lecture: British Gardens and Gardeners

Apologies in advance to those who are as passionate about gardens as they are genealogy for this diversion: Professor Sir Roderick Floud lectures on Making and Running Great Gardens 1700 - 1900 in the Gresham College lecture series.
The great English gardens are iconic, but "how much did they cost to build and maintain, who supplied their plants and equipment and what was involved in maintaining, managing and staffing them?"
Resources mentioned of possible interest to those with a gardener, horticulturalist or practical botanist lurking in the family tree include the English Heritage Register of Historic Parks and Gardens with over 1,600 sites assessed to be of national importance. Also, the Gardeners’ Chronicle is mentioned with a page from the 1870s with a long list of gardeners seeking employment used as an illustration. Find some issues of the Gardeners’ Chronicle and much more at the Biodiversity Heritage Library www.biodiversitylibrary.org/.

Descendant of Oliver Cromwell?

Is your nearest connection to royalty through your next door neighbour's brother-in-law? Maybe you should look for an un-royal connection, to Oliver Cromwell. Find a genealogy of Oliver Cromwell with 1407 individuals, 414 families and 315 surnames at http://hipweb.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/cromwellcollection/genealogy/heredis/accueil.htm
The surnames most often found are: Addison, Berners, Constable, Cromwell, Field, Frankland, Gosset, Lunnock, Polhill, Prescott, Russell, Warner, Whinyates and Worsley.

Save Barnardo's photographic archive

Stored on around fifteen feet of shelving in archival boxes about 8 inches deep and about 20 inches high is a collection of historic photographs of children that came into care at Barnardo's Homes, some from 1875.
Among them are some of the 30,000 children who came to Canada.
Barnardo's now have better use of the space and are having the images digitized and then plan on disposing of the originals.
There's more at http://britishphotohistory.ning.com/profiles/blogs/barnardo-s-archive-up-for-grabs
Imagine original photos of Queen Victoria, or the new royal baby, being digitized and the originals disposed of. I think not.  Neither should this unique collection.
You can help find a home for the collection by signing an e-petition; it's quick, simple and free. Here's the link:

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/save-barnardo-s-photographic-archive-find-a-new-home-for-the-original-photographs?share_id=cwjMybIulb&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition

Early Ontario Marriages

Rick Roberts from Global Genealogy announces that 32 volumes of the early pre-civil registration Ontario District marriages and other District vital records
previously available only in book form are now on pdf on CDs.
These are marriages conducted before 1869, the start of full BMD registration in Ontario, well over 100,000 of them. Marriages by Anglican and Catholic clergymen are not included, but you may find an Anglican or Catholic couple took advantage of a nonconformist minister to conduct the ceremony if it was more convenient.

There's a "how to use" article at http://globalgenealogy.com/news/articles/00062.htm. Each online description of the volumes contains a link to the complete name index meaning you can check to see if a name sought appears before making a decision to buy.

The new CD version sells as $19.95 while the printed version is $34.95.

Lisa Dillon on the 1921 census

In What I think now University of Montreal Associate Professor Lisa Dillon, who specializes in demography, blogs about the withholding of the 1921 census of Canada by Library and Archives Canada and the work that was done years ago to make the census accessible - "rich metadata and image resources pertaining to the 1921 Census of Canada already exist."
That work was done under a cooperative arrangement, funded by taxpayers, and ceased after Daniel Caron assumed the leadership role at LAC from Ian Wilson.

In conclusion Lisa calls upon Minister James Moore (now Shelly Glover) and LAC to: 

1. release the 1921 Census of Canada immediately. 
2. state in clear detail the deal LAC has made with its indexing partner
3. articulate the principles which guided this deal
4. create a consultative committee comprised of representatives from the historical, archival and genealogical communities who will be given the opportunity to advise on such deals in the future
5. integrate into its future cost-benefit calculations the long-term benefits of building Canadian capacity for population data development and innovation.

Preview of UK Who Do You Think You Are series

This summary of some of the episodes in the new BBC series of WDYTYA includes a Canadian connection.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2360475/Nigel-Havers-posh-He-thought-discovered-ancestor-Victorian-cabbie.html

Finally ... Findmypast adds Canadian resources

It's been a long time coming. At WDYTYA? Live and RootsTech I was told that Canadian materials were coming to findmypast.com. Josh Taylor, company Business Development Manager, confirmed a few weeks ago that the Canadian material was imminent. Now a significant collection has appeared.

What's there? A long list, nearly 200 sources, and my list may not be complete. Sorry about the truncation of titles.

British Columbia, Canada- British Columbia From The Earliest Times To...
British Columbia, Canada- British Columbia From The Earliest Times To...
British Columbia, Canada- On Canada's Frontier
British Columbia, Canada- Sunset Canada - British Columbia and Beyond
British Columbia, Canada- The Gold Stripe, Nos 1-3, 1919
British Columbia, Canada- Year Book, 1903
Canada- 13th Battalion Royal Highlanders Of Canada, 1914 - 1919
Canada- 1837 Rebellion Losses, Claimants For Damages, 1849
Canada- 24th Battalion, C.E.F., Victoria Rifles Of Canada, 1914 - 191...
Canada- 2nd Canadian Heavy Battery, 1914-1919
Canada- 42nd Battalion, C.E.F. Royal Highlanders Of Canada
Canada- A History Of The War Of 1812
Canada- Barristers and Solicitors, 1919
Canada- Canada's Hundred Days
Canada- Canadian Militia, 1919
Canada- Elected Representatives and Civil Servants Of The Canadian Do...
Canada- Foreign Consuls, 1919
Canada- From The Rideau To The Rhine and Back
Canada- Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1930
Canada- History Of The 16th Battalion Cef, 1914-1919
Canada- History Of The 31st Canadian Infantry Battalion C.E.F., 1914...
Canada- History Of The Canadian Forces, 1914-19, Medical Services
Canada- History Of The Twentieth Canadian Battalion (Central Ontario ...
Canada- Letters From The Front, 1920
Canada- List Of Orders and Awards, 1919
Canada- Listings From The Wesleyan - Methodist Almanac For Canada, 18...
Canada- Nationwide (1872 and 1894), Quebec (1853)
Canada- Obituaries From The Canadian Annual Review Of Public Affairs,...
Canada- Officers and Men In The First Canadian Contingent, 1914
Canada- Official History Of The Canadian Forces In The Great War
Canada- Patents Of Canada, 1824-1849
Canada- Pathfinders Of The West
Canada- Presbyterian Pioneer Missionaries
Canada- Provincial Government Personnel List, 1919
Canada- Railways, Steamships & Steamboats In Canada
Canada- Regimental History Of The Governor General's Foot Guards
Canada- Royal Montreal Regiment, 14th Battalion, C. E. F, 1914-1925
Canada- Royal Montreal Regiment, 1925-1945
Canada- Story Of The Sixty-Sixth C.F.A.
Canada- The Canada Directory, 1853/1854
Canada- The Century Cyclopedia Of Names
Canada- The Clergy Of Canada, 1919
Canada- The Irishman In Canada
Canada- The Loyalists Of America and Their Times From 1620 To 1816
Canada- The Peace River Country
Canada- The Scotch-Irish In Canada
Canada- The Tragic Story Of The Empress Of Ireland (and Other Great S...
Canada- Thrilling Experiences In The War In South Africa
Canada- Work Of The Canadian Archives, 1908 - 1913
Capt. Joseph Brant's Status As A Chief, and Some Of His Descendants
Chief Smoke Johnson
Ireland- Sketches Of Irish Soldiers In Every Land
Manitoba, Canada- 1951 List Of Electors For Rural Municipality Of Sou...
Manitoba, Canada- Provincial Telephone Directory #119, December 1947
New Brunswick Canada- New Brunswick In The 1940's
New Brunswick, Canada- The First Fifty Years Of The Church Of England...
Nova Scotia, Canada, A Chapter In The History Of The Township Of Onsl...
Nova Scotia, Canada- A Compendium Of The Shipping Of Yarmouth, 1761-1...
Nova Scotia, Canada- A History Of The County Of Antigonish
Nova Scotia, Canada- Cape Breton, Canada
Nova Scotia, Canada- Eastern District Telephone Directory, 1922
Nova Scotia, Canada- Historical and Genealogical Record Of The First ...
Nova Scotia, Canada- History Of Nova Scotia (Vol. 3)
Nova Scotia, Canada- Nova Scotia In Its Historical, Mercantile and In...
Nova Scotia, Canada- One Hundred Years With The Baptists Of Amherst
Nova Scotia, Canada- Relief Map & Directory, 1931
Nova Scotia, Canada- The History Of The Presbyterian Church In Cape B...
Nova Scotia, Canada- Yarmouth Past and Present, A Book Of Reminiscenc...
Nova Scotia, Canada- Yarmouth...A Sequel To Campbells History
Nova Society, Nova Scotia's Part In The Great War
Nova Soctia- Halifax & District Telephone Directory, 1950
Ontario, Canada, Ottawa & Kingston City Directory, 1875
Ontario, Canada- A Biographical History Of Waterloo Township and Othe...
Ontario, Canada- A History Of Simcoe County
Ontario, Canada- A History Of The County Of Grey
Ontario, Canada- Annual Report Of St. Paul's Church, Hamilton, 1905 -...
Ontario, Canada- Baptism Records Of Rev. John Langhorn(Church Of Engl...
Ontario, Canada- Baptism Register Of Rev. Robert McDowall (Presbyteri...
Ontario, Canada- Baptisms In St. Mark's and St. Andrew's Churches, Ni...
Ontario, Canada- Belleville Directory, 1940
Ontario, Canada- Berlin Celebration Of Cityhood
Ontario, Canada- Burial Records Of Rev. John Langhorn.(Church Of Engl...
Ontario, Canada- Canada. Its Defences, Condition, and Resources
Ontario, Canada- Church Of England Synod Proceedings, Extracted Perso...
Ontario, Canada- Commemorative Biographical Record Of The County Of L...
Ontario, Canada- Commemorative Biographical Record Of The County Of Y...
Ontario, Canada- David Zeisberger and His Delaware Indians
Ontario, Canada- Directory Of Smiths Falls, 1948
Ontario, Canada- Early Days At Port Ryerse
Ontario, Canada- Early Records Of Burials In St. Mark's and St. Andre...
Ontario, Canada- Early Records Of Weddings At St. Mark's and St. Andr...
Ontario, Canada- First World War, London's Honor Roll
Ontario, Canada- Fleming's Farm and Live Stock Almanac, 1916
Ontario, Canada- Galt, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, Telephone Director...
Ontario, Canada- Golden Jubilee, The T. Eaton Co. Ltd., 1869 - 1919
Ontario, Canada- Governor Simcoe's Tour Through Southern Ontario
Ontario, Canada- Hamilton Centennial 1846 - 1946
Ontario, Canada- Historical Sketch Of Markham Township, 1793 - 1950
Ontario, Canada- Historical Sketches Of The County Of Elgin
Ontario, Canada- History Of Toronto and County Of York, Ontario
Ontario, Canada- History Of Leeds & Grenville From 1749 To 1879
Ontario, Canada- History Of The County Of Bruce
Ontario, Canada- History Of The County Of Lennox and Addington
Ontario, Canada- History Of The County Of Middlesex, Canada
Ontario, Canada- History Of The County Of Perth From 1825 To 1902
Ontario, Canada- History Of The Ottawa Valley
Ontario, Canada- History Of The Settlement Of Upper Canada
Ontario, Canada- Illustrated Historical Atlas Of Frontenac, Lennox an...
Ontario, Canada- Inscriptions & Graves In The Niagara Peninsula
Ontario, Canada- Land Settlement In Upper Canada 1783-1840
Ontario, Canada- Local History Of The Town Of Brockville
Ontario, Canada- Marriage Records Of Rev. John Langhorn (Church Of En...
Ontario, Canada- Marriage Register Of Rev. Robert McDowall (Presbyter... Ontario, Canada- Marriage Register Of Stephen Conger, Jusitce Of The ...
Ontario, Canada- Midland High School Review, Year Book, 1932
Ontario, Canada- Ontario County; A Short Sketch Of Its Settlement, Ph...
Ontario, Canada- Original Constitution and Membership, Ontario Histor...
Ontario, Canada- Ottawa City Directory, 1909
Ontario, Canada- Ottawa City Directory, 1926
Ontario, Canada- Ottawa Past and Present
Ontario, Canada- Past Years In Pickering
Ontario, Canada- Pembroke Ontario's Centenary
Ontario, Canada- Pioneer Life In Zorra
Ontario, Canada- Pioneer Papers Nos. 1-6, Simcoe County Early History
Ontario, Canada- Pioneer Sketches In The District Of Bathurst
Ontario, Canada- Provincial Government Personnel List, 1919
Ontario, Canada- Queens University Summer School Prospectus, 1943
Ontario, Canada- Recollections and Records Of Toronto Of Old
Ontario, Canada- Reminiscences Of The First Settlers In The County Of...
Ontario, Canada- Report Of The Ottawa and Hull Fire Relief Fund
Ontario, Canada- Roll Of Pupils Of Upper Canada College, Toronto, 183...
Ontario, Canada- Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry- A History
Ontario, Canada- The Canadian Biographical Dictionary,1880
Ontario, Canada- The Ethnographical Elements Of Ontario
Ontario, Canada- The Great Western Railway
Ontario, Canada- The History Of The County Of Welland, Ontario
Ontario, Canada- The Hub and The Spokes - The Capital and Its Environ...
Ontario, Canada- The Magnet (Vol. 8, No. 1), Jarvis Collegiate Instiu...
Ontario, Canada- The Migration Of Voyageurs From Drummond Island To P...
Ontario, Canada- The Naming Of London Streets
Ontario, Canada- The Parish Register Of Kingston (Ontario) Upper Cana...
Ontario, Canada- The Pioneers Of Old Ontario
Ontario, Canada- The Proudfoot Papers Per L&M.H.S.
Ontario, Canada- The Settlement Of London
Ontario, Canada- The Settlers Of Lobo Township
Ontario, Canada- The Society Of Friends Of Lobo Township
Ontario, Canada- The Story Of Dundas
Ontario, Canada- The Township Of Scarboro, 1796 - 1896
Ontario, Canada- The Village Of London
Ontario, Canada- The War Book Of Upper Canada College, Toronto, 1914-...
Ontario, Canada- The Western University
Ontario, Canada- The White Chief Of The Ottawa
Ontario, Canada- Toronto & The Home District Directory, 1837
Ontario, Canada- Toronto's 100 Years
Ontario, Canada- Toronto, Hamilton & London, Society Blue Book , 1900
Ontario, Canada- Torontonensis - The Year Book Of The University Of T...
Ontario, Canada- Torontonensis - The Year Book Of The University Of T...
Ontario, Canada- United Empire Loyalists Of The Old Johnstown Distric...
Ontario, Canada- University Of Toronto Roll Of Service, 1914-1918
Ontario, Canada- University Of Toronto, Commencement Program, 1947
Ontario, Canada- Vernon's London Directory, 1944
Ontario, Canada- Welland County Minutes, 1936
Ontario, Canada the Fathers Of London Township
Quebec, Canada- A History Of The Eastern Townships
Quebec, Canada- Histoire De Longueuil Et De La Famille De Longueuil
Quebec, Canada- Lovell's Business & Professional Directory, 1890-1891
Quebec, Canada- McGill University At War, 1914-1918 and 1939-1945
Quebec, Canada- McGill University, Directory Of Graduates. 1946
Quebec, Canada- Pioneers Of The Upper Ottawa and The Humors Of The Va...
Quebec, Canada- Sketches Of Some Early Shefford Pioneers
Quebec, Canada- Storied Province Of Quebec - Biographies (Vols. 3-5)
Quebec, Canada- Storied Province Of Quebec - History (Vols. 1-2)
Quebec, Canada- The Call To Arms
Quebec, Canada- The History Of The Parish Of Hull Quebec, 1823-1923
Richard John Uniacke, A Sketch
Saskatchewan, Canada- History Of Saskatchewan and Its People - Biogra...
Saskatchewan, Canada- History Of Saskatchewan and Its People - Histor...
Saskatchewan, Canada- Saskatoon Telephone Directory, 1944
Saskatchewan, Canada- The Greyston
Some Descendants Of Joseph Brant
The Bramshott Souvenir Magazine
The Gilbert Family History (Vol. 5), Ancestry Of William Forbes
The Gilbert Family History (Vol. 6), Ancestry Of Ezra Holton
The Gilbert Family History (Vols. 1 & 2), Ancestry Of Nancy Treadway...
The Gilbert Family History (Vols. 3 & 4), Ancestry Of Daniel Britton ...
The Gilbert Family History, (Vols. 7 & 8), Ancestry Of Solomon Gilbe...
The Reverend Richard Bradford
The Scotch-Irish In South-Western Pennsylvania.
The Winslow Papers, 1776-1826
United Kingdom- Attleborough In War Time
United Kingdom- London In The Olden Time
United States- Officers and Members Of The Scotch-Irish Society Of Am...
United States- The Scotch-Irish People- Their Influence In The Format...
United States/Canada- Directory Of The Biscuit and Cracker Bakers Of
United States/Canada- Lovell's Gazetteer Of British North America, 18.
United States/Canada- The Blue Book, Textile Directory, 1897-1898

I'm fairly certain these come from a local Ottawa company specializing in digitization of historical materials, but won't mention them by name as I was unable to reach the company for confirmation.

For the present these records are incorporated into the findmypast.com site. Look for the company to open up findmypast.ca in a few months.

23andMe complacent about exorbitant international shipping cost

I`ve had several DNA tests for family members done by 23andMe. I like the product even though it`s not the best in every respect. But their high charge for shipping is a deterrent.  You can order a test for $99, shipping in the US is $9.99, to Canada $59.95, to the Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK $74.95. Some countries including Israel and Norway are even more.

A recent comment on a list "You'd think 23andMe, with all their push to a million kits this year, they should offer their kits with free S&H all over the world - if they are really serious about meeting the 1,000,000 goal." motivated me to email 23andMe. I also mentioned I`ve purchased several kits, but hesitate because of the high cost of shipping outside the US and that I also hesitate to recommend 23andMe when lecturing on genetic genealogy because of the high shipping cost, which is much higher than other companies. I asked why their shipping cost is so high when others can do it for much less?

The prompt response received from a person named Caroline is obviously boilerplate:

Thank you for contacting the 23andMe Team. We appreciate your feedback on the cost of international shipping. The shipping cost for each collection kit includes shipping to the recipient, return shipping to the laboratory, and additional transportation fees and customs duties where applicable. In most cases, customs duties are included in the international shipping cost; however, if you live in a Non Delivery Duties Paid country (i.e. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Latvia, Macedonia, Moldova, and Montenegro), the recipient of the order is responsible for customs duties assessed.
When returning your saliva sample to our lab, it is important to know that a large number of countries and shipping offices are still unfamiliar with the requirements of shipping an exempt human saliva sample, sometimes believing it to be hazardous and erroneously charging FDA fees and expedited shipping costs. The documentation included with your international order is vital towards ensuring the uninterrupted transport of your sample to the lab.
International shipping can be complex; we're confident you will be satisfied with the value and peace of mind that comes with our guaranteed round-trip express international transport, prepared shipping materials and documents, and guaranteed replacement that comes built into our international shipping cost.

Forensic Genealogy , revised

Good news, the release of a revised edition of Colleen Fitzpatrick's book Forensic Genealogy originally published in 2005.

"Offers useful information on applications of forensic science to genealogy in the area of photograph identification, database mining, and DNA analysis. Contains corrections to the original edition, plus updated information on DNA testing for genetic genealogy, including information on autosomal DNA testing.

Forensic scientists and genealogists share the same goal–to find out who was who, and who did what and when. In explaining how to analyze photographs, to mine databases, and to use DNA analysis to reveal family history, Forensic Genealogy emphasizes the creative parts of an investigation over the mechanics. Have you ever thought of looking at the edges of old photographs to find out if they are from the same roll, or the backs to place them in chronological order? Have you considered looking at a city directory to figure out if your ancestor and his wife lost any children? How about using DNA analysis to tie your family to the history and politics of a religious conflict?

Using the forensic investigation techniques presented in Forensic Genealogy you will:

Make unconventional discoveries from surprising sources

Gain an understanding of how your ancestors lived

Develop fascinating insights into your family history.

Forensic Genealogy will give you a sense of coming from a long line of real people who are not just names on a page."

Forensic Genealogy, Revised; by Colleen Fitzpatrick & Andrew Yeiser ; 1X+228 pp; Softcover; 2013; 8 x 9; CD-ROM included; ISBN: 9780976716075

Available directly at http://www.forensicgenealogy.info/services_1.html for $26.50US plus $12.95US shipping to Canada, $16.95US shipping to other non-US destinations.

Eileen Ó Duill on the move of Ireland's GRO

Eileen Ó Duill, theme speaker at BIFHSGO's next annual conference, is not impressed when it comes to plans to relocate the Dublin facility of the Irish General Registry Office to a place she describes as "awful” and “very depressing”. Read the article in the Irish Times at http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/geneology-service-angry-at-move-to-dreadful-former-dole-office-1.1469428

 

FreeBMD July update

The FreeBMD Database was updated on Friday 19 Jul 2013 to contain 230,601,141 distinct records, and increase of 567,771 records since the June update.
Major updates, more than 5,000 records, are: for births 1940, 1943, 1958, 1960, 1962-70; for marriages 1952, 1962-69; for deaths 1965, 1967-69.

Research forward in the UK

Findmypast.co.uk now includes UK electoral rolls 2002-2013 and UK companies house directors 2002-2013 as part of a Britain Full & World subscription, instead of needing separate PayAsYouGo credits.

These records contain the names of most UK citizens over the age of 18 and include information on: Name; Approximate age; Year/s; Address; Other occupants

You can search without being a subscriber and although the information returned is limited, Last name, First name, Year, County, Town, Other occupants, it may still be helpful.

As yet the database does not appear on the findmypast.com site and they "cannot confirm when these records will be added to the site."

1842 census of Canada East (Quebec) and West (Ontario) now on LAC website

The following announcement is from Library and Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada is pleased to announce that Canadians can now access the Census of Canada West, 1842 as well as the Census of Canada East, 1842 online. In 1841, Upper Canada was renamed Canada West, whereas Lower Canada became Canada East. These two jurisdictions are now known as the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
Each census is partly nominal and contains the names of heads of family, their occupation and the number of residents for each family.
Users can search these new databases by the names of heads of family, as well as by geographical information such as district and sub-district names.

Canada East has 46,467 records, and West has 22,735 records searchable by name.
Using the information in these census images takes care. There are 72 columns associated with each head of household but on many images the column headings are missing or only numbered. A helpful listing of the column headings by column number consult http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1842-canada-west/Pages/about-census.aspx..

Stories Once Told: More Tales from Our Ocean Heritage

Back in the days when I was researching natural disasters, especially those where adverse weather was a contributing factor, I became aware of Newfoundland researcher and writer Robert C. Parsons. He has produced a large number of books on Atlantic Shipwrecks. His newest book is "Stories Once Told: More Tales from Our Ocean Heritage." 

It contains: 51 stories, 230 pages, several illustrative photos and clips, index. In essence, an array of unique to curious to amazing tales of the seafaring exploits of our people.
The stories range geographically from the towns in Notre Dame Bay, eastward to Bonavista, Trinity and Conception Bays to the Avalon, along NL’s southern coastline and northward to the West Coast. Tales of heroism, tragedy, hardships and triumphs of our forefathers who plied the Atlantic’s trading and fishing lanes. It’s $20 and can be mailed anywhere in Canada for $25. 

Contact information at http://www.atlanticwrecks.com/contact.shtml

British Newspaper Archive improves

If like me you've been waiting for new content on the British Newspaper Archive, we'll have to continue to be patient.  Their page counter has been stuck at 6,941,368 for some weeks. Here's why:

You may have noticed that there has been a slow-down in the number of pages added to the site recently. There is a fantastic reason for this . . . [drumroll please] . . . We are delighted to announce that we have been busy working on upgrading our newspaper ingest and post-processing system. Once we’re up and running with the new system, this will allow us to bring you more new content, more quickly! A small downside to this is that for the next few weeks while we upgrade, there will be no new pages added to the site.

Be happy they are not as lethargic as Library and Archives Canada which have had the following notice on their site for a year or more:

In order to provide you with better service, we are currently redesigning our website. If you have difficulty finding what you are looking for, feel free to contact us.

TNA Podcast: The Secret Listeners

The latest TNA podcast is a lively presentation given on June 13 by Sinclair McKay.

"Before Bletchley Park could break the German war machine’s codes, the enemy’s radio traffic and communications were monitored around the clock by the Listening Service – a team of young men and women based in every theatre of war who intercepted and transcribed with a speed few have ever managed since, so that code breakers could turn the course of the war.

This organisation – known as the ‘Y’ (for ‘Wireless’) Service – was just as secret as Bletchley Park during the war but nowadays is little-known or recognised. The Service went wherever the war went, with listeners posted to Cairo to listen in to Rommel’s Eighth Army, Casablanca in Morocco, Karachi for the Burma campaign, or in one case even the idyllic Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean to monitor Japan. Sinclair McKay chronicles the history and achievements of this remarkable organisation and the people who worked for it.

Sinclair McKay writes for the Daily Telegraph, the Mail on Sunday and The Spectator and is a judge for this year’s Encore award for best second novel. His books include the bestselling The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, and he is currently working on another project on the Second World War. He lives in London, and likes nothing more than truffling through archives."

RAF and RFC service records going online

The announcement by Findmypast and TNA of a joint project to digitise 360,000 WW1 RAF and RFC service records is of interest to Canadians. Many Canadians served in these services, and it's yet another example of records becoming available online through public private partnerships.

These are from TNA series AIR 79 which is detailed at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/air-79-record-information-sheet.pdf
There is further info on Chris Paton's blog at http://britishgenes.blogspot.ca/2013/07/first-world-war-raf-rfc-records-to-be.html

WDYTYA: new US season

A new type of promotion for the fourth US season of Who Do You Think You Are? now switched from NBC to specialty channel TLC, a full episode released free on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/who-do-you-think-you-are-season/id665310817 …. Enjoy the story of Kelly Clarkson's exploration of her US Civil War era ancestor.

FTDNA Sale Reminder

A reminder that the Family Tree DNA Summer Sale is due to end on the 26th, just a few days from now. Don't miss it, especially for the deep discount on the Family Finder (autosomal) test now on sale for $99.
http://www.familytreedna.com/

Here are some talking points you may want to use in discussing this opportunuty for DNA testing:

·       Your DNA contains a natural record of your ancestry;

·       The analysis allows you to connect with other distant cousins in the company database who may have additional information about the family;

·       The analysis also allows you to determine your origins, which may be more diverse than you think; 

·       By taking the test you will be leaving a legacy; contributing results available to future generations, a natural family history record already written;

·       Family Tree DNA is a well respected pioneer company in genetic genealogy;

·       The company securely stores your DNA for further analysis as technological advances permit;

·       The DNA collection process is painless, quick and easy;

·       While $99.00 may seem like a considerable sum of money it is the lowest price ever & a small amount to satisfy your curiosity;

·       You can learn more from the FAQ at the company website at https://www.familytreedna.com/faq/  and specifically about the Family Finder test at https://www.familytreedna.com/faq/answers.aspx?id=17

With thanks to Anne Sterling.

The Honourable Shelly Glover

Congratulations to The Honourable Shelly Glover who as of Monday's Cabinet shuffle becomes Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. Library and Archives Canada is within her portfolio.
Her background, given at http://pm.gc.ca/eng/bio.asp?id=103, includes experience as Parliamentary Secretary for Official Languages (May 2008), Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (August 2010), and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance (January 2011). Prior to her election as MP for St Boniface (MB) in 2008 she had served for 19 years with the Winnipeg Police Service. She is a Métis.
Her previous experience as Parliamentary Secretary for Official Languages gives her a background in part of the responsibilities of the portfolio, but I can find no indication in her bio material of previous interest in heritage.
On the positive side she will bring a fresh perspective to some of the challenges, and may be less inclined to wash her hands of the issues at Library and Archives Canada than her predecessor. She may even see the desirability of making an early popular move by ordering release of the 1921 census.
She will likely have less of a say in the appointment of the next Librarian and Archivist of Canada than James Moore would have had.
Every new Minister gets a mandate letter from the Prime Minister's Office laying out the priorities to be addressed. Among those will likely be commemorations of the centennial of the Great War and putting in place management arrangements for the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation in 2017. There's also the "Study of Significant Aspects in Canadian History"just started by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage which will have a new chair as Rob Moore returns to Cabinet as Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency..

Adjust your nit-picker hat

The good genealogist needs to look beyond the immediate by picking up on details and thinking how they might be additional leads, in other words, picking nits. That's the overall message John Grenham sends in his latest Irish Roots column detailed in six tactics ... good advice whether or not your research is in Ireland

http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/irishroots/2013/07/15/six-tactics-of-the-successful-researcher/

 

They enjoyed the genealogy meet-up

On a sunny and hot Ottawa day on Saturday 10 blog readers met in the shade of parasols at Westboro Beach cafe. Coffee, beer, shandy iced te and water were taken in quantity and light meals, some more healthy than others, comsumed. 

Watch the blog for another opportunity on a weekday.

Circus Resources

Bread and circuses, the phrase traces back to Roman times. The circus has been an English institution since Elizabethan times, that's according to this article found at the Circus History website.
As a kid I occasionally visited the Hippodrome Circus in Great Yarmouth, one of only two in permanent buildings, which featured a floor which could sink allowing water to flood in for an aquatic show. I found several articles and queries mentioning the Hippodrome. Searching on this US-based site using a community name might help you revive memories of childhood circus visits, either directly, through a search or the links in the Circus History Library.

If you had a relative who was involved with the circus as a performer of in management you may find an entry at http://circopedia.org/

Inside History magazine selects 50 genealogy blogs you need to read in 2013!

It's a pleasure to find Anglo-Celtic Connections in great company, among 50 blogs highlighted by Insider History magazine in the 17th issue.

Inside History is a Sydney, Australia-based 76 page bi-monthly magazine "overflowing with advice, articles and expert tips on genealogy, and stories on our varied history, from tales about century-old houses and country towns, to heritage gardens and the biographies of our famous (and infamous) citizens. Learn how to discover more about your ancestry, overcome roadblocks in your research, discover Australia and New Zealand’s social history and heritage, network with other genealogists, read the latest book and product reviews, and enter great competitions."

The Jul-Aug 2013 edition (issue 17) also includes:

• how land title records in Queensland led to the discovery of 300 family photographs;
• a case of false identity that will have you looking at 19th-century passenger lists in a new light;
• Dr Brendan Nelson chats about his new role as Director of the Australian War Memorial, and how his own ancestors fit into Australia’s military history;
• how transcribing an old letter led one reader to solve an adoption mystery from the 1930s;
• experts helping to date and identify photographs from the 1880s to World War I;
• the anniversary of HMAS Australia, our first Navy flagship;
• families in British India and the resources available to find out more.

Thanks to Inside History, and editor Cassie Mercer, for the recognition.

Book Review: The Juggler's Children

Title: The Juggler's Children: A Journey into Family, Legend and the Genes that Bind Us 
Author:  Carolyn Abraham.
400 Pages
23.2 x 15.8 x 4.2 cm
Source NotesIndexPublished by Random House Canada (Mar 26 2013)ISBN-10: 0679314598 ISBN-13: 978-0679314592

As a child, award winning Globe and Mail science journalist Carolyn Abraham was confused about her multi-racial ancestry. This compelling tale of her and her family's search for their roots weaves the personal with the research aspects of the journey as she sets out to clarify convoluted paternal and maternal origins with the aid of DNA. 

The research develops over six years, from 2002 to 2008, and two family international trips. It's a period which has seen rapid change in genetic genealogy. Starting with a low resolution autosomal test by a company now out of business then expending a lot of effort working with Y-DNA, she even gets to the stage of contemplating exhumation of a supposed ancestor. Today, and as recently described by Roberta Estes, one of the people she consulted, there is likely no need to "dig up dad" when autosomal tests from 23andMe or Family Tree DNA will likely meet the need. 

So although this is a story well told, and displays an enviable talent in explaining the science in simple terms, the specific DNA approach used is now rather dated. 

Success through One-Name Studies

Just posted is the latest interview in the series with speakers at the 20-22 September 2013 British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa conference, this with Sandra Adams, Bill Arthurs, Elizabeth Kipp and one John D Reid. The session is called Success through One-Name Studies so the speakers talk about the degree to which their studies have been successful. Listen at:  http://www.bifhsgo.ca/upload/files/AAA%20ONS%20Interview%20Final.mp3

The Ottawa Genealogist: July-Sept 2013

The quarterly newsletter of Ottawa Branch of the OGS is now published with the usual mix of news and information. The feature articles in this issue are:

Genealogy Research in London, UK and Attending WDYTYAL Conference 2013
Step into History: The 19th Annual Beechwood Cemetery Historical
 Walking Tour
William Gray (1842-1912) 

The Ottawa Genealogist is a membership benefit of Ottawa Branch membership.

TNA Annual Report 2012-13

In the light of objections from several parties in Canada to LAC entering into partnerships to make records more widely available online I had to cheer when I read the pride with which the UK National Archives includes mention of similar arrangements in its latest annual report

"There is worldwide interest in our records, particularly those collections that are rich in individual names and therefore invaluable for family researchers. One of the ways we meet this interest is through licensing commercial organisations to digitise our records and put them online. This does not cost the UK taxpayer and any record digitised in this way can still be seen for free at Kew, but it generates much-needed income for The National Archives and creates value for the wider economy. It also represents a valuable export market. Where UK content is used in global online genealogical research, around 80% of this originates from The National Archives."

TNA continues to deliver. They also report in a straightforward manner:

Especially worth noting is that 98.7% of original documents are delivered to on-site users within one hour

2013 Toronto History Lecture

Mary Mink: The Making of a Myth is the title for the 2013 Toronto History Lecture which will explore the sometimes blurred line between historical fact and historical fiction.
"James Mink was a successful Black businessman in Toronto in the 1840s and 1850s. His story is one of the best known tales of Black Torontonians in the 19th century, told and retold many times in newspapers and books. In the 1990s, his story was made into a TV movie, Captive Heart: the James Mink Story, which was broadcast in Canada and the United States. In the screen version of events, Mink arranges for a white man to marry his daughter Mary and then stages a daring rescue when her husband whisks her off to the American South and sells her into slavery. The movie is said to be “based on historical records”, but as Guylaine Pétrin found out through her research, records can lie."
The lecture is on Wednesday August 7, 2013 at 7:30 pm at the  City of Toronto Archives, 255 Spadina Road. Admission is free, reservation required from http://goo.gl/iAzW5

230,000 West Yorkshire burial records

Records for twenty cemeteries and two crematoria of the Wakefield Metropolitan District Council can now be searched on Deceased Online That totals nearly 230,000 burial and cremation records added to the database for the industrial towns of Castleford, Featherstone, Knottingley, Pontefract and the city of Wakefield.
There's information on the cemeteries at http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/CommunityAndLiving/BereavementServices/Cemeteries.htm and a free search from http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/CommunityAndLiving/BereavementServices/GenealogySearches/default.htm

Crap Towns

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So is crap. How about towns; is your British ancestral town deserving of a place on the list of worst places to live in Britain?

An article in The Guardian at http://goo.gl/0Tybu includes the following nominations: Alresford, Belfast, Blackpool, Brighton, Burnham Market, Bury St Edmunds, Chipping Norton,  Gateshead, Glastonbury, Liverpool, London (with special mention of Hackney), Luton, all the Medway Towns, Merthyr Tydfil, Morecambe, Newquay, Oxford, Slough, Stratford-upon-Avon, York, and Woodstock for the list of crappy towns of Britain.

A serious oversight; there are none in Scotland!

Any nominations for a similar list for Canada?

Census of Manitoba 1870

The following is from a blog post by Library and Archives Canada.

Library and Archives Canada is pleased to announce that Canadians can now access the Census of Manitoba, 1870 online. This census was taken shortly after Manitoba joined Confederation.
This census provides the names of more than12,200 individuals living in Manitoba at that time and contains information such as age, marital status, place of birth, religion, race and name of the father.

Royal Naval Division Service Records: 1914-20

Findmypast.co.uk announce addition of service records of more than 50,000 officers and ratings who served in the Royal Naval Division from 1914-20. The records give details such as name, address, next of kin, service number, physical appearance, disciplinary record and even swimming ability!

The division was formed from men who served with the Royal Navy and its reserve forces. It fought on land alongside the regular army during World War One and suffered heavy casualties at Gallipoli and the Somme. It included recruits from the following:

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
Royal Fleet Reserve
Royal Navy
Royal Marines
Army

via http://www.findmypast.co.uk/content/news/rnd

OGS Conference 2014: 1-4 May

Niagara Branch, host of the 2014 Ontario Genealogical Society conference, have posted a video on YouTube which includes news of the first announced speaker.

Annual Accrual of Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics

The following is an announcement from the Nova Scotia Archives.

"An additional 25,120 historical vital statistics are waiting for you on www.novascotiagenealogy.com.

These records were released on 31 December 2012 and since then have been digitized, fully indexed and checked for quality control. This year's accruals include 14,378 births (1912), 4,359 marriages (1937) and 6,383 deaths (1962). As usual, the birth records include some 'delayed' entries for individuals born in 1912 (or earlier) but not registered until a later date. Happy searching!"

Archive CD Books Canada Sale

Malcolm and Chris Moody announce the Archive CD Books Canada MID SUMMER MADNESS SALE!

"For short period we have marked down the prices on most of our CANADIAN CD products by as much as 50%.

To see all our products on sale in a single list use this link: http://bit.ly/16ohwhB

OR you can use our online catalogue in the usual way. You will find all the marked-down prices are shown above the regular price.

Still no shipping and handling charges within Canada.

I predict we won't be able to keep this going for too long in this heat so DON'T DELAY."

September Trip to Salt Lake City

Jane MacNamara emailed me about a few spaces available for the trip she's organized to Salt Lake City and researching at the Family History Library. The group (mostly Toronto Branch OGS members) departs September 8 for one or two weeks If interested in joining you need to register by July 20. For more information please visit http://wherethestorytakesme.ca/salt-lake-city-trip/

RootsTech Revisited

RootsTech have posted videos of some of the presentation from this year's event, an opportunity to view some you missed, or review any you missed.

Thursday	Presented by findmypast.com
8:30 AM	Keynote – Dennis Brimhall, Syd Lieberman, Josh Taylor
11:00 AM	The Future of Genealogy - Thomas MacEntee and panel
1:45 PM	Tell it Again (Story@Home) - Kim Weitkamp
3:00 PM	The Genealogists Gadget Bag - Jill Ball and panel
4:15 PM	Finding the Obscure and Elusive: Geographic Information on the Web - James Tanner
Friday	Presented by Ancestry.com
8:30 AM	Keynote - Jyl Pattee and Tim Sullivan
9:45 AM	Researching Ancestors Online - Laura Prescott
11:00 AM	FamilySearch Family Tree - Ron Tanner
1:45 PM	Google Search… and Beyond - Dave Barney
3:00 PM	From Paper Piles to Digital Files - Valerie Elkins
Saturday	Presented by MyHeritage
8:30 AM	Keynote - David Pogue and Ori Soen
9:45 AM	Using Technology to Solve Research Problems - Karen Clifford
11:00 AM	Digital Storytelling: More than Bullet Points - Denise Olson